St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-02-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.
rspecial Correspondence

A
IN civil service commission from the
Smithsonian institution for a certified
~, catcher, and examinations will
no,tlv be held by the former named
ornamental adjunct to test the abil
~ of candidates for the place. The
.r IL not excessive, being 5000 pei
r nnum but the good work that the in
onmbent will do in the interest of sci
noo is scarcely calculable. According
tbe requirements Of the institution
.so successful applicant must be well
sorsed in herpetology in all its branches
10 must have a familiar acquaintance
With land, marine and amphibious
50 +rochians and be able not only tC
oo+ch. but classify, them and place
thoir remains on exhibition in the sew
40, glass cases in the display rooms
Of the museum.
II Is the special desire Of the institu
Inn to secure a complete collection OF
the oyiparous reptiles of the United
states, and a certificate will be issued
n tbe catcher by the Society For the
prevention of Cruelty to Animals per
hitting him to Stay them as he sees
A. and most safe to his own interests.
He will also be supplied with the latest
dpvised appliances for the successful
nrrsut Of his avocation, and nets and
rbIoroform will occupy large space
in the paraphernalia.
White House Costs More Now.
Colonel Theodore Bingham, superin'
tpndeut of public buildings and grounds
in Washington, in his report to con-
gress asks for an appropriation OF
S11O,264 for the White House for the
coming year against $4,000 for the
present year. The report says:
"Tbe recent changes in the White
House have resulted in a building far
more expensive to maintain than for
merly. The character of the new fit
tings and furnishings is such that re-
pairs and replacing will be more ex'
pensiye than before, and it will be
more expensive to replace specially
designed silver doorknobs and es'
cutcheons, silver and gilt hinges, etc.
Hardwood floors and ii & will require
extra labor to keep in order. More
helm will be needed in the laundry
owing to the large family which oc'
cupies the White House and the large
amount of entertaining done"
A Relic of Warburton Manor House.
Dr. j. Dudley Morgan of Washington
has quite recently acquired possession
of magnificent knocker which at one
time graced the front door of the old
Warburton manor house, situated not
far from Fort Washington, the seat of
the Digges family, one of the most dis
tinguished and aristocratic houses in
Maryland. The object in question is
altogether different from the general
Iun of old fashioned knockers, an arti-
Gle Of house equipment which many of
the present generation doubtless never
saw and of the use of which they are
! ignorant. 1t is made of brass from one
! Of the British cannons captured in the
war of 1912 and is beautifully cast,
chased and engraved in the form of
trefoils and scrolls, artistic and har-
mOnious as a whole.
Will Have Floating Bath.
Washington is to have its first float
ing bath this coming summer. Here
tofore the public bathing beach has
filled the public want, but now that the
bathing beach is no more it was the
special effort Of Commissioner West
before the house committee on the Dis
trict to have provision made for pub
lie bath where the populace at large
could enjoy the pleasures of swim in
the summer months. AS the District
Oil passed the house 1t carried an ap,
preparation for $1,000, which will be
used by the commissioners for the pur-
pose of giving the city a substitute for
the old bathing beach in a modified
form Of the Boston style of public
bath.
To Aid Prohibition Enforcement.
The judiciary committee of the house
mas fayorably reported a bill to meet
the conditions brought about by the
original package decision of the SUI
preme court, which decision was in eff
feet that the states in the exercise of
their public powers could not interfere
with the introduction Of liquors in
original packages. The decision pre-
vented the enforcement Of prohibitory
laws enacted by several states. The
bill seeks to correct this by subjecting
intoxicating liquors imported from one
state into another to the jurisdiction of
The laws Of the state into which they
are imported.
Nothing to Say.
The president gave out an order last
Iall urging heads of departments and
bureaus to curtail their reports, but
with few exceptions the result of the
order was not discernible. Assistant
secretary Darling of the navy depart
ment took the order literally. He made
no report at all.
The chiefs of bureaus have written
III detail everything that | know and
more, too" he said. "If | made a re-
port it would be a rehash of their re-
ports. So have nothing to say"
Coal Output.
Inc chief Of the division of minera
resources in the geological survey calls