Morris tribune., 1909-02-20
PRIZES FOR WEAv[RS
Carpet Firms Old Employees Re-
rnembered In Woman's viii.
WILL RECEIVE $1,000 EACH.

All Eligible Who Have Been Employed
For Twenty Years In Smith Factor,
at Yonkers, N. N-one Has Servee
/ Twenty-six = Workers Wondering
Who Will Benefit by cochrane Will.
That section OF Yonkers, N. Y, which
Is thickly populated by the employees
Of the big Alexander Smith & Sons
Carpet company is quite stirred W
these days over the requests contained
In the will Of the late Mrs. Eva Smith
Cochrane. Anticipatory joy runs higt
wherever the carpet weavers congre
gate after hours as to who will and
who will not get $1,000 for twenty
years service, as the will provides.
The late Mrs. Cochrane's will directs
that 81 900 should go to each employee
who had worked twenty years or more
at the carpet mills, from which the
Smith Cochrane family has drawn
most Of its wealth. The executors OF
the estate and the family do not care
to discuss the matter, which win be
settled in due course, and as result
the twenty-year-or-more employees are
"up in the air" as to what constitutes
twenty years of service. Does it mean
twenty years consecutive service
Will twenty years service with little
| breaks, like sickness, vacation or little
! falls from grace disqualify an en-
| ployee? These and a score of other
questions are being asked around the
Yonkers carpet factory.
| At present the lawyers and executors
Of the estate and the managers of the
carpet factory are busy over the books,
| tracing month by month, year by
year, the records Of the employees.
What the result of the investigation
will be and just how many Of the old
timers of the loom will appear or not
appear on the list are the exciting
questions
'Now, there's Johnny Carrollr' cried
weaver, bringing down his fist on
Gus Klein's bar and upsetting his own
beer. "Johnny's sure to get a thou
sand. He's boss loom fixer, and he's
OCCu OI IuC .OU 1Ol LWCALy -S1A years
an never steadier man."
"Good thing, too," said an old
weaver, wagging his head. eff you'd
upset every glass O beer in the last
twenty year you'd be gettin' thou
SAN too. There's Joe. Joe was in the
factory nineteen years; then he got lit
up and was fred-just year ago.
That bat lost Joe $1,000v'
"Well, anyhow, Owen Kelly ought
to get in,' said Joe hastily. can
Mike Chimney too. Mikes been tend
in machines since he was JUS big
enough to crawl on carpet"
eyes, an Jim Bull, too, an George
George Haslett. an Laragh."
"Aw, Laragh don't need it. Henry
Laragh got 5000 when old Warren
B. Smith died. He's a blamed mil
lionaire" --..
Warren B. Smith was brother of
the late Mrs. Eva Smith Cochrane.
He died in 1903 and did not forget
the factory hands in his will. But,
unlike the bequests of his sister, his
were specific Some Of the employees
got as much as $4,000, and there were
humber bequests right down to 500.
AS matter of fact, the Smith-Coch
rane family have been particularly
generous with their millions. Besides
the munificent gifts already mention
ed, the present head Of the carpet
works, Alexander Smith Cochrane,
has given a great deal to charity. He
inherited much wealth from his uncle,
Warren B. Smith, and it is to be pre-
sumed that he has inherited much
from his mother, Mrs. Eva Smith |
Cochrane. On one occasion he bought
a rare Persian animal rug for $4,000
and sent it to the Metropolitan mu-
scum, accompanied only, it is said, by
his card. He also owns splendid
country residence in England which is
the envy of the British nobility.
"My, myv' said the wife of John
Carroll, he who has served twenty-six
years as an employee in the factory
and under the terms of the will is to
receive $1,000. "It will be welcome,
I'm sure. A thousand dollars don't
come every day. It's easier to think
what not to do with it. The first
thing is to wait till we get it. We
don't know yet. except by the newspa-
pers, butt
That's just itv' said Robert Night,
the old gatekeeper Of the factory.
"It's no use counting chickens.
There's been no official notification.
Whoever is going to get it is going to
get it, and whoever's not's notw
There are some pathetic cases In |
connection with this will. Men who |
have put in twenty years service in !
one employ are usually advanced in
years and dying off every day or so. |
There are some recent deaths recorded |
around the carpet factory, and good
hearted weavers are speculating on I
"where Widow - comes in. He |
was real steady man, an it does
seem blamed hard he died last month"
1t will probably be some time be- |
fore the suspense is relieved, for 1t |