The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1918-07-04

DuI the continental people take care
Of the samplers"
Good is the reason why they
should" said the consumptive Tobin.
Don't we save them enough money
in the way we take the samples?"
How is that" asked Gard.
Look here, young fellow" said the
gruff Hansen, cit seems to me that you
are a good little asker of questions.
Why are you so curious? Maybe you
are a secret service man. eh?"
Sure" said Gard. Il am Chief
Wilkinson himself"
Wilkinson, nothing" said Hansen.
Ellis name is Wiliie."
''Will1ie, your eye," argued the spe-
cial agent. Don't you suppose read
detective stories? His name is Will1in-
son."
But the sampler was sure of his
facts and the apparent error of the
other man disarmed him.
Well" he said, "as you're so curl
Gus and as I have the tip that you are
to be sampler next season, l might
as well put you wise. We are all
taken care of by the refiners because
we look after their interests on the
dock"
The big fellow looked carefully about,
but there was nobody near except
the frowsy dramatist. who was alb
sorbed in his manuscript. He threw
off another big drink of whisky and
with it all discretion.
you see" he said, "a sampler on
government wages would be in pref
ty fix if he were let out after seven
months and had to stand chance of
lcafing for five. So the company passes
the word that if the boys do the right
thing they will be given work during
the off season. happen to know Got
trell himself and he takes me aside.
That was eight years ago.
Hansen, he says to me, pass the
tip to the boys to sample right he
says, and there will be work for them
between seasons
What do you mean, sample right%
l says.
"'Well,' he says. "a wet sample may
mean she grades 80 and dry one
that she grades a. sampler can get
good many of them wet. l don't
have to tell you how
80 | passed the word" continued
Hansen. AT the end of the season
half of the samplers were offered jobs
with the company. 1t was easy, Of
course, for them to find from the rec
ords who was getting wet sugar. Not
a dry sugar man got job. You ask
Tobin. He was one of the guys who
held out foE honesty. But IT. Was a
hard season for Tobin, with his health
bad and three kids SO next season
he lined up. So did most of them. In
side of three years there was not a
sampler on the dock who was not TAX
ing them wet"
But put me wise" said Gard. 'If
am going to get a samplers job next
year you better pass the word to me
so | will know how to hold it."
81 guess you know enough about raw
sugar." said the sampler, ito know
that it drinks up moisture like a
sponge when it gets a chance. Well
they are not careful in keeping out the
damp air when it is aboard ship, and
it often comes handy, not altogether
by accident, for sack of sugar to get
a chance to lie on a wet board. The
sugar on the outside naturally gets a
little damp, and if you will turn a
sack over you may find wet side to
1t. The first lesson is to take your
samples from the wet side of the sack
ana from the part near the outside.
But maybe the sugar has been kept
pretty dry. Well it is up to the sam
pier to get a little moisture into his
tube. If it is warm day few drops
of sweat may be gathered by a scrape
of the back of your hand. Every drop
is worth its weight il gold hundred
times to the refiners. 1t would surprise
you to learn how cleverly the sampler
learns to spit a bit of tobacco juice
into his tube. You have worked on
the docks for long time You never
saw 1t done, did you? But they were
at it all the time. bet the govern
ment has paid a million dollars for to-
o.
bingham, here, has grown fat eating
tobacco"
But does everybody on the dock
take wet samples?" asked the detec-
tive.
"Surest thing you know" said Han
sen. ASK them"
How about it, Cunningham" quer-
led Gard.
81 need the work." said the fat man.
"And you, Tobin?"
Il held out year." said the little
consUmptiye, but couldn't afford to
lose my job"
All the others present pleaded gull
ty.
Don't you fellows get anything for
it but little off-season work." asked
Gard
mot thing" acknowledged Hansen
with hugo oath. I'VE certainly sell
out cheap and the company makes bar
rels Of money out Of the bargain. But
the old man has never given us a look
i'll on any of it,"
The dictagraph stenographer at the
next table had caught every word.
He was in a position to substantiate
the testimony of Gard who should be
able to Elake these samplers tell their
stories in court. Soon the two faded
away without being missed, but they
took with them a complete case
| against the government samplers of
this port and against the Continental
| Refining company which had been
profiting through their shortcomings.
1t was month later and Billy Gard
had completed his work He had