The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-11-13
Washington News and Gossip.
From our Special Correspondent.
BROADBRIAf,

From our Special Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. 10, 's6.
Mr.. Observation-Disclosures the
fact that the election held upon Tuesday
last was the first Congressional election
under the present administration, there
probably never was an election day in
which less interest was manifested by
the department clerks in the result.
Comparatively few of the clerks went to
their homes to vote, work in the Offices
went on as usual, and no one would
have guessed from going through the
departments that an election was in pro-
gress. No money was collected, and
very few reduced rate tickets for voters
going home, were issued by the Cam
paign Committees.
As the time for Congress to convene
approaches, the President finds, that in
order to enable him to properly attend
to his public duties, that he should be
free from interruption, and he has
accordingly issued an order to the effect
that during the time that interyenes be-
tween the 10th of November, and the
time of the meeting of Congress. he will
deny himself to visitors except upon
public business of importance. This
will not however be construed to include
applications or recommendation for
office. He states as his reason for
giving the notification at an early date,
his desire TO dispose in advance of the
plea that trip to Washington has been
made in ignorance of the arrangement.
The usual public receptions at l.3O
o'clock OH Mondays. Wednesdays and
Fridays will be continued as heretofore.
A good story comes from the Comp
troller's Office, and | will relate it as an
evidence of the alertness evinced by
that official in the detection of frauds
in his office. 1t seems that in examin-
ing the pay rolls recently it was dis
covered that upon some of the rolls one
Of the laborers had signed his name,
while on others he made his mark
Suspecting that this discrepancy must
conceal great fraud, all Of the accounts
were suspended, and the man was notified
of the discovery. He at once wrote a
letter to the comptroller, in which he
called attention to the fact that the
vouchers were uniformly signed with a
cross up to a certain date, but thereafter
with his autograph, and in explanation
of the mystery explained that he had
been attending night school and had
learned to write.
The woodman with his axe makes
pretty figure in poetry, but he is much
too slow for the street contractor.
During the progress of the work in ex-
tending the streets in the northwestern
section of the city, it has been found
necessary to remove large number of
sturdy oak trees, and it was at once
decided to blast them out. While il has
been common to remove stumps by blast
ing, the blasting of entire trees is a
novelty which has attracted large crowds
to the scene of operations. The process
consists of confning within a cavity
directly beneath the tree can contain
ing eight or ten pounds of Judson
powder, which is fired by the use of
fuse. When the explosion occurs a
dull rumblinp sOund Is heard and a.,
huge tree is lifted into the air. The
powder used for this work is slow in
IFS action, and lifts trunk, stump and
all from the ground. The contractor
says that while dynamite is quicker in
action that IL would not produce such
satisfactory results, II.