The Washington times., 1905-06-25

as dnght but junk dealer, and yet
the qualities that have given him the
success he now enjoys were possessed
by him then
he was honest and to be depended
upon. What he said could oe accepted
literally and at its face value for i'm
mediate or future delivery
Now Hoofenmaier is worth about a
million dollars. He owns the same
building in which thirty-three years ago
he worked for 81 week. and he has
added all the other buildings in the
block to his possessions, worth in all no
less than a half million dollars Not
content with. that. he reached across
the street and acquired the block of
buildings there also.
/ He has a beautifully furnished home
out in Georgetown, land, though modest
in his own wants, in his dress and de-
meanor. his family has all that money
can buy.
Hepfenmaier has bought all of the
waste paper from the Treasury De-
partment for a third of century, and
this in spite of the competition to
which he is annually subject. He buys
tbs pulp which comes from the mas
cerating machines in the Treasury. pulp
which once was paper on which the
green and red imprint of the Govern
ment and the signatures of its officers
made its value billions of do':ars.
Pulp Once Money
The pull is not the ordina-s sort
which can be readily sold to a paper
mill in any part of the country Be
cause of its high grade and the fact
that 1t was once national bank notes
and silver certificates. II is sold to him
under heavy bond. and he accounts TO
the Government for every pound of it
and .ts ultimate sale back to the paper
mill which makes it into clean. white,
high-grade paper again
Not only does he have the contract FOR
taking away all Of the waste paper from
the Treasury Department and the Bu-
reau OF Engraving and Printing under
it. but he also buys all Of the paper
from the Government Printing ONCE.
This is really the largest of his con-
tracts in volume For several years he
has been able to pay the Government
an average of $4,000 a year for the
waste paper from the Government Print
ing Office alone This. too, he has TO
bid III. after close competition, but his
wonderful attention to small details In
waste paper has made it possible Cor
him TO. bid higher than anv OF his com
petitors. Only once in the last quartz,
of a century has lost the contract
for year. and during that twelve
month period the contractor who did
outbsd him got more than he barga!ued
for
They Hell many tales of Hopfenmaier
about the big Government department
buildings. illustrating his many admir-
aoie qualities and his financial and busi-
ness 1nfss-tty- Only the old Government
employees know him. however. as he is
rel2rlng and modest and seldom seen
except IN those caverno1ls first-f,oor
rooms where his business takes him
III an open secret that he has capital
lied hi: honesty and integrity with
Government officials and tba,- will
throw anything his way they can IA
Tar back as the time when General
Rosecrans was Register. of the Treas
ury and used to put his name on Gov
eminent money to make it good. Hon
fenmaler was trusted and respected and
won his~way into the hearts of Govern
ment employees
Some Things He Has Done.
time when the express compan MES han
ding packages out of Washington en-
tered into combination and refused %
carry q big bond consignment. although
unsigned, and hence in a way vaiueIess
in the hands Of honest folks, unless paid
for the service on a basis of the face
value of the bonds General Rosecrans
sent for Hopfennaier and together the
Of fa6
York in hand bags in their sleeping car
without expense TO the Government
There is another story they tell of the
big general destruction of old records in
the Treasury when some unenviable
notoriety was to come to the department
through the persistence of some curio
hunters who wanted to so over the old
papers which Hopfenmaier had bid in
as waste paper.
Hopfenmaier heard about it, and with
out a moments hesitation ordered the
whole lot of records taken 10 the furnace
in the basement and reduced to ashes
together with the price he had paid the
Government and the profit he had eX-
pected to get by their sale TO the paper
mills
= There is the other time when a con-
tract was given to anothehr man with
the proviso that the paper and waste
could only be taken from the building
under the direction of Hopfenuraier- The
work had been in progress but q short
time when Hopfenmaier discovered
that valuable revenue stamps were in
cluded ii the lot. and his close eye on
the transact ton saved the Government
no less than $50. 600, while, IL perhaps
saved some OF the officials about the
department from severe censure as Well
These are some of the things which
make the old man respected and admired
about tie Government department with
which h.- has daily relations PeYhaps
no other man enjoys greater confidence
and gets more genuine consideration. al
though he makes no pretention other
than that of being the Government Junk
man."