The Washington herald., 1921-01-05

tp Ihe zone As resident engineer
With Admiral walker, rrst chair
man Of the lsthmian Canal Commis-
sion, continuing In various admin
istrstive capacities, and finally 20
ing 20 Paris TO comb the world fer
labor 70 carry on the work.
hECALLs INAUGURATION
OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Ksrner recalls v1vidly the second
Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln.
At this time he held a clerical posi-
tioz In the finance department Of the
stamp division Of the PostonIce d.
psrtment, serving under Third A.
ststsnt Postmaster General A. n
Zevely.
Speaking Of the huge crowd which
surged around the white House An
vain endesvor TO get into the EI-
ecutive Mansion to attend the re-
ception given by President and Ms
Lincoln. Karner said:
AT that time was living f,
New York avenue northwest. There
were several women in our psrtv
and We left for the reception -.
sac. Upon arriving al - .-r .r
House we found The -f.u-
and streets Jsmnes Tor .--- rs-.-
feet without thL White rEr..-
Once in the cT5vI
ticslly impossible G.. 4s ..
amusing feature va aN- ..
dress worn by the Egr1rL . .-..
day which required a rrezl dszg y
room. In the crush seVC-sl o. tls
women had their dresses ter -nfr
Influenced US TO give UP try -- 20
get into the White House sine Lae
women in our party feared h&vinF
their dresses ruined.
EMERGENCY EXIT
BUILT FOR CROWDS.
we had not been standing in the
crowd long when we observed that
no one was coming out Of the white
House. This vas because Of the in
adequate exits Il was finally nee
esssry TO summon carpenters who
hastily constructed an emergency
e1it from one OF the windows OF
the East Room, where the recep-
thon was in progress, 20 the lawn
facing the Avenue"
kRrns declared that they did not
persist in their endesvor to attend
the reception but that he had met
the President and Mrs Lincoln twice
NAAN SoAAAN sN@AH s1AA Y
sry and February.
President Lincoln looked quite
tined and worn" Ksrner said. He
showed the effects Of the hard yesrs
that he had put in a. President
during the war. Mrs Lincoln" he
added. impressed me As being rsth-
er bored with the whole thing.
am quite sure that she would have
rather been about some houEswtfely
duty, although il is true that she
was a well educated woman with q
keen mind"
HOUSING SITUATION
REsAISs UNCHANGED.
The housing situation In wash
tnGton has not changed much in the
last nifty years, according to KIrner.
who says that in 1865 the first thing
a Washington lGndlady would de-
mand OF the respective roomer wa:
what is your class 1t was be-
fore the days of the civil service.
he explained. First class was $1,000
per year; second class, ST. 400. and
so on. She always knew from your
answer what you were getting and
charged in proportion.
karner did not stay in the gov
eminent service many years, going
70 New York to accept a position
as shipping clerk at half the sal
sry paid him by the government.
Il became dissatisfied with the serv-
ice, since there was so little fu-
ture," he explained In those days
there were very sharp social dis
tinctions between employees, based
upon the status OF their appoint
ment- All appointments Werr made
by Senators and Representatives.
The first query that greeted you
upon your entry to a department
was, Who is your member II
you were able TO give the name Of
some influential member. the rest
Of your way was easy N Il were
some obscure member from . far
Western state, you received little
attention" Representative Dawes
Of Massachusetts. had secured Kar-
ner's appointment.
GUARDS PLACED ON ALL
GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
I remember well that my shift
was two hours on and four on" said
harner, from 6 in the evening 20
3 the FIRST time, back again at mid
the morning. When we came OF
duty we were served with a Supper. "
Rarner was one OF the pioneers In
! the stamped envelope division Of the
Postofice Department. making the
first entries Of shipments OF stamped
envelopes 70 points in New York and
Ohio. The stamped envelope fret
came into use in this country July
/ l. 1883. At first but two oroers
came in from Washington Ter
years later, returning 10 Washing.
ton, ksrner found the business had
| reached such proportions that q
whole division was required to han.
die IL.
GIVES VIVID PICTURE
OF WINNING OF WEST.
During the great period OF pros
perity between 1853 and 1879, aBc
during the next twenty-five years
| KArner was engaged in lumber.
ing, railroad construction and pub
lie works throughout the Middl,
West. He tells a graphic stofy o
the picturesque days when tn,
Great Plains were dotted with team,
hauling rails and the country ranI
with hHmmers as the stakes wer,
laid for the steel links between tn,
East and the Pacific Coast. He VA
also engaged in construction worI
on the jetties a. New Orleans.
KarRer had an important shar,
in the construction OF the Panami
Canal, both in an enEineerinE ca
pGeity and as collector Of labor
serving from is0t until 1903. Per
hsps his most important work va
In collecting labor fer the Job. Thi
work was prosecuted under Gres