Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-12-22

NDAY, DECEMBER
Washington News and Gossip
GOVERNMENT RECEIPTS To-DAr.-1nternal reve-
nue., s57s,s72; customs s274,o41.
COMMANDER EDWARD HOOKER, of the navy, has
been placed on the retired list.
A s5,oo0,ooo CLArM.-The case Of the Choctaw
nation against the United States was taken I'D in
the Court Of Claims to-day. 1t is a claim for over
$5.OOOOOO and was referred to the court by Con-
gress. 1t has been pending for several years.
THE o. s. SUPREME COURT adjourned to-day to
the 5th Of January.
CONTRACT AWARDED. H. Thiemeyer & Co.. Of
baltimore, have been awarded the contract for fur
nishing packing boxes for the Treasury depart
! ment. The amount involved is about $500.
Mr.. KAssoN DID NOT CHEER FOR CLEVELAND.
dispatch by cable appeared in several western
| newspapers which told of Thanksgiving dinner
attended by Americans in Berlin at which Mr. Kas-
son presided IL was added that the guests at the
suggestion OF MIR. Kasson. gave three cheers for
Grover Cleveland. The Des Moines, Iowa. Reoiste,.
| publishes dispatch from Mr.. Kasson, saying:
''The report OF cheering for Cleveland at the Amer
lean thanksgiving banquet here, was willful
| THE SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE COMMISSION, COM
posed of Gov. Thos. C. Reynolds, Of Missouri; the
Hon. Scion o. Thacker, of Kansas, and Secretary
W. l.. Curtis OF Illinois. arrived in New Orleans
saturday direct from the city of Mexico, where
they conferred with President Diaz and certain
prominent men, The formal reception is fixed for
| thlS afternoon. The commissioners report win be
submitted to Congress before they leave New Or
leans Tor Central America, which will be perhaps
| In two weeks.
! OFF TO MISUNDERSTANDING the passengers on
! The steamer Colon, which sailed from New York
| Saturday for Aspinwall were Messrs. A. G. Memo
| cal, c. E.; r. E. Peary, c. F., and Ensign W. I.
Chambers q. s. NJ, three engineers sent out by
the government to locate the Atlantic terminus OF
me Nicaragua canal The headquarters will be at
the capital, Managua. Capt. Bedford PIN. of the
British navy, was at the wharf to see them of.
CONTRACTS FOR MAIL suPPL1Es-The contract for
furnishing printed wooden tags for the Post Office
department was to-day awarded to ". e. Sebree,
OF this city, whose bid was 2A mills for narrow and
mills for wide. The contract for furnishing mall
bag label cases was awarded to the Eagle Lock
company, IeIryvllle, Conn.,, and the contract for
mailbag cord fasteners to Smith & Egge Manufac-
turing company, OF Bridgeport, Conn.
ARMY ORDERs-The leave OF absence granted
Capt. Clarence E. Bennett, 18th infantry, is further
| extended five months. Leave of Capt. ]. Scott
Payne 5th cavalry, still further extended six
months on surgeons certificate OF disability. Leave
granted First Lieut. Frederick II. EbStein, 21St in
fantry, Is further extended seven days Pay
master c. 81. Whipple having relinquished the re-
mainder OF his leave, the order directing Major
Joseph w. Whan, paymaSter. to report in person
TO the commanding general department Dakota by
December s5 Is revoked: Capt. Frank Baldwin, 5th
infantry, ordered to Fort Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Major William F. Dunn, 14th infantry, to Portland
oregon. on official business connected with inspec-
Ton OF supplies for department OF the Columbia.
Paymaster Daniel R Larned to take station at
Walla Walla, w. T.
pr
Thomas L. Rosser, chief engineer Of the Maritime
Canal company, who has just returned to his home
In Minneapolis, charges Secretary Frelinghuysen
with obstructng the work Of the company in order
to bring about the treaty which Is now before the
Senate. The Secretary of States attention was
called to the published statement, but he merely
replied that he had nothing to say about the mat
ter.
NAVAL ORpERs.-Iieut. n r. Usher, to duty In
the bureau Of equipment and recruiting, Navy de-
partment; Lieut.. NJ. A. Hadden, to the training
ship Minnesota, 10th January; Ensign R. T. Multi
Assistant Engineer George Currie, to duty In the
coast survey; Lieut. 4. j. Drake, to Nashua n H
under orders OF the advisory board; Naval Con-
Struct0r John F. HanScom, to New York, under
orders OF the advisory board; Ensign Lorenzo SAM
pie, from the branch photographic Office, New
York city, and ordered to hold himself in readiness
for service; Passed Assistant Engineer Geo. H.
kearney, from the coast survey steamer Blake upon
the reporting Of his relief, and placed on waiting
equipment and recruiting, Navy department, re-
voked, and to continue on waiting orders.
THE NAVAL EXPEDITION to survey the proposed
route OF the Nicaragua canal under Civil Engi-
neer A. G. Menocal, sailed from New York on Sat-
urday for Panama.
PERsoNAL-RepreSentatlve Randall has gone to
New York.-Capt. Charles w. Folger, son OF the
late Secretary, has been taken from Alexandria by
his friends to his home in Geneva, N. Y. He is
nd fhnrn &c hDv.o 4t l,tr
Senator Fair IS at Wormley's.-Col. F. A. Shack
elford, wife and sons; Maj James Boyle Miss Fanny
Lyell; and Mrs. William F. Brockenbrough and
daughter, OF Warsaw, Va. were among the passen-
gers on the Sue. which made her last trip for the
season yesterday afternoon Representative Bur-
leigh was registered In New York last night
c. o. Zegenluss, editor OF the Denver Republican
Tribune, is at WIZARDS for short stay.-Ralph
L. Gait, OF washington, was registered in Chicago
on Saturday.
The Fish Commission Unpleasansness.
LIEUT.. WOODS CHARGEs AGAINST MAJOR FERGUSON
The reply OF Major Ferguson to the charges
made against him by Lieut.. Wood, OF the
navy, has been transmitted to Prof Baird,
and through him to the Secretary OF the
Navy. He quotes the records OF the fish COM
mission to show that the Fish Hawk was
not used for pleasure trip, as alleged. The charge
that the Lookout was used as a private yacht, and
Woods report. showing that She was constantly
employed on public work, and by the log Of the yes
sci. The 1nslnuatlOn that the Improvements at ST.
JerOmeS were for personal Deneft are answered by
showing that the expenditures under the engi-
| neer department, and that the ponds are under
lease transferred to Prof Baird. Prot Baird cert-
1ies that the records or the fish commission estab-
| lish the statements made by Major Ferguson.
WHAT LIEUT. WOOD SAYS.
81 have not seen the answer OF Maj Ferguson
to my charges" said Lieut.. Wood to a STAR re-
porter to-day, "except In the newsp papers, but il
the published account is anything like a correct
one, Will have no trouble in diSprOving what he
says, and of proving other matters which
are the principal points in the controversy In
his answer he takes advantage OF what little
record there is OF the public duties performed at
his direction but he entirely ignores the private
ones he ordered and the private schemes he car
fled out. He makes no mention OF the little
island in the SusQuehanna near Havre de
Grace which belongs TO him, but which has been
Matching purposes It is private shooting station
upon the best ducklng grounds in the country,
pure and simple, and used for that purpose, with
cottage handsomely fitted up for the use Of Mai
Ferguson and his guests. When Maj. Ferguson
bought that island it was nothing but little
marshy spot. He gave the OF it free to the fish
commission. The improvements were to belong to
can't remove them without removing the island.
" has been built up at public expense with oyster
shells and soil and crib work all around, until IL is
much larger and the land good and firm. should
say nifty or sixty thousand dollars had been ey-
pended on 1t. No fish Matching has ever been
done there, except a very little that might have
been carried on on board fish commission vessel
station NY predecessor. Lieut. Low, was detached
simply because he wouldn't obey iOr Ferpusnn,S