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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (March 4, 1904)
V-. uoks, PcriodirC I-, VOL. LVII. ASTORIA, OREGON. FRIDAY, MARCH 190. NO. 128. . FURIOUS FIRE SWEEPS OVER PRAIRIE Raging Flames, Fanned By Howl- Ing Gale, Devastates Sev r enty.five Thousand Acres v In Oklahoma. Loss of Life Is Reported From Rural Districts, But This Can Not Be Confirmed, f UWTON CITY JUST ESCAPES Total DaiiMtre Kstliiiftled to Me $200,000 Farm Property Suffers Ilia Mont, House Ilolutf CoiiMiiiifd. Oklohoma City, O. T., March . Driven by a terlffie gale, which at times reached a velocity of DO mile an tour a prurle fire swept 75,000 acres in Comraanche county lust night. In flicting damage now estimated at 1200,000. The city of Lawton wm lived only by extreme effort Many farm houses were consumed. Kiowa county wna also visited by a prairie fire during the atorm and damage la reported from all over the southwest Lowios from wind and Are are reported aa followa: Hoburt 14,000; Vinton 18,000: Lawton 15,000; email country town aggrcgute 150,000; farm property $100,000. Per sistent reporta of loss of life come from rural district but owing to the diffi culties of communication hnve not been con firmed,, a violent gale which roue suddenly, All eatlmatea of the loss exceed 1200, 000, 76.00J acrea of government arid military land, timber and the Indian reserve near Hoburt, were swept away with ioas of buildings and cattle. In the homestead district near Lawton occurred the loss of life noted above. Late at night the fire began moving southward toward this city. At It o'clock 8000 people of the city war up to battle with the flames. The advance line of the fire was fully two miles in length and moving in a semi -circle. As a result of the cool judgment of the fighters, the city's loss was only 110,- 000. ' ' ' Hundreds of people are destitute and are suffering Intensely from cold and with excrulcatlng pain occasioned by burns., Ctothes, medicine and physl clnns are being sent out from all cities and towns of the district to relieve the suffering. FIRE CAUSES tUFFERINO. TOLEDO BOTTLED UP. Water 8even Feet Deep In Heart of the City. Toledo, O.. March 8. Toledo tonight is bottled up between two great ice gorges. The water in the Naumee riv er, In the heart of the city, is seven feet above the main level and is sta tionary. At the mouth of the river there is an Ice gorge, which it is be Moved extends for six miles and is bucked up by ice three feet thick on Lnke Erie. This is holding the water back In the city. There is yet a great er volume of water above the city which Is being held by a series of gorges. Ona, fi at Cottonwood island and another isSat Orand Rapids. The latter extends in both directions from thnt place as far aa the eye cun see. The water there Is 28 feet above nor mal and the entire town Is Inundated. STANDARD HA8 COMPETITOR. National Oil A Transportation Com pany Means Business.' f " : Monterey. Mnrch S.The Jfntlnmil Oil A Transportation Company, which Late Diipstoh From 8one Notee Loss 1 preparing to build on oil pipe line of Life and Property. Lawton. Okia., March S. The pralrto flr-s thnt swept over large portions of Kiowa and Comanche counties yes terday afternoon and last night de stroyed hundreds of furm building" and much live slock, made 000 per aona humeleas, caused death to sev erul persons, threatened a number of towns and swept away scores of build ings In the outskirts of the towns. Two deaths have been verified, three are injured fatally and many others more or tons seriously. The county is very dry, no rnln having fallen for months. Oruss and stubble fires, set by farm ers as is customary at this season of the year, were driven beyond controls by from Coallngn to the tidewater, nHkwl the Monterey 'Ky council l;tat nlgM for permission to lay Its lines through the city atreets and to operate them there for the next R0 years. This mean an opposition to the Standard Oil Com pany's lines to Port Richmond. The new pipe line will enter the county by way of Priest valley and run past the sugar factory ut Hpreckels. It was to have terminated at Moss Landing, 15 miles from here, on the opposite side of the bay. All arrange ments had been made for locating the terminus line at Monterey. The com puny several weeks ago obtained from the county supervisors the right of way for its line along the county roads. 1 PRESIDENT SMITH BRAZENLY ASSERTS HIS PERFIDY AND SINS OF CHURCH TaKes Chance at Law Rather Than De sert Families Springs Sensation at ' Smoot Hearing. Head of Mormonism is Chief Witness at Second Day of Committee's Investigation Into the Eligibility of the Utah Senator -Pro- testants Believe That Confession of Head of the Church ' Will Aid In Making for Them a Strong Case. Washington, March 3. In the Smoot case today attorneys for the protest ants In the investigation said that they Intended to prove that the defendant Is associated with the organization which practices polygamy and connive at violations of the law, and that his very vote as senator of the United States Is subject to the command of the Mormon church. President Joseph l', Smith confessed that he himself had continued to cohabit with a plural fam ily since the manifesto of 1890, and that he reallred fully that he was vio- biting state laws. President Smith also testified that Reed Smoot tried to get the consent of his associate apostles in the church before he could become a candidate for senator. The confession of President Smith waa the sensation of the proceedings today be fore the senate committee on privi leges and elections." Mr. Smith said, that the manifesto of 1890 had left him and others with plural families in the unfortunate po sition of being compelled to defy the law;' and. to desert their families. For hlmnelf he h&d preferred to "take chances with the law" rather than dls grace himself and degrade his family by abandoning wives" and children thoy had bom htm. and admitted that he had children by all his five wives since the manifesto. t lty with his subject when he adds, 'As black as you ever saw. Tours very truly, "GROVER CLEVELAND." WHO CHAINED HARRY MAKIf Miners' Union Investigating Outrage to Fellow Striker. Denver, Colo., March 8. Governor Peabody said today that although Tel lurite is still under martial law, the military authorities were not respon sible for the pillorying of Harry Makl, the striking union miner who was kept chained to a telegraph police for an hour "and a half because he refused to work in the chain gang after having been convicted of vagrancy. Wlllard Runnells, the deputy sheriff, Is said to have chained Maki to the pole. Th Miners' Union has instituted an investigation. Count Verontzoff-Dashkoff, former minister of foreign affairs, is person ally equipping a field hospital, to cost $80,000. Martial Law at Seoul. Toklo, March I. General Inouye, th Japanese commander at Scout, with the consent of the Corean government, has issued an order corresponding to proclamation of martial law. Survey Party at Lynden. : v Belilngbam, March 2. The present of the Great Northern survey crew in the vicinity of Lynden leads to the belief that a road is contemplated en tering Vancouver, B. C by the new route to connect with the Great North ern and Kootenai coast line. CRAZY MAN U8E3 GUN. CLEVELAND ENTERS DENIAL, 4i 1 mm HartSduffncr V Marx " Hand Tailored 1 IT n Aid SieSSissBsJj We are selling superior grade hand tailored cloth ing in latest styles' and materials at prices any man can afford. . . mm Ex-President Writes That Negro Never , Dined With Him. Washington, March 8. In the house today a letter was read from Grover Cleveland to Representative Webb, of North Carolina, denying that C. II. J. Taylor, a negro, dined with him at the White House while he was presi dent, as charged by Representative Scott, of Kansas, a few days ago. Scott promptly offered an apology to the former president, saying he never be fore heard the statement, which he had made, dented. ; A discussion , of the race question followed, during which Williams, the minority leader, criticised President Roosevelt for having Invited Booker T. Washington to sit at his table. The' house passed, 'the District of Co lumbia appropriation bill and topk up the Indian apprdprlatlon.blll. .," Following. Is the text of Mr. Cleve land's letter: "Princeton. N. J.. March 1, 1904. Hon. E. W. Webb, House of Represen tativesDear Sir: It la a matter of small concern to me that a Mr. Scott has seen fit to UHe my name in a dis play of his evil propensities on the floor of the house of representatives. "In answer to your inquiry, however, I have to say of this statement that the colored man, C. H. J. Taylor, took lunch with mo. at the White House, that it la a deliberate falsification out of the whole cloth. "As far as Mr. Taylor is concerned, I understand, prior to his appointment as register of deeds at Washington that he had served as an assistant in the office of the city attorney of Kan saa City. His nomination as register was ' confirmed by the senate, and he served in that place with, intelligence and with efficiency. He has since died. Some people restrain themselves from abusing the dead. "My inquiries concerning Mr. Taylor before his appointment, my observa tion of him during his incumbency and the little I have known of him since convince me that his character Is very unjustly attacked in the dia tribe of Mr. Scott. One charge is made against Mr. Taylor by Mr. Scott which he doubly clinches with truth when he declares, 'He was a black negro.' 1 am led, however, to doubt his familiar- Attache for Jap Army. San Francisco, March 8. Captain P. C. March, of the general staff of one of the United States military attaches to the Japanese army, has arrived from Washington. The other attaches who will accompany the Mikado's troops nre Clonel Enoch IL"Crowder, Judge advocate , of the United States army and member of the general staff; Cap tain John F. Morrison, Twentieth in fantry, now stationed at Manila, and Captain Joseph E. Kuhn, engineer corps, also stationed at Manila. These appointments were made by General Adna R. Chaffee. Colonel Crowder and Captain March will sail for Toklo on the next steamer leaving for the orient Russisns Place Mine. New York, March 8. Russians say they intend to place mines at the mouth of the river at New Chwang and use the Sivouch, a floating fort but there are no indications, according to a Herald dispatch from Tien Tsln, that they mean t defend New Chwang. Anti-Russian proclamations In Chi nese, posted In New Chwang, have been torn down by Russian soldiers. Forces His Way Into War Department and Causes Panic. Washington, March 8. Armed with a revolver, William J. OBrlen, alias William Duffy, an insane discharged soldier, today entered the war depart ment and going to the mall and rec ord division shot Robert J. Manning, a messenger, and Arthur Wieker, a clerk, and another bullet, narrowly missed Misa Emma Sexton, another cleric The injury to Manning Is on the right side and is regarded aa dan gerous. Wieker was shot in the aim Before the maniac could fire again he waa overpowered by James J. Daw son, a messenger. It required the combined strength of half a dozen men to finally subdue the man. Prominent among them was Lieutenant General Adna R. Chaffee, chief of staff. The lunatic still held the smoking weapon In his hand when General Chaffee noticed it and with his left hand took the weapon from him and also some papers in his pockets Majors Kearn and, Ireland, of the surgeon-general's staff, were hastily sum moned and gave first aid to the in jured men before they were taken to the emergency hospital. O'Brien, or Duffy, came to the war department early and hung around the building for more than an hour. "He waa escorted to the record division by Charles Brandt, the chief of the divi sion, and expressed dissatisfaction with his discharge papers. Then, without a word of warning, he drew a pistol from his pocket and aimed It directly at Mr. Brandt's head. Brandt ducked and the bullet entered the arm of Mr. Wieker. He then turned the weapon on Miss Saxton and fired. She, too, dodged and the bullet struck Manning. There were five other clerks In the room at the time and but for the quickness of Mes senger Dawson the maniac undoubt edly would have shot them all. Daw son, however, grabbed him and held him until assistance came. JAPS' PROWESS IS TO BE FAR REACHING Next Step After Present War With Russia Will Be the Conquest of the Philippine Islands, Says Money. ' High Authority Quoted to Effect That Russia Will Surely , Be Overcome. . DEMOCRATS CRITICISE POLICY Naval Bill In United State Sen ate Introduces Wide Range of Subjects That Senators Volubly Disciitig. Washington, March I. For four hours today the senate, while technic ally engaged on the appropriation bill, discussed a wide range of subjects In cluding the policy of the United States in the Philippines and the Russo-Jap anese war. The principal participants were Messrs. Hale, Bacon, Lodge, De pew, Patterson, Perkins and Money. Mr. Hale, in charge of the naval bill, criticized the plans of the naval board contending that the establishment was beyond the needs of the country. Lodge, Depew and Perkins defended the naval officers. Lodge declared large navy to be essential to the main tenance of peace. Money said he did not consider, the total appropriation of (96,000,000 carried by the bill as excessive under the present policy in the orient He, however, criticized that policy, as did other democratic speakers. Money spoke of the prow ess of the Japanese and quoted a high authority as predicting that in a few months the Russian fleet would be over com. Then would aoon follow Japan ese victories on land. .They would se cure Corea and probably a part of Manchuria. Next they would go to the Philippines. At the suggestion of Mr. Hale, an, appropriation of $400,000 for the resto ration of the frigate Constitution was Inserted. Prairie Fir Sweeps Town. Hill City, Kan, March 3. A prairie fire swept across this city, the damage done amounting to $40,000. A large number of people narrowly escaped be ing burned to death. Japanese Make Landing. St. Petersburg, March 3. The land ing of 2500 Japanese at Song Chin, Plakskin bay, Corea, February 19, is fennrtpd hv Malor-General Pflug. It ! Is believed here to be the origin of the recent reports of Japanese landing at Posslet bay, and is considered to be an attempt to outflank the Russian ad vance from Yalu river. Pronounce Treaty Fake. St Petersburg, March 3. The gov ernment takes the view that the Jap-anese-Corean treaty Is a direct contra diction to the Anglo-Japanese conven tion, the Russo-French declaration and all preceding international agreement proclaiming Corea's Independence, and that It cannot have legal force. In State of Siege New York, March $. Port Arthur, Vladivostok and the region traversed by the East Chinese railroad and the Blagovestchensk and TrarfB-Baikal and Amur territories have, cables the St. Petersburg correspondent of the Herald been formally declared in a state of siege. Mob Throws Bombs. Toklo, March 4.-An intrigue on the part of the opposition at Seoul against the conclusion of the Japanese-Corean protocol culmnlated in the throwing of bombs at the residences of the foreign minister and his secretary Thursday morning. , They escaped uninjured. Xlie Bee Hive We have just opened up an immense stock of New Spring Goods Consisting of Shoes, Dress Goods, Underwear, Muslins, Sheetings, Table Linen, Percales, Cor-' sets, Shirt "Waists, Skirts, Ladies' Suits, and in fact all kinds of new spring goods, and You can buy them cheaper at he Bee Hive T P. S. We intend to maintain the high standard . already established by this house for Fine Millinery, and .have engaged the serv ices of Madame Dillard, of Kew York, who will have charge of this department, i Equips Field Hospital. Vita, Russia, March $. General Carter's Inks, etc, The show window tells the tale. Come and see. Then i its up to you. J. N. GRIFFIN ;