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About Heppner gazette. (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912 | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1909)
,1 NIAGARA GORGE THREATENS RUIN ICE JAM YIELDS. Mountains of Ice May Cause Channel to form. New Famous Suspension Bridge in Danger of Destruction Whirlpool Frozen for First Time In History River Carries' Torrents of Ice From Lake Erie. Niagara Falls, April 22. Vast areas of angry water and mountains of ice, backed up by the gorge in Niagara river, threaten to cut a new channel and destroy one side, at least, of the famous falls, one of the chief wonders of theworld. The famous spidery sus pension bridge, once the highest and longest in the world, and admittedly one of the most famous engineering projects, is in imminent danger of destruction. At Niagara-on-the-Lake the river is 18 feet above the normal level, and is still rising. The gorge road which skirts the American shore is almost obliterated. The great whirlpool, which has never in the memory of the white man sub mitted to the will of the ice, is lost to view under the pack, which at that point spans the stream, and every min ute the covering of ice is becoming thicker. The pressure of the on-rush from Lake Erie has piled ' the far stretches in great concentric ridges, some of them rising to a height of 50 feet. It is possible with the aid of a plank to cross the pool from shore to shore. Small Opening Made In Niagara With Dynamite. Youngstown, N. Y., April 23. A breach was made today in the great ice jam which for ten days has held the lower Niagara in its grip and caused damage estimated at $1,000,- 000. Engineer Kunz and his men ham mered away and at 5 o'clock the blast from 150 pounds of dynamite sent a tiny rivulet trickling through the east side of the jam. At dusk further ex plosions and the ceaseless grinding of the floating ice had broadened the trickle to a bold young stream. Engineer Kunz expects that the channel will be widened during the night, and that by morning there will be a broad avenue. The dynamiting attracted lees than 500 spectators. Some chunks of ice buried themselves a foot in the earth. One crashed through the roof of the pumping station. The main mass of the ice from the mouth of the river, 10 miles north, is apparently as solid as masonry. At out 100 feet from the shore a narrow chan nel is swiftly running. About 80 feet north of the head of this channel is a good acre of green water streaked with chunks of ice. The jam is of appalling proportions It is 12 miles in length and in many places 60 feet in depth, and represents millions of tons and a strength power enough to annihilate the four villages alone its border, if it should start to go out all at once. Another element of horror is its pestilential nature. Mingled with the slushy ice cast high on the banks is a week s sewage from the cities along the Niagara frontier. i A BRIEF DAILY REPORT ON THE WORK OF CONGRESS SULTAN AWAITS TROOPS. " Friday, April 23. Washington, April 23. The first reading of the tariff bill for consider ing committee amendments was con cluded when the senate adjourned to day. According to an announcement made when the reading began, every paragraph of the bill will be subject to amendment when it is taken up for final consideration next Monday. All concede, however, that substantial progress has been made. There will be a return to many of the schedules. There was comparatively little debate today, as Aldrich postponed answers to many questions asked of him in order to hasten the reading. He said he would make full explanations when the amendments received final considera tion. Many provisions, including the wood pulp and wool schedules were passed over today on specific objection. SULTAN GIVES IN. Surrenders All Power to Parliament and Awaits Decision. TEN THOUSAND DIE. Butchery in Syria Reaches Appalling Degree and Craze Spreads. Constantinopple, April 22. Massa cres that started last week in Adana have spread along the Syrian coast and toward the interior as far as the vila yet of Aleppo, and fanaticism has led to wholesale butchery throughout this entire district. It is conservatively estimated that over 10,000 have been slain, the majority of this number be--ing women and children, who have been slaughtered in droves. Religious uprisings have broken out in Antioch and Birejik, and foreigners have taken refuge in the British con sulates. Fifty men from the British warship Diana have been landed at Al- exandretta, but their distance from the scene of the latest outbreaks seems to have no effect in stopping the ravages of the religion-crazed slayers. The situation at Alexandretta is crit ical. Panic everywhere prevails. Thousands of refugees are crowding the city, which is patrolled by marines from the British cruiser Diana. Constantinople, April 23. The Young Turks have won another vie tory over Sultan Abdul Hamid, but whether the sultan will remain as sov ereign is yet to be decided, although he has offered to place the affairs of government entirely in the hands of ministers responsible to parliament. The sultan also agrees to replace the Constantinople garrision with troops that have been investing the city for four days. The chamber of deputies and some of the senators met today at San Stefano and are now discussing the question of deposing the sultan. The concentration of the investing army is complete and doubtless the next 24 hours will decide the fate of the sultan, who remains passively at his palace, awaiting the issue. For the present there need be little fear of bloodshed within the city, but there is much to be feared from the riots and massacres that now are sweeping over the districts under Turk ish domination. Thursday. April 22. Washington, April 22. Republican criticism of the pending tariff bill on the ground that the rates were too high was prominent in the senate today when Nelson, of Minnesota, and Dol liver, of Iowa, attacked various sched ules. Under the guise of discussing the duty on gas retorts a general de bate was participated in by Demo cratic senators. It was agreed by Mr. Aldrich that at any time while the measure was being considered lor amendment any para graph might be reverted and be sub ject to amendment without the neces sity of resorting to any formal parlia mentary procedure. Nelson denounced the measure, de claring that the cotton, glass and wool en schedules were too high. He said that placing duties on woolen manufac tured goods 59 per cent higher than the duty on raw wool was unjust. Gal linger energetically declared that that was the same spirit that actuated New England with its criticism of any effort to reduce the high rates that had prevailed upon her products. Dolhver declared that not only were the duties of the Payne-Aldrich bill tool high, but they were so worded as to result in large increases of rates with out definite indication of such increases in the schedules. publican leader presented the esti mates of revenue and expenditures, showing that under the bill, which omits any new forms of taxation, and witn a reduction in expenses to be eirected by economy, ,thf government will have a sum us of $30,000,000 in the fiscal year 1911. He declared that appropriations in the last few years naa Deen extravagant, and that no new taxes were necessary. Daniel criti cised the majority of the committee for not admitting the Democarts to the sessions at which the bill was drafted He practically conceded the soundness of the protection theory, by admitting mat trie tariff should equal the differ ence in the cost of production at home and abroad, but said the bill did not equally safeguard all interests. . At the conclusion of Aldrich's state ment, Daniel, the ranking minority leader of the finance committee, ar raigned the Republican members of the committee for their exclusion of the Democratic members during the consideration of the bill. At me conclusion oi uaniels re marks, Aldrich sent to the clerk's desk a copy of a newspaper dated April 21, 1894, in which Senator Vorhees and Senator Vest had defended the Demo cratic procedure in framing the Wilson bill to be reported to the senate without the participation of the Republican minority. r T ...... .... upon motion oi Aldrich the bill was then made the unfinished business of the day. I urkish capital Ready to Fall Feet at of Army. Constantinople, April 21. Sultan Abdul Hamid is awaiting in his palace for whatever may befall. Ilia grand vizier, Tewfik Pasha, has announced that, without fear, the sultan will re main with his family and accept re signedly the fate prepared for him and his country. Tewfik Pasha and the minister of war, iulhem Pasha, who sent their res ignations last night, decided to with draw them today, and the grand vizier is pabcing most of the time with the sultan. Nazim Pasha is still in command of the garrison, but no preparations have ABDUL REPORTED TO HAVE GIVEN UP Said to Have Abdicated Throne In v Face of Advancing Enemy. Sultan Believed to Have Fled or Hid denSuccessor May Be Prince Yusseff Izzedin 'Army of Consti tutionalists Enveloping City Cap ital Full of Rumors. ConstantinoDle. ADril 20. With the been made to resist the advance of the Constitutional army steadily enveloping mo capnai ana demanding nis nead, with a garrison un wiling to defend him, Salonica troops. The Constitutionalist lines now envelop the city, but the commander in chief, General HuBni Pasha, is still at Hademoki and it is not likely that the invaders will enter the city before tomorrow night or the following day. It is understood that the Salonicans have submitted to the government a list of persons whose punishment is de manded for complicity in the recent mutiny. This list includes deputies and journalists. But apparently there is the utmost good feeling between the invaders and the residents of the city, many of whom visited the camps of the baton ica troops today and were receiv ed hospitably. PASSENGER TRAFFIC LARGE. Booms Taffs Tour North. Washington, April 23. Conerression al Delegate Wickersham, of Alaska, today wired the mayors of 24 Alaskan cities to send invitations to President Taft to visit the territory during the summer. When the invitations arrive Wickersham will call on the president and urge him to make the trip. Pur suant to the orders he received, Gover nor Hoggatt has given up his apart ments in this city and is now en route to Alaska. MASSACRES SPREAD NORTH. GALE KILLS AND MAIMS. Ohio Lakefront Swept by a Sudden Five-Minute Blow. Cleveland, April 2. Three persons were killed, six perhaps fatally hurt, at least 50 less seriously injured and 51,000,000 worth of property destroyed in a tornado that swept through Cleve land and Northern Ohio yesterday. The storm arose suddenly and lasted just five minutes. At 12:30 the sun was shining brightly. At 12:33 the city was dark. From the northeast of the lake came a 66-mile gale and heavy rain. People were blown off their feet and hurled against buildings in many places, to be struck down by bricks and timbers that filled the air. Roofs were lifted off houses, walls hurled down, strongly-braced smoke stacks picked up and chimneys demol ished. iwelve school buildings were damaged. Many pupils had remark able escapes, but none were seriously hurt. Firemen and policemen turned out to assist the people whose homes had been wrecked. So seriouly was the telephone service crippled that it was impossible to get connection with either the police or fire headquarters. Merger Suit in Court. San Francisco, April 22. Suit against the Union Pacific and the South ern Pacific companies has been entered in the United States Circuit court for the Northern district of California for the purpose of dissolving the financial relations of the two railroads. The suit was brought originally in Utah, where the lines of the two roads form a junction, and hearings have been held in nearly every large city of the United States where the two roads own physi cal property, have headquarters or freight agencies. Russia Must Soon Intervene. St. Petersburg, April 22. The situ ation in Persia engrosses the attention of the Russian foreign office, the Turk ish crisis assuming a position of sec ondary importance. In spite of the prompt compliance by the shah with Russia's ultimatum that a six-day arm istice must be declared at Pabriz for the purpose of providing food for the foreingners ana noncombatants, it is felt that intervention in Persia cannot long be postponed. Snow on Western Prairies. Denver, April 22. Nearly two inch es of snow fell in Denver last night and more iss predicted for tonight and to morrow. This is the eighth day in April on which snow has fallen. Snow is also reported south and west in the state and fruitgrowers are building smudges to protect the fruit trees from damage by frost. New Regions Affected bv Fanatical Wave of Slaying. Constantinople, April 23. The spread of the wave of massacre and death to Erzerum, the principal town of Turkish Armenia, in a district far removed to the north from that hither to affected by the wave of fanaticism, is leading to the conclusion here that the outrages are being inspired by the sultan, more or less directly, as a coun ter move in politics to the constitu tional movement of the Young Turks. Weight is given this conclusion by the change in feeling on. the part of the Armenians, who are now ceasing their enthusiastic hailing of the con stitutional government, and appealing again for the laws of the Sheri and the sultan. That the Young Turks have been very friendly with the Christians is a matter of record ; and the fact that the fanatical Moslems have been roused to attack Christians is regarded as an indirect way of bringing pressure upon the Young Turks by many in well-informed political circles. Horri ble as this idea is, it is fast gaining ground, and the behavior of the Ar menians themselves in abandoning their appeals to the Young Turks and placing reliance on the sultan is fur ther proof of it. Wednesday, April 21. Washington, April 21. Substantial progress was made by the senate today in considering the tariff bill. No sen ator being prepared to speak on the bill as a whole, the reading of the meas ure by paragraphs began. The various items in the chemical schedules were passed over for future consideration. The reading was frequently interrupt ed by the discussion of amendments and only 18 pages of the bill were dis posed of. Cummins presented his in come tax provision and discussed it at length. Aldrich stated he would ask to have passed over for future consideration any provision that might be objected to. It was agreed that any amend ment to which there should be objec tion should be passed over with the un derstanding that any senator might move at any time to take up any para graph after it had been read. Dolliver suggested that the recipro city and retaliatory clauses and the drawback and thea dministrative feat ures of the bill should be reported by the finance committee before the bill was considered. Taft Favors Lane. Washington, April 23. That Frank lin K. Lane, of California, will succeed himself as member of the Interstate Commerce commission is believed here by many of his friends. Although Lane s term does not expire for several months, it is known that several have their eyes on the berth. The work done by the Californian, however, is said to have won the approval of Presi dent Taft. Lane is believed to regard another term with favor. Critics Are Welcome. Los Angeles, April 23. A unique innovation in municipal affairs is a clearing house for all city business which Mayor Alexander established to day. It is expected to effectually end the insistent complaint heretofore pre vailing that private individuals could not get access to or action from public officials. Under the new system the mayor will not only receive, but actu ally invites complaints, criticisms, new ideas and suggestions of all kinds which may result in the betterment of conditions in any direction. Reopen Over Million Acres. Washington, April 23. The Taft ad ministration is not going as far as the past administration in tying up public lands, in furtherance of the conserva tive policy. It leaked out today for the first time that during the close of Garfield s term in the Interior depart ment several million acres of land were withdrawn from entry in order to "con serve stream flow." This administra tion has ordered restoration to entry of 1,170,925 acres of this land. Tuesday, April 20. Washington, April 20. The census bill was sent back to conference by the senate today in order that its amendments relating to the civil ser vice law and requiring the construc tion of a building for the census work in this city might be considered fur ther. By an aye and nay vote, the senate rejected the conference report because of its failure to include the McCumber amendment, requiring applicants for civil service employment to reside in the states claimed by them as their homes. That the census office has in it em ploy in one bureau the wife of s secre tary of a member of congress, the wives of two officials of the War de partment, and the wife of a prominent official in the Treasury department was the charge mode by McCumber in criti cizing the conference report. "Promotion," he said, "seems to be almost wholly for women who have nusDanos in tne department. this is getting to be a city of official families holding positions under the govern ment." Whole families, he said, are em ployed in government departments credited to states which the younger members of the families have never seen. McCumber urged the necessity of his amendment requiring actual res idence by the applicant from a state, which was stricken out by the conferees. Pollution of Water the State's Affair. Washington, April 21. The secre tary of war today decided the case of the city of Santa Barbara against the Union Oil company. Protests were filed with the department against pol mnon oi tne waters oy proposed pipe lines and the tanks of the company, The engineering department decided that it was without remedy, and so did the attorney general. The secretary of war now says the matter must be handled by the state, if at all. Barrett Quite Content. Washington, April 23. John Bar rett, director of the bureau of Ameri can republics, today stated that he is not a candidate for the appointment as minister to China or to any other dip lomatic post, but is desirous of retain ipg his present position. He said he had been asked by both the president and secretary of state to continue as director instead of accepting a new position. Thousands Will Seek Homes on Pa cific Coast. Chicago, April 21. Officials of the North Pacific coast roads expect an un usually large passenger traffic to that country during the coming summer. It will not be created wholly by the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific fair, though that will be a great drawing card. There will also be a vast volume of travel brought about by the large number of persons going to the coast with the intention of becoming permanent settlers in the Northwestern country. The business depression which has been keenly felt in all the industrial and commercial centers of the East has caused a great many people to seek out pastures new as the fields for their future exertions, and large numbers of these have come to look upon the Pa- cific Northwest coast country as offer ing them the greatest inducement of making their future homes there. Already inquiries are being made of the railroads in great numbers as to facilities for transportation and reser vations are being made for sleeping car and other accommodations away in ad vance of anything believed to be possl ble a short time ago. and with a cabinet ready to surrender to the demands of the patriot armv. Sultan Abdul Hamid is reported to have abdicated and fled on a warship or sought refuge in a foreign embassy. l he report that the sultan had abdi cated caused the Greatest excitement in the lobbies of parliament. A rumor of the flight of the sultan on a warship followed closely on that of his abdica tion, but neither could be confirmed. Large crowds gathered at the British embassy, where other reports had it that the sultan had taken refuge, and there were scores of inquiries at the Russian embassy concerning the truth of the rumor that the sultan was under the protection of Russia on one of its guardships. At both of these embas sies all knowledge of the sultan's move ments was denied and the Turkish For eign office gave a strong denial of the rumors. The abdication of Abdul Hamid, how ever, appears to be not improbable, and it appears that within a day or two the Constiuttionalists may accept! as his successor Prince Yusseff Izzedin, the eldest son of the late sultan, who is second in line, as they are strongly displeased with Abdul Hamid's attitude. The Constitutional forces sent out small parties to reconnoiter this after noon, and at 7 o'clock in the evening they were within sight of the gates of Constantinople. They encountered no resistance, nor does resistance seem likely, unless it is at the palace. The headquarters of the Constitutionalist army is at Dedegatich, and General Husni Pasha's forces, which now num ber between 20,000 and 30,000, occupy a range of hills about 20 miles from the capital. LOEB AFTER SMUGGLERS. Drop Deschutes Project Still in Doubt. Washington, April 20. Secretary Ballinger says the fate of the Des chutes project has not been finally de lermmeo. ine reclamation service recommended abandoning it, but the secretary has not decided to accept the recommendation. Further considera tion will be given the matter in the immediate future. MacVeagh to Cut Expenses. Washington, April 20. Treasury es timates for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1910, must be ready for sub mission to Secretary McVeagh on May 1, 6 months earlier than formerly. Mr. McVeagh proposes to make a thor ough examination into the treasury re quirements, with a view to reducing expenditures. Assassin Uses Dynamite. Chattanooga, Tenn., April 23. Rudolph Buol, aged 65, was assassinat ed at a late hour tonight while asleep. The murderer opened Buol's bedroom window and placed a stick of dynamite on his bed. exploding it with a fuse. Buol was killed instantly. His wife. who was asleep at his side, escaped injury. Monday, April 19. vvanington, April i. Debate on the tariff bill began in the senate to day with the opening speeches of the leader on each Bide in the finance com mittee, Aldrich and Daniel. The Re-1 Dickinson is On His Way. Washington, April 20. Secretary Dickinson and the party to accompany him to Panama left here tonight for Charleston, S. C, where they will em bark on the President's yacht May flower for the Isthmus Wednesday, The secretary expects to get back to Washington about the middle of May. Taft Declines Alaskan Offer. Washington, April 24. President Taft today told Delegate Wickersham ne could not visit Alaska this summer unless congress makes provision for his expenses. He will not make the trip at the expense of the people of Alaska, who stand ready to raise the necessary funds. JURY PROBES SMUGGLING. Federal Body Takes Action in New York Gown Importations. New York, April 21. Further inves tigation of the systematic smuggling of Paris gowns into this port led the customs officials to declare that the syndicate probably had smuggled in $1,000,000 worth of goods each year for the last 10 years, thus defrauding the government out of $600,000 an nually in customs duties. Efforts to avoid criminal prosecution and to shield from publicity the prom inent women for whom the $55,000 worth of gowns recently seized were intended resulted in the offer by repu table attorneys representing anonymous clients of $260,000 to the government to drop the investigation. The Federal grand jury is investi gating the case, and it is intimated the identity of the smugglers will be re vealed. Death Rate Eight Daily. Washington, April 22. One hundred and eighty-four persons were killed and 2,924 injured in train accidents during the three months ending Decem ber 31 last, according to the Interstate Commerce commission report filed to day. Other kinds of accidents bring the total number of casualties up to 17,644, including 798 killed and 16,846 injured. This shows a decrease of 2, 814 as compared with a year ago. There were 1,973 collisions. Ellis to Boost in "Hub." Washington, April 24. Representa tive Ellis has accepted an invitation to address the Civic league, of Boston, Monday night on the development of the Western country, particularly by irrigation. Oregon Rural Carriers. Washington, April 24. Ira Foren has been appointed regular. Willie Foren substitute, rural carrier, route 2, Crabtree, Ore. Colima Pours Out Lava. Mexico city, April zi. a severe eruption of the Colima volcano, follow ed by an earthquake shock, has spread terror and confusion among the inhabi tants of nearby towns, a number of whom deserted their homes, and fled to points outside the affected zone. The eruption began at 6 :10 o'clock yester day morning. It covered a wide area with ashes and lava, and subsided at nightfall. Just as confidence was be ing restored, the region was shaken by violent explosion, and the populace once more was thrown into a panic. Ice Dams Niagara River. Niagara Falls, N. Y April 21. Ice conditions in the Niagara gorge are worse than ever tonight. Immense blocks of ice have grounded on a sand bar at the river mouth forming a solid barrier against which thousands of tons are piling up every hour. Tonight the river is five feet above the high level of Monday, and at the highest mark ever recorded on that stretch of the river. The ice is within 18 feet of the floor of the Lewiston suspension bridge. Castro's Wife Goes Back. Colon, April 12. The steamer Guad alupe came into port today from Port Limon, Costa Rica and sailed this afternoon for France via Venezuela. Among her passengers are Senora Cas tro, wife of the ex-president of Vene zuela, who is returning to Europe to join her husband. She could have landed here or in Costa Rica, but elected to proceed to France. ueennes utter of S260.000 to Government Inquiry. New York, April 20. The smuggling syndicate that first offered Collector of the Port Loeb $100,000 to drop the government's investigation of the smuggling of "sleeper" trunks con taining $55,000 worth of Paris gowns increased its offer today to $260,000. according to Mr. Loeb. The amount now offered the gov ernment to drop the investigation and probable prosecution is $260,000,' said Mr. Loeb. "The amount represents what would be the penalties of fully $200,000 above the appraised value of the goods. All offers have been re fused. We want the smueelers." It is believed that worry over this case so affected the mind of William G. Bainbridge, confidential agent of the United States Treasury department m Paris, that he committed suicide. The Treasury department had fully ap proved Mr- Bainbridge's course in the case, but he left a note declaring he was the victim of a plot. Mr. Loeb's investigation shows that the smuggled gowns had been made in Paris by famous designers for many women of social prominence and wealth in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington and that the reason for offering such a large sum to suppress the investigation was to shield the women from unpleasant publicity. Short Route to Europe Winnipeg, Man., April 20. Edson J. Chamberlain, general manaeer of the Grand Trunk Pacific railroad, an nounced tonight that in a few days the road would begin constructing branch lines north and south from Melville. Sask. The company will lose no time in building a through line from the American boundary to Hudson bay, thus providing the farmers of the Mid dle states with a short wheat route to Europe. He also announced the con struction of several other branches from the main line to the north. Steams 29 Knots an Hour. Liverpool, April 21. The Maure- tania, . which arrived from New York today, concluded the last portion of her trip, about 200 miles, at a speed of 29 knots, a feat never before accomplished by an ocean liner. Sultan Names Successor. Berlin, April 20. A rumor emanat ing from Vienna says that the sultan has expressed his willingness to abdi cate in favor of Mohammed Rechad Effendi, heir apparent to the throne. A dispatch to the Lokal Anzeiger from Constantinople says it is rumored Mo hammed Rechad Effendi has been ac claimed sultan at Salonica. The cor respondent says it is intended to estab lish the provisional seatTof government at that place. Young Turks Will Depose Sultan, London, April 20. Interest in the Turkish crisis is now chiefly concerned with the fate of the sultan and there is little doubt that he will be deposed. Recent developments have served to emphasize the devotion of the whole country to constitutional government. Cotton Fire is Burning, Little Rock, Ark., April 20. The St. Louis compress No. 2, with 1,200 bales of cotton, caught fire after mid night and its total destruction is ex pected. The loss will reach $1,000,000, r