The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-26
PLUGGING CHAIN.
An Old Trick of Dishonest Dealers
Is Reing Revixed.

Is Being Revived.
From the New Orleans Times-Democrat.
Did you ever hear of plugging grain p"
said New Orleans elevator man, tipping
back in his chair and lighting a fresh
cigar. NO? Wen, it used to be a very
popular amusement and while il has been
on the wane for some years back, I'm told
it has lately enjoyed quite revival. The
only trouble is that the fellows who tried
| it all got caught"
"What is it, anyhow" asked the report
er, who had dropped ia on the TRAN OF a
story
why, it's merely an application of the
ancient and honorable practice among
agricultursts of putting the big potatoes
on top In other words, it is burying a
certain quantity Of inferior corn or wheat
in the bowels of a car supposed to be full
of good stuff The thing used to be car
RED on TO such an extent that it seriously
threatened the standing of the local mar
ket and the fellows doing it must have
made a barrel of money. But nowadays
our inspection and rating system is down
to such fine point that the game is
scarcely worth the candle. Still it goes
on all the same. and now and then some
chap attempts it on large scale But. as
l remarked before, they al get caught"
But how is it possible to doctor car
| that way without the knowledge of the
railroad people?" asked the reporter.
las easy as rolling off a log. A shipper
Of any consequence has his private Gle
vator with siding connected 10 the main
track. When he wants to send in a con-
signment he merely notifies ihe nearest
agent to let him have 50 many cars, and
the next freight train that comes along
leaves them az his service. Then he can
go ahead and DO all the plugging he wants
TO, and nobody viii be any the wiser out
side of his own hands"
rs there any special way of doing the
thing" inquired the reporter, getting in
terested "or is the poor grain merely
dumped in and the good stuff heaped over
the top?'
oh we'll" said the elevator man. smll-
ing. there is plugging and plugging. Some
Is rough work, such as you describe. but
the chronic offender is apt TO get wise and
takes no such chances. He knows that
the inspector will sample the car al both
ends and the middle, so he is likely to
make his little plant about a third of the
way from the center mark where It viii
stand some chance of being missed
knew one old fellow who was undoubtedly
the finest plugger in the country. He
worked off tons of inferior grain, and how
he escaped detection was mystery The
car would be tapped in half a dozen differ
y
all right, but the plugs were there just
the same One day after he went out Of
business, he told me how he did IT, Ac-
cording to his story he had sheet iron
tubes about a foot in diameter that re
would stand at different places close to
the side OF the car, and in these he would
pour in the inferior grain. Then he would
fill the car all around them with No /
stuff and pull out the tubes. The result
was that the poor grain stood IN small
vertical columns through the load ana
was extremely apt TO be missed by the
most careful sampler The old fellow
may have been lying, but his story was
certainly curious, and l give it TO you for
what it Is worth. ! forgot to say that he
spread layer Of good grain over the top
IN all he plugged cars This happened
some time ago and the old chap has since
gone TO his reward"
what happens to these pluggers when
they get caught?"
Nothing special happens to the plug
gers, but the plugged carload Is all rated
down 10 the quality OF the worst grain II
contains That involves a considerable
loss and Is a pretty serious lesson to
shipper who tries 10 get gay with the in
spector. Before the present system came
into vogue there was absolutely no GER
tainty about anything received. and plug
ging was a sort OF standing Joke among
shippers. IL was sort of taken for grant
ed in a particular circle, like telling lies
about fishing. Now. it's a very hard thing
for a man TO get a name for that sort OF
work Everything he sends TO the city
will be subjected TO extra scrutiny and no
excuses will be accepted for the least IL
regularity I'm really surprised that any
body attempted H."
Chief Inspector Mcmillan laughed quiet
ly when the subject was mentioned
We've about broken up that Industry. -
he call FGnt1 still frsn &
casionaly. Yes, we had considerable
trouble some months ago with grain from
a certain elevator up the country. It's
consignments came In very eleverly plug
ged. but we caught up with the game
every time, and pretty soon the gentleman