The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-08-14
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial correspondence.1

Especial Correspondence.1
A mass Of interesting information
regarding the public buildings and
grounds in the District is contained In
the annual report Of Colonel Charles
s. Bromwell, the engineer officer in
charge. Regarding children's play
grounds he says that during the year
the public Fairgrounds committee was
given permission to use Eve public
reservations for playground purposes.
Especial attention was invited to this
subject" says Colonel Cromwell, ''in
my annual report for 1904. and the
recommendations therein made are re-
peated- namely, that an appropria-
ton of 5000 be made for establish
ing, maintaining and caring for chill
dren's Fairgrounds on public reserva-
tons In Washington"
Public Parks.
In summarizing the general work ac-
complished in the public parks Colonel
Bromwell says that one new space was
added to the park system during the
year by transfer Of 9,S4S square feet
of street area ON Twenty-second street
near s street to the chief Of engineers
for park purposes. Three reservations
were improved. The various green
house structures, the. storehouse and
the shop building at the propagating
gardens were repaired and maintained
in good condition. The wooden and
glass superstructures Of two green
houses were entirely rebuilt. Over
100000 plants were propagated and
6,75l trees and 3,145 shrubs were
planted in the parks, in the nursery
at the gardens and in the new nursery
grounds in Potomac park.
The Washington Monument.
During the past year 148,476 persons
visited the top of the Washington
monument, Of whom 126,0o6 used the
elevator and 22,S70 the stairways,
making a total Of 2,722,OS5 visitors
since the monument was opened to the
public Oct. 8, 1888.
Telephone Rates Gut.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Tele-
phone company, the local branch OF
the Bell Telephone company, recently
announced that it would voluntarily
reduce telephone rates from Is TO Is
per cent In the business section on
Sept ! and in the residential section
Of the city on Oct. !.
The general manager says that the
business Of the company has grown
to such proportions that it can afford
to reduce the rates. What really
caused the reduction is that an indie
pendent company Is Inaking. an effort
to secure entrance to the city.
Buffers Big Fee.
BY decision Of the District Of Co
lumbia supreme court former Senator
Butler of South Carolina will have to
wait until the fall term before he can
secure his $4,000 fee from the United
States treasury on account of his work
in connection with the claims Of the
Cherokee Indians, which were settled
last winter in their favor. The total
fees in this case amounted to some
thing over $500, 600, the claim on which
it was allowed representing more than
$1,0O0,OOO, an appropriation for the
payment of which was made by con-
gress at the last session.
Court OF Pensions.
There are many members Of con-
gress who believe that good way to
get rid of special pension legislation
and deal justly with as many people
as ought to be pensioned would be to
establish a court Of pensions with five
or six judges to sit in Washington
and certify all pension claims to con-
gress as Is done by the court of claims
In other matters.
City Sanitation.
With the aid Of the members Of the
police department. DR.. Woodward, the
District health officer, and his numer-
Gus inspectors have instituted gener-
al cleaning up Of the city, paying espe-
cial attention to the sanitary condition
Of rear yards Of private residences.
New Variety of Potatoes.
The department of agriculture has
detailed N. E. Hansen Of North Da-
kota on an extensive trip through
Europe in search Of valuable sfruits
and vegetables withsa view to their in
PRODUCTION in this country. His chief
mission will be the securing of the
stock potato, which is largely raised In
Europe for stock feeding. This pota-
to is larger and coarser than the po-
tato raised in this country, and 1t is
with a view of Introducing this potato
in the United States for the purpose of
producing alcohol that the department