Evening star., 1897-03-20


CLOCK makers and clock repairers are
just a trife superstitious. remarked a
well-kncwu clock man. who does consider
able business in selling. putting up and
regulating the clocks in the departments.
to The Star reporter and, strange as it
may appear there is something besides
superstition about il. 1t is well enough 10
repair a clock on Friday, any other day
for that matter, but il is big chances
against setting up new clock on Friday.
Some months ago | put UP a new clock In
the Malfby annex of the Senate. and did
not think of it being Friday until the day
after. when word came TO me that it would
not run. The clock was new one and a
very fine one. Then 1t came to me that
i hung ii the wall on Friday. | had
any amount of tinkering with that clock
before | could get it to keep anything like
correct time. had similar experience
with a clock in the Indian bureau. Since
then | put up a clock in the War Depart
ment. and by the same kind of a chance 1t
happened that | hung II on Friday. The
following morning / was officially informed
that. although the clock came from the
factory guaranteed. ii was at a stand-stfil.
/ knew instantly what was the matter with
it 1t had the Friday 'hoodoo' on it. / knew
the clock was all right. but 1t would not
60 until l took it down from the wall and
rehung it, Then it worked like charm.
and. if needs be. the time ball can he drop
ped by 1t. | verify believe that taking it
down from the wall and rehanging it was
the only cure for it. In England. where 1
came from. no clock man would for a i;.o-
ment think that any of the public clocks in
the railroad stations. public buildings.
houses Of parliament or In any of the
church spires. if started for the first time
on Friday. would keep correct time They
would not dare to risk 1t with an expensive
clock | find the same well-grounded super
stit.OD here. if you choose to call 1t such.
among the craft In one of the most ia
nous cathedrals of England a tower clock.
which cost almost fortune. had to be
taken down and replaced in the tower. be-
cause its builder so far forgot himself as
TO allow IL to he started on Friday 1t 'TaS
an expensive job. but there was no other
way out of it. for the clock would not run
until the Friday hoodoo was removed
THE decorations during the Inaugural
ton were very fine" observed Capt. Dig
gins Of the State War and Navy Depart
nent building watchman service to a Star
reporter. '-and every glad to see
that old glory prevailed 10 such a large
extent. for. after all, there is no decoration
so pleasing to the average American as
that which is produced by the aid of the
flag Nothing seems to be so appropriate,
and. as noticed no doubt by every one
nothing besides the flag was used on the
State. War and Navy Department building
Though tInntentional. no doubt, l noticed
tnat there was an error in the use of the
flag many buildings in that in the ar
rangenent of the flags and decorations old
glory vas not flown al the highest point
Ii is the Law of the navy, where i was
brought uD and il is as sacred any law.
though possibly it may be unwritten. that
under no circumstances nothing shall be
flown higher than the American fag-all
other flags. bunting and decorations must
be suUordlnated to the American flag.
which must be- flown al the peak. Thus.
i noticed that on one Of our hotels for
eiSn nag, although IL was a Cuban flag,
was nJwE on pole i've or ten feet higher
than the pole on which the American flag
flew Al another. some other foreign flag
was given prominence in the matter OF
height similar thing occurred on one of
the leading business houses PennSyl-
yania avenue. OF course. the error was
uuIntcntIoIal but error il was, all the
same Sceh thing would not be allowed
by the authorities in any part of Europe
in the realms Of Great Britain any
where. They are more particular over
there about their flag than are, and
they would pull down any flag which was
flown higher than their own We are not
tOuChy that. but ought TO be. We
honor all nations on our ships by flying
their flags at certain times in certain ports
but 10 ore ever saw any foreign flag high
er up on the mast on any American ship
than our own flag. The post of honor
as far as flags CO. is their height. and IN
der all circumstances our flag should be
flown al the highest point
Very few know it. but it is a fact" ex-
planned prominent builder TO a Star re-
porter. that the pension Office building is
the largest brick building In the world. 1t
has been subjected 10 much criticism, but
oil
there are many things seen about it that
escaped notice when IL was newer In all
there are over ten million bricks III the
building. Gen Megs took liberties with
bricks that TO other architect had ever at
tempted. He not only used bricks exclu-
siveIy for the building but he used them
In constructing the stairs throughout the
building In the matter of stair building
bricks have often been used for the riser
but the step has always been Of iron wood
slate or stone In the pension office both
RISER and step are of brick. As brick
bulidlnG- therefore. pure and simple. It Is
Crique in construction. outside of the fact
that ii Is the largest exclusively brick
building in the world"
There is no accounting for tastes in the
Tatter OF eating. said Treasury Depart
r.ent official. and II both amuses and in
terssts me TO notice how the Iunchers get
away ~lth the1r lunches at the 18th street
oeiry lunch houses The pie-eating man
has always been in evidence but / noticed
one fellow this week who bought three
pieces OF different kinds of pie, and then
mashed them up into congIomerated mass
before he devoured tneu.. He repeated the
same thing the following day. and | am
toli II l. his regular custom There is
&-"th'r fellow VINO buys two pieces of pie
OF dIIeresit kinds and takes bites out of
item alternately There Is another one a
'"o: gan. who objec-s to mustard on his
san i"icn. but who puts d spoonful in his
'"te~- he fellow who carries off the palm
Is Tar as this week is concerned at lea st
as 'af as ms observation Is concerned puts
a te-sI6orful OF black pepper into his cof-
Zee He says It gives tone to coffee. and
suppose IL does. but I'll continue to take
mine without such tone
\
TIE land office. which in past years has
been such a prominent bureau of the In
terror Department" volunteered an In
terror Department official 10 a Star report
er. is already beginning TO see its end and
II vii! not be many more years before its
wcrk viii have been accomplished Origi-
naliy the land Office was a branch of the
War Department, but It's business grew to
Such immense proportions that IL was given