New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-16
WASHINGTON NEWS NOTES.

Washington, April 10.
PROSPEROUS SEASON FOR HOTELS-lt is
moi every year In the springtime that Washington
hotels enjoy such prosperous business as th'f
steady run OF custom since the lntuguration Wh'ie
there is no falling off in the army of asprants for
Federal Offices, IT is also the height OF the season
for excursions from all parts of the country. Then
there are the conventions and cor crosses. which
have set in and go through May, bringing to-
gethcr many men Of many minds. In addition are
the annual visitors who find in the National Cap
ital a delightful midway point between me North
and the South and just now are returning from
winter Some of them m have , I%sIbed n nGo9 1e
hears graphic stories OF the MISSISSIPPI. ,., Non.
\ Duluth man and his wife came up from New
The ste lmboat for the less exciting and more reas-
sgring railway ,rah 10 nnponos about that
voyage" he said ITO see the Father OF Waters
81. 1mIr made no landing until Memphis
reached owing to the danger of making a., break
wee fired on three four times by excited citi-
In some places the river was my miles
where a steamboat had never gone before once, az
night. ran into planters front YARD ana DareIy
escaped collision with the house, just missing the
porch"
MEASURING THE EARTH-The longest dis
lance ever encompassed by the human vision. so
far as the records 90, is l3 miles between the
I'ncompahgre Peak in Colorado and Mount Ellen
I'm Utah. This feat was accomplished by the sur
yevors of the United States Coast and Geodetc
Survey who are now engaged, in conjunction with
REPRESENTATIVES of other nations in making a new
measurement Ct the earth. The observers on the
RaciGc Coast have been able to signal from Mount
Shasta TO Mount Helena, a distance of 1870 miles.
but have never been able to get response re
continuous for an hour or more several occa-
sons. The Jncompahgre Is 1900 feet In height
lance that the human eye ever reached until this
record was made was between Algiers and Spain,
lcs miles The measuring OF the earth; which Is
now going on. Is simple task. The width OF the
ocean can only be ascer,aned BY astronomical OBJ.
servatlons. The Observers at Greenwich ana az
Washington note each night the exact moment OF
the rising OF certain stars and then. by Matte
into distance This is corrected and corroborated
series of experiments. which furnish an average
that f. approximltey accurate The difference Is
seldom more than small traction OIL secThd ana
is attributed to atmospheric phenomena Inc "a
cnc Ocean is measured In a similar manner ny
Joint observations with the Lick telescope IN can,
fornia and that Of the Imperial University OF Japan
al Toxic
INTELLIGENT COWBOYS WANTED.-Carpng
critics Of Clvll Service examinations. conducted
by the Clv Service Commission have recently
started paragraph on It's rounds through the
press OF the country. which represented an old
school-teacher. utterly UNIT physically. as having
been appointed mounted inspector or line rider at
the customs port OF Nogales Ariz In preference
to a number OF Intelligent cowboys" familiar with
the country and the duties of the place, simply be-
cause the enfeebled school-teacher seemed capable
OF solving the problem involved IN the Quadralure
the circle something equally abstruse. John
X. Proctor. president OF the civil Service Commits
sion denies this OF course and says In reply 10 the
silly criticism referred to: "ln the examination
he'd by the Commission for mounted inspectors
along the Mexican border applicants were each
required TO submit n statement made In answer to
detailed and searching personal Inquiries the state
ment showing among other things. his experience
and familiarity IN the of rifle and pistol. In
shooting at target and at game and other NOV
ing objects: IN shooting horseback; IN riding an
broken horses, in roping. bridling sadding; mount
Ing and riding ordinary COW pony which has
been turned loose for six months; In riding an