The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-26
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

Though the appropriation for the install
lation of an electric lighting plant for the
Interior Department does not become
available for several months. the plans
for the system are being developed. Con-
gress appropriated $4,000 for the work
and that is considered to be hardly suf-
ficient to make all the improvements
which are needed in the lighting and the
heating of the buildings used by the In
terror Department. Nothing has been
put on paper yet, and such matters as
na under consideration are merely in the
line of suggestion. Later when the exact
needs of the department in the line Of
lighting. heating. and ventilation are as
certained. experts from the Treasury De-
partment will be set to work upon the
specifications. The scheme now includes
an electric lighting plant. which will be
placed somewhere in the building of the
interior Department. probably in a small
house, which now stands in the court.
This plant will supply the electric cur
rent for the Interior Department. the
Iatent Office the Pension Office, the old
General Iostofilce building. and perhaps
several others. The capacity of the plant
VIII probably be about 5000 incandescent
lamps, with boilers of 625 horse power, and
oUU horse power engines A new heating
plant will be installed to furnish hot
watel for warming the Interior Depart
Office.
Officials in the Patent Office have been
surprised recently at the great increase
of applications for patents made by Rus
slams. For the last six months hardly an
issue of the Gazette" has appeared in
which there Is not some invention cred
tied to Russian. Some weeks there have
been as high as four and rarely is there
less than two. During previous years the
russians have appeared in the patent
records but rarely, and have not cut any
considerable figure. The recent increase
in the number of patents granted to sub
jects of the Gar cannot be accounted for.
but is due probably in some degree to the
closer trade relations between the two
nations. The importation Of American
manufactured goods into the Russian
market has Weakened the Russian inventor
to the fact that in the United States he
can exploit his patents to advantage. The
officials at the Patent Office are inclined
to think that the building of the Trans
Siberian Railroad has had a wonderful
effect in stimulating the Russian inventor,
and attribute the increased registration
of patents in the United States partially
to that cause. 1t is also evident that the
Russian is studying the mechanical meth
DDS of the American. The Patent Office
has recently received the subscriptions
Il
featuring firms to the Gazette" and 9TH
er official publications of the department.
This is considered to presage a still fur
Their increase in the trade relations be-
tween the Russian manufacturers and
those in the United States.
There We're no fatalities on the Poto-
mac near Washington during the freshet
of a few days ago. but one life at least
came very near being lost. 1t was only
a cat 1t is true, but as much trouble was
taken to save her as if she had been
human being Tuesday afternoon a cou-
pie of men were pulling across the river
from one of the Georgetown wharves to
Analostan Island. The channel was filled
with driftwood and the current was
strong enough to require the combined
efforts OF the two to keep from drifting
down past the mouth of Rock Creek.
Suddenly out over the water there float
ed a cry of distress. The boatmen looked
around and after several minutes discOv-
cred the source of the sound. Some dis
tance up the river, perched on drift
ing plank. they saw a woe-begone look
Ing cat wet and bedraggled, its head
thrown back and its mouth open to emit
"a Iong-drawn wall. The men had all
they could do to keep the tCct headed
for the opposite shore, but they had not
the heart to let the distressed feiine pass
without making an effort to save her. SO
putting more energy into their work, they
let the boat head down stream, backed
water against the current, and waited
for the cat on her frail raft to pass.
She saw them and seemed to realize
that she was to be rescued. for she edg
ed over to the side of the plank nearest
the boat, and raising TO her feet, crouch
ed in readiness for a spring. Down she
came in the swirling current until near
n .l.aN0fr
crouching still lower, she sprang through
the air, high above the water. She cal
cuated the distance well and landed in
the bottom of the boat, narrowly missing
one of the boatmen. By this time they
were far below the point where they had
started and the change of course to save
the cat caused them much hard work
getting back up the river. But neither
of them complained and today the cast
away has home in their boathOuse. Her
residence there will be permanent, If she
wants to stay.
Washington has had but ninety hours
of sunshine in the last twenty-four days,
according to the statement of the officials
at the Weather Bureau. This is an ex-
ceedingly low average. much below any
thing which was to be expected, and as
far as a casual survey of the bureau
books shows, it establishes a record. The
temperature has not been so low. but it
has been persistently below the average
for this time of the year The rain. which
has been almost constant, has not been
very heavy, and the precipitation is not
much above the normal, though slightly
so. The weather conditions have been
the result of a peculiar barometrfc stat
us An area of low pressure has been
almost stationary north of Washington,
and a high has been to the south The
low pressure area is gradually moving
away and it is expected that 1t will be
gone by tomorrow. bringing fair weather
to Washington and the surrounding dis
trict