The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-21
UNCLE sAm.s AUCTION

High 1p in the government building AZ
the corner OF Washington and Chrssfo0her
streets on the topmost focr in fact
tncie sam began TO-DAY the first Of his
bargain sales OF 1862. saws last TueS-iav,s
New York Evening Post Ordinarily.
tncle sam offers txo such festivals eacl,
year 10 SnapperS 10 Of Cnconstderesi Fri
nes, one peinS sale OF seized goods. held
shortly before Christmas, and the other.
Eeid some time n june, a sale OF IN
canned ana abandoned merchandise and
wares since both CT these have been ~
reated somewhat efteaer than twice. a
racing writer would undoubtedly dub
them the classic fixtures OF the an
pratsers stores.
Government officers who watch the auc.
ucns from year 10 year remark a de-
eided uniformity in the bidding and IN
the quality OF those who attend The
prices paid are extraordinarily good: ors
man ventured today the guess that they
would average . per cent above the real
value OF the goods sold. The fact that
once the commodities were in the govern
nents custody. that they were presuma-
bly, imported from abroad, seems 70 i'm
pute 10 them a peculiar excellence 10
inspire in the buyers a lust OF possession
II the qualification OF which Judgment is
sometimes cast TO the winds. Not infre-
quently bidders have been known TO offer
rreposterous prices for well nigh worth
less goods. and once the frenzy OF con-
petition wore OF abandon both the wares
they were buying and their cash deposits
or 2S per cent OF the price
| Dealers form a good proportion OF the
visitors al these sales; dealers either in
/ junk or in some special sort Of the mer-
Chandise offered for sale. Some mere
Z traders are there, men who seek the
town over 10 pick Up something cheap.
. simply TO sell IL again as soon as proflt
can be scaiped. Idlers come. too, and
those for whom auctions are a pet diver
sion Among certain Of the men on busi-
ness bent. there is suspected something
( ike a clique. Against each other, mem
! bers OF the smaller groups seldom bid
I They prefer to live and let live. and above
all TO make sure hiatt they buy their
stuff cheapiy.
Not until 1925 this morning did the
: slender, serious-minGed, and passionate
young man in pale gray who was running
7 q special sale for the collector Of the
I port make way for the burly. brusQue,
and older but somewhat cheerier artist in
I the line who was to preside over the
! scheduled regular auction of Uncle Sam 8
/ BY that time. perhaps three hundred
! people had assembled in the tenth loft
1 OF the public stores At the most. a
dozen women were there, a few Ger
mans. a japanese, several Italians and
7 Greeks, and sundry dozens Of manifest
Yankees. The overwhelming majority OF
! those standing expec.antly before the box
were Jews.
Deep was the disgust of some OF these
when the sale actually began First on
the list came lot OF nearly $500 pounds
of tea appraised al 1892.
''Wun hundred tollars." said swar-
thy and squat person. who carried Ola
monds and other tokens of prosperity.
The tea was promptly run up TO $50. and
knocked down to an Irishman.
Il will not bay IT," observed the open
ing bidder to all those about. Il would
not bay 'em half dot brice.
Then you don't think things will be
cheap today?'
'.Sheap? w, how could dey be sheap
ven dere are so many here andt dey are
all bidding against each odder?'
Five cents each was all that two par
GELS of damaged mats brought. though
the government appraisers had valued
them at twenty-five. Hans Null took
the bean sweepings. over half a ton. at
$3.50 He explained afterwards that all
one had to do was to clean them and
cook them 20 make them good to cat
Nuhl il was too who made the first bid
OF a ''thaler" on fifty portraits OF Bis
niarck, and got the goods for 81 = lie
vas much panied TO learn who bought
the next lot-several dozen OF mineral
water in bottles.
'.Mein Colt ne exclaimed. "dey come
from Hoboken, too"
shortly afterwards he withdrew from
the running. highly pleased by his last
acquisition, damaged plaster figure, at
$50; a likeness OF the Pope, he said. anu
"wirklich cheap gemacht."
A parcel said 10 contain a coat went 70
an aged and grimy teamster for $50
and that without much opposition. There
was livelier bidding for the next offer
ings. for these were skirt. waist, ana
Jacket. Here the women took hand
in the competition, but as a rule, inc
professionals seemed to get the goods
No one seemed keen for bottle OF nalr
wash, despite the auctioneers assurance.
"A lot of youse fellows needs il" IT
went fer 80 cents, one-tenth OF the value
abroad.
Bidding was slow upon the lot described
90 L pkge. I machine" Some one had
tho temerity 10 ask what manner o.
machine It might be- The auctioneer
promptly replied. You know as well as
/. but I'll 20 get IL. and hold II up so
youse can see" But his mordant Wit was
addressed to spathetic ears.
Perhaps the sharpest struggle OF the
earlier session came over the purchase OK
two Panama hats. il seemed as II some
forty men had left the beaten ranks OF
trade and journeyed 10 the appraisers
stores. eaCl Win l6t >4tA-ir NA+- Fe1- -
h,5vine I'D those hats. Three dollars Was
the appraised foreign value at the date OK
exportation. five seconds. however. was
enough to show that the government eN-
uerts had slight prescience Of the eco
ncruic rhenomcna Of style Five dollars
culv was the home value 81 which the /
hats had been appraised. In about I
third Of the time used to sell an ordinary /
lot the hats were run up 10 {iZ-a' AZ 1
that price. possibly because OF conSci-
c1ltious scruples against extracting any /
moro. the. auctioneer knocked them down I
only a mild interest was displayed ~ 4
the nair OF Iace-triDlmed corsets value - 4
consigned 70 the "Niscount De castsi-
lane After II had risen slowly from
81 70 3 20 the parcel passed. al 81 70 the
possession Of a person who wrote ouL MS
name for the reporters and explained
tat fame was just the thing he was
most anxious 20 avoid. lie also *
piaiued with the swelling - the cnest
e. rnetir,es 70 te observed IN persons teii-
trx OF great risks. that ne had not seen
the goods just bought. preferriug rather
70 take the chance on coming oct Wb2lc
Further ANALYSIS was Interrupted ~ the
nan il the box lie had gGst sold tHeiFe
Ears OF rheumatic Medicine FOR q ara
zas passiag On 20 the next itsra Nlth
the heart~ sentiment. ~ el. James,
hope Il vii Do you good.
Shattered Illusions.