Items of Interest August 27, 1904 Issue

Items of Interest

The Porte has addressed a formal note to the American legation at Constantinople confirming its undertaking to accord equal treatment to American schools and kindred institutions as granted to the most favored nation, "subject to the accomplishment of the usual departmental formalities." In spite of the seeming reservation it is not believed that the Porte will raise further difficulties in executing the agreement, or run the risk of creating a fresh crisis. The verbal assurances given by the Porte that the list of American schools would be immediately recognized are understood to have been disapproved at the palace, hence the above reservation. It is anticipated that objections will be raised to some of the schools. Minister Leishman has replied to the Porte's note expressing the hope that the Porte will not raise difficulties over executing the promises, but ignores the reservation relative to departmental formalities.

Secretary Shaw has received from the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia the awards made in the litigation over the prize money derived from the capture of the Spanish fleet by Admiral Dewey in Manila Bay on May, 1898. One of the two checks delivered was for $370,365.25, representing the share which will revert to the captors. The other check was for $370,336.24, the share which will accrue to the naval pension fund. Other checks included one for $82,876.86 in fees for the attorneys who handled the case in the courts, and $3,000 for special counsel. The checks were signed by Judge Clabaugh. Admiral Dewey received $18,560. The further distribution amounts to about five months' pay for each man. This closes the bounty and prize money chapters.

It is proposed to construct at Panama a dry dock large enough to accommodate the largest vessels afloat. Unless occupied by war vessels of the United States, this dock will be available to any vessel passing through the canal which needs dry docking, and at a reasonable cost. Four islands in the Bay of Panama form, it is said, an excellent location for such a dry dock and repair shops. One of the islands, noted for its springs of fresh water and large timber growths, already contains a large marine railway and repair station, which have become the property of the United States under the terms of the treaty.

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