Evening Star Newspaper, August 26, 1897, Page 3

THE EVENING STAR. THURSDAY, AUGUST * * * 26, 189710 GES * SPECIAL NOTICES. SPECIAL NOTICE—THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ‘of the Columbia Street Raflway Company have declared a dividend al stock, payable oa axl after SEPTEMBER 1. 1807. The books ‘of stock will be closed from Au- mber 1, both inclusive. THED- Seeretary. au26-2t 1897. N OF PARTNERSHIP. known for the past two years PDD & CO.. confectioners and nw, with branch at 1726 s this day t i continue 12 b a nam Badd will continue at the old stand si. nw., and assumes the Hahilities of the firm and Will coilect all debts due the said GED. T. BUDD. FRED W. BOOXE. WEVE STRUCK THE NATPY MEDIUM a “drawn” and a “bagey’’ fit—and our mi insured fall suit. EL & CO., Ti FIB MeNEIL, CLATIE nt, business ard test medium, 114 P _ CLARK, IN. FORE! has removed from S146 M st. to 3267 M st. n. Weet D.C. auG Sw Bric BRICKS.—1F bricks, eal] in and see ns and count for Anzust delivery. by aikewing sou th t onr special dis- {We “will save you 1 discount for Anzust. WASHINGTON Ti AND TERRA COTLY CO., 10th and F sts. now. au2-Lm HAVE YOU VISITED Cleveland Park recently? gri2-te You should do so. We're After Business [ien. thing In the way of Station- Mes for fall ‘421 L1thSt. au25-Lid nd us &R tings aston es PULAR tria upp, ICED STATION T never disappot: Spread the news! the news of the arrival of v J We Like Wy Talk it o Printer, 51 smal By S. ADAM: hd Pure life n drive head of beth in into a away Star terers ohn PA. them, B , blues. F: 1 other erhil Beand Alls all good pl . Espey, ‘Hardware’ J 1 au7-3m,10 VE. NO AIR MCTORS. Six Cable Lines to Be Fitted With Un- derground Trolley Appliances. From the New York Journal, Today. William C. Whitney gave a dinrer at the Hotel erland on Tuesday evening, at which the controlling factors of the Metro- politan Street Railway Company were present, and at which a discussion of the great improvements contemplated for that system marked it as a momentous gath- ering. It brought out the interesting fact that ro compressed air motors are to be used, but the underground trolley system instead. In addition to John D. Crimmins, the three Philadelphians who are practically in command of this vast property—P. A. B. Widener, John Dolan and William El- kins—were Mr. Whitney's guests. These milionaire capitalists, who were the orig- inal erganizers of the Metropolitan Trac- tion Company, and who finally merged that corporation into the Metropolitan Street Railroad Company, have svent much of their time recently in this city, because of the importance which attaches to the change in the motive power of the system from cable to underground trolleys. This change of power has already begun. The advertisements announcing the new corperate title of the cable road syndicate appeared yesterday in the newspapers. It is now the Metropolitan Street Raiiway 000 line putt! men are at work on the and other sections of sg in the underground . Mr. John D. Crimmins We are pushing the work utmest rapidi Ged on for the fu- sed air wili not ue erday: n wiih r dei Compre said ye: to "The ure completi is u ity. t . The lines now being laid with rails and ¢lectrical und onduits 4th i street, vard, from th to avenue, running from Harlem rive ne are Astor plac to the iver from the bizg tr 1 manu- nt in the world, and its ma- aly motive power for all re 212 miles in the s 9 miles of cable and electric ng 183 miles of horse car line to be changed to the new system, with expensive sti ils, Harveyized steel plate crossings underground trolley con- all hay facturing pl chine will su: Phere road, ¥ be said that the Philadelphia di- rectors have expressed their gratification at the extraordinary energy displayed by Mr. Crimmins in hurrying up the con- tractors with their work. An army of men is putting in the electrical appliances for miles along the avenues President Vreeland said that the road Would be opened by November and cars running to the Harlem river if the con- ‘tors putting in the city sewer above bith street finished in time. All the special iron work for crossings, Harveyized steel plates sup is and protecting the electri- of the trolley beneath, are ter contract for delivery at an early day. new cars will be longer, and ¢ luding the more com- mfortable than the present They will be lighted and ed by electricity, and other improve- will be introduced by Stephenson, ider. There will be 500 of these elec. Ts Put on when the road opens, No- ard to transfers, Mr. Vreeland said tem will not be curtailed, but rather €xtended, and the other railway companies ‘rring will have the benefit of the ne. One hundred and two million wsfers were given last year. It is esti- 1 that there will be one hundred and twenty-seven millions of transfers th s year, Jt will cost the company $12,500,000 to put in the electric system. The speed will be us high as ten miles an hour. On the trips to Harlem electricity will save the road twenty minutes in time. ———— CONDENSED LOCALS. us Randolph, colored, was today held Kimball in $300 bend for the on of the grand jury, to answer the of obtaining groceries valued at a ch $1.55, under false pretenses, from Mr. D. Hi. Brooks, on the credit of Mrs. Estella Herring. The dead body of an infant, appar about five months old, was foun vente day afternogn about 4 o'clock on a vacant lot ni ith and E streets northeast. It ts taken to the ninth police station, and oner Carr notified. When a death cer- tificate had been given the body was sent to potter's field. cen Waller and Robert Miller. colored, aged in an affray in Broad alley last At, and Queen wus cut across the fore- «with a penknife. The wound was ed at the Emergency Hospital. Miller not been apprehended. -_ Recent Pensions Granted. Pensicns have been granted as follows: District of Columbia — Edward Green, Ww. Bidwell, Seldiers’ Home; Eliza C. Griffith, Henrietta Thomas. M: d—William K. Castle (deceased Boonsboro’; Henry T. Baldwin, Baltimor Jacob Glassmyer, Baltimore; Jarrett H. Ball, Galena; Prudence J. Castle, Boons- boro’; minors of Alexander H. Cook, Bakersville. Virginia—Peler Rickmond, Norfolk. JOHNSON CONFESSES The Murderer of Farmer Marshall Gives Up His Secret, SIGHT OF HIS VICTIM TORTURES HIM Improbable Story Told of Having Acted in Self-Defense. THE PRISONER'S DEMEANOR eee Frank Johnson, the young colored man who has been under arrest on suspicion of having killed Farmer John D. Marshall, was unable te rest easy after he saw the bedy of the victim yesterday, and late in the afternoon he sent word that he want- ed to see Detectives Lacy and Weedon. Instead of the officers going to see him, he was taken to police headquarters, and there he made a full confession of his guilt. While admitting the shooting, he claimed that he acted in self-defense. But his self-defense plea, the detectives say, dces not show that the facts, even as ne asserts them, justified him in using his weapon. The farmer, he says, struck him with whip, while, on the other hand, it is as- serted that he had no whip in his wagon. If he had one it was lost or carried away, for none was found when the wagon was searched, and the roadway in the vicinity of the Pennsylvania avenue bridge was carefully gone over without disclosing that anything had heen dropped by Mr. Mar- shall. From the time of the prisoner's ar- rest Tuesday morning until he made his confessicn, Johnson seemed considerably frightened, and the officers felt cer that if he had not committed the Marshall murder he was wanted for crime in some other place. There was evidently some- thing en his mind to trouble him. He d‘d not talk freeiy—indeed, it was necessary to do some close questioning in order to get him to say anything. While under the charge of Detectives Weedon and Lacy he was not at all com- municative, and his conduct convinced them that he was not innocent of wrong- doing. lence Well Founded. the saurderer in ¢ ye ‘ity 7? the ing, when che to priscner and note his conduct, in addition they al h hell from his body, wh to having the empty and the bullet from 3 fitted it. When Johnson was taken to the morgue vesterday the view he had of the dead man ad a visible effect on him. The sight of the pale face troubled him, and late yes- terday afternocn, when he sent for the offi- arshall's cers, he admitted that this had prey upen his mind, and was partly what in- duced him to admit the shcoting. He told of how Marshall's face was before him all the time. Such a thing as sleep was im- possible. When his head would res! the iron bench the vision would appear he- fore him more plainly than ever, and when he had been tortured in this way for sev- eral hours he felt that he could get relief only by telling of the affair as it happened. The relief did come, although it was only temporary, for this morning he seemed to regret what he had said, and did not care to discuss the case. The prisoner knew cf the complete identification of him by Farmer Lawrence J. Bell, and he also un- derstood that the bullet found by the doc- tors fitted the empty shell found in the “bull dog” revolver. It was about 6 o'clock in the afternoon when the prisoner signified an intention to talk of the case, and he desired to make his disclosures to the detectives who had been talking to him before. Inspector Mat- tingly had gone home to dinner, but he re- turned to the office after he received word from headquarters, and was soon closeted with the prisoner. The Fatal Admission. “Yes, I shot him,” said Johnson, who was then anxious to relieve his mind of the heavy burden. “I was standing near the bridge when the countryman came along and asked for a match. I told him I didn’t have a match, and he said: “You —— —., I don't care whether you have a match or not.” Continuing, Johnson said he walked out to the wagon, and when he reached the vehicle the farmer ki dat him and cut him acr« the shoulders with his whip. When he made the last kick at him, Jonn- sen said, he grabbed his leg and shot him. Johnson paused awhile when he said he shot him, and the inspector asked him why he used his pistol. “T don't kno’ Was the answer, and the guilty man then seemed to realize the full meaning of what he had said. He admitied that the farmer had not dealt him any blows with his whip with force enough to leave a mark on him, but he thought he had not done anything to warrant the treatment received, and he thought he beljeved it self-defense when he fired the shot. He did not mean to kill the man, he said, but merely intended to shoot him in the leg and wound him. Denies Prior Troubic. The prisoner denied that he had ever seen Marshall before the fatal meeting, although it had been hinted that there had been trouble between them at the market. John- son admitted that he had been ab the market, and had done odd jobs for country men, but said he did not remember of hay ing seen Marshall there. When the trying ordeal was over John- son said he knew it was no use to conceal his guilt any longer, for he was sonably certain the officers had enough evidence to fasten the crime on him. He was returned to his cell in the first precinct, where be was afterward seen by a Star reporter. He was found seated on the iron bench in his cell, glancing over what seemed to be a religious publication. In conversation with the reporter, he ex- pressed himself in tones which indicated sorrow for having made a conf. ion, and, fearing a severe penalty, he seemed even mere dejected than he was Tuesday, when interviewed in the dock at the Police Court. Thoughts of his mother seemed to add to his despondency, for he knew how the news of his trouble would affect her, al- though she has not seen him for more than three years. His mother’s name, he said, is Harriet Jchrson, and she is employed as a domes- tic in the home of Mr. Crane, a dry goods merchant at Tullahoma, a town only a few miles below Nashville. He repeated his story that he had not seen any of his rela- tives for more than three years, and that he had been on the road most of this time. During his tramping from place to place, he says, he worked on farms as well as In cities, and earned money enoush to keep him in clothes. Since his arrival here he has spent mosi of his nights in box cars and bufidings about Twining City and -the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge. Sunday night he started for one of nis old haunts, but because of the presence of policemen CASTORIA Infants and Children. SEE THAT THE FAC-SIMILB SIGNATURE OF Chas. H. Fletcher IS ON THE WRAPPER CF EVERY BOTTLE OF CASTORIA TOE CENTAUR COMPANY, 77 Murray st.. N. X. THE OFFICIAL WEATHER MAP. a a“ EXPLANATORY NOTB: Goservations taken at 8 a.m., “5th meridian time. bars, or lines of equal air pressure, drawn for each tenth of an iuch. ©@ Partly Cloudy EF sacksonvil® <9 Croudy 80° @ fain. @ Snow. Solid limes are iso- Dotted lines are isotherms, or lines of equal temperature, drawn for each ten degrees. Shaded areas are regions where rain or snow has fallen during preceding twelve tours. The words “High” and “Low” show location of areas of high und low bLarcmeter. Small arrows fly with the wind, GENERALLY FAIR. Warmer Weather is Indicated for Tomorrow. Forecast till 8 p. m. Friday.—For the Dis- trict of Columbia, generally fair; warmer Friday; variable winds, becoming southerly. The storm to the north of Montana has mcved to Manitoba, causing showers in the Red River of the North and Upper Missouri valleys. Showers have also occurred in the lower lake regicn and middle Atlantic states. A ridge of high pressure extends from the gulf to the St. Lawrence va'le: and the pressure is also high in the northern plat- eau. The temperature has fallen in the lower lake region, middle and northern plateaus, and northern slope er Missouri, middl Heys, and has rem: where Pair wi trict lowe The inche: ained stationary else- her may be expected in all di of the lower lakes, the Ohio and ppi val hes a precipitation (in Jupiter, 2.28; Sidne; Condition of the Water. ture and condition of w dition 1. ; condition at north conn dition at south connection, ¢ tempera ction, 1; con- Distributing on the street he failed to reich it, and about o'clock Monday morning he had ccme out of his place of hiding and was about to start across the b when the farmer’ zon drove up near where he was standing and the occupant of the ve- hicle asked him for a match. Subsequent Movements. Soon after doing the shooting he stepped to one side of the street, where he thought no one would see him, and then approached the bridge, reaching there just in time to meet Farmer Bell, then hurrying to the aid of Marshall. Instead of crossing the bridge, he said, he went down the steep embank- ment to the railroad tracks and reached the city by passing through the Navy Yard tunnel. All day Menday he remained about the city, and late at night he started through South V nington to the Long bridge, intending to cross the bridge and start toward his mother’s home in Ten- nessee. But before daybreak the police ar- rested him and he then realized that th finding of the pistol on him would surely get him in trouble, although he had not anticipated so serious an ending. The arrest of the prisoner in South Washington at so early an hour Tuesday morning was the result of the crusade that Lieut. Hollinberger’s officers have been making against tramps and suspicious persons generally, who are found about the Long bridge, railroad and lumber yards and on the flats. Policemen Bassford, Ver- million and Curry, the officers who made the arrest, apprehended quite a num- ber of suspicious persons during recent weeks, and several of them were armed, so that thé arrest of an armed man was nothing new. But from the fact that one shot had been fired from the pistol found on him and enly about twenty-four hours had elapsed between the time of the shoot- ing and the arrest Johrson was looked upon as the suspected murderer. Kept in the Shadows. When the cflicers first saw him he was endeavoring to reach the bridge, and ap- peared anxious to keep in the shadows away from the electric light his presence might a order that at so early an hour icion. But the offi- are always on the there not arouse sus! about the bridge alert for just ons as Johnson. When the cs taken to court Po- liceman Vermillion had charge of it, and it w through him that the detective learned of the arrest and took p: of the prisoner. Scon after Joh captured } thi the on was he commenced to Weaken under close questioning, but he thought over matter and concluded to get a night's rest, when he hoped to be in better con- s dition to talk. When the shooting was reported there not a single clue upon which to work, even the arrest of Johnsen with t much Detectives Weedon and Lacy, , by a close examination of empty shell and bullet, discovered the fi link in the chain of evidence, which was afterward tightened about the prisoner. It was due to their management of the case, the officials admit, that lead to the prisoner's confession yesterday. Chief Moore Gratified. Major Moore was particularly _ well pleased at the prompt manner in which the officers had worked -to a conclusion in a case which at one time promised to remain an unsolved mystery, and this morning he issued a general order as follov It is a source of satisfaction department to be able to nute the arr the st to the st of Frank Johnson, who murdered a pe ble citizen of Maryland within this juris- diction. > “With but meager description of the criminal, and without knowledge of a 110- tive for the act, Privates J. T. Bassford, William Vermillion and Edward Curry not only displayed excellent judgment in ap- prehending the stranger, but also exhibited wise discretion in securing his detention as the suspected murderer by the court. he detective service did commendable work in securing corroforative evidence against the prisoner, which lead to his con- fession.” Johnson Photographed. ‘This morning the prisoner spent mest of his time in his cell fumbling with a news- paper, and he had but very little to say to those who called on him. Before noon he was taken to police headquarters, where he was measured, and afterward he was pho- graphed for the gallery. When this had bee Tone he was taken before Judge Kim- ball in the Police Court. A warrant charg- ing him with murder had been sworn out by Detective Lacy, and on this he was committed to jail until Tuesday. This was dene in order to hold him until after the inquest, to be resumed Monday afternoon. ‘The detectives are now searching for a man called “Yellow,” to whom Johnson is reported to have made the statement that he had shot a countryman in the leg. Coroner Will Commit. When the inquest shall be concluded the coroner will make out a commitment cn which Johnson will be held in jail until the grand jury meets in September, and the case will, in all probability, be tried early in the fall. It is likely to be the first mur- der trial under the new law, under which the jury fixes the penalty. The law gives the jury the right in deciding as to the pun- ishment to choose between death and life imprisonment. A mere verdict of guilty, without recomntendation, means that the court must fix the penalty at death. This afternoon Detective Weeden wrote a letter to the prisoner’s mother in Ten- nessee, giving her information of her son’s trouble, The funeral of the victim of Monday’s tragedy took place this morning from J. W. Lee's undertaking establishment, the body being laid at rest in Glenwood cem- etery. reservoir, temperature, 79; condition at in- fluent gate hou: effluent gate house, 32, Both Rivers Muddy. Both rivers at Harper's Ferry were re- ported as being muddy this morning. Tide Table. Teday—Low tide, 12:41 p.m.; high tide, 6:04 a.m. and 6:25 p.m. Tomorrow—Low tide, 1 p.m.; high tide, 6:50 a.m. ‘Today—Sun rises 5: p.m. oon rises 4:41 a.m. tomorrow.New moon, “) p.m. tomorrow Tomorrow—Sun rises, 5:24 a.m, The City Lights. Gas lamps all lighted by 747 p.m.; e3 tinguishing begun at 4:33 a.m. The ligh ing is begun one hour before the time named. Are lamps lighted at 7:32 p.m.; extinguish- ed at 4H8 a.m. uperature for Twenty-Four Hours. ng were the readings of the at the weather bureau during -four hours, beginning at 2 flernoo| > Di o'clock ye August night, ¢ +» TH; mid- at 3 p.m. a.m., August MODERN METH MORE The Plan of Hoisting Timber in Force at the City Post Office. Elaborate controversies had been indulg- cd in from time to time over the manner in which the Pyramids of Egypt were built, and savants who delve into the an- tique have put forth all sorts of theories regarding their construction. People wha don’t know anything about the intricate methods of scientists, however, and who oniy have a vague idea of the existence of the Ptolomies, are pretty sure that the pyramids were built by the most primitive means, and that thousands of men worked assiduously for unlimited time in raising the great rocks one upon another. An American tourist who once climbed to the top of Cheops expressed the opinion that it must have taken about eleven thousand ars to build the old thing. There are sons living in Washington who have given some attention to this matter of the construction of the pyramids, and for some time past they have béen cherishing a very profound conviction that the new city post cffice Is very apt to run a close second to Cheops regarding the time necessary for its completion. A process now in progress at the new building adds confidence to the views of such persons. Several days ago the attention of passers along Pennsylvania avenue was attracted by the appearance of a flimsy frame scaf- folding slowly rising above, the fence which incloses the new city post office. It was being erected of pieces of rough lumber di- rectly in front of the center arch of the imposing entrance to the building. In or- der to give the wonderful structure nec- ary support, scantlings were run out from {ts upright timbers and placed in the interstices of the rich stone o1 on on each side of the archway lation rife to what the thing was intended for, There were rumors that an oil well had been located and that the perv! rehitect had ordered the con- struction of a derrick in order to bore for the liquid. T idea was di the structure reac! est point of the reugh p it, Ten feet above it were the windows of the second story of the building. When the structure was finished four colored pe Specu- pated, however, when the level of the high- th. At this point a a form was built across the top of men took possession of it. become known. ed to pass up lal to the platform Then its object The colored men proceed- bortously from the ground on top of the stru ture, and thence push up and into the second: story windows of the post office building long, thick boards. The string of hoards has continued upward and inward ever since, and the longer the operation has gcne on, the more amused the observers of this Egyptian mode of hoisting timber rave become. The operatots evidently had experience in passing w: : extecloncey i watermelons at the Curiosity became was made as to th tion ef this no developed that So great that. ¢nquiry e reasdn for the adop- vel procediré, and it was ee of eos contractors en- iF Post offige need - siderable quantity of timber on tee tasconl ficor of the structure, and,ag the elevators Were said to be too small ‘for the purpose, and the boards could not be hoisted up threugh the court by reason of the roof that covers it at the second story, that he adcpted the method above described. ‘ The question naturally arises as to how the same timber, which is understood to intended for under flooring, will be carried up to the upper stories when the necessity for similar boards is reached in the higher sections. If the same system {5 continued, and the derrick-like structure described above is built higher to meet the emergency, and the force of laborers en- Saged in the hoisting is increased, as will be necessary, in proportion, an excellent representation of the tower of Babel will be presented to an admiring populace. Of course, if the thing had been placed around out of sight on ith or 12th street, er even on D street, it might have escaped crit- icism, but the chance on Pennsylvania aye- nue was too good to be lost, evidently, and it was eagerly grasped. ——__ Transfers of Real Estate. Eighth street northeast between C and D streets—Louis A. and Louise J. Phil- ipoteaux to Annie K. Smith, part lot I, square 916; $1,350, ‘ ee ee M. Shepherd to Robert ickey, lot 10, block 4; $100. Chichester—Jocelyn Z. Yoder et rock to ay Curtis, lots 40 and 41, block 2; THE CITY PLUMBING] "=" 7? “=== Annual Report of the Superintendent of the District Service. SUGGESTED SYSTEMS AND REFORMS Sanitary Condition of the Various Public School Buildings. THE AMENDED REGULATIONS es The operations of the plumbing depart- ment of the District for the past fiscal year were made public today in the annual report of the superintendent of plumbing. In his report he say: “The operations of the division of plumb- ing inspection during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1897, show a marked increase in the number of inspections over those mad: in any previous year, the total being 14,1 The total for the preceding year was 8,677, a difference of 5,436. “This increase is due to four principal causes—the introduction, through the ope- ration of the compulsory act, of house sewers and water supplies into many premises heretofore unserved; the greater facility cf movement afforded the assistant inspectors by their equipment with bicy- cles, the increase of one-sixth in the force of assistants, and an added attention to the fullness of the record of inspections made. “The act of Congress approved May 18, 1846, compelling the connection of un drained and unsewered premises with th scwer system, and the substitution of wa- ter closets for privies, has resuited in the service ot nearly 1,700 notices by the health officer. of which, it is believed, at least 1,000 have now teen complied with. Each of these cases has required two or more ins pections. System for New Buildings. “The examination and approval of plans and specifications of the plumbing systems for new buildings has been conducted as heretofore, the total number considered having decreased from %é4 in the previo year to 721 for the year just past. F attention has been directed to securing an advance upon the current practice regard- ing location and directne of run of soil and with good results. It is my conviction..that frame bath rooms should not be authorize ed to bri it is impracti to the waste and supply lines locz in such supplementary structures against the ef- fects of frost and the settlement of walls and_ floors. “The number of two-story houses in which the use of 3-inch soil stacks has been authorized in the past six months is fifty a number sufficient to show that the ap- prehension of stoppage which was felt by plumbers upon their introduction no long- ts. I am not informed that a single se of obstruction has resulted from the use of the smaller size, as now designed. It is believed that the greater security at- tained by the substitution of galvanized wrouzht-iron pipe with recessed threaded fittings for the common cast-iron soil stack of small size will justify the slight increase in the cost of the material. Repairs ard Reconstruction, “The understanding had with the inspec- tor of buildings relative to the advance ap- proval of plumbing plans for repairs and reconstruction of buildings has now been brought into a permanent and recognized form by requirements made in the new building regulations, “By the coincidence of three conditions— a new main sewer system, recent house plumbing, and an isolation of dwellings from cach other—attending the introduc- tion of sewerage into the Eckington valley and Brookland drainage area, an oppor- tunity was afforded for the safe omission of running traps from the house sewers of this district. The Commissioners, upon consideration of the facts, ordered ‘the traps to be not required within the limits specified, an exception which it is hoped may in the future be applied to certain other water sheds. “It is provided in amended plumbing reg- ulations that all exterior stop-cocks on water service lines are to be supplied by the water department; that all tapping of main sewers, whether the material be of brick or vitrified pipe, shall be done by an employe of the District, and not by the plumbers; that the back vent from a water closet trap may be omitted if the fixture is the upper or only closet on the stack and has its center within two feet of the ack; that water services be laid to specified depths, and that a terra cotta fresh air inlet pipe shall be termi- nated at the ground level with cast iron. It hes frequently come to my notice that many well-informed citizens have no knowledge of the willingness of this office to render assistance without charge to such desire to determine whether the plumbing werk in their homes is in safe condition or otherw Indeed, many who understand in a vague way the dang ion of sewer air their dwellings fail, either through athy or the fear of expense to obtain any assuraace that their own persons and families a protected against this insidi- ous f I suggest the desirability of issu- ing a carefully prepared circular letter, so phrased as not‘to excite undue alarm in over-cautious minds, but indicating where common defects in old plumbing may be jooked for and the nature of such defects, as well as the readiness of this bureau to afford expert service by advice or examin- ation «nd tendering its free co-operation in making tests of house plumbing. Dangers of Asphyxiation. “Some study was given during the winter to determining the best practical of obviating the dangers of acci- dental asphyxiation through the escape of illuminating gas, due to defects in old fix- tures and pipes, and that investigation has been continued during the period covered ‘by this repert. An opinion was expressed by the coroner in January, 1895, that cer- tain deaths which took place about that time were ‘due entirely to defective gas fixtures.’ He recommended that a thor- ough ‘inspection of all buildings, especially sleeping apartments therein, be made rel- ative to the condition of the fixtures. Two similar instances were brought to public notice during this year. “In February, 1897, a list of the principal hotels and bearding houses was collated and forwarded to the Commissioners, with a request that it be determined if author- ity existed to make inspection of the gas appliances in these buildings. The opin- ion rendered by the attorney was an ad- verse one, and no further action was tak- cn. I consider that the conditions justify the enactment of a statute allowing the entrance of my assistants for such exami- nation and compelling repairs after due service of notice. Precautions in Other Cities. “That this subject is deemed of pressing importance in other municipalities is evi- denced by the report made to the Massa- chusetts legislature by the board of gas and electric light commissioners of the city of Boston on February 20, 1897. The report states that four propositions have been considered by the board. ‘First. To require the use, in the sleeping rooms of hotels and lodging houses, of some kind of burner from which the gas cannot escape exeept when lighted. Second. To prohibit the use of gas in sleeping rooms which contain less than_a definite number of cubic feet. Third. To provide for the sys- tematic inspection of gas fixtures and pip- ing by some duly authorized public officer. Fourth. To define by statute the amount of. earbonic oxide or other ingredient which may exist in the gas, and to prohibit the distribution of gas containing an excess of such ingredients.” “The apparent conclusion reached by this board respecting the third method is that the number of fixtures, estimated at 1,200,- 000 burners, in the city of Boston is pro- hibitory of the proposed inspection. I do not agree with this conclusion, but con- sider it entirely feasible to make periodic inspections of the condition of a very large number of gas fixtures if the requisite au- thorization can be secured. The School Building. “In addition to the current inspection and office work, there was undertaken and special as at present, to be add- protect arising through the admi to ACCOUNTANTS. -Page AMUSEMENTS. eeaase AUCTION S BOARDING CITY ITEMS. COMMISSTO: COUNTRY BOARD.. COUNTRY RE DEATHS. EDUCATIC CURSION: FINANCIAL... For E: FORE FoR ALE (Miscetlaneous). AND VEHICLES LOST AND FOUNL LOCAL MENTION. See eee EET HD MEDICAL < MONEY WANTED AND TO LOAN. 4 OCEAN TRAV: 5 4 4 5 SPECIAL NOTICE 3 STORAGE. E 4 SUMMER RESORTS 5 SUBURBAN PROM 4 ABLE BOARD 4 UNDERTAKERS. WANTED WANTED (Board) (Help) (Houses). (Lots). (Miscellaneous) WANT WANTED WANTED beeen eee (Situations). .. completed an exarmipation of the plumb- ing in all the buildings occupied for schucl purposes in the District including rented, as well as those owned. The 5 eral condition of the plumbing in a ma- ‘jority of the buildings was nd to we geod, but in some of thc schools and rented vildii extensi airs and replacements shou! be made. The terra cotta or brick drains should in #N cases h nm and many uate vent ii aced. Only be replaced wi fixtures with in: be overhaul: number of the buildi > pro} h iteble separate toilet facilities for the ers “The notes taken have been tabulated and placed at th of the official in charge of re and will afford him a } ing ti of the r and 2 ne To m ain a prover standard of safety in school plumbing should t periodically examined and tested by aa | expert, and it is hoped that a system for such examination may be devised aud } kept in fore ———__ SENTENCE OF Charles Carter Committed to Jail for abbing Hix Father. Charles Carter, colored, was today sent to jail for six months by Judge Kimball for cutting his father, Philip Carter, with a knife last evening. The father stated the boy came home drunk and he reproved him for it. It was developed in the hearing that when Policemen Lightfoot and Donovan undertook to arrest the accused he made an attack on them, and Donovan narrowly escaped being severely cut. The father begged Judge Kimball to re- lease his son, on the ground that the young man’s mother was ill at home, hav- ing been brought from a hospital yester- day, but the court decided that the proper place for a young man who had commit- ted such a crime as that of Carter was the prison. i ELECTRICITY FROM GARBAGE. The New Method of Converting Waste Into Power. From the Electrical Engineer. One of the problems which confront mu- nicipalities of every size and description is the disposal of garbage. Where towns are located near the ocean or in proximity to large bodies of inland waters the usual bad | practice is to load the offal on barges, tow it out several miles from land and dump it. Most of it probably goes to the bottom, but enough keeps afloat to find its way ashore, as the disgusted and nauseated bathers at Coney Island and on the New Jersey coast can vouch for. In Chicago the practice of dumping garbage into the source of the city’s water suppiy, Lake Michigan, has given rise to such epidemics of typhoid fever that the intake for the water mains has recently been pushed out again several miles further into the ¥ Where no such large bodies of water exist, the only alternative is to dump the foul mass at some presumably safe dis the inhabited localit where it rots and fes As time passes and the eaches out its arms, the. from “flat nitel: railway in “flats’ real estute ulator, and the inhabi of dwellings erected on them are cons ly subject to the noxious emanations from the made ground en which they live. All this is an old story, Yet no attempt worth mentioning has been made in this country to remedy this state of irs. In strong contrast to our own supineness on this subject, and perhaps because of the greater pressure of the necessity, are the efforts making in England to solve this question in a satisfactory and at the same time eco- nomical manner. The cremation of gar- bage in so-called dust destructors has row been introduced in a number of En, h communities with apparent success, but what is more to the point is the utilization ef the heat value of this waste product for the generation of steam for driving electric light engines. The latest example of this class of installation is -hat erected by the Shoreditch vestry, London. Per- haps the most salient feature of this in- stallation is the employment of the Halpin thermal storage system. This leaves the work of the boilers practically independ- ent of the load on the station, and permits of a continuous disposal of the garbage. The example before us leads us to believe that in this direction many of our own electric light and power companies may find a way to increase their profits with a comparatively smail original expenditure. It may be taken for granted that sny mu- nicipality would welcome a proposition that would relieve it wholly or in part of the expense of carting or dumping the city garbage several miles off; it might even be, and usually is, willing to pay something to be felieved of the trouble and expense. Even granting the low calorific value of garbage as a fuel,- the abundance of the supply and the absence of cost to the company would make its use under the boiler just that much clear profit. But it seems to us that, aside from the purely economical side-of the question, there ts another which is well worth considering in these days of municipal ownership agita- tion. We may be mistaken, but we believe that an electric light company that would offer to receive and cremate or “render” all, or a part, of a city’s garbage, would raise a host of friends in that community, on whom the corporate property destroyer would make little impression. Thus from several points of view it appears worth while for American electric ‘ight com- panies to look into the garbage fuel ques- tion, or to consider the matter of going into the garbage rendering business, where it can be done without offending the nos- trils of the neighborhood. The tentative efforts made in this direction by many of our American communities attest the need of some systematic dealing with the prob- lem, for our cities are growing rapidly, while notions of economy and of the vaiue of refuse forbid longer resort to the bar- baric methods of old. 200. For Keeping a Gaming Table. John Wood today pleaded guilty befcre Judge Kimball of keeping a gaming table, and was sentenced to imprisonment in ail for four months and to pay a fine of $25, or two months in prison additional. pees SCT Ways of the Trausgressor. George Haarit and John Grogan, Gree! were today arraigned before Judge Kim- ball on the charge of resisting in Jackson Hall alk Pelicemen Randall, Riley Whalen. Haarit was sent to jail for = oe and fined $10, and Grogan was fined become the building lots of the De ants FINANCIAL. eee eee (The Commission &¥ \Brokers’ Charges’ ; y Consult us about a lean g uitable Co-operative.) ’ Building As sociation and t re +3 A ( 1003 F St. y 4 percen : ay ¢ = + io0an at eee Listed Seenritivs aul3-Im LO, DE LASHMUTT, 1421 G ST. N.W. THE BEST IS THE CHEAPEST— A home at Cleveland Park. Washington Loan & Trust Co., OFFICE, COR. 9TH AND F VAID-UP CAVITAL, ONE ML Loans in any amount made real estate or collateral, at rates. Interest paid upen deposits 0 Ny bale ances subject to thea. SO Sally bab This compan trator, trustee, agent, treasurr, And in all other fiduciary capa: ities Boxes for rent in bunglar I gs18 on approved reasonable ts a8 executor, adminis. registrar .. President: “i6e"Prewident ice Preaiden The National Safe Deposit, Savings and Trust Company, OF the District of Columbia, CORNER ISTH ST. AND NEW YORK AVR, Chartered by npecial act of Consress, Jan.. . and acts of Oct. 1890, and Feb, iso Capital: OneMillion Dollars auto HODGEN & CO., rokers & Dealers, Stocks, Cotton, Grain and Provisions, Rooms 10 and 11, and 60: st. Corcoran building, cor. 1 &F, nw. ny lad Silsby & - sby & Company, INCORPORATED, BANKERS AND BROKERS, Office, G13 15th st. ow, Nattoral Metrepolitan Bank Bullding. Correspondents Robert Lindblom & Co, “2 & MACARTNEY, lembers of the New York Stock Exchange, 1419 F st., Glover building. — Correspondents vf Messrs. Moore & Schley, 80 Broadway, Bankers ard Dealers iu Government Bonds, Deposits. Exchange Loans. Railroad | etocks ard Bonds and all securities Usted cn the exchanges of New York, Philad Boston and Baltimore bousit and sok welt A specialty ma of investment secorities. Dis- trict and all local Railroad, Gas, Lnsurans and Telephore Stock dealt in. = <q Americsn Bell = ‘Telephone Stock bought and sold. Union Savings Bank Offers to workingmen and snall depositors every nd- 4918-104 vantage in reason toward opening and maintaining a bauk account. 1222 F re Life Insurance Policies bought or taken as collateral on loans. T D. rts 1 F st. nw., or Box 503, City P.O, a Money at5 Per Cent to Loan On real estate ia District of Colum‘ia, No de= lay in closing lor ap2itt HEI L & McLERAN, 1008 F W. B. Hibbs & Co., BANKERS & BROKEKS, Members New York Stock Exchange, 1427 F Street. Correspondents of LADEN: THALMANN & CO., 46-160 New York. HE COURTS. Equity Court No. Ss agt. Collins; to intervenc, confirmed nisi. ss > pro confesso, as agt. Beatty; Southwick wick; counsel allowed to with Circuit Court No 2—Jsudge B: Smith; to urity for and fif- ; leave to amend de teen days to plead. Sup, agt. Hughes; judgment by fely agt. Brooks; do. Probate Court—Judge Bradley. Estate of Bilen Snee; i tate of Richard A. St 5 Estate of David ; tition for probate of will filed ate of Julia A, Kellogg; will admitted to proba ters of administration c. t. Wm. H. Dennis; bond $0,40) Horace E. Johnson; will |. Ese int tile Marriage licenses have be following: White—Eugene Compton and Flora For- syth, both of Front Royal, Va.; C. Grant Harrison and Florence M. Lugenbeel; Sam- uel H. Simmons of this city and Ida M. Ayers of New Glatz, Md.; William V. Best and Phoeke Thompson, both of Loudoun county, Va.; William L. Morton and EI . Bragg, both of Petersburg, Va.: Lewis . Corun and Anrie Houp, both of Fred- erick county, Md.; Williom L. Baumbach and Annie A. Dean. Colored—Edward Nalie and Susie John- son, both of Takoma Park, Md.; Addison Brown of Green county, Va., and Minnie Jenifer of this city. es It matters little what it is that you want —whether a situation or a servant—a “want” ad. in The Star wi'l reach the person who can fill your need. — Cavalry Horses for Europe. The French government sent an army officer to the United States some time ago to learn how far horses could be drawn from this country for the French cavalry and artillery. The report was favorable to American breeding and to the abundant supply. Recently the needs of England led her to look to Argentina for cavalry horses, and the first consignment of 500 left Buenos Ayres this month for Cape Town. Steps have been taken by this gov- ernment to foster the trade for American horses, but Secretary Wilson of the Agri- cultural Department fs considering the ad- visability of sending abroad an expert, who will investigate the needs of the: cavairy of Europe with a view to meeting this ise —— 2+ Maggie Brown, colored, twenty-six years old, was taken sick near Massachusetts avenue and 2d northwest yesterda: conveyed to the Emer- the sixth precinct patro} i