The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-19
Grower OF Flowers Receivers Twenty
Railroad Company.
DIR. G. T. MooRE's TESTIMONY
EXPERT EVIDENCE OF A FORMER
INDIANAPOLIS MAN.
A Precedent Established That May
Form the Basis for More LitiGa.
tion Of the Same Kind.

One of the most remarkable lawsuits on
record has just reached its conclusion in
Boston, and the result of the case has
caused many legal authorities, scientists
and fioriculturists to turn their eyes toward
a former indianapolis man--Dr. George T.
Moore, who is now in charge of the lab
oratory of plant physiology in the United
States Department of Agriculture at Wash
ington. The entire case hung upon DR..
Moores expert testimony regarding the
susceptibility Of roses to poisonous vapors
and he showed so conclusively the fatal
effect of polluted atmosphere upon the
delicate flowers that a big railroad COM
pany. which had been laughing in its sleeve
over what it considered a ridiculous suit
against 1t, was compelled to pay $4,000
damages to a rose grower. The case, which
is absolutely novel in the annals of legal
difficulties in the United States, has estab-
lished a precedent which will undoubtedly
be followed, and many big damage suits
are likely 10 be the outgrowth of the one
which has just been decided
DR.. Moore, who returned to washineton
after a short visit with relatives in this
city. had been extremely interested in the
case from the first, on account of the on
portunities 1t offered him for new experi-
ments. but it was not until he arrived i'm
Indianapolis that he realized how interest
ing the outcome of the suit had been to
lawyers. scientists and flower growers in
all parts of the country; for during his
sojourn OF a few days in this citv he
received letters from all over the United
States. which had been forwarded from
Washington, asking him where comnlete
detailed accounts of the case could be oh
tained, one of the most urgent reouests
coming from William Trelease the director
of the Missouri Botanical Gardens at CT
Louis. But one of the several peculiar fea-
lures Of the novel damage suit is that nm
til now, no complete account of the case
has appeared in print. Owing TO the fact
that the case was not tried in a reguIa r
law court. but was heard by an auditor
appointed by the court "a New England
custom still In practice under some cir
cumstances), the Boston newspapers failed
to appreciate its significance and gave NO
attention to the matter. Preparations arc
now being made by the big Horticultural
reports of the suit. which is destined m
become a very famous one but In is sa fe 20
say that the account given below Is the
only one that has so far appeared in print
ROUNDHOUSE TORN DOWN.
During the spring of last year the New
York. New Haven & Hartford Railway
Company. of the Vanderbilt system. de.
cided to make some improvements in its
car shops at Woods Holl, Mass, and be.
gan by putting a force of men at work
tearing down an old roundhouse. The
workmen found that the only way TO de.
stroy the tar roofing was TO burn IL
and they set fire TO IT, The result was
an enormous cloud of dense. black smoke
that hung over the town the greater part
of three days. there being not enough wind
at the time to blow 1t away. The rose gar
! dens Of NJ. II. Walsh. who is known