THE MORNING OBEG-ONIAN, SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1900.
WITHOUT HER PROPELLER
STEAMSHIP ELM BRAXCH DRIFTIXG
HELPLESS AT SEA.
Flavel as a "IVhcat-Shlppinsr Port
Old Ships "With Xevr Xamcs
and FlagK,
The steamer reported off the mouth cf
the Columbia a few days ago was un-.
doubtedty the Erltlsh steamship Elm
Branch. A report came from Port Town
send yesterday that a steamer answering
the deserlptpn of the Elm Branch hod
"been sighted about 109 miles south -of
Cape Flattery, with her propeller rone.
Tugs have left In search of the vessel,
and she will probably be picked up today.
The Elm Branch, which Is under a time
charter to the Pacific Export Lumber
Company, of this city, sailed from Shang
hai December a, and Is about five or six
days overdue.
The accident recalls a. similar one which
happened to a sister ship, the Oak Branch,
which Is also under charter to the Pacific
Export Lumber Company. The Oak
Branch lost her propeller down In the
tropics a. few years ago, and drifted for
nearly a month, her engineers meanwhile
rigging up a staging over the stern and
shipping a new propeller. "When It was
finally an place the steamer had drifted so
slose to a. dangerous reef that she was
In Imminent 'danger of going ashore be
fore the propeller was ready to move.
Columns were printed about the adventure
at the time, and the feal performed by the
engineers is said to be the most difficult
ever recorded in the annals of steam navi
gation. IN DISTRESS OFF CAPE FLATTERY.
The Elxa llranch Has Broken Propel
ler Taers Scat to the Rescne.
SEATTLE, Jan. 12. The British steam
ship Elm Branch is off (jape Flattery
with a broken propeller, and two tugs have
gone to her assistance. The first news re
j?ardlng the disabled steamer was a dis
patch to the Merchants' Exchange, of this
city, received this forenoon. It was .from
Neah bay. stating that the steamer Elihu
Thomson had just passed out After having
sighted the steamer Elm Branch disabled
and at anchor four miles off Flattery
rocks. The Ellhu Thomson had given the
Elm Branch a hawser, but soon after
parted it and came In to report her.
A dispatch was received this morning
by Captain J. B. Llbbey, of the Puget
Sound Tugboat Company, from some of
his tug captains, and two tugs were im
mediately dispatched to the relief of the
steamer. These tugs are the Tyee, Cap
tain C. T. Bailey, and the Tacoma, Cap
tain H. H. Morrison. As the tugs left
this morning, they are now outside, and
will have no difficulty in picking -up the
disabled steamer and bringing her In.
The Elm Branch, Captain Iliff, is en
route to Portland, Or., from Nagasaki,
and is 25 days out today. She is without
cargo.
It is not known how long she has been
disabled, but from her position it is
judged two or three days. It would seem
that, having broken down, she had at
tempted to make the cape under some
kind of sail, and had run up close and
tried to enter. Flattery rocks are several
miles south of the cape, and a somewhat
dangerous locality.
Last July the Elm Branch loaded at
Port Blakoley for New Chwang, China,
and afterward sailed with a cargo from
Vancouver, B. C, for the Orient She is
an iron steamer of 2065 tons.
CXDER STEW FLAGS.
Well-Known Grain Carriers "Which
Have Lost Their Identity.
High freights all over the world, and d
fleet which is rapidly decreasing by na
tural causes, does not prevent England
getting rid of Tier old sailing vessels, and
every week a few more of the T)ld-timers
which have often figured in the" Portland
grain trade lose the r Identity by going
under new flags with new owners. Among
those reported within the past month are
several which are exceptionally well
known in Portland. The Cambr.an Queen,
which has made so many flying passages
between Portland and the United King
dom, now sails under the banner of Nor
way, bearing the name Eayard. The
Anamba, which seldom missed a season in
this trade, was sold to the Portuguese,
and will henceforth be known as the
Africa The Knight of the Garter has
been purchased by the Italians, and now
bears the fatherly name Papa Emanuele,
and the old bark Glengarry is Bailing un
der the same flag, bearing the name Gcron
ima Biancha.
The littlo bark Alrlle, which has spent j
an ner me muer tne .tsruisn nag, now
becomes the Norwegian bark Superb. All
of these vessels are under the flags of
nations which send vessels to the Pacific
coast, but the old British bark Firth of
Tay has been sold to a nation which has
never honored Portland by the presence of
her ships. Thds venerable grain carrier Is
now the Uruguayan bark Vllasar. Among
all of the number of vessels which have
recently changed their names, but a single
one, the British ship Glenfinart, still re
tains the flag under which ehe was
launched and sailed for so long. The
Glenfinart was sold on her last passage
out from this port, and her name has
since been changed to Harlech Castle. She
is now en route for Honolulu from Lon
don, and will probably be in Portland
again before the end of 1S00. Two of the
German barks now in port, the Magdalene
and the Alsterkamp, were formerly British
vessels, bearing the names Trade Winds
and Flotow.
FLAVEL'S FIRST WHEAT.
Xcw Town at the Mouth of the River
Sidetracks Astoria.
The first shipment of wheat ever made
from the new town of Flavel, at the mouth
of the Columbia, will go forward on the
steamer Arab, which is now taking coal
at that port. There were nine carloads in
the lot, or, to be explicit, 6S66 bushels,
valued at $3550. The ease with which the
big steamer went through, drawing about
24 feet, proves that this comparatively
trifling amount could have bson taken
aboard at Portland, without delaying the
steamer any on the passage down the
river, but as the vessel was much larger
than any of the regular liners that have
been coming here, it was thought best
not to take any chances with her on her
first trip. This additional 200 tons brings
the amount of wheat and flour aboard the
steamer up to 54S0 tons.
Now that Flavel has shipped some wheat
she can cons der herself on even terms wl h
Astoria The latter port commenced sh p
plng wheat 26 years ago, four vessels the
Vermont, Allqulos, City of Dublin and
Frank N. Thayer loading there In 1674.
The business of loading full cargoes
there was soon discontinued, however, as
it was found to be cheaper to take the
shp to the cargo than to take the cargo
to the ship. Nearly every year since
then there have been .small shipments from
Astoria, but for Flavel the shipment just
made comes strictly under the head of
new business. It is known, indeed, that
the channel is so changing that Astoria
Is practically side-tracked, and such sh'p
ments as are made In future down there
will be made at Flavel.
BOER VERSUS BRITOX.
Relative Merits of the Combatants
Forcibly Discussed.
The South African war was among the
subjects discussed in a down-town resort
Thursday evening, and a couple of an
dent mariners who went -down tp the
sea in ships" about 20 or 30 year ago
had hold of opposite ends of the argu
ment "One Boer is good for six English
men" was the Boer's first vol'ey with his
long-range mouth. "You are a liar,"
promptly retorted his chum, who paused
with, a schooner half way over the bar,
and supplemented the remark with Ian- J
guage which can not be transmitted 1
through the mails In printed form. The j
uuci ;aiuz uatA waih a. iuaii;di uemwa-
stratlon which gave the Briton a beautiful
blaek eye.
The latter was carrying a pretty fair
"load," but even this failed to offset the
advantage in weight which the Boer held,
and In the hammer and toogs mlxup
which followed the second eye was
trimmed to match the other one, and there
were divers and sundry other bruises
which rendered the weaker party strictly
out of it for the time being; Meanwhile
the South African war Is a forbidden
topic for discussion In the resort men
tioned, and so far as the relative merits
of the Boers and the English are con
cerned, neither of the combatants Is sat
isfied. SAD TALE OF THE SEA.
Losses of Life From a "Family Ship"
Hiot Yet for Home.
ASTORIA, Or., Jan. 12. Captain Pritch
ard. of the British bark Haddon Hall,
that arrived in this afternoon from Pan
ama, has a hard-luck story to tell, and
in relating It this evening he could not j
suppress sobs and tears, one is a lamuy
ship, as the officers and nearly all the
crew are from Carnaroon, North Wales,
and have known each other since child
hood. When the vessel left her home port
about two years ago. she shipped six
young men, whose parents the master
had known, for years, and he naturally
STEAMER
J.A.M
EtSER..
PHOTO.
Wiiwiw.aiiMii'n''gJllllllliilw
The steamer Mascot,, as she was stranded at Lewis landing. Wash., January 4. She was successfully floated on tho Cth, under direction of
James Olsen, of the Portland Shipbuilding Company, under the supervision of Captain Charlta T. Kamm, the contractor, men and material
ha.vlngr been shipped front this city to Lewis river for the purpose. The Mascot will be repaired immediately and resume her run without
delay. She was brought up to Portland "Thursday night between two baiges.
Both Captain Kamm and Mr. Olsen have had experience in this line, and Mr. Olsen is an old hand at the business, as he haa raised a
number of sunken boats on the Upper Willamette.
The company Is highly pleased that the Mascot was raised in such short order, it being only six days from the time the work was
commenced until she was safely at the dock. The north fork of Lewis river just below Woodland is a Derfect nest of snags, enough to make
a steamboatman'a hair stand on end, and the only wonder la that more boats are not sunk there.
took a personal interest in them. Today
there is but one of them alive. While
passing through the islands north of Aus
tralia a year ago this month, firearms
were placed in readiness for use to resist
the natives of the islands if they should
attempt to board the vessel, as they had
been reported to have done to other ves
sels shortly before. No attack was made,
but one of the boys in handling a pistol
accidentally shot another in the head,
killing him Instantly. Upon their arrival
at Panama, yellow fever broke out on
board, and three of the boys died from it.
She made the run to the mouth of the
Columbia from Panama in 57 days, and
took Pilot Sanderson on board. This
morning the weather was very thick out
side, making It Impossible to take reck
onings except by soundings, and as it was
found that the vessel was within six miles
of shore and It was blowing a gale, sail
was taken in, and while doing so Robert
Griffiths, another one of the hoys, fell
overboard from the fore topsail yard.
The alarm was given and lines were
thrown to him, as he lay on the water,
but he appeared stunned and made no
effort to grasp them nor even a life buoy
that was thrown by his side. First Officer
Jones immediately began to get a small
boat in the water, against the wishes of
Captain Pritchard, as it was almost cer
tain death to attempt it, but the boat
was lowered in nine minutes, and Mate
Jones and four of the crew rowed away
Into the darkness in search of "Jumbo,"
as young Griffith was familiarly known.
The boat was gone for nearly five hours,
and those aboard of her were given up
for lost, when they returned with the
boat full of water and the mtn totally
exhausted, but they had found no trace
of the missing man.
The sea was very rough, "but North
head was sighted for a moment, and
Gunderson then picked up his position and
made the attempt to sail in. He was suc
cessful, and as he got Inside he found
the tug Escort ready to take him to a
safe anchorage. Captain Pritchard then
thought that his troubles were over and
that he would load wheat for Europe and
get home again. The first letter that he
opened was from the owners of'the ves
sel, telling him that she had been char
tered to load flour for Jvpan, and it will
be another year at least, before he will
get near enough home to visit his family.
Marine Notes.
The Galena, Criffel and Magdalene are
scheduled to finish loading wheat today.
The steamer Columbia sailed for San
Francisco last evening. The Elder will
follow today.
The United States steamer Perry arrived
here Thursday afternoon. The officers
of the vessel are: Captain "W. F. Kilgore,
Lieutenants H. M. Sturdevant, C. "W.
Cairnes and Eben Barker, Chief Engineer
H. L. Boyd, and Assistant Engineer T.
W. Ross.
Domestic and Foreign Ports.
ASTORIA, Jan. 12. Arrived British
bark Haddon Hall, GO days from Panama
Condition of the bar at 5 P. M., rough
wind southwest, fog. Reported outside
at 3:20 P. M. American ship Clarence S.
Bement, from Shanghai; British ship Col
ony, from Taltal.
San Francisco, Jan. 12. Arrived
Schooner Ivy, from Coos bay. Sailed
Schooner Letitia, for Gray's harbor;
steamer Signal, for Portland.
Coos Bay, Jan. 12. Barbound Steamer
Empire, for Areata.
Seattle. Jan. 12. Sailed Steamer Czar
ina, for Tacoma.
Olympla, Jan. 12. Arrived Brig Tan
ner, from San Pedro.
Port Los Angeles, Jan. 12. Arrived
Steamer Mlneola, from Nanalmp. Sailed
Steamer San Mateo, for Nanalmo.
Seattle Arrived January 11 Steamer
Al-Kl, from Dyea; schooner Mildred,
from Bedondo.
San Diego Arrived January U United
States ship Bear, from San Francisco.
Cardiff. Jan. 12. Sailed British ship
Leavernbank, for Santa Rosalia.
"Yokohama Sailed January 5 British
steamer Goodwin, for Tacoma,
Port Gamble. Jan. 12. Sailed Ship Great
Admiral, for Sydney.
Liverpool. Jan. 12. Arrived British ship
Bothwell, from Portland.
Havre, Jan. 12. Arrived La Normandie,
from New York.
Copenhagen, Jan. 12. Arrived Island,
from New York for Stettin.
GREAT FRENCH PROJECTS
TUNNEL TENDER GIBRALTAR AND
RAILROAD TO THE ORIEXT.
And a Ship Canal to Extend Front
the Atlantic to the Medi
terranean. Those who believe that the beginning
of the new century is to be marked by a
long line of gigantic works, for which
the discoveries of the one now closing
are the preparation, see In "The Canal
of the Two Seas'r and the Mediterranean
tunnel the first examples, of the coming
wonders. France heads the projects, says
a Paris letter In the Indianapolis Press
France, that has shown the way so often,
only to be outstripped by other peoples
France of the Suez canal and Panama.
This time, however, the work is for hur
self and not for others. Tne tunnel that.
by the courtesy of Spain and Morocco, Is j
to unite her to her African possessions
may have a military and Industrial out
come undreamed of now. while the canal
that Is to open up the Mediterranean to
her as to no other power may make
France Independent of Gibraltar.
"From Paris to the Soudan without
MASCOT SUNK IN LEWIS
rU
changing cars!" This is the cry of the
tunnel's partisans. It is the answer of
Frnce to Cecil Rhodes' conception,
"From the Cape to Cairo!"
"When Spain and Morocco grant the
privilege, the work becomes a simple
matter of French finance and French en
gineering. On clear days you can see
Gibraltar from Tangiers; and, wiiue the
spot has not yet been made public, It is
said that the European end of the funnel
is to be not many miles from England's
stionghold.
"From Paris to Soudan without chang
ing cars!" It is difficult at first hearing
for even the enthusiastic French to real
ize all that it means. This 12-mlle tun
nel underneath the narrow Strait of Gib
raltar is to unite, in, the most intimate
way, all France's African possessions
with the mother country. France is to
be extended practically to the utmost con
fines of her long-cherished, expensive col
ony of Algeria
"But this is only a beginning," says
the Frenchman, glibly. "The projected
railway line along the northern coast of
Africa will extend to meet the line of
Tripoli, and so continue to Cairo and the
Isthmus of Sues, There another tunnel
will be cut under the Suez canal Itself,
and the railroad will continue on trium
phantly along the shores of the Persian
gulf, on, on, across the continent of Asia
to Bombay."
M. Berller, engineer of the Gibraltar
tunnel, declares that the work will not
cost more than 123,000,000 francs. "When
the channel tunnel was proposed and
they actually bored a mile or more of it
before an invasion scare in England put
a stop to everything the engineering diffi
culties were the easiest disposed of. M.
Berller's experience with the Seine tun
nel and the Metropolitan Underground has
put In his hands new methods and a corps
of experienced lieutenants, and the fact
that the work Is so near home will give the
French Investor confidence that he might
lack since Panama
Canal of the Two Seas.
It is proposed by taking advantage of
tho present waterways of the Interior of
France to make a ship canal from a
well-guarded port on the Atlantic coast
to as well-guarded a port on the Mediter
ranean. From Bordeaux, up the Garonne
river, the canal-boats that carry freight
so economically throughout all France
plod their way to Agen, to Toulouse, and
then through the Canal du Midi, by a
great lock system, climb and descend the
watershed of the Atlantic and Mediter
ranean by way of the formidable Neck
of Naurouze- Below Carcasonne the Ca
nal du Midi strikes the River Aude, and
then starts off northeast along a winding
route to Beziers, completing a great com
plicated system. By way of the Aude
the canal-boats descend to the Mediter
ranean below Narbonne. The engineer
of genius to whom France owes the Canal
du Midi in old-time called the Canal de
Languedoc was that Pierre Paul Biquet,
first created Baron and then Count of
Caraman by Louis XIV. as long ago as
1666. His grandson married the slsttr
of the last Prince de Chimay before the
direct male line became extinct, on which
event the title was transferred to his
descendants, now properly the house of
Caraman-Chimay, Into which Clara
"Ward, a pretty girl from Detroit, married
only to abandon It in company of a Hun
garian Gypsy violinist of the name of
RIgo. This canal of Languedoc was the
first great artificial waterway of Europe,
and the 17th century genius of Pierre
Paul Biquet shines as brightly at tha
opening of the 20th century as ever. The
hardest task of modern engineers will be
to follow him over the Neck of Narouze,
"the black mountain," where the cuttings
must be 65 feet deep. Millions and mill
ions it wHl cost to widen and deepen the
old canal through this most difficult part
of its route,
"Where the canal-boats now drag their
slow way the Canal des Deux-Mers wljl
give passage to the heaviest man-of-war,
whirled across France, tbrough hills and
-valleys, not by mules, but by steam loco
motives. Thirty-two feet deep and wide
enough to permit two warships to pass
each oth'er In it, will be the Canal des
Deux-Mers.
Contrary to what would seern the nat
ural Atlantic terminus, Bordeaux Is pro--posed
to be neglected In favor of what
will be, practically, a new port. Arca
chon, with Its great natural basin, lends
.. ii"J
Ipfesfii
'1 ir W
r I P
4& tf:K---k
1 Xvt '
itself ideally to the kind of fortification
that would be demanded by a canal that
-would, by the fact of Its existence, come
to be the central strategic feature of
the country, Arcachon, when the canal
is finished, will be the Brest of today,
a hundred times magnified. Bordeaux,
that could never be made to give the
necessary ease and security to a war
center, it will thus find Its commercial
port it Is. A branch canal Is to con
nect It with the great canal; and, with
out any of the inconveniences of a naval
center. It will thus find Its commercial
advantages immensely Increased. Today,
at the end of the 19th century, France
sees 80 per cent of her products carried
under foreign Hags. Where French boats
carry 2,500,000 tons, more than 120.000.0W1
tons are lugged around the world In Engi
llsh bottoms.
Another advantage of the canal as
planned by the effervescent Gaul will be
to furnish work for years to the French.
workJngman, to the calming of- the" labor
ing mind and the security of the republic.
The calculations being for a permanent
force of SO.O0O laborers, the partisans of
the canal see In the fact the putting off
of the dread labor question to a better
era, when France shall be entering into
the fruits of this very enterprise. Not
a centime of the money wlli leave France.
Some of the estimates as to cost are
prodigious. Between one and two mill
iards and a half 2,5CO,000,OCOi francs the
accounts fluctuate.
The route of the canal is straight from
Arcachon to Agen, on the Garonne, S&
miles of easy cutting, without a slngU
RIVER
'M
lock. It will probably enter the GaTonne
many miles above Agen. The waters at
the Garonne are themselves to be rein
forced from the streams of the Pyrenees,
which, it is thought, will save Toulouse
and many another town from the period
ical inundations that now trouble them.
The Garonne, strongly banked up and be
come the safe drain of these mountain
torrents, will then take the fleets ofwai
and commerce to Toulouse, the central
arsenal of France. Then, from ever
point, French railways will bring troops,
provisions and munitions. Around Toulouse
will be grouped canhon and ammunition
factories.
From Toulouse to Castelnaudray the
route of the great canal is along the olo
Canal de Languedoc, of Clara Ward's an
cestor by marriage. The old canal abounds
in locks. To lift it up 200 feet, in one
stretch, there are 17 of them. The, de
scent of the Aude-300 feet requires more
than 50. It is in its cuttings and lock:,
that the projected canal is to be most
, extraordinary. Sixteen locks are planned
t to do the whole job of the watershed tha;
has its apox in the dreaded Col de Nau
rouze, and they are to be the answer oi
French engineering science to the lamen
table failure of Panama,
j At the beginning it was seen that ordi
nary locks would not serve; with then
j the passage would require at least six
days. One way of diminishing their num
berit is estimated that 200 would be nec
essarywould bo the old-fashioned plan
i of keeping the canal to the low altitudes
j of the plains and then, arriving at the
j Col de Naurouze, to pass through It In a
giant cut. It would be a cut of 500 feet
deep. To avoid the necessity of this al
most Impossible engineering feat, thej
have imagined a prodigious novelty, the
ship elevator and the moving lock.
Wonderful Contrivances,
The ship elevator is a great metallic
reservoir that moves up and down hill on
a great number of railway tracks, oper
ated much after the manner of a funi
cular. There will be one at the top of the
slope, another at the bottom. Each will
receive a ship. The weight of the lightest
will be balanced by the addition of moro
water. Then. ."the equilibrium being at
tained. a comparatively moderate force
will be sufficient to disturb it. Up will go
one reservoir and down the other! Notn
ing could be simpler!
"Where ordinary locks are to be used,
the same principle of metallic basins bal
ancing each other, side by side, Is to aw
exploited, for the sake of the expedition.
They are to be such locks as-the world
has never seen. Once through them and
into the Aude river, it will be plain tow
ing straight to Narbonne, which Is al
most on the Mediterranean. Here is an
other naturally protected port, like Area
choix a geat basin, Impenetrable by a
hostile fleet.
This ends the tale of the Canal of the
Two Seas, and the vivid imagination ot
the Gaul again takes hold. "Imagine It
constructed," cries the Frenchman. "Then
imagine the Mediterranean tunnel In full
working order. In that day France will
"have become the mistress of the Mediter
ranean. She will give passage to her Rus
sian ally's fleets at pleasure. Spain, en
tering the French republic on an advan
tageous basis, her commercial and Indus
trial renaissance is accomplished. Po
litically, "France and Spain, now one re
public, balance Germany. Algiers, too,
will have become French soil, while from
the far-off Soudan come interminable
trains loaded down with precious raw ma
terial. All Africa will come to know
France as the great near country. From
her corneT, isolated Italy cannot but be
sorely tempted to join the republic, fol
lowing Spain. The old dream of the con
federated Latin states will be accom
plished by Industrial and commercial mo
tives. The confederation absorbs North,
em Africa, Including Egypt. It control
the route to India and China."
Only one thought troubles the Imagina
tive savants who thus look Into the fu
ture. They hope Germany and England
will not have Invented "flying machines
by the time the Mediterranean tunnel ana
the Canal of the Two Seas are con
structed. Do en It.
Yonkers Statesman.
Bill Hear that fellow? He sings to keep
the wolf from the door.
J1J1 I should think he would be emi
nently successful.
LECTURE ON TRANSVAAL
BY COLONEL, ONCE AN OFFICER IS
THE BRITISH ARMY.
Says England's Chief Fanlt Haa Been
Vacillation and the Lack of a
Settled Policy.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 7. Colonel F. F.
HUder, who was once an officer in the
British army, and now employed in the
bureau of American ethnology In Wash
ington, and who was for many years the
private secretary of Senator Watson C.
Squire, of Washington, Is one of the au
thorities upon facts and features of the
British possessions in Asia and Africa.
He has just delivered, a most Interesting
lecture on the Transvaal before the Na
tional Geographical Society, of Washing
ton, In the course of his remarks he
sald: "The Transvaal Is an elevated plateau,
lying within the outer rim of the vast
South African tableland, between 4000 and
6000 feet above sea level. In consequence
of this great elevation It enjoys a health
ful and. Invigorating climate. The winter
half of the year from March to Septem
ber is dry and ccol, especially during the
nights. The days are often as warm as
in summer. During these months cold,
sharp winds blow from the south, and tne
mountain ranges are often covered with
snow for several days. Sudden changes
of temperature often produce influenza
and Inflammatory affections; but, in snlte
ot these, the mortality Is low.
"The Transvaal has an area of 119,139
square miles, and In 1S9S its population
was estimated to be 1.091,156, of which
number 345,367 were whites. The white
population has. however, been largely In
creased by the rush to the gold fields.
Boers Few in Nunrher.
"The number of Boers included in tha
enumeration of white inhabitants is prob
ably less than 100.COO. In the whole of
South Africa the number of non-Boer
white inhabitants, including English and
other foreigners, is 3S5.000. Those of Dutch
descent number 431.000."
England's opponents in the present war
were described as follows: "The Boers of
South Africa are the descendants of the
original Dutch and Huguenot colonists.
Severed from the civilization of Europe 2C0
yeara ago, they have not kept pace with
the progress that has" been made there,
and are Intolerant and backward In their
Ideas. They have developed Into a sturdy,
self-reliant people, great hunters, and
men well fitted to cope with the savage
anlmajs,and savage men with whom they
have had to contend in their colonization
of the wilderness. They have been for
the most part stoefcraisers, and the scar
city of pasture scattered them over a
'vyjde area.
"Like all frontiersmen they have devel
oped a remarkable courage and spirit of
independence. They havealso grown into
a passion for solitude and Isolation, out
of which has grown not only their im
patience of control, but a neglect 6f the
graces, amenities and even the decencies
of civilized life, showing little traces of
their descent from the cleanest and neat
est people of Europe. Living entirely in
the open air, and mostly In ,the saddle,
they are strangely Ignorant. They have
no literature and few newspapers. What
reading they do Is confined almost entire
ly to the Bible. Their religion is the
somber and stern Calvinism of the 17th
century, hostile to all new light, thorough
ly Imbued with 'the spirit of the Hebrew
records of the Old Testament, and with
vary little of the Christian spirit of kind
ness and mercy taught In the New.
The Slavery Question.
"For years the Dutch and English lived
In amity. But in 1834 a law was passed
In England abolishing slavery, much to
the disgust of the Dutch", who held to
their old biblical notions about slavery.
They resented what they considered an in
fringement ot their, property rlghts.vlt
Is true the British" government granted
them a compensation, but the amount was
less than the- current value of slaves In
the colony, and the Boer farmers thought
themselves robbed. When the law was
put into operation, In 1835, they determined
to leave the colony, and made what is
still referred to among them as the
great trek.'
"They settled in what is now known as
the colony of Natal, and attempted to es
tablish an independent government a pro
ceeding which was objected to by the
British government on the 'grounds that
people who are still considered British
subjects have no right to attempt to form
an Independent state on territory that,
while it had not formally been declared
to be a colony, was under British protec
tion. It was, therefore, proclaimed to bo
a British colony, and the Boers again
migrated, some settling In the Orange
river country and the others crossing the
Vaal river and founding the South Afri
can republic.
"The history of all the troubles that
have arisen between the Boers qnd the
native tribes on tho one hand and the
Boers and the British government on the
other Is too long and too complicated for
an evening's discussion. There has been
fault on both sides. So far as the Eng
lish are concerned, the main cause of the
trouble which has arisen lies In vacillation
and the want of a settled policy.
"The history of the past half century In
South Africa should be a very useful sub
ject of study for the statesmen and poli
ticians of the United States. It demon
strates clearly what is the inevitable re-,
suit of making a foreign policy the spo'rt
of party politics. With all the blessings
of government by popular representation,
It has weaknesses, and this Is not the
least of them.
Beer Twa'm nt of Nat vcs.
"Toward the natives the Boers have al
ways been harsh and tyrannical a sur
vival, perhaps, of the consequences of
t'heir long connection with negro slavery
and the struggles they have had with
the Hottentots, the Kaffirs and the other
tribes. The English have always treated
the natives wlih proper humanity and
kindness, and the government regulations
for their management are excellent. Tho
danger Is that private cupidity and the
struggle for wealth may Induce the white
men to override or evade them.
"The supreme question in the develop
ment of Africa Is not the Increase of the
power or prestige of England, Germany,
France or any other European nation.
After the present war clouds have been
dissipated the future of South Africa will
rest largely on tho question of equity
and Integrity In the treatment of the na
tives. If these principles are strictly ob
served there lies a bright prospect before
the country and Its people, both white and
black. But If the white man closes his
eyes and does not recognize the hand
writing on the wall, he may receive a
rude awakening."
Lynching:) in 1800.
Chicago Tribune, Dec. 31.
There have been 107 lynchings in the
United States during 1$9. Of these, 103
were in the South and four in the North.
Of the sufferers, S4 were blacks and 23
whites. Forty-four persons were lynched
for murder, 11 for complicity in murder,
one for arson and murder, 11 for rape,
six for alleged rape, andone for rape and
murder. It Is apparent that rape is not
the paramount cause of Southern lynch
ings It was once. Georgia heads the list
with 28. Then Mississippi follows with 14,
Louisiana with 13 and Arkansa with 11.
Of the four Northern lynchings, three
were In Kansas and one In Pennsylvania
While it is deplorable that as many as 107
peraons should have been put to death
otherwise than In accordance with the
forms of law, yet there Is some comfort
to be drawn from -the fact that the record
for 1S99 Is the smallest In 15 years, and
falls below the figures for 1S98 by 20.
These statistics go to confirm the opinion,"
based pn other evidence, that the South is
growing ashamed of Us lynching record.
(jTfOR clearing the complexion of unsightly eruptions, and preserving, purifyiag
"Yn" and beautifying the skin, scalp, hair, and hands, nothing so pure, so sweet,
so speedily effective as Cuncuiu. Soap. It removes tho cause of disfiguring
eruptions, loss of hair, and baby blemishes, viz-: tho clogged, irritated, inflamed,
or sluggish condition of tha Ponss. CijTtccitA Soap combines delicate emollient
properties -derived from Cuticuba, the great skin. cure, with tho purest, o cleansing
ingredients and most refreshing of flower odors. Kb other soap, however oxpB9lve,
is to be-compared with it for all purposes of the toilet, bath, and nursery. It com
bines in One Soap at O.vn Price namely. 25 Cekts tho best sJjjq and. com
plexion soap and tha best toilet and baby soap in the world.
SoH Ihrmjsheut the" world. Pivrrnt nco jisd Cusu. Cos?., Solo Propi., Ccticcsa Rxuxmzs. "All
bone the Skla. Sculp, llir, and Hands," In.
and is realizing the danger of tolerating a
resort to extrajudicial methods to punish
crime. These methods, If submitted to.
create In the long run more crime thaa
they suppress.
FEDERAL REVENUE PROBLEM
Wisdom of Leaving It Open Until
Late lnthc Session.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 6. (Special corre
spondence New York Journal of Com
merce.) The republican leaders are pur
suing a conservative course. In deciding to
adjourn the settlement of the problem
of revenue reduction until later in the
session of congress. . The fact has become
clear that the subject cannot be dis
missed absolutely at the present tirao
until the next session, as was believed
to be possible down to a recent da:e.
Events may prove that some reduction
of taxation is absolutely required. The
probabilities, indeed, rather favor th:3
proposition, but there is a chance that
some unexpected events in the workl'3
money markets or the demands upon tne
treasury may check the rapid accumula
tion of the surplus which is now going
on. It will be much clearer by April or
May whether revenue reductions are ab
solutely required than is the case at pres
ent. A simple bill abolishing some of the
more obnoxious of the stamp taxes and
tho special license fees upon industries
could then be brought Into the house
and passed. Its consideration in the sen
ate might prolong the session several
weeks, and would afford the democratic
minority a good opportunity for campaign
speeches and for amendments favoring
free raw materials and a moderate Income
tax, but any political capital gleaned by
the minority In this way would be trifling
in its value compared to the capital they
would derive from a treasury growing
every week more congested as the presi
dential election approached and a money
market growing in consequence unduly
stringent. 6ne of -the awkward features
of the situation Is the fact that a small
reduction of taxation early in the summer
would take effect so late and reduce the
Tevenue so little that It might not serious
ly check the'dangers feared, while on the
other hand a reduction large enough to
bring the revenue down to the expendi
tures under present business conditions
might prove too great a reduction for con
ditions when business is less active.
One of the first questions to be deter
mined, as a preliminary to the reduction
of the revenue, is the amount to be ex
pended and appropriated during the next
year or two. Chairman Cannon, of tne
house committee on appropriations, who
usually tries to keep well within the lim
it of safety, anticipates very large ex
penditures during the coming summer and
following years. There are several im
portant appropriations made at recent
sessions of congress which havo not yet
been drawn largely from the treasury.
There are the river and harbor Improve
ments, whioh will have to be provided for
by continuing appropriations: there ars
about tll.COOCOO authorized or appropri
ated for public buildings by tne last con
gress, of which only a little has yet been
spent, because of the usual delays in
perfecting titles to sites; and there are the
large naval appropriations which have
been authorlzqd, but under which the con
tractors have not yet been in a position
to demand payment. These items ana
the increase of the military force will
swell materially the future average ex
penditure of the United States, even in
timo cf peace. How much this Increase
will be Is beyond the ability of any one
to calculate with precision. Additional
light will be thrown on the subject withm
the next few months, especially In regard
to the cost of tho military establishment.
An Important matter which has not yet
been seriously taken up is the fortification
of several ports in the Philippine and Sulu
Islands for permanent military and naval
posts. Chairman Cannon appreciates the
fact that such posts ought to be created,
in order to enable the United States to
take a resolute stand if our treaty rights
are threatened In China, but he doubts
whether the necessary Information from
military and naval experts on the sites
and the defenses required will justify ac
tual appropriation for such work tins
year.
Another element which will affect the
treasury policy will be the enactment or
the pending gold-standard bill. The sen
ate bill provides for setting aside at once
a gold reserve of 515O.0CO.C-CO, while tne
house bill, in specifying a lower minimum
tfjEerve, provides that the fiscal balance
shall not be reduced below S50.0C0SC0. It
Is probable that the senate provision for
a reserve of $130,000,000 will become law.
Upau the basis of the daily treasury state
ment January 4. showing a cash balance
of $231,353,026, the setting aside of tho
proposed gold Teserve would leave in the
fiscal branch of the treasury H31.3G3.C2C.
This Is much more than is required fo
ordinary operations, but the national
banks are carrying as deposits $SS,37SVie5.
leaving the actual working balance of the
treasury, after setting aside the reserve,
about what the house bill fixes, as the
minimum. The enactment of theso two
limits would permit the application of the
money now in national banks to the re
demption of bonds, but would not permit
further reductions In the cash held. The
ways and means committee will be ab:e
to proceed much 'more intelligently in re
ducing taxation after the gold-standara
bill ha become law. and It is known ox
arctly how the fiscal balance will be af
fected by the gold reserve. If the sec
retary of the treasury pays away the
present deposits of public money In the
banks as premiums upon bonds exchanged
under the refunding plan, these bonds, will
be released from the custody of the treas
ury and will become available for the in
crease of the bank-note cixcutaHon. The
bonds now held to secure public mnev,
both In tha treasury and In New York,
are about $97,000,000, and the bank-not
circulation could be increased by near'Y
the whole of this amount if the bond
were all released and became tha bas s
ot note circulation.
JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.
Take a trip to Chicago by either of tha
routes offered by the O. R. & N. Co.. and
you will come back convinced that the
O. R. & N. trams are as good as th best.
By patronizing the O. R. & N. Co. you
are given the choice of two routes to
Chicago either by the Great Northern to
St. Paul, or by the Oregon Short Line and
Union Pacific to Omaha, and the North
western from there to Chicago.
A solid vestlbuled train Is ran through
to Chicago by the tatter route. Th's
train is first class in every reapeet nuod
with the latest-improved sleepers, both
first and second class, carries a dlr.e"
clear through, has a library car attached,
and. in fact. Is equipped with all the latent
improvements which tend to make traf -Ing
comfortable. Full mlorjnatkm re
garding rate and connections can be rid
of Mr. V. A Schilling, 254. Washington
street.
Auuthcr Xlslit ItalHbov.
PORTLAND, Jan. 11. (To the Editor "
I saw in your Issue af yesterday a com
munication from T. S. Dean, of Spring
field. Or., In which he states that he sav;
a rainbow at night. I recall a phenome
non of the same description that I saw
in November. 1882. in Portland, about
o'clock in the evening. The condition'
were very similar to those that Mr. Dar
describes, only that I noticed the color
faintly discernible, but inverted that la
red appeared on the outside of the ra.n
bow, and the violet Inside. This was r.o
doubt due to the double refi-action caue 1
by the light coming from the moon in
stead of directly from the sun.
J. E. MARTIN
c i
The professional plcture-hanfrer Is now a reg
ular adjunct ot art storea fa larse cities.
IN TABLET FORM-PLEASANT TO TASc.
Disease fallaupon man like a pall, ahrondinflr hi Ufa
in ll3raatlQom.Dr.Burhartfs Vesetublo Compound
dlspolsairpaln and Kladdona tho hoart-Kover bocotao
j' C !..,. ?,., oj ,nn ran nrrwurn this ftmOu3
remedr: even tnrwa without mean- Red not deapair
IOr L Will K1VU lucut uiiimuoo ...-.--
lf0T Si years i navs oeun a ,
rarer u. oiumauu nuu" ..... ......
Liver Disease. Jiy UfovniHa burden to me.
Dr. BurVhnrt't Voftetabl' Compound
cured me la tnreo momns.
XHV i. w. wuur,
wuuarasounr, aj.
For Bala bv all druinrMa.
Thlrtr days' tawtnwnt
fni- " Rnvpntr davi treatment 50c. ; Six moatub
treatuientJl.OO. M&iv' trial trmiment fr
K. wlskBIUrkHAKT. Cincinnati, 0.
Demands a certain supply of natural Elec
tricity. If this is denied her. she cannot
give to the general organism the power
to perform the natural functions. Whn
vicious practices deprive her ot her right",
weakness and debility of the - organs re
sult. ONLY GIVE HER A CHANCE
To recuperate by applying new life to the
body In the shape of my Dr. Sanden Elec
tric Belt, which cured 80CO sufferers lar
year, and you will be restored.
Call or write for "Three Classes of
Men."
DR. A. T. SANDEN
Russcl Bldg. Cor. Fourth and Morrison Sts.
FORTLAIVD, OR.
ORIce Hours: 9 to 9: Sundays. 0 o 1.
'ITtapson's Es Water
&BMPnUNB.
NO IViORE
hSi COPYRIGHTED V&
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