Evening star., 1896-09-26

"The first public building lighted by gas
in this city," remarked an old citizen, was
the Metropolitan Hotel, then known as
Browns Hotel The occasion was a grand
one. he President and the cabinet were
invited to be present as were also the mem
bers of the Senate and the House of Rep
re5entat1ves Though the illumination was
a success in every particular there were
many who doubted the practicability OF the
.lew iiluminant. Crowds of people congre-
gated in the INN ediate vicinity of the hotel
and the occasion was made an interesting
one.
THE gres is of the hotel did not relish
the innovation and some of them, thinking
that there was danger in it, took rooms at
neighboring hotels. There had been con-
siderable experimenting going on before
the gas burned exactly as 1t should ana
one or two persons had been suffocated
by it, though not in that hotel There
was an impression that there was great
danger of the gas escaping from the pipes,
and this was true to a great extent for
the connections were then necessarily
crude The first gas burners were rather
. complicated affairs. and many OF the guests
sent for the hotel employees regularly every
night to see that the gas was properly
turned oLt before they would risk going to
sleep
THE gas burners had no check on them
and many is the person who turned on
full flow of gas in turning out the flame
Some of these same burners are in use still
in some of the older houses in this city,
and are today as dangerous as they were
those days. In this connection, 1 am re-
minded Of the great things promised for
the Illumination tower on the top OF the
rotunda of the Capitol If you will read
the Speeches made in Congress, when the
appropriation asked for to construct
aDDBarS.
Very laughable at this time 1t was
claimed that the top of the dome could
not only be itself seen, but that it would
illuminate all the immediate section of
the city. In brlliancy,' said a promi-
nent South Carolina member. who urged
the appropriation. there is nothing that
can compare it to. except that which would
be made if the light of all OF the large
planets and a thousand of the brightest
stars added were turned into one great
lamp"
For change. for canaries and other
BIRDS said an experienced raiser of birds.
nothing is better food than the var-
Gus kinds of grasses which are now
going to seed. Around any grass plots can
be found grass which has gone to seed
This is a natural food for birds at this
season of the year. and it should be freely
given them. The birds will relish the
change very much, and it will improve
them in plumage and song. They are tired
of the ordinary seeds, which are good
enough when there are no others, but now
seed of every kind is in profusion, and
needs only to be picked up.
THE pepper grass is now in full seed,
and it is a great bracer for the feathered
pets. and especially for canaries Birds
like green stuff at all times, but are sDe-
cially fond of grass seeds of any kind. My
experience is that no mistake can be made.
and that bird never eats any seed that ii
does not like and that is not good for It,
x
Said leading auctioneer: Though there
Is a recognized scarcity of money, 1t has
not so far affected some branches of our
business During the past two months we
have sold. in this city. $4,000 worth of BIZ
cycles. Other houses have also sold a
great number L kept a careful lookout
while the sales were going on. and my OBJ
servation was that not over two in each
hundred bicycles sold were bought fol-
business purposes. They were all bought
for pleasure
These sales We're all for cash, and the
money was paid down Immediately II
was somewhat of a surprise to us that sc
many bicycles could be sold here, where
there are so many sold in the regular way
but the people would have them, and are
hourly asking for more. And they go
ing to get them. too. The regular bicycle
dealers say that their business has no
expended through US, which is one of tht
many very remarkable things in connec
ton with the growing use of the silen
steed."
Though the army has changed in many
ways" observed an army officer connected
with the commissary generals department
1.-The ration today is the same as it has
been for years. The soldier is allowed
twelve ounces of bacon or twenty ounce:
of salt or fresh beef each day. He ::
also allowed one pound and two ounces o
soft bread or flour each day, twelve ounce:
of hard bread. or twenty ounces of corn
meal per day. To every hundred ration!
is giver, fifteen pounds of peas or beans
ten pounds of rice hominy. ten pounds
of green coffee or eight pounds of roasted
or ground coffee. twenty-four ounces o
tea. fifteen pounds Of sugar, four quart
of vinegar. three pounds and twelve ounce
of salt and four ounces of pepper.
THE soldier Is therefore, as you viii
see. well fed The United States is no
only particular and liberal as to the supply
but goes a step further and says that tn
bread shall not be eaten until it is cold
and that soup must be boiled at least fiv
hours. The soldier Is not. however, re
quired to ent all that is issued him as hi
ration. and but few of them could, if force
to do so. at least for any length of time
They are allowed to commute their ratio
and delicacies they desire. The sol
dier. however. is not strong on angels foo
or things of that kind. but is content wit
his roas, beef or steak three times week
with ham and eggs the intervening days
good bread, coffee, tea, potatoes. cabbage
tomatoes and other vegetables in season
He eats to live, rather than lives to eat.
x
The shipbuilder of today imagines tha
he has far advanced" said repre-
sentative of a shipbuilding firm, but whe
he looks back he finds that he has in rea
ity made but little progress in the matte
OF proportions over the original ship =
Noah forty centuries ago. The lines lai
down in the construction of Noah's al
are followed today in the best example
of shipbuilding. Those proportions are tn
a ship should be six times long 1t
vide. and with a depth one-tenth Of
length. The best authority gives the mea
urement of Noah's ark as 300 cubits
length. 80 cubits in breadth, with dep
of 80 cubitS.
Though the cubit varies in differc1
parts of the world. the English cubit. whit
Is eighteen inches. prevails in most con
tries. All kinds of changes in propo
tions have been made since Noah built Il