Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-10-03
CORK TRADE.
Conspiracy Charge Made
by Government.
Alleged That Material Was
D0ct0red for Preservers.
Arrests Of Manufacturers. AZ c.nde.
Arrests Of Manufacturers at Camden.
N. j., on Charges.

washington. oct. "A conspiracy
"hich has been developed bv officials
OF tEe department of commerce ana
labor and of the department of Justice.
yesterday, resulted in the arrest ~
camden. \. j., III j. H. Stone. III. d.
'luintard. Charles ". Russ ana
James Russ, officers of The Non
p;tltil Cork Works They wor,.
Appreciated by thu United states
marshal for the district of Nav
Jersey under an Indictment found
sept. go, by the United States grand
jury ut Trenton. charging them under
sec t!on Jith OF the revised statutes OF
III" hIted States, With consri:ing to
GetraNd the government and Prejudice
tht administration Of The steamboat
inspection laws by Iutting up the
market on compressed cork blocks fO.
us" i'll making life ITCservers, each of
which blocks contained III its center n
piece OF bar iron tbput six inches long
ANA weighing eight ounces The iron
bar Nas inserted and concealed in the
block TOR the purpose Of Increasing the
weight to the legal requirement of six
pounds OF good cork for each life Dr..
server The men arrested will be ar
fdisne6 probably early, this week. BE-
fore the United States district colIrl or
New Jersey to plead to the Indictment
Early iii August David KahnwciIa,'s
Sons, manufacturers Of lite prescryrrs.
Nav York City, ordered from the Nom
parcel Cork Work ut Camden. n. 7
blocks o: compressed CnrkS for 1850 lii,.
PRISONERS. Eight of these blocks ara
used ~ each life picServer, and the
tnited tSateS law requires that the
eight blocks shall contain six pounds
OF cork. When the cork blocks were
delivered to 4 mrmbn" of the firm VIII |
is an expert in the handling OF bare
cork. suspected that they We're under
weight, and discovered that eight of
the blocks which, according to legal ra-
uui"em"nts should weigh six pounds.
weighed only five and q half pounds.
karnwciler's Sons therpupon wrote the
Nonpareil Cork Works, calling atten-
itOn to the under-wciSht of the cork
blocks and inluirinsy whether the blocks
could not he made of serviceab!e
weight. The Nonpara:l Co replied that
it would adjust the matter by sending
70 kahnweiler's Sons some extra heavy
blocks. one OF which could be used in
each lie preserver. thus increasing its
due time the blocks arrived. They !
were 80 heavy as to arouse instant sus- {
Ficiun.
\ member Of the Kahnweiler firm,
while examining one of them broke it G
its center an iron bar six inches long, l
weighing eight ounces. The Kahn I
w"ilers again wrote the officers of the r
/
know what they meant by putting orin c
in the cork blocks. I
According to the indictment letter e
WIS received in reply. suggesting that, c
the Kahnwcilers were foolish to make +
50 much trouble about SO small affair e
of that kind. II
Further examination of the extra a
heavy blocks" disclosed the fact that I
each contaiaed an iron bar similar to
that Whilh was found in the first one.
In all -G1 If the extra heavy blocks
were received by Kahnweilers Sons. Z
Kahnw' Hers Sons then communicated c
with Robert :. Rodie. supervising in $
spcctnr of the steamboat inspection u
service for the district Of New York $
ana laid before him al the facts. IN
sp1ctor Rodic r. ported the facts to \
Acting Secretary of the Department of
Commerce and Labor Lawrence o. s.
a
Secretary Murray Immediately pre- q
'ented the facts in his possession to the
apartment of justice Attorney Gcner- II
II Moody delegated tho investigation of n
he case to Oliver E. Pagin. an assist u
mt attorney general of the United ia
States Pagin went directly to New
/ ork where he began an exhaustive in NJ
'cstigation of the case. being assisted q
~ Secret Service Operative I?reZinska p'
mi inspectors Of the steamboat SER la
ice. Mr. Pagin and Officer BrZezinska fr
discovered the workman who had &c
,l:iccd the iron bars in the cork blocks
nd learned from him the details of the IN
Of the extra heavy blocks. u
NE workman. according to the indict- %
nent, told Brzezinska that he could gr
make d much better block,that is. less sh
key to have its fraudulent character
inserting two bars Of ia
ron in a block. one at each end. IT
Having developed all the facts. Mr.. bu
aein presented the case to the fed on
raj grand jury in session at Trenton. ev
ogether with an indictment which he De
ad drawn on the facts. The grand pc
rry returned q true bill on the evil hr