Evening star., 1931-06-21
Capital sideIights
BY WILL p. KENNEnY.

The most Travelled umbrella in all
the world, which, contrary to the pro-
verbal falling Of umbrellas to quickly
find new owners, has been in the pos
session Of Representative Ernest r.
Ackerman Of New Jersey for 81 years, is
on on its travels again this year, TAX
ing its l52d ocean voyage, having >vis-
tied more than that number Of coun-
tries during its%75O, 600 mile wanderings.
1t was purchased by Mr.. Alderman on
his first trip abroad. In Liverpool, on
June IL, 1880, for half pound sterling,
the equivalent Of $3.50 American money.
There is nothing particularly remark
able about the umbrella itself. 1t seems
old-fashioned today and perhaps that
is one OF the reasons why Mr.. Alderman
stu has 1t. The rod Is of wood instead
OF metal and the catch that keeps the
umbrella UP when 1t is opened Is Of wire
instead OF the triangular bit Of metal
now generally used by umbrella manu-
lacturers There Is no angle to the ham
Ole, which terminates In q slight knob.
Ribs and rod are as they were when
Mr., Ackerman visited Liverpool in 1880,
but with use the cover went the way. of
all the world and two others followed
suit. The present heavy black silk
cover was applied in Paris about three
years ago.
Though careful inspection may not
reveal anything very extraordinary
about the umbrella per sc, 1t is ur-
oouotedly the most celebrated umbrella
IN the world. Famous editors have dis
cussed the phenomenon learnedly and
facet1ously, the facts have been noted
IN believe 1t or not" departments, car
toonistS have presented Mr.. Alderman
ana umbrella with fourishes, columnists
have commented wittily and even bath
ing beauties have been crowded from
the rotogravure sections
X k%
1t went through the great blizzard of
1888, and when man can keep an I'm
brella for half a century, that's news
and papers the world over know it. One
Is quickly convinced Of the fact that 1t is
ny skimming through a scrapbook of
clippings that have been sent to the
Plainfield Congressman from far and
near. There are 81 pages in the book
and they show that Mr.. Ackerman's
umbrella carrying record was consid-
cred unique as long ago as 1889, less
than decade after the umbrella had
been acquired. Then the umbrella had
been packed only paltry 100, 900 miles.
There does not seem to be any sta
tistics for the country as a whole as to
now many umbrellas are lost annually.
An inquiry was sent to the Interstate
Commerce Commission about the matter
recently and 1t replied that information
In such detail is not required Of the
railroads. Definite figures were sup
piled, however by two railroads to
which similar inquiries were addressed
by representative of a newspaper, but
one railroad reported that 1t returned
to their rightful owners 902 umbrellas
in one year.
DID Mr.. Ackerman ever lose his
treasured umbrella? Yes, once, at the
hands Of train robbers. In 1885 Mr..
Ackerman was returning from Cali
fornia. The train stopped at william,
Ar1z., and two sleeping cars we're run
into the yard while the passengers got
their suppers at the station. Thieves
entered the cars while they were side
tracked and piled up bags, cvercoats,
umbrellas and packages in one Of the
sleepers preparatory to carting of the
lot when they were discovered and
frightened away. The Alderman UNI
brella was on top of the pile.
Nearly two-score years later Mr..
Ackerman still had his umbrella with
him in Japan and with him 1t survived
six weeks Of earthquakes that occurred
at the rate Of about 100 q day. More
than 100, 900 people lost their lives in
that disaster of September, 1923, and
half million homes were destroyed.
The earthquakes began September /,
the Emperer's birthday. and the handle
Of the umbrella now bears an inscrip-
ton in japanese characters referring to
the disaster. Mr.. Alderman was at
Nikko, just outside Tokio, through the
earthquakes.
Around the world again and again,
up and down the world, to the far cor
ners of the earth and back, that UNI
brella has been with Mr.. Ackerman. 1t
was with him in Hammerfest, the
northernmoSt town in Norway, above
the Arctic Circle; it was with him in
Iceland and in Macau, a part of China
owned by Portugal: it accompanied him
to the interior of Java and to the
Sudan in Central Africa and kept him
dry in Malta, Peking and Hongkong.
He carried it through Turkey, Soviet
Russia. Brazil, Madeira, Uruguay, Chile,
San Domingo, the Hawaiian Islands,
Korea, Penang, Calcutta, Johore, San
Marino, Bombay, up Mount Lavinia in
Ceylon. through Monaco, Liechtenstein,
Hungary, Jugoslavia. along the Dali
matian coast to the Ionian Islands,
Bermuda. St. Lucia, st. Vincent, to
Panama and the SueZ Canal, Andorra,
Spain, Gibraltar, Portugal, Switzer-
land, Finland, Germany, Sweden, New
Hebrides Islands, Farve Islands, Vene-
zuela, Barbados, Cape Verde and Ca
nary Islands and scores Of other places.
It has been a frequent visitor to nearly
all European capitals and is about to