St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-10-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Especial Correspondence

4 LSHI quarters OulSluc Ol inc treasury
department into which to receive and
store checks and drafts bearing i'm
printed stamps now being sent in for
redemption under the provisions of the
repeal of the war revenue act The
original act providing for the redemp-
ton of these imprinted stamps limited
the time within which they could be
presented for redemption to two years
from the time they were purchased
from the government. Subsequently,
that time was extended to Jan. l, 1904
Almost Immediately after the act was
passed banks and large business
houses began sending in their surplus
stocks, and in a short time the guam
tity had reached the point where the
weight threatened the walls Of the
rooms and corridors where they were
stored, necessitating a prompt re-
moval. Up to this time over 200 tons
of imprinted checks have been de-
stroyed or returned to the senders aft
er cancellation, and there are now
about fifty tons on hand, with the
daily receipts almost equaling the can
cellations.
Under the Tent Again.
The national encampment of the
| Grand Army of the Republic will be
held in monster tent at Camp Roose-
welt. Washington was once the storm
center of a great war. Her streets
were filled with uniformed men, and
upon the hills that environ the nations
capital a chain of forts was established,
broken only by the Potomac river.
Tented cities sprang up in night, and
| thousands of marching men patrOlled
| the heights which commanded the cap
| ital's broad avenues, and other thou
sands manned the guns trained upon
the city ready for any foe.
Of these thousands of uniformed men
hundreds will attend the national en-
campment as delegates who were once
housed in the tented camps about
Washington. They will have the
pleasure of briefly enjoying tent life
again while they deliberate upon the
questions of grave import to the veter-
ans of the Grand Army of the Repub-
| lie, the survivors of that war.
Wireless TeIegraphy Unsatisfactory.
mo reliable system of wireless tele-
graph has yet been developed" This
statement was made by Rear Admiral
Royal T. Bradford, chief of the bureau
of equipment who has especial charge
of all matters connected with commu-
nications in the navy. Upon the rec
ommendation of Rear Admiral Brad
ford tests of various, systems which
We're declared to have worked salts
factorily have been in progress be-
tween the Washington navy yard and
the Naval academy. The admiral de-
clined to make public any Of the re-
suits of the tests but there is reason
for believing that they have not shown
the desirability of the immediate equip
ment of the service with a wireless te-
legraphy system.
The recent maneuvers demonstrated
the need Of wireless telegraphy pro-
yided a reliable system could be OBJ
tanned, but it has not been produced,
according to Rear Admiral Bradford,
and the navy will probably have to
wait until something more satisfactory
is found. The tests will not, however,
cease.
A Substitute For Anthracite.
A substitute for anthracite coal has
been found by the commissioners Of
the District of Columbia, and the re-
suit of experiments conducted by them
is of general interest in view of the
probable eXorbitant price for hard coal
during the coming winter. After ask
| ing for proposals for the annual
coal supply and receiving only one
| bid at $40 a ton, which was immedi-
ately withdrawn, the commissioners
were forced to seek substitute. A Sc
ries of experiments were made in the
steam heating plants and furnaces in
the public schools, which demonstrate
ed that a combination of bituminOus
coal and coke produced as good results
as had been obtained when anthracite
coal was used. The furnaces are fired
with layer of coke, then a layer of
soft coal and another layer of coke on
top. 1t is a comparatively slow burn
ing fire and one that does not violate
the smoke nuisance laws.
Increased PostOfIice Receipts.
A net increase of 0 per cent occurred
in the receipts at the fifty largest post
offices in the United States in the
month Of August, 1902, as compared
with August, 1901. The total receipts
at these fifty offices this year aggre-
gated $4,321 ,444, net increase of $751;
$40. The largest increases were 26.G
per cent at Des Moines, Ia, and 262
per cent at Toledo, o. Five of the of
fees showed decreased receipts, the
largest decrease being almost 10 pei
cent at Buffalo. New York's receipts
increased almost II per cent and Chi
cagos per cent.
VIII Follow Classical Lines.
1t will crafty right thinking persons
to learn that the architect, with the
support of the proper authorities, has