The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-12-04
THE DIAMOND DRUMMER.
He Doesn't Feav Thieves as Much as
Mistake In Prices.

a Mistake In Prices.
~ suppose my line of business is the
most interesting on the road said one OF
the party in the smoking room of the
Pullman car.
"What is it:" asked another travelling
man.
Diamonds" said the first one. Il
don't know Of another drummer who car
RIGS his stock with him and delivers the
goods rs soon as they are bought. OF
course n man can carry fortune in dia-
monds and put them all in u very small
package. There is really no such thing as
sample case with diamond drummer,
because diamonds cant be sold by sam
pies. carry Sl50,00O worth of diamonds
in two pocketbooks about the size Of those
used by bill collectors and about an inch
thick. Garry them in my grip? No, in
decd. When am about to leave town.
l send my stock ahead Of me to the next
town by express.
"The diamonds are kept in what the
trade calls papers that is, they are
sorted according to size and quality, and
each lot is wrapped in paper. | show my
paper TO the jewclcr. He makes his selec-
tions, and deliver the gems to him on the
spot, so he knows exactly what he Is
getting. Persons sometimes ask me
whether ! am not afraid to walk around
town with fortune in diamonds in my
hands. They say they should expect me
to stay In my room at the hotel and get
the jeweler to go there and look at my
stock. When you get used to it, you
ht,,I, .,f nd
600 worth of diamonds than yon would of
carrying so many cigars, but that Is not
the main reason why go to the jeweler
If jeweler should come to my room at a
hotel, he would be confused by losing his
light He gets accustomed to looking at
diamonds in the light of his own store,
and il he were to examine them in
strange light lie might make some serious
Mistakes
Hazardous business? Yes, suppose
it's the most hazardous business you
could find, though not for the reason peo
pie generally suppose. Persons often say
l am in a risky business because l am
likely to be robbed or to lose my diamonds
in some other way. have been with one
house for II years and have never lost
single stone. My stock Of diamonds is
insured for S25,00O, the maximum
amount which the mutual insurance com
pany run by the jewelers. will take. The
cost OF this insurance is only onehalf Of
l per cent. and you might naturally con-
clude from this figure that the company
doesn't have to pay many losses, which is
a fact. But worse than train robbers or
other thieves In the diamond business is
tI,, Il nf n. min
take in quoting prices or giving credit
told You that l AIN high priced man,
but, really, in the diamond business n
house can't afford to employ any other
kind. The margin is awfully close and
the competition is keen. | am just re-
turning from the Pacific coast. and while
out there | refused $4,000 order from
jeweler because of a difference of $50 in
the price Of the whole order. That will
give you an idea OF how closely We have
to figure. l telegraphcd my house what
l had done and it indorscd mo. l am
anxious to go in business for myself.
and if ! were in any other line than dia-
monds | would have struck out for my
self long ago, but fear there is no chance
for me. couldn't pay the high salary !
would have to pay to the travelling men
want. couldn't employ cheap men, be-
cause few mistakes would wipe out my
capital and bankrupt me.
"Everybody asks me about the effect OF
hard times on my business. In 1894 the
business of my firm fell off $GU0,O00, but
it is II great mistake to assume that the
diamond business stops in hard times. or
course everything is booming now and my
sales 70 pOOd but thew 90 right along all