The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-01-26

One Million Pounds Of Frozen Beef
Fight Made Against Him by the Bee
Trust.
When Aaron Marx secured the CON
tract last summer for supplying fresh
meats 70 all of the United States war
ships coming into Hampton Roads,
beating out competitors from New
York to San Francisco, after a fierce
fight, little did he dream that to his
lot would fall the greatest fresh meat
order on record among the modern
navies of the world-that Of supplying
over one million pounds of meat 10
the greatest feet Uncle Sam has as
sembled at one time since the forma-
ton of the new navy.
Mr.. Marx today will fill the last or
der and as soon as the supply of froZ-
en- meat is aboard the cruiser the huge
fleet will steam away for Culebra, the
winter practice grounds for the flower
of the navy. In the refrigerators Of
each of the twenty battleships, cru;s-
ers, torpedo boats and torpedo dest1oyS
ers is enough meat to supply the 5000
men aboard them until the end OF the
cruise, which will be three months
hence.
The battle Of Aaron Marx with many
great competitors of the north and
west, his fight with the beef trust,
which he downed. the hiring Of fleets
of tugboats and barges to transport
the great order for Uncle Sam, the
cleaning out of the local market of
fresh meats to supply the navy ships
and the hiring of every foo of space
of storage room in the great quarters
of the Norfolk Cold Storage and ice
Company form material for as inter-
esting a novel as could be written. But
all of this happened in real life, right
between Norfolk and Old Point, and
every pound of beef needed for the
| magnificent fleet was stored aboard Oh
schedule time and without one protest.
without n murmur," as Mr.. Marx
expressed it last night.
CLEARED NEAT PROFIT"
"Since the 4th of last December"
said Mr.. Marx to a Virginian-Pilot
man last night. Il have averaged about
two hours sleep out of each twenty
four. 1t was the constant cry for
meat from the jackies of Uncle Sam.
l had the contract and just had to
make good And that's about all
there is to it.
How did I come out on the con-
tract? Now, that is a question tina,
might or might not concern the public.
But you can say that Aaron Marx
made a handsome profit on his Oincin-
natl purchases
OUTWITTED THE TRUST.
AS the result of the trusts desire to
squeeze" him, as he claimed, Mr.
Marx spent with the Cincinnati firm
500, 900 for meats, while the trust
representatives only secured between
S 5000 and $4,000 Of the order for the
million pounds. Mr.. Marx stated tina
his bills for long distance telephonine
would run into the hundreds of don
lars. He has on his payroll some 2;
men and these all draw good salaries
The butcher who beat the world OF
navy beef contracts a that he na:
tried time and again to open an Office
at Old Point, but that he has ben re
peatedly downed. He manages to eS
tablish Headquarters at the Chamber
lain hotel.
FLEET OF BOATS HIRED.
In order to handle the great contrac
Mr.. Marx chartered the tugs on
barges of Clark and Company; South
ern Railway, Harvey Brothers, tn
Tenney Company, Norfolk and South
ern Railroad and Marshall Brothers.
} He employed over a score of wagon
to haul the frozen meat from the col
storage house to the waiting barge
and tugs. He employed many OF IN
: . trucks of the Irwin Express Company
the Harrison Transfer Company. tn
cold storage company, all Of the Mar
wagons besides trucks from the ou'
side. These wagons many times wei
kept going all highland there wars n
rest for the men who were loadln
the meat for Uncle Sans officers an
Jackies. .
In the heet which received the mi
V lion pounds of meat are the 1olio"in
vessels: -.
Pattleships-Maine, 591 crew; MI
souri,, $40; Kearsarge, 652; kentuck
e est: Alabama, 651; Illinois, 661; Low
= 661: Indiana, SO. Total 5,OoZ.
v WHAT MARX ACCOMPLISHED.
s Cruisers-West Virginia, S1S crev
Pennsylvania, S1S; Colorado, 81
Maryland, S1S. Total, 1922.
r Torpedo Boat Destroyers-HopAln
q Stuart, Truxtun, Marlborough, La'
q renee. Hui and Whipple. Total, o4s:
Total number of men on the patti.
e ships, cruisers and ~destroyers, $50!
e To better tell the story or the WI
t. Mr.. Marx supplied the vessels he
- on several occasions he bought up {
a Of the fresh meat in the Wnoless
" houses in Norfolk to live up toms co
tract: how he threw down the Dc
trust, which sought to squeeze i'll
as he expressed it; how he employ
- tug boats and barges to haul MS stu
pr how special ep zines we're char.er