The Portland daily press., 1886-03-31
FROM WASHINGTON.
OF interest to odd FELLOWS.

WASHINGTON, March 30-An earnest ef-
fort is being made by the Odd Fellows of the
District of Columbia to secure the location
of the offices of the Sovereign Grand Lodge
of Odd Fellows in this city. They have
been for many years located in Baltimore,
the birthplace of Odd Fellowship in Amer
lea, but as the present quarters occupied by
them in that city have got to be given up, a
movement is on foot to secure their removal
here. 1t is thought probable that such fay-
orable offers have been made by the District
Grand Lodge that they will be accepted. 1t
is fitting that tie headquarters of an order
that extends over the whole United States
and the Dominion of Canada should be To-
Gated in the capital of the country.
Report of the Ordnance Committee.
Representatives Randall, Hewitt, Burns,
Crisp, HiScock, Reed and Phelps, constitu-
ting the select commission on ordnance and
gunnery, to-day reached final unanimous
agreement on their final report and it will be
presented to the House by Mr.. Randall. The
report says there cannot to-day be made in
the United States a steel gun above an
inch calibre, but that the various companies
are willing ito undertake the operations of
casting, forging, rough boring, rough turn
ing and tempering the parts necessary to
make the guns of the largest calibre, proyi
ded they receive sufficient remuneration
Figures furnished by the various companies
are about $500 per ton and may be taken as
what would now have to be paid: that is to
say, for 10-inch guns, 5000 tons of steel,
$2,500,000 will be required; for 12-inch guns,
5000 tons at cost of $4,000,000; and for 16-
inch guns, 10000 tons at cost of $S,000,000.
The commission think all of this work
ought and can be done in the United States
and the commission have no hesitation in
recommending that all guns for use by the
army and navy, including those for fOrtif-
cations when constructed, should be con-
structed in the United States.
River and Harbor IEiiI.
The House river and harbor committee
have reported bill for improvement of riv-
ers and harbors, appropriating about $13,-
100000. The rule of the committee was to
appropriate only for works recommended by
the United States engineers, and on the av-
erage only of one-third of the amount which
the engineers reported could be profitably
expended the next fiscal year. Appropria-
tions are made for the following surveys in
Maine:
Kennebec river, between Augusta and Perkins
Island; Kennebec rIvel, at Bath; Mantnicus Isl
and harbor; Camden harbor; Rockport harbor;
ton; Penobscot river, between Bangor and Bucks
port Narrows; st. Johns ariver, in Aroostool1
county.
The Sick Cabinet Members.
Neither of Secretary Manning's physicians
speak as encouragingly as they did yester-
day. The best that can be said is that he is
no worse.
Secretary Mannings condition is un-
changed tonight.
Secretary Lamar is reported considerably
better this evening but is not yet able to
leave his room.
Attorney General Garland, it is feared, is
i'll from nervous prostration, as well as from
cold. His physician has said: "He is wor-
ried, you know, and rest IS needed" 1t is
known that Mr.. Garland has been under
severe mental strain for some time, owing to
the embarrassment on account of his rela-
tion to the Pan Electric Company.
Maine Post offices.
Miss H. E. Abbott has been appointed
postmstress at Rumford Point, in place of
Charles W. Kimball who has resigned.