The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-08-18
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial Correspondence.l

oo VI
public buildings and grounds a few
months ago. has prepared his first an
nual report. which will be submitted
to. congress. Attention is directed to
the necessity for building a new stable
for the president. The present stable
is located Immediately south of the
White House and state department
and, in addition to being inadequate for
present requirements, is a blot OH 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
building a new stable. In his report
he says:
1.-THE stables at present in use are In
adequate and in nowise corresponding
to 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 oil accommodated together.
The present stable Is a low brick struc-
ture built many years ago n SO
neal the ground as to be damp and un-
healthy for horses. 1t is situated on a
plot Of ground which undoubtedly in
the near future will be selected as the
site of a monument to n Of the ma
tons great men," 3
Human skulls For National Museum.
Professor w. HI. Holmes, curator of
anthropology Of the National museum.
has received from Harvard university
a collection of skulls, part of q still
larger collection gathered by the expo
dition which about m year ago that
university sent to the south sea Is
lands. The skulls received at the Ma
tional 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 a genuine rarity and the first of the
kind that have ever reached the Ma
tional museum.
When in a foray or battle a Dyak
warrior takes a number Of heads he
buries them for a 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
a world of other patterns which when
completed render the skull a work of
art in every sense of the term.
Crumb1ing Columns.
Treasury officials are permitting and
encouraging some experiments OH 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 the
huge sandstone pillars of the east front
have been disintegrating for q number
Of years, and it is only a question Of
time when they will have to be re-
moved unless some other way out of
the trouble is found.
The huge pillars of the east front of
the treasury are the only ones in the
building Of sandstone. The others, on
of granite. The d~isintegration of the
sandstone has been noticeable for a
good while, and efforts have been made
to stop it SO far without success.
Couldn't Bribe the Colonel.
The secretary of war recently sent
to the treasury department a box of
cigars and 500 received from the de-
partment Of Texas. 1t appears that
Colonel Glen, chief quartermaster in
that state. found the cigars on his desk
and upon opening the box discovered
that it was from a contractor who was
doing some work under his supervision.
In the box was the money. The colonel
was indignant and referred the matter
to General Fred Grant. commanding
the department.
The contractor acknowledged sending
the cigars by a messenger boy. but
said he did not know anything about
the money. General Grant thought
that under such circumstances nothing
could be done by prosecuting the man
for attempted bribery, and so he sent
the cigars and money to the war de-
partment. whence they were trans
ferred to the treasury, like all other
unclaimed funds. The cigars subse-
quently were sold for the sum Of So,
which was added to the 500.
A force Of expert photographers has
been making a novel set Of illustra-
lions of the methods of handling mails