The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-02
PUTTING IRON IN
LIFE PRESERVERS
TO MAKE CORK WEIGH MORE.
-FOUR MEN WE'RE ARRESTED FOR
CONSPIRACY.

They Were Indicted by the United
States Grand Jury in New Jersey.
Charged With COnspiring to De-
fraud the GOvernment-Schem
Might Cost Lives, But Was Count
ed Upon as a Money Maker, Iron
Being Cheaper Than Cork.
Washington. Oct. IA conspiracy,
which has been developed by officials
of the Department of Commerce and
Labor and of the Department of JUS
tice, to-day resulted in the arrest at
Camden. N. j., of J. H. Stone, H. c.
Quintard, Charles w. Russ and James
Russ, officers of the Nonpareil Cork
Works.
They were apprehended by the Unit
ed States marshal for the district of
New Jersey, under an indictment found
on Sept. % by the United States grand
jury at Trenton, charging them under
Section 5440 of the Revised Statutes of
the United States. with conspiring to
defraud the government and prejudice
the administration OF the steamboat
Inspection laws by putting upon the
market-compresse cork blocks for use
in making life preservers. each of
which blocks contained in its center
piece of bar iron about six inches Ions
and weighing 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 pre-
server.
The men arrested will be arraigned
probably early next week before the
United States District Court of New
Jersey to plead to the indictment.
How Discovery Was Made.
Early in August David Khanweiler's
Sons, manufacturers of life preservers
in New York city, ordered from the
Nonpareil Cork Works of Camden, N.
j., blocks of compressed corks for 1,750
life preservers. Eight of these blocks
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
to Khanweiler's Sons, Lewis Khan
weller, a member of the firm, who is
an expert in the handling of bare cork,
suspected that they were under weight.
Putting them on the scales, he discov-
cred that eight of the blocks, which,
according to legal requirements should
weigh six pounds, weighed only five
and half pounds. Khanweiler's Sons
thereupon wrote the Nonpareil Cork
Works calling the officers attention to
the under-weight of the cork blocks
and inquiring whether the blocks could
not be made of serviceable weight.
The Nonpareil Company replied that
it would adjust the matter by sending
to Khanweilers Sons some extra heavy
blocks, one of which could be used in
each life preserver, thus increasing it's
weight to the legal requirement. In
due time the blocks arrived. They
were so heavy as to arouse instant
suspicion. While Mr.. hhanWeller was
examinging one of them he broke it
by accident and found imbedded in its
center an iron bar, six inches long, one
inch wide and quarter of an inch
thick, weighing eight ounces.
Said They Were Foolish.
The Khanweilers again wrote the
officers of the Nonpareil Cork Works,
demanding to know what they meant
by putting iron in the cork blocks and
informing them that as Khanweiler's
Sons were obliged to put their frames
on each preserver, such a fraud would
ruin their business.
According to the indictment, letter
was received in reply, suggesting that
the Khanweilers were foolish to make
so much trouble about small affair OF
that kind.
Further examination of the extra
heavy blocks disclosed the fact that
each of them contained an iron bGr
similar to that which was found in the
first one. In all, 261 of the extra. heavy
blocks were received by Khanweiers
Sons. Khanweiler's Sons communicated
with Supervising Inspector Rodie, Of
New York, and an investigation was
begun by federal officials, leading to
the arrests to-day.