The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-12
THE HIGH POWER COLLAR.
And the Disastrous Consequences to
MIR. william BENJAMIN.
From the washington Post.

From the Washington Post.
A very sad and painful story is that
which comes to us from Hillsdale, N. j.,
the scene of the explosion of Mr.. Will
liam Benjamin's celluoid shirt collar
and of the consequent conf1agration of Mr.
William Benjamin. We have long nursed
misgivings as to the perfect safety of the
celluloid shirt collar, though we could
never altogether withhold our admiration
of it's neatness and ingenuity. 1t always
seemed to us that such a boon to the hui
man race must be too good to be true. A
shirt collar that could be worn every day
for seventeen years without paying one
cent of tribute to the laundry was thing
of wonder and delight, but, alas! some
times thing of fear. 1t was so superior
both in beauty and economy to the old
rundown collar that could be reversed
without serious danger of detection-so
much better, even, than the paper article
at 70 cents a gross-that we could hardly
believe it real. The collar came, and it
stayed. We could see it sencircling the
neckS of real gents at various functions
of the feverish kind, and shielded a fierce
and lurid glare upon festivities remark
able for energy and freedom. But incre-
dulity was never quite allayed, and
away down in the secret recesses of our
being an ever living apprehension lurked.
There was too much loVlness for the
money-more style than could be alto
gether safe.
And now comes the tragic case of Mr..
William Benjamin to justify those dark
forebOdings. William had long been an
efficient, urbane and accomplished brake
man on the Erie railroad. Young. manly
looking, handsome and socially inclined
he was a tower of strength and safety
while on the road, and at home the center
of the fashionable whirl. Equipped with
that cellulod collar, he was a host in
the way of business, glittering pageant
of elegance and grace. He could step
off his train at Hillsdale, proud in the
consciousness of duty done, wash his
hands, rub the celluloid collar across his
thigh and walk straight into the assem-
bly, ball, a thing of beauty and a Joy
forever. The row Weeded by Mr. William
the social annals of Hillsdale. His hor-
oscope was literally damned with auspi-
cious and triumphant portents. But the
catastrophe came at last. The celluloid
collar which so long had been his glory
and his joy became in one dreadful mo-
ment his ruin and his cure Standing on
the platform as No. 90 rolled into Hills
dale, and appraising in anticipation the
havoc he proposed to let loose upon the
tender heart of beauty, he heard a low
but curdling siZzle just at his large left
ear A spark from the engine had fallen
on the celluloid collar. The sizzle was
the vanguard of the tragedy. William
BENJAMIN started. The SiZZle deepened
into a splutter. He tore wildly at his
throat and then, with a sickening bang
the collar exploded like a giant cracker
on a Whitehead torpedo, and William
Benjamin burst into lurid and consuming
There may be a moral to this story. No
doubt there is. Enough for us that the
celuloid collar was, as we had feared.
too beautiful to last. There was a time
when we envied William Benjamin. Now.
as we weep over the fragments of the
roast, we are rewarded for our faith in
linen and our frequent, though painful,
contributions to the washerwoman.