Gilpin observer., 1899-06-22
WASHINGTON GOSSIP
AND DEPARTMENT NEWS.


The Navy Department has received
the LOO bronze medals authorized by
Congress for the officers and men who
participated in the battle of Manila
bay.
According to n general order issued
by the War Department, sales may be
made on credit to officers and enlisted
men who have not been regularly paid,
or who are in the field.
The French ambassador, NJ. Cam
bon, Is about to receive from the Uni
versity of Harvard the degree of LII.
d., in recognition of the public SER
vices he performed in the negotiations
which restored peace between the Unit
ed States and Spain. ..
The board of construction of the
Navy Department has decided to over
haul the converted yacht Viking, which
was used as an auxiliary cruiser dur
ing the war with Spain, to fit her for
service in the navy. This work will
cost about $4,000. 1t is the present in
tention of the Navy Department to as
sign this little vessel to duty in South
American waters.
According to report made to Chief
Hichborn the battleship Kearsarge is
n1nety-one per cent. advanced toward
completion; the Kentucky is eighty-nine
per cent; the Alabama, eighty-tive per
cent. the Wisconsin, seventy per cent. !;
the Illinois, siXty-tive per cent; the
Maine, five per cent. and the Ohio, five
per cent. The Albany, building in Eng
land, Is eighty per cent. advanced.
General Leonard Wood. military gov
ernor of Santiago province. has been
offered the presidency of the Washing
ton Traction and Electric Com
pany. The company has been form
ed recently and owns and controls
directly and indirectly, all the street
railroads in the District of Columbia,
with the exception of the Capital Trac-
ton Company. 1t also owns the two
electric light companies.
Senator Clark of Montana is most
unassuming man. He came to Wash
ington shortly after his election, with
his two daughters. stopped at one of
the principal hotels for three days.
went about the city sightseeing, sat
for part of an afternoon in the Sen
ate gallery. and nobody suspected that
he was 100000 senator. When he
returns from Charlottesville, he in
tends to select house to occupy next
winter.
IleIe Is SUN uOIt tlsit
settlement of the Alaska boundary can
be reached before the Goth of August,
which is the date set for the reasseni-
bling of the high joint commission. be-
cause all of the other questions have
been set aside and postponed until this
most important controversy is deter
mined. \ inodus vivendi. or temporary
settlement. has finally been accomp-
lished by the negotiations of Mr..
Choate and Sir Julian Paucefote in
London which is acceptable to Canada.
General Otis army is to be increased
to $4,000 men. Although he has not
asked for reinforcements, the President
has thought best to send them to him.
General Otis has been assured repeat
edly that he could have all the troops
he wanted, but he has reported that
10000 We're sufficient. and has never
asked for more. After a Cabinet con
sultation. however. the President came
to the conclusion that it would do nc
harm to reinforce the army in the Phil
ippines. and 5000 more regulars will
be sent at once.
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Taylor has announced the acceptance
of the offer of George ii. and Edwin
s. Monroe of lot 120X15S feet as The
site for the public building at Joliet
the price paid for the lot being 49,.
900. 1t was also decided by the treas
ury officials not to prosecute condemns
alton proceedings to acquire the proper.
ty of j. Klein at Freeport. Illinois. as
the site for the public building at tha,
place. The lot offered by w. II. J
Stratton ut S17,5OO has been accept
ed.
The Navy Department has received
the LOO bronze medals authorized by
Congress for the officers and men who
participated in the battle of Manila
bay. The Bureau of Navigation will
see to the distribution OF the medals
those for the officers and men of the
Olympia and Raleigh being given tc
them in this country. while those fol
the men on the ships still at Manila
will be forwarded. The medals are
handsome products of the jewelers.
art one face showing a bas-relief OF
Admiral Dewey, while the reverse
shows the idealized head of the Ameri
can sailor.
Under the most favorable circum
stances II will be hardly possible foi
the government to increase its arm!
in the Philippines to the $4,000 limit
before the LIST of August. About 6,0W
of the troops destined for service IL
the Philippines and included in the pro
posed $4,000 force are still in this coun
try and will not be able TO reach thu
scene of action for five or six weeks
The officials of the War Department
are making every effort. however. Il
expedite their departure and to thai
end have arranged for the immedint,
transportation of the troops on tn,
transports Pennsylvania, Sheridan
Iealandia and Valencia.
Secretary Wilson in his report to the
President on the work of the depart
ment during the last fiscal year pro
posed that the department should re
ceive from time TO time graduates OF
agricultural colleges who should com,
| N. 1ynpI, in srinnttfi. lot .i