The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-06-26
Chain Was Started 10 Purchase an Ice Plant
for the Soldiers In Cuba.
FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS SUM NEEDED
That Was Quickly Secured but The Dimes conlIn-
usd 10 Come Until $4,000 Has Been
Received By Miss Sohsnck.

New York, June 26.--From Babylon,
l.. l., comes the news that the endless
chain is believed to have ended. Miss
Nathalia Schenck, the patriotic young
resident OF that place who started the
chain, feels positive that at least one
end OF the chain has ended, and the
local postmaster is beginning TO believe
that the other end has ended az well.
If this proves TO be the case, grateful
sighs OF relief will follow.
Ending the Cuban war was an easy
task as compared with ending the end
less chain which that war suggested to
Mss Schenck. She sought TO raise. by
ten cent subscription, $4,000 for an ice
plant for the American soldiers who
had gone to war. She raised the $4,000.
the soldiers got the ice plant. the Span
ish mule fell mortally wounded at Ma
tanzas, Cervera's S feet went to the bot
tom and Santiago surrendered
Everything connected with the Cuban
war ended, excepting the endless chain.
Miss Schenck became alarmed. Her
grandfather, Matthew Morgan. de-
scribed as the father OF this particular
endless chain. began TO regard the af-
fair seriously, and the local postmaster
became desperate.
Peace finally was declared. the sol
diers were sent home, cold weather
came and ice was NOT needed, but still
the endless chain went on. Ii encom-
passed the nation, and there was
scarcity of dimes in many out OF the
way places. Patriotic Americans at
many points who had not millions for
defence had dimes for an ice plant. and
they sent on the dimes 10 Miss Schenck
AS result, about s25 900 was receiveS
by her and turned over to the Ice Plant
Auxiliary OF the Red Cross Society.
The hope of its originators that this
particular endless chain has ended is
based on the fact that not a single let
ter was received last Saturday The
chain was started on May is. 1898, and
1t became such a huge success that
thousands of replies often were received
in a single day. Mss Schenck had
sent four letters to four friends asking
each To send her dime and TO write
similar requests 10 four OF their friends
Never was there a chain forged more
rapidly. Within a few days the post
master I'm Babylon found il necessary
TO employ more help. and The soon had
To get bags I'm which TO send the re-
plies TO Miss Schenck. Bags presently
became unequal to the task, and wag-
onloads OF the replies each letter con-
tanning dime, began to be dumped
at the Schenck home. IL was a com
mon thing for more than two thous-
and of the letters TO be received in a
day, and on one day in July the num-
ber received was estimated at twelve
thousand
Efforts to break the chain were made
within a few weeks after it had been
started. but they were unavailing Miss
Schenck made appeals to her friends
and their friends TO cease sending
dimes. but IL was usless Money |
enough came in TO build half dozen |
Ice plants for soldiers, and the efforts |
TO break the chain finally were aband- |
oned. |
Mr.. Morgan declares that IL he can |
have his way no more trouble will come |
from the endless chain. He has had all |
of the VERY over the proposition that |
he cares for. He found it necessary TO |
employ special watchmen TO guard the |
money that was received after the To-
cal banks had closed for the day He |
had tU-hre eight young women 10 ard t
in opening the letters
Interest in the endless chain began
10 fall off in November, and the num-
Der OF letters received sine then has
steadily diminished. Many of the most
recent replies came from distant States
and they are believed to be the last of
the line.