Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-02-12
WASHINGTON.

WAtWNlTiN, Feb. G.-gecretsfy whitney
will gDtO New York on Monday, in etamine lhe
Bnltsd Hates steamer duhalth, before ordering
renalfi 20 be made On her.
Tho survey recently lai on. W. Jnnhita o,s
Tor on expenditure w shout edllNtJ, ana use
sccfcta y wishes 20 make PERSONA tQVestlHa'
Son " lle vessel before approving so large 40
expenditure.
On Wednesday morning counst Tor the Union
Pacific aud Central PaClle rllrnNlF VIII nave y
hearing before Assistant secretary jerks, Of
the interior department, with reference ~ tho
payment 10 the government ~ tle per eentnlHe
liked NY the Thurman act O0nIfaels on nc
with the commissioner VI raj roads are To show
that certain contracts are IN force between the
Union Pacific railway company. the Central
Pacific railway, and the Racine steaalSllip cDin-
pany, during the currency OF when the rail-.
roads have raid 10 the steamships. something
over s8OOO060 as q consid ration Of the diver
sion OF freight and passenger business over their
roads. Under the acts Of 1862 and 1873, the
government Is entitled to twenty-five per cent
Of the net earnings OF these roads.
The question which the government seeks to
settle is whether the railroads should not have
included the 8 .2o0,G0 In their statement Of net
receipts. II this be so, the railroad companies
owe the government on this account about
$S2.s0O.
The sub committee Of the House Commerce
Committee. to which was referred the bill pro-
viding for the construction OF the Tchnantepec
ship railway, have agreed 70 report favorably TO
lll lIl EblllllllbNE G blA oiAAAAA Ia AN9 MUM
features to the Vest bill.
The house c0Tmittee on pubic lands to-day
a. reed to report fav0rably a bill to forfeit the
Southern Pacific land, except the right OF way
through the public lands and all necessary land
for station buildings, depOts. machine shops,
side tracts, all lanns included within the limits
of any village, town or city, and any lands sold
by the railroad company and in the possession
of actual settlers to an amount not exceeding
100 acresl The quest on Of FORGETTING the north
ern Pacific land prant was considered, hut no
actiO was taken. The committee has decided
to hear no further arguments in land
grant forfeiture cases, and all who desire To
communicates with the committee on land grant
matters must do so by brief, filed with the clerk
of the committee. The number Of patents is
sued by the general land Office during the last
calendar year was 1886 During the year 1884
there were about 7h.0O0 patents issued.
A branch p0st-0f1ice, with fol- money order
and registry privileges, has been established at
Kansas City, Mo.
A delegation of citizens of the District called
on the house appropriations committee To-Day
with a petition signed by 16 Of the leading mer-
chants of Washington and Georgetown. asking
that some action be taken to protect the city
from a flood consequent upon the heavy, freeze
and snowfall. The petition sets forth the fact
that the river is blocked with ice to an extent
never before known, and that 1t threatens, when
the snow and ice melts. to inundate the city,
causing immense loss to property. 1t states That
the merchants have already spent $500 on the
hOIh vi III WI Wv AANtA bAe AhoN NHN
amount has not been nearly sufficient to protect
the CITY and asks the district commissioner to
be authorized tOe1pend a sufficient sum from
the emergency fund to clear the river. Accom-
panying the petition Is a resolution authorizing
the expenditure. The gentlemen bearing the
petition declared the river was in a worse con
diti0n than they had ever seen it, and that
something must he done at once, or the loss OF
property would be immense.
The 0pcratiOn of paracentisis thoracis, IN
exceedingly delicate operation in surgery, was
success fully performed on Senator Miller OF
California last evening. A large .qnantlty OF
fluid was drawn from the cavity Of the pleuro,
giving the senator great relief and his condition
is much improved to, day. ,
The Sc ate committee on the Staten Island
bridge bill has received Il number of documents
for and against the project. One OF these Is a
brief on flour. Jointly by Janvier Leduc, of the
flour committee Of the produce exchange,
and Erastus Wyman. The statement
is made that the prevailing price
of wheat is now on the average less than
at any time within one hundred years; that
the imports into Great Britain from India and
Russia in the four months since harvest
amount to seventeen million bushels. as against
eleven million in the corresponding montns OF
1881, while the receipts in Great Britain from
the Atlantic ports Of the United States were
only four and half millions, as against twelve
millions for The four months after harvest lSS4,
a decrease for the four months OF l& OF
seven aud one-half million bushels. The remedy
suggested for the excessive competition
from India and Russia is to secure o greater
-GconversiOn of wheat into flour, the ~tacllltleS Tor
doing which throughout the United States are OF
the most extensive character, DuI OWLS ~ tne
poor terminal accommodation at New YORK, the
business of handling and exporting Hour Is at
tended with a heavy charge and great elaOar,
rassment. 1t is claimed that II the Staten lslanG
bridge were authorized, enlarged terminal
facilities would be afforded in the har6or Of
New York. Great encouragement would follow
to the manufacture of flour, and a larger export