, 1900-09-08

it again. 1t is now p. d. Armour, act
ing commissary general to the car o
Russia. What the Russian government
has asked its commissary general tc
accomplish is one OF the most stupen.
dous undertakings in the history OF
army supply.
Transport 1000 cattle a distance OF
10, 700 miles over seas. Send me 5000
600 pounds of beef on the hoof from
San Francisco to Peking," is the sub.
stance of the order from the car on
Aug. %.
Mr.. Armour is now organizing a
fleet of transports at San Francisco, in
which to ship this immense amount OF
cattle and meats to China. He has
chartered the argonaut ships of the
Alaskan seas, and an option has been
asked on every boat in the carrying
trade from San Francisco to Seattle.
1T looks now as if the deal would
fall through. Armour can't get the
transports" say some of the traders
who are watching the deal.
But there is this to remember" say
the others. Three years ago Mr.. Ar
mour brought all the steamers of the
great lakes from winter quarters, char
tered a fleet of tugs, and carried down
to his Chicago warehouses the millions
Of bushels of wheat that smashed the
Letter corner and buried young Joe
Letters millions of dollars. If Mr..
Armour decides finally to take the
ears orders he will carry them out to
the letter."
Every day the Armour company
buys enough cattle in the markets of
America to fill this Russian order.
Within three days that many export
cattle, fatted to a kings taste, could
be bought by the firm in Chicago yards
alone. They could be purchased for
instant shipment in the pens through
out western stock markets. Where the
trouble comes is in getting a flotilla
of cattle ships big enough to carry T.
900 beeves on the hoof from San Fran
cisco to the Orient. There are not
enough boats to be found on the Pa
cific coast. To move such a fleet, once
it is obtained. with its cargo Of 6,OOO.-
600 pounds, across the Pacific ocean.
will be a feat unparalleled even by the
accomplished it will be the first time
that the greatest trader in the world
ever received an order that was toe
big for him.
The last great coup of P. D. Armour
was made in connection with the Lei
ter wheat corner in 1897. This corner
was months in maturing. It SEN the
price Of grain up in India. The value
Of a loaf of bread almost doubled in
Calcutta, in London, and in New York.
Joseph Letter was a foe worthy even
of p. d. Armour. 1t is now a matter OF
common history how Armour wrig-
gled out of n squeeze hat would
have meant financial death to 999 men
out of 1000. He executed a great coup
in transporting millions of bushels of
wheat from Duluth to Chicago by boat
in the winter season, when navigation
was supposed to be closed. 1t was an
expensive affair for Mr.. Armour. but
in the end it smashed young Letter,
just as the "old man of La Sale
street" had figured it would. Mr..
Armour could have settled his losses
with Letter for about one-half what ii
cost him to bring that wheat to Chi
cago, and it is safe to say that he is
about the onlyma II in the trade who
would not have seized the opportunity
to get off as cheaply as possible. He
said id real loud several time az
he paid the bills, for they were i'm
mense, but when the wheat was finally
landed here and formally delivered to
ooS i<ti'ei, anu tlp lattel udu " nus
tie the cash over to Armour & Co., the
"old man. smiled broadly and said:
"That settles Mr.. Letter. He can
never stand that load"
And he didn't. 1t was too heavy.
The Letter corner went to smash. and
Armour more than recouped his losses
in the cleanup.
In 1892 the cold man. was on one
of his annual trips to the German min
eral waters. At Carlsbad he met the
moneyed men Of Europe, and
he put together all the hints
that he got from this one
and that one, and out of these hints
he evolved a theory. He packed his
grip and started for home, and the day
he landed in New York he telegraphet
for the heads of his departments tc
meet him in Chicago.
"How's business?" he asked, cheer.
fully, as he sat down in the midst Of
1.-THE powwow and within range Of twen'
ty telegraph machines.
Never better: making money hant
over fist" said the managers.
"Cut everything down to the very
edge" said the "old man,
in a very business-like way. There,
a storm brewing. Haul in said. Stacl