Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-09-23
WASHINGTON LETTER
rsnecial Correspondence.l

w Ofk on tne great lullllcl WHICH " III
lead under Capitol hill to the Union
depot at Massachusetts and Delaware
avenues has been begun. AIr. L. G.
Williams, representing the New York
Continental-Jewell Filtration company
contractors for tie tunnel under agree
ment with the Pennsylvania railroad,
has been at the District building going
over with the engineer authorities the
various details Of the preliminary
plans for several days.
The construction of this tunnel WI!
be one Of the most important features
of the Union station project. Tie con
tracing company is making elaborate
plans for carrying Gil tic work.
One Of the problems 10 be solved is
the disposition OF tic thousands Of tons
of earth to be removed from the excl
vation. The, contractors have leased
a wharf near the foot of South Capitol
street and will construct narrow
gauge railway from the tunnel mouth
at the junction of New Jersey avenue
and D street southeast to the wharf.
The dirt will be taken down the river
OH barges and disposed of wherever
conditions will permit. y great guam
tity Of the earth will be transported 10
the new Long bridge for filling in the
approach to that structure.
Baggage Men to Handle Newspapers.
Baggage men on trains not provided
with mail clerks are to be employed by
the post office department TO take
charge of and deliver open newspaper
mail, according to decision OF Post
master General Payne. For the pres
ent the new service will be tried as al
experiment. Later it may be much eX-
tended.
This decision has been reached after
much consideration, and in response 10
petition filed by many OF the lead <.
newspaper publishers of the county
who asked the department 10 provide
facilities for distributing open bundles
Of papers along the lines from trains
which carry only closed pouches.
There are large number OF such
trains, and as the icpartmcnt is not
represented by an employee on them
the postmaster general declined to as
sumo responsibility for papers not III
closed in the pouches. Second Assist
ant Postmaster General Shaiicnber%er
ther suggested the eXpcdicnt Of en-
ploying the baggage men to take
charge of the mail in such cases, ana
the suggestion was adopted.
Secretary Roots Rctircmc&t.
Secretary Root, who has gone 20 Lon
don to attend to his duties rs Il mem
Der Of the Alaskan boundary commits
sion, win return to Washington il the
fall after the work on the boundary
commission has been completed. II
probably will be merely for tie purpose
Of preparing his last annual report and
winding up the affairs of his admins
tration.
The secretary does not expect to re-
main in the cabinet after the first Of
= the year. His purpose TO retire. was
formed several months ago. it was
not carried into effect partly on ac
count of the added weight which will
be given to his counsel in the boundary
commission through his connection
with the administration. 1t has been
the presidents earnest wish also that
he should remain at the head of tho
war department Just as long as he
could without too great Il sacrifice Of
his own interests.
Judge Taft, governor OF The Philip
pines, will be Secretary Roots success
sor if the present plans Of the admins
tration go into effect. This has been on
the cards for some time.
Hall Of Records Site.
1t is announced at the treasury de-
partment that there will be little if any
of the property in square 1!3. between
Z and + and Eighteenth and Nine
teenth streets. TO be condemned liy the
secretary of the treasury before tic ell
tire square can be obtained by the GOV
crnment as Il site for the proposed hall
of records. Practically every property
the treasury of his willingness to part
with his real estate at two and one
tenth times the assessed valuation, the
basis of settlement fixed by Secretary
Shaw. Several of the principal owners
who were holding out have informed
officials OF the treasury that they
would accept Secretary Shaw's propo-
sition 1t is stated that there is one
small lot in the square that is in litiga-
tion and the legal title to which is TO be
determined and that there are possibly
one or two others that it may be neccs-
sary to condemn. but even the owners
of these are expected to accept the
treasury basis.
The Mcclellan Statue.
The commission consisting Of Score
tary-Root. Senator Wetmore and Gen
eral Ruggles appointed to select Il
sculptor to design statue Of General
Mcclellan to be erected il Washington
has chosen Frederick MacMonni2s of
New York The statue probably will be
placed in the reservation south of the
Stdlc department.
The Shuvs.
Mrs. Shaw. wife of the secretary of
the treasury. and their two daughters
are in Paris. Where they will stay for
several weeks They will make trips
from there. going when and whero
they please. The secretary will not
join them, but will spend his vacation
at different places in this country. His
wife and daughters will return t.
America late in September.
InSSeased Postal Receipts.
The postal receipts at ,ic fifty lead
ing offices during July show Il gain of
almost 0 per cent over tho correspond
ing month of 1902 New York made q
gain of per cent. Chicago 6, Philadel-
phia I and st. Louis II per cent. c.