Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-12-31
FROM WASHINGTON.

FKUM w AS1INU IOIN'
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette
Washington, d. c., December 81.
At President Roosevelt's New Years
reception tomorrow the general public
will have its first opportunity OF viewing
the interior of the rejuyenated White
House. Those who have been familiar
with its appearance in the past will
scarcely recognize the old mansion after
they step within the northern entrance.
Much vet remains to be done to put the
mansion in finished condition. 1t will not
be entirely completed for several months.
Workmen were busy today clearing up
the debris in preparation for tomorrow
function. The President will receive
in the Blue Room as formerly, the guests
passing on through the Red Room into
the East Room, thence down the stairs
and through the basement out the east
ern entrance. The walls of the basement
corridor are lined with the portraits of
mistresses of the White House, among
them Chartran's recent painting of Mrs.
Roosevelt. The portraits of the Presl-
dents are distributed through the rooms
on the main floor.
Arrangements have been made for
the proper introduction of the new
wear by, the United States Naval
Observatory in this city. A series OF
telegraphic signals will be sent out from
the observatory tonight beginning at
l1:55 and ending at midnight, and will
be similar to those sent every day at
noon by which the clocks all over the
United States are regulated. The wires
of the telegraphic companies and press
associations, as well as those OF the tele-
phone companies in many of the larger
cities. will be connected with the wires
leading from the observatory for the
purpose of transmitting this signal.
The United States Treasury will start
the New Year with more gold in its
vaults than this or any government has
ever held at any time before. There Is
now in the Treasury building in Wash
| ington and in various sub-treasuries
throughout the country s615,3l9, 1867 in
gold These holdings are four times as
much as the present holdings of the Bank
of England, one and half times as much
as is held by the Bank of France, four
times as much as the Imperial German
Bank holds, and nearly twice as much
as the Imperial Bank Of Russia possesses.
Secretary Hay has received the answer
of President Castroto the proposal of the
powers to arbitrate the Venezuelan diff
culties before The Hague Tribunal.
President Castro accepts the general
principle, of the proposition. His an
swer will be transmitted from here to
London, Berlin ard Rome sometime to-
day.
1t has been officially announced that
when assistant land commissioner w. a.
Richards, of Wyoming, moves up to
take Commissioner Binger Herman's
place. he will be succeeded by John II.
Fimple. of Ohio. This same change
was in contemplation under the late
President Mckinley, when it was the
understanding that Mr.. Herman would
retire.
Secretary Wilson today opened the
Dist annual meeting of the American
Forestry Association. The fuel trouble,
he said, emphasizes the work of tree
planting and the necessity for careful
efforts to keep up the forest reserves OF
the country. $4,000 trees were planted
last year and this year 100, 600 will be
distributed.
A surplus of $72, 222, 151 has been ac-
cumulated by the Treasury Department
during the past calendar year. The
total expenditure of the United States
for the year just closing has been
1896, 462, 1888; while the receipts have
reached the sum of 1867, 6S4, 800.
During the month of November there were
463 intending immigrants declared from land,
ing in this country, and 80 were returned
within year after landing. Three were pre-
vented from coming ashore because OF lnsan-
ity; $40 because they were likely to become
public charges; SO because suffering from
loathsome or dangerous contagious diseases
one for being convict; and because they
were contract laborers. The number permit
ted to land was 50, III.
There are 100 car loads Of hard coal on sid
lngs In the Is. ~ ". yard tOuay. Inc llne ol
cars extend nearly to Bennings. About 2 400
tons of hard coal from Philadelphia have ar
rived here in four barges and are docked in
Georgetown to unload.
LAzier G. Guzman, proprietor of a grocery
store at 4l6 Gordon street northeast, was
found yesterday by his nephew cut to pieces.
A young negro who entered drug store in
the neighbOrhood and applied for medical
treatment, his face being badly bruised, is
believed to be the murderer. The police say
that 81 900 which Guzman kept in a closet
was taken. This is the fourth murder here
within the past week.