The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-11-18
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
The Weeks DOiRgS at the Ma
tiORaI Capital

20. 1856. were SiI6.a02. sos, a. compared with
Sll2.42l III ior the year lss5, Sl2l, 5900l9 Tor
the year las4 Sl44.553, 3i4 for the year lo'd ana
STAG 521. 273 Cor the year lSs2. There was
large increase over last year an ali ARTICLES o.
taxation except snuff, OF which there was de-
crease of I95747 pounds. The principal IN
crease was in cigars CigareJs and spirits ols-
TILED from grain The cost of collection dur
ing tho year was 81, 299.4o5 being about SO per
cent oil Che amount collected. The collection
during the previous year cost S4,4So,45o, OF
about 3 q Der cent of the amount collected.
The receipts during the FIRST three months OF
the present fiscal year were S2s,9Ol,9o4 an IN
crease OF $230.a4l over the receipts during The
corresponding period of last year. The M
crease was mainly on tobacco and fermented
liquors, although there was small increase IN
the receipts from spirits distilled from apples
peaches or grapes. The principal decrease was
I'm the tax on spirits distilled and IA the Ape-
cial retail liquor dealers tax.
IL is estimated that the sum Of SllS,00O.oOO
will Ice collected during the current fiscal year
from the various sources OF internal revenue
in making this estimate Commissioner Miller
SAYS his olioe is much embarrassed by the pres
enoe OF a new source of revenue, OleomarGarlne,
and the entire absence Of any statistical inior-
NATION as 10 the quantity manufactured, the
number of factories engaged in its production
and the number Of persons or firms engaged IN
selling the same as wholesale aud retail dealers
il was estimated that the receipts for the last
fiscal year would he not less than $ll5,000.00.
The actual receipts exceeded that sum 6ySl, 9U~,-
BG9
The violations OF internal revenue laws re-
ported numbered s6s, the arrests aggregated
637, and the property seized was valued at
$I36BO5 The number Of Illicit stills seized
during the year WAS SOD, and the number OF
persons employed therein arrested was LIZA.
The seizures were principally in Georgia, North
Carolina. Tennessee Kentucky and Virginia.
The amount expended during the year in de-
tecting and furnishing persons for violations Of
internal revenue laws was Si2.56l. Property
10 the value of $266.9s2 was seized during the
year for violation Of law.
The aggregate amount of taxes collected from
tobacco during the last fiscal year was So, SOs,-
362. The production account shows AN increase
in manufactured tobacco Of l0,7ss.2s6 pounds;
in Che number of cigars and ciEarets, OF 49,
5O7,247 ia tobacco exported, Of 9s34J9 pounds;
IA Che number of cigars and cigarots exported,
OF % 800 $50 There were 3 lOl fruit distllleries
registered during the year and 5,0s5 operated.
an increase of SOC in the number registered.
and $50 in the number operated during the
previous year. The number of grain distllleries
registered were LISP, of which number go
were operated. decrease Of 63 in the number
Registered and an increase Of 81 In the number
operated as compared with the previous year.
The decrease occurs in the class of istlllcries
having smaller capacities for the production Of
spirits, there having been falling OF of "a in
the number of distileries of this class register
ed and of Eve in the number operated. The
total spirit-prOducing capacity Of the grain and
mOlasses distilleries in operation Sept. last
was l68,747 gallons per day.
ToRrEDo EXPERIMENT.
While France is making great preparations
60 substitute dynamite for guBpowder rs the
bursting charge Of shells, and while Germany
aud Russia are suspected Of having like devices
of their own English conservatism is hard az
work demonstrating that the high explosives
cannot be safely used as bursting charges in
the proje-tilcs Of powder guns, and that even If
they could be so used there would be little gain
in destructiveness. This seems TO have been
the object Of the elaborate trials at Lydd; and
now a new attack has been made upon the high
explosives by showing that they fail TO produce
their expected effect even in the Whitehead
torpedo, of which the irOnclads have been SO
much in dread.
As Congress has already authorized the Navy
Department 20 contract for dynamite gun
cruiser, and as many experiments have been
made in this country for the use of explosive
gelatine in Shells these British experiments
are looked upon here with great interest. The
hasty inference drawn from the Portsmouth
experiment that automobile torpedoes cannot
materially harm ironclads does not necessarily
AbNoNs III TIC last lll 4utbllOu a W hlbChtAu
torpedo was fastened TO the hull of condemned
British ironclad and exploded. Although il
contained over 80 pounds of gun cotton, and
was in contact with the vessel several feet be.
low the aun0T at the water line, the damage il
did was far from being fatal Instead of blow.
ing the vessel 20 pieces il left her still able to
fight or steam away.
These experiments, however, really show lit
tie more than was shown by the scandinavian
Commission of dozen years ago. At that time
Joint body of officers appointed by Denmark
Norway aud Sweden investigated the real ex.
tent of Injury which il was possible to cause Il
an ironclad by Spar, Whitehead and Harvey
tOrpedOes Their trials were conducted on
LAND, but the charges were tamped with earth
20 represent the tamping which would occur by
water IL exploded below the surface. They
found that il was useless 10 explode less than z,
pounds OF dynamite against a fve-inch irOI
plate. The experiments OF Lieut.-COmmande
FOlger, u. :. n, two years ago. at Annapolis
led 90 similar results, as had the previou
French experiments al Brest.
It should be said, however, that at Lydd gun
cotton was found Of the least value among tia
high explosives there experimental with But
above all, In the tests already spoken of in
GLIDING those at Portsmouth, the explosive wa
simply placed upon or alongside the substance
against which it was TO act, without any at
tempt at penetration ID is universally con
Eiyes is that their effect is intensely local Blu
when, IN addition, the dynamite is merel,
placed against plate Of iron, tle effect eanno
fully represent what would come of propellin
the charge against the plate with a strikin
energy of several hundred tons.
LIQUOR-DRIHKING AT THE CAPITAL.
On the face Of the returns Washington woul
seem 20 be a rather intomperate city, for, wit
q population Of 100000, il has 7B9 places wher
liquor is sold as a beverage. This is about on
barroom for every 250 people, a sOmewha
higher average than that of most cities in th
country outside Of Ohio, where the average wa
at one time one saloon FOR every lbs people
The laws restraining the sale Of liquor are rie
idly enforced here, and the good results 20 B
expected from such a policy are obtained IN
fair measure. No saloon can BE- opened IN
block without the consent Of a majority OF ia
property owners on both sides OF the stree
and the police see that the signatures obtaiue
10 such a consent are bona fde The license
$20e year, aud is collected from every liquc
seller. IL Is not believed that il is evaded IN
single instance. Every saloon is prompt
closed at midnight, aud kept closed on SuBdar
Nor is there any side door sham about this.
ls true that men VITO are we'll known can =,
what drinks they want at the hotels. Gu
rooms aud leading restaurants, bat this Is don
an a carefully guarded way, with the drnke
going 10 rooms while the saloons are clos
tight as wax. il IL rare 20 see a man on n
streets on Sunday IN a state of intoxIcatio
and though Sunday brawls are frequent
streets and alleys occupied by negroes aad 10
whites, IL h rare indeed that the sabbath
disturbed by any disorders on the main street
There are no guch ieh.,a saloos