South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-11-19
ALLIES UNABLE To
GET P?ICRIC ACID
Fortune Offered But Makers
Can't Produce in Suffi-
Cient Quantities.

NEW YORK. Nov. 19.-The ro-
nance OF picric-acid around that title
might be woven great romance OF
business and near business in this
town. The story would have about
dozen ]. Rufus Wallingfords in II,
every paragraph would boast a spy
or q counterspy, every chapter Woulu
tell OF q fortune won or lost, and every
line would bristle with action enough
10 satisfy the most exactlng puDLsher
OF best sellers"
For the yellow crystalline explosive
which drives mammoth shells 20 miles
and devastates a city block in an IN
slant is mighty scare and mighty hlSh
in price. A thousand men are pros
pecting for IL and another thousand
are stalking the prOspectors 10 Jump
every claim the minute it IS staked
out or 70 salt claims which VIII Keep
the seekers busy for the real pay art
Every real manufactures OF plcrlc
is a center Of mystery and for every
honest-to-goodness maker there are
at least 10 concerns which are either
irving 20 concoct the explosive ana
cannot or are trying 10 get orders
which they never intend 10 fill.
The acid sold for 80 cents a pound
in the far off days before the war.
Now quotations for spot or picric
for immediate delivery are $3.50 10
S2.2O pound. But the quotations
are an illusion because, as TO spot
picric there amt no SIGH animal.
Real Deals Are Few.
II YOU are q buyer for warning
government anu get an alleged pierre
acid agent to promise immediate de-
livery OF 10000 tons, the chances are
90 10 1 YOU will get nearer 10000
ounces. Real deals are few and far
between and when they do occur the
recovery of "A stolen Raphael is simple
by comparison.
Between buyer and seller there are
half "a dozen Intermediates and
deep haze of mystery. The manufac-
turer sends his picric to some non
committaI address in New York and
then bills a bank for his pay and that
OF the agents. The bank produces the
money but keeps a stiff upper lip as
10 where the coin came from.
The acid goes neutrality-suspicious.
TO a munitiOn factory, perhaps TO
some secluded stOrehOuse where it
will stay untouched until happier
days.
There are a large, but unknown,
number OF fake manufacturers, deal
ers. agents and buyers in the field.
Some of these are there for the pUr-
pose they pretend to be for. others
are simply TO collect information,
while still others are meant to block,
hinder and entangle, instead OF to fur
Their trade.
And every man who says picric acid
aloud knows he has a dozen spies con-
stantly at his heels. trying TO fathOm
every step he makes.
The picric life is an exciting life.
whether in the dugOuts or ArtOis or
VOlhynia, or the hotels Of Fifth av.
Al Smith i'm Limelight.
York city's new sheriff. Not to men,
ton that he is confdentally said TO
be slated for everything from Charles
T. Murphy's job at Tammany hall TO
the office OF mayor, governor of the
empire state and president, he is the
most picturesque character among the
younger political leaders Of the east.
Like Abraham Lincoln he has the
faculty of knowing an infinite deal
without reading. Long one of the rec
onized Tiger leaders, he has an un-
smirched record.
He was born down near the tip of
Manhattan and still thinks Canal St
is pretty far uptown, nOthwithstand-
ing that he is one OF the most force
ful men the state legislature has ever
known.
Without much of an education ex-
cept such as he gave himself he is a
great debter and an able Spokesman
His most famous speech is one Of the
shortest on record.
a conflict was on over the state
labor laws. The canning interests Of
tks state were making a great fight
10 be allowed TO have the women and
children who work at gathering and
putting mp fruit and berries work
from sunrise 10 sunset seven DAYS a
week.
AIS Turn Came.
CHergymen and educators had been
brought TO Albany from the western
part OF the state 10 help put the meas
IRE through. Lobbyists were mar
shalled. There was much Grating
and then il came AIS turn. He was