Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-13
Interest in Navy's Personnel.


There is reason to believe that the British
admiralty have come to a very important
decision with regard to the personnel of
the navy. For many years there has been
much grumbling in regard to the position
of engineer officers in the navy. They were
not treated as executive" officers, and
kind of underlined social distinction has eX-
listed between them and the other officers of
the navy. In order to effect a change in
this respect all the cadets-engineer and
nautical-will enter the Naval College at
Dartmouth, and their training will be car
ried for some time together. After a
time the engineering students Will be
drafted off to the training college at Key
ham. There will be therefore in future
common entry for all officers to the navy,
and it is believed that admission to all
branches of the naval service will be by
open competition.
The general effect of the change will be
to improve the position of the engineer Of
ficers and to associate the chief engineer
with the captain to a greater extent in the
working of the ship. The captain must or
course, be supreme, but as a man-of-war
has now become a floating fortress, hfied
with complicated machinery, the duties OF
engineer officers are all-lmportant. These
changes are partially due to the persistent
agitation led by Sir w. Allen, who has
Numbered his demand in parliament for
years, and If they are not all that he wants
they are in the right direction.
Big Sale Of London Real Estate.
The biggest sale of London real estate
that has ever taken place in the city was
effected at Winchester House today. Some
eighty-two acres of land in Kensington, ly-
ing between Brompton cemetery and Earls
Court exhibition, was put up for auction IN
one lot and, contrary to expectations, was
sold 1t realized f565, 900, or f7,00O an acre,
which is not a great price for land in
y,rrfn W
buildings on it, But the houses and flats
on the land are in many cases OF a nigh
class character and as the ground rents
now bring in over f1S.0O0 year, rising at
the expiration of the leases in thirty-six
to ninety years time to FIT, 600, the bar
gain was not dear. 1t yields an immediate
return of over per cent, and In less than
forty years the value will begin to increase
by leaps and bounds. 1t was bought, l
understand, for a syndicate, and later on
may be retailed at TokenhouSe yard The
property itself is part of the London estate
of Lord Kensington.
Presages of Christmas on Ludgate Hill
Ludgate Hill, under the shadow of st.
PauPs Cathedral, is beginning to realize the
near approach of Christmas. The famous
old thoroughfare is the recognized business
ground of the street hawkers, who are
ready to sell anything from top to
crown for the modest penny. These toy
sellers on the hill usually number about
a dozen. Yesterday I counted over fifty, and
this number will steadily increase, until
Christmas eve there will be close on to two
hundred if precedent can be relied upon.
One of the most ingenious of the toys this
year is a monkey on a motor bicycle, a
string sharply pulled taking the place of
the motive power, and the speed at which
the cycle careers along the ground main
tanning the monkeys equilibrium. Out of
the many toys I could find only one bearing
the legend, made in Germany" and that
was not the motor monkey, but a very or
ddinary top Evidently the British manu-
facturer has ouSted the German and the
Swiss in what used to be their particular
ground. Coronation chairs and crowns
have reappeared, in the hope that Christ
postponement in June practically left
drug in the market.
The Motor Vehicle Craze.
Mr. s. F. Edge the holder of the Gordon
Bennett cup, writes to the papers that the
forthcoming race is the last race that he
will compete in. He Is confident that once
again he will win the treasured trophy, and
then he will enjoy an honorable retirement.
Should parliament allow the contest to be
decided in England, Of which, however
there Is practically no hope, Mr.. Edge sug-
gests a course from Preston to York, via
Lancaster, Carlisle, PEBBLES. Berwick, New
castle and Darlington. These are populous
districts, and he wisely prefers Ireland as
more suitable arena. He considers that
motor car capable of travelling at speed
Of eighty miles an hour will be sufficiently
powerful for the race, but there will be
competing vehicles able to go much faster
thetn that
When Mr.. Edge retires Mr. Charles Jar
rot will be the champion racing represent
tative. when motorist Is going mile a
minute" says Mr.. Jarrot, "a fly hits him
like brick
The motoring craze has badly bitten the
members OF the royal family. The Prince
of Wales, after stout resistance and con-
tinued loyalty to his cycle and his horse, is
the last victim among the princes. His
royal highness has ordered his first car. It |