The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-06
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

'If L should pocket all the valuable
things that are left in this shop" said
one of the BARRIERS in hotel yesterday.
IL should become independently rich. The
thing that strikes me most in my days
work is the carelessness of men with
their jewelry. They don't seem to care
anything about it, and leave it lying
around as If IL were not the easiest thing
in the world to steal, and the thing most
difficult to get back. They put it on my
table here, and seem to forget they ever
( had it. get up, put their collar and
necktie and leave 1t behind them. OF
course, scarf pins are the things most
frequently left for whatever may be the
prevailing fashion men will wear scarf
pins if they possess expensive ones. A
man slips it out of his tie. and places
II among the bottles and things on the
stand. When he gets up to go he does
not see il and does not remember to take
it away with him. SO it stays here. L
once had a pin worth a great many dol
lars in my possession for year. waiting
for the unknown owner to claim it. He
was a drummer, and whenqne came back
the next year | asked him,>.f he had lost
a pin, and he said he had. When l hand
ed 1t to him he was the most pleased man
you ever saw.
Men have taken Wallets nlleu Win
valuable papers out of their coat pockets
and put them on the shelf here in order
to have them where they could see them
while being shaved. Then they have
slipped on their coats and started off
without Nthinking of the wallets. Studs
are left almost as frequently as scarf
pins. and it is quite often that valuable
ring. used as scarf holder. is left here.
Sometimes We take things to the office,
but generally we keep them here The
owner eventually comes to claim them.
| When the work at the Census Office
was at its height the building at the foot
of the Capitol Grounds seemed to be
overfowing like a bee hive AS one
walked through the corridors the i'm
! preston was received that there was not
room for all the employees. When the
/ announcement was made that the force
was to be somewhat reduced, it was ex-
pected that there would be room for the
rest to move around freely and perhaps
have the comfort of stretch once in a
while. But the reduction was made. and
! to anyone who passes through the corri-
doris of the office today there appears
| the same spectacle of crowded rooms,
/ desks jammed close together. people
! hurrying. scurrying, and rushing from
! one room to another as though hunting
! for some place to put themselves. There
/ is the same buzz that there was when the
work at its height, and in the after
noon when the crowd starts home. 1t is
! just as long coming out of the door ~
1 seems almost as If Director Merriam had
not reduced his force at all.
Among the multifarious duties OF the
man who stands with the flag at transfer
stations is that of acting as sort OF
| caterer to the motormen and conductors
who pass by him at dinner hours. Motor
men and conductors have to eat some
time, and as the travelling public Is
moving continually, il must happen that
| some crews are on duty during DIN
ner hours They must be furnished with
| food. and about the only man who can
/ give it to them is the fiagman at cross
ings. He is kept busy at dinner hours
1 taking care of them. By far the larger
/ number Of the baskets he handles are
! brought to him by the children OF the
men on the cars. Shey brinls them from
home and put them in his hands TO De
| delivered to the proper man Wneii ne
! chances to come along. A second duty,
but one that he is only occasionally asked
| to perform, is that of providing neaIs
and as he is not allowed to leave ms
| post this is not an easy task. One nag
! man who finds himself called upon 10 nc
! this kind of work quite free uentiy I'M
! presses into service the newsDoys. hs
! sends them to nearby restaurants ana
| they bring him the lunches. which he
! gives to the motormen and conductors as
they come along. At one of the busy
! points fiagman handles d9zeu
| baskets each meal time. Three car hiles
pass his station, and he does service ioi
The men on each of them
one of the most interesting features
around the grounds of the Department OF
Agriculture is an orange tree which no"
stands in glass house close TO the main
building. The history ofthe tree g inter
esting. In 1870 the late Mr.. Saunders the
Government expert on pomology, learned
that delicious seeiless oranges were Deihe
grown in Brazil He obtained some of the
budding fruit from q United States
Consul. and from it small seedlings were
| raised for distribution The tree IN tnt
glass house today is the only one OF th'
original lot TO survive. and many eHperl
ments have been made with its Dranches
| Finally a perfect tree was obtained, ahe
| seedlings were sent to Florida anu u
California The Florida trees died, whil'
| those in California hourished. Thus th'
| navel or seedless. ordngs owes us eN
| fstence TO the tree now fostered Dy tins
| Department of Agriculture.
| v-Yr CIR