Lampy Puts Up Shutters in Face of Mortgage Nemesis

The Harvard Lampoon has suspended publication for an indefinite period. This bald announcement, confirmed at a late hour last night by the trustees of the organization, came as a shocking surprise to all who did not know the state of affairs on Mt. Auburn Street.

Several causes are given for Lampy's demise. It was not generally known that the cozy little home of the publication was not only built on sand, but was built on a flimsy bridge over the same underground river which is causing so much trouble to the builders of McKinlock Hall. Since every year the spring freshets add to the instability of the edifice, the editors have not felt it worth while to pay off the huge mortgage on the building. This mortgage was foreclosed yesterday afternoon.

When informed of this fact, S. D. Richards '27, Business Manager of the now defunct paper, expressed no surprise. "We have all expected this for a long time", he said. "But after all the joke is not on us. We have had free use of the building for 17 years. What more could we ask?"

He admitted that the Lampoon had had no intention of publishing the widely advertised St. Patrick's number. The sudden meeting of the board yesterday morning at 7 o'clock was called for the sole purpose of informing the editors of the situation. Barred from the press, the assembled mob decided on one last practical joke and a parade, neither of which called forth any laughter.

Richards told the editors that the mortgage was about to be foreclosed, that the printers had refused to work without pay and that the Lampoon was deeply in dept and unable to pay its bills. All the furniture and bric-a-brac belong either to former editors who have loaned them or to furniture firms. Two firms are involved, both of which intend to collect the furniture in forfeit of instalments never paid. In addition Lampy owes money to caterers, advertising agencies, engraving companies and printers and to the CRIMSON, and Lampy's sole employee, Bob Lampoon. Because of perennially late publication and discourteons treatment by the business department, all of Lampy's advertisers have broken their contracts. In fact the only assets of the corporation are a set of Dutch tiles donated years ago by a benevolent graduate.

"The foundations are is a pretty bad state," Mr. Stanley Hartley of the American Society of Engineers, who has recently examined the Lampoon Building, told a CRIMSON reporter last night. "The caissons on which the foundations were set, have settled, so that serious damage would undoubtedly occur to the building unless elaborate reconstruetions were undertaken. The Lampoon editors, however, feel that the cost of such alterations would be prohibitive." Mr. Hartley expressed his concern at the possibility of the entire building, which he calls "the most attractive in Cambridge", being doomed to destruction.

Arthur Clement, of Arthur's Lunch and Smoke Shop in the basement of the Lampoon building, said last night that he would ask the holders of the mortgage to continue his lease, but would at the same time look about for a safer location with no river underneath. At that time he did not know that the building was to be sold over his head. A huge sign reading "For Sale" appeared on the Bow Street side of the turret late in the afternoon, and soon attracted a crowd.