Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-04-07
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence Of the Alexandria Gazette. ]
WASHINGTON, April Z.

lulSuSC CASlUCmCAp III ldC OA4iCihA
quarter of Washington was caused
shortly before noon to-day by an alarm
of fire turned in from the Treasury De-
partment. The cause was one of the
most novel confagrations on record,
the partial destruction of a United
States railway mail service car while IN
transit over the Pennsylvania avenue
cable road. This mail car serves the
route between the Navy Yard, Capitol,
Treasury and Georgetown. 1t took fire
through the explosion of coal oil
stove while opposite the Treasury and
in an instant was wrapped in flames.
Before the engines appeared most of
the mail bags were saved by the crowd,
and beyond the destruction of the up
per part of the car, the loss was insig-
nifcant. The fire occurred at the head
of grade and as soon as it was extln-
euished the brakes were released with
the intention of coasting the car about
three blocks down to the cable COM
pany's central power station. lu at
tempting TO make flying switch at
this point. the still-smoking mail car
left the track and plunged into a long
line of trains which had accumulated,
giving rise to a renewal of the excite
ment although no one was injured.
House committee on elections No. 2
to-day decided the contested case OF
Cheatham, negro, against Woodward,
the sitting member-a democrat. The
vote was unanimous.
A copy of the Cuban resolutions was
delivered to the Executive Mansion
this morning. The original engrossed
copy was sent to the Department of
State according to custom where prop
err record will be made OF it and the
resolutions will be printed in the re-
vised statutes as required by the last
printing bill whether any action be
taken on them or not. The engrossed
copy will then be returned to the Presi-
dent for such action as he sees fit to
take. There has been no intimation
as to what course the President will
pursue.
The resolution to promote Major
General Miles to the rank of Lieuten-
ant General was ordered favorably re-
ported by the House military affairs
committee to-day. Ofthe twelve mem
bers present four-three democrats and
one republican-opposed the resolution.
The eight affirmative votes were all re-
publicans, as follows: Messrs. Hull,
Curtis of New York, Marsh, Griffin,
Parker, Fenton, Tracey and Catron
The negative votes were cast by Messrs.
Mcclellan, Lockhart, Tyler and Bishop,
the last named being q republican.
This is the bill prepared by General
Brady of Virginia and of which he is
the promoter.
Late yesterday evening the Senate
passed bill for an electric railroad
from Opossum Hall, opposite Alexan-
dria, to and into this city, via the bridge
at the Navy Yard.
Mr.. Clements of Alexandria county
was at the Capitol day to have the
Senate bill allowing cars to run across
the Aqueduct Bridge introduced in the
House. The number of bills for bridges
across the Potomac at this city may,
it is thought, induce Mr.. Reed to allow
the House to pass the one for the Me-
mortal bridge at Arlington.
In the Senate to-day Mr.. Daniel in
troduced a bill to establish a term of
the U. S. district and circuit courts at
Roanoke, Virginia; also one to remove
the political disabilities of Colonel John
Taylor Wood of this city. He also pre-
sented resolutions of the Board Of
Trade of Lynchburg, Va, opposing any
change in the existing pilot laws, and a
pstision from H. D. Moore, o. T. Men
gea and Thomas Addison, of Onancock,
Virginia, for the removal Of the Mar
guette statue from Statuary Hall in the
Capitol.
OF the two pieces of real estate in this
city belonging to the estate of the late
Frederick r. Windsor, of Alexandria,
one has been sold for $4,000, and the
other will be for $500.
The lawn in front Of the White House
this morning was Uttered with paper
bags, the:dyed shells of eggs, and the
remains of Easter luncheon baskets 1t
is said that q large part of the lawn
must be resodded. The children shut
out from their usual romp in the
grounds at the back of the mansion,
made their way into the front when the
sun came out in the afternoon and
gamboled about at will to the great in
Jury of the rain soaked turf. The po-
lice stationed in the grounds vainly en-
deavored to persuade the youngsters to
60 away and were finally successful
only through pretending to be about to
close all the gates for the night.
When the consideration of the bill
for free public library in this city shall
be finished in the House to-day, the in
tention is to take up the bill to abolish
compulsory pilotage. When Colonel
Lamb appeared before the House COM
merce committee in opposition to this
bill, he said the State pilot law was pre-
pared by himself, General Wickham
and the counsel of the Virginia pilots,
and was in line with the great republi
can principle Of protection.
Mr.. Babcock, in his speech in the
House day in favor of q free library
in this city, said if Congress could
spend its time and means upon Ar
menians, Venezuelans and Cubans, it
certainly ought to devote little of
both to the needs of the people of the
capital of this country