New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-10
READ TRIBUNE &C. YEARS
Major Hatfield Believes He
Holds the Record.
COST HIM NICKEL A DAY
That's When He Was "Freshie'
in College-Responded to
Lincoln's First Call.

Not having missed reading Tho Tribune
for siNty-siX wears. except for a few brief
stretches during tho civil War when the
mails did not reach the soldiers N the
front with any great DEGREE 81 regularity
Major $. L. Hatfield. L. : \. believes
himself 30 he III, original Constant
Reader" At any rate. if tacrc is any
other man iu New York to-day who has
read The Tribune fer a greater period o.
years Major Hatfield would like Ia know
him.
Despite his scvouty-sN years. Major
HatAeld's shoulders are just a. square set
and erect as were those Of tho young
soldier who started I'm the Civil War q
private in the rear rank and came ont a
full ncdgcd major. lie is ON the job
every day IN the Army Building. so. 90
Whitehall street whore he g. assistant in
the 1st New York District United state
Army Engineers. Of which colonel W. "
Black is the chief
The major was discovered" as one q
The Tr.bInes oldest readers quite by ac-
cident. n was Gulns Tho recent agit1-
zion for longer piers that he was asked
# he had seen an account OF the noeoua-
lions with tho engineer corps IN The Trib-
une that day
Wei, If it was I'm The Tribdne within
the last slNty-siN years" said the major
u probably saw H. for there have been
very few DAYS in that time that ! have
not seen The Tribune and read it from
the fret page 10 tho last"
This was the reporters clcw 90 dolyc a
little deeper. with the result that ne
learned by much CoaNing-for Major Hat
field. like all real soldiers. does not Ike
To talk about himself or his achievements
that the major started reading The
Tribune when he was ten years old. In
1911. He was living with his uncle. Sam
ucl Hurburt. al No. laG Pearl street
Brooklyn. and attending julius Dayen-
ports school iu Jay street
The uncle went TO business just a little
earlier than "S2mmy" Hatfield was due in
school SO. IS way OF aiding "Sammy's'
readin'. he made him read The Tribune
headlines 10 him every morning while
Uncle Hurlburt was eating mis- breakfast
If any Of the headlines pleased the uncle.
why. SAMMY had to read the whole
story for the uncle walked TO business.
and never Rad time 10 take up the paper
again until he returned home at night
That's how started reading The
Tribune" said the major, and the habit
has stuck TO me longer than any other.
From my Brooklyn schooling / went 10
Western University. now WESLEYAN, at
la. Ift
cost me a nickel a day, but after | had
established my credit at the college news
store / managed 10 get II every day.
whether / had the nickel or not
When Lincoln issued his first call TO-
troops to serve three years the boys Of
Western University formed company
that joined the 4th Connecticut Infantry.
which was the first regiment mustered
into the Union army II name was AZ
terward changed to the st Regiment OF
ARTILLERY. The regiment was mustered
into service on May p. 1851, and mus
tered out on September p, 1855.
Hatfield. who had studied engineering
al college. was for two years ordnance
officer Of the siege artillery Of the corps
operating against Richmond. The two
armies Of the Potomac and OF the James.
covered forty miles, with batteries eX-
tending from Richmond 10 below Peters
burg. After Lees surrender Major Hat
field supervised the removal Of all the
Confederate artillery and war material
from the works around Richmond.
The major has been I'm the United States
army engineer corps ever since, except
for few years that he superintendent
the construction Of the Southern Rail-
ways transcontncntal route. He had
charge Of all the Mississippi River fortiii-
cation work for the government. and has
been identified with almost all Of the At
lantic Coast Notifications.
Now Major Hatfield is Colonel Blacks
FIRST assistant in the Army Building here.
and ne likes the job pretty well. he says.
because IL gives him time to read The
Tribune every day.