The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-19
GETTING EVEN
With Discourteous and Disgruntled
Bank Official.

DdAA OA4Cl<ti.
philadelphia Times: The report of
the paymaster Of the United States
auxiliary cruiser Yosemite having been
refused payment on his drafts on the
United States sub-treasury in New
York by the Colonial bank at St.
Thomas, has awakened many reminis
cences among navy paymasters OF ex-
perience in getting money in foreign
ports. United States ships, of war do
not carry on foreign stations large
sums of money, but collect it on sight
drafts on the treasury at nome. The
late Paymaster Clark of the United
/ States navy of Delaware was attached
to one of the ships on the European
station during the period of the civil
war. 1t may have been the Kearsarge,
but il is not important. She was an
armed vessel and had been long at
sea, and came in for coal, provisions
and to give the men a liberty day on
shore To meet these some GS,0OO
linen are paid in the currency of the
country they may be in when on for
eign stationS) and PaymaSter Clark
drew sight drafts on the sub-treasury
of New York through the government
agent, ]. s. Morgan & Co., bankers, in
old Broad street, London. Accompan-
led by the vice consul he went to the
Plymouth branch of the Bank of Eng
land and presenting his drafts asked to
have them changed for notes and gold.
The bank manager, not content with
exercising proper commercial scrutiny,
was very nasty, and finally said:
well. 1 do not know the sub-treasury.
/ do not know the paper nor you, and
have never had business with the gen.
tleman who is United States vice con-
sui here, so 1 won't cash your drafts.
You say ]. S. Morgan will endorse
them. You had better go up to London
and let him cash them" Mr.. Clark
went out to the telegraph office. put
himself in communication with Mr..
Morgan, and MIR. Morgan went TO the
Bank Of England in London, the man
ager sent word to the Plymouth branch
manager and that gentleman came per-
sonally to the Royal hotel, and. with
hat in hand, begged to be of service to
Paymaster Clark in any way that gen.
tleman would suggest. The apparent
ly placated paymaSted, accompanied
by his clerk, accompanied the bank
officer to the bank. The drafts were
duly passed over and a large bundle
of Bank of England notes placed be-
fore the paymaster.
What are these?" said Clark.
"Those are Bank of England notes."
was the reply
Eyes. 1 see they are notes signed by
Frederick May that the bank will pay
bearer. etc Well, l do not know Mr.
May, and of course do not know you.
This paper may be good. but have no
assurance of that. I'll trouble you for
the gold.''
The Inundated bank manager had TO
hunt it up, and Paymaster Clark car
ried it down to the boat in triumph. II
would have preferred part of the money
in notes. he said, but 1 couldn't re-
fuse the chance of getting even
IN the case of the Colonial Bank of
ST. Thomas and the cruiser Yosemite,
it appears that the bank, which is the
only one on the island. already holds
an unpaid United States consular draft
for $4,000 for coal for United Statps
ships, and the dispatch relates that 1t
consequently declined 10 pay ous an
more money. The payraaster OF the
cruiser expects to be able to settle his
bills for supplies by giving separate
draft to each merchant of whom he
buys, and it is likely that the drafts