The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-26
N THE HOTEL CORRIDORS.


lobby Of the Arlington this morning that
not claim that Mania ttaa Island IS bound
ed >E the north by Canada and en the
south by the Gulf of Mexico. Il visit
fes parts of the country, be said. sin
which ! do moi find thai nature has be-
slowed some especial advantage. or in
| which men have not done something
little better Than il has been done any
| where else Aihs ouietude Of Washington
* one of its epsrms. though this is the
j first point OF attack with traveller
whose unGerst anding is that commercial
hustle means everything. The airiness
and breadth of the city seems to insflre
deep breath. It gives q man from the
densely populated cities a roomy feel
ing. There Is no city which is set in a
prettier country than that which sur
rounds Washington. though persons pass
ing over the railroads do not see this,
the engineers in laying out the lines hay.
ing sought the fattest country. There is
no other city in the United States pos
sessing public building or for that mat
ter, any other kind of building. compare
bic with the Library Of Congress. No
where in America can one find a hand
somer picture than the east plaza Of the
Capitol, or a more picturesque sIew than
from the west front of the Capitol, or q
more picturesque view than from the
west FROM OF the Capitol. The districts
in New York inhabited by the Weather
classes are gra7dly built, but one fault
is they are teo .sluch built. The general
| effect is gcnderfuIly solid and costly.
but grace IS lacking. The natural
touches are too seant."
Harold K. Smith, Of Birmingham, Eng
land. who came to Washington from san
Francisco today and who was q few weeks
ago in Asia. said at the Arlington This
morning that there exists great unrest
liz Afghanistsn. He said that from re-
liable Russian and Angle-Indian sources
he received Information concerning. pep
aratiens in Afghanistan indicating appre-
hension On the part Of the Ameer that
he might at any moment have 10 defend
his neutrality in war with his two
powerful neIghbors. Mr.. Smith said that
the infantry regiments Of the Afghan
army have been placed on war footing
and the cavalry and artillery modified
Afghan troops are massing along the Rus
so-Afghan frontier and an Afghan army
was also concentrating at New Chaman
on the Indian frontier on the line
between Kandabar and Quetta.
New Chaman is the terminal frontier
station on the INDUS Quetta-Afghan Rail
way on the western side of the Khojak
| Pass on Afghan territory. The Khogsk
| No, ntains have keen tunneled, and from
| Chamaa there are few physical difficulties
in the way of a rapid extension OF he
line 10 Kandahar- All the plant and ma
| terial for the construction Of this section
| have for some time past been stored At
| QHetta and New Chsman, the British Gov
eminent having taken this step at the
| time the Russians established themselves
al Kushk on their frontier near Herat
and collected railway material for line
| between those two places 4 smcksiess
| powder factory is in operation at Kabul
and the chemicals necessary are pred0ceB
| locally Mr.. Smith says that when he left
India complications on the northern from
tier OF India toward Tibet were being
seriously discussed.
Mr. Smith said TO a Times man that The
! Interpretation given by the Russian an
thorites to the concentration OF Afghan
troops close 10 the British frontier station
OF New chsmaE Is that the Amer, rightly
or wrongly. fears the sudden advance OF q
British Indian army on Kandahsr. The
regiments in the Northwestern Province
and the Punjab were held in readiness, and
the Northwestern Railway continued TO ae-
cumuIate war material on the frontier. It
was On account OF the uncertainty OF
which the Afghan movements are symp-
toms. said Mr.. Smith that the British In
dian Government and the cOmmaRdeT-in
chief in India are unwilling to detsch any
n0re troops TO China, and are anxious for
the return Of those sent fcSm India 10
South Africa at as early date as possible.
| The water hyacinth continues one Of
the leading topics in Florida gaid John
Brayson. OF Jacksonville, at The Ebbitt
| this morning Another attempt is to be
made by United States engineers this win
ter to clear the streams Of the Peninsula
State OF the plant. The evil has grown
! for many years
It was when local efforts failed that
Congress was appealed 10 and asked 70
assist. and an appropriation was voted to
be used by the United States engineers IN
experiments TO determine il the water hy-
acinth cannot be got rid of by some me-
| chanieaI process Major Quinn who had
charge OF the engineering work, designed
| d hyaciBth mill which he thought would
| kill the hyacinth seed bulbs. and ali by the
process OF crushing. but ii did not work
the hyacinfh Es- where Major Quinn left
on mas Constructed machine or dredge
which 1t is believed viii be effective. The
machine started out few days ago on al
expedition against the hyacintts. and is
row busily engaged ID grinding them Nc
report has yet been received as to the sue
! cess of the expedition, and 1t is not iTn-
probable that IFS failure or success will be
in doubt until spring.
The machine is mounted upon fat bot
i toned. stern-wheeled coat OF very lighi
draft 1t is ike a dTedge except that z
long boom extends forward thirty or forty
feet in front of the bow. 1t is simply 3
framework fitted with an endless belt OF
wooden Stats. studded with spikes. This
traveller extends far into the water il
; front of the vessel, and when set in mo-
ton the spikes catch the masses OF hya'
cinths and drag them up to the vessel, de
posting them in an immense dipper. Frc1
this the plant is fed into the wheels Of 8
mill. where it is cut up and crushed 10 6
{ fine ruin With the water completely
2 xrung from it by the pressure of the mill
it is sufficiently dry. like bagasse, to burn
: The only doubtful part OF The experi-
nent is whether the machine viii care
fully remove the hyacinth from = stream
J II any seed is left behind. il viii begin
! prcpagating itself az once. and the Wors
Will have to be all done over again.
The hyacinth IS also causing loss II
Louisiana The drainage canals of New
Orleans are damned up and the drainage
. . system of the city is imperiled. The log
! ging Industry of southern louisiana
/ worth several millions year, is in dan