Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-26

not even go into Special lift wells.
They will run I'm the main compa nionway,
In the center of the staircase, as "a lift in
an Office runs up the center of the stairway.
But the ship is so big that two lifts will
run side by side. True. the whole thing |
will be finer than any Office or hotel can 1
show. for instead of the ordinary iron In |
closure there Is to be fine ironworh. and /
TINS alone Is to cost a thousand pounds. .
moreover the electric gearing viii be fixed
up at the top. out of sight. and the coun-
ter-weight will not SHOW. because il is car
ried down the funnel casing. For one more
Indication OF the size of the vessel. might
aoo that the lffts have forty feet travel
the length Of the Journey In q good largo
office building. and yet do not start from
below the water line.
The whole thing has so little need on tho
great ships. to take account OF Sea condi-
tons. that the arrangement OF lifts and
staircases mas not even been designed by n
naval architect. 1t has been done by "a re-
sponsible architect who designs buildings.
We shall soon cease even to speak OF
floating" hotels II this sort of thing goes
on When ships are SOL steady that they
can carry simple, straightforward Eft we
may as well say quite plainly that We ara
going to America in n hotel.
The whole lift business has happened
rather suddenly. 1t is a matter ~ the
last two years, and already the one firm
that does this class of work has put in
forty-seven lifts on ships. The one the
kings yacht was the very first. IL Ia
rather odd that not even the Service nu'
had been used on ships before two years
ago. 1t might have been expected that
long before that some would have
thought of this way out OF the bother of
having to keep the galley and the dining
saloons all on one deck.
Fad of Smart Set.
For the past few years smart society in
England has made a hobby of buying up
tracts OF land in remote parts. Mr.. Arthur
Balfour has an estate at Winnipeg which
he m "a n In vi ci
william has interests in nearly every part
Of the world. In Western Africa he has
immense coleries while the Duke of West
minister takes as much interest in his pos
sessions in South Africa in his estates
at home. The Earl of Caithness owns a
ranch in the Dakota district. Mary. Duch-
ess Of Sutherland. has property In Florida,
and Lord Howard De Walden owns an es-
state in East Africa.
The Earl Of Lytton and the Duke Of
Manchester have made purchases of land
In New Zealand, and Lord Rosebery owns
half street in Melbourne. Lord Dale
mere Is the proprietor OF a most fiourshing
ostrich farm in the region of Uganda and
Lord and Lady William Cecil have An es-
tate In Egypt. In Victoria the Earl Of
Ranfurly is the possessor of H. 900 acres
OF cultivated land, and Lord Aberdeen and
Lord Dundonald have estates in Canada.
Sir Frederick Cook, millionaire draper,
owns Monserrate. the most beautiful es-
tate In Portugal, which out-rivals any Of
the residences of the king. Here Sr Fred
erick entertained the king few years ago,
when his majesty exclaimed, "This place
Is perfect Eden"
Women for Government Service.
The Prussian minister for home affairs.
assisted by competent number of medical
experts, Is inQuiring into the question OF
the employment of female officials in
various state departments. For over ten
years the railway and post Office depart
ments have been employing girls in sub.
ordinate capacities. but the cry has lately
been raised that these young ladies, not
withstanding the fact that they work for
very Scant pay, are by no, means an
economical investment, and that theiI
work, neither in quantity nor in quality, Is
on the level Of the same work done by
men.
Another point raised is the deterioratine
effect OF the work not only on the health
but on the morals of the girls. 1t is to in-
vestigate this point that the ministerial
commission is sitting. In the telephone de-
partment the number of girls who sue
cumb to nervous prostration is alarmingly
on the increase, one physician asserting
that only 10 per cent of the girls can be
declared wholly free of nervous trouble.
1t Is further asserted that a large number
of the girls get distaste for married life,
and instead of seeking the quiet of home
when their days work is over prefer the
distractions of the music hall and the pub
lie dancing room. The commission is to
decide whether or not male clerks should
be substituted for female and to what
extent. and whether anything can be done
to brighten the monotony of the girls labor.
London's Great Ampitheater.
The building which is to be erected in
1908 in London tor the Olympic games will
be one of enormous size 1t is to provide
accommodation for nearly 100000 specta-
tors, much larger number, 1t may safely
be said. than ever witnessed the olympic
the number ever saw the gladiatorial con-
tests In the Flavian Ampitheater at Rome.
1t will only be possible to provide for such
an enormous number of spectators by hay-
ing sloping tiers of seats rising one above
the other to a great height. 1t is doubt
full If London could supply people enough
to fill this enormous building for a success
sion of days. 1t is not proposed that the
building should be rooted in.
The site of the Olympic games will be at
Shepherds Bush western suburb, and
there yesterday also the first sod was cut
on the spot selected for the coming Franco
British exhibition. The duty was perform
ed by the Comte De Manneville on behalf
of the French ambassador. The Duke Of
argyll the president of the exhibition,
pointed out that the exhibition wotrd be
very easy of access. Five railways entered
the grounds, and these would be able to
carry SOO0O persons an hour. In the course
VI HIS IeLndrkS tne duke mentioned that
the Earl OF Desborough. who was promi-
nently mentioned as successor to Sir Nor
timer Durand, had been appointed the di-
rector of the Olympic games.
Mr.. A. b. Walkley, dramatic critic OF the
Times. has accepted the position of presi-
dent of the newly-formed Society of Dra-
matte Critics, of which ! wrote some time
ago. What particular ends the society Will
serve is not very clear. In the objects and
rules drawn up by the committee il is
stated that the society exists for social
and professional purposes, and ito facili-
tate the exchange of views on the ma terial
and intellectual aspects of the calling of
dramatic criticism This strikes one as
somewhat vague and general, but in any
event the society has been formed. Nearly
all the best-known dramatic critics have
joined IL. l.. II. MOORE.