The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-06-28
RANDOM NOTES.

celebrated cocoa powder of which you have heard so
much"
Z" Is II made Of cocoa?"
"No, there is probably not particle of cocoa In II,
1t takes Its name from Its color, but s composition
Is profound secret. 1t Is made abroad ana
furnished to the world at reasonable rate, but
think we shall soon he able to make 1t ourselyes
There are experiments going forward here which
we expect to be crowned with successn
"What are the particular points OF excellence Of
the cocoa powder over the old kind?i,
"it burns slower at the beginning and more
rapidly toward the end. In other words II has a
tendency to burn more rapidly under increasing
pressure. With the black powder It Ia dificultto
Keep down the pressure, but 1t requires high
pressure to make the cocoa burn rapidly.n
=" Is the cocoa powder economical:,
"No, cannot say that 1t Is. It takes good deal
of 1t to Impress high velocity to a projectile. But
when everything is properly adjusted It is not i'm
possible to give velocity Of more than 1900 feet
per second to projectile."
g How heavy are some OF the newer pro,ectiles. ~
1.-TWO hundred and nfty pounds, and they take a
charge OF 1876 pounds OF powder"
I" How Is this powder handedsr
" Each heavy charge is put In several bags, so 1t
does not make so heavy a load to the gunners as
would at first appear"
One OF the candidates who were here for the post
Office inspector examination came to Civil Service
Commissioner Th0man after the examination aud
said:
Is am good deal afraid that | will not be an
pointed. am only twenty -four years old, and am
oil The opinion that the authorities may conclude that
they want some one of little more business expert
ence. think while am here I'll take the Depart.
mental examination also"
"What are you now engaged at ?" asked the Com
missioner.
81 am superintendent of union school In an
Illinois town Of 1000 Inhabitants. get $500 per
year for eight months time, and have some other
business interests there"
Then why In the world do you want to get into
the Departments here'" asked the Commissioner.
on were DONG great deal better than you could
expect to do here"
"ilow is that?" asked the puzzled pedagopue.
"Dont many of the clerks get high salaries, and
hea'is OF division as high rs s2,0OO?n
"They do. But you should remember that out Of
6oo clerks there only 3s5 heads OF divisions and
high-salaried people; that there are great many
bright people struggling for these places and some
have been waiting for promotion for long time.
You would have to start at 1900 and walt long time
before yOn got any more.n
The young man considered this good advice and
returned to his home to take up the rod again.
This reminds me of the remark OF Solicitor General
Goode, made few evenings ago, that there was
wonderful Increase In the number of people In this
country who desire TO obtain some position where
they are comparatively secure and where they are
certain OF receiving fixed income, even though 1t
may not be large. All this il contrary to the spirit
OF republicanism and contrary to the Independent
American way OF wrestling livelihood out of the
possibilities of ones surroundings. 1t makes ma
chimes out OF men who might be independent
II Is astonishing how some men have come here
anu simply set Siege to the appointing power and
oeen determined to get something. There Is q
charm about life here that takes a strong hold of
men from the interior, and they feel willing to do al
most anything II they can stay know one man
VINO came more than six weeks ago. He started In
al Wilards at five dollars per day. He seemed to
have considerable money and was smoking good
cigars The next time called for him he was at
the Harris House. From there he went to cheap
boara'ng-house on Tenth street, and finally he has
gone home on a "pass," leaving months hoard
unpsid He worked hard. His expectations fell
with his condition. He started In as an applicant
Tor consnlship, and finally was willing to take
position as guard at the Treasury But he got moth
ing.
asked Charlie Leohier, the Presidents door
Keeper who has held the position since 1862 II
there was any difference between the crowds this
year and when other Presidents had been inaupu-
rated He replied that for the frat two months there
was no perceptible difference, but the crowds had
Kept up longer than usual and that there seemed to
be no indication of any let up. He says the oniy DIFF
ference he can see between now and the beginning
ia that there are not nearly 80 many Senators and
Representatives as at first. They have mostly put in
their recommendations and gone home.
good story Ii told OF one the recent Western
appointees In the Treasury Department. He had
only just been installed, when happening into one of
the other ofces, he beheld silver tray and pitcher
His own room was furnished with an ordinary
earfhen pitcher and tumbler. The silver tray took
his eye and, returning to his room he wrote reaui-
sition for one upon the Secretary.
The Secretary read the reguisition and returned IL
with the verbal message:
"Tell Mr.. - that he better get the prairie mud
OFF bis boOt-heels before he sends to me for silver
trays"
Numerous stories have been published in regard TO
the physical condition Of Hon. Malcolm Hay, First
Assistant Postmaster General. lie certainly has the
appearance OF being In very poor health. He sits In
an armed easy-chair with his head resting angudly
back upon the cushion. He Ia very pale and his
voice sounds like that OF sick man, or OF one who
10 Just recovering from severe Illness. am told
however, that he ia not by any means so bad OH as
he has the appearance of being. He is really no
worse than he has been for number OF years past.
81 Will say one thing" said Chief Clerk Fowler,
"and that Ia that Mr.. Hay does more work than any
OF his predecessors OF whom have known anything.
He is very conscientious man, and attends to his
work very diligently and carefully He Ia not strong
man physically, TO be sure, but he carefully hus-
bands his strength and accomplishes great deal
lie works at his correspondence every night after he
has gone home, and thus works of very much more
than wonld be supposed"
Mr. Hay Is prominent member OF the Presbyte-
rion Church, and something OF civil service re-
former In his way. He has not always pleased the
congressmen aud Senators who have sometimes
crowded him pretty hard for appointments for their
constituents He Ii determined that Congressmen
shall be held responsible for the recommendations
wiiicn they make, and has sometimes been rather
pointed In the questions he has asked. He is like
President Cleveland In that he believes in doing bus
meas In a strictly bnsiness-like way.
Postmaster General Villas is the last man In the
Cabinet who was expected to be civil service re-
former, and yet was told by a candidate for once
to-day that he lectnred nearly every one who calls
upon him on this subject. II Is extremely difficult
To see the Postmaster General at ALL and when one
does zee him II IL only for minute and II Ii rather
m0holoBous 10 have thai minute occupied with
ieetuft on civil strPlce reform. But that Ia the
very oilen," said this gentleman.
IL becoIaes more and more evident az the days 10
by that with all the care that can possibly be exer-
csed great deal OF injustice Ia bosnd to be done to
the most worthy men. I know good men who are
here In Washington to-day who ought 10 be rec0g-
nized, who have earned recognition, and who have
expected It, asked one OF these men why he didn't
see The Secretary OF the Interior and lay the case
before him. He replied:
"Because can't get chance. l have been up
there several times, and i ind him abso-
luteiy overwhelmed with callers, many Of
Of them unworthy people, who push themselves 10
the front and Claim great deal. He can only see
me minute, II at all, and cannot make q stale
ment OF my case In minute. No. 1t IL one OF those
cases OF Injustice To which must submit Ia this
world"
Olive Logan ON British Abssrditiss.
London Letter In Pha. Times.l
Just u little mention OF tiny absurdity before 1
append my valuable autograph. VIII you believe
that my Lady Friyolity and the Misses Biainless
made me morning call while was out, and with
their precious cards found q bit OF pasteboaTd,
about an inch long and half inch wide, which bore
the name, duly engraved upon II, OF "Mr. Shepherd
Coleyi" IL was fully one minute before this de-
ligblful Joke dawned upon me Ia all ITS binding
luminosity. Mr. Shepherd Colley was their Colley
dog, who was accompanying them on their round