Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1885-06-20
THE MONUMENT.
Lightning's Freaks-Charitles and
Corrections.

Lightning's Freaks-Charitles and
Corrections.
Special Correspondence of the I~NTER-OcEAN.l
WASHINGTON, June 13.-The Wash
ington monument seems determined to
keep itself before the public. 1t is again
surrounded by a scaffold and undergoing
repairs. Not time, but lightning did the
damage, and though the actual injury
to the shaft is small, its significance is
alarming. The monument, reared at
such an immense expenditure of time,
money and mechanical energy, is a
tempting target for thunderbolts. 1t was
a piece of presumption, perhaps, to PEN
citrate the %.lightning's lair i'll such a
square and pointed manner, but the of.
tense has been committed. The top of
the monument is in the upper realms,
and since an aluminium tip is not suffi-
cientdefense against its neighbors ,theele
ments, it is to be supplied with anything
it needs in negotiations for peace. To
have this lofty structure rent and shiv-
cred, or sent sprawling over the Potomac
flats, for want ofproper protection, would
be a humiliating catastrophe. A body
of scientists examined the monuments
injuries, and agreed upon measures to
protect from lightning in the future.
Surely it is within the scientific range of
an age which burns electric lights and
runs electric motors and talks with cleo
trio tongues, to save the monument from
electric dissertation.
One of the clerks in the monument
office, glancing up at the shaft on Satur-
day morning as he went to his desk,
thought he noticed something wrong
about the summit. Investigation with a
feld-glass showed that a stone just below
the capstone had been split, and that a
a little corner of the capstone had been
Clipped off. The rent in the stone is
four feet four inches long, and the work
of repairs will take but a short time,
The crack will be pressed together, holes
drilled through the stone, and the parts
fastened by bolts. The chip which was
broken from the capstone was dashed to
the ground, and has now, together with
about a ton of refuse marble chips lying
on the ground, which were supposed tc
be parts of the identical chip from the
capstone, been gathered by relic hunters
The national conference of charities
and corrections, which has been in ses
sion herefoi a week, has just adjourned
This was the twelfth annual meeting Of
the association, and said to be the mos,
important one everheld. The president
and Miss Cleveland attended one of the
meetings of the body and expressed
words of encouragement and sympathy
in its work. One of the subjects discuss
ed by the delegates, and dwelt upon will
' particular emphasis, was the care anc
, treatment Of the insane. One specials
! thought the word insanity should be sub
. stituted by soul-sickness, "Reminiscences
!; or some more appropriate name. Dl
: Godding, of the government asylum 70
. the insane, divided the inmates int,
eight classes, requiring as many varie
ties Of treatment, and homes of as man,
y different kinds of construction, each q
= which he described. "Build for the con
d valescent" SAID he cottage homes at
distance from all sickening sights an
crazy sounds. Fill the grounds wit
;, traps for %sunbeams, green banks, wit
!, their birds and flowers" He though
. that in this country Of almost limitles
extent. IN asylum should have al acr
;, of land for every prospective patient.
Among various addresses made by tn
philanthropists. all in advocacy of som
% method Of ameliorating the condition {
~ the helpless OF delinquent, was one b
the new assistant secretary of the trea
ury, Mr.. Fairchild. lie strongly adv
! Gated the establishment Of postal saving
- banks. He drew from his experience
4 four years in the district attorneys o
flee, of New York, 81 terrible tale of su
Il fering which followed the wholesa
IL closing of private savings banks, and d
:, clared it to be his belief that it was in
possible for state or national governmel
~ to so supervise private savings banks
as TO insure safety to depositcrs: b
20 he said there was nc reason why the IL
tional government should not recei,
small deposits through its postotfice
r. thus affording the poor man absolu
,e security for his earnings, rs is done |
10 almost all the enlightened government
of the world.
d.. Horse Talk.
H. Our horse reporter fell in with q del
~ CATION of local turfmen last night III