Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-17
AT THE LITTLE CAPITOL
A Treat for the Inspector.

! ~ Cci tdli dSSlSldut Inspector III Tie LIS
trict building department, in the course of
| his official duties, recently enjoyed real
treat at the instance of the Commission
ers-a treat of the kind indicated in the
| old verses, familiar to all school children,
which begin, Mother. may I go to SWIM y
| etc. The matter has been made one of
| record in the archives of the municipality,
and as the mot for publication stamp Is
not on the papers it seems altogether
| proper that the incident be related.
| 1t is related that the proprietors of a
| certain department store in Washington
are DESTROYS Of installing in their establish
| ment system of escalators-a sort of
| movable stairway which carries person
from lower to an upper floor without the
least exertion on the part Of the passenger.
| No device of the kind has ever been used
In Washington, but the movable stairways
are in operation in several large stores in
| New York city. In order that the local
| authorities might have expert knowledge
| as to the manner in which the escalators
| are opera ted, their safety, etc, the authori-
| ties decided to detail an assistant inspector
| in the building department to go to New
| York for the purpose of inspecting the NOV :
| able stairways
A few days before the Christmas holt
| days the Commissioners issued an official
| order directing the inspector to proceed to
Gotham and inspect escalators. The clerks
l
| the regular course of business glanced has
| tily at the mandate without reading 1t to
| the end and exclaimed "Oh. joy!' at the
| idea of spending the gladstone Christmas
| holidays in a lively burg like the metropolis
| and at the Districts expense. They pic
| tured the merry scenes of hilarious happi-
| ress incident to the Yuletide In New York,
| in which the simple life did not figure. and
| they envied the inspectors opportunity to
| participate in the festivities. But the en-
| thusiasm Of the clerks might have fallen
| to zero had they finished reading the order,
for there at the tail end of the mandate
| was the stipulation that 1.-The District would
bear the expenses of the trip, not to ex-
coed $15.' F"
OF course, SIS Is not so small sum of
| money that it Is to be treated with con-
tempt. Many a resident of Washington no
doubt, would feel surprising thrill of
| pleasure and keen enjoyment to know
| that he had fifteen crisp, or even limp,
81 bills tucked safely away in his wallet.
| In fact, this Identical sum of money has
| furnished inspiration for touching verse
and hilarious ditties. as for instance the
old Irish song, I've Fifteen Dollars in My
| Inside Pocket Saturday Night" How
ever. it is declared by those who have had
| experience that On a trip down the Bow
| cry SIS would be entirely covered into the
damper at about the fourth step up, gen.
| tlemen."
| But the assistant building inspector was
| to go to New York to inspect escalators,
| and not to view the tall buildings by gas
| light nor to conduct an investigation for
| the excise board. Whatever his thoughts
| on the subject may have been in thus hav-
| ing the extent of his levity restricted, he
| said not a word, but like a faithful en-
ploye of the municipality he decided to
obey orders and trust to Providence and
| his own resources. He took the little $15
voucher to the disbursing officer, and upon
| receiving the proper certificates of Uncle
| Sam tucked the munficent sum in his
match pocket and bidding farewell to his
associates started on his journey.
| AS is well known, the railroad fare from
| Washington to New York and return Is
SO. The inspector was supposed to travel
at night so that he might not dissipate the
| precious daylight riding on the cushioned
| chairs. The sleeper rate between Wash
| ington and the metropolis is 81 each way.
| The work of the inspector, it was estimat-
| ed would consume about three days time,
| and ordinary hotel rates in New York, for
| those who are in the habit of eating real
food and sleeping in beds, are from 81 to
| 81 day. Besides these expenses, which are
| considered necessary. 1t should be remem-
bered that New York is quite town for
| size, and ones street car fare in travelling
| from one point to another would like likely
amount to at least % cents day.
| A reorganization of these necessary ex-
| penses would be about as follows:
Railroad fare. $1,000
| Sleeper, going and coming ............. AGO
! Hotel, three days at 50 a day.......... 9.05
| Car fare for the three days............ 10
| total SZb. ID
This table does not include shaves,
! shines, cigars, tips, etc. To meet all these
| necessary expenses the inspector was given
| s15 At this rate of expense, in order to
| keep within the limit, the inspector might
make trip as far as the thriving little viii
| lage of Boyds, Md.
| The authorities who estimated the as
sistant inspectors expenses on the trip
| have not disclosed the exact manner or
| method of their calculations. Some of the
| employees at the District building suggest
| that the officials have been reading arti-
| cles on How to Furnish Flat and Make
Home Happy on Fifteen Cents a Week."
| and articles of such tenor.
| But one rapid calculating clerk of the
District. government has offered sugges-
| ton which seems more to the point
| He states that in New York there is a
| hosiery founded and endowed by the late
| Citizen" George Francis Train. which
mere pittance. The rates at this hostel
| ry. it is stated, are 10 cents for break
| fast, 10 cents for dinner, 10 cents for
supper and 10 cents for bed over
night. 1t is suggested that the authori-
ties have had their attention called to
this hotel, and that in estimating the ex-
penses of the assistant inspectors trip
they figured his hotel bill with their eyes
fixed these rates, 40 cents day, and
no extras
BY figuring the inspectors hotel bill at
this rate, and by eliminating the item for
sleep on the vanished cars, for it is not
an inspectors duty TO sleep when at work.
| 1t is presumed the authorities calculated
| that the inspector could pull through with
a limit of SIS, and by exercising his pow
| ers of loeomotion while engaged on his
| inspecting tours about the city he could
have left little change to enable him for
pleasure and recreation to take a street
car ride on the surface line to view Grants
tomb, with a possible trip back to the
Battery to take look at the sportive fish
in the glass cases In the aquarium.
But, as previously stated, the authorities
are silent on the points in question, and
in the absence of specific statements from
them individual speculations are permissi-
BILE.
The assistant inspector, it should be men,
toned, made the trip to New York and
return. and made careful inspection of the
gliding stairways. He has reported the
results of his investigation without going
into any of the incidents of the trip. 1t Is
thought however. that IL he were SO in
clined he might "a tale unfold" that
would throw some light on the subject of
economy IN travelling.
The man who attempted to shoot General
Trepoff recently removed as chief of police
at Moscow, was seized by the railway sta
ton hands and quickly inearceratcd. He
refused to reveal his identity or to make
any statement