Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-10-07
TO DErRAUD NATION.
Iron Said to Have Been Put i'm Life
preServer Blocks.

Washington Oct. Am alleged
conspiracy, which has been developed
by officials of the department of COM
merce and labor and of the department
OF justice today resulted in the arrest
at Camden, N. j., of J. II. Stone, 81.
c. Ouintard, Charles w. Russ and
James Russ, officers of the Nonpareil
Cork works. They were apprehended
by the United States marshal for the
district of New Jersey, under an indict-
ment found on September 29 by the
United States grand juiy at Trenton,
charging them, under section 5440, of
the revised statutes of the United
States, with conspil ing to defraud the
government and prejudice the admins
tration of the steamboat inspection
laws Dy putting upon the market COM
pressed cork blocks for use in making
life preservers, each of which blocks
contained in it's center piece of bar
iron about six inches long and. weigh
ing eight ounces. The iron bar was
inserted and concealed in the block
for the purpose of increasing the weight
to the legal requirement of six pounds
of good cork for each life preserver.
The men arrested will be arranged be-
fore the United States district court of
New jersey, to plead to the Indictment.
Early in August, David Kahneweil-
ers' Sons, manufacturers OF life pre-
servers in New York city, ordered from
the Nonpareil Cork works at Camden,
N. j., blocks of compressed corks for
1850 life preservers. Eight of these
corks are used in each preserver, and
the United States law requires that
the eight blocks shall contain six
pounds of cork. When the cork
blocks were delivered, it was dikcov.
cred that eight of the blocks weighed
only 51a pounds.
Kahneweilers' Sons thereupon wrote
the Nonpareil Cork works and that
company replied that it would adjust
the matter by sending to Kahneweilers'
Son. some extra heavy blocks, one of
which could be used in each life pre-
server, thus increasing it's weight to
the legal requirement. In due time
the blocks arrived. They were 30
heavy as to arouse suspicion. One of
them was br, ken, and imbedded in its
center was found an iron bar six
inches long, one inch wide and quar-
ter of an inch thick. weighing eight
ounces. The Kahneweilers again
wrote to the officers OF the Nonpareil
Cork works, demanding to know what
they meant by putting iron in the
cork blocks, and informing them that
ss Kahneweilers' Sons were obliged to
put their names on each preserver,
such fraud would ruin their bust
ness.
According to the indictment letter
was received in reply suggesting that
the Kahneweilers were foolish to make
10 much trouble about small affair of
that kind.
Further examination OF the "extra
neavy" blocks disclosed the fact that
each of them contained an iron bar
.imilar to that which was found in the |
first one. In all 261 of the extra |
heavy blocks were received by Kahne-
weilers' Sons. Kahneweilers' Sons |
with Robert s. Rodie,
inspector of tho steamboat
service for the district of
New York, and he reported the facts to
acting secretary of the department of
commerce and labor, Lawrence o. Muir
.ay. The investigation and indict-
nent followed.