The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-17

Mr. AMI Smith. Superintendent of the
Senate document room, has been in the
Capitol about as long as anyone He is
an honored and valued officer. He entered
the Government service about thirty years
ago and has been handling Senate docu-
ments without intermission since His
advice is often sought about official work
and he has had, and still has, many
warm friends in the Senate Mr.. Smith
Is a veteran Of the war between the
States. and was in the military service
for a while after the war. He is
Pennsylvania by birth.
Mr. Smith is regarded as something Of
an encyclopedia il as far as documents
are concerned, and is an authority On
general legislation. He is often consulted
in regard to the preparation OF bills. and
his work is apparent in many OF the i'm
portant laws. He is familiar with the
statistics Of legislation and has in mind
at ali times many OF the Senate's great
occasions and works.
The most complete file CT Senate and
House documents to be found in Wash
ington is that stored in the Senate doeu-
ment room Much Of the history OF the
country is embraced. and for the last
thirty years the records are perfect In
shelves have been fitted up under the
direction of the superintendent. and the
Office is q model Of convenience as well
as OF completeness.
When not working with documents or
talking OF them. Mr. Smith is fishing or
talking Of fishing He is an uneoualed
authority on fsh and all their ways, and
local anglers have long tacItly held him
70 be dean of the corps and chief narrator.
He knows all about the Potomac and its
deniZens.
Mr. Stephen NJ Pritcnard, clerk in the
rural free mail delivery office, is a
Georgian and a relative Of Senator
Pritchard OF North Carolina He is
very capable man and has been familiar
with the work OF establishing the great
and growing system
Mr. Thomas T. Upton. examiner in the
civil engineering division of the Patent
OHce. is a very busy man these days. He
attributes the present rush OF patent
seekers to the increased prosperity Of the
country, holding that the inventors can
more readily get hold Of the money to
push proceedings for patents. There has
been q notable increase II the number Of
patents issued in the past few weeks Last
week 526 we're issued j great many OF
them seem to De entirely meritorious, and
the crop Of crank products for overturn-
ing the schemes Of nature are not as
plentiful as they have been at other
times.
Prof. Robert T. Hill, of the Geological
Survey, has gone to the iII-staTred island
OF Martinique to investigate the causes
Of the eruption which destroyed the city
Of St Pierre He will write q number of
articles On the catastrophe and the cir
eumstances surrounding it Prof Hill
visited that section several years ago
He has made q careful and special study
Of seismic disturbances and kindred
phenomena
AIr. Paul Beekwith, clerk in the Of
fee OF the head curator Of the
National Museum. is one Of the
younger scientific men of the city. but
under the tutelage Of Prof Holmes
ana other able men he is fast becoming
an expert IN various lines. The Museum
Is 2 good place for stUdious men, and is
visited by people seeking knowledge more
often than is generally known The lee
lures at the Museum Hall are well at
tended
Judge Virgil D. stockbridge, assistant
examiner Of patents, has heavy contract
On his hands The purpose o. the New
York Central Railway Company TO enter
New York by tunnels has caused the in
ventors everywhere TO get busy. There
are now plans for scoOpiug tunnels under
rivers, and many OF them are apparently
feasible There has ben q remarkable ad-
vance in this field lately. The work of
tunnelfng under the rivers of Manhattan
will be one of the most sIupendous things
undertaken IN this country, and the in
ventor whose plans suit the best viii be
made man The lighting Of the tunnels
alone viii be q great thing. and that is
the reason the patent officers Of electrical
lines are going TO be entertained this
sumner. Judge Stockbridge has hun
dreds Of models and plans before him
now.
Two of the Oldest and most respected
Of the Patent Office clerks are sick, and
the general interest in their condition Is
an evidence OF the esteem IN which they
are held The afflicted employees are Mr.
Oscar C Fox. chief Of the division Of fenc-
ing and ullage. and Major J. II. Emory,
chief OF the interference records division
Both are old soldiers and are being spe-
ciaIIy looked after BY Kit Carson Post
C. A. R., Of which both are members.
Mr. Fox is suffering greatly with a
wound received while fighting for his
country. q wound that has panied him for
nearly forty years. He was in a New
York regiment Major Emory was in a
Pennsylvania regiment and saw hard
service
Mr.. J. J. Bean, OF the Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Station. is at Charleston. s. c.,
with an important exhibit. He is con-
Quoting a two-acre plot OF experiments
eud demonstrations and has in various
stages Of growth and preparation i23