Evening Star Newspaper, March 5, 1895, Page 1

~ THE EVENING STAR. PUBLISHED DAILY EXCEPT XUNDAY 1101 Pa cies ieee Cor. iif et, by ennsy! 5 The Evening Star Newspaper Company, 8. H. KAUFFMANN Pres't. New York Office, 49 Potter Building. eS cite, Brentng Star te served to subscribers tn the carriers, on their own account cont Ag counter United States or Canada—p Drepaid—S0 cents Quint Sheet Star, $1 per year, with forelen postage . (Entered at the at Washington, D. C., a tall becripticns ioost be paid in advance. mail eal ites of advertising made Known on application. No. 13,104. — Ghe Koening Star. WASHINGTON, D.C., TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1895-TWELVE PAGES. *TWO CENTS. COMING CONFERENCE|HE AD BEEN BUNCOEDIQN THE VIOLET Silver Will Be Well Cared for by the American Delegation. PRESIDENTS POSSIBLE APPOINTEES Gold Men Encouraged by the Fac- tional Silver Contests.’ GOOD RESULTS EXPECTED ——_>—_—_ It is the purpose of its advocates in this country, so far as it may lie in their power, to make the international monetary con- ference in every way noteworthy and suc- cessful, and many friends of silver, no less than the friends of gold, are hoping for substantial results from the meeting. Silver, it is observed, ought to be well eared for by the American delegation. Five out of the nine members will be champions of the white metal, even if the President, as is thought altogether likely, fills out the delegation with three men of the pronounced gold standard stripe. Messrs. Jones, Teller and Daniel from the Senate and Messrs. Crisp and Culberson from the House have all given earnest of their friendship for silver, and are expected to present the silver side of the question to the conference with much ability. Mr. Hitt makes a good starter for the gold side, and the expectation is that the Presi- dent will give him three colleagues of purpose as firm and of parts as solid as his own. There is much curiosity felt as to whom the President will decide upon. Charles S. Fairchild and Edward Atkin- son, Horace White and Manton Marble, John E. Russell and William C. Whitney make up a list that is much discussed. Prof. Dana Horton, who died here two weeks ago, would, it is generally agreed, have stood a good chance of appointment and would have served with eminent credit. He had come to distinction in the study of monetary questions, and was highly esteemed by the President. It is claimed that at least one member of the delegation should be an expert of inter- national reputation, and this fixes general attention on Prof. Atkinson. Democracy Played a Good Hand. The democracy seems to have played a good hand so far. Although going out of power in Congress it named the American delegates and secured for itself a majority voice in deliberations which, so far as this country is concerned, must be legislated on, if at all, by the republicans. Mr. Jones and Mr. Daniel will not attend-any republi- can senatorial caucus next winter or spring. called to consider the financial question, but Mr. Teller will. And so in the House. Messrs. Crisp and Culberson, who will be able to outvote Mr. Hitt, and are likely to do so, in the conference, will be powerless when the time comes for legislative action in their branch of the lawmaking body. A republican majority of unprecedented Proportions will be charged with consider- ing the results of a conference and with ig on them when republicans were in the minority. ‘he conservative friends of silver are ye.y much pleased with this order of things, and are hoping for returns from it in the conference. Foreign statesmen are expected to be impressed with the appear- ance at the council table of a delegation from the United States made up of a ma- jority of silver men, who will participate in the financial legislation of this country during the next two years. They will con- sider the matter only in its general aspect and outline. They will not be able, it is thought, to work out the problem in all of its details. American subjects, and par- ticularly political subjects, are accustomed to tangle up the most astute English and European intelligence, and, so, how shall the foreign delegates to the conference rise to the difficulty of making the distinction between Mr. Jones and Mr. Daniel as American delegates to the conference speaking and voting for silver with a ma- jority voice if need be as representatives of the American Senate, and Mr. Jones and Mr. Daniel as Senators in their seats at home powerless as members of the minor- ity party in that body before the leader- ship of John Sherman? And how shall the foreigners understard the difference be- tween Mr. Crisp and Mr. Culberson, with their majority vote over Mr. Hitt at the council table, and those two gentlemen helpless in the clutches of the Reed rules and the two-thirds republican majority in the deliberations of the next House? This, the silver men believe, will, in the main, be lost on the foreigners, who will note only to them the impressive fact that the American Congress has sent represent- atives to the conference and that not only are the majority of those representatives favorable to silver, but are legislators of renown at home. Factions in the Silver Camp. In the factional contests in the silver camp in this country there is the promise of much bitterness. There are many ex- pressions that already show a great depth of feeling. Mr. Wolcott’s action in moving for American participation “in the confer- ence is the subject of some censure, even in Colorado. The all-for-silver men regard it as a great mistake. Some of them se- riously fear the consequences. But these deliverances are mainly from mem who have just gone out of office. And this fact leads to the assertion, heard in many quar- ters, that the silver men anxious to stake all on a single throw are being led by the Blands, Hatches and Bryans, wh for- tunes have just suffered a reverse, while the men who, though anxiously hoping for free ‘coinage, are yet willing to wait for some outside expression on the subject, are led by Teller, Wolcott, Jones and Daniel, whose places appear to be secure, and who therefore will be in position to legislate on the question, Gold Men Encouraged. This division of thetr opponents gives the gold men much encouragement. They see the promise of good things in it. On the one hand, they point out a faction muster- ing under men who have just been retired from public life, and therefore without pa- tronage or prestige, and on the other a fac- tion led by men like Teller and Wolcott, who are not only strong in themselves, but safe in office, assured of influence in the nate and of a liberal supply of pa- in the event of republican success in the next presidential election. The gold men predict that the latter camp will grow at the expense of the former, and hence that the effort to break up the two old parties on the money question will come to nothing of any value in time for use next year. Accordingly, they have great faith in | being able to make the fruits of the mon- etary conference serve as the basis for the mext national campaign. ae — Consul General William» Instructions While it may be that United States Con- sul General Williams at Havana has acted upon his respensibility in other cases, it 1s learned that in but cne instance was he in- structed by the State Department to inter- vene with the Cuban authorities in behalf of an American citizen under arrest for complicity in the revolution in Cuba. This was the case of Jose Maria Aguirre, to which attention was directed by the Sen- ate resolution offered in the closing hours of Congress. The consul general was in- structed to examine and report upon this case. He found that Aguirre had been ar- rested in Havana and removed to another Jerisdiction. The Cubaf authorities, not- withstanXing the fact, that the island was under martial la ve arranged to try the prisoney before a tribunal, and the con- sul general will keep an eye on the pro- ceedings to see that he has a fair trial. A Farmer on Whom the “Gold Brick Game” Had Been Worked. He Came All the Way From Columbia Before He Found It Out at the Treasury. He had been buncoed by the “gold brick game” and came here all the way from Columbia before he found it out. He was very mysterious and reticent, and was smari enough to conceal his own identity. Director Preston of the. mint bureau was the man who first enlightened him.as to the’ swindle. of which he had been the vic- tim. Entering tRe office of that official in the Treasury Department he inquired in a low, cautious tone of voice if that-was the United States mint. No; the nearest mint was at Philadelphia. “Well, then,” he next inquired, ‘where is the assay office? What is there none nearer than New York? Why, that’s singular. [ was to meet R. W. Black, the government assayer, here this morning on important business.” Had Been Offered Two Gold Bricks. The man was a fairly intelligent farmer, and had evidently been deceived by some- body. He seemed to be about fifty years old, and, according to his own story, had accumulated several thousand dollars. His mysterious manner of asking the most commonplace questions aroused Mr. Pres- ton’s curiosity, and in the course of their conversation he learned that his visitor had been offered two gold bricks, valued at over $20,000, for $10,000, and that he paid about $100 to bind the transaction. Mr. Black, the alleged government assayer,- and a mysterious Indian, who dug the gold from its hiding place near the victim's farm, were the principals in the game. The farmer admitted to Mr. Preston that he would have paid the money demanded for the bricks but for the fact that it was after banking hours. “They got a little money — me,” he said, “but they didn’t get it Was to Meet Them Here. He was to have met them in Washington to close up the transaction, and he was prepared to do his part, as he was satisfied that the bricks were pure gold, and were worth much more than they would cost him. Mr. Preston told him that he had been buncoed, and that he would never see the men or his money again. The man said that might be so, but he did not ap- Pear to be altogether satisfied on that point. As he left the room he said he was going right home this aftérnoon. —_—__+o+______ BRITISH TELEGRAPH. Growth of the Service and Increase of the Business. A sketch showing the great development of the telegraph in Great Britain since it passed under government control in 1870 as a result of Gladstone's efforts, is given in a report to-the.State Department from United States Consular Clerk Martin, at Southampton. He shows that all of the separate companies’ lines were acquired by the government in 1870 for £11,000,000, and that in the year succeeding the government built 15,000 miles of wire to connect the yarious systems. As an illustration of the results of this policy, the report shows that while in 1870 the total number of telegrams handled weekly by all offices was estimated at from 128,000 to 215,000, in 1893 the total exceeded 1,100,000, and the number sent annually exceeded 70,000,000. In 1869 the English press service was 22,000,000 words; now it amounts to 600,000,000 words, 36 times more. than formerly. The present press rate is absurdly small as compared with the tariff prior to 1870, and in place of sending 75 words per minute one way, the wires now carry 500 words a minute and six messages are sent simultaneously on one wire. The service is performed with perfect punctuality; the average time of transmis- sion of a message being about 7 or 9 min- utes as against 2 or 3 hours in 1870, The rate is 12 cents for 12 words, paid by stamps. It is not possible to calculate the cost to the treasury of the telegraph serv- ice because of its combination with the postal service; but the English government does not consider it as a means of revenue, put rather as a means of helping trade and informing the public. ——___- «--____ A DISPUTED QUESTION SETTLED. Mates in the Navy Are Declared to Be Petty Officers. The Court of Claims kas settled a ques- tion that has long been in contention be- tween the Navy Department and the ac- counting officers of the treasury. It in- volves the legal status of what are known as “mates.” At the Navy Department they are regarded as petty officers, and as such are entitled to rations, but at the Treasury Department they are classed as warrant officers, and therefore not entitled to such allowances. In the casé at issue the plain- tiff claimed that he belonged to the lower grade of petty officers, while the defend- ants contended that he belonged to the higher grade of warrant officers. Ordinar- ily higher pay goes with higher grade, but in this case the anomaly ts presented of higher pay depending upon lower grade. The court decided in favor of the plaintiff, and said he was entitled to the sum of $372 for rations, which he had not received, from March, 1888, to August, 1891, thus overruling the decisions of the accounting officers and sustaining the action of the Navy Department. In rendering its de- cision the court said that it would hesitate long in declaring a regulation of the army or navy to be void, and that in the present ease the naval regulations, in which mates are referred to as “petty officers,” may be considered as having statutory provisions behind them. It is certainly a case, said the court, where the interpretation of the statute by an executive department charg- ed with its administration should not be disturbed. ee Snow and Frosts in Europe. An Agricultural Department bulletin re- ports extreme cold and heavy snows in all parts of France and heavy frosts and snow storms of exceptional severity in Great Britain throughout January. The usual complaints of lack of sufficient snow in the southern districts of Russia to protect the winter seedings from the severe cold have reached the department. The area devoted to wheat in India has been reduced 8 per cent.” The large majority of ocean lines re- port a further decline in transportation rates, thirteen indicating materially lessen- ed rates and five advances, ‘The forthcoming seventh session of the French popular credit congress, organized chiefly by co-operative societies, will be held at Nimes between April 15 ‘and May 15. The organization committee has ap- pealed to agricultural and trade societies, banks and syndicates and to French and foreign economists to co-operate in the study of popular credit questions. ee Executive Clemency. Before his departure the President com- muted to three months’ actual imprison- ment the six months’ sentence imposed in the case of Harry Ragen, convicted in Ohio of impersonating a United States offi- cer. He acted adversely on the application for pardon in the case of Dr. A. B. Johnstoa, sentenced in Missouri to four years’ im- prisonment for making false affidavit in a pension case. The President is Taking a Trip on That Buoy Tender. HE WILL HAVE TWO WEEKS RESP Disappointed Congressmen Who Called at the White House. DR. O'REILLY IS WITH HIM President Cleveland has gone away, and for the next two weeks will enjoy himself fishing and shooting in the inland waters of North Carolina. As previously indicated in The Star, he has made use of the buoy tender Violet, to which he has formed The Violet. quite an attachment, and sailed away on that small but comfortable craft at 9 o’clock this morning. Secretaries Gresham and Carlisle, whom he had invited to go with him, found at the last moment that they had too much important business on hand to justify their absence from the city at present, and the were reluctantly com- pelled to forego the pleagpres of the execu- tive ducking expedition. The President will not lack for congenial society during his holiday, however, for Capt. Willis, the naval secretary of the light house board, and Capt. Lamberton, the naval inspector LLL _ The State Room. of this light house district,“ found this a most oppurtune time to inspect the lights and buoys in this district, which includes the Potomac river, Chesapeake bay and the sounds and inlets of Virginia and North Carolina. They were iuvited to accompany the President, and accepted with al: ‘ity. Dr. O'Reilly, the President’s army physi- cian, made the fourth member of the party He has been with the President on sev eral similar trips for the purpose of keep- ing a watchful eye over the President's health, and has proved himself almost in- dispensable. Capt. Willis takes the place of the redoubtable Capt. Robley B. Evans as commander-in-chlef of the expedition. The usual secrecy is observed with re- spect to the itinerary of the party, but it is understood that the trip will extend as far south as the lower sound of North Caro- lina and will last abut two weeks. The President said he would be gone about ten days or two weeks, and it is expected that he will take the full time. He is going over familiar ground, or, more properly speaking, water, and finds it most attrac- tive, especially as it enables him to obtain much-needed rest and relaxation with the minimum publicity. He has had considera- ble work and anxiety during the short ses- sion of Congress just ended and is consid- erably run down in health and spirits. The great benefits derived from short outings on the water in the past determined him to In the Diniag Saloon. repeat the experiment at the first favorable opportunity. This came with the adjourn- ment of Congress and he lost no time in taking advantage of it. There is a mass of executive work await- ing his corsideration, but none of it is of so pressing a character that it could not stand a short delay. He will be in_tele- graphic communication with the White House at short intervals on his route, and ean give instructions in any matter re- quiring immediate action. About 150 members of Congress were at the White House this morning for the purpose of having the President dispose of various matters before they left for their homes, and it was with ill-concealed dis- appointment that they learned that he had hurriedly left on a few weeks’ vacation early this morning.. Private Secretary Thurber gave the best encouragement ut his command, but, of course, he could not speak with authority in regard to the questions at issue. The presidential party acted so quietiy and dis- creetly that il was safely below the city of Alexandria and rapidly moving toward the open waters of Chesapeake, before the earliest callers at the Executive Mansion had even guessed at the President's de- parture. The President and party will have to “rough it” to a considerable extent during the trip. The Violet is a rather dingy look- ing craft and no evidences of luxury are apparent about her. Her hull is painted black, while the upper of the steamer is a murky yellow, eaptain’s state room on the re: upper deck is a small room but not eiaborately furnis. = off from the cabin are two reoms, one fitted with a bedstead and i eral bu The cabin is dark, ald is pro- vided with a center table and a desk. The dining room is below in the “hold. The culinary department is apparently limited in dimensions, and the dessert served to the officers yesterday consisted of sweet potato pie. The front deck of the steamer, when she started this morning, was lumbered up with old channel poles and immense sinkers of rock. The Violet cannot steam more than ten knots an hour, so it will be seen that the chief executive must live on the scale of an ordinary mortal during the outing. THOSE NAVAL CADETS 4n Embarrassing Question for Seoretary Herbert to Decide. New Congfessmen Threaten Reprisals on Account of the Raid on Their Perquisites. Secretary Herbert-has been much em- barrassed by the action of the last Con- gress in seizing upon all the appointments to fill vacancies in the Naval Academy, which, under the uniform practice of the department, belong to the incoming Con- gressmen. Last month about twenty ca- dets were dropped for lack of proficiency in studies. Under the law as construed by the Attorney General in past years the vacancies thus created did not actually exist until the following June, and nom- inations to fill them were made by the new Congressmen. To meet this construction of law and secure for themselves the appoint- merta thet would go fa the members of the Fifty-fourth Congress, by some sharp log-rolling, the old members who were avout to be reliret ana Radu Vacancies in their districts secured the inclusion in th naval appropriation bill of an amendment authorizing the vacancies to be filled im- mediately. Then they rushed their nom- inations to the Navy Department. A Question ax to Time. Secretary Herbert was obliged to con- firm those that were received before noon yesterday, but it appears that some of the members failed to get their papers in by that time, and there is a question for the Secretary to decide as to whether the nom- inations received after noon yesterday can be considered. Some of the new Congress- men, who are in town, have heard of the raid upon their perquisites, and have be- gun to protest most vigorously to Secre- tary Herbert against the appointment of the nominees. Hints of Reprisals. The department is concerned for the future of these boys, for there are threats of reprisals by some new Congressmen, and hints that the mew Congress will Promptly reverse the action of its prede- cessor, and vacate the appointments. SS eo NO NEW PARTY. Rivalries Will Probably Prevent Forming an Organisation. The free silver men are ing them- selves torn to pieces with rivalries and differences of opinion. ‘heir efforts to form some sort of organization disclose to them the difficulty of bringing together such a variety of elements, even when they agree on the single question presented. The populist silver met want one sort of an organization, the democrats another and the republicans still another. ‘The Bimetal- lic League wants a new pasty formed, with the league as the parent ofganization. The poptlists and some of the democrats of the jate hovse want a free silver party organ- ized by themselves. Most of the democrats want no new party, but want to capture the democratic organization for free silver, making that the issue of the next cam- paign. The silver republicans want Cam- €ron made the republican candidate for the presidency. The proposition to form a new party, and the efforts of the league in this direction, are not favored by most of the radical silver men who were conspicuous in the Fifty-third Congress, and it is believed that all efforts in that direction will either fail altogether or else will so divide the silver advocates as to render any organization ineffectual. = Demoernts for Silver. ‘The following are the names of the dem- ocrats who signed the address recently given to the public urging all democrats to make the money question the paramount issue and to endeavor to place the demo- cratic party on record in favor of the ‘im- mediate restoration of the free and unlim- ited coinage of gold and silver at the pres- ent legal ratio of 16 to 1 without waiting for the aid or consent of any other na- tion, as it existed prior to 1873, such coin to be a full legal tender for all debts, pub- lic and _private:” R. P. Bland, Missouri; W. J. Bryan, Ne- braska; H. A. Coffeen, Wyoming; George W. Fithian, Mlinois; J. V. Cockrell, Texas; John L. McLaurin, South Carolina; James G. Maguire, California; George P. Ikirt, Ohio; Justin R. Whiting, Michigan; H. C. Snodgrass, Tennessee; George F. Richard- son, Michigan; M. A. Smith, Arizona; A. W. Ogden, Louisiana; J. Capehart, West Virginia; H. L. Moore, Kansas; H. . Money, Mississippi; R. W. Fyan, Missouri; B. F. Grady, North Carolina; Chas. H. Morgan, Missouri; G. W. Shell, South Caro- lina; Edward Lane, Illinois; D. D. Donovan, Ohio; A. C. Lattimer, South Carolina; Mar- shall Arnold, Maine; W. H. Denson, Ala- bana; W. J. Talbert, South Carolina; John S. Williams, Mississippi; T. J. Strait, South Carolina; A. Caminetti, California; W. H. Bower, North Carolina; Antonio Joseph, New Mexico; Evan P. Howell of Atlan Constitution; I, Floyd King, ex-M. Leuisiana, The Senate Left Out. They represent sixteen states and two territories. The paper was taken to the Senate just before the close of the ses- sion, but it was impossible to have any conference with the Senators or to see any considerable number of them. As it was not possible to make a thorough canvass among them it was decided to leave them out entirely, so that no misunderstanding might exist between those willing to sign and those who had no opportunity to do so. Mr. Bryan said in regard to the address that it had been issued in order to call attention of the rank and file to the im- portance of active work in favor of bi- metallism. oa Will Confer With Mr. Gresham. There is no information as yet which renders it cettain that anything will come of the selection of delegates to the proposed international monetary conference. It is believed by the Secretary of State, as it was by the two houses of Cangress, that the movements in Europe in favor of such a conference will be successful, the co-op- eration of enough of the European govern- ments being secured, The congressional delegates selected will, before repairing to their hemes, have a conference with the Secretary of State on the subject, and the action of Congress will probably be com- municated to Germany in a_ semi-official way. It is believed that the international conference will occur sometime early in the fall. + «+_____ The Appropriations, As nearly as can be estimated at this time the appropriations of the Fifty-third Congress amount to about $900,225,289. The appropriations of the first and second ses- sions were $492,230, ‘The appropriations of the session just ended are estimated to amount to about $49 M604, divided ap- mately as_follg 90; army, $23,2 islative, $21,900,000; Military Academy, 461; naval, $29,100,000; pensions, $141,- $454,21 381,570; post office, $89,; M7; sundry civil, $47,140,000; urgent deficiency, $2,357,321; gen- eral deficiency, $8,6%),000; miscellaneous, $500,000; permanent, $13,073,956. |. paper THE NEXT HOUSE The Way It is Expected the Com- mittees Will Be Arranged. -—_— HOW MR. REED WILL SELECT CHAIRMEN Important Positions to Go to Ex- perienced Men. GOSSIP AT THE CAPITOL There being no indication of a contest over the speakership of the next House the interest in the organization of that body has already centered upon the chalr- manships of committees. There has been a great deal of gossip upon this subject for some weeks, and many of: the old re- publican members go home for the long summer recess pretty well satisfied how some of the important chairmanships will go. For the chairmanship of the ways and means committee Payné of New York, Dalzell of Pennsylvania and Hopkins of Illinois are mentioned. Mr. Dingley of Maine, who. is one of the most capable men in the House, and es- pecially for this position, would probably be as apt as any one in the House to get this position if he desired it, but it is ve- lieved that he will prefer to remain on the committee on appropriations. If he stays on the appropriations as a simple member he will probably have the chairmanship of some other committee. The Ways and Means, Mr. Payne is longest of service of the three republican members of the ways and means committee, and it is believed that he will get the chairmanship, but both Hopkins and Dalzell are capable men, and have_good experience in the ways and means work. It is probable that two of the three will go 6n the ways and means, one as chairman and one as second, and that the third will be appointed to the com- mittee on rules, a position which has come to be regarded as the most influential in the organization next to the speakership. It is said that Henderson of Iowa will probably get the chairmanship of the ap- propriations committee. Cannon of Ill nois was chairman of this committee when Mr. Reed was before Speaker, and some expect him to go back to his old place. He is thoroughly familiar with the gov- ernment and is a rigid economist; but he dropped out of Congress for one term and is now ranked on the committee by Gen. Henderson of Iowa. Henderson is one of the most popular men in Congress and has had almost as much experience as Cannon. Hitt of Illinois will probably be chairman of the committee on foreign affairs. Hepburn of Iowa, it is thought, will be chairman of the committee on interstate and foreign commerce; and Boutelle of Maine of the naval affairs committee. While the placing of Doliver at the head of this committee is talked about, it Is re~ garded as more probable that Boutelle will get this chairmanship and Dolliver will go on the wa nd means committee. It is said that Cogswell of Massachusetts may be chairman of the District of Columbia committee. The Financial Committees. Thovgh not the ranking committees, the most important in the House may be those on coinage, weights and measures, and on banking and currency. Whether the policy is to attempt financial legislation or to postpone it until some more opportune time, it is a matter of greatest importance that these committees should be so organ- ized as to insure conservatism. An unruly finance committee might be almost de- structive to the new management in Con- gress. The coinage committee is probably the more important of the two. It has been customary to recognize the silver senti- ment in making up this committee and the chairmanship is claimed for a western man. In the Fifty-third Congress, Bland was chairman. It is believed that Mr. Reed’s organization of the committee will be conservative. There is much uncer- tainty as to who the chairman will be, but chances seem to favor the selection of Charles W. Stone of Pennsylvania. Walker of Massachusetts will expect to be chair- man of the committee on banking and cur- rency, and he will probably get it, though seme say that Brosius may be selected. Grosvenor of Ohio, who has been spoken of as chairman of the committee on judi- ciary, will probably go on the ways and means committee, and either Ray of New York or Powers of Vermcnt be made chairman of judiciary. The chairmanship of the committee on elections is expected to go to Daniels of New York. Other Expected Assignments. Other important chairmanships are ex- pected to be assigned as follows: Post office and post roads, Loud of California; rivers and harbors, Herrmann of Oregon; education, Thomas of Michigan; en- rolled bills, Hager of Iowa; alcoholic liquor traffic, Morse cf Massachusetts; claims, Cooper of Wisconsin; immigration Gillet ‘of New York, or Stone of Pennsyl- vania; “Indian affairs, Sherman of New York; invalid pensions, Pickler of South Dakota; labor, Aplsey of Massachusetts; improvement of the Mississippi river, Mor- ris of Illinois; brary, Adams of Peensy!- vania; manufactury, ‘Chickerinn of New York; merchant marine and fisheries, Per- kins of Iowa: military affairs, Curtis of New York; militia, Wright of Massachu- setts; mines and ‘mining, Stephenson of Michigan; Pacific railroads, Smith of Ili- rois; patents, Bowers of California; pen- sions, Loudenslager of New Jersey; print- ing, Broderick of Kansas; public buildings and grounds, Milliken of Maine; public lands, Lacey of Iowa; war claims, Mahon of Pennsylvania; revis 's, John- son of Ind.; private land claims, Coftin,Md.; Civil Service Reform. If Hopkins of Illinois is not made ehair- man of the committee on ways and means, but is given membership on that commit- tee, he will probably be, in addition, chair- man of the committee on civil service re- form. The committee on rules of the next House will probably consist of Cannon, Dalzell, Crisp and Catchings, in addition to the Speaker, who will be chairman ex oflicio. —EEEe REFUSED TO RECORD IT. The Castellnne-Gould Marringe Cer- tificate Defective. NEW YORK, March 5.—The board of health refused to record the marriage cer- tificate of Anna Gould and Count Castel- lane today on the ground that it was de- fective in a vital point. Upoa investigaticn, the Associated Press learned that Archbishop Corrigan’s clerk, by inadvertence, omitted the entry upon the date line of the certificate, and the was, therefere, returned to the proper persons for correction. IRVINGTON, N. Y., March 5.—Count De Castellane and his bride, the countess, who arrived from New York last evening, are spending a quiet day at Lynhurst, Helen Gould's mansion. A number of newspaper men this morning went to Lynhurst, but they were not allowed to go any further than the gate, and were refused all infor- mation as to the movements of the bridal couple. Two men, who look like detectives, closeiy scrutinize all who ask for admis- sion to the. grounds surrounding Lynhurst. It is reported that the ccunt and countess will depart on the 8:10 train for Buffalo, and will stop at Niagara Falls en route to Montreal. WOMEN FOR SCHOOL BOARO| FEARING THE FLOOD The Names of Three Candidates Before the Commissioners. No Probability of Early Appointments —Applicatious Filed for Future Consideration. The Commissioners have not yet received a formal ¢opy from the State Department of the act of Congress which provides for the appointment of two women to the school board’ of the District, and conse- quently, so Commissioner Ross told a Star reporter this afternoon, they have not given the matter their personal attention. The women, however, have shown them- selves the equals of men in their desire to have their applications in early, and al- ready the Commissioners have had pre- sented to them the claims of several local women, who think, or whose friends think, that they are eminently qualified to serve as school trustees and to look after the details of the education of the city’s youth. Up to this afternoon applications had been received from three women for places on the board, and the applications have been filed for reference and future consid- eration. The three who have been heard from so- far are Edith M. Collins, Mrs. Helen A. Cook and Mrs. A. M. Colman. Some time ago, when the term of service of Mr. J. W. Whelpley on the school board expired, a delegation of women called at the Commissioners’ office to present the claims of Mrs. Miranda Tulloch. At that time there was no provision for the ap- pointmeyt of women trustees, but it was understood that there was nothing to pre- vent her appointment if the Commissioners saw fit to take such action. Mr. Whelpley, however, was reappointed at that time. It is supposed that now a new effort will be made to have Mrs. Tulloch selected for one oc the two plaves contemplated in the new aw. Mrs. Cook is the wife of John F. Cook, who was formerly collector of taxes for the District and one of the most promi- nent colored men in the city. His brother is now the superintendent of the colored public schools. Mrs. Cook is now the head of a society of colored women whose ob- ject is to care for colored girls, fit them for places of usefulness and secure situa- ticns for them. Miss Collins is a teacher in the public schoojs of the city, and Mrs. A. M. Colman is a clerk in one of the gov- ernment departments. So far as the Commissioners understand it, there is no time specified in the act within which the appointments must be made, and, as they are overcrowded with business just now connected with the clos- ing of the session of Congress, it is likely that the matter may not be considered for some time yet. ——— GERMAN CONSULAR SERVICE. its System Being Improved to En- large Foreign Trade. The German government is rapidly ex- tending the functions of its consuls and improving the entire consular system, with the purpose of enlarging its foreign trade. Strenuous efforts are being made to cap- ture the lucrative markets of the United States in particular for German manufac- turers, and great success is attending the work. United States Consul Sterne at Bamberg, Germany, who has been closely watching the development of the German system, and has already made one report upon the subject to the State Department calling attention to some features that might well be adopted in our own consular service, has just submitted another report, as a sequel, directing notice to a further measure undertaken by the German gov- ernment in the interest of the German ex- port trade to the United States. Announcement of an Official Visit. He says that in many leading German newspapers the following notice has been published: “The director of the German consulate at Chicago will pay an official visit to his native country (Germany) in March or April of this year for the purpose of delivering a number of addresses on the subject of commercial relations in the United States, and in particular the great opportunities offered for effecting an in- crease in the export of German merchan- dise to that country. Business branches and firms in search of new markets for dis- posing of their wares, and who desire to re- ceive information regarding business af- fairs in America, should address themselves to the commercial department of the con- sulate at Chicago.” All Trained Men. Mr. Sterne says the German consuls are all trained men. The practice, which re- sembled our own, of making honorary consuls is on the decline, and in Germany these officers are men who make a profes- sion of their pursuit. Mr. Sterne points out, however, that these consuls are aided in their efforts by various industrial branches, whereas American consuls have no such supperts. As an instance of op- portunities that our merchants overlook, he shows how, as a result of the recent severe winter, it would be entirely prac- ticable for our rubber manufacturers to capture the market in Germany for over- shoes, rubber coats, &c., if they sent capable representatives to secure territory. ———___--e+_______ NO MORE INVESTIGATION. The Dockery Joint Department Com- mission is Dead. The Dockery joint department commis- sicn, which has caused to be inaugurated a great many reforms in the departments, is dead. The life of the commission ex- pired with the Fifty-third Congress yester- day. Inasmuch as the reforms which the commission brought about caused a con- siderable reduction of clerical force in some departments, and created a feeling of uneasiness among the clerks of all de- partments, the announcement of the close of its official career will probably be a re- lief to those interested. The act creating the commission pro- vided that it should live only through Con- gress. Mr. Dockery will return to Mis- souri in a few days, and the experts who have made investigations in the depart- ments and recommended the changes’ will no longer have authority to do anything in the’ way of advocating further changes. One of thg experts is authorized, by an ap- propriation bill, to render a’ stipulated amount of service to the Secretary of the Treasury in getting up a system of books to be used in the new accounting plan, but his work will not partake of the nature of an investigation. ————_--2+___ APPOINTMENTS MADE. Some Who Failed of Confirmation Cared for by the President. The President made the following recess appointments before he left town this morning: Albert B. Stearns of Massachusetts, to be appraiser of merchandise in the district of Boston and Charlestown, Mass. David G. Browne of Montana, to be col- lector of customs for the district of Mon- tana and Idaho. William L.Marbury of Maryland, to be at- torney of the United States for the district of Maryland. John H.Brickenstein of Pennsylvania and Arthur P. Greely of New Hampshire, to be examiners-in-chief in the patent office. These appointments were all nominated during the session of Congress and failed of confirmation. It is said that there will be no more appointments until the Presi- dent returns to the city. The above list in- cludes all he had acted upon prior to his departure. Residents of Port Deposit Living in Their Second Stories. SCENES ON THE SUSQUERANNA Small Icebergs Extending for Three Miles. EFFECT OF ANOTHER GORGE Special Dispatch to The Evening Star. PORT DEPOSIT, Md., March 5.—The sit- uation at Port Deposit at noon today was the same as yesterday afternoon. An im- mense body of ice, a mile wide, seven miles In length and fifty feet in depth, had moved at 2:30 yesterday afternoon and carried de- struction with it. Houses were knocked from their foundations and small buildings were demolished. At Middletown, which is the center of the town, the greatest damage was done. Several fine dwelling houses were stood on their ends and the founda- tions washed away. What portion of the town escaped damages from the ice was damaged by the muddy water. The con- tents of several stores are damaged to the extent of several hundred dollars. The cit- izens had all their carpets up and their household furniture removed to the second story when the fiood came, and in this way managed to save a great amount of their goods from the water. z The most damage sustained by the ice and water is that by the Port Deposit and Coon railroad. The depot is «ub- merged and the platforms torn up, and the ice blocks, weighing as much as several tons, are piled twenty feet high over the roadbed. All telegraphic communication north of the town is cut off, and poles are down. The superintendent of the division has au- thorized the agents ‘o sell no tickets from Perryville to Port Deposit and Columbia, as no trains are able to run between these points, and, from the present appearance of the situation, it will require several weeks to again get the road in running condition. The Gorge Remains. ‘The ice remains gorged all the way from fifteen to twenty feet from the Baltirhore and Ohio bridge north to Rock Run, on the Cecil side of the river. A small channel has been cut through the ice on the Har- ford side of the river, and through this the ice and water now coming down the river is slowly passing out into the bay. This affords some relief to the flood-swept town, but whether it will carry out enough ice and water to prevent another flood is not known. The tide is running very low, and this is a bad sign for Port Deposit. Seene at Port Deposit. The scene here this morning was a pic- turesque one. Huge mountains of ice, rang- ing from twenty-five to thirty feet high, ex- tend from near Happy valley to Rock Ran, a distance of three miles, and ft is impos- sible to see the other side of the river from the streets here. The ice floes are strewn all through the streets of the town, and business is paralyzed. The people are still living in the second stories of their houses, because if the chan- nel on the Harford side should become gorged another flood is inevitable. The disaster of yesterday afternoon was the worst in the memory of the oldest in- habitants since 1875, at which time water was in the houses up to the second-story windows. At one time yesterday the whole town was threatened with destruction, but the high tide, backed up the bay by a south wind, did much to carry out the ice and water on the Harford side. BRIDGING THE NORTH RIVER. Report of Theodore Cooper, Consult- ing Engineer. NEW YORK, March 5.—The board of dl- rectors of the New York and New Jersey Bridge Company met today at the com- pany’s office, 214 Broadway, and received the report of Consulting Engineer Theo- dore Cooper. Mr. Cooper was appointed a member of the commission of expert bridge engineers by President Cleveland and has since been retained by the bridge company, and et today’s meeting he presented general speci- fications for the proposed suspension bridge over the Hudson river. He prefaced his report with a statement, saying in part: “The main purpose for building this bridge is to get a paying revenue by trans- ferring the traffic of the railroads on the west bank of the Hudson river to the city of New York. A bridgé incapable of satis- fying the demands of these railroads could not be a financial success. “The bridge should not be built for the present only, nor should a false economy cause this bridge to be designed and con- structed upon the idea of restriction of the speeds, size, weight or frequency of t! wayou cannot afford to tell any of these railroads, by signals or otherwise, <hat another train cannot be allowed upon the bridge, because it was not built strong enough. The specifications have been drawn so as to rule out any plans which may be presented as cheap structures, from their being less capable or weaker struc- tures.” Engineer Cooper’s specifications are com- prehensive. The capacity of the bridge calls for six standard railroad tracks upon one level. Its general description that of a steel wire suspension bridge, stiffened by longitudinal girders extending from tower to tower. The main span oniy, or the portion between towers, will be carried by the cables. The side ‘spans, or the por- tions between the towers and anchorages, will be carried on viaducts independent of the cables. The towers will be steel skeleton structures, commencing at an elevation of about fifty feet above high water, where the masonry piers end. All the connections must be riveted, and all the bracing must be rigid. The main piers and the anchorages must be founded upon the rock, or upon piles, or such other form of foundation as may be approved by the chief engineer. Engineer Cooper's report was formally adopted by the directors, and will be for- warded to the state commission for ap- proval. The state commissioners are An- drew H. Green, Isidor Straus, F. K. Hain, Evan Thomas and Frank M. Vail. —_————_. Two Knoxville Conventions, Special Dispatch to The Evening Star. KNOXVILLE, Tenn., March 5.—A con- vention of southern manufacturers of woolen goods has been called to meet in this city tomorrow. At the same time the Jeans Manufacturers’ Beneficial Association meets here. The association embraces thirty woolen mills in southern and western states, representing 30,000 looms. Fifty, delegates will attend. _ Yellow Fever at Rio. BALTIMORE, Md., March 5.—The coffee barks Baltimore and Frances, which are rived from Rio today, report yellow fever breaking out again at that port. While bark Frances was lying becalmed off Cape Frio the steam bark Severn from Rio or Baltimore passed her. The Frances spoke the American bark Justine Ingersoll and the British schooner Frederick E. Cox at sea. They signaled all well and asked to be reported.