The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-04-21

, brokers acting for Potter and his asso-
oIates found no difficulty in getting all
| the wheat they wanted to buy long. They
took millions Of bushels for December
delivery, the price gradually rising until
1t reached s1.2o. At that point-it was
three weeks before delivery day-they
bought three million bushels of wheat
in a single day. Practically all the funds
OF which the Priyateer could get control
were tied up In margins.
Tomorrow" Peter Potter told Billy
Mag1nn, 81 want you to go down to South
Chicago. Here's letter to a man who
will put you to work on one of the big
whaleback ore carriers. It's about time
for Wagner to make his great stroke.
He's got all the elevators In the north
west full OF real wheat. and he must
start after 1t soon If he expects to get it
here in time for delivery on the 31st."
Are you sure he will do it that wayT'
TITS the only way he can get it here in
time. Besides. that's the way he broke
the last big corner
The day after Billy Maginn went to
work as clerk of the fleet of whalebacks
| signs of activity began on the big boats.
Crews were set to work on an even dozen
of the monsters, and within twenty-four
hours the great empty fiotilla steamed
out into the lake toward the north.
In his aerie high up In the sixteenth
floor, Peter Potter stood, rocking back
and forth as the long procession swept
by outside the breakwater. 1t was tre-
mendous sight. The capacity of the feet
was more than three million bushels of
wheat. Potter knew that Isaac Wagner
had more than that amount stored and
waiting In the elevators at Duluth and
the Supporters. If he could safely deliver
the grain In Chicago by December 81,
and demand 81 20 in cash for every bushel
Of 1t the wheat corner would be broken
to pieces and Potter and his friends
would be beggared and bankrupt Yet as
he watched the great fleet of ore carriers
sail by on their great errand there was
| a cynical smile on the face of the Priva-
teer.
Early one morning more than two weeks
later, Peter Potter lay off the harbor of
Milwaukee in a tug and watched the
twelve whalebacks, each heavily laden
and lying low down in the water, steam
slowly past on their way to the Chicago
grain docks. At the stern of the boat in
the lead he caught a signal which caused
him to put about his tug and hurry back
to Milwaukee. There he filed two dupli-
cate kilograms, one addressed to the su-
perintendent of the National Marine
hospital in Chicago, the other to the COM
mander of the revenue cutter Fessenden,
they lying in winter quarters in Chicago
harbor. That done. he took the train for
the same city.
Three hours later he was standing
again in his office on the sixteenth floor
looking out over the lake with a pair
of field glasses. Just inside the break
water he say the old black revenue steam
err, with steam up.
Quick work." he said to himself
At 3 o'clock he made out long ribbon
of smoke stretching across the northern
horizon. Shortly after the Fessenden put
out and steamed slowly to the north. Off
Lincoln park the revenue cutter met the
approaching procession. Through the
glasses Potter saw a small boat leave the
cutter and its crew of three men board
the first of the whaleba cks, which had
stopped to receive them. Potter counted
twelve of the big ore steamers. They
were all there! One after the other they
crept slowly down toward and inside the
outer brakewater. There followed a pain
full delay. Finally the twelve great ships
came to anchor about the circumference
of a great half circle. Then to the top
mas of each of them rose and futtered
an ominous yellow flag.
Next morning the newspapers announced