The National tribune., 1888-06-21
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
Tie Weeks DQingS at the Ma
ti0n2l Capital

\ 10 of recent wears rarely lets q week pass /
that be does not come to Washington, Is one OF 4
inc brainiest young men IN ali OF our InllliaIy /
service. and has made himself better known TO 4
scientists abroad than he is TO the generallty 4
o. his own CoUntrymen.
Lieut. Brooke, an American Navy officer, /
FIRST devised S deep-sea sounding cup that
would bring Up bottom specimens from great 1
Gguths, when the heavy shot that carried IL |
down was detached and LETT by the lngenlus 1
eantrivance of loop and hook. English sclen- /
lists long after took up the same idea, and Sir /
William Thompson-whose relation 10 English /
science is like that Of the late Prof Baird to us
devised a machine that would be labor-savlng
and send Lieut.. BrOokes apparatus down more
readily.
Capt. Sigsbee's inventive mind grasped the
situation as soon as the first deep-sea sounding
machine was put on board the Tuscarora, 10
help Belknap run that famous line OF sound
ings down along the Pacific coast, and then
across by Hawaii 10 Japan, and thence back
again around the northern sweep of the Paclhc
e cur coast
Before Commodore then Captain) Belknsp
had completed that famous cruise, sigsbee had
Invented and builta machine that used only
slight wire with which TO send down that
sounding cup and heavy shot, and to-day every
nation that pays the least attention 10 hydro
graphic work has on board its ships the SIgs-
bee apparatus
IL was with Sigsbee's first built machine that
Belknap found The greatest depth ever yet
known in the wide waters Of the world, when
De sent down bis cup IN the black depths OF
the Kuro Sivo, the CUFFS OF the Pacific,
that flows nOrthward along and beyond the
japanese shores, more than i've miles below
his ships keel
some years ago I went away sfoat in the
AIbatross with that splendid sailor, Zers L.
Tanner, II. 5. Navy, that so many people know
her In Eaci7 1grfnf and We
whole bottom OF the Caribbean Sea so faith
fully with q Sigsbee machine that skllltul
workers over at the Smithsonian were enabled
10 make that faithful chart, in papier mache,
Of the bottom Of that great basin, that rests
now on a broad table In the National Museum.
Ii seems that there is more OF photographic
science than of Sigsbee in this; but I'll tell a
bit Of a story aBent him and quit. Sigsbee in
Guided among a number Of his inventions
parallel ruler for use by craftsmen, and more
especially for the benefit OF nayigators when
running out their lines of variations OF the mag
netic needle on the track charts and this ruler
induced Mr.. Louis Waldecker the Chief Clerk
OF the Bureau Of Navigation, to one day tell
me as I went into bis room las long ago as
when Admiral Ammen was his bureau chief,
that Sigsbee has invented drafIsman's ruler
that viii jump right over a pair of dividers if
they lay on a chart. The blamed thing will
Just take a hop. skip aud jump when II comes
20 right ahead with his work" l was delight
ed with the information, and dear old Wal
decker beamed with satisfaction at my pleased
surprise. One day--it must have been months
after that went again into Herr Wsldeck-
er's room in the afternoon, and found him
grimly digging with his knife at well-smoked
pipe he was not IN good humor, and / asked
him what the trouble was. lie gave another
vicious dig down into the Yitals Of the pipe
and said; do wish to G0rt, dot ven Sigsbee
begins inWeutiug again, be VIII invent pipe
DOT won't stink or get stuck up"
CROSSING sALKEHATCHIE swAMP.
EK-Secreiary Of War BeIknap received a
communication regarding the article written by
Comrade ID. c. Krone, 4Ist and Add IL. upon
the crossing OF S2lkehatchie Swamp by the
Fourth Division, Seventeenth Corps in which
tae writer states that Krone IS wrong In say
ing that lie First Brigade were the first across
the swamp. Gen. Belkuap referred TO his
diary and Informed Inc writer, who happened
70 be one OF this expedition, that the = Iowa
Brigade was on the right Of this column"
That the Fourth Division was the cause OF the
evacuation, even Movers Division will hardly
deny. The Fourth Division crossed some -
streams Of water, ranging from sh0e-top deep 70
neck deep; and sometimes over the heads OF the
smaller men. Bat Potts's Brigade headed by
Gen Giles A. Smith, who commanded the d.
vision, and Gen. Potts, brigade commander,
started about the length OF one Of our regi-
ments before the Third Brigade, headed By
Gen. Belknap. All these officers left thsiT
horses behind. Perhaps some Of the funniest
incidents u the war occurred on this "excur-
El0a.' Tine swamp was q succession Of streams
thickly interspersed with cypress knees that
sometimes did not show qheiF heads above
water. Upon these the luckless soldier would
stumble, having been ordered 70 put his car.
fTldge-bOX and TalUables on his bzyonet on the
Of Il Nor fsls
first into the ice-eold water, over one of thes,
cypress knees, not only destroying their am
muniJi0n, but their temper
But 10 the point Of this. Gen. BeIknap wal
advised by some expert TO tie his pants at th,
ankles, which he did. Can YOU imagine In,
consequence His legs became too heavy
shortly, and he had Of course 70 unite them &
allow the water 70 escape. dc was always
Of fragile form, and could not carry extr:
weight lie lost his hat, and after be wa
scToss the swamp and IA camp lay down in :
pair % big cavalry boots, with feet to the FIRE
When he got up IN the morning, the raw-hidt
boots B&G warped 50 that he could not wal
subsequently he happened upon a hummer
person wei known 10 cur army az this time
took has hOrsc from him, with his load 0
chickens, hams, etc, and rode along While
upon thls n0ldescript animal and passing
regiment Of some other corps, the following
was overheard:
Who is this General with the chickeng9D
That 0gzter-b0Hss!"
70, il isn't
q" Yes tbs; can't you see he's Dutchmau y
Gen. Beiknap had lost his hat in crossing n
swamp, and had cap with a straight peak
which MADE him look something on the orde
Of the Fat Contributors" soldier The Gen
era was always good natured however an,
paid no attention 70 this little dial0g
P0tts's Brigade, Of the Fourth Division
started in the swamp first and TO the left an,
very likely were first across, as the walking wa
extremely bad.
A VETERANS GESEROsITY
Gen. Thomas J. Henderson Represeutativ
IN Congress from Illinois tells a story Of An q,
soldier Of his old regiment-1I2th Ill-that
IS patriotic IN Us proof Of the deep afIectio
Old veterans have Tor their comrades as aBv
have ever heard Of
think j must preface the story a little I
give u full force. Early IN 1862 young Iris
orphan boy, not more than l6 years Of az
landed IA this country and went to Chicago I
Ind an older brother, who was the only relstiy
left him VINO could be Of help. When he %
70 Chicago be found that the brother had gou
away 10 tie front IN the Union ranks and .
be found himself among strangers, althong
the brothers relatives cared for him. he 500
became eutnused with Union ideas and WIFE
Gen. Henderson organized his regimen
marched away with him 70 the South Ia A
most the iiTst battle the regiment engaged
H. Na "a.