The times., 1901-04-12
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

Those who had business at the Navy
Department yesterday were much i'm
pressed with the regal splendor in which
Secretary Long has enthroned the col
ored messenger who sits at the door of
his office and awaits his bidding. This
messenger occupies Il very prominent po-
sition in the corridor of the big building,
but in the past has been content to take
a seat in the background on an incon
spicuous stool. Some time ago Secretary
Long ordered a magnificent chair for his
office with the intention of using it him
self The chair appeared to be more of
q throne than an article intended to be
used and the Secretary found it too large
and too magnificent to be practicable.
He therefore had it removed to the cor
ridor and instructed fthe messenger to
use it. It is a wonderful piece of furni-
ture, having back fully four feet high
above the seat. 1t is grandly carved and
adorned. and is roomy enough for three
men. AS it is, the messenger occupies it
proudly. lost in it's depths of upholstering.
and is the cynosure of all eyes. Many
visitors stopped to admire the chair yes
| terday and the messenger related its his
I tory, laying great stress upon the fact
| that Secretary Long had formerly occu-
pied it. SIS
at last some sign of the progress of work
on the Sherman statue. facing the south
front of the Treasury: The four figures
representing the soldiers of the different
branches of the service have arrived and
are on the ground awaiting the approval
of the Secretary of War They are mas
sive plaster forms of men in the uniforms
of the infantry. cavalry. artillery, and en-
gineer corps. Secretary Root will pass on
the figures within a few days and the
castings in bronze will be made. The next
statue to be unveiled in this city Will be
that of General Sherman.
On almost all of the street car lines
OF the city repair work of some descrip-
tion is being carried on, and as the work
is being done at night, the gangs of busy
workmen laboring by the flckering lights
of torches and oil lamps are interesting
and unusual signs to those who are on
the streets after midnight. An undertake
ing of considerable Importance has just
been completed at the Peace Monument
on the Capital Traction Company line.
Here the work of putting in new and
heavier tracks was carried on both day
and night until completed
At First and C Streets northwest, and
at New Jersey Avenue and G Street on
the METROPOLITAN and City and Suburban
lines, improvements are being MADE IN
the switching arrangements ana a large
force of men were at work at these points
last night.
The Washington hotels have seldom
been so crowded between sessions OF Con-
gress as they are now. Usually the eXo-
dus of Senators and Representatives from
the Capital after adjournment has re-
suited in a dun season, but the past
month has been a record-breaker with
the hotels. An explanation of the unu-
sual amount of business being done Is
found in the migration of Southern win
ter resort patrons toward the North and
West The city is filled with strangers
from Florida and North Carolina resorts,
and the Indications are that the rush VIII
continue for at least thirty days.
The purchase by the Government of
the old Corcoran Art Building, on the
corner of PENNSYLVANIA Avenue and Sew
enteenth Street, means a great zeal 10
Washington art circles The amount
which the Government pays is 100000
all of which is a net gain to the new
Corcoran Art Gallery management The
morey liberated from investment in real
estate. which practically brought in moth
ing can now be put to some use that viii
bring returns and it is calculated that
about $4,000 interest can be earned from
the fund. The gallery management is
Il stlll greater gamer because 1t Is freed
from an annual taxation of 5000, which
it was obliged To pay on the ola property
Therefore, by the deal the Corcoran
Art Gallery profits ST, 900 year. The art
loving public Of Washington can con
slider itself benefited each year by just
so much. for it is more than probable the
entire amount. or most of it, at least
will go into new pictures for the gallery.
For several years previous to the cree
tion of the new building the management
of the art gallery was saving money TO
apply to the new structure, ana hence
bought but few pictures Inc institution
is now practically free from any indebted
ness. and can apply the money received
to increasing the collection Last year
about a dozen new paintings were DouBht,
when there was only a small fund on
hand 1t is within the power of the di-
TectUrS now to acquire some exception
ally good works and to add considerably
from year to year to the collection
July / will see a number of changes in
the Department of Agriculture organiza-
ton, and the clerks employed in the vari-
GUS offices have been wondering if the
changes in the heads will mean any
cf anges in the ranks On the authority
of Secretary Wilson it is understood that
all changes will Ire merely nominal except
the salaries of the chiefs of bureaus.
which will have Il substantial increase of
$500. raising them from $500 to 5000
The organization of the bureaus au-
thorized by the congressional act means
simply the gathering under one head of
a number of divisions, as for example, in
the case of the Bureau of Plant Indus
try. which will have under 1t the botanlSt.
the pathologist the pomologlst. ana the
agrlstoloeist The Bureau of Plant In
dustry will he under B. Y. Galloway. as
chief when the new organization goes into
at it's head Clifford PinchOt The Bureau
of Chemistry viii be in charge of Harvey
w. Wiley. and the Bureau OF Soils VIII
l,a dir..t,l -. NstI..., whitney chief