St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-08-19
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial Correspondence

nnblic buildings and grounds rev
months ago, has prepared his first an
nual report, which will be submitted
n congress. Attention is directed to
+be necessity for building a new stable
for the president. The present stable
&c located Immediately south Of the
White House and state department
ond. in addition to being inadequate for
nresent requirements, is a blot on the
landscape. The horses and vehicles
used in the transaction of executive
business and those employed by the
commissioner of public buildings, as
we'll as those of the president, are kept
in this stable. Colonel Symons recon-
mends an appropriation Of 100000 for
hulding a new stable. In his report
he says:
"Ihe stables at present in use are in
adequate and in nowise corresponding
70 or commensurate with the splendid
residence of the president or his stable
needs or the variety and importance Of
the business of the executive Office and
Office of public buildings and grounds,
which are all accommodated together.
The present stable Is low brick struc-
ture built many years ago and 80
near the ground as to be damp and I'M
healthy for horses. 1t is situated on
Mot of ground which undoubtedly In
the near future will be selected as the
site of monument to one Of the ma
TONS great men,"
Human skulls For National Museum.
Professor w. FL. Holmes, curator OF
anthropology of the National museum,
has received from Harvard university
a collection Of skulls, part of a still
larger collection gathered by the expe-
dition which about one year ago that
university sent to the south sea Is
lands. The skulls received at the Ma
tonal museum are all from Borneo,
where they were obtained by the ex-
petition from the Dyak head hunters
of the interior of the island. The skulls
are genuine rarity and the first OF the
kind that have ever reached the Ma
tional museum.
When in a foray or battle Dyak
warrior takes a number Of heads he
buries them for time until the flesh
and soft parts have completely disap-
peared, when they are removed from
the earth, carefully cleaned and polish
ed and set away to dry. After this IS
accomplished the Dyak warrior, equip
ped with different vegetable pigments
and bone implements, proceeds to en-
grave upon the skulls a most elaborate
and intricate design, consisting OF
chevrons, clearinghouse" crosses and
q world of other patterns which when
completed render the skull a work OF
art in every sense Of the term.
Crumbling Columns.
Treasury officials are permitting ano
encouraging some experiments on the
east front Of the treasury department
with what is claimed to be a preserva
tive for sandstone and other materials
out of which the east front is con
structed. 1t is hoped that the expert
ments may prove successful, as thu
huge sandstone pillars of the east from
have been disintegrating for numbel
of years, and it is only a question O
time when they will have to be re
moved unless some other way out O.
the trouble is found.
The huge pillars Of the east front o
the treasury are the only ones in tn
building Of sandstone. The others, OF
the south, west and north fronts, ar'
Of granite. The disintegration Of tn
sandstone has been noticeable for
good while, and efforts have been mad
to stop it so far without success.
Couldn't Bride the Colonel.
The secretary Of war recently sen
to the treasury department a box o
cigars and 500 received from the dc
partment Of Texas. 1t appears tina
Colonel Glen, chief quartermaster /
that state, found the cigars ON his des
and upon opening the box discovere
that it was from contractor who wa
doing some work under his supervision
In the box was the money. The colont
was indignant and referred the matte
to General Fred Grant, commandin
the department
The contractor acknowledged sendin
the cigars by messenger boy, pt
said he did not know anything abol
the money. General Grant though
that under such circumstances nothin
could be done by prosecuting the ma
for attempted bribery, and so he SCI
the cigars and money to the war q
partment, whence they were tran
ferred to the treasury, like all 9TH
unclaimed funds. The cigars subs
quently were sold for the sum OF y
which was added to the 500. q
Moving Pictures of Mail Handling
A force of expert photographers hi
been making a novel set OF lllustr
tons of the methods of handling mai
in the Washington post office. IL
microscope was employed to reprodu
every part of the work in the OHIO
from the taking Of the letters from t
drop tables to the final locking al
loading of the sacks.
The Washington office Is regarded
model for all the offices Of the cou
try, and it is under the especial