Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1895-09-07
WASHINGTON LETTER
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Cluls VI lue oIulHuHCG Du Tthu VI lut
Navy Department are watching with
good deal Of interest the expert.
ments being made by the Sterling
Steel Company of Demmler, Pa, in
the manufacture of chrome armor
plates. The test OF the first plate was
very gratifying, especially as it was
manufactured solely with a desire to
compare u small amount of chromium
with the ordinary nickel-steel, oil
treated plate. The chrome plate was
oil-treated and the results of the two
shots fired at it not only furnished
good comparison, but indicated the
direction in which further experiments
should be made. Mr.. Wheeler has
advised the bureau officials that in
the near future he will present for
testing two more plates made with
view of obvating the defects shown il
the first plate. Both will contain
higher proportion of chrome than the
first plate One will be oil-tempered,
and the other face e-hardened. As
chrome is the component part that
made the Wheeling Sterling project
lies 30 successful, its adaptation to
armor.plate ought to produce the
same results, in the opinion of the
ordinance experts.
RANSOM REAPPoINTED-The White
uo,oa ,,o;l ra,aptly bora tbo cnm mi a..
sion of Matt W. Ransom to be United
States Minister to Mexico. Tho COM
mission was dated Aug. "a. This ends
legal complication by which Minister
Ransom, after several months service
at his post at the City of Mexico, was
declared ineligible to fill the office to
which he had been appointed prior to
the expiration of his term as United
States Senator 1t was held by the
Treasury accounting officers that he
fell within constitutional inhibition
against the appointment of congress
men to offices created or whose emolu-
ments had been increased during their
service in Congress.
AN ENORMOUS ToTAL-Comptroler
Etkels has tabulated the reports OF the
condition of the 3715 national banks
of the United States under the call OF
the July II, last. Since the 7th Of
May, the date of the last previous re-
port, there was an increase OF four in
the whole number of national banks.
The loans aud discounts foot up $2,-
004, Ats, 900 an increase over the May
statement of S2S, 100000; lawful
money reserve, 1882, 942, 600, an in
crease of $lS, 900, 900; gold on hand,
$171, 210, 900, decrease of So, 900, 900;
surplus, s247, 1872, 900, an increase OF
Sl,000,000; undivided profits, $751;
22l, 600, q decrease of S5, 900, 600 in
dividual deposits, 81, 1856, O22, 900; an
increase of S46, 900, 900; bills payable,
$12, $50, 900, decrease of 81, $50, 600.
The aggregate of resources and liabil-
tiles reaches the enormous total OF
SO, 410, 0O2, 491 each.
New ARMoR-The naval ordnance
people appear to be favorably i'm
pressed with the new armor tested the
other day at Indian Head at the in
stance of the inventor, Mr. W. +.
Lennard, 971 Park place, Brooklyn.
The official report shows that the
plate selected for the test was 9 l-3x
IA Ike 1-2 inches, and had a weight
of twenty-four pounds, or an equlva-
lent OF 100 pounds to the cubic foot.
1t may be added that steel weighs 4O5
pounds to the cubic foot The inYen-
tor believes it can be used as an auxil-
iary OF steel, the union offering far
more formidable resistance than steel
alone. He claims that there is no
cracking or breaking into fragments
by detected shots, which is one OF the
features of an attack on steel. Mr..
Lennard says the bulletholes are
readily repaired, and to this end the
old plates need not be replaced by
new ones.
CUSTOM FRAUDs-An investigation
which custom house officials have been
conducting reveals the fact that tictl-
tious claims have been made against
the United States, some of which have
been paid, amounting to some $50,
900 toS100, 900, through the misuse Of
the drawback" system. This was,
apparently, made possible by the col
lusion of certain clerks in the deben-
ture room with brokers, and it is sus-
pected that one or more officials IN
the surveyors Office are implicated.
The investigation is not yet over, but
if the suspicious of the investigating
officers are supported by sufficient
facts the matter will be laid before
the district attorney. A drawback is
an allowance on exports made by the
government of duty that WAS collected
on foreign material which entered into
the manufacture of merchandise that
was made in the United States.
The articles may have been made
wholly or partly of foreign mate
rials.
BosroN NAVY YARD-The inyestigs.
ton which is being made into the
methods of employing civilians at the
Boston navy yard will probably re-
suit in an interesting report by the
representative of Secretary Herbert
who has been spending some days at
the Charlestown station. This officer,
Lieut.. j. j. Knapp, who conducted a
similar investigation at New York,
which resulted in the detachment of
two prominent officers, has not, as
vet, handed in to the navy depart
ment his formal report regarding his
observations at Boston, but good
deal OF correspondence has been ex-
changed between him, the comman-
dant of the yard, the equipment Off
Ger of the yard and the authorities
here. From this correspondence it
is possible to Judge of the nature
of Lieut.. Knapp's report, and 1t is
very likely he will take occasion to
criticse some of the practices at
Boston.
Maxlm's cavalry gun, which fires 700
shots minute, weighs but thirty