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About The Oregon mist. (St. Helens, Columbia County, Or.) 188?-1913 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 1897)
TITO mil ., XI . .ii3 OREJS VOL. XLV. ST. IlKLENS, OUEUOX, Fill DAY, DECtiMIIElt 3, 1897. NO. SO. MTRT NEWS OF THE WEEK From all Part of the New and Old World. BRIEF Am IHTKttESTIXG ITEMS Cxtiiiprohanal llavlaw of tha Import ant Happening of th Car. , ' rent Vnk, The great trial of Arroyo' murder- ' era II over, at the City of Mexico, hav inf terminated with t tit luntmioe. of death pronounoel on i or the police officer and policemen concerned in the butchery (i! the luido wretch whot audaclon attempt on the president' ' life calmed to profound nvnwition there. The Jury wai out over teven s bourn. One of the moot Important feature! of the Behrlng tea negotiation not heretofore diteloted I that In the event that Great tlrituiii and Canada content to iitpansion of pelagic wiling fur one year, the I' nil Stales for the tiime time will agree to a tutpoiitlon of all takinii of anal for one year on Prlbytolf island. rnntitutiiig the American aval poioii in Dchrlng aa. Potmnter-Unerul Gary i receiving many letter regarding the pontal-av-ings bank proposition truiigly uracil by him In Itl annual report. Many people throughout the country have written onininonlirig on the projected radical extension of the pontal e rvioe, and have iihmiitnl noma suggestion calculated ill thulr opinun to make the scheme mare feasible. At a whole, the oorrepotilctiu indicate a rather general commendation. El-Governor Crittenden, of Mlmourl, who waa minimi -if ''""ml to Mexico nniler the lust Cleveland al mi nint ra tion, announce that he will leave Kanaaa City next week for Sim An tonio, Tel., whore he will be Joined hy W. 3, Dryan ami Mm, Bryan, anil Unit the three will depart fioin Jiun Antonio on a week' tour of Mexico, AilU hy the ex-contul's know lodge of the people and country, Mr. Bryan will make a careful atuily of Mexico's financial tyi tm. Pngcr on the tramor Masootte, which ha arrived in Tampa, report that Kngel Pasea, who Imlrayed Gen eral Castillo to the Spaniard for 15,000, wo captured by Insurgent on hi -way to Cituifncgot, court-martialed on a drum-head and hanged. A great fire broke out at Melbourne, Australia, and in a very abort tpnee of time did enorinou ilnmnvo. it it rati mated Uiat the le will teach 1,000,. 000, while the trade In tuft good has received a oriou setback. Ilnndreilt of employe of all aorta have been thrown out of employment, . Changing It" name and principle! the American Hallway League hat become a full-fledged political organisation. Hereafter it will lo known as the liuil way Employe and Telegraphers' Polit ical League of America, ll oujeot it to deal entirely In state and national politics, chiefly on logilatlve lino. A big masonry wharf, having a front atr of 800 meter on th river Tiiicua, oppoaite the otmtoin-lioune 'in Lisbim, auddenly lulsiided and completely dli appeared In the riverbed. The wharf, which wai recently constructed at a ooat of 50,00.0, reiteil cn mud. Kor-j innately, no one wai hint In tho vol lapae. The hoatllity bttween the Christian aocialiata and the eooinl iletnourutii, which exist" in all part of Aiuitria and frequently lead to aharp oollinlunl between tho rival partiminn, hu result ed in eoriou rioting at Grata, the cupi tnl city of Bitira, and the leut of im portant cotton and woolen nmnufuo torlea. The official programnta for the re ception of 18U8 at the White House l.y Preaident and Mr. MoKinloy him been laaued. All of the event, excepting New Yean' reception and the publla reception, will be by card invitation. Only those Invited will be given an op , portunlty to be proton t at leant once during the aeaaon. The avuhhinoe ol exooaaive and tlangeroua crowding will add to the attractivonest of all tho re ception!. The theoaophlttt of San Francisco re taking very aotlvo Internet in tho fate of Durrunt. It it a tenet of their faith that onpltal puniahmont it wrong, ami they are getting up a petition praying Governor Build toatiiy the exe cution and to commute hi eentimeo to life imprleonmont. The petition waf prepared by Dr. Jorome A. Anderson, preaident of tho San Francisco Then eophieal Booiety, and it hat already re ceived a number of aignaturu. The commilon nppolntod to revlsa the criminal code of tho United States, in the partial report which it will makti to the president and congress, win present a node for criminal Justice in Alaska. The commission ia authorized ' to do thi in tha aot which creates it as territory. At present tho law ol Oregon are made applicable to Alaska, end these will he revised, codified and amended by tl a commission to suit the present conditions, and will be tub rultted at a partial report for the basit of legislation by emigres, The discovery of many children of very little if any Indian blood In tht government boarding school through out the country, load to the recom mendation by tho superintendent of Indian choolt that, Inasmuch as thor teem to be no remedy underlying ex isting law, it it Imperative In the in-j terettt of justice to both races mat con gress hould early Indicate by tlntnt what degree of blood hall constitute Indian, and to wlnit extent auopteu m dlan hall be entitled to goternmontal upport, lu matton of education. APPALLING . DISASTER. furnsilu in th I'IiIIIimiIiim NwrptThoa. da tu Itli, San Franoliro, Nov. 80. The ty- riiinon wnion twept ovor tho Philippine island, Outober 8, caused one of the Worst disaster reported from the south ern ocean in many year, if not in the history of that section of the world. Thousand of livet wore lost, includ ing many European, and the damage to property was something appalling. Tulcgraphio advice concerning the calnmity have been very monger. The difficulty of getting new from the islanda it great at any time, and, ow ing to the remoteness of some pro inne visited by the hurricane, full do talis of the storm did not reuoh Hong Kong pntil November 1. The stenmor Gaelic, from tliu Orient, today brought letter and papers which contain accounts of the ravages of the tlilal wave anil wind. Whole towns wore twept or blown away. Fully 600 European wore killed, and it I et ti- lii ii ted that 6,000 unlive" perished. The storm first struck the isluiidt at tho Hay of Hanta Paula, in the prov ince of Sit m nr. It devastated the entire outhcrn portion of the island. On the 19th, a hurricane reached Leyte, and struck tho capital, Taclo bun, witli great fury. in lest than half an hour tho town was a mas of ruins. The natives wore panic-stricken. Four hundred of them were lnirii.il heneuth the dehri of wrecked buildings, and 120 corpse of Kuroien!i awe recovered from the mini when the native authorities in stituted a aeurch for the dead. l!corU from the southern const were received which claimed that a score of mull trading vessel! and two Kydney tradera were blown ashore and their crew drowned. The tea twept inland nearly a in ila, destroying projierty valued at several million dollars, and ruining wholusale deaths amoug the nalivea, VICTIM OF CANNIBALS. Fata of Twa Washington),! In Congo Frea Mtate. Washington, Nov. 80. A ttartling and horrible story of tho killing of two Washingtoninna and the mutilation of the bodies by natives of the Congo Free Mute has just been received here in a letter to Uio Harman, of tin city. The men were member of a party which, luring November and Deoemln'r, 1M04, went from this city to enlist In the Uelginn army, for ervico in tho Con go. Tho party included Lindsay Itnrku, Frank Batahelor, Barry II. An drews, Harry Kparlin and a Mr. Mel- lin, who waa at one time a noncommis sioned odlivr of tlio United State army. All except Thornton and Mel- in wore menihera of tho .National Guard of this district. The Information received is that Mr. Burke nud a parly of 60 natives, who were sent out in December, 1HU0, to dislodge a band of native who revolt ed, were ambushed aud killed. An Arab, who was with the command, but was some distance olf at the time of the ambush, states that Uurke was dead liefore the native reached him, and that tho most hideout looking lit tle men lie ever saw walked up and cut Burke' head off with one blow of knife. Tha chief then began to alice pieces of hit legs and arm and to dis tribute them among hi followers, There wore so many of tha natives that tho pieooa wore very small, aud before they had concluded, there was a tight to aee who would got the remainder. The natives then left, one carrying off Uurke' arm. Windeye, a New Yorker, who had command of another detachment of sol diers tent out on the sjimo errand, ar rived a few hours after tho natives loft. Windeye gathered up tho remains of Burke and huried them. When he learned the strength of the rubels, he hurried back to Micliau and not i Hod the commandant of tho post. The other Washingtoninn who lost hit lifo waa killed March 1, when the troops, under tho command of Baron Dhanis, revolted near Kabanhiure, and t assassinated a number of oflloers of their regiment, among them being Mcllin. Tho body of Mollin waa but chered beyond rooi gnition. Ilia heart was cut out and burned. The tituatioo j said to be precari ous, and a reliof expedition hat been tent to tho rescue. Mr. Gage, another American, ia very sick at Vangino. Will Aet Aid From America. Waahlnuton. Nov. 80. In oonse ..... ..b.., - quonoeof the widespread destitution , among tho people who have been con- ccntrated at certain points in C uba, the govarnor-gono.nl of the island ha in- formed Consnl-General Lee that United State citizens who desire to send tup- plies to the poor and needy in Cuba should send thorn to the Catholic bish ops at tho nearest point of collodion, and these prelates would in turn con tii;n whatever might be tent to the bishops of the island at Havana and Santiago do Cuba for distribution. Fatal Hollar Ksnloalon. Halifax, N. S., Nov. 80. Tho explo sion of a holler at the Gold Lake mines, East Halifax, caused tho death of tho manager of the mine, Daniel ,1'hail, and James Hennessey and John M0' Isaac, thoir bodlet bo'ing terribly torn by flying wreckage of tho boiler. Hennessey aud Molsauc were teating the boilorV ' Diuallpox In Mexico. Denver, Nov, 80. A special to the Newt from Santa Fe N. M., snysi A visitor from San Marchal' states that an epidemic of smallpox exista among the Mexican residents there. The matter has been kept very quiut and the atten tion of the territorial board of health hat not yet beon culled. Eighteen poisons live in a one-room shanty, 16x24 feet, in tho town of vir...v.l.,,.w.tr V, tint fur from tho Brl(lttowater liue DAWSON Fear of Starvation Causes a Stampede. MAO KB PAttTV AttlUVF.S SAFELY With th I. Hi out Naur From tha Inter, lor Thalr Hard Journey Ortr the lialtiin Trail. Port Townaond, Nov. 80. Twenty five men arrived here today on the City of Seattle, direct from Dawson City. They wera divided into two parties, t'tu last of which left Dawson October 10. The party consisted of Thomai Miigee, r., Thomas Magoe, jr., of San Francisco; "riwiftwater Bill" Gatet, Joe lio.vlo, William Huskint, E. Eckert, II. KobeilHon, IJ. Haymond, Bert Nel son, John W. Brauer, W. H. Cham bers, E. W. Pond, K. Ash, J. Oilli, Thomas Wilson, P. McGraw, Jack Dal tou, William Leak, Arthur Celine, Joseph Fairburr,, J. Smith, T. Warren, Jim Ferguson, and two others, whose names could not bn learned tonight. They, came ont ovor the Daiton trail. They are reported to have between them f 50,000 in dr ftt and gold dost. All tell stories of a food shortage in Dawson that it almost a famine. The last person to leave Dawson was Jack Daiton. When Daiton left the steam ers Alice and Holla, had reached there, loaded light. It it said that the Bella's cargo consisted of whisky and billiard balls. She brought no provisions. The Canadian mounted police char tered the Bella and gave all who wished free passage to Fort Yukon. The Bella it reported to lu've left about October 13, with 200 men. According to tho statements made by members of the Daiton party, there it liable to be trouble of the most seri ous kind tint winter in Dawson. Billy Leak told one of the men in the party ahead of him at Dye that all the peo ple talked about at Dawson wai the food famine. Men were gathered in groups, and cursing might and main the newcomer that werecomtantly en tering the Klondiko with scarcely any provision. Tha mounted police were offering free transportation to the grub piles futher down the Yukon, but to count lost hundred who had labored hard all through the summer accumulating a grubstake, the prospect waa uninviting to say tha least. These men figured that it would take all their savings in gold to pay their living expense at Fort Yukon during tho wintor, and that in the spring they would not have even enough gold left to pay pussage money back to Dawson, to tay nothing of purchasing enough food to tubsiat until they could get started again. To these poor fellows the offer of the mounted police waa no better than the proeot at Dawson of being compelled to wintor on half ratioiia until the tup ply boat could reach the digginga in the spring. John W. Brauer, the United State mail-carrier, who left Dawson Septem ber 27, said: "There is only one salvation for the miners who are now at Dawson City, and that ia for them to undertake the awful winter trip from Dawson to Fort Yukon, a distance of 400 miles. There is food at Fort Yukon; there it none at Dawson, and just at sure at tho stars shine, terrible suffering will be the fate of the Dawson miner unless he leaves thero before tpring. I will make my statement conservative, and pay that when I left Dawaon the men who were thero had on an average four months' food supply. Some did not have a month' supply; tome had four or five. "The last restaurant closed the night I loft. It had been selling nothing but b ef teak, for which the hungry paid f'J BO. " When tho people realiaed that no mor0 woalJ De up the river, they know mt gtftrvution threatened them, )inil t))e t a,npede began. The list to leave went to fori xuaon. i think there were 200 in the party that left the first day. "Ono boat came up from Fort Yukon with severnl newspapermen aboard, among them being Sam Wall and Mr. MoGillvra. They brought the new that the Hamilton had unloaded all of her cargo and tried to get over the bar light and failed in hor efforts, though she drew but two feet of water. Thil , noreaaeil tne exciiemenv, unu , h towarJ (ooJ centerg an , ter ..So tewbor U( with Bort Nelson, of j . ,ofl circe City, and started o tJ6 rivcr tQ DuW90n city, a .. ' . ,ft n At the time we started from Circle City, the minora hail about all left. It took us 11 dayt and three hours to mako the journey, arriving at Dawson September 20. Captain Hanson, with two Indians, who had loft Fort Yukon, boat us into Dawson by about an hour and a half. "Hanson gathered the Dawson City miners toaother and made a thort 1 speech, in which he advised all who ' did not have provisions to last them all winter to oithor get out of the country to civilization or try and reach points in tho Yukon country where it wnM known that food could be found "That night was the greatest one in tho history of Dawson City. The minora, as soon a they had heard the news, made hasty preparation to get out, and nightfall saw goMseekers ami men who can today tell out for thou sands, leaving by the hundreda for down the river and up the river." Montevideo, Nov. 80. A monster mooting of native Uruguayan! and for eigners was held in favor of the can didacy of Sonor Cuestas for the presi dency. Hie opponents interfered, and a great tumult ensued, in which teveral were killed and many injured. M'KINLEY IN GOLD. A ftatoa to Ba Exploited at tha Paris KxpoNltlon. New York, Nov. 29. Ada Rohan In silver i to be ouUhone by William Mc K in ley In gold according to the Herald of today. The added fame which the tctress aoqnired by posing for the Mon tana statue of solid silver exhibited at the world' fair ia to be approached if not eclipsed by the president of the United State who will furnish the fig ore for a life-sized statue of tolid gold. This will be the most costly lump of precious metal the people of the mod ern world have ever seen. So tayt F. D. Higby, of Chicago, who ha been retained by Western millionaire to furnish inch a ttatue for exhibition at the Parit exposition in 1900. Mr. Uigby was in the city yesterday on hit way to Washington to get the content of President McKinley to pose for the figure. A Mr. Higby took a prominent part In the headquarters management of the late campaign, and ha asked for no office he ia confident of tuoceet in tiii mission. "You know," laid Mr. Higbv "that I denigiK.il and built the Montana statue at the world's fair for which Mitt Itehan posed. I suppose it wai because of my experience that I have been retained to build thia ttatue, which with the base will contain bul lion to the value of $1,060,000. "While it will be designed primarily to first exhibit the ttatue at Pari in 1900, the director! ol the pan-American exposition to be held in Cayuga island, in the Niagara river, in 1899, are anxi ous to have it completed in time to ex hibit there first. It it likely that thit arrangement will be made. "I cannot say yet who the capitalists are who are back of ti it project, bat there are a half dozen of them, and everything ia ready to begin work on the ttatue at toon at a design ia com pleted." - . . OREGON LINEN MILLS. Reported That Flaz Will Ba Mada Vp Into Wares at Salem. Salem, Or., Nov. 29. There are prospect! that the "Scotch Mills," in Salem, which have long stood idle, will be converted into an important manu facturing plant. It it understood that Mr, T. IS. Wilcox, who ownt a control ling interest in the mills, hat submit ted a proposition to Dr. Deimel, the importer of linen goods, whereby a linen manufacturing establishment ia to be located here, and Mr. Wiloox ia to be one of the stockholders. The details of the negotiation!, pending between Mr. Wilcox and Dr. Dieracl, have not been given out, but assurance ia given that the prospect! for the establishment of a large linen manufacturing plant here are very bright. Mrs. Lord received a letter from Dr. Deimel last night, stating that he sailed for Germany Tuesday. He further aays: "I have now more offer for shares in our present company that I am able to accept, and if $500,000 or even $1, 000,000 should be required to organize a company for the spinning of yarn and the weaving of linen, including linen mesh, it can be had, on the showing that you can grow and will grow flax of a quality equal to the best, and that your people detire the locating of our industry there by offering ut tuob ad vautagea at you mention in your let tor." ' Legislation for Alaska. Waahington. Nov. 29. The preai dent in hit message will recommend ipeedy legislation to insure the best por.sible government for Alaska. ; He will point out the difficulties which the people living there are under, and will urge that something be done to protect the property ol the government He will allude to the faot that the govern ment ia losing large sains because there ia no way of protecting timber from indiscriminate use. A better system of permits for the cutting and inspection of timber, not only for the mineral state of the West, but also for Alaska, hat been presented to the president, and he will endeavor to have legisla tion ajieedily enacted for the better pro tection of the foroats. Hearing a Settlement. Washington, Nov. 29. Hawaiian Minister Francis M. Hatch, who has just arrived in this oity on his return from Honolulu, expressed the opinion today that the trouble between Japan aud Hawaii has been smoothed over, and can be eettled now without diffi culty. The Japanese government seems to bo disposed to have tho matter set tled in as amicable a spirit as possible. Canada's Heply. Ottawa, Out., Nov. 29. A reply has been prepared by the Dominion govern ment and forwardod to Washington in respect to the negotiations which are going on between those countries. The government will not say what the reply it until it reaohea Air. Doster, at v asn inglon, but it ia understood that it is a refusal to stop pelagic sealing for one year. , Chicago, Nov. 29. The Luetgert oBO will be called for a lecond trial to morrow morning, in Judge Horton'a court. The state will announce its readiness to go on with the trial at once, but it is very probable that At torney Phalen, for the defense, will ask for a continuance or a change of A Four-Handed Fight. Mandoville, La., Nov. S. From Bayou Lacombe, a tmall keUlement 11 milet east of here, news hat been re ceived of a desperate fight between Ar thur and Edward Jolie, on one aide, and Laurence and Edward Cousin, ou the other, In whioh all ooncernod were killed. Shotguunt and pittole were the weapons used: A long-standing family feud led to the fight. To every 192 persons in the United State there it telephone A BAPTISM OF BULLETS Rebels Open Fire on the Pal. ace at Havana. SO SERIOUS DAMAGE WAS DONE Jusueeaaxful Attempt Made to Raseua Ctanerat Rivera and to Capture m Notorloua Spy. New York, Nov. 29. On Sunday morning, for the first time in the his tory of the Cuban war, rebel bullet sought the palace in Havana, tayt a dispatch to the Herald from Havana. The shots came from Cata Blanca, 600 yard across the entrance to the harbor, and while no one wai hurt, the palace, with its electric lights, wai a shining mark, and must have been hit. The Spanish authorities attempt ' to make light of the affair, but at the tame time a reporter for L Lucha who wrote np and aMetmpted to publish the facts in the oase, was put in prison. The attack on Casa Blanca was made by Brigadier-General Cardenas and 50 rebels. They entered the town shortly before midnight on horseback, and at the end of an hour each man led out of town a horse with one extra head ap propriated, laden with clothing, pro visions, silver plate and money. Before they loft they tent two voileyi across .the narrow harbor entrance at the pal ace, then cooly went to a friend'a bouse inside the Spanish linea and took tup per. All thit was under the gum of Cabanaa and Moro. It ia learned from an inside source that the object of the rebelt waa to re lease General Ruiz Rivera, and hang a citizen named Fumiro who ia known as a spy. They failed in the first object only because of tome misconception of the appointed time on the part of con federates within the prison with whom arrangements had been made to admit them into the fortress. Fumiro man aged to escape across the harbor. The whole affair waa well planned. General Cardenas came in the early evening with two column! along the aeashore, and at 10 o'clock the men followed. They first visited Cabanas. Whey they taw that the arrangement had failed, the rebels went after Fu miro. He fled across the harbor and the rebelt did not dare to follow. Then the rebelt went to Casa de loa Frailes, the priest's house, where they took blankets, silver plate and money. Thia house is close to Moro castle. The priest made a great outcry, but no soldiers came. Then the rebels sacked the store of Fumiro, securing some gold. They also looted other stores. Working as quietly at possible, they approached a cavalry outpost, securing teveral horses. For two hours they enjoyed them eelvet, then rode to the harbor and fired two volleya at the palace. Thia aroused the Spaniard! for the first time, but by the time troops turned out tho rebels had gone. The authorities made every effort to euppresa the details of this raid, though an official report admitted that aix rebels entered the town. . The rebels approached and fired upon Mariana last night. There was great excitement. The volunteers were called out, and with the troops returned the rebel fire. The residents were panic stricken and locked themselvea in their houses. The rebels did not succeed in entering the town. The lines have been strengthened all about Havana. Correspondence received from the east atatet that General Gomez's mast ing men near Sagua, and ia preparing to march westward to strike a potent blow before congress meets. Unusual activity of the rebels is reported from all quarters. The Spaniard! are also making preparationa for action, but as yet each avoids the other. Where and in what manner the blow that is com ing will fall cannot be predicted, but it ia more turely coming than autonomy. General J. M. Bodriguea, command-in-chief of the western provinces, is out in a manifesto stating that he will accept nothing but independence. He contrasts the treatment of Cuban prisoners with that of Spanish prison ers, and aayt only tha Spaniard! under arms are considered as enemies. He promise! equal rights to other Span iard! if independence it gained. General Blanoo'e general shake-up of the police force throughout the ialand it causing some excitement. The heads of departments of police were nearly all changed. Wherever fraud or nnduo oruelty was discovered drastic measures were taken. Secretary-General Con gosto's knowledge and experience gained in America are of valuable as sistance in this direction. Special re ports from the Herald correspondent! in various paTts of the island state that the Spanish soldiera are as badly off as the pacificos and concentrados. In many places the troops havo been forced by circumstances to beg from door to door. General Blanco is maKing every effort to relieve their condition, and to reform the hospital service. Vienna, Nov. 29. The unparalleled violence in the lower house of the reichsrath yesterday is about the only subject of conversation throughout Au ttria today. The German progressist party hat published a note expressing regret at the outbreak, and disclaiming any responsibility for it. . Made a Clean Sweep. Chicago, Nov. 29. The three re maining buildings spared by fire, whioh devastated the little town of Willow Springs two montht ago, were totally destroyed by fire last night, while the members of the fire department were at a dance. The comparative isolation of the buildings prevented the blaze from spreading, and what nowrematns of the town was saved. The Iocs is esti mated at $20,000. IHs spread around among a number of tmall retailor. THE AMERICAN NAVY. It Preient Condition Summed lln hy Secretary I.ong. Washington, Nov. 29. The report of the seoretary of the navy was made public today. It shows that the prei ent effective fighting force of the navy consists of four battle-ships of the first class, two battle-ship of the second clatt, two armored cruisera, sixteen cruisen, fifteen gunboats, tix double turreted monitors, one ram, one dyna mite gunboat, one dispatch-boat, one transport tteamer and five torpedo boats. Thero are under construction five battle-thipt of the first class, six teen torpedo-boat and one submarine boat. There are 64 other naval vessels, in cluding those jised a training, receiv ing and naval-reserve ship, tugs, dil uted eingle-turrcted monitor!, and some unserviceable craft. There it, further, the auxiliary fleet. Thit consists, first, of more than 20 subsidized steamers, which comply with the requirement! of the postal act of March 8, 1891, with regard to their adaptability to naval service, an to an armament of main and second batteries; second, of a very much greater number of large merchant marine steamers, which can be availed of at any time of eed. These auxiliaries, ranging from 2,000 to 12,000 tons, will, if occasion re quire, form a powerful fleet of ocean cruisera, capable of twift and formida ble attack upon an enemy' commerce. Their great coal capacity will also en able them to remain a long time at tea in search of the whereabout! of hostile vessels. ' , The country it congratulated upon the result! obtained in the rebuilding of the navy. While ite thin are not at many and it it not necessary they should be as those of some other great powers, they are, clast for claas, in power, speed, workmanship and often live and defensive qualitiea, the equal of vessels built anywhere else in the world. Five additional battle-shipe are un der construction, whioh should be com pleted by the end of the year 1899. One gunboat and 17 torpedo-boats are also under construction. The first cost of the gunboats was about $250,00-each. That of the cruit ers nearly $2,000,000 etch. Bids for tha torpedo-boatt were from 16 firms, covering a variety of designs. The contracts of these 80-knot boat! were awarded to the loweat bidders, at follows: To Harlan & HollingBWorth, one 340 ton boat, at $286,0000; to Gas Engine & Power Company and Charlei L. Sea bury Co., consolidated, one 285-ton boat, at $310,00; to Wolff & Zwlcker Iron works, one 247.5-ton boat, at $214,500. ... . , It is of interest to note the naval programmes of the principal foreign powers which show the great activity prevailing ainpng them in the matter of naval oonsturction. . NITROGLYCERINE EXPLOSION. Kearly Wrecked an Satire Town In . Indiana.. Andersonville, Ind., Nov. 39. Ches terfield, Iud., wat almost wiped off the map at an early hour thit morning by an explosion of 80 quart of nitrogly cerine in an oil field half a mile from town. James Gol't bouse, about 800 rods distant, waB torn to pioces. , The explosion tore a hole in the ground down to the water line. A three-ton engine waa torn to fragments, and ev ery animal in the neighborhood waa killed instantly. The little town of Chesterfield it a mast of ruins. Every house waa movtd from its foundation, and window were battered, door smashed in, every light put out and the plastering shaken from the walls. Several people were thaken out of bed. At Dalesville, two milea away, and at Yorktown, five mile distant, the damage was almost aa great. Many people were injured, and it ia miracu lous that many were not killed. The ahock was felt 15 milea away. The damage cannot be estimated. Will Raaten Durrant'a Execution. San Francisco, Nov. 29. Acting Attorney-General Carter has received word from Attorney-General Fitzgerald that he will advise Warden Hale to carry out the execution of Durrant, re gardless of any legal proceedings that may be instituted by Durrant'a attor I neys, after the present legal quibble ! has been decided. Durrant will be re- sentenced as soon as the controversy - now pending is settled, after whioh the I attorney-general of the state believes I no legal step can accomplish further Jjlay in the proposed exeoution of the prisoner. , Marshul Btaneo's A mil ranee. Madrid Nov. 29. Marshal Blanco hat cabled to the cabinet an assurance that he will be the arbitrator in con nection with the customs tariff, and that the interests of the peninsula shall not suffer thereby. An excellent effect hat been pro duced in official circlet by the publica tion this morning, in the official ga zette, of the two decreet extending to the Antilles the universal snfferagelaw of 1890, and applying also the laws in tcribed in the first chapter of the Span ish constitution. There is a white sparrow in Lafay ette, Iud. Tha Concord Betnrn From Alaska. San Francisco, Nov. 29. T')e gun boat Concord arrived from Alaska to day. Sha will go to the navy-yard for an overhauling, after which she will be sent to China to take the place of the Yorktown on that station. Maxim'. New Gun Tested. Portsmouth, Nov. 39. Hiram Max im's new quiok-flring gun waa tried here toduy with remarkable results, Wfth 25 pounds of cordite it thowed an effective range of 16,000 yards. NORTHWEST BREVITIES Evidence of Steady Growth and Enterprise. ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEREST From All tha CItle and Town of th Thriving SI .ter State. Oregon. o Willamette valley fall-sown grain it looking fine. Severnl Oregon towna report "not a vacant house." . . The late storm wat the severest known in many years in Clatsop county. Last week five carloads of wheat and five carloads of wood werethipped from Sheridan, in Yamhill county. A Medford man hat told 10 carloads of Ben Davit applet to a New York firm for 75 centt a box, f . o. b. A Buck Hollow rancher raited $300 worth of silver-skin oniont on one acre of land in Sherman county this year, and sold the crop for cash. The run of steelhead talmon in Coot bay hat commenced. . Qojt--ajiumbr were brought from Coot river to Marsh field last week, and were told for 50 cents each. Three ateamers now ply between Ya quina and San Franoisco, the Presi dent, Truckee and Scotia. The latter carries only stone, while the others carry all kinda of freight. The financial condition of Grant county shows some improvement. Treasurer Hazeltine hat funds on hand for the redemption of outstanding war rants bearing date of registration prior to January 24, 1891. 8tate Treasurer Metchan't account with the teveral countiea of the state shows that Baker, Benton, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Grant, Jackson, Klamath, Lincoln, Umatilla and Wallowa have paid their taxes and interest in full for 1896. A Grant county paper says more wheat has been threshed in the sur rounding country this year than ever before, and that enough of it will be ground into flour to tupply Grant coun ty with flour until next season. Usual ly it hat been necessar to bring in flour. The apple orop on Burnt river is re ported to be three times that of last year and of good quality. The price, also, shows a very material advance over last year's. Last season's yield brought 40 oents a box, which thit year hat advanced to 75 cents, nearly double. Both dwelling and usiness houses are needed in Vale, Malheur county, says the Advocate. Every available room in town is occupied, and the great demand for more is increasing daily. Little three and four room cot tages that can be built at a ooat not to exceed $200 eaoh will bring from $5 to $3 a month rent Samples of Eastern oysters that were planted in Yaquina bay have been on exhibition In Newport. The oysters have increased very much in size, and have improved much in flavor, oyater experts Bay, but whether or not spawn discovered on mussel shells and other objects near them it the product of the foreign or native oyater cannot yet be determined. Samples were tent East two weeks ago for settling thit point, but no report hat yet been received. Waahington. There is a good demand for logs on Gray'a harbor. The lumber shipments from Wash ington in October by rail were 750 cart. The shingle shipments from Wash ington in October were 1,866 cars, or 298,660,000 sbinlges, notwithstanding the car shortage and drop in price. A Gray's harbor fisherman saya that the falling-off of the catch in tilverside talmon there thil season is fully 60 per cent. The pack of the cannery at Aberdeen is only 10,000 cases, against 21,000 last year. The new hatchery on the Chehahs river will, it is expeot ed, check this diminution in supply and restore the industry. Washington has a law against alien ownership of land in that ttate. , A Scotch company is desirous of building a beet-tugar factory near Spokane, and this law stands in the way. There ia a case in the supreme court of Washing ton at the present time whioh will de termine whether the law it constitu tional or not, or whether aliens can own land in the state or not. By the breaking of a aheer boom at Stanwood, in Snohomish county, the other day, between 6,0u0.000 and b, 000,000 feet of logs went out into the Sound, and that of thia amount prob ably 500,000 feet will go out to sea through Deception puss. The boom company expects to be able to tave all except those carried out to tea by tho tidet. The ttate auditor has had printed in ' pamphlet form the opiniont of the attorney-general relative to revenue and taxation. These pamphleta will be for warded to the different county treas urers throughout the state. So many Inquiries were received by the state auditor relative to the construction of the revenue law that this, step was deemed advisable. ' The famous Ruby oreek, over which there was so much exictement 15 years ago, promises to furnish the state with another rioh district. A resident of Burlington wat in Mount Vornon last week and brought with hint and told to the bank little over $1,000 in coarse gold taken out of placer claims on Can yon oreok, a branch of Ruby creek. W. A. Woodin and others, who wero contemplating building a shingle mill in Fairhaven, have changed their minds, and will put up a talmon can nery with oapaoity of 20,000 oases.
