The National tribune., 1885-05-28
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
The Weeks DOingS at the Ma
tiOnal Capital.
SALUTE TO GEN. LOGAN CHAPTER OF DIFF.
FACULTIES.

SALUTE TO GEN. LOGAN CHAPTER OF DIFF
FACULTIES.
The election of Gen. Logan was the best news
the old soldiers of this city had heard for some
time. and they became c0rrespondingly enthu-
siastic. Nothing less than grand salute of 100
guns would adequately express their feelings,
and this they resolved TO have. A little purse
to buy powder was made up and Capt. Albert
p. Cunningham, the Commander of Battery A,
Washington Light Artillery, was hunted up.
He is an ardent admirer of Gen. HIogan, and
entered into the schcme heart and soul. As he
is a steam engine in energy this meant some
thing. But he had just turned in his own guns
preparatory to drawing new ones, and so had
nothing to make bang with.
1t was now $50 p. RI. The Arsenal was
thought Of Gen. Ayres-Colonel OF the I'd
Art, had been very kind about loaning guns;
doubtless he would still be so. The powder
was bought couple of ladies kindly volun-
teered to fill the cartridges, and the party
hastened TO the Arsenal, two miles away, taking
teams along with them to get the guns Gen.
Ayres was very pleasant, but could not lend his
guns now without permission from headquar-
ters Back TO the city came the party in search
of the authority.
1t was now O'Clock Gen. Sheridan was in
California, Secretary Endicottin Michigan, and
the War Department was in charge of the Chief
VINO Was not likely 10 lake tue aMful
responsibility OF allowing the Government S
guns to be used in partisan" jollifcation.
BY this time it was $50, and the outlook to
any man of less resolutc spirit than Capt. Cum
ninghan would have been discouraging. But
obstacles only raised his resolution to higher
pitch.
ave are going to fire that salute to John A.
Logan tonight" he said, in fight-it-outon-this-
line-if-it-takes- ail-Summer tones.
1t was remembered that there was an old -
FOUNDER out in the country about two or three
miles that might be got Out there the party
drove. The cannon was found, but the men in
charge refused to let it be taken away without
the permission of the officers.
1t was now 10 o'clock. Back to the city came
the party, an hour was Spent in looking up the
officers, getting an order for the gun and per-
NIT from the Commissioners of the District of
Columbia TO fire salute.
At 11:3o the party was back in the country
where the gun was. Everybody was in bed but
the dogs, of which, to judge by their noise,
there was at least thousand. little after
midnight the gun was got out and examined. 1t
had not been fired for years, and was full of
rust and dirt.
"It'll never do to attempt to shoot that old
fuse" said some of the party. It'll blow the
whole crowd into the sweet by-and-by."
Pm going to fire that salute tonight That's
my voice that you hear" replied the indomit-
able Cunningham.
The sponge staff provided was for ix-pound
gun; this did not discourage Cunningham; he
tore horse blanket and made the sponge big
enough for the bore. There was no Timber. He
dashed the trail of the piece to the hind axle of
his buggy and started down hill. One of the
horses went lame. He was replaced by another
from the nearest livery stable. At length, after
more trouble than il used to be to move a bri-
gade of artillery, the gun was got down to the
lot in rear of the White House and fired The
ccfp No n lint
few from the wheels of the beaten old
gun-carriage. Cunningham was Knocked down,
one of the artillerymen frightened till he be-
came sick at the stomach, the Treasury watch
men alarmed until they ran to quarters fear
ing dynamite was being used against the silver
vault, the White House guardians frightened,
and the whole city walked up.
Load her up again, lads" shouted the un-
daunted Cunningham, springing to his feet;
and so the firing continued until, at the 6Sth
round, the primers ran out.
The next morning there was howl from
lot of super-serviceable fellows, who wanted to
curry favor with the President, by representing
that there had been an insult offered him F"
by the barbaric noise at such an unearthly
hour" directly under the windows of his sleep
ing chamber. Another crowd were sure that
the men engaged in the firing were employees
of the Government, who, if they could be dis
covered, would he dismissed for offensive par
tisanship" and places made for Others. The
outcome Of this was that Cunningham was ar
rested on a charge of firing a cannon within 200
feet of dwelling. The ahsurdity of the charge
was shown in court by the introduction of a
diagram made by sworn engineer, which
showed that the distance of the cannon from the
White House was 529 yards, and the case
collapsed.
THE ALBATRoss.
The steamer Albatross was built at Whining
ton, DEL by Pusey d Jones, for the service of
the United States Commission on Fishes and
Fisheries. 1t now lies off the Navy Yard. 1t
is named from the bird, Aibatross which is
found so far from shore over the sea and can
remain on wing SO long. This steamer will at
times continue at sea several months z. L.
Tanner, of New York, is in command. Lieut..
Seaton Schroeder, Of the District of Columbia,
is the executive officer. Lieuts. A. G.. Baker of
New Jersey; Bush, of Norfolk, and Swift, of
New Bedford, are the watch officers The chief
engineer is q. w. Baird, Of Washington, and
DIR. j. NJ. Flint, of Boston, Surgeon. The resi-
dent naturalist is James Z. Benedict, of Con-
Decticut, and his assistant is T. Lee of Harvard
The crew numbers 76. The steamer is 200 feet
long, 90 feet beam, l64 feet depth of hold; is
of iron, and l.0e0 tons draft. 1t has two boil
ers, also a Baird distiller to aeraSe, cool and
litter water, and an electric steam apparatus
to generate electricity for lighting the steamer
illuminating the surface of the water for night
work, and also to furnish incandescent light
for burning under the water and attracting
animal life 1t has machine for sounding
great depths, the line being of piano wire, ca
pable of reaching 10 miles with a cup at the
end, by which TO haul up specimens of animal
life, etc, from the sea bottom and worked by a
powerful steam windlass. There is also trawl
for bringing TO the surface large quantities OF
matter, worked by wire eight miles in length
with steam winch hosting engine. Their
mometers give the temperatures which are
registered at each 100 fathoms The steamer
cost 100000. 1t has two Herrsehoff launch
boats, one steam cutter of considerable strength
and able to steam nine knots, the other steam
whale boat, with air apartments and propeller
amidships. These are used to communicate
with the shore There is also a seine boat 80
feet long The steamer is subject to orders
from Prof Baird, of the Smithsonian The
officers and crew are from the United States
Navy. The steamer is under commission for
investigating deep sea explorations, ascertaining
the physical condition of the sea, studying the
habits, needs and enemies of fishes, classifying
the various species of sea animal life securing
collections, taking the soundings Temperatures
and gravity Of the oceans. locating the fishes of
different kinds, stud ying their relations to each
other, and determining every method by which
TO make the animal life of the sea most service
able TO human wants. All collections are sent
TO the Smithsonian Institute to be identified
and classi fed These specimens will be sent to
all scientific centers of the United States and
exchanged with foreign museums. The Alba