The National tribune., 1910-08-18

Nelt, which Civil Engineer Peary use
IN his trip to the Arctic regions. Th
vessel Is the property of the Pear
Arctic Club. 1t has been suggested tina
the vessel might do duty in the Reve
nue. Cutter Service. 1t is a slow boat
tho stanch. Some time ago it was re
ported that the Arctic Club had tried Il
sell the boat to the Government, anC
that the officials who examined it re
ported that it was not fit for use by thu
Government.
1t is not very often that the United
states Government is done, but
cute little incident has just come to life
whereby your Uncle Samuel lost $4,000
and nobody to attach blame to. II
1879 one Samuel J. Little died, owning
four certificates of six per cent stocl
of the old corporation of Georgetown
Owing to the carelessness of somebody
in the Treasury Department it is now
impossible to locate. This $4,000 six per
cent stock was paid in full. Only the
interest should have been paid. A Mrs
Julia A Burnell, a relative of Little
who is entitled to the $4,000 stock
some Is or 16 years ago sued for the
sum, and the Comptroller of the Treas.
ury had decided that Mrs. Burnells
contention was correct, and that the
Government ought not to have paid the
value of the certificates, but should
nav tellu oiLIg blIc llltItSl.
= Parenthetically it may be stated that
the Little $4,000 was probably dissi-
pated by the litigation.
The United States is trying to buy
the tract of land between the Senate
/ Office Building and Union Station.
/ which the Government intends to in
/ clude in the Capitol grounds. The cost
/ of this piece of land is now estimated
! to be $3,000,000 Fifteen years ago
this same land could have been pur-
chased for s1,000,000, and the people
who owned it would have thought that
was tremendous sum.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is PLAN
ming to increase the number of schools,
and it is said will probably allow the
Indians to enroll in white schools. 1t
/ IS said that this will not cause trouble
as there is no racial feeling displayed
! by the natives toward the admitting of
| Indians in their schools Of course,
! this VIII not hold good where Indian
and negro blood is mixed. as is the case
with great many. Since July l about
Is additional schools have been estab-
lished thruout the country, and as
many more will be opened before the
Fall term begins.
The United States revenue cutter
Onondaga had a unique accident in
coming up the river one night last
week. When just the other side of
Alexandria a severe electric storm broke
loose and lightning struck the cutters
main mast forward, knocking two of
the men out of business, tho it did not
Kill them. The lightning played antics
with the mast of the cutter, and put
the compass out of commission. and it
was not very long until Capt Wiley, of
the cutter, and his men found them
selves sailing unknown waters in a
terrific storm without the guidance of
the compass. While the Potomac Riv-
er IS broad enough, its channel is re-
narkably narrow, and it is a very dan
gerous proposition this far up to navi-
gate the river without pilot, and the
pilot isn't worth Shucks if he hasn't a
compass The cutter followed in the
wake of the river boats, as she dimly
saw them thru the storm. and finally
reached her dock, but it was a perilous
proposition.
The tree men of the District of Co.
1umbia Government are spraying the
trees along the streets of Washington
with a solution of arsenate of lead.
This solution is applied by means of a
large gasoline engine, which is drawn
about the streets by two horses The
lead is uninjurious to the trees and il
does not often discolor the leaves 1t
has been found very successful in cop
ing with caterpillars infesting orchards
The chemical is very poisonous, and
means instant death to the insects that
feast upon the leaves.
Prof. Hans Swarzchild, Assistant Di-
rector of the giant Government Astro-
nomical Observatory at Potsdam Ger
many. arrived in Washington last week
from New York. He will go to Pasa-
dena, Cal, where he will attend the
annual congress of the International
Association of Physicists.
The professor thinks Washington a
pretty place for its age. He says the
city has made a good start toward that
artistic mellowness of European cities.
Coming over from the station" said
Prof. SwarZchild. Il noticed the waste
spaces and undeveloped parks. which
VIII in few years be beautiful places
j think the Capitol is one of the noblest
structures ! have ever seen. The in
terror of the Library Of Congress equals
even surpasses. many of the famous
buildings of the Old World. Washing
ton will be the most beautiful city in
the world in 30 years.
Prof. Swarzchild is one OF the
worlds greatest astronomers and ply
sicists. having written several stand
ard books on these subjects. He holds
the degree of Phi. d. from one of the
large German universities. While in
the city he will visit the Naval and
Georgetown observatories.
The Secretary of War has entered
into contract with Jerome Connor. a
sculptor of Washington. ID. c., for a
granite monument to be erected over
the grave of Brighten James Shields
in st. Mary's Cemetery at CarroItown.
Mo. Gen. Shields enjoyed the distinc-
tion of having been United States Sem
ator from three different States. He
gained some notoriety by challenging
Abraham Lincoln TO a duel, which was
accepted, but the affair was amicably
arranged by the seconds after the duel
lists had reached the ground chosen for
the conflict, an island in the Mississippi
River. Mr. Lincoln, who was given the
choice of weapons, selected broad
swords.
Rather a remarkable case has been
before the Police Department recently,
when one of its own number, George
Winnie, had been arrested because he
was raising vegetables in his front yard
He had corn and tomatoes and several
other kinds of vegetables The police
man who arrested him said that it was
against good order and neatness to try
to grow vegetables in ones front yard.
This in spite of the fact that one Of the
principal features Of some of the Ital-
fan gardens in the Old World is our
Indian corn, which is tended ana cared
for ike an orchid. Many of the weeds
which we detest and cut down with
energy are treated as eXotics. And so