The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-02-06
ANSWERS TO
CORRESPONDENTS.


was he from?
i We are informed by our correspond
ent in Buffalo that the Milburn house
| was purchased by Mr.. Mark Shannon.
who Is said to have been a resident OF
| Bradford, Pa, before he moved to Buff
falo.
| w. II. NJ, Castroville, Cal, writes:
What is the law In regard to Postmas-
tiers paying pension checks? Our pre-
vious Postmaster said that he had to
make provision for them, but our pres
ent Postmaster says that he has not; If
he has money on hand he will pay
them; If not, he does not have to both
er. 1t makes 1t very inconvenient for
US. as it is eight miles to the nearest
bank. I claim that the law makes pro-
vision for them to be paid at the post
office. Am I right or wrong?
We are advised that Postmasters, in
places where there are no banking
facilities. may obtain permission from
the Post Office Department to use the
money that they take In for money
orders to cash pension vouchers, trans
hitting the voucher to the Department
in lieu of cash. You see. therefore, that
it Is matter of courtesy almost on the
part of the Postmaster. and it would be
a matter Of policy with you to notify
him in advance Of the receipt Of your
|
lions for It..
| ]. c. p, Brightwood, d. c., asks:
Which President did not accompany
his successor to the Inauguration?
| Subsequent to the election of James
K. Polk, President Tyler who was the
last Of the Virginia Presidents" did
not care to take part In the inauguration
of his successor, and left the White
House early on the morning of March
4. The story is told that he and his
family drove quietly to the wharf of the
Potomac River steamer to take passage
for Mr.. Tyler's Virginia home. AS the
boat was leaving the dock some one
called to the Captain, Hold on there;
President Tyler is coming" But the
| Captain was a stanch Clay Wing, and
did not approve of President Tyler. He
refused to stop, and shouted back, "Ex-
President Tyler be -; let him stayi"
And the boat steamed uu,. leaving the
Presidential party on the wharf gazing
after II.
| D. NJ. r., Providence, R. T., asks: Are
there now any living descendants of
Gen. Lafayette?
Gen. and Marquise de Lafayette left
one son, whom he named in honor Of
his beloved chief. George Washington.
He, in 1924, accompanied his father on
his tour Of the United States. George
the descendant of one of these is now
the head of the family of Lafayette. He
was the guest of our Nation at the I'M
vailing of the Rochambeau Statue in
! Washington in 1902.
F. e. W., Jacksonville, Fla, asks:
Why has 1t taken so long to obtain the
| Spanish War medals struck by the Gov
eminent?
The recent financial stringency caused
delay in the minting of the campaign
badges and Congressional Medals of
Honor, which were being coined at the
Philadelphia Mint for distribution to
the Army. These badges were to have
been furnished to the War Department
at the rate Of about 1900 week, but
the necessity of making into coiE the
available gold bullion, as measure of
relief to the financial conditions, COM
PEELED the suspension of the work on the
badges. These badges and medals are
TO be awarded for various kinds of mill
tary service, including that in the civil
war. Spanish War. Philippine insurrec-
ton, Picking expedition and Indian
campaigns, and there are about $4,000
names on the lists of those entitled to
the rewards. The Quartermaster-Gen-
eral hopes to finish the distribution of
the Spanish War Medals early in the
new year, and he will make the distri-
button of the other medals as rapidly
as they are received from the mint.
]. B. r.. Baltimore. Nd, asks: Who
is Giosue Carducci, and what did he do?
Giosue Carducci. who died last Spring,
was the most famous Italian poet of
modern times, and received the Nobel
prize for literature In 1906 Some of
his poems have been translated into
English by the Rev. Frank Sewall, of
Washington, d. c., and published in
book form.
c. NJ. D., Central City, Colo, asks:
When did the use of meerschaum for
pipe bowls begin?
In 1928 a large piece of meerschaum
was given to Count Andrassy. when he
was on a visit to Turkey. He carried
it to his home in Budapest Hungary
as curious specimen of white clay of
extraordinary lightness. Kavol Ko-
wates, noted for his skill In carving, to
whom 1t was submitted to make Some
thing pretty out of it." thought that on
account of its porousness it would make
good pipe bowl, and he made two
from it. one for Coun, Andrassy and
one for himself. His success and that
of the pipes led to the establishment
of two great industries, meerschaum
mining and meerschaum pipemaking.
The original Kavol Kowates pipe is
still preserved in the Budapest Mu-
scum.
w. p. D.. Little Rock, Ark, asks: Is
1t true that midshipman at the Naval
Academy during the civil war can retire
with the next higher rank?
The law specifically excerpts from its
operation service as a cadet at the Mill
tary Academy, and it is held that this
applies also TO service as midshipman.
A very recent decision made by the
War Department holds that service as
la mfdshiDman at the Naval Academy
from Sent "a, 1863, to Feb. o5, 1866,
and while so serving participating In
the annual practice cruise of 1864, does
not entitIe an Army officer on retirement
to retire with the next higher rank.
IT is said that in one of the annual
cruises of the mdshipmen there were
ordered - special duty in search Of
certain Confederate privateers which
threatened Northern commerce at that
time. and decisions have been made
constituting this into actual war service.
s. B. E.. Missoula. Mont, asks: When
did the last survivor of the War of 1912
die?
According to the pension records. the
last survivor of the Revolutionary War
WIS Daniel +. Pakeman. who died in
Freedom Cattaraugus County. N. Y
on April 5. 1869, aged 100 years. si.
months and eight DAYS. The last sur
wing D"neioned soldier of the War of
1912 was uiram Cronk, of Ava N. Y,
who died May 10. 1905, aged los years
and IS DAYS.