Gilpin observer., 1901-10-17
WASHINGTON GOSSIP

| y
Department, fair progress was made
on the armored cruiser Colorado and
the protected cruiser Denver during
the past month. The former vessel was
advanced from five to seven per cent.
toward completion and the latter from
fifty-five to fifty-seven per cent. The
monitor Wyoming still remains seven
ty-five per cent.
1t is recommended by Rear Admiral
Crowninshield, chief of the naviga-
| ton bureau, that four vice admirals be
| created, reducing the number of rear
admirals to fourteen, IL necessary. 1t
is said that the United States often
has been in a humiliating position on
important occasions abroad by reason
of the low rank of its naval represent
atives. The report closes with an
earnest recommendation for the crea-
tion of national naval reserve.
| 1t has been determined at the War
| Department to send troops to the Phil
ippines to take the places of those
whose term of enlistment expires.
Where the re-enlistments are not large
in any one regiment, their places will
be filled by separate detachments Of
recruits. If any considerable number
of enlistments expire in a single or
| ganization, it Is probable trat the or
| ganiZation as a whole will be returned
from the Philippines and another regi-
ment sent to take its place.
Postoffice Inspector John p Clum has
returned to Washington from a trip of
| inspection through Alaska. He has re-
| ported to the department that the SER
! vice generally Is in excellent condition,
more particularly in the Yukon valley,
where the various towns have mail
| service once a week in each direction.
| He established the nOrthernmOst post
office in the world. This is at Point
Barrow, where Rev. DIR. II. Richmond
Marsh, the missionary at the
| little settlement, was appointed
postmaster. This place, where the
northernmOst newspaper in the world
is published once year, will receive
the mails once year by a United
States revenue cutter. Heretofore the
few natives in the vicinity have had to
send for their mail 100 miles and often
much further.
The annual report of Thomas Fitch,
commissioner of immigration at New
York. has been received at the Treas
ury Department. The report shows
that the number of aliens who arrived
during the fiscal year ended June 30,
1901, was 453, ,496. There ware also
113,O56 citizens of the United States
who arrived from abroad. From a
comparison of the steerage immigra-
ton for the last two years it is shown
that nearly 100000 of the increase of
last year over the year before was in
the immigration from Southern Italy
alone. he number of returning alien
residents stands at JOG per cent. Of the
total immigration. OF the amount
brought per capita there appears to be
an appreciable increase over last year,
but the report says: 1.-The conclusion
is unavoidable that out immigration is
constantly increasing in illiteracy. Not
only are We drawing more and more
from the countries where illiteracy is
high, but also the immigrants them
selves are showing higher percentages
of illiteracy."
Sumner Lathrup, a wealthy New
Yorker, who travels extensively
throughout the world and sends
the Agricultural Department many
rare plants and other foreign
products, and David Fairchild,
special agent of the depart
ment of Agriculture, both Of whom
have only just returned from trips
abroad, will leave Washington shortly
on another trip to the Orient and other
parts of the world in search of rare for
eign grains, legumes, grasses and 9TH
er plants for use in this country, par
ticularly those adaptable for growing
in the arid regions, in whose develop
ment Secretary Wilson is especially in
terested. They have been in confer
ence with Secretary Wilson and he out
lined his ideas for assisting the new in
Sull1r noSSaSSiOpc n evroxvin1 for &,
possible coffee, spices, rubber fiber and
other products not adaptable for culti-
walton here. They will send everything
they discover along these lines to the
experiment stations in Porto Rico and
Hawaii and also to the Philippines,
meantime keeping the department in
Washington advised of the results of
their Investigations.
In the annual report to the secretary
of the navy of Rear Admiral Crownin-
shield, chief of the navigation bureau,
ii is said that the operations on the
Asiatic squadron were marked by uni
form success and that the conduct of
our sailors and marines in China in
the main was all that could be asked
for. The American fleet, in conjunc-
ton with the army in the Philippines,
1t Is stated. has hampered materially
the inflow Of arms and munitions to
the islands. The report recommends
barracks for recruits in the place of
receiving ships The most important
feature of the report. that of person.
mel, is reserved for the last. Admiral
CrOwninshield already has given
warning to Congress of the absolutely
Imperative need of the navy for more
officers and men. Now he adds some
startling figures to support his renew
pd recommendations. He says IL the
department We're called upon to man
The ships for war service, 1t could not
meet the demand. There are not
enough line officers to man the ships
already constructed. When In three
years the vessels low under construc-