Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-07-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.

[Written and compiled for the HERALD
WASHINGTON, d. c., July 13.-Sec-
rotary Rusk who has been working I'M
usually hard-he is meyer drone-since
his return from the Pacific coast with the
Presidents party, owing TO the transfer
of the Weather bureau and other import
ant departmental business incidental to
the beginning of a new fiscal year, Will
leave Washington this week for va
cation. He will be accompanied by Mrs.
Rusk, and his sob, Blaine, and at Chicago
the family will be Joined by Miss Rusk
who has been visiting the daughters of
Secretary Foster at Fostoria, Ohio. The
family are all looking forward to de-
lightful rest at the old Wisconsin home
stead.
Secretary Foster. like the level-headed
mau that he is, declined to make any
specific answer TO the FIVE column-tirade
which Mr.. Powderly has launched i'll the
shape of an open letter addressed to Mr..
Foster, concerning the trouble about
the discharge of the seven Knights
OF Labor from the Bureau of Engraving
and printing, further than to characterize
it as being so abusive and untruthful as
to place it under the suspicion of being
intended to be used as a Democratic
campaign document. The publication OF
this open letter shows very bad Judgment
on the part of Mr.. Powderly, and incorpo-
rating therein a copy of letter which he
knew was taken from the desk of Secre-
tary Foster without his knowledge or
consent by one of his colleagues on the
Knights of Labor executive committee
Devlin and Hays-duriug the committees
conference with Secretary Foster, was
still worse.
No more interesting soldiers reunion
was ever held in Washington than that
of the Twenty-ifth New York cavalry,
which convened here on Saturday. On
that day twenty seven years ago, the gal
liant men of the old twenty-fifth although
only about zoo in number by an exhibit
ton of sOldlerly nerve that was not sur
passed during the civil war, succeeded in
preventing the capture of Washington by
Gen. Early, who had swoored down upon
the town with $4,000 men expecting to
find it entirely unprotected. When the
twenty-fifth boldly mounted the breast
works and marched to meet Early's adj
NdUClUR llut VI DdiAlN nO ouPPCoNN eAANA
to be the skirmish line of the Sixth corps
which he knew was expected at Wash
lngton and he retreated, thus throwing
away an opportunity that was never to
come again. 1t was very interesting to
hear the veterans tell of how President
Lincoln, in a long linen buster and a
black SLOUGH hat, circulated among the
men on that memorable day and spoke
words of cheer to them Notwithstanding
the gloomy outlook. The old soldiers met
with hearty welcome, as they deserved
to, from the Washingtonians, many OF
whom remember the joy with which these
same men, and their comrades now gone
to answer the last roll call, were received
on that other Jolly day.
The scientific party from the Agricul-
tural department is now on its way to the
arid section, OF western Kansas, where
the attempt is to be made on grand
scale to produce rain by artificial methods.
The party carried 60 balloons, ten feet in
diameter when expanded, which are to be
filled with combination of oxygen and
hydrogen gas and exploded high in the
air by means of an electric wire attached
to the balloons; leo kites, five feet high,
to the tails of which are to be attached
dynamite bombs and other explosives and
lot of wood mortars to be used to throw
bombs from. These things arc to be
scattered along prairie for a mile or two,
and the intention is to keep up the eX-
plosions continuously for at least two en-
tire DAYS. The result VIII be anxiOusly
looked for here, for while there is nobody
who has dared to say that the thing can
rot be done there are many who are more
or less skeptcal about it, If it is a sue
cess it illrank as one of the greatest dis
coveries of this age Of great discoveries,
and will make many million acres of lane 4,
now almost worthless, very valuable for
agricultural purposes.
The controversy between Mr.. Nicolay,
of Washington, who was Mr.. Lincoln's
private Secretary and other gentlemen as
to whether Mr. Lincoln favored the nomi-
nation of Andrew johnson for Vice -Presi-
dent in 1864 is an entirely useless one,
and except for the dearth of more i'm
portant news it would never have gained
the prominence that has been given 1t for
some days past in the newspapers, and
even if it were an all important subject
the exchange of abuse between Mr..
Nicolay and Col. Mcclure, editor of the
Philadelphia Times would throw no light
upon it.