The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1884-10-11
FROM WASHINGTON
Special to the UAupoN ADVOCATE.

miral Rodgers presided and MIR. W. +. /
Peddrick was acting secretary. The
following woro elected special scientific
secretaries of the conference, Prof. JAMS
sen, of France; Gen. Srachey, of Great
Britain and DIR. Luis Cruls, of Brazil.
A resolution was adopted declaring it to
be the opinion of the conference that a
common prime meridian for all nations
was desirable. Prof. Rutherford, one of
the delegates representing the United
States. offered resolution that the con-
ference should recommend to the gov
ernments represented the adoption as a
standard meridian of that passing
through the centre of the transit instru-
ment at Greenwich.
This resolution was opposed by the
representatives, of France and gave rise to
an animated and al times heated debate,
in the course of which the French dele.
gates manifested some feeling. The
conference then adjourned to Monday,
October 9th.
This conference is the result of reso-
luton introduced into Congress year be
fore last by the Hon. Roswell p. Flower,
empowering the President to call it.
The deslrabilitY Of such conference
had been repeatedly urged by both Euro.
pean and American scientific bodies aud |
certainly no country could more fi,ly ar
range and superintend it than our own. |
The mainland, continental possessions |
of the United States span more than one |
hundred degrees OF longitude between
Passamaquoddy Bay and Behriug Straits,
and throughout these domains We ar. |
afflicted with a double first meridian, AS |
the inspection of the top and bottom
lines OF any school map will show.
Commodore Schley was the recipient
to-day of a gold medal from the Massl.
chusetts Humane Society. The medal
Is about two inches in diameter and an |
eighth of au inch in thickness. On one
side is inscribed, TO Commander VIM
field Scott Scbley, q. S. N , for his dis
tlnguished and memorable service in res
culng Lieut.. Greely and his men, June,
1884," Humane Society of Massachu-
sets, surrounding shield, On this
are representations of relief boats, two
clasped hands, and vessel encountering
drifting ice. About the shield is the
representation Of q house in which relet
boats are kept The society is composed
of some of the most prominent citiz ms
Of the Common wealth of M4ssachu etts
Appointment Ohio Republican who ar
rived here this moruIug says there is
much comment in that State over the
impaired physical and mental condition
OF Mr.. Blaine. He said Mr.. Blame was
very much enfeebled by the ordeal of
handshaking and speechmaEing through
which he had gone. He said that Mr..
Blame will be compelled to take a rett
before going into any other State of the
West.
Official absenteeism, which has long
been serious abuse, Is carried to
greater extent than eyer this year. 1t
has been difficult at any time for weeks
to find a member of the Cabinet in WASH
ington, while the important bnrrau Off
GERS haye also taken French leave in or
der to visit watering places or to make
political speeches In the State Canvass :
preliminary TO the general contest
The death of Chsnfrau, the character
actor, and the breaking down of John
Mccullough, the tragedIan, are events o.
melancholy interest to the American
public. No more genial man than John
Mccullough ever lived, and he drew
around him hosts of friends, who ow
realize sadly that his once fine physique
has been so shattered that if he should
recover from his present del lor,ble At
tack be eau hardly hope again to be the
man he once was.
40 not know the exact number of |
millions of dollars that "Boss" Shepherd |
is raid to have expended in the improve.
ments at the capital, but the fact is pat
ent to every stranger that Washington is
the finest city in the world. Think OF |
forty.elght miles OF smooth concreted |
streets. shaded on either side by magnifi- |
cent trees of the best varieties! The prob
lem of municipal cleanliness, too, is |
solved by the excellence of the streets
and the tboroughness with which they
can be swept by the modern sweeping
wagons. In the last ten years, ther, We
have seen that Washington has improved
more than it had from the time of its
foundation at the beginning of the CELL
tury, and in the next decade, when the
whole city shall have undergone the Re
juyenating processes that Shepherd IA,
piled to the favored p0r ions of it. th
American citizen will possess Capit
that he may we'll be proud of As t. its
sanitary condition, Washington has leng
been regarded as an unhealthy spot b =
cause of its malarial i fuences, bul
Congress has taken hold of the work OF
H.,
the filling M of the Potomac Flats, the
dredging of the river, and widening the
channel so as to secure an uninterruptad
flow Of the Potomac waters on the oc.
casions of spring and simmer floods
Beside this, the city is building the larg. |
est sewer in the world conduit more
than four miles in length, and twenty.six
feet in diameter, Stretc ing across the
northern end of the city-large enough.
as you may well suppose. for the most
stupendous future that may be predicted
for the capital.
1t is announced that Mr. Cox, Chair
man Of the House Committee on Naval |
Affairs, has already matured bin look |
ing to the rehabilitation of the American
navy by the immediate construction of |
| twelve line of battl4 ships, as n com