Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-06-08
GOSSIP
AND DEPARTMENT NEWS.

I The interest which experiments in
| wireless telegraphy has excited among
electricians throughout the country Is
indicated by the inquiries that come to
the patent Office and the number of ap-
plications that are being filed for pat
ents. I'VE have had as many ns ten Il
day." said +. w. Winter, the chief ey-
amlner in the electrical division. "They
come mostly from experienced invent
ors in this country-professional cleo
tricians, who have taken out patents in
other branches of electricity There
are n few, however, from strangers.
whose names are unknown to this d.
vision Of the office and who have never
appeared before the department"
An estrangemcnt which has lasted
for u year or more between Bishop
John +. Hurst of the Methodist Epis-
copal church and his wife has cul-
minated, 1t is understood among their
friends here, in permanent separation.
Mr.. Root of Buffalo, New York. Mrs.
Hursts brother, was in Washington
yesterday closing up financial matters
for his sister. who Is wealthy. He ad
mitted that his sister intended to sepa-
rate permanently from her husband.
1t Is reported that he engaged local at
torneys to institute proceedings for
ltEul Dut HO IiptTs, IL Is
claimed. have yet been filed. Mrs
Hurst is the bishops second wife, and
is forty years his junior.
The Duke of ArcOs, the new Spanish
minister. and his American wife are
passengers on the steamer Kaiser VIII
helm. and are expected to come to
Washington Immediately after their ar
rival. They will have Il hearty well
come. The Duke of ARGOS was Il very
popular member of society here when
he was known as Jack Brunetti ana
was an attachc of the Spanish legation.
As Virginia LOwery the duchess was /;
recognized belle. and her friends say
she once Tilted Admiral Dewey. II
was happy idea of the Spanish gov
ernment to select the Duke of Arcos to
reopen diplomatic relations between
the two countries. and he and the duch-
css will be conspicuous figures In
Washington society next winter
The six protected cruisers author
lied for the new American navy, of
which the Denver Is one, will have no
superior rs fighting machines. The de-
| tails of the construction of these
swift, capacious, ire-proof fighting
machines have just been decided up
on by the naval experts. The act OF
authorization specifies ships of 2.Iou
tons displacement. They will be abso-
lutely tire-proof. an essential In mod
ern warefare. Another feature which
will make the ships unique Is the
shcathing of the hull The steel plates
Of the hull will be covered with thin
plnnking. which win be sheathed with
copper This will prevent the fouling
of the bottoms. and will preserve the
speed of vessels. Each ship will have
n bunker capacity of 700 tons. an item
which means Il great deal in time or
war. The speed of the ships Will @ be
sixteen and One-half knots. The
draught will be eighteen and One-half
feet, which is somewhat less than
ships of corresponding type, and fea-
ture Of great moment II the ships are
in shallow waters, rs on the Asiatic
station.
All of the British colonies in Ameri-
ca are about to send agents to the
United States to negotiate reciprocity
treaties. and the first delegation is eX-
pectcd this week. The industrial and
commercial condition of the British
colonies is deplorable, particularly
those where sugar is grown. ana that
Is the staple of most of them. Inc
price paid by the sugar trust for raw
sugar after the tariff duty is deducted
| is So ~" tlldt tIe piihASiS ''hh'. hA'''N
n profit, but If they did not have to pay
the duty sugar planting would pay.
They ship all their sugar to the United
| States in the raw state. and the trust
Is their only customer. therefore IL can
| regulate prices in most arbitrary
manner. They cannot ship their prod
net to England or other parts OF Et-
rope, because 1t is impossible to COM
pete with the bounty-paid beet sugar.
Sp1t in flp United
States. and the only way they can
make money is to induce the sugar
trust to increase the price or Uncle
Sam to lower the duty. They nafur-
ally consider the latter alternative the
more easy to accomplish. and arc pre-
pared to offer concessions In the way OF
reduced duties on the goods they I'M
port from us as an inducement.
The State Department has made pub
lie an official abstract of the report or
the Nicarnguan canal commission as
presented by Admiral Walker. the
head of the commission. The report
says that the surveys have in general
revealed better physical conditions
than were hitherto supposed to exist.
espccially as to the amount of rock IN
the upper river. whereby 1t is possible
TO greatly reduce the estimated cost or
construction TO determine the proper
unit prices for excavation. the average
of prices actually paid to contractors
on the Chicago drainage canal, winch
represent cost of plant. prices pald Tor
work done and contractors prohts,
were taken. 70 these prices ccrthip
pcrcentages were added for the dlftcr'
ence in location, climate. etc. III op-
tanning the estimates for the cost OF
locks the prices actually paid for build
ing the government locks Mt Snult Ste.
Marie were taken and 33 per cent was
added for the difference of location.
After giving due weight to all the ele,
ments of this important question. ana
with m earnest desire to reach logical
conclusions based upon substantial !
focts. the commission believes tllht n !
canal can be built across the lsilhnus
~, ,.,,,t, for uot exceeding S11S,-