Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1890-11-01
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

The Interior Department, the Indian
Bureau and the Commissioners who are
to negotiate with the Puyallup Indians
in Washington have decided that the
commission wait week or more before
going West to begin its work. The pre-
else reason for the delay is not officially
announced. 1t is said that an interpre-
tation of the law is desired from compe-
tent officials before any negotiations are
begun. General Cumback of Indiana.
it is said, does not want to leave his
State until after election, and the delay
may be prolonged until about the middle
of November.
Assistant Secretary Spaulding has
written the Collector of Customs at San
Francisco in regard to certain steel rails
now in bonded warehouses, which are
withheld from sale from time to time at
the the request of the Oregon Pacific
Railway Company. 1t is understood the
railway company is anxious to withdraw
the rails and pay the duties thereon in a
short time, and the question arises
whether they are dutiable under the old
or new tariff laws. Spaulding says, as
duties additional had accrued on the
rails before the passage of the new act
and the rails remained in bond merely
by sufferance and not legally, they do
not come within the purview of the act
and are therefore dutiabIe under the old
law.
The Chief of the Ordnance Bureau of
the Navy Department is giving attention
to the procurement of nickel or matte,
Tor which Congress appropriated 81 ,000,-
600. A representative of firms which
deal in this ore and metal has been in
| communication with the department and
to ascertain the exact capacity of our
domestic nickel works. Several compe-
tent steel experts have been sent by the
department to various parts of the coun-
| try. Chief FOlger of the Ordnance Bu-
reau intends to ascertain the possibilities
OF the alloy of steel and nickel in other
| branches OF naval construction as we'll
as IN the manufacture of armor plate, in
which 1t has already shown such credit
able qualities that he is preparing to
have made at the Washington navy yard
series of tests which will include proof
trials of projectiles made from the new
alloy, as we'll as the usual test of elastic
ity, breaking strength, ductility, etc.
The annual report of Inspector-Gen-
eral Dumont of the steamboat-inspection
service shows: Total number of vessels
inspected during the year zoos; total net
tonnage of vessels inspected, 1896, 1885. 55
total number of officers licensed, 38, 237.
During the year there were thirty-four
accidents, resulting in the loss of 254
lives, a decrease of fifty-six as compared
with the preceding year. Of the acct
dents seventeen resulted from collisions,
and 102 of the lives lost were by drown
ing. Of the number of lives lost sixty
five were passengers and $50 officers or
persons employed on steamers. Fully
O,0O0,000 passengers were carried on
steam vessels during the fiscal year. The
report shows saving in the expenses OF
foreign steamboat steamboat inspection
service, resulting from a discontinuance
of offices for such inspection at Philadel-
phia, New Orleans and San Francisco.
General Dumont suggests the abolition
of the foreign inspection service alto
| gether