Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-30
IS AFTER RAILROADS
Joursfars Washington Correspondent
Says Consress Will Investigate the
Cause Of the Railroad Wrecks
Which Occurred Recently.

Which Occurred Recently.
That members of Congress are taking
decided interest in the increasing
number Of railroad wrecks throughout
the country is made evident by the
numerous resolutions introduced in
both senate and house, providing that
Congress shall make thorough invest
igation into the causes of these acci-
dents. All of the resolutions aim to
compel the railroads to adopt some
system that will prevent such loss of
life as has occurred during the past
six months. The railroad disaster that
happened near Washington just before
the first Of the year and in which forty
people were killed, was so close to the
halls of congress that it brought the
carelessness Of the railroads in operat-
ing their trains forcibly to the front,
and the result is the capitalization of
sentiment in congress that something
practical should be done during the
present session.
1t is likely that a joint committee
consisting of five senators and five
representatives will be empowered to
subpoena witnesses, take testimony and
compel the production of all books and
papers bearing on the subject, in order
to ascertain the causes of wrecks and
to make such recommendation in the
form of bill to be passed by congress
and will give to the interstate COM
merce commission power to make rules
as shall prevent similar accidents in
the future.
When Speaker Cannon calls the house
to order each day at noon, the resound-
ing "whsck" of his gavel coming down
on the desk in front of him can be
heard all over the big room and there
is no mistaking the fact that Uncle Joe
means for the house to come to order.
The gavel in question, handsomely
polished piece of ivory, is in charge of
a page whose duty it is to place the
gavel on the speakers desk before the
house opens and return it to the speak
ers room after adjournment. One day
last week, the speaker was late in ar
irving at the capital, something very
unusual. He entered the lower door on
the house side, rushed for the elevator
and the next minute was in his chair,
but the famous gavel was not in sight,
neither was the page who has charge
of it. Uncle Joe was at a loss to know
what to do and in sheer desperation
pounded on the marble front of the
desk with his bare knuckles but the
house failed to come to complete order
until the gavel was found and the IA
miliar pounding of the speaker was
heard.
If Representative CLANCY of Indiana
has his way, the education of boys on
farms who desires to follow the voca-
ton of farming, will soon be made
smooth and easy. Providing the bill he
has introduced in the house is passed,
the farmers boy will no longer have to
follow the plow with calloused feet nor
thin the corn with an aching back in
order to learn the intricacies of when,
where and how to SOW and reap.
Mr.. Chaney's bill provides for an
appropriation of 500, 900 to establish
demonstration farms" for the investi-
cation of farm practice and the inaug-
uration of systems Of farm manage
ment throughout the United States.
1t is proposed that one Of these lex
ample" farms be established in nearly
every state, the farms to be operated
in the most skillful manner and by the
most modern machinery and where the
youth Of the state who live on farms,
can spend stipulated time receiving
instruction and observing the working
methods in force, all without the pay
ment of a single penny.
Much interest is displayed among
navy people and the public generally in
the presence Of the famous dynamite
throwing ship, the vesuvius, now at
the Washington Navy yard. 1t will
be recalled that this vessel was desig-
mated shortly before Spanish-American
war, it, mission to throw a projectiie
Of dynamite sufficient to destroy any
vessel that it might hit. The first
practical test Of the ship was in the
war with Spain when she was found to
be failure. the best she did being to
throw few shells Of dynamite into
the harbor Of Santiago and which
Clipped of the bows of some harmless
merchantmen.
The Vesiuvius is in Washington to be
equipped as . torpedo practice ship and
her first experiment will be to deter
mine whether the q inch torpedo tubes
to be prepared for some of the new
battlsships will be practicable. the
largest in the department in use at pres
ent being IS inches in diameter. The
navy department ID grAtified that some
use can be found for the white ele-
(continusd - pass ~