Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-09-08

ANNUITY GG IN INkNSAAt OAAAAS NAS
fact that inventive activity is greatest
just now in processes for the manufac-
ture OF acetylene and other illuminating
gases, the motive being to discover meth
DDS of producing light cheaper than under
any of the existing processes. There is
also great activity in the field of auto
motive devices. The great strides which
have been made lately in autovehicles of
all descriptions seem to have wonderfully
stimulated inventive genius in that field.
In electricity the applications for pat
ents are mainly for the perfection of ma
chinery already in use and for the apple
cation of principles that are already well
known to mechanical uses within some
what restricted limitations. Little inter-
est appears to be taken in storage bat
teries or in chemical electricity ut this
time. Compressed air is not, us many
suppose, a new thing, and there is little
new to report in that field. Inventors
tried for II while to perfect safe pro-
cesses for COMPRISING sacetylene, but
they hav abandoned that idea on ac-
count of the prejudice against it.
An interesting story comes from Indian
Territory regarding a United States court
there. judge, attorney, clerk, sheriff and
marshal, with all necessary assistants
and paraphcrnalia, which travels from
place to place over the territory, holding
forth as occasion demands. This novel
institution is in the northern section Of
the territory, where the towns are few
and far apart, and where it is cheaper
for the court to go to the people than for
the people to go to the court. Much
money is saved the people each year by
the movable outfit. There is q small
house on wheels, resembling Il movers
wagon, in which the court travels, and in
which the court records ure kept. Here,
also, in towns where there are no better
accommodations, court is held and justice
dispensed. With the court is n complete
cooking outfit, presided over by a first
class culinary artist, who sees to it that
the court does not wan for food even if
it does want for some of the other things
which are common in civilized communi.
ties.
The Masonic ceremonies which are to
take place at Alexandria and Mount
Vernon ON the oi.e hundredth a%nniver-
sary of the death of George Washing
ton have practically been agreed upon.
The affair will open with the assembling
of the grand lodge of Virginia in Alex
andria on the evening of Dee. ID. Early
the next morning the grand lodge, ac-
companiea by various local lodges, in
GLIDING the one to which Washington he
longcd. No. 4, mt Fredericksburg, will
proceed to Mount Vernon, where the
funeral services of Dec. is. 1890, will be
duplicated as nearly us possible. Inyi-
tations to prominent Masons in all parts
of the world are to be sent ont. and it is
believed that the event will be the most
important the Aiasons in this country
have been connected with for u number
of years.
The Department of Agriculture has es-
timated the flood losses in Texas mt seven
and IL half million dollars. and says that
500 farms We're submerged, with q total
acreage of 1.HS0,O00. About half of this
area was under cultivation mt the time
of the floods, 10000 acres in cotton.
125.OOO in corn, 11,O00 acres in sugar
corn. and the rest in smaller crops. About
w per cent of the loss came through the.
destruction of crops, but damage to farm
stock, ETC., aggregated about $S50.OO
The loss to the land by washing and
gulleying is estimated ut $35O,OOO, but
pnrt of this is offset by the increased fu-
ture productiveness resulting from allu-
vial deposits. The loss represents about
"a per capita i'll the flood district, which
has a population of 100000, mostly me-
grOes.
Postmaster Gordon of Chicago will
have to go into his private purse to pay
for the handsome furniture he purchased
for use in his Office and that of his as
sistant. MIR. Gordon purchased, among
~Al-r Is.-., - -1-.1~ r.. IT.
$50 and a chair which cost $40. In ad-
dition to this some furniture for the
assistant postmaster was purchased at
a rather high rate. When the account
was sent here for approval the officials
held that the prices were entirely too
high. The account was disallowed and
Mr.. Gordon will either have to pay for
the furniture out of his W pocket or
send it back to the manufacturers.
After the recent improvements on
North Capitol street had been made It
was discovered that some OF the work
men had thoughtlessly made away with
the historic corne stone set in place by
George Washington at the time of the
original surveys to mark the northern
boundary of the city. The stone cannot
be found, but a committee of citizens has
been appointed to prepare n suitable pill
lar or tablet to mark the spot where the
stone stood for SO many years.
A new-style domestic money order has
been issued by the Postoftice Department.
The new form is somewhat smaller than
the one previously in use. Its dimensions
are about those of the ordinary bank
draft. The color of the order is blue.