The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-10-09
BROADBRINI.
washington News and Gossip.
From our Special Correspondent.

|
WASHINGTON. d. c., Oct. 4, 'SG
Mr.. EDITOR: Probably no better idei
could be obtained of the capabilities o
the colored man, and the advancement
he has made since his emancipation
from slavery, than that afforded by {
visit to the Industrial and Mechanica
Exhibition which was opened in thi.
city on "Wednesday last. This is said tc
be the first exhibition of its kind held in
the country. 1t was originated anC
developed by negroes, without the assis.
tance of their white brethren, and is
composed exclusively of the inventions,
and articles produced by the skill of the
colored people; and there are many
articles upon exhibition which not only
show intelligent mastery of the principles
of the trade involved, but also skill and
taste in the execution. The display of
fancy work, in the ladies department,
would favorably compare with the results
obtained in a school of decorative art.
and the same may be said of all of the
various departments, which as a whole,
constitute an exhibition that is truly
wonderful. There is probably no city
in the country in which the colored
people are, as class, SO well dressed,
well behaved and intelligent as in Wash
ington. Their schools include the highest
gardes; their churches are large, and
many of them equal in architectural
beauty to those of the white denomina-
tions.
At largely attended meeting of
citizens, on Wednesday evening last, it
was decided to have grand national
competitive drill for military organiza-
tions, in this city, in May next. A
committee was appointed to perfect the
details of the plan, and six thousand
dollars was subscribed towards deflaying
the expense. 1t is proposed that the
competition shall be open to military
organizations throughout the country,
and $4,000 will be given in prizes.
This has truly been week of dislnis-
sails. Owing to a lack of available funds
with which to defray the running
expenses of the Office, the newly appoint
ed Government Printer found il neces-
sary to discharge three hundred and
seventy five of the employees of the
Government Printing Office, while
dismissal OF two hundred from the Navy
Yard. was necessitated by the recent
order of the Secretary of the Navy, con-
Yerting the Yard into an ordnance
foundry. The number dismissed from
the Yard includes all the employees in
the construction bureau, the steam
engineering bureau and the equipment
bureau. The plant of the equipment
bureau will be transferred to the Boston
Navy Yard, that of the construction
bureau to New York, and the steam
engineering to Norfolk. The equipment
of the HarG as an ordnance foundry will
be commenced at once, and it will prob
ably require two years time. The plant
of the present ordnance bureau will have
to be enlarged and renewed, anG in the
buildings made vacant by the suspended
bureaus, new plant will have to be
established.
During the Cutting controversy the
plans for the erection of a Mexican
legation building in this city were inter
rupted. Since the matter has been
settled and confidence restored the
architect has completed his work, and
the designs have been forwarded to
Mexico for approval. The building as
planned is to cost $4,000, and will. in
many respects, be similar to the British
legation buildingon Connecticut avenue.
The Office for clerks and attaches of the
legation will be located on the first floor.
and the remainder of the building will
be fitted up as the residence of the minis
ter.
The record in the Office of the engineer
in charge of the Washington Monument
shows that during the month of Septem- /
Der twenty-eight hundred persons as
cended the stairs in the Monument. and
the record from the first of April is ten
thousand. IL