The sun., 1903-12-06
ODD JOBS UNDER UNCLE SAN.
TWO WOMEN WHO SEARCH
WASTE PAPER BASKETS.

They Make Big Finds Sometimes In the
Treasury at Nashingt0n-Butter anu
Birds stOmachs Under Examination
An Experiment with Horse Meat
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5.-Down in the
basement Of the Treasury Department
building sit two women, side by side. who
spend the entire day going through the
contents of the Department waste baskets
They are searching for stray bonds, checks
and bills that may through some mlslhp
have fallen into the baskets.
On the top floor of the same building
high salaried man is kept busy from to
+evsry working day of the year, examining
samples of butter, butterine and oleo-
margarine in all stages of rancidity.
These examples Of industry are cited
to show that all the persons employed
in the Treasury Department are not en-
gagged in the regulation clerical duties
that one might expect. On the contrary
| Uncle Sam finds curious occupations Tor
some of his workers.
In this same Department he has what
is officially designated az an excerptor, who
| spends his time reading the newspapers
and magazines and in cutting out such
paragraphs and items as he thinks will in
terest the Secretary his assistants and the
various chiefs of divisions.
The Government actuary IS also on the
rolls of the Treasury Department. He
deals IN all kinds of mathematical problems
and tells members of Congress how their
schemes for financial legislation would
work out in the course Of twenty-five or
fifty years If ifactunly put into operation.
| in ba Agricultural DeDart-
ment there is a scientist who for the past
seventeen years has given his time to
studying the contents of the stomachs
! of various kinds of birds and four-legged
animals. He has colleague who recently
cooked the carcassofa horse andate samples
| from different parts of it's body in order to
| be qualified to tell the public how to identify
| by sight and taste all kinds of horse fesh
whether prepared for roasting, broillng or
dried and preserved
Not scrap of paper is permitted to be
carried out of the Treasury Department
until it has passed the censorship Of the
official examiners of the waste baskets.
! There is a rule in the service also, that no
envelope, letter or slip Of paper shall be
thrown into basket until it has been torn
| or otherwise mutilated.
This Disagreement is sign TO the ex-
aminers that the paper was Intentionally
deposited in the baskets. Consequently. a
sharp lookout is maintained by the two
| female examiners for unmarked envelopes
and official-looking papers.
1t frequently happens that a gust of
| wind will carry bond or check from an
| officials desk and whisk it into his scrap
basket. 1t is almost as safe there as though
it reposed under lock and key. for the
chances are ten TO one in favor of the ex-
aminers rescuing it.
The two women have been doing this
work for years and have saved to the Gov
ernment the amount of their annual sal
aries hundred times over year or 30
ago one of them fshed up $4,000 United
States coupon bond.
At the Treasury Department there are
received every day between 800 and 800
newspapers and periodicals. Most Of them
are free, but some are paid for. They are
are all carefully scanned by the excerptor
who marks with a blue pencil the items
and editorials he wishes preserved and then
tosses the paper to an assistant, who does
the clipping.
Every morning Secretary Shaw has placed
on his desk all the editorials from the lead
ing papers Of the day that bear In any way
on the operations Of the Treasury, together
with such news paragraphs as might con-
Germ him. The same plan is followed by
the assistant secretaries aud all the bureau
chiefs
The scientist of the Department of Aeri-
culture referred to is responsible for the
discovery that hawks and owls are the
friends and not the enemies of our farmers.
| These birds were formerly shot on sight be-
cause Of the belief that they lived on young
chickens and ducks and in other ways acted
| the role of pirate.
| After spending the greater part of ten
years in examining the contents of the
etomachs of hawks and owls, however,
this scientist announced that these birds
not harmful species. He scrutinized the
| food In the stomachs of thousands of owls
and hawks before giving them clean bills
of health
The specimens came from all sections of
season Of the year. 1t was found that, while
the hawk will occasionally pick up young
chicken, 1t depends largely for food on the
animals hich are known to be highly in
furious to farm crops. The owl lives almost
entirely on field mice, which are great pests
| in certain sections.
This scientist is now busy ascertaining
the food of other species of birds. In his
| workroom are hundreds Of small bottles
filed with alcohol each one containing the
filed stomach of bird. On the outside Of
each bottle is short history of the bird, tell
ing where when and under what condi-
| tions it was killed.
The stomachs are examined With the ut
most care, and every kind of food that is
found is carefully noted. Hundreds of
| stomachs must be examined in this way
before single conclusion can be safely
| reached.
If you think you have discovered gold
mine, silver deposit or coal bed. send some
samples of the ore or dirt to the chief geolo-
gist of the United States Geological Sur
vey He is paid for giving honest and un-
biassed opinions about the properties of ore,
stones and other materials.
He receives a bunch of samples almost
every day. Occasionally a big find is un-
expected1y made. A few months ago some
samples Of crude tin were picked up by
| South Carolina farmer on what was con-
| sdered a worthless piece Of land. The
| Government geologist assayed the speci-
| men and found that it contained large
percentage OF tin.
CINEMATOGRAPH IN SURGERY.
The Machine Improved So as 10 Seem to