The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-08-09
CARNEGIE;
COMMISSION
About One In Thirteen Is the
Percentage of Meritori-
Gus Cases.

job entails months Of travel yearly,
unmarried men are preferred. No
where else are there 10 Inc found men
80 we'll equipped for the task Of hero
hunting as on the staffs of large city
newspapers 50 it happens that every
one of the Carnegie hero hunters is a
newspaper graduate.
The beginner as a rule receives S10O
a month and all his travelling expenses.
After he has acquired experience his
salary is raised to $125 a month, with
expenses. Further advances depend
upon the man himself and the quality
of his work.
In his suit case the hero hunter car
ries all the documents collected by the
commission about the cases he is to
investigate. Upon reaching a town
where he is to make an investigation
he registers Mt a hotel, keeping his
business secret. His first step is to
make a thorough study Of the papers
in the case in question.
His next is to interview the person
who reported the case Then the wit
nesses are examined, and lastly the
principal is seen. An experienced in
vestigator quickly scents a case that
amounts to nothing, and he as quick
ly gets to the bottom Of it and drops
it. But on a genuine case he spends
anywhere from two or three days to
as many months.
Having concluded his work, the in
vestigator sends to the commission a
detailed report Illustrated with photo
graphs, for a portable typewriter and
a camera are a part of the outfit of
every hero hunter. In his report he
must tell the name, age, address and
occupation of the rescuer, together
with similar facts as to the person res
cued. He must state the time, place
and circumstances Of the rescue, even
to weather conditions, and, in case of
a rescue from drowning, the stage of
the tide.
Information Must Be Accurate.
He must give description of the ac-
cident. together with statements from
the rescuer, the rescued and the wit
nesseS. He must also state the reputa-
ton of the witnesses for veracity. Els
pecially must he learn and state fully
the financial condition of the rescuer,
his aims and ambitions and the condi-
ton OF his family. These latter facts
are necessary because it is the purpose
of the commission to help heroes along
in life or to give financial assistance
to those who were dependent upon a
hero that may literally have given his
life for another, for not all the he
roes rewarded are living heroes.
To make proper award the commits,
sion must have very accurate infor-
nation as to both the heros hopes and
habits. For instance, an Incorporate
miner at great risk saves a comrade
from being crushed to death. To give
such a man large cash award would
be worse than useless. lie would sim
ply go on q protracted spree and squan-
der the entire sum. But If the man
were sober and steady and had built
a house on which he was carrying a
mortgage the commission might pay off
the mortgage. An ambitious youth
who has shown bravery may receive a
fund for an education. A girl hero
may be given a musical training, or a
sufferer from disease may be sent
where he can be cured or at least
treated.
Sometimes an investigation hinges
on some seemingly unimportant detail.
For instance, there was a case of a
young man who was reported to have
made q hazardous rescue on the sea
coast. 1t seemed to be a genuine one.
The would be hero showed the inves-
tlgator the spot and described how he
made the rescue on such and such a
date. 1t was a stormy day, he said,
and with high tide at G p. m, when
the deed was done, the water was ten
feet deep around the jagged rocks.
Fake Exposed.
But when the investigator had con
suited tide and weather charts for
that particular locality he discovered
that the day in question was serene
and that the tide" was at ebb at e
p. m, leaving only three feet at those
particular rocks. Confronted with
these facts, the "hero@ crumpIed up,
admitted the attempt at deception and
begged not to be prosecuted.
Such cases are not uncommon. a
man wades out up to his knees and
drags another person TO the shore.
Witnesses see them struggling on the
beach and forthwith, as expected,
write to the commission. There are
other sort Of fake heroes too. In one
of the eastern cities a great fire en-
-dangered scores of lives. When the
newspaper reporters reached the scene
they found an elevator runner from
the burning building who told of per
ilous trips up and down through smoke
and flame TO carry people out Of dan