Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-27
OUT OF THE WEST
Brainerd as an Official Booster.
Hot Weather Vssaries-oueer
Things People Do When the
Thermometer Climbs
By GEORGE NOX MCCAIN
L,RASTUs BRAINERD is in tn

BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN
ERASTUS BRAINERD is in the
- city. He has changed considerably
since he left thirty -one years ago to as
sumo an editorial position-7and subsc-
qucntly to become editor in chicf--on
one of Seattlc's daily newspapers.
Now he is back in the East as the
official booster" of Seattle, "thc great
est fishing port in the world" as he
puts it.
But that pre- eminence is only an in
cidcnt of Seattle's greatness, he says.
The city is now, as it has been from
the first, the cntrepot for the vast
region they call Alaska. but which in
few gcnerations-possibly less--will be-
come a populous hive of human indus
try.
Mr.. Brainerd tells me that he recently
returned from trip through southeast.
crn Alaska and that the development OF
that section of the peninsula Is
with wonderful rapidity,
particularly az to it's mineral wealth.
Before his emigration toward the set
ting sun Erastus Brainerd was mem
Der of the editorial staff of the Phlladei-
phia Press. Later on he went over 10
the Evening News. then the otiicial ana
political organ of Widener and Elkins;
Then the Fast became too circumscrlDeg
for rho horizon of his ambitions and
be ''hit the traip' for the state Oh
Washington and elsewhere.
NINETEEN years ago the approach
~ ing August a man in the garb OF
miner. prospCCtOr, engineer or capitai-
ist. lust as you please. for they all dress
Mike under the Alaska skies. accom-
panied BY one Of tho handsomcSt collle
dog. | ever saw. 'hoarGcd tn" Yukon
steamer. Will II. lSom. somewhere
above the mouth Of the Tanana river |
The boat was on the way down from
Dawson City to st: MichaSls.
1t was Erastus Brainerd returning
from n visit to some of his "claims'
or gold property in the interior. Every,
body in the Northwest in those days had
soNie prospect" in Alaska. but not one
in thousand of them ever saw tneir
property or the claims in which they
were interested.
Brainerd not only visited his own,
but did a lot Of investigation OF oth'r
properties whose wealth in gold was an
unknown quantity. This latter on behalf
of Philadelphia capitalists.
As ! recall we separated nt Nome
City, Brainerd remaining to look after
some other interests while ] proceeded
on to Dutch Harbor and finally to Sc
attic.
The meeting in this city yesterday
was the first since our parting on the
Il. E .,,
Braincrd says that there is quite a
traffic building up in reindeer meat in
Seattle. 1t is shipped from Alaska III
n frozen state and sells for fifteen cents |
q pound retail.
TT THE heat of the July sun affected
i the natives of tropic lands as it does
some people in Philadelphia whole ma
tions would be 'fiooey" and the circum
ference of the globe under the equator
would be n girdle Of lunatics both ire
sponSible and incurablc.
There is no question that hot weather
does affect people of certain conStitu-
tional habit to the extent of develop
ing mental crotchcts, or fostering lapses
of memory.
A widely known Phi. ID. in educational
circles confcsScs that on unusually hot
and sultry days his memory is like
colander; everything runs through it
and nothing remains permanent.
He tells me that he left his home one
humid morning last week and before he
got away finally had returned three
times for things he had forgotten.
The official in charge of the vaults
in West Philadelphia ban king insti-
tuition, which does large business in
renting private safes, tells me that last
week he recovered and returned over
$4,000 worth of bonds left in the small
compartments where coupons
are clipped and valuable papers exam
ined by their patrons.
There isn't Il week that we don't
find something valuable that a customer
has left behind. Particularly is this
true in the summer months. and eSpe
cially on days when the thermometer is
very high, he said. ITS the weather,
of course.
A MOTHER trust company official
n corroboratcs the experience of ms
West philadelphia friend and contrib
utes this unusual addenda
Zone of our vault guards found n
$1,000 Victory bond lying on the floor
of one of the little coupon rooms. 1t
so happened that tho initials of the
owner had been written on it in lead
pencil.
"The gentleman had been in the vault
room that day and so we called him up
and asked him to drop around. We
didn't care TO tell him of his careless
ness over the phone.
"Hc came, aud when asked if he had
not lost Victory bond, became highly
indignant.
NO. sir; not so careless; business
man who looks closely after details. My
bonds are safely in the vault counted
'em. Lost: No, sir. Pooh Pooh
etc. etc.
"We finally persuaded him to exam
inc the contents Of his safety box, and
sure enough, aS We we'll knew. he dis
covered that one $1,000 bond was miss
ing. We overlooked his Indignation at
our suggestion Of carelpssness In han
ding his securities, for like its loss, we
credited his bluStcr to the effects of hot
weather.
THE vagarics Of fate, like the elusive
l. laws of chance, are beyond all
human analysis
Never was this bcttcr illustrated than
at the fatal fire 0f the Fritz & LaItue
rug establishment last week. Fate in
that instance was running neck and
neck with death.
Fireman Wolfram, whose funeral
was held yesterday, was the victim. II
the conflagraton had been delayed for
twenty four hours the dead fireman
would today have been alive and cap
able in the discharge of his municipal
duties.
Director Cortclyou, of the Department
of Public Safety, tells me that VOL