Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-08
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removed to the National Museum. This is
! specially the case with the older people
who remember the patent office as the
great attraction of Washington years ago.
Of course, we have thousands Of models
| here and at the Union building on G street
| but they are only of interest in a technical
way, pertaining. as they do. to the business
| If patents strictly. Ii will not be long
| however, before these will have to 60 for
! patents are now illustrated by drawings
| instead OF models. The fact is the models
are now regarded as rubbish more than
anything else, though many of them are Of
great value from historical standpoint
I1ad the system been kept up as was the
rracuce Tor 50 many years, they not only
would have packed the entire patent office
building. rooms and halls as well but
would nave needed one or two additional
buildings as large as the entire building.
Inc po:lcy has entirely changed during the
past fifteen years. Then, and prior to that
n I'M, ~, many years. the patent office was
niaoe attractive to visitors. Now the idea
| - TO nave as few visitors as possible Th,
Nationai Museum has not only all the lead
ing attractions Of the patent office of
iSfii,er years but many thousand of others
VI even greater interest. though there Is
no doubt that the relics Of General wash
Inston and the continental army. which
were exhibited for so long in the patenr
thn are the most interesting exhibits to
Museum" " '"e 1>a'ioiiil
X X x
liz Inc matter of careless and scra wiling
signatures to official documents. remarked
one OF the treasury auditors to a Star re
porter. Il have arrived at the conclusion
that those who are careless in the wav
they sign their names are also careless in
the way the papers are prepared for their
signatures 1t is a matter Of record that
the heads of the departments are more
, careful In signing their names to public
papers IMAM are their subcrdinates and
tnat as a rule the chiefs of b,,reaus arc
the greatest offenders in this particular
could give the names of dozens of off,
cldls whose signatures it is impossible for
any one TO read or decipher, or get the
sishtest idea OF what they are trying to
write unless told in advance what their
names were. In this respect the rules and
regulations of the civil service are yery
uenclent. Tor they do not provide for intel
, ,E SIGNATURES to public papers. though
they allow the efficiency record of clerks
to be reduced for caralessness in any mar
tlcuiar 1t is also my observation that the
o1ilclals who are the most careless in prop-
erly signing papers which are prepared for
them are the ones who are always so
prompt in demanding that the efficiency
record OF clerks shall be charged with even
the slightest errors that they may happen
to commit. 1t is not a matter of much i'm
official communication or memorandum
who the signer Is, for the official designa-
ton of the writer is given in typewritipg.
but 1t would. l am sure. be more satisfac-
tory to the receiver. especially in the mat
Ter OF replying, if they could decipher the
Eame intended in the signature"
x x K
"Ordinarily the latrobe and furna ce heat
ed houses in tbs city are warm enough for
comfort when the fires carefully watch
cd Iai, vol
Star reporter; but there are times, par
ticuarly in the mornings. during a severe
cold spell, when a Klondike feeling pre-
walls in many houses in spite of the extra
amount of coal that is consumed This is
the case in many large boarding houses
ana m private houses as well, and as a
consequence there is complaint. In the
end the complaint reaches those in the coal
business. and it is charged that the Goals
We handle are not good. The fact how
eTeT, is that the coal that comes here in
recent years is Just a good as ever The
other fact is that the ordinary latrobes or
furnace won't keep house as warm as is
desired Ey SCI people during some of
these cold spells Under the circumstances
therefore. the only way to be thoroughly
safe is that extra stoves should be put up
in houses and during the tendency of biz
ZarCS they can be utilized. These extra
stoves will not be needed fifteen days dur
ing the entire winter. if the proper atten-
ton is given the latrobes and furnaces,
but it is about the only way l know to stop
the complaints. In the end 1t will pay es-
pecially in boarding houses where the
growing is the loudest. for the average
boarder is rarely content unless he or she
gets all that is possible for their money
and they get wonderfully wild and unman-
ageable when cold drafts come up through
the registers on cold mornings or nights
instead of warm air. In many houses but
this is the oftener in private houses
than in boarding houses, there is not
enough Of coal used. l don't say this be-
cause l am in the business of selling coal; L
have learned 1t in other ways. 1t happens
that l own several houses. which are &C.
cupied by various tenants from time to
time. One of them was vacated few days
ago by family. for the reason, they said,
they could not keep warm In it. In looking
into the matter, found they used but two
hcds of coal In each of the three latrobes in
1t each day in the cold spell of last week.
Had they used six hodfulls in each latrobe
each day they would have been more COM
Portable. and this is about the proportion
of increase that should take place during
cold snaps Nothing less will be satisfac-
tory