Show old fort de russy may be partially restored washington restoration of fort de russy in rock creek sufficient to preserve pre servo the outlines ot the parapet ditch bastions and other features as it stood during the civil war may be an outcome ot the G A R encampment here aleut george carr round of manassas Mahas sas va who was designated to arrange for the reopen ing 0 the wartime signal stations during the encampment wrote to the board ol 01 control ot rock creek park requesting permission to open a sta alon at fort de russy certain am prove ments were necessary before this site could be utilized and lieu tenant round proposed that they be made with a view to permanently preserving the tort in addition to other things lieutenant round proposed that the present roadway up the fort hill be extended to encircle the entire fort outside the ditch and that sufficient brush be cleared away to show the landscape to passing visitors in car flages and automobiles he suggested that an old time crow nest or signal station be built in one of the tallest trees near the fort and be pro served as a feature of the jubilee encampment of the G A R lieutenant round bad signal stations in operation during the encampment at soldiers home fort stevens georgetown heights fort richardson and fairfax seminary south of the potomac concerning the appropriateness of permanently preserving fort de russy he stated I 1 respectfully submit that fort de russy Is one of the most interesting objects in the park and could easily be made a particularly picturesque feature it must be about the highest point in the park it was the most prominent tort in the line ot fortifications which confronted general early s confederate army which attacked washington in 1864 much stronger in natural position and range than fort reno on its left and fort stevens on its right but tor fort de russy early s veterans in gray would no doubt have entered washington by the rock creek valley uncle sam promotes the out of door movement realization that the members ot his big family should be encouraged A to live more in the open air seems to have come suddenly to uncle sam for he has done more perhaps in the past twelve months to stimulate and encourage the out of doors movement than in any other equal period of time first came the bid tor a greater recreational use of the national forests and now the general land office has completed a sale without precedent of ites especially for villas on the f banks of the beautiful flathead FIa thead lake in montana to attract larger numbers of va to the vast forests owned by the government the forest service secured legislation that permits the leas ing ot sites tor summer homes tor as many as 30 yeara tor merely nominal rentals this arrangement which went into effect last spring makes worth while the erection of substantial improvements and has already greatly in creased the number ot persona sojourning sojo in the forests in the summer season in many of the forests applications to lease five acre tracts are pouring in and dwellings from simple log cabins to pretentious homes are springing up in mountain glens and by river banks and lake shore in order to determine just what the forests present in the way of at sites for summer homes and facilities for boating bathing fishing mountain climbing and other outing activities the forest service Is now making a recreational survey of the domains over which it has control and will list and publish the data as rapidly as possible now it Is realized most of the applicants for cottage sites are persons who happen to be fa mallar with the forests when the data now being collected are available however city bound souls who long for the woods but have neither the means nor the time to make long searches tor satisfactory sites will be able to choose just about what they wish without stirring from their doors feast on ham cooked in ink to settle dispute tour years two prominent washington men have quarreled over the FOR question whether a ham cooked in ink Is better than one cooked in champagne the champion of the ink cooked ham Is frank conger former postmaster here the champagne side of the gastronomic argument was taken by tony richardson a local real estate man the other day an experiment took place at shoemakers retreat of statesmen artists publicists and lit arary lights prof gus noack ana chemist was called in as ex pert eight quarts of each liquid were used mr noack arranged th gas stove and made sure that the ink man bad not substituted grape juice of course said mr conger I 1 do not maintain that the ink adds to the delectable flavor of the ham but neither does the champagne I 1 would not advise epicures epi cures to drink the ink in which the ham Is cooked but I 1 will eat tho ham cooked in the ink to prove that no part of the ink substance Is absorbed by the ham in cooking and that the man who has been jollying him self with the idea that he obtains a champagne flavor from ham cooked in champagne Is merely working his imagination overtime and ought to be a war correspondent and not a chef or bon vivant at five 0 clock the hams were cut and about seventy five persons present partook of the mat nobody knowing which he ate the advocate of the champagne cooked ham was asked to pass lodgment he insisted he could taste a bare flavor ot champagne but admitted that be had not tasted ink so he decided for himself and professor noack handed mr conger a bill tor eight quarts of champagne under the terms of the wager 4 newton in spotless attire runs steam shovel modern way of breaking ground for the construction of a govern THE ment building was shown at eighteenth and F streets when byron R newton assistant secretary of the treasury officiated at the beginning of the excavation for alra new home of the interior department the assistant secretary dlan t pick up a shovel and turn i bit ot earth in the old fashioned wa instead mr newton who was clad in a palm beach cult and a spotless pair of canvas shoes climbed aboard the high platform of a huge and greasy steam shovel and pulled a wire which dropped several hundred pounds of dirt into a waiting wagon he was photographed in the midst ot this hazardous task and when he clambered down it was ascertained he haa moved about the greasy interior of the big steam shovel without get ting so much as a speck on his suit or shoes the building when complete will cost approximately which la more than a half million under the limit set by congress it will bouse all branches of tea interior department and will be a magnificent eight story structure |