Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-03-23
OLD HAT TRAVELLED
FOUR THOUSAND MILES
8e|abe|ed Brown sombPsPo Arrives
Here on Way 10 James
town Exposition.
STARTED FROM OGDEN, UTAH
Original Poems, Pen and Ink Sketch
es ard Fan Among the Things
Collected by DeIapidated Head
gear Which Was Billed East as a
Joke.

One of the most unique articles
Of freight ever handled in Newport
News arrived here yesterday morn
ing over the Chesapeake & Ohio
railroad enroute to the jamestown
Exposition. where 1t will be placed
on exhibit IN the section allotted the
Pennsylvania railroad The article in
question is large brown sombrero
hat 10 which are attached a score
or more railroad labels from as
many stations in the United States.
innumclnble cOmicnl notations writ
ten by railroad clerks throughout
the east and west large fan, one
or two poems and an original pen
and ink sketch of the Potomac
Transfer Girl Tho hat will be
shipped TO Norfolk today When It
reaches the exposition grounds inc
sombrero WI have completed a
jonrny Of about 1000 miles.
The name Of the original owner
Of the hat is not known. but IT is
believed that ii was left in II freight
err ont West by Il 'Thobon cowboy
So far as can be learned from the
numerous iahcls on the SLOUGH
It's Journey hogan at Ogden, Utah.
The agent mt that place found
the hat in car and cvident.y in
the spirit of fun billed 1t through
To Salt Lake City. The Joke must
have appealed TO the shipping clerk
in That city for after making
notation on the hat in snk he ship.
ped it to Cheynne, Wyoming. The
agent there attached another nota.
ton ana sent It to Denver and
after receiving n shipping bill there
the aoDabrero continued It's journey
going 10 Kansas City.
BY this time 1T become case of
pass II along for the hat next
found itself III Chicago from which
city It was sent to New York City.
Several additional shipping labels
were attached there and the hat
was sent TO Philadelphia.
BY that time the head piece was
covered with names OF railroad
clerks, shipping labels. poems, etc,
and apparently the nhippings clerk
of the Pennsylvania railroad thought
the hat would make n valuable
addition to the Pennsylvania rail-.
road a. the Jamestown ENposition
for he billed it through to the
railroad exhibit space at the Ter
centennial.
From Philadelphia the sombrcro
went to Baltimore aud thence to
Washington, ID. c., receiving addi.
tionll notations and shipping bills
al, those places. From Washington
1t was sent to the Potomac transfer
station in the Virginia side of the
Potomac near Washington.
The agent there sewed II large
piece of card board over the bottom
of the hat upon which he wrote
tho following:
''Perishable live stock inside, do
not delay, fed and watered at Pa
tomao transfer" From that station
the hat went to charlottesville anu
after attaching label bearing the
fact that he had fea and watered
the live stock inside, the Char
lottesyille agent shipped the hat
TO Richmond. AL the Broad
Street station in that city the snip
ping clerk labeled it to Newport
News. writing across the label
shipped p. d. o. 23-Jamestown
Expo"
AT the Chesapeake & Ohio ship
ping Office on pier. No. g. tho clerks
attached conical poem anu a label
bearing Stock fed ana watercd at
Newport News. $3.50 y. M. Mlrch
%: Stock rapidly increasing"
The Sombrero was then placed
IN box car consigned to Norfolk.