Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-06-12
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
Chinese Minister'S Keen Interest
In the Census.
A HUNTERS DANGEROUS TASK.

A HUNTERS DANGEROUS TASK.
Elwood Hofer Sent to Alaska to
Get Specimens Of Monster Kadiak
Bears For the Government - Use
Servants Needed at White House.
The census authorities have had some
difficulty. not In enumerating the Chi
nese in the United States. but In classi-
flying them and in fixing their ges. the
latter trouble being caused by the DIFF
ference between the calendar used in
this part Of the world and that Of the
Chinese, which has the lunar months,
giving some of the years IL. some 10
months, says the Washington CORE
spondent Of the New York Tribune.
While every Chinaman SO far inter-
viewed knows the month; day and hour
OF his birth. the information is useless
to the bureau unless converted into the
time adopted here. AS An aid in secur-
ing the proper dates Director Merriam
has had table made by an astronomer
showing the corresponding dates in
both calendars for the last 100 years.
Hearing Of this, Mr.. WI, the Chinese
minister, who Is one Of the most ami
able and public spirited men, sent his
own calendar, which was compiled by
a Roman Catholic missionary in China.
as a guide. The tables prepared for
the census were carefully compared
with the minister's table, and several
mistakes were found and corrected.
In all the work of the census Mr..
WI has shown the same lively interest
evinced by him for all American insti-
tutions and has been helpful to its Of
flcials whenever opportunity offered.
Among other things he prepared a
proclamation. which was distributed
under his official seal in all localities
where there are Chinese residents, ex-
planning the scope and purposes Of the
census and calling upon his compatri-
OTIS to give freely and frankly all the
information wanted and to aid the emu
merators in every possible way. The
minister proposes, too, to follow the
initiative taken by some of the other
foreign governments and send repre-
sentative to study the methods and
workings of the present census.
DR.. Frank Baker of the Smithsonian
institution has sent Elwood Hofer,
guide and hunter of the Yellowstone
park, to catch some of the monster
bears on Kadiak island, in the gulf Of
Alaska, for the National Geological
park, says the Chicago Records Wash
ington correspondent. These bears are
of the polar breed, perfectly white,
with long, heavy fur, and at full
growth are twice rs large rs the ordi-
nary black bear of the Rocky noun
tains, weighing from 2,400 to 5000
pounds and standing as high as an Or
binary cow-the biggest carnivorous
animals living. The tracks they leave
In the snow have often measured Is
inches long and 10 inches wide. They
are very savage and fight desperately
when attacked. Several have been
killed, and the skins have been brought
to the United States, but no Kadiak
bear was ever captured alive. DR.. Tar
Teton H. Bean, the fish expert who is
in charge Of the department of fisheries
ut the Paris exposition, while making
an exploration of the fishing resources
Of Kadiak island last year, saw q good
many Of these bears and describes
them in graphic terms. He says that
while climbing rocky hill one day he
saw a large drove Of them near the
coast running about and playing like
so many lambs. There must have been
$50 or 200 in the bunch, he says, and
some Of them were enormous.
The use of the hOrseless carriage is
becoming quite general in Washington.
especially among the pleasure seeking
class, says the Chicago Record. The
Chinese minister was one Of the first to
adopt the automobile rs substitute
for the carriage and has used nothing
else al winter. The Austrian, minister
and his wife, the French ambassador,
y
British embassy, and other members Of
the diplomatic corps arc to be seen ev-
cry day on the streets in automobiles,
although the German ambassador still
sticks to his horses and Lord Paunce-
fote to his tricycle.. Mile. Cassini.
daughter of the Russian ambassador,
is the only woman in the diplomatic
corps who handles her own automo-
bile, and she rides at a pace that causes
CONSERVATION among her friends. She
has a costume designed especially for
mobile riding. 1t has q skirt of cream
colored cloth with white silk waist
and one of the new Ladysmith hats.
1t takes quite a retinue of servants
to keep the White House in the pre-
sentable shape in which 1t Is always
seen. There ore employed about the
place seven colored men, five colored
women, a housekeeper, Mrs. McKin-
ley's maid, five ushers and nine police