Evening Star Newspaper, August 13, 1898, Page 15

SCARBOROUGH, TOBAGO. WHERE CRUSOE LIVED On the Island of Tobago and Not Juan Fernandez. NEAR PORTO RICO IN THE WEST INDIES Interesting Facts About Robinson and His Story. A JOURNAL PAGE FROM Written for The Evening Star. T MAY COMF AS A surprise to some, and i be resented by} others, to be told that Robinson Crusoe, the hero cf the great eighteenth century story of adventure, never saw the Island of Juan Fernandez, on the coast of South America. Even were he real or fi nal, the scene ef his ad- = entur was not here, but nearly fo! degrees farther north, on an island in the West Indies. And had he lived till this time he might find himself a neighbor of curs, for his in- sular domain lies only five husdred miles to the southeast of our newly acquired tropical island, Porto Rico. Yes, the place where Defoe wrecked hero, and where for twenty-six so he lived a solitary life, is ti island of Tobago, which Hes about twe miles from Trinidad, where the most cf our asphalt is cbtained, cut of the famous Pitch lake. Prove it? Most assuredly, and out of the narrative itself. If our readers have not forgotten their “Crusoe,” and can re- member the opening scenes of his adven- tures, they will recall that Robinson ran away to sea when he was quite young. “After being wrecked on the coast of Africa and living for two years as a Mooriah cap- tive, he escaped and finally arrived off the coast of Brazil. He was adopted by @ Planter of Brazil and four years later set off for Africa again for a cargo of negro slaves, and then began his real adventures, to which these are only prefatory. A storm overtook his vessel when they were a few Gays out, and they were driven before the -fury of a gale, until—“the storm abating a little, the master made an observation end found that he was in about eleven degrees (1) of nerth latitude, so that we were got- ten beyond the coast of Guiana and beyond the river Amazones, toward the river Oroo- Boque (Orinoco) commonly called the Great river.” When Land W: Sighted. This quotation from “Crusoe” shows the approximate latitude just before the wreck of his vessel, and totally precludes the sup- | Position that he could by any means have @oubled Cape Horn and reached the Island of Juan Fernandez, forty degrees to the southward of his last observation. But let him tell the story: “So we changed our course and steered away N. W. by W., in order to reach some of the English Islands (of the West Indies), but a second storm came upon us and drove us so cut of the way of all humane commerce that, had all our lives been spared as to the sea, we were rather in danger ef being devoured by the salvages than of ever returning to our own country. In this distress cne of our Men early in the morning cried, ‘Land! and we ha¢ no sooner cut cf ihe cabin to look, in the hopes of seeing whereabouts {nm the worid we were, but the ship struck upon a rock, and in 2 moment, her motion being stopped, the sea broke over her in such a manner that we expected we should all have perished immediately.” Alone on the Island. All tut Crusoe did perish, in truth, and he alone escaped, made his way to shore and began the life of a hermit, in a some- what perfunctory manner, as though with “malice aforethought’—as John Hay says of the location of Madrid as the capital of Spain. We have his relative location, now let us clinch the fact by a reference to his Subsequent discoveries. It was a long time after Crusoe had made a house, enlarged his cave, captured wild goats, made him- self a suit of goat-skin garments and an Unvorella of the same material, and had a companion in his faithful “Man Friday.” Whenever he took his walks abroad he w accompanied by the faithful Friday, and in one of these promenades the twain reached the summit of the. mountain running through the island. He had never been there before, for he was an arrant coward and dared rot venture far from his cave, slone and unattended. But, “When 1 pass’d the Vale where my Bower stood, I | came within View of the Sea, and, it being aciear day, I fairly ¢ escried land—whether an Island or a Continent, I could not tell— but it lay very higa and at a Distance | ,- - - L-ask'd Friday how far it was from our Island to that Shore, and whether Canoes were not often lost.” And he toid me there was‘no Danger, for a little Ways out at Sea there was a Wind and a Cur- rent. always one Way in the Morning and another In the Afternoon. This I under- stood to be no more than the setting of the Tyde, as going out and coming in; but I afterwards understood it to be occasioned by the great draught and reflux of the mighty River Oroonoque, in the Mouth or Guiph of which our Island lay. And the Land which I perceived was the great island of Trinidad, on the north Point of the Mouth of the River.” ’ That settles the location of the island, yurely, for there is no other island than ‘Tobago lying at the distance mentioned from Trinidad; and, again, the strong Ori- Beco currents Crusoe describes are corrob- erative evidence of the stronge: character; for they sweep the Tobago coast at a Fate, sometimes, of three or four miles an hour and have forced many a craft, large and small, upon the outlying coral reefs. Crusec and Selkirk. Since we must admit that no other fsland answers to the description, and that, ac- cording to Crusoe himself, he was wrecked in or about latitude 11 degrees rorth (the Position of Tobago), how comes ii that the popular impression prevails that Crusoe lived his hermit Mfe on Juan Fernandez, forty degrees farther south, end that he and one Alexander Selkirk are the samo er similar personages? Well, when Defoe wrote his “Life and Strange, Burprising Adventures of Robineon Crusoe of York, Mariner,” he must elready hdve seen the story of “Providence Display’d, Or a very Surprizing ACCOUNT of one Mr. Alexander Selkirk, Master of a Merchant-Man caild the Cinque Ports; who, dreaming that the Skip would be lost, he desired to be left on @ Cosolate Isiand in the South Seas, whero he liv’d four Years and. four Months, with- out seeing the Face of Man, the Ship after- wards being cest-away, as he Dresmed,” ete., etc. “Robinson Crusoe’? was published in the year 1719,-but. 's naTrative appeared in 1712, er seven years previously. Far be it from me to charge oid Defoe with pragiarism, for he had troubles enough dur- ing his lifetime. At any rate, his story “took” better than Selkirk’s, and the lat- ter made ro bones of charging Defoe with the theft of his ideas. . ‘Where is no dovot whatever that Selkirk’s Island is the real Juan Feraandes, for he was left there, did liye there four years, Was rescued by an English captain of re- pute. This much is authenticated; further than this, and that perhaps his yarn suggested the Crusoe story, that is- land hag no connection whatever with the Teal and genuine Robinson Crusoe. And after ail, what a ridiculous story it 1s. Defce had never been at sea—at least, not asa 2nd he makes poor old Robin- sen do silly things. For in- stance, he first s him of all clothing of the wreck) and then has m ashcre with inis pockets full of He es a chest full of fine yet weeps over the loss of lothes; Man Friday was well ac- = quainted with the habits of bears, yet there was tever ‘bears in either is!and; he dresses the sweltering Robinson in gar- ments of goatsk'n, in a tropical climate, where no clothes at all were preferable; he makes him carry a hand-saw, a broad- sword, two big guns, a hatchet, brace cf pistols, etc., whenever he went out of his cave, even to feed the goats; he has him climb up fnto a tree, “much like a Firr, but thorny,” where he sits all night trem- ‘ling for fear of wild beasts, when there Was not a harmfut creature on the island. But he fs true to nature in at least one instance, wher Robinson, real sailorman that he is, finding a jug of rum in the cabin, takes a “bigge, bigge Dram,” with a capital D to be sure. Hailed With Delight. Still at the time Defoe wrote his story there was a dearth of adventure for the young, Buryan’s “‘Pilgrim’s Progress,”” and Foxe's “Book of Martyrs,” being about the giddiest tales set before «hem, so when ‘Robinson Crusoe” appeared he was hailed with delight. Rcbinson's dismal sermoniz- 4t.gs and moralizings, which were spun out d chapters of the book, would acceptable now, but at the were necessary to make the beok acceptable to the parents—a sort of moral make-weight, to serve as ballast. ad with such avidity that Defoe me rich and haughty, and ac- quired such a prestige that the demand still continues for new editions of “the bock, which promises to live over into an- other century, at tke least. But, be this, as it may; or rather, since it be so, it may not be a violent assumption that the island of Crusoe’s advertures still possesses an interest for the young; and not only for them, but for those who once were young, and have a dim recollection of the Crnsonian transactions. History of Tobago. Imprimis, then, that island 1s Tobago, and Yes off the mouth of the Orinoco, within sight of Trinidad, as it lay when it got in the way of Crusoe’s ship and brought him temporarily to grief. It was discovered by Columbug, in the year 1498, but was not in- b1 habited then, and the first attempt at set- tlement, by white people from Barbados, was repulsed by Indians who had come ever from Trinidad. For nearly two hun- dred years thereafter it was the sport of whatever nation chose to tak> a hand in its affairs. First- the Dutch, then the | French, then the English made settlements there, only to be driven out with slaughter. In the y2ar 1652, the date of Crusoe’s birth, 200 people from Holland came here, but were driven away by the savages. In 1677 the Dutch again attempted to live there, but were s2t upon by the English under Sir Tobias Bridges, who took 400 prisoners. So it will be seen that the history of Tobago and probably its resources were well enough known at the time Defoe wrote “Cruso;,” just prior to the year 1719. So late as 1684 it was uninhabited, and by treaty between France and England made a “neutral tsl- and,” for Indian settlement, and to b2 vis- ited by white men only for wood and wa- ter. In fact, an ideal residence for a hero— a desolate but fertile island, teeming with all the bounti2s of nature, and upon which the foot of civilized man ‘had left no tm- press. ‘There is a strange story of events that transpired thirty-cight years efter “Cru- soe” was written, in this very island. One day in 1757 a boat from a British ship land- ed at a bay in Tobago for wood and watar, and the midshipman in charge, having wan- dered into the woods for wild oranges, was surprised to find @ rude hut, occupied by a man of venerable appearance, who address- ed him in French. He said h2 had Uved twenty-one- years in that golitary situation, having had no communicetion with eny hu- man beings except the Indians, who some- times gave him part of their game when they came hunting her, and shaved off his beard with their knives. He refused trans- ortation back to his native tale of Martin- lque, declaring that he was perfectly gon: tented and happy whera he was, and that condition, ‘To conclude these historical references to ‘Tebego, the island in 1602 had a yoi¢o in the election of Bonaparte.and the same year was the restience of John Paul Jones, ber ‘seen loa and hotanis: ween ologist whether Tobago gave its name ‘ta tobacco or whethe> {t was derived from THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, the weed was introduced in Europe Jong be- fore his. thme.The plant is native in To- and grows .well there, as well as all the products of the tropics. The -climate of the island 1s tropical: tying, as it does, but cleven ‘degrees north ‘of the equator, but not altogether healthy. The “Tobago fever” is a malady well known to planters who have lived there only temporarily, and+ to casual residents as well. ? A mountainous and-forest-covered island, its fertile soil is but partially cultivated, 4 thcugh there are many ‘valleys ‘covered with-sugar cane which yield prolifically. Tobago ts about 114 square miles in area, with @ total population of less than 18,000, mcst of the inhabitants being descendants of the freed negro slaves, and very few white people living here. There are but two towns on the island, the larger of the two, Scarborough, the capital, situated on a large bay, having about a thousand in- habitants. There is ro hotel here, and tut an indifferent boarding house, where “all tho luxuries of the season” @re con- spieuous by their absence. A Page From a Journal. Perhaps I cannot give an idea of the ‘scenery and island characteristics better than by quoting a page or two from my journal, written years ago, when I was camping there. For, struck with the fact that the island coincided with that where Crusoe had his adventures, I went over there to investigate and Uve a Crusoe life. It was while I was making my- prelimi- nary recennotesances and getting things in shape for @ ent camp that I was taken in hand by the planters and nearly ineapacitated through their hospitality. “June 4, 18. Leave town at 10:30 on a mule sent by Mr. John McCall, bound for the estate of Betsey’s Hope. Scenery for the first five miles out of un- stateresting, eave for the magnificent #wee! of shore and broad expanse of oeean, unti? the estate of Baccolet is reached, where, from the shoulder of a hill, one looks down upen a little valley, with sloping sides, gréen with grasses and sugar cane, with a@ river flowmng through its center, reach- ing the sea beneath an arch of cocoa palms, ‘which trees line the beach far as the eye can reach. The first estate at which I halt {is Goldsboro’, belonging to Mr. James McCall, brother to John, where the cocon palms are still more abundant, in long rows and clusters of dozens about the negro huts. Riding up the hill, I meet Mr. McCall, whom I saw at the governor's din- ner onthe queen’s birthday. He warmly welcomed ms, and turning my mule over to his sable groom to be treated to ‘bever- age’—molasses and water—invited me to enter the house. From the window facing the sea I look directly dewn upon the | ‘sugar works,’ from which smoke {s as- cending and the fragrant steam of cane is wafted by the sea breeze, and out over thousands of palms, which make a beauti- ful picture, against the light green of the canes, and the blue of the ocean. The wind tosses their leaves aloft, which glim- mer a golden green under the blazing sun, while rich clusters of nuts shine beneath. Genuine Hospitality. After lunea and two cups of ale I go on, accompanied by the district doctor, who shows me a short cut through the vast field far cane; and as the cut comes out mto the main read near the local’ magis- trate’s, and 2s he invites us in to have a fter,” being lonesome and his wif? y, we do not pass him by. Then the v visits a sick colored man, who after he been treated insists—as he fs wealthy and one of the “qualit: upon treating us, and we cannot refvse. His name is Brutus— or was, for by this time he may ve fol- lewed Caesar’s ghost, these halcyon days being a long way in the rear. Then we galloped on again, soon coming to another estate, whose msnager, Mr. Patterson, d2- clares that since we will not stop over night the least we can 4o Is to alight and take a “B. and S.," which we do, adding to a brace of B. and 8. a sweet and insidious beverag> called shrub, made from rum and lime juice. We are then permitted to proceed, but only after a stirrup-cup of something else, th> name of which I do not clearly re- member, and go on to a negro village, where the doctor removes a sort of cata- ract from a little girl’s eye and attends to @ score or more of waiting patients, dispos- ing of them with astonishing c2lerity. At the Doctor’s Little Home. As my way lay past the doctor's little house, perched upon a conical hill over- looking a lovely valley with a river run- ning through it, of course I cannot pass him by, so I go up with him for an hour, to rest on his veranda. But the while he {s brewing an aromatic cocktail—or while I am sipping it, I forget which—he has given orders for his man to take my mul2 to Betsey’s Hope, as I am to spend the night with him. He says McCall will not care; | and, besides, he is tired of dining alone. So after a sherry and bitters we sit down to a sumptuous repast, th> meats of which are native, but the claret and champagne from the French island of Martinique. I should mention, also, that the ““Angostura” in the bitters was from the near island of Trini- dad, where it fs made by the inventor. and not from up th> Orinoco, as {ts name would indicate. My friend has a professional engagement somewhere, and so after dinner he has the coolie girl draw a little table to my elbow, out on the veranda, and leaves me to gaze over the glorious Valley, with a carafe of water and a bottle of “three-star Hennes- sy” as company. He remonstrates with me on his return because I have not touch- ed either; but acknowledges that traveling in the heat of the day is rather oppressive, and he does not wonder that I snoozed. However, he orders another “B. and §.,”" and we chat till one in the morning, when I retire, to awake at daylight with a beast- ly headache, which a shower bath only partially removes, and for which, as my physician for the time being, my friend or- ders another soda with a stiffener in fi, as a “pick-me-up.” I would then fain depart, but have to remain to breakfast, and do not get away till ten, when the sun is high and hot, though a refreshing sea breeze tempers the heat of it somewhat. Welcomed at the “Great House.” I gallop down a mile-long avenue of palms till I reach the shore, along which the road winds again beneath a perfect forest of cocoas, with the foaming surf dashing high up on the beach. A drogher is lading in the bay, and small boats plying between her and the shore, filled to the sunwales with sacks of sugar, while the | Sreat chimney of the near-by “works” sends out clouds of smoke from the burn- ing begasse, or sun-dried cane stalks. I ascend a hill to the “great house,” where my welcome is what I had expected, but warmer than I deserved, and here I re- ™ain for a week, hunting in the woods for rare birds and riding with the jolly pro- prietor of Betsey’s Hope over his vast es- tate. This is but a specimen leaf, plucked from a withered and age-worn journal of my own adventures in Crusoe’s Island, and which, theugh it may not be interesting, is yet a literal transcript of one day's doings. But, to return to my original proposi- tion, the veritable island where Crusoe lived “for eight-and-twenty years” is this same Tobago; and, moreover, the inimita- ble “Man Friday,” who was such a con- solation to Crusoe in his latter years, was a Carid of the West Indies. F. A. OBER. ——S Revenge is Sweet. (Copyright, 1893, Lite Publishing Company.) , COMMISSIONER WIGHT DYI“aATS arty 1898—24--PAGES, AND MR. ROACH. MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS The District Offices and Thos: Who Fill Them. OFFICIAL HEAD OF THE GOVERNMENT Assignment of Duties Among the Commissioners. PERSONAL SKETCHES ee SOME It is surprising how little acquainted the people of the District are with their mu- nicipal government, both as to its pers m So limited, indeed, is this aoa ance that it would appear that mc sons do not even know just where the Dis- the official home of their is situated. And, when n to call there, it is re- ble how utterly at sea they a! to which official it Is necessary for the see in order to accomplish the purpose of their calls. Most people, it would appear, have a vague idea that the District is so’ erner by three Commissioners, and that is about all. But as to the-duties of the Com- missioners, how divided, how perfo no well-settled idea seems to be possessed a large number of the residents of the trict building, municipal officer: te official home of the District govern- in the six-story brick bul) The ment is known as 464 Louisiana avenue, and t! the three men known as the Comm of the District of Columbia officia‘i; their home, together with a majorit, subcrdinate officials of the District. 1802 until 1871 the government of the trict was that of the ordinary mui.cipal character, with its.mayor and beard of a dermen and common council. But in 1871 Congress, which has exelusive jurisdiction over the District, established what is known as a territorial form of governmen so-called because it resembled in ii3 £ eral features that provided for the terri- tarles of the United States, the charters of the cities of Washington and Gsorge- town being abolished, ‘together with the levy court. This territorial form cf gov- ernment was abolished by Congress tt rough an act approved June 20, 1974, the President of the United States being authorized and directed, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint a commission com- posed of three persons selected from civil life. The President was a'so authorized to detail an officer of the engineer corps of the United States army, who, subject to the general supervision and direction of the Commissioners, was to perform the duties formerly performed by the chief. engineer of the board of public works, he to appoint three assistants from civil life. Permanent Form. This was what was known as the tem- porary form of government of the Dts- trict, and continued until Congress, by the act of June 11, 1878, established what is known as the permanent form cf go ment, and that is, with some changes, government of the District as it e day. The board of Commissioners ws ccn- tinued by the act ef 1878 with tis pro- vision: Two of the Commis: 3s _to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Serie, from civil life, the third Commissioner to be an officer detalied by the Presicent from Washington, D. C.”” erence to him. The Present Board. The present Commissioners of the Dis- trict are John B. Wight, John W. Ross and Beach, United States army, the latter b2ing what is known as the Engineer Commissioner. vides that whenever there is a change in the personnel of the board of Commission- ers there shall be a reorganization of the board, and thereupon one of them is elected lent of the board. enother unwritten rule prevails, which {s sioner elzcted as president all be of the dominant po- tration Capt. as presi that the Comm: of the board al part is democ! ut sioner: not enjoyed by bi of the Commi plained the duty mii jority and offices Lansing H. Hence ght, the republican civil ¢ is the president of the board of Commis: Tae president of the ith no power or n S ter, al te ettach his of them, But if you are well enough: acquainted with th> details of the District government to know just which Commissioner has immediate charge of the subject matter which concerns you, address him directly, for then your letter will be de- livered to hfm, and will not be required to await the somewhat slower course of a ref- if the admii ‘ociates, Somm| board, S, an cr bout all his addit and vic at Coramissioner oner, The law pro- In this matter how- uthority Ss , as one e upon a time ex- nature to the offi- mmunice ti the board of Com- sioners. While the government of the District is i conducted > of the District is divided among Major Sy Ivester. them, each having immediate charge of th> various departments assigned to him. This assignment ef the departments of the Dis- trict government is made more es a matter of conven!2nce, and while the recommenda- tions of a Commissicner made in matters connected with or under the departments over which he has immediate charge are, a by h his ass 3 sanction or authority ‘ociates, of any law, rule, approved as a matter of cours> et this rule has not the and at times suggestions made by a Commissioner respecting matters under his charge fail to meet the approval of his associat>s. it may happen, 4s it has in the past. that a Cemmissioner’s nomination of a person for appointment to a position in a department over which he has immediate charge alse And fails to receive the sanction of his associ- ates, and offtce: The Assignments. Under the latest assignment of the busi- of the District government loner Wight has immediate super- vision of the following departments: Inspec- Hi board cf de 1 examiners, drug- chimn>y sweeping, inspec- n of coal, ex-officio trustee of Colui ospital for Women, coroner and ass coroner, t gists to the poor, excise board, fire depart- ment, collection ani inspect! GAPT. BEACH AND MR. BURKE. n of flour, inspection of food, disposal of garbag>, hack among the captains or officers of higher. grade having served at Yeast fifteen years in the Corps of Engineers of the United States army. The President was also au- thorized to detail three,army engineer of- fleers of juntor to fhe Engineer Com- missioner as his -assiftants. In the ap- pointment of the vil Commissioners the Fresident wes and‘ts yet required to select them from those eitizens of the United States who at the time of their selection were actual residents Of the District for three years next stheir appointment and having during riod claimed resi- dence nowhere else. ley are appointed for a term of three years; but, contrary to an impression which appeats to widely pre- veil, the Preside: lect as civil Ceomr: : ertheless, ft has come to be an unweSica rule that one of the Commissioners appointed from civil life shall be of cne of the great political Parties and the othef from the.other great party, the idea being tome the District ent as free front politieal.blas as possible. Such i3 the Disttict-government.of the present period, ond y2t hardiy a day passes La snes or. more jetene Tracking here addressed -te the“ of Wa on,” er to the ‘Governor ‘ct dhe Distriet of Co- lumbia.” Such addressed communications come not only from th2 people and author- ities of foreign countries, but pte in many- inst from those of this Jand. If you would properly address the Distriot govern- stands, harbor mas Office, inspection of lui Hay Market sq iter, hay scales, health insurance companies, liqucr iicenses, mber, markets, including luare; board of medical ex- aminers, care of municipal building, trans- portation of paupers, Poor, disposal’ of police board of control of Rock Cre: physicians to th2 commissioners of pharmacy, police, Te wards, poundni«ster, ck Park, sealer of weights and measures, board ef exam- iners of steam engineers, and fire departments, telegraph and telephone service, inspection surg2ons of police veterinary surgeons, and m2asuring of wood. Commissicner Ross—Aimhouse, Hospital, Washington; assessments eral taxes and special assessmen: than water assessments and ser; assistant assessor: ney’s office; attorney, thi @itor's office; the District of intendent of; chart institutions receiving ald government; collector of taxes; officer; dog tags; inaane, library, free public: Hquor; gauger and in laquors; municipal Jod, ‘elerir; of tees of; reform schoo! tee of; Rock Cree! president of; ‘sw: Done al lommissioner . ments, h buildings, neer department; computing tor of; bathing beach; Columbia; ‘charities, table of; chief Asylum of gen- its other rents; asse: 's, board -of; attor- special assistant; au- ims comnetments vs. super- and reformatory Yrom the District disbursing of; Reenseg, -other “than spector of spirituous house; property Public schools; public schools, board engineer ), trus- ‘k Park, board of ecntrol, and sree’ alleys; tax sales; Beach—Asphalt ce of; engineer; eon- SRSA Pecpeeation wa rovers of} electrical engineer; elevators, inspector of; fire escapes; gas and meters, inspector of; highway extension plans; lamps, in- tendent of; lighting, street, gas and elec- tric; parking commission; parking, ®uper- vision of; parking, superintendent of; paye- ments; permit cletk; plumbing board; plumbing, inspector of; plumbers, examl- nation 6! Property, superintendent. of; river front; roads, superintendent of: Rock Creek Perk commtssion; Rock Creek Park, Dbcard of,control; sewers, superintendent of; dewalks; stables, engineer department: Street railways, rvision of: superintertent of; veyor; telegraph and telephone lines; trees water department, chief clerk and’ regis. trar; water department, superintendent 0 wharves. Means of Expediting Business. Of course, it is not always necessary*for ‘J one to see the Commissioner having im- mediate control of the department cover- ing the object of the call, and in the great n.ajority of ceases tf the people of the Dis- trict wculd only bear this in mind they would not only relieve the Commissioners cf much loss of time, but would also ac- complish their ; » much socner. For it is not necessar, upcn Captain Be the office of the bull: should go at once to the building inspector. So, if one wishes to pay his tax bill, or if he finds a mistake in it, it is only neces- sary for him to step into the office of the collector of taxes or aesessor and pay it or have the mistake corrected, instead of calling upon Commissioner Ross. And, if one desires to obtain license to sell Iquors or to protest against the granting of such @ lieense to any: one, the best 2nd quick- est way is not to call upon.and lay the matter before Commissioner Wight, but COMMISSIONER ROSS AND MR. 15 Burke, betng also very popular. Mr. Rite is a native-of Virginia, having been = 8 @ form near Burkeville in 1800. He was ‘ cated in the ic and private schools CS took a aciantific course at the ; Scientific School of this city. He was With the Southern Railroad Company until Ton when he became the secretary of Col. Heri- ry M. Robert, the then Engineer Commls- | sloner, and he has fille? that postition with every_wuccerding Engineer Commiastoner. | Mr. Burke is the treasurer of the Firat Baptist Church Sunday School and clerk of that church. Secretary Tindall. Dr. Tindall,.the seerctary of the board, ! is familiar figure In the local government,‘ and has had’ as lerge and va an ex- perience in matters and systems of munic!- | pal administration as falls to the lot of any one individual. He was secretary to Mayor Bowen and to Governer Henry D. Cooke and Governor A. R. Shepherd during the} entire terms of office of each. Me was in | the army for more than three years—from | 19€1 to 1864—~and has grest familiarity with | military hi: . He is a graduate of both \the medteal and law departments of George- {town Untversity. One of his diversions . | from the cares of office life is his interest 1 | a athletics of all kinds. His predilections! n this respect and his bellef in swimming 43 @ potent adjunct to the physical and moral development of the young has led him to take a prominent interest in the bathing beach, to the improvement of which he hes Gevoted a great Geal of time and attention, especially this season. He. is a thinker and writer on @ great many subjects and « number of articles from his pen have appeared in the col- umns of The Ser und other papers. His leading oMictal maxim is that public pices are created for the public conventence, and’ (ee those having business with an office! NYR. to go at once to the excise boari. If one should be in doubt as to just which of the -various- departments he should visit, he should take the elevator to the fifth floor, and see Dr. William Tindall, the sec- retary to the Commissioners. What Dr. Tindall does not know of the District go ervment and the working of its various de- partments no one has been able to dis- cover. The present C. trict are said to be about as men as ever held the reins of the government. have thetr offices on the fifth floor of the Distric missioner Wight west corner, southeast corne in the southwest corner. sides over the room next the and near by sits Mr. Clifford Howard, who acts as secretary during the absence of | Dr. Tindall. sioners of the Dis- President Wight. Commissioner Wight fs a native of this city, and does not deny having entered upon his forty-sixth year. His father, the late O. C. Wight, conducted a famous academy here, and there the Commissioner ; educated. Was ome of the ington board le, nd filled th position of its sec- retary at the time of his nomination as a Commissioner of the Distr! by President McKi y. Mr. Wight is n of at the | District building as and the amount cf work he disposes of every day fully entith him to that designattor. When he is not engaged otherwise he is busy working cut s under his charge, and while the fire police Gepar:ments appear to appeal more cutarl: efforts, as would appear from the 1a and important refurms he instituted in those departments, others egiected for them. ner has his own 6ecr ung mén are of inestim: only to the Commissioners, to the public, for they are par- weil informed and especially ac- Mr. Frank C. Roach is Mr. , Ike his principal, e of this city, having made his first appearance here November 26, 1807. After passing through the District pubdiic schools Mr. Roach attended Dic! lege and Wesleyan Univer: signed a clerkship in the city pj in February, 1897, to accept one under the District, and in y following Mr. Wight made him his confidential clerk and private secretary. Commissioner Ress. Commistioner John W. Ross enjoys the distinction of having been three times ap- pointed a Commissioner of the District, first by President Harrison in £890; then by President Cleveland in 1804, and last by President McKinley April 14, 1807. Mr. Ross also enjoys the distinction of being one of the most popular men in the Dis- trict. He is a native of Illinois, having been born fn Lewiston, June 23, 1841. He is a graduate of the Illinois College and of the Harvard Law School, and was ad- mitted to the bar at Springfield, Ill, in 1868. Fer four years he was a member ofthe Illinois legislature. He came to Washington in 1878 to practice his, pro- fersion, and in 1883 was chosen lecturer in the Georgetown University Law Schcol on common law practice, torts and domes- tic relations, the degree of LL.D. being- conferred upon him by the university two yeers later. Mr. Ross is a man of diplo- macy, and while he is at all times cou teous and petient, with a heart as big as all outdoors, yet he disposes of all busi- ness coming before him with a tact which makes iriends of even those he is obliged to refuse. Mr. Ross has for his private secretary Mr. Francis Nye, a native Washingtonian, who was born May 7, 1870. He is a grad- wate of the Disirict public schools, and of tho Columbian and National University Law Schools. He is now engaged in the stedy of medicine. Mr. Nye has been Mr. Ross’ secretary since July 1, 1895. The Engineer Commissioner. If any-one has the {dea that the District Engineer Commissioner enjoys a position of recreatiorf let him visit Captain Beach some day, when just the opposite will be @iscovered. The work of the Engineer Commissioner is never done. Captain Beach, however, seems to be a glutton for hard work, and when it is remembered that, unlike his predecessors, he has no army enginéer assistant, the wonder is how he accomplishes half of that which comes before hint. Captatn Beach was born at Dubuque, Iowe, In 1869 and graduated from the West Point Military Academy In 1882, standing third in his class. He has performed engineer duties at Willet’s Point, New York; Galveston, Texes, end Cinctn- nati, Ohio, besides being secretary of tho jcint commission to determine the ene ary between Texag and the J; ‘terri- tory. From Cincinneti Captain Beach went to West Point, where he wes inetructor in civil and military engineering until the fall of 1893. He then went to Galveston for harbor werk, and in the fall of 1804 wes Getailed as an assistant to the Engineer Commissioner of the District, performing office }such duties until the of June last, when he succeeded Col. Wm. M. Black as Engineer 2} | ment should be treated accordingly and sanctions his precepts on this point by his practice. ¢ | Mr. Clifford Howard, the assistant secre- j tary to the board of Commissioners, is a |native of Pennsylvania. He is twenty-nine | years of age, has been a resident of the District for ten years and has been in the District service for nine years. Mr. How- | erd ts 2 graduate of the school of the Columbian Untversity and is the euthor several books, both of verse and prose, and a regular contributor to the leading maga- | zines. | Chief of Police. ' One of the busiest men at the District ling is the chief of the police depart- or, as he is officially. known, the ma- jor ané superintendent. ‘The incumbént of this office, as about every ene knows, “is Mr. Richard Sylvester, who but recently Succeeded the late Wm. G. Moore. From Secretary Tindall, an eariy hour of the day, until he leav, late in the evening the chief of police an endless line of callers. They come on. | all sorts of errands and with all kinds of) stories. They ere all given a hearing, Als | though it takes the chief but a moment_to! | discover that in perhaps a majority of, | the cases he is not the man they should’ see. They are then politely sent. in the! proper direction. Receiving people ahd! their complaints, for the majority of the | chief's callers come to make complaints, is) but a part of the work he is called upon to) perform, and he often comes back to his office at night to put in many hours in en endeavor to give every question full cone the time he reaches his office, -and it is : sideration. ee Care of the Eyes, From the Maine Farner. < Few people know how good a cold water. bath is for the eyes. Numbers of folka| bathe the eyes with a sponge and cold’ water, but this of necessity is done with the lids closed; it is very much better, if the eyes are open in cold water. This, 6f course, can be dorie by filling a basin with water, putting the face in and opening the eyes once or twice under tt; this is not al- ways convenient, however, as one is apt to wet one’s hair at the same time. At any chemist’s one can buy for a small price’a little eye class, made ‘te fit the hollow of | the eye; one of these should be filled with clear, cold -water, and the eye opened aad shut two or three times in it. Clean water should be used for each eye. ee When you have nothing to do, when you are just resting, close your eyes. So long as the eyes are open they ere to a certain extent at work; besides, the moisture of the lid is very good for them. Good sight is 01 of the greatest blessings of fe, and It be- hooves us, for our own sake, to take care of our eyes. But remember elways that you may spoil the sight by using the eyes too little; thet ts only a degree less harmful ; than using them too much. ‘ It 4s surely unnecessary to say that bel- ladonna end all ‘advertised .beautifiers for the eyes are most injurious; the eye is go Gglicate an organ, sight ts eo vital to the enjoyment of life, chat these sensitive win- dows of the soul should be subjected to no tricks. If one is in good health the eyes will be sufficiently bright and beautiful; if they are dull and heavy looking pay a visit to your doctor. “Pat It Up tn Caprutes.” From the Portland Oregonian. A pretty Michigan young lady has a sweetheart living near North Yakima. She thought the dear boy had enlisted and gone to Manila by way of Vancouver, so she made up a package containing oranges, bananas, dates and other perighable arti- cles, Then she wrote to a hotel proprietor requesting him to call at «he North Yakima express ofice, receipt for the package and forward it to her beloved in case he hag gcne to-the front. When the hotel man Teached the express office he found thet the émployes had quaranéined the package. The soldier boy for whom the package was intended was located on a farm. He had, not enlisted and had no intention of got: to war, Tie hotel man closed the incident’ by writing to the young lady, suggesting that her next present to her sweetheart be a pitchfork or that would keep. “If you are determ! to eeng frult,” said he, “pyt dt up in capsules.” =