The San Francisco call., 1910-10-02

wtted operator taking advantage of slight differences
between the New York and the Boston quotations for
particular stock, will grab the security offered in
Broad street, fling it by wire to the Hub and slice IN
his profit the eighth sixteenth. may be, of
variation But his neighbor is quite ready TO do
the same thing If possible and if his own trick is
be played successfully his code signaling must be
kept absolutely denser to that neghbor than is
Sanscrit poem city hall park banana dealer. He
resemble lunatic when he signals, but there's
a method, and lots of it, in his madness er#.-<:]
AS the sghtseer grows somewhat accustomed TO.
the complex within the ropes-the traders
swaying hther and thher, the boys rushing the fox
hounds following a scent-he notes certain well de-
fined groups that keep IN. the main to well defined
parts of the inclosure -
There are no posts such as those on the stock ex-
change floor to locaize trading in particular sets of
securities. But in former days some apparatus of
the sort employed and the curb traders trained
by the early monuments, continue to respect the old
areas. Today as was the case years ago. Standard
oil has its place near the pillar clock Mines in
the southeast section of the inc1osure ndustral5 and
railroad stocks and bonds are the north side and
California oils are in the center. :**
1t is scorching day; the asphalt is soft as gum
and the trader must keep moving if he IS not to stick
is succeeded by another-a violent thunder storm.
scurry of operators from the scurry back to
it. and trading goes as before, only every
has his umbrella or IS clad IN o1sI1n Picture win
ter blizzard and substitute fur and heavy gloves
From the Wall street end of the road comes tho
fire signal The thoroughfare must be cleared and
with lightning speed, for the hremen With the pre-
cson of FIRE drill traders seize ropes and standard
they sweep all to one side The engine rolls by.
minute has been lost.
It used to be prevalent notion that the curb was
in progress. During dull session, and possibly
during the relatively quiet hours of busy one few
husky, happy fellows, brimming with wholesome
animalisnl, indulge occasionally in skylarkng of a
discreet Sort but the police regulations forbid this
in many words, and-it is never carried far
Trading outside the ropes is prohibited by common
The sidewalks are kept clear at all times
by the traffic squad, and the functionary who has
supervised the job of late is said to be parsonage
WhO will :
at present the curb is neither obstruction nor
annoyance to the other business of the vicnage.
IDEAS DISPELLED ~ :-...:..: I'LL: ~
There Is yet another notion regarding this public
market that requires amendment 1t has to do with
the limits of freedom in trading While the curb is
open to all who wishto trade It wAether they do
do not share creating the fund Tor the upkeep OF
the curb agency-thc sole administrative factor rec
ognzed-the contributors the agency look upon all
noncontributors as strangers and a stranger II he
intends to trade IN the lnclosure would do well to
take securities or his cash with him. A list Of
contri6utors-the contribution being SIS year-can
be inspected at the curb agency, o Wall street
There, also, the Father OF the Curb may be in
spected by any person who wishes to contrast his
Office with his form m the ring" JUST
turned 60, in robust health, active as cat, E S.
Mendels, who halls from Louisiana, IS often de-
scribed as Louisiana tiger" Soft and even purr-
beast when anybody steps the toe OF curb tradi
ton regulation II is his duty to champion both,
and he does the whole tedious laborious many sided
task for nominal financial consideration.
Except police superintendent and the nainte-
of the roadbed the 200 subscribers to the agencs
look Mr. Mendels TO provide in the highest degree
practicable whatever requisite for their
and safety in trading He is the high cockalorum
the only thing of the kind in business though
recently he associated with himself committee OF
advisers, including some OF the influential men
who deal in the outside market
1t is 5 minutes to D. m. by the clock that
must be obeyed A day or fierce competition is e-d-
ing Large transactions have been carried through,
substantial sums lost and Finishing touches are
being put to scores of deals. Wigwagging panto-
mime facial contortions Of grotesque suggestveness
are everywhere in the Surgng throng; arms wave
above heads like the tops Of blasting pines in a
wind .
Three sharp. The alarm sounds warnin0lv. per-
enptorily. Trading is over; the ropes and Standard,
removed in jiy the 500 scatter in all directions:
newspapermen seek the final quotations Five min
utes later Broad street looks it did at O'Clock
in the morning and the high walls of the ravne on
the north echo with the calls of motor cars moving
ponderously down to pick up few luxurious traders
"a npournful sound not to be duplicated east Of 4