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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1910)
OLD "FATHER THAMES" HAS RECORD FILLED WITH ROMANCE AND TRAGEDY Seen o? Boyal Psfeanta and Fool of Commerce, It Dominates London's Life Mystery Larks Along Banks, and Its Muddy Bed Yields Belies, Centuries Old. ' . A Word to Our Thousands of Patrons V V LI. ! -(W. ' V " ST K. CKOSLXT. LONTJOX. Dec M. (Special.) No river In the world pommf a his tory so fascinating and strangely ' varied a the Thames. In a few month, when Coronation ceremonlea are In full swing, it anil be the scene of a pageant widely different ia Ite character from any of thoee which took place In the da 7 when It deeerred it title of the "Silent HJrhway." Meanwhile It has been giving up rellca held in Ita slimy bosom hundred of years. Including; a barge ased by the Romans when Julius Caesar ruled In sarly Britain. English writers usually refer to It aa "Father Thames' the father of London's nighty commerce. It Is of the river's weird and seamy aide that I would tall the mysteries and tragedies which bare 4eea bidden la Its dark waters, the crime which still flourishes along; Its crowded banks, and the recovery of varied treasure, lost overboard from craft of all slses, from the earliest times to the present day. How few people know anything; of the marvellous and Intricate network of organisations by which order ia so silently and ceaselessly maintained on the river which daily bears on Its bosom the richest freight In the worldl The River Police, the Customs House, the Port of London and Sanitary Au thorities, the Thames Conservancy, and Trinity House have each their separate and well-denned duties; tnoog-n ror 1 months the newly created Port San itary Authority has shorn the Thames Coaservancy of Its responsibilities sasi of Teddlngtoa and Incorporated the du ties of the ancient and historic com' peay of Thames Watermen. Illvcr Police Kept Baay. Of all these bodies, the River Police are naturally more concerned than the rest with what the public regards aa ths tragic sli of life on the river. Crimes of violence on the Thames have undoubtedly decreased since the days described by Charlss Lrtrkens In ths matchless pen-pictures which are to be found In many of his novela But htevea and freebooters are as numer ous as ever, these liver vermin special. Islng In their vsrlous departments of dlahonssty Just aa thieves do on land. Thece are still "tier-rangers" men who climb noiselessly on board vessels lying in the Pool at sight, while the watchman Is asleep, and help them selves to any portable articles, often descending to the cabins when they find the coast Is clear. Then there are "lumpers." who. while engaged In unloading vessels, carry off aa much valuable property as tbey can cram Into the capacious pockets con trived la the lining of their coats, and often assist ths crew by smuggling goods ashore. "Truckers" are smug glers la a larger way of business, en gaged In landing heavier ' parcels of goods than ths lumpers'- can manage. There are also gtlll "dredgermen." who, under the pretense of dredging things from the bottom of the river, selsa their opportunity of throwing overboard any article from the decks of barges or ether exposed craft. In ths hope of be ing able to dredge It to the surface when ths vessel has left Its mooring. "Toshers" confine themselves to stripping from ths bottoms of ships ths protecting copper, thus endangering the lives of those on board. Another set of specialists watch their chances for etitting boats loose from their moorings, so that they may afterward claim rswaxds for salving them. Better Folic Quarter Grren. For the watching of this criminal artsy a police force numbering nearly li officers and men is stationed along the rrver. the main divisions being at WspplDg. Blackwell and Waterloo. The head depot has been at Wapplng ever since the government took over the force from the East India Company la 11. and for many years the men were housed la an old gun sloop, moored within a few hundred yards of Wap plng Old Stairs, which still survive. Now a new and palatial building has takes the place of the old police depot, with accommodation tor 2 men. living rooms for the Inspector, a spacious drytng-roora for the men's coats, and a series of calls for ths prisoners they bring ia. Day and night tbs patrol boats of the river poll.e. manned by two Con stable and steered by a Sergeant, may be seen gliding up and down the river, noiselessly threading their way be tween the tiers of craft whose valuable cargoes they are charged to protect. No river thief can tell when a patrol may pounce upon him. for eah boat takes a course chosen by ths Sergeant In charge. The prevention or detection of thefts forms by tar the largest rart of the duties of ths Thames police, though frequently they are of a more gruesome character, as when engaxed In dragging ths river tor missing per sons wr-o have met death through ac cident or violence. Srldj J amp Down Stream. The floating police depot moored Just below Waterloo bridge has dealt with mors rases of suicide than any other along the river. For some un explained reason. Waterloo bridge Is J" li CVRIOS BROIQHT TO SrRFACB BT generally chosen by those bent on drowning themselves. In preference) to any other, and oddly enough they al most Invariably Jump over the down river side, probably with soma hasy Idea of floating out to sea. "I believe." said an official, "that one of the chief reasons why Waterloo bridge has so many suicides is that there are seats In the stone recesses formed over the piers, and the unfor tunates sit there brooding over their troubles until they come to the desper ate decision to drown themselves. They have only to Jump on the stons seat. which forms an easy step to the para net. and ther are over In a Jiffy." But there Is always a watchful eye on the floating stage below, noting their movements, and ready to row out Into the stream In ths waiting boat ths moment a plunge la taken. It Is sel dom Indeed thst ths would-bs suicide Is drowned at Waterloo bridge. "Only the other night we noticed a man walking up and down on the bridge above." said the same official. "We knew at onos by bis movements that he was a candidal for 'suicide, and surely enough a few moments after ward we saw him step on the parapet. Our man shouted Just In time, and ha was pulled back and takes off to the depot. More than once, however, the "Bridge of Sighs." as Waterloo bridge haa been aptly named, has been the scene of sicksn'l -.g tragedy owing to the suicide forgetting the existence of the project ing massive masonry at the base of each pier and Immediately beneath the seat on the bridge. Rescae-Room Provided. A special room la provided at the Waterloo Bridge depot for the recep tion of the rescued, ths room being furnished with a bed. bath, and hot water bottles of various sixes for ap plying to the patient- Tbat the pro vision of this room is necessary may be Judged from the fact tbat some desperate man or woman Jumps off Waterloo Bridge on an average every week in the year. Only a day or two ago one of these unfortunates threw himself over the parapet. but was hauled out by the police and was In a warm bed within four minutes of his Jump from the bridge. If the Thames police see more of the tragic and criminal side of the river, the Thames Conservancy now ths Port of London Authority are asso ciated in some of their duties with its more picturesque and romantio phases. Their staff of about 0 Inspectors and boatmen are Intrusted with the super vision of all the piers and wharves, looking after the mooring and berthing of vessels In the river, keeping the channel clear of obstacles, boarding DEAF MUTES, EXPERT "LIP'READERS," REPORT HORRIFYING DISCOVERY Silent Acton In Movin Picture Showi. They Say. Use Vilest LaDgaae-?2001000,000 Saved Annually by Closing Bucketahops Other Stirring News From Windy City. BT JONATHAN PALMER CHICAGO. Dec li. Federal, raids) upon bucket shop establish ments and the arrest of fifty or more of the attaches of these con cerns In Chicago are looked upon as the beginning of ths end of a system of gambling and graft that has filched untold mlUlons of dollars from Its. vic tims. For years the Chicago Board of Trade has been making war on bucketsnops. John HUI. 'jr.. well known in board of trade circles, has devoted most of bis time and effort for a decade to wiping out illegitimate traders, or gamblers. In ths common necessities of life. The co-operation of ths Government in this work Is counted on as the last thing needed. If the use of ths mails Is denied to the concerns, one of their chief assets will be taken away from them. An Ingenuity that is almost onbe Ueveable has been exercised by the bucket shop operators to circumvent the laws and to entrench upon 'the preserves of legitimate trade. It haa been estimated the amount of money saved annually to burketshop victims by ths elimination of them sines 1897 Is II00.900.00S. Ten or a dosen years sco tjere were fully a thousand bucket shops In operation. The average run ning expenses were about $10. 000. 000 a year. It was necessary for the bucket shippers to Blch that sum from ths guillble public before they were able to make a profit. As msny operators became million aires. It may well be understood what an enormous business was transacted In Imaginary stocks or In pars gambl ing on the upward or downward turn of quotations which were stolen from houses and boards of trade doing a lrgltlmate business. eras well known bucketsnop operator. -wv ll.t THAMES OKKDGES. vessels to see that no dangerous or ex plosive goods are on board, seeing that all craft carry proper lights, and dredg ing the river In order that the channel may not be Impaired by the accumuia tlon of silt. ' It has been during their dredging oper ations at various points of the river that the men of the Thames Conservancy have brought to ths surface many an object of antiquarian or romantic Interest. The vertebra of a whale, dredged up in wool- wlch Beach In 1892. recalls the fact that whales were frequent visitors to the Thames in prehistoric times: and a rello of the glacial period has been preserved In an elkhorn, found In the river at Isle-worth. Prehistoric Belies Uncovered. Implements of ths Bronse Age. a spear head, an old flint-lock musket, a brass cannon inscribed wiUi Chinese charac ters, the remains of an early Briton's sword, and a bronse Greek or Roman helmet (now In the British Museum) are among the 'warlike articles of various age which have . from time to time been fished up from the bed of the Thames. An Interesting discovery was made during dredging operations at Brentford in 106, when the Conservancy men came upon a number of pointed takes deeply Imbedded In the river's bottom. They proved to be the tjemalns of the fortifications constructed by the Britons against the Roman invaders. At that period Brentford was the first place above London where there was a ford or passage across the river, the whole of the Thames Valley being cov ered with forests and swamps. And to day the London County Council officials in building a new county nail nave come upon a Roman barge that they are pre serving with close care. Valuable articles of Jewelry have sometimes been brought to the surface by the buckets of the dredger, and even restored to their owners, as In the case of a gold watch found In Hambledon Dork. It was traced by Its number, and although it had been under water for than a vear. It was returned to the owner 'very little the worse for lis long Immersion. Stolen Jewels Recovered. f.- ...... ,n a thief stole a num ber of gold watches from a Cornhlll Jewelry store ana Being nunj pui he throw them over the bridge at . -i vr- afiarv,ri1i ndTi f ruse d what he had done, and a diver, who waa sent down at tne spot mmcsira oj . i ,i.i.f ,Mnr.i1 most Of the watches. The proceeds of another great watch robbery were recoverea i don bridge, one gold watch being found by the diver lodged on the projecting buttress. The thoughtless habit, so often ln dulgsd In by women, of trailing their I who died not many years ago. left an estate . of ' $S. 000.000 which he accumu lated In short order. He bequeathed his business to three subordinates on con dition that when they had made prof Its of $300,000 each they were to pass over the business to three other sub ordinates. They accumulated their share In Just eight months and their successors were even more facile In winning fortunes. How ths business of one concern was executed purely and simply on the turn of cards which furnished the arbitrary quotations tor imaginary fascinating tale, too long for recital here. When Mrs. Allen Christopher sprang Into the limelight by giving away secrets of the "brick trust" and then went to Jail for contempt by order of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis be cause she would not reveal more facts In her possession, the Innocent- by standers awoke to the fact that In Mrs. Christopher they had a very un usual woman. Mrs. Christopher went to Jail with out a whimper. She took her medicine with a rouen less wry race inan on counsel. Attorney Brown, who went with her for participating In- the, con tempt offense. She is the wife of D. J. Christopher, formerly a city brick Inspector. She was married In 195. and gave prom ise of being Just an average house wife of domestic tastes. But she was arterlsUi-s that were destined to change the current or ner me. Her first knowledge of the brick business she learned from her spouse. Phe absorbed some more Information - Kn- .hA . . rltv offi cial. Then the query csme to her. "Why not organise a brlck-s"Jllng company and go Into partnership with the servants of the municipality?" .Trt.w ikl. Anaiiln. rlnvinr In her mind she attended a brick-makers' con vention In Cincinnati, naving lunntr i .-,-. 1 r Ktf mftklnfcr friends among men of Influence in public IN PORTLAND AND OREGON We wish you every joy that good health and prosperity can bring, "We have reason to feel joyful and thank ful, as we have prospered exceedingly and our business has grown to immense proportions, but our greatest joy ia the ' hundreds of satisfied patients that we have treated in all parts of Oregon and who always have a kind word for our skill, gentleness and honorable meth ods. To the conscientious dentist this means everything. OUR PRICES REASONABLE All our work is guaranteed 15 years, and being a corpora tion insures our guarantee. It means exactly as stated. Best work obtainable at very modest prices. Good Rubber Plate, each The Best Red Rubber Plates, each 22-Karat Gold or Porcelain Crown 22-Karat Bridge Teeth, guaranteed, each. ... Gold or Enamel Fillings, each I Silver Fillings, each. Painless Extracting With Somnoform We are able to quote these we have A BRIDGE ing conditions, tributing to the bridge work. mm THE WISE DENTAL COMPANY FAILING BUILDING Office Hours, hands through the water while belnf rowed In a boat, has been responsible for ths loss of countless valuable rings, the cold water causing- the lingers to contract so that the rings slip oft easily. One woman, while on a houseboat at Caversham, recentlv lost her rings. valued at $1000, In a particularly an noying manner. She left them on the table at lunch time, and when the cloth was cleared, the servant shook the fnimka overboard and In so doing shook out the rings as welL The Con servancy employed a diver, wno searched the spot for several days at a cost to the lady of $30, but the bottom of the river was so oovered with rank weeds that the recovery of the rings was hopeless. A little while ago the finding of a nnntltv of red coral In the rival's bed at Blackwall greatly exercised the minds of ths authorities, no oorai reeie having been suspected to exist in the Thames. It was subsequently discov ered that It had been brought to Eng land by an officer on the Trinity house yacht for presents to his friends, but finding it was not appreciated, owing to Its rough state, he had thrown It all overboard. affairs. Then and there she launched her brick-selling combine and obtain ed contracts with seven big brick con cerns to sell their product to Chicago at a commission of $2.50 a thousand. She got into the "get-rlch-qulck" class In a way that, so far as she was con cerned, was legitimate. This year she sued the "brick com bine" for $40,000 in commissions and lost. In retort she told things that re sulted In the Indictment of seven brick firms. Then she seemed to hesitate in her march of revenge. At any rate she went to Jail for not producing in court some check stubs supposed to mean a lot in the prosecution. These stubs, it was declared would shew that there had been graft In the. city hall. Womair Proud of Career. Mrs. Christopher tells the story of her meteoric business career with mani fest pride. She Is fully convinced that she did nothing that would not stand scrutiny. "I saw through the brick men s scheme when they refused to pay me my commissions." she said, "and sued for. my rights, but tne lower courie de cided aga'nst me on the ground that to have done otherwise would have been against public policy." Theatrical expansion seems to bs reaching the breaking point , In Chi cago. The strain is brought mainly by the small houses, which offer mov ing pictures and a sprinkling of vaude ville acts. The tremendous growth in the number of these minor houses and In the business they have built up was not and could not have been' antici pated by the Interests owning the first and second-class major theaters. The fact Is beginning to dawn now and If the inmost thoughts of the msgnates were disclosed they probably would ad vance the notion that the limit was reached for the present Chicago two or three years ago. The 00 little theaters scattered throughout the city, where the charges are S or 10 cents, have made alarm ing Inroads on the balcony and gaUery w DH. W. A. WISE, .33 Tear a Leader la Modem Painless Dentistry la Portland S5.00 $7.50 S5.00 S4.00 S1.00 $ .50 $ .50 v $1.00 prices, as our terms are cash and no bad debts. THAT CAN BE REPAIRED Without removing from the mouth. The teeth on our bridges are made of solid gold or porcelain interchangeable facing, cemented in grooves, and can be changed at will in case of breakage or chang- This ia but one of the many reasons con recognized supremacy of our crown and INCORPORATED. DR. W. A. WISE. PRESIDENT AND MANAGER. 8 A. M. to 8 P. M.; Sunday, 9 to 1. patronage of the large down-town houses. Of these bouses there are 17 and two more are shortly to be opened. They are all within or adjacent to the elevated loop. Removed from the loop are about 25 other houses of the aeo ond class, where the prices, tfiough much below the first-class standard, are still too high to be within the frequent reach of the great mass. Save on exceptional occasions, when there is a genuine event of "state" proportions In theaterdom, the houses are rarely sold out this season. Scalpers are not able to do a land-office business as In some other years. There are too many empty seats in the ordinary course of business to make the specu lative game profitable. Twenty weeks of grand opera also is cutting consider able figure in reducing theatrical re ceipts. At the same time there is nothing do ing for the theatrical managements in the way of cutting down expenses. Pro ductions must be made with sumptuous settings and the casts must contain one or more expensive stars. The theory that the 5-cent and 10-cent houses would educate more people to graduate Into the patronage of the first-class houses has not been borne out In prac tice in the degree hoped for. The dol lars and cents obstacle is apparently in surmountable. The long opera season a novelty for Chicago probably will snd with a defi cit, but a much smaller one than the backers of the company expected when they projected this enterprise. The at tendance has been surprisingly good for the first year, and It is holding up well. It takes some time to establish the personal relation between company and patrons such as exists between the or chestra and Its faithful devotees. Hobo Carts and Dogs Happy. No bridewell cells and no rockpile fo'r the hobo cats and dogs of Chicago. They are to have a $20,000 hotel in stead, where they may find protection against wintry winds, against hunger and against the kicks and ouffs of a cold world. Society women have taken tip the cause of the wayfaring felines and ca nines. A score of them met at the home of Mrs. R. Hall McCormlck the other day, discussed the woes of homeless cats and dogs and decided then and there it was time to extend the help ing hand in a substantial way. One of the women present promptly subscribed $1000 and three or four others followed suit. Within halt an hour $8000 bad been offered and It was decided the limit of construction might safely be placed at $20,000. . Not only is the cat and dog hostelry to be established, but it will be lo cated, according to unofficial plans, al most in the midst of the fashionable resldenos district on ths north side, over near the Lake Shore drive. It will be close enough' so that the so ciety guardians may give some personal attention to the care of their dumb proteges. The particular society women Inter ested In this merciful project are active members of the Anti-Cruelty Society. Some of ' them have been known to walk into the middle of the street, re monstrate with a cruel driver for beat ing his horse or overloading him and cause his arrest and punishment. Among those who attended the meet ing at Mrs. McCormlck's home were Mrs. Harry L. Hamilton, lira Harry Askln, Mrs. S. Cobb Coleman. Mrs. Nor wood Pierce, Mrs. Herbert S. Stone, Mrs. Ira M. Cobb and Mr. and Mrs. C Q. Snow. The Anti-Cruelty Society is far from neglecting the well-being of humans ;..-.iA '''J PLATES The Very Best and Latest in Dentistry, With Flexible Suc tion. No more falling plates: no squeezing plates down no more coughing or laughing them down. WE AIM TO SAVE TEETH No work is allowed to leave this office unless it is perfect ia every respect. When desired, Dr. W. A. Wise, will inspect the work. Our .fifteen years' guarantee goes with all work. Nonresidents should remember that our force is so organized that we can do their entire Crown, Bridge and Plate Work in a day if necessary. ' All Work Gu aranteed. Phone A for the dogs and cats, but ita members have made It their special business in a large city to see that animals are not abused. It maintains regular head quarters and has a staff of scouts who keep watch over the city for instances of cruelty. , The yearly records of the organization are formidable-looking documents. Ten Robust Babes Arrive. The population of Park Ridge, one of the suburbs of Chicago, has a popula tion of 2009, according to the Federal census. Early last Spring it was just 10 short' of that number, but before the suns of Summer began to shine 10 robust babies came Into being there. They breathed a fine quality of subur ban air and all survived. These youngsters will not understand for some years to come what a service they have been to their fellow-townsmen or to their future selves. Their timely advent Into the world means that Park Ridge will have a $10,000 public library Instead of a $6000 building. Mr. Carnegie has promised the library. One of the conditions Imposed by him was that if the suburb showed a population of less than 2000, he would be the angel In the establishment of a $5000 library. If the population went beyond that limit, he would double his donation In the interest of the higher education of the villagers. That is where the babies made them selves felt. Hughle Fullerton, well known ss a baseball writer. Is one of the hottest boomers of the town. Surrounded' by his neighbors who had gathered at die town hall to celebrate over the population figures he proposed a concerted move ment to swell the population to 2500 a year hence. To what extent babies are to figure In this increase Is not known but the admonishment was given by in direction that this means of lifting the prestige of the town 'was one not to be sneered at. Twenty thousand persons are attend ing the night schools of Chicago, the highest in the history of those institu tions. The first half of the school year closed last week and the instructors In the schools are Jubilant over the Interest shown and the results attained. Thirty-four schools scattered through out the city are used for night Instruc tion. Almost all the nationalities here are represented among the 8000 foreigners who take advantage of the opportunity. Clerks, mechanics, electricians and day laborers are numbered among the pupils. Three technical high schools are at tended by employes of factories, ma chine shops and electrical concerns who are eager to add to their technical knowl edge of the branches in which they are particularly Interested. One electrical concern haa 13S of its employes on the roll of the three schools which have a total list of 2500. Among the most earnest of the night school pupils are those foreigners who are trying to learn the English language. They are taught to read, write and speak. Seven hundred Instructors are em ployed for the night work. Sessions are hehl four nights weekly, 20 weeks being the length of the Winter term. Deaf Mutes Make Discovery. v Deaf mutes who have mastered the art of reading the Hps of those able to speak have been shocked during attendance at moving-picture shows to learn that some of the silent actors In these picture dramas nse unprintable language. In many instances where the pictures are clear and the faces of the actors are toward the audience- the mutes have been able to make out the words used. "I am ashamed to repeat what that actor has just said," remarked one mute to a companion who could read the WHAT WE OFFER Cleanliness. Fourteen chairs. No vexatious delays. Fourteen Expert Specialists. Best ventilated offices in city. Unequalled skill in every department. Gentle treatment by experts In painless work. Thorough sterilisation of all instru ments. All work guaranteed for 15 years. Every modern appliance to produce perfect work. The best possible results at the least possible expense. THIRD AND WASHINGTON and M 2029. manual signs. "If the police could have; heard the last remark of that man on. the screen, they would arrest the man ager of this show." . To the average spectator the things going on in the pictures seemed Innocent enough, although the alleged vile langu age was used almost invariably In screem dramas of the sensational sort popular In certain parts of the city. Investigation of some of the shows waa made at the Instance of mutes who com plained of the vile language they caught from the moving -lips of the actors. The lines went beyond Innuendo and sugges tion and became frankly outspoken. One who objected to the results of his lip reading was George A. Schrlver, of 8128 Lake street, an expert reader. Schrlver said he did not have the face to writs down some of the things uttered in pan tomime. Vicious words were not at all uncommon. "I think the censoring of the pictures has had a good effect in eliminating th indecency," said Schrlver, "but there Is too much of it even now. The good pictures contain nothing objectionable, even for the Hp reader, but the other kind would not last a second If the police could understand what liberties the orig inal actors have taken in posing for the films. There should be a deaf and dumb inspector, or at least one who can read the Hps, to censor these shows." Conifortfor skin tortured babies and rest for tired, fretted mothers. A warm bath with Cutrcina Soap, followed by a gentle anointing with Cuticora Ointment, k generally suffi cient to afford immediate comfort m the most dis tressing forms of itching, burning and scaly eczemas, rashes, irritations and in- flammations of infants and ' children, permit sleep for child and rest for mother, and point to permanent re lief when other methods fail. Peace falls upon dis tracted households when Cuticura Soap and Oint ment enter. No others cost so little and do so much. Sold everywhere. Send to Potter Drug Chan. Corp., Bolton, fer free book on the tkia.