Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-22
A REMARKABLE RECORD.
SIGNED o,ooo,o 900 IN BONDS DUR
ING TWO DAYS.
The Wonderful Feat Accomplished by
Hon. L. T.. Chittenden While Register
of the Treasury Under President
Llucoln-A Race Against Time.

voted considerable space to Il Favorable
comment on the rapidity with which thc
treasury department prepared the iss,ic
of 5 per cent war bonds. This Comment
serves to recall an interesting incident in
the treasury department during the civil
war, when l.. T.. ChittCndcu. who was
President linColn's register of the treas
ury, made a record i'm bond issuing that
has never been cqualCd since.
Anuut II O'Clock one Friday morning IN
1852 MIR. Chitcudcu was requested to go -
he executive mansion at once to meet the
President and secretaries Chase and Sc
ward. On reaching there he was asked
what WAS the shortest time SlO.0oo. 900 in
government bonds could he issued. lie re-
Piled that IL could he eonc in five days.
bat WIS told that in this particular case
II mad to be done IN less than three. The
bonds hyd to ne on board II steamer i'm
New York bound for Liverpool at H.
o'clock the following Monday.
The law required that the bonds all be
tiIdcd by the register. There were about
seventy hours between the time ne re-
Ccivol his orders and the time the securi-
tic had to hc on Shiphoard. There were
euuu-h bonds printed i'm denominations
of $l,"n aud Ss1 SO trat l2,5"n signatures
would have to he made 1t Is possible to
write that number of signatures in scv-
enty hours, with proper periods Of rest,
but It was not tGought possible fer any
man to do 1t IN practically one sitting. as
It ttcu had tp tc done.
The ucc' sity tor the ord r to issue Slo,-
O'o,sV In bonds in such remarkable haste
was made known to the President Ivy y
special messenger from Charles Francis
Adams. tHou minister To the court Of st.
james. There was hut one ocean cahlc
IN those days and that was not then in
wur. INK order. For several vvoAs Mir.
Adams mad hUpWu that a iirm Of ship
build RS at B~!rkcuEoad were constructing
tNA armand N.GE.l1 for tho .,tt Ft1.tug,a
mat were To operate after the fashion OF
thc Alabama and destroy tAc Union block
Hdc Of southern ports.
II WAS one of the greatest dangers that
threatened the UniCn cause during the
rebellion. and NJ. Adams used every
means at his command to prevent the de-
pHrturc OF the vessels. However. he was
not able to secure the least assistance
from tuc British government until he had
shown to tho crown lawyers copies OF the
contracts, which proved that the vessels
were to he paid for by confederate money
and copies of the commission of some of
tho officers bearing the signature Of jet
fCrSon Davis and the confederate seal. lie
WAS also able To show that the vessels
were to sail to- small island in the West
Indies. whore their guns and ammunition
had already been sent.
Even with this Information the English
authorities We're reluctant about fEtcrfvr-
ing. and promised to do 50 only on clndi-
tiou that the United States dcposit EL-
10000 to secure the British government.
against any claims for DAMAGES should
the charges prove untrue. Mr.. Adams
VAS practically helpless. The vessels
we're to sail in a few days. the cable was
not in working order and there was no
way Of communication with Washington
in time to do any GOOD.
1t was at this time that what now seems
like n miracle was performed to save the
Apn,ri..t - IFtfar fv,,, fA. lf.,4.ar fI.
sailing, of those vessels would have
wrought. Mr.. Adams had come to the
conclusion that there Was no way out of
the difficulty when in walked an English
man who is entitled to the everlasting
gratitude Ct the American people and Of
fcred to place at Mr.. Adams disposal The
money required to make the English cov-
ornmen do its duty. lie attached only
two conditions. one being that his name
should not be known. and the other that
the United States should secure the loan
by a deposit of government bonds In Lon
don us soon as convenient.
Such was the Information that made It
necessary To issue 100000 M in government
bonds, the premium here on sold at that
time making that amount of bonds worth
about G1,Oo0,0h. in Europe.
MIR. Chitenden realized the task ahead
Of him and wasted no time bordering. An
attempt was made to delay the departure
of the vessel, but IL failed. Meanwhile
the signing of bonds was going on with
all possible haste. The work began at u
o'clock Friday. The first seven hours
passed without unusual happenings. The
register had frequently signed bonds tor
that length of time, and his muscles were
accustomed to such stretches of work.
The writing went on at the rate of ten
signatures a minute, and In the first sew
en- hours 800 bonds were signed. Witnin
the next half hour, though, the muscles
of the right hand and arm began to
twitch and halt, and it was not long be-
fore they We're painfully nfamcd. 1t
was necessary to continue signing, though
for at any relaxation The muscles threat
encd to swell so that furth>r work would
be impossible. Thus the signing went on
hour after hour. During Saturday after
noon the pain was succeeded by numb
ness which left the hand and arm prac-
tically without feeling. Still the work
went on almost mechanically, but not
without numerous shifts of position. vio-
lent exercise and the administering of
concentrated extracts. foods and Stimu-
lants.
Toward night II seemed that the regis
ter must stop from sheer exhaustion. re-
sign and nave "A new officer appointed. The
objection to this was that the appearance
OF two signatures on the bonds would
give the proceeding an appearance of ir-
regularity and the appointment of "A ncw
register Saturday night or sunday would
cause much adverse criticism. Mr.. Chit
tendon must have II strong feeling of
pride. too, in wanting TO complete the
work, even though he knew 1t was at the
risk of his health and life. So ne toiled
on, writing ten signatures standing at Il
mantel, ten more sitting at one desk
ten at another. and thus frequently