The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-29
THINGS SEEN AND HEARD.

last about the great scoop the New York
Herald made at the time of Johnson's i'm
parchment said a. former correspondent
in the Row yesterday. now a chief in
one of the departments, 4but that was
not the greatest beat scored in Newspaper
Row. One night many years ago. in 1867,
left my Office about II o'clock and
boarded car going up Fourteenth Street.
That was when the cars only ran to the
foot of the hill. When we reached the
State Department, which was then tenn
porarily located, at the corner of Four
teenth and s Streets northwest. which is
now used for an, orphan asylum. the build
ing was abiaze with lights. 1t being so
unusual an occurrence at that time | de-
cided to stop and investigate Several
carriages were standing in front OF the
building and the drivers of these were the
first that approached. 1t appeared that
Secretary of State Seward was closeted
with the Russian minister and a number
of his secretaries. who had been there for
about an hour 1t was evident that some
thing of Importance was going on that
had escaped the vigilance of the newspa-
per correspondents. i approached the
Waterman at the main door with some
temerity, although l knew the man, and
he knew me to be newspaper corre-
spondent. / felt that l would be able to
get no information from him whatever,
because he was one of those extra precau>
tious men who would not use his tongue
unless ordered n do GurypiSp %
garding his ciam-like silence was cor
rect, and the only thing l learned from
him was what the drivers of the car
riages had already told me. He would
not let me in the building, although ex-
planned to him how necessary it was, from
my point of view. / went to another door
and found Waterman / knew little
better and who would appreciate good
piece of news. He was very anxious that
| should know what was up. but his or
derS were positive and he could not let
me enter. However, L told him I would
watch the door in his place If he would
take a note to a friend upstairs who
was clerk in the department, which he
agreed to do, and in a few moments he
returned to his post with the statement
that my friend would be down in min
ute.
When the clerk reached me he told
me that he could stay but a moment, but
long enough to tell me the United States
had purchased Alaska from Russia and
that the treaty arranging the deal would
be signed in half an hour If 1t had not
been signed already. Here was start
ling piece of news, but there was no way
to get it to my paper in time for the reg
ular edition. The hour was late. / had
| wasted ton much time with the watch
| man at the front door. The cars had
| stopped running and | could not get cab
| TO take me TO the telegraph office. Anoth-
er and more serious obstacle in my path
was that / had sent goodnight over the
| wire before | left the office and | doubted
| the possibility of getting anything to the
| paper in time. / decided to do the best !
could and tried TO get the driver of one
| of the carriages in the front of the build
! ing TO take me TO the telegraph Office. as
! surfing him that his master would not be
| out for an hour yet and he would there
! fore have plenty of time TO get back after
| taking me TO the nearest telegraph office;
| but it was no use. He would not accept
| my offer. / tried every driver present
with the same result. AS | was talking
| to the last man and using all my per-
| suasive arguments the door of the depart
| ment opened and the entire party filed out
| and got into their carriages without a
word and were driven to their homes AS
they started off II occurred TO me that
| the carriage of the Russian minister
would pass the corner of New York Ave
| nue. and Fourteenth Street, and as his
carriage was driving off I climbed upon
| the springs behind and rode all the dis
lance 10 New York Avenue in very un-
Comfortable position. Luckily, I managed
to reach the telegraph office just before
il closed and filed my dispatches, and the
l next morning the paper / represented
was the only paper in the United State:
that had the news of the purchase oil
Alaska. All OF the important particular;
were given in my story and little was let
for the other correspondents the day fol
lowing"
IAN unusual and extremely unsavory
experience happened to me while l was
at Atlantic City remarked well-knowr
local dramatic critic yesterday. 81 knew
young lady there, I wanted to enjoy
plunge in the water, but she would not &C
company me, so / left her on the beach
temporarily. l had hoped with the re
quest that she watch me do things II
the water. l had taken her from hel
fellow, by the way AS soon as | go
to fooling in the waves the other fellow
appeared near me in the water and said
Look out, you will fall out of your bath
ing suit and hurt yourself ! asked wha
was the matter and he replied by saying
that my suit was ripped all the way VI
the back. I though at first that he wa.
jollying me, but then I thought that h
might be returning good for evil, anC
asked him to go and get me a pin. HI,
went to the beach and for fully fifteel
minutes / waited for the arrival of tn,
necessary pin. but it failed to put in al
| appearance. When I looked toward tn,
beach. a minute later, 1 saw my riva
talking to the girl whom had previous
iy cautioned to watch me while I was II
the water He had forgotten all abou
, the pin. What did I do? I waited unit
a kindly friend secured another suit 70
me, and then went ashore also, but tn
young lady had disappeared with my ri
val"
President Mckinley Is to have Gov
: eminent warship at his disposal as
pleasure craft on the Potomac. AS state,
2 in The Times on Wednesday, 1t has bee
decided that the Sylph. one Of the yacht
r purchased by the navy for the auxiliar.
G fleet during the war. will be retained an
turned over TO the President He will TAX
outings on the river In the warm even
r ings with the members Of the Cabinet an
the ladies of the Administration. 1t |
possible too, that in other years, whe
the cares of state are not so great, h
may take more extended pleasure trip
after the manner of his immediate prede
cessor in the White House. Presiden
| Mckinley, too has discovered a new us
| for the Government pleasure craft O