The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-31
1.-TWO Hat" Men
Have Cold ChiIIs.
Afraid of the Wrath of Department Chiefs-A New
Way to Quench Thirst Uncaosht

washington, Aug. S0.-Secretary
poker playing by employees of the
Treasury Department and having dis
missed a man who organized a COM
pany to play the races on a "sure
thing" principle, the two hat" men
in his department are afraid he will
get after them next.
The two hat men" are found in ev-
ery department in Washington. They
are clerks who cannot wait from the
beginning of Office hours until lunch
time and from lunch time until 4
o'clock for drink. 1t is against the
rules for them to leave the depart
ment building during office hours, but
they manage to slip out as often as
they are thirsty without being detect
ed.
The way the thirsty men work it is
to carry a skull cap or soft hat in
their pockets. When the thirst over
comes them they slip to the door, but
on the extra hat and slip to the near
est bar. If the chief of the division
in which one of those men is employ
ed has occasion to look for him while
he is out he goes into his room and
asks where is Jones?"
II don't know replies a fellow
clerk. He must be in one of the other
offices. There hangs his hat"
In a few minutes Jones walks in
bare-headed and with nothing to indi-
cate that he has been outside of the
building.
There is a great deal of criticism in
Washington of the new Temporary
offices which are being erected for the
President to the west of the White
House They are described as "tem-
porary' but they are being built in
such a substantial manner and pre-
parations are being made to fit them
UP and furnish them so luxuriously
that it is feared it will be a long time
before they are torn down. If they
were architecturally creditable to the
designers there would not be so much
to complain about, but the exterior
view is far from being what ought to
be expected in the offices of the Pres
ident of nation of so, 000, 900 people.
The building is a low, squatty af-
fair, built of red brick, without any
architectural beauty to make up for
its insignificant size. 1t looks very
like a stable, and the visitor who sees
ii for the first time will doubtless Won
der why the White House stables have
been put in such a prominent place,
on line with the front of the historic
Old mansion.
Inside the offices will be in keeping
with the uses to which they are to
be put The finishings will all be of
the best; the decorations will be taste
full and rich. and the furniture which
has been ordered by Secretary Cortel-
you, and which will all be made from
special designs, will be the finest that
can be turned out in the United States.
Some of the rooms will be furnished
in mahogany and others in quartered
oak. The new cabinet table will be a
massive affair, and will be a triumph
Of the furniture makers art. The Of
fees will be ready for the use of the
President late this fall.
No man can hope to be employed as
a laborer in the departmental service
in Washington now who cannot pro-
duce a family tree and present clean
bill of health, morally and physically.
A few days ago a prominent member
of Congress entered the office of First
Assistant Postmaster General Wynne
accompanied by a constituent who was
anxious to serve his country on the
laborers roll of the Postoff1ce Depart
ment for moderate compensation.
Mr.. Wynne listened to the story which
the member of Congress told about the
excellent qualifications of his constit-
uent and then said, as he rang his
bell for his messenger:
Your man will have to fill out a
little blank
The messenger soon appeared with
the blank 1t was headed "Applica-
ton for the position of mere I'M
skilled laborer," and consisted of eight