The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1908-04-25
WASHINGTON LETTER


Especial corrcspondenos-l
Al q meeting Of the Columbus memo.
rial commission. OF which Secretaries
Root anf Taft and Senator wetmore
are members. held at the state depart
ment few days ago preliminary ar-
judgements were made for the erection
Oh the plaza OF the new Union station
! In this city OF memorial 70 Christie
pher Columbus IN accordance with the
provisions NJ the act OF congress ap.
propriating 100000 for that purpose
As result OF consultation with Mr.
Burnham OF Chicago. architect OF the
Union station building, Colonel Brom-
well. the engineer officer In charge OF
public buildings and grounds. and 9th
er officials directly Interested. II was
decided by the commission that the me
mortal, should be In the form OF a
monumental fountain with standing
figure OF Columbus as its leading fea.
ture.
Memorial to Columbus
According 20 the general scheme up
proved by the commission, the foun-
tain VIII be placed directly IN front of
the Union station ut the juncture OF
Delaware and Massachusetts avenues.
II will be semicircular IN form, with an
inner and an outer basin. having an
extreme width OF sixty-four feet.
A stone column or shaft about forty
feet In height. surmounted with globe
representing the world, is the principal
feature OF the rear OF the fountain and
Is intended to serve as a background
for a statue OF Columbus standing at
the bow OF a Spanish caravel similar
In general design 70 the picturesque
craft that first brought him TO Amer
lea The appearing PROV OF the ship.
with its figure OF Columbus. stands on
the line OF Delaware avenue and faces
the national capitol. Two recumbent
lions are placed on the walls OF the
fountain. one at the east and the other
at the west side, and there are other
architectural and artistic details en-
bodied In the general scheme.
Small Rodent Ravaeos-
Some weeks ago the story came TO
Washington OF how the meadow mice
were laying waste the fields of aifaifa
in Nevada. The biological survey sent
a man out 10 the afflicted region TO see
what he could do 20 check the pest.
The biological expert found that the
birds OF prey had been attracted In
large numbers and were doing what
they could TO destroy the ravagers Of
the grass fields, but the mice being IN
millions and the birds being In hun
dreds II was an unequal contest
Great Slaughter Of Mice.
Finally the expert -hit upon. the
thought Of trying chqpGied alfaIfe soak
ed In a palatable but poisonous shin
ton This he scattered through the
fields, and just what no expected hap
pened. The mice preferred the chop
ped and deadly mixture 10 the stand-
ing crop and IN less than tSeqfty -fnnr
hours the work OF destruction was az
its height. There were 1000 mfce 10
the acre. and the government expert
succeeded In killing So per cent OF
them and succeeded Also IN covering
all the way from thirty TO 100 acres a
day. the latter figure being the high
acre mark Admittedly Il seems al
most Incredible, but in one day 1.0O.-
600 mice were killed. and on the other
days the numbers slain rarely fell he
low 100000.
American In Jail In Hungary.
The president has been asked %
make representations to Hungary Dor
the release from jail OF Frank Pola-
kovic. a naturalized American. A pcti-
ton signed by 10000 Slavonians and
BohemIans In the United States was
handed 10 the president by Represent
alive SABBATH OF Chicago.
Polakovic and several other Slave
mans who are citizens OF the United
States by naturalization returned TO
the old country late last summer 10
make a visit While I'm the town "
Rozshegy Polakovic sang the hymn Of
''The Sloyak Poor" which was 80 dis
tasteful 20 the Hungarian authorities
that In October last they arrested him.
tried him and sentenced him 90 seven
months IN prison and to pay heavy
fine.
oresnouah Statue TO Go.
The historic Greenough statue OF
Washington. which has decorated the
east plaza OF the capitol and been the
center of admiration and ridicule for
more than sixty-hve years, ID about 10
be removed 10 some quiet and COM
paratively unobserved spot in the
Smithsonian institution.
This was decided by the house when
II adopted resolution 20 that effect
introduced by Representative Mann OF
Illinois. For Some tkpe Mr.. Mann,
Elliot Woods. superintendent az ths
capitol. and others having influence at
the cfpitol have regarded the statso
as an architectural monstrosity In the
position in which Il Is now located
II Was finally dccreed that II should
go 10 place where II would az IN with
tho attrt~NunIf..Uu =