New-York tribune., 1895-06-08
NEWS NOTES AT THE CAPITAL
WORK DONE BY THE BOARD ON GEO.
GRAPHICAL NAMES.

vovrv rop STATE MrITIA-THE INTERNATIONAL
POSTAL. coNGREss-rTIANKs FROM THE
CHINESE GovERNMENT-DEATH
OF HIRAM LOTT.
Washington June THE United States Board on
Geographic Names has ADJOURNED until oeptemoer l.
when 1t will have completed the first five years
Of its existence During this time 1t has settled
nnumerable disputed points. The duty OF this
Board is to settle the proper spelling OF geograph-
ical names, and It's authority Is derived from an
executive order promulgated by President Harri-
son an September T. 1890, in which the personnel or
the Board was named and its duties defined. and
all officials were enolned to follow the spelling Of
geographical names as prescribed by that bureau
The Board has held forty-two meetings ana has
decided more than 300 cases Of disputed names.
As an Illustration OF the way this work Is con-
Quoted here is one OF its decisions There Is post
office in Texas known and designated in THE Pos
tai Guide" as Desdimona. 1t was so evidently at
variance with the accepted spelling OF the word
that a correspondence was entered into with the
county clerk and that official contended tnat IL
should be spelled Desdemonia The Board. after
consideration agreed that 1t should be Desdemona'
the accepted spelling OF the name. and hereafter 1t
will so appear in every map. report or other pup
lca,ion issued by the Government The Board has
been largely controlled by local usage when such
usage is clearly established
Another illustration appears In the case or the
pos.oflce FEBRUARY In washington county, Tenn
correspondence with the county clerk showed that
Il wa. held TO be correct, the official stating that
the Office was named not after the second month
I'm the year. but for man who spelled MS name
that way The Board however. inserted the missing
"r., and the name will hereafter be February.
Some strange cases appear in that part OF the
country where corruptions from the French have
crept into our spelling The phonetic Angliczing
Of the French language has led to queer names
A stream In Missouri named by the French on
account of the vast amount Of burned timber FOUND
along It's banks Bos Brue appears on our maps
mental maps was originally named by the French
Prairie Aux Anes. In Colorado there IS stream
ish name and should be Purgatoire. ., a,o,,
These corrup9ns have been perm1fi arrors 10
these now familiar by Long nSns fsop tng wond
one of the decisions Of the Board long since made
the name Of the original Danish dscoverer Of that
ocean. which was Berng. without the n In the
punt@I Smelling was retained but In the proceedings
as reprinted officially 10y the Siate Department me
Korea. generally written Corea. The official .. O..
termination IS that he initial let',T neIe Korea
i'm ali the State Department document n ,,o ooso
The Board has recons.iered It's act1i III ''I, fbc
OF Woods Hole, the harDor am Hli,Ibr, :.
state OF Massachusetts,. The name was orgiNa..S 2
Woods Hole, but was changet sey,ra r. - tWo"ts
ION mi. rhange vas accepted IN official and l9cli
rco1a AMI by IN. pDsiOfce Department. III, 80
commis-ion has station there. AMI t11ch coniuio
-.,ii,ad from IN. action of tn" bo'ti me "dt"
re,sirlng tho Old name and the village the n. y,
a, i,s as, meeting Therefore. the Boari restored
the Old designation Of Woods Hoe. nd oro
s ,roo,g fbr depsrtur.s approved by the Board are
these Dropping the hnai ~ IN ne 'nJTo the
sneiiinf, ~ the word center as here eN'h W.
lisconinuancc Of the Use of hypaeni n M II
PARTS o, names the omission OF M" e,.rl .rlec,,ion
20 ,ho names OF county seats. the slnplncat'on
- namcs consisting of more than one wor " se
cor,hin,,on into one word the avoiihnce ~ tl' & &
- ',,,r-t.ic characters the avo.dancr OF the W.
~, ne pnssessive form Of names and ne gropp'"h p
II the words CITY" anl Town As p''N ~
Acting Secretary McAloo to-day aNo'i'H ""''"o
tho state Naval Militia hatiaons the &'''p "pp.o
pra,el by Congress for their aid. "thho','"e
,or Instruction books. The money IS dNii'' ~ 'V'