The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-09-15
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supplied with men having the allotted time
of service ahead Of them.

supplied with men having the allotted time
of service-ahead Of them.
The sun do move, and science along
with it, but science sometimes gets err
ratio. while the sun never does. Erin.
stance, SUPERINTENDENT Wyman. Of the
Marine Hospital Service, has been in
formed" by the medical experts whom he
has had out investigating things, that the
prairie dog is responsible for spotted fever
so there! Poor little prairie dog. 1t has
eaten up the seed corn, devoured the seed
wheat. chewed up the succulent roots OF
various tubers, but never before has any
body suspected that on it's funny little body
it carried a propa gating bed for spotted
fever-and they do not know it yet. The
prairie dog, or gopher, is q nuisance to
the farmer of the region of country which
the tiny creature makes his habitat, but
he is not a disease spreader to the extent
that Surgeon-General Wyman has been
informed"
A resident of Kansas who heard the
story of the Spotted fever bug. simply
howled with glee at the idea. why" he
said. prairie dogs are as plentiful in some
parts of Kansas as rats and mice, but not
at all like that vermin. The little creatures
edge of a town, often in the center of a
big field of corn or wheat, which they
devastate as grasshoppers do. but they are
not like that pest either. They are clean
as a house cat in their ways, and make
the finest of pets. l have lived close to
"dog-towns," as their colonies are called,
for the greater part of 80 years, and there
has not been an epidemic of anything in
that time, excepting drouth, grasshOppers,
and hot winds. l presume a prairie dog
would carry scarlet fever germs in its fur,
just as rat or cat or dog might, but the
idea that the prairie dog habitually carries
around with it such an epidemic as
spotted fever" seems to me to be the
height of a bsurdity. Kansas has not had
years, 1 know. Neither has Nebraska,
Colorado, Oklahoma. New Mexico-ex-
cepting smallpox, Arizona, or Nevada, yet
these States and Territories are the ma
tural home of the prairie dog. l certainly
think that Surgeon General Wyman's ex-
perts are entitled to another "guess."
Gen. Isaac Khan has been and gone and
got married! "Oh, woe is me-" signs the
society girl who hoped to attract this giant
of diplomat, formerly Minister from
Persia to the United States. He was big,
and handsome, and q bachelor, and quite
40 years old, with a military record of
great gallantry. He went back home and
married Persian beauty-and he is 60
ih6 " stay tueIe.
Col. John Biddle, Engineer Commits
sioner of the District, has just returned
from two weeks vacation spent on the
Panama Canal zone, where the Colonel
was the guest of the Panama Canal Com
mission. He said of affairs down there
The climate on the Zone surprised me
two weeks l remained there that the
thermometer rose higher than 80, and I
was informed that the temperature held
between 20 and 80 during the entire time
of my visit.
'The nights were cool and there was
an absence of mosquitoes that surprised
pie that mosquitoes are the cause of many
OF our woes, and so took precautions
against them. We slept under MEETINGS
and tucked them in under us at night, but
l did not see any mosquitoes to amount
to anything throughout my stay. When
l started for Panama loaded up with all
sorts OF rubber things to keep out the rain,
as this is said to be the rainy season, but
l did not wear any of them. An umbrella
was all that was necessary. The health
of the people who live on the canal zone
was very good, l thought, and was much
surprised at this. There were No cases of
yellow fever. smallpox, or the plague on
the canal property at all, although there
were all three at points on the coast. The
excellent work Of the Marine Hospital
Service might be responsible for this"
1t should be distinctly understood, also.
that no Americans need apply for work
down there, for there is no work for them
to do. and that is all there is to it.
Whatever are we coming to? The Navy
Department has certainly started out to
tread on our dearest privileges, or one of
them at least-tipping-but then there are
some other things. A while ago, an Off
Ger and gentleman, when he started out
to perform service for the United States
Navy, handed in the lump sum of his ex-
penditures. or what he could have spent
If ne had been a-mind-to. and the same
was paid by the Navy Department. All
this is changed now. The Navy Depart.
ment has taken personal interest in the
game, and lays down ironclad rules for
the officer and gentleman in the way of
expenses which Uncle Sam will pay, when
the officer and gentleman travels abroad
in this land or some other. Just cast your
eagle eye over the thing.
According to the new order. EXPENSES
of officers travelling in this country are
not to exceed the following:
Actual cost of transportation, including
Pullman fare.
Meals on train, 81 each.
Hotel bills, S. per day.
Single meals not on train, $1.5O each.
Tips on train, 80 cents per diem.
Tips at hotels, so cents per diem.
Transfer of baggage, 81.
Excess baggage allowed by the regula-
tions and charged for at regular rates.
Carriage hire. when necessity for such
expense is clearly shown.
Subsistence to officers on inspection duty
will not be allowed in places adjacent to
the headquarters or to the officers domi-
Giles.
Assistant inspectors, So per diem for
hotel bills; other expenses as above set
forth.
Expenses of officers travelling in Europe
are not to be in excess Of the following
Hotel bills, s. per diem; necessity for
mourning such bills to be clearly shown.
Single meals, $1.5O.
Tips at hotels. 81 per diem.
Fees on merchant vessels, $1.5O per
diem.
Steamer chair, 81.
Transfer of baggage, $3.50.
Actual cost Of transportation when not
furnished by the Government.
Mess bills on board Government vessel
il officer is travelling as a passenger.
Other incidental expenses incurred on
account of travel and shown to be rea-
sonable.