The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-02-08
VASTIINGTON~%
u 81 81 NWCa

VIZ WIZ
given a vacation for the evening. and
| all the white flunkies also. Chimes
opened the doors, and waited upon the
| distinguished guests to gorgeous recep
banquet hall, where they ate will
chopsticks and Chinese spoons trul.
Chinese dishes, not an American one
| among them. There were no outside
guests at all. One remarkable thing
| about these Orientals is that they dt
very little drinking. They like ginger
| ale and other soft drinks, but they shy
| at our high-balls and cocktails.
Mrs. Henry c. Payne, wife of the
| late PostmaSter-General, is collecting
| data of events with which her husband
was connected during his lifetime, an,
wants to get copies of all the letters he
ever wrote. She proposes to return
these, if they are sent to her, after she
has taken copies of the same. 1t i.
| more than probable that she intends to
have compiled a history of her hus-
bands life.
Mrs. Margaret Greenwood has been
appointed keeper of the light station
on Jones Point at Alexandria, to sue
ceed her husband, who died last week
The people of Alexandria were much
interested in the appointment of Mrs
Greenwood to succeed her husband
and the appointment gives general sat
isfacton.
Mrs. Greenwood was brought to the
Jones Point lighthouse a bride and has
spent most of the years of her married
life in the structure. She is regarded
as thoroughly familiar with all the
duties of lighthouse keeper.
iS =,
Jan. 16 it had done more talking than
any other Congress in the history Of
the country-and 1T is still talking. The
speechmakers had filled up to that
date $500 columns of the Congressional
Record, and this exceeds the average
by aga columns.
Senator La Toilette, of Wisconsin. is
said to be the only vegetarian in the
United States Senate.
Senator Gearin, appointed to fill out
the unexpired term of Senator Mitchell.
of Oregon, says he is the poorest man
Senate. He says he owns no property.
has no money in the bank. and at the
same times owes nothing. He is the
fourth man to go to the United States
Senate from the law office he left to
come to Washington. He began read
w
was John Nipple Mitchell and ]. n.
DOlph." Both of these men represent
ed Oregon in the United States Senate.
Then another man came into the firm
Joseph Simon. and he too came to the
United States Senate, retiring in 1903
Senator Dolph died, and SO did Senator
Mitchell. The firm is still Simon.
Dolph and Gearin" and somebody else
who does not count. The Dofph is a
son of the late Senator. The Senator is
an out-and-out Democrat, and came to
the Senate through a freak of good
fortune from a Republican State,
greater number Of persons ascend
ed to the top of the Washington Monu-
nlent in the last year than in any pre-
viOus year of it's history. More than
$4,000 have visited the great white
shaft, of which number 110,96S were
taken up in the big elevator. while 34,-
1852 made the trip on foot.
Included in this number were per-
sons from all nations on the earth.
Sight-seers from Europe, Asia, Africa,
and South America, as well as citizens
Of this country. were among them.
The largest number of sight-seers In
any one month was in March. when
24,573 tourists, attracted to the Capital
by the Inauguration exercises, visited
the Monument. In January, owing to
repairs being made on the elevator,
there were but 2,293 passengers car
ried to the top. The average number
of monthly visitors for the year was
12.105.
According to the Custodian of the
Monument, the elevator has averaged.
since the shaft was opened to the pub
lie in 1888, Is trips a day. AS the
Monument Is open 306 days in the year,
there were 5.452 trips made the past
year. from Jan. to the 18th OF De-
cember. Taking the number of trips
made in the past year as conserva-
tive average for each year since the
completion of the Monument, there
have been more than SO, 900 trips made
by the car, and as it travels 1000 feet
each round trip. 1T has journed in the
past II years more than 1900 miles.
No point Of interest in Washington
attracts more sight-seers each year
than the Monument. From it's windows
at the top the visitor can get a perfect
view of the topography of the sur
rounding country. To the west on clear
days the vague outlines of the Blue
Ridge Mountains may be seen, while
to the north a person with good eyes
can see the faint silhouette of the Allie
ghenies. Sugar Loaf Mountain and the
peak near Harper's Ferry are the most
easily decernible. Looking to the south
numerous windings. and. set in a plat
of trees, Mount Vernon appears to he
only stones throw away.
Very few Of the thousands of per-
sons who visit the Monument and be-
come lost in contemplation of this won-
derful work Of human hands are aware
that 1t Is responsible for more deaths
than any other piece of masonry in the
world-not human deaths, to be sure.
but those OF helpless birds. Flying
blindly in the night during the migra-
tory seasons Of the Spring and Fall.
large numbers OF birds dash against the
sides Of the shaft and either are killed
instantly or become stunned and die
| when they fall to the ground. It Is not
an unusual thing for the watchmen to
pick up in the morning dozen or more
dead birds that have been killed at
| night. Most of these birds are robins.
The day that Gen. Joe Wheeler was
buried. Congress, in q fit Of that kind
of generosity which Is a synonym for
"gush" when 1t gets cold decided to
| un-name q certain street In Washing
ton. and perpetuate Gen. Wheeler's
| name by giving 1t to the street men,
toned. calling 1t wheeler" street. The
| intention was probably all right, but
Ii was clumSily carried ont "WheeIer''