The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-21

orders begin coming in by the thou
sands. Last year the holiday business
was rs per cent. above the average, and
so far this year the amount of money
sent abroad shows about a ten per cent.
increase over last Christmas.
On only four Closes" or sailings,
last December 159. 457 "advices," or or
ders, calling for $1,S66.6O1. SS. were sent
to Europe. OF this amount 1915, 1853. IA
went to 1891 persons in Great Britain.
and 80, COG Germans received $29S, $50. OF
as gifts from their American relatives.
Sixteen THOUSAND, seven hundred and
twenty-one Swedes got $17S, 562 IS; s112,-
922.O3 went to 4.105 Italians: $57, 14016
TO 1857 inhabitants of Norway: $780,
2Sf.23 to 1888 Hungarians; $S7, 607 10 to
o,514 Austrians, and $24,54i. SO to 2,439
Danes. Five hundred and forty-two of
Queen Wilhelmina's subjects were made
glad with S4,661 SO: 4,205 dwellers in
Russia got $72,547 H. S04 Belgians, $11.-
SI4.S2, and 2.740 Swiss, $50, Alb 80.
In his task of bringing Christmas
cheer to hundred million people, the
real American Santa Claus places him
self In the way of manifold dangers.
He fearlessly plunges through the
storm-swept Atlantic so that Yankee
countesses and duchesses may receive
the gifts sent by relatives and friends
AAS 10 NlGShctl ny lTOL6H
switches failing to work He and the
stage coach are caught in mountain
blzzards and tossed to and fro in an
eVer-deepening ocean of fleecy white.
He fights against the blood freezing
blasts of the Arctic circle in order to
get remembranN-.Nf from the States to
the miners imprisoned in Alakan
camps and trading posts. And even
within the limits of a city many a
mail carrier has taken his life In his
hands in his effort to perform his full
duty by delivering his Christmas mail
For example, take John Henderson,
attached to the New York postoftice
He has route that includes several
of the small islands adjacent to City
Island, at the western end of Long
Island sound. To get to one OF these
islands he is compelled to row in an
open boat for a bait hour In fair
weather, and when the winter season
comes, 1t frequently takes him two
hours to make the trip. Several times
he has been caught In snow and
wind storms and floating ice, and all
but wrecked; and once or twice he has
been saved from death by freezing
only by the timely appearance of men
in more staunch craft.
The carriers who must tramp across
city fields for miles before they can
deliver all their letters frequently suf-
fer much from exposure round about
Christmas time, not few getting
frozen ears and hands and feet.
Like the other real Santas, the stage
driver frequently unostentatiousIy per-
forms deeds that would be called
brave in order that public servants
in order that the seasons spirit may
not be missing where he can possibly
place It
Sam Masters is a stage driver of
the good old sort in the employ Of
a big express company, and he takes
the stage out of Carson City, New.
| 10 several mountain towns and mining
| camps within a radius of thirty miles
TWO Christmases ago Masters got
| caught in blizzard when about ten
| miles from one of the camps. He
knew that he had packages aboard,
| the contents of which would cheer
the isolated camp for many a day, so
ne urged his horses forward with
might and main. But It was to no
purpose. The storm swept animals
and stage out Of the roadway, and al
most completely buried them in snow
| drifts.
Masters crawled into the stage and
stayed there until the worst of the
blizzard was over. Then loading him
self with packages marked for the first
! camp ahead he set)out for il. How
many hours he houndered through the
snow no one can say, but at last he
| got to the edge of the camp Just as
the day was closing. There he fell,
exhausted and insensible. He was
| discovered in time to save him from
| freezing by miner on his way to his
shanty from saloon, and the first
words that he spoke when he regained
| consciousness were:
Merry Christmas, boysl Here're
| your sweethearts' greetingsl"
| OF such stuff is the real American
| Santa Claus-and may his Christmas
De merry, merry one-his Christmas
that Is generally celebrated on the
| 26th, for want Of time to observe it
on the proper date.
! Guy T. Viskniskki.