The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-14
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Few people have knowledge of the
extreme caution with which the business
of railroading is conducted" sarcastical-
ly remarks the Kansas City Journal. "At
Wellington the other day a Santa Fe en-
gineer exhibited an order which he had
received a few days before while run
ming on the Fort Worth and Denver
branch, the order reading as follows:
There is a blind cow in the first cut
north of Amerilla yards and bad swing
in the track on the dump just north If
Sweet Lacruze bridge. Look out for
them
Congressman Lands, who comes from
Indiana, is believed to be gifted with sec
ond sight He receives, according to tho
testimony of the clerks in the House
postoffice, more mail than any two other
members. Mr.. Lands can take batch
of mall look at the postmark and hand
writing of the address on each letter and
tell exactly what the letter is about. He
gave an interesting exhibition the other
day. Only once in more than 100 letters
was he wrong and that was in letter
transmitting a resolution of his state
Senate.
The South African war having Great
ed a great demand on the part of toy
dealers for leaden soldiers a number of
Parisans have organized a society to OPP
pose the manufacture and sale of the
martial playthingS. THE League Against
Leaden Soldiers" is the name of the new
organization, and Emile Zola is its presi-
dent The circular sent out by the league
states that the members desire to COM
baJ the prevailing practice OF French par
ents who perpetuate the military spirit
which is so prevalent in the Republic,
by buying toy soldiers for their children.
The Page of the Pipe at Windsor
Castle holds an hereditary Office which
dates back to the time of Charles II. says
the New York Tribune. That merry mon
arch acquired the tobacco habit from
some of his Virginia colonsts, and re-
quired a page, who was paid a salary of
$500 year, to keep his smoking appa-
ratus in order In a moment of generos-
ity His Majesty made the appointment
permanent Unit, 1865 the honor was held
by the Duke of Grafton who got hard up
and sold il to a merchant named Harri
son. As Queen Victoria did not smoke,
the Office was a snecure, but the descend
ants of Harrison are entitled TO the priv
i,ege of entering the presence of their
sovereign at any lime.
A dispatch from Providence, r. l.,
says Mrs. Clara Chase of South Kingston,
only 20, is the mother of fifteen children.
When School Census Enumeration Joseph
T. Northup went around his district to-
day he secured the extraordinary enroll
ment at the Chase homestead, and Incl
dentally he expressed his surprise at the
youthfulness of the mother of the tilte- II
babe Then he was shown the Chi dIen
of the family. there being in the q oup a
couple of sets of twins. Enumeration
Northup was also told that the husband
and father of the interesting family was
only %, just a year the jun or of h 5 wi e.
About half the children are of sch aEe.
The Chases are not wealthy, but they get
along in peace and happiness, they as
sert.
Henry e. +. Macfarland has for many
years been one of the most reliable and
distinguished of the newspaper cores
pondents at Washington. Locally he is
a man of fine business reputation, and
II was not surprising that when President
Mckinley was looking around for the
proper person 70 be President of the
Board of Commissioners of the District
Of Columbia he should have selected Mr.
Maciarland. OF course, it is generally
known that Washington has no vote
and, although the storm centre Of poll
tics, no official politics. In the curious
arrangement of things the President of
the Board of Commissioners is practi-
cally the Mayor OF the town, and that
il Mr. Macfarlahd's position. In his
article, in this week Saturday Evening
Post, he says: THE great industry, 50
TO speak, is THAI of the United States
government, which gives employment
to about 10000 persons, to whom Is paid
about S2304O,00O a year. which gives the
unique economic condition of practical
commercial stability. No matter what
panics or industrial depressons may
occur In the country, the business of the
government goes on and the steady
stream OF government expenditures con-
unuos increased in volume from time
10 time when any new public building
Is erected or any other unusual outlay
b. made IL Is estimated that, besides
salaries, the federal government expcud-
ed, In the District of Columbia during
the century just closed. about 100000
coo. Che greater portion FOR government
buildings government parks and other
Things owned absolutely by the govern
ncnt althouRht since 1878 ID has paid
on an average about 100000 "a year a.
as share ot the general expenses OF the
government of thc District Of Columbia
u is interesting 90 know that the total
valuation of 90 property in tho Distri,i
ni Columbia De- about fil0.Ol000l, Of which
about forty-scVen ana ore han per cent.
Dr. taxable. thc fcrt belonging a. he
United states, and .beiuF exempt.