Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-04-19
WHAT'S A BILLION DoLLARs5
Senator HRnsbrOugh's Manner Of An
sSveEing the Question.

ARSAAH8 AnG 4uGANA0Ms
The greatest business combination or
financial combination Of any kind, gov
ernmental excepted, ever got together In
the history of the world is the great steel
combination which J. Pierpont MORAN
& Co. recently eonsummated. A billion
dollars of capital! The human mind stag
gers when it tries to think what it means.
1t cannot grasp it. 1t is the identica
sum which the famous Fifty-frst con
gress appropriated and through that ap
preparation gained the name of the billion
dollar congress.
The other evening at the Waldorf AS
toria John W. Gates of the American
Steel and Wire company gave a dinner to
celebrate the successful accomplishment
of this greatest of all great trade eombi-
nations. As was to be expected, the CO.
versation turned upon the United States
steel corporation. Millions and billions
were conversatiOnally juggled until the
listeners head swan. Finally one man
prOpounded staggerer. Gould any one
present define what a billion dollars real
ly meanty' There was pause, and then
| Senator II. c. Hansbrough Of South Da-
kota told the following story, which ap-
parently satisfactorily answered the ques-
ton:
Out in my country" SAID the senator,
Zone night two tramps looking for place
| in which to spend the night CHANGED
across half empty box cur on a siding.
| They awOke late the next day to discover
that the car was partially filed with
corn. 1t was raining cats and dogs out
i side, and so one of the tramps, producing
greasy pack of cards, proposed a game
| of poker to kill the time. The other.
nothing lOath. agreed. They were with
! out chips, but a substitute was readily
found by Smelling some of the corn and
using the kernels thereof in lieu Of the
regulation white and blue disks.
"The corn was of three colors," con-
tinued the senator, red, yellow and
white. and the knights Of the road de.
cided to make the white kernels worth
500, the yellow $500 and the red 81 ,0O0
The game being a credit one each took a
most generous supply of chips. The
hands were dealt and one of the tramps
after surveying his cards, nonchalantly
drew out of his pocket the stub Of cigar
which he had picked up on his travels
Lighting it he then airily announced that
his hand was worth $1,000,000 The
other. not to be Outdone, also produced
'steepee.' lit it, cooked it at the proper
angle in his mouth and then. prelimi
naries heing successfully accomplished
saw the others bet and raised him 81,
100000. No. 1, a man of nervous dispo
sition. started as he heard the raise, bu
he, too, was a dead game sport. and an
other $1,000.000 followed the previous
100000 into the pot. and it was up t,
hobo No. . to call or raise as he saw fit
No. ? surveyed his companion leisurel,
and then his hand. I see that bet h
announced impressively. and raise it 81,
OO0,O00.000.' Take it, gasped No. 1, a
soon as he got his breath. and then. Il
semisoliloquy added. Oats what | get
for playing poker with an educated lot
ster like you. What de deuce is 81 600
100000 anyhow Gentlemen" cOnclu6
> ed Senator Hansbrough. what de deuc
, is $1.OOO.OOO,OOO anyhow"