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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1904)
VOLUME LVII. ASTORIA, OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1904 NO. 162. REPORTED THAT BIG BATTLE OCCURS Engagement off Port Arthur Supposed to Have Been Im ' portant and That the Russians Suffered, Losses Thought to Have Been More Severe Than Those at First Reported FLEET ENGAGES SQUADRON Mftkurora Flagship Relieved tu Have lifen Mown Up by the ICneiiijr-Kenr.Adiulral Mo Ian Among the Dead. London, April 13. No actual news ha yet reached London beyond the Russian ofllctal telegrams, but dis patches from Wel-Hl-Wel Induce the confident belief that a naval engage ment occurred oft Tort Arthur with se vere character and that later tele grama will show that the Russians suffered severer losses than yet ad mitted. A rumor haa reached Rome that Vlce-Admlral MakarofTa squadron waa attacked by the whole Japaneae fleet, concealed behind the Ulaokalo latandi and hla retreat waa cut off and he waa forced to fight against odda with the reault that all of hla ahlpa were dam aged while the Betropavlovsk waa sur rounded by torpedo boats, atruck by Ave torpedoes and blown up. Another rumor la to the effect that Rear-Admlral Molaa la among the killed aboard the retropavlovsk. No rrnut attention la nnld to these rumor but the opinion here I that official explanations of the dlater are unsatisfactory. making for fort Arthur from the dl reitlon of the Yalu. The Russian cruiser Askold and another cruiser la- sued from Iort Arthur to assist the Hayan. At 8:45 o'clock the Russian got under shelter of the fort, but the Dayan waa evidently damaged, aa quan- lltli'ii of steam, were aeen eacaplng. "At 8 o'clock the Japanese ahlpa opened every gun on the fort, which dd not reply, and aftor 19 minute of bombardment the Japaneae ships te tired eaatward." HYDE-DIMMOND CASE. Witneit Reiterate! Same Teatimony ai Handed in at Earlier Period. San Francisco. April 13. When the Ilyde-Dlinrnoud land fraud Inquiry waa resumed today before United State Commissioner Hewock, William E Volk formerly In the special division of the general land office at Washington, re Iterated the teatimony given yeaterday. When aaked how many cases he hod advanced Improperly for Hyde, Ben son and others he answered probably 500 In all. He could not say how much money In all he had received from Ben son but thought that the sum total would approximate $2.000.. The wit neas said he did not pass on the Ben aon cases In any othr way than he would have done If they bad been reached In their regular order. LARGE SUM FOR PENSIONS. JAP8 CHA8E CRUISER. Russian Vessel Bayan Takes Refuge in 8heltsr of Ports In Damaged Condition. London, April 13. The Dully Tele graph's correspondent at Wcl-Hal-Wel telegraphing under date of April 13, says: "The British cruiser Esplegle re ports that at 6:45 o'clock thla morning ahe sighted five Japanese warship engaging the Russian cruiser Bayan, House Committee Completes Work On Oenersl Deficiency Appropriation. Waahlngton, April II. The house committee on appropriations today completed the general deficiency ap propriation bill, carrying a total of $10,388,744. The largest Item In the bill Is 14,000,000 for pensions. Of this sum $1,000,000 Is an estimated deficien cy which will bo caused by the recent service pension pension order. Minor ity members of the committee made a fight against thla . amendment and It was ordered reported by a party vote. DRAWS IN HIS HORNS. Adjutsnt Genersl Bell Decides Thst H Will Not Arrest Dis trict Judge. Tcllurlde, Col., April 13. Adjutunt Cleneral Sherman M, Hell, who yester day announced his Intention to arrest District Judge Stevens be cause of his criticism from the bench of Governor Peubody and the state military authorities, today conceded that the Judge "la Immune and free from arrest." No News From Legation London, April 13. The Japanese loA gatlon tonight had no official Informs tlon of the fighting off Port Arthur. Si : r " EXPLOSION OCCURS ON BATTLE SHIP MISSOURI THAT KILLED TWENTY-NINE MEN Five Young Officers and Twenty-five Members of the Crew Fall .in Heap, When Two Thousand Pounds of Powder Go Off. Magnificent Vessel is Engaged In Target Practice When Awful Calamity OccursPrompt Action of Captain is all That Saves the Ship From Total Destruction. Waahlngton, April 13. The most ser ious acldent that has occurred In the American navy since the blowing un of the Maine In Havana harbor In 1898, happened today on the magnificent bat tleship Missouri while she was en gaged In target practice at a range of about IS miles distant from the naval station at Pensaeola. News of the dis aster was conveyed to the commandant at Pensacola by wireless telegraphy from the Missouri and thenae by him transmitted to Waahlngton, while the big ship waa creeping back to port with her dead lying on the deck. The account which reached Waahlngton of the accident waa contained In the fol lowing dispatch from Admiral Barker "Five officers and 24 men are dead and two more can not live aa the re suit of an explosion on the Missouri. Three rounds had been fired from the after 12-Inch gun and a shell had been sealed and two sections of powder ram med home when the explosion occur red, killing every officer and rounin the turret and all but three In the hand ling room. The commanding officer has Informed relatives." The receipt of this mcssuge caused consternation at the dvpartment. Si retary Moody transmitted It to the president at the White House and the officers' clerks at the department were soon engaged In making out dispatches to relatives and friends of officers and men who were killed so that they might not have received their first news from the newspapers. Nearly oil the dead officers were In the flush of early youth. MEN FOUND IN HEAP. Correct Clothing for Glen and Boys Presence of Mind of Captain 8aves Ves set From Destruction. Penaacola, April IS. By the explos Ion of 2,000 pounds of powder In the after 12-Inch turret and handling room of the battleship Missouri, Captain William S. Cowles, commanding, 29 men were Instantly killed and five were Injured, of whom two will die. The Missouri waa on the target range with the Texas and Brooklyn at practice about noon when a charge of powder In the left-hand 12-Inch gun Ignited below. Ignited four charges of powder In the handling room, end all exploded. Only one man of the entire turret and handling room survived. But for the prompt nnd efficient act- Ion of Captain Coyles In flooding the handling room and magazine with water one of the magazines would have exploded and the ship would have been destroyed. Lieutenant Hammer, the ordinance officer, gave out a statement of the ex plosion and Its probable cause. Ac cording to him, about noon, after the first pointer of the after 12-lnch piece had fired his string, and second pointer had fired the third shot of his string. the charge Ignited. The fourth shot was being loaded and from all indi cations the first half of the charge had been rammed home and the sec ond section was being rammed home when gases from the shot previously fired or a portion of the cloth cover Ignited the powder. The breech was open and a dull thud gave notice of something unusual. No loud report was made, but flames were seen from every portion of the turret. A few seconds later another explos ion occurred, somewhat more fierce. This was In the handling room be low, where 16,000 pounds of powder, or four charges, were ready to be hoisted above, had Ignited. Fire quar ters were sounded and every man re sponded, and the magazine and hand ling room were flooded with water. In less than five seconds after the first explosion two streams of water were being played In the rooms, and when volunteers were called for every man responded, eager to go Into the tur rets and rescue the crew. Captain Cowles gave his commands, and but for his presence of mind and that oX the officers of the ship the Missouri would have gone down. The second explosion occurred near one of the magazines, and so hot was the fire that the brass work of the magazines were, melted. Officers and men with handkerchiefs over their faces made every effort to rescue the men inside, heeding their advice, the captain rushed The officers endeavored to keep him from going below, as men fell uncon scious as they entered and had to. be pulled out by their comrades, but, un headlng their advice, the captain rush ed below, followed by Lieutenant Ham mer, the ordinance officer and Lleuten- s ant Clclland David. Captain Cowles caught up a dying bluejacket" In his arms and staggered to the deck with him. The bluejacket, with two others from the handling room, had crawled partly from their place of duty when they had been overcome. Before the fumes of the burning powder had left the turret officers and men were laying out the dead and dy ing men, Three minutes after the ex plosion all were on deck, and surgeons from the Missouri, the Texas and the Brooklyn were attending to those not dead. The 25 men of the turret were found lying In a heap. They had start ed for the exit when the first explosion occurred and had Just reached there when the more horrible explosion In the handling room occurred which burned and strangled them to death. Lieutenant Davidson, the officer in charge of the turret, evidently had giv en some command to the men, as he was on top of the heap of men, hav ing fallen there after he had allowed them to pass him to get out of the turret. The bodies were hardly rec ognisable, the terrible and quick fire having burned the clothing from the bodies of the men and the flesh hung from them In shreds. Faces were mu tluluted by flames and smoke only. Only one man wos breathing when rescue was attempted and he died a moment after he reached the deck. Police Raid Prize Fight New York, April 13. The police raided a prizefight early today at Broadway and Sixty-fifth street and took 150 prisoners, Including the al leged principals. The fighters and many of the men In the crowd were negroes. Clubs were freely used by the police who met unexpected resist ance from the onlookers. DEMOCRATIC LOVE FEAST. Banquet at Iroquois Club Attended by 600 Enthusiasts. Chicago, April 13. The ways and means of bringing success to the dem ocratic party In the presidential cam paign this fall were discussed by prominent democrats, representing every part of the country, who at tended the Iroquois Club banquet at the auditorium tonight In connection with Jefferson's birthday. Tariff re form, antagonism to trusts, Independ ence of the Philippines and rigid econ omy In public expenditures were some of the suggestions offered by speaker? to bring about the result. The feature of the banquet was a letter from Grover Cleveland who had been invited to be present, In which he said: 'It Is es pecially fitting at this time of confus ion In political Ideas and misappre hension as to the meaning of true de mocracy that the character of the great exampler of democracy should be fully appreciated, and that his political opin ions should be better interpreted and understood." When the toastmaster introduced General Nelson A. Miles 600 banquet ers arose In a body and greeted the former head of the United States army with decided enthusiasm. General Miles In his response to the toast: "Our Country." made a forcible argu ment against imperialism. A letter from W. X Bryan was read. dated Lincoln, Neb., April 7, and con eluded as follows: "I trust that those who are honored with an Invitation to speak at your ban quet will raise the note of warning against the attempt now being made by money magnates to control the dem ocratic convention and to secure the nomination of a democratic candidate who will be obliged in advance to be tray the hopes of the democratic masses." A letter was also read from John S. Williams, of Mississippi, democratic leader of the national house of repre sentatives. i A letter was read from Franklin K Lane, of California, In which he said: "The leadership which would make our party more democratic Is the lead ership which will restore us to the control of the government. Our creed Is simple and clear but can not be re cited by those who would make our organization an annex to the repub lican party by catering to that con servatism which seeks only to bring greater benefits to the already wealthy, nor by those who would make It an an nex to the socialist party by joining In every attack, no matter how unjust, upon the wealthy." William F. Vallas, of Wisconsin, for mer postmaster general, responded to the toast, "Faith and Hope." He said: ,'Tha time was and ;t was the day of party glory when democrats lived In close familiarity with party prln. cipleu; rejoiced their souls in them by tab'.e and fireside, at the store, on the street, wherever in chance meet ing were fellows and hearers; obeyed and followed were they lead. And shockingly as honesty in politics has bn befouled by the corruption of protection, I trust that the day has not wholly passed. It Is not believable that American manhood has become utterly lost in the mean, false and de lusive selfishness or the cheap and tawdry vainglory, to which the repub lican policy and practice now cor.tln (Contlnued oa pagt Four.) CIRCUIT COURT TO DECIDE TODAY Decision Relative to Right of Harriman, et a!, to File Pe tition in Merger Case to Be Handed Down. Arguments of Sides Complete! By Attorneys Yesterday and Evidence all In. MORGAN AND HILL ATTACKED Statement Made By Plaintiff That Holding In Great North ern and Northern Pacific Increased Since Decision. St Paul April 13. The decision of th circuit court as to the right of KE Harriman and Wlnslow Pierce; u trustees for the Oregon Short Line. t file a petition In the case of the gov ernment against the Northern Securi ties Company and others, will be hand ed down tomorrow when the court meets. Arguments on the motion con tinued today. Judge Johnson addressed the court on behalf of the defendants, W. D. Gutherie closing for the peti tioners. , Mr. Gutherie In closing furnished the sensation of the hearing by .maintain ing that the Northern Securities Com pany has since the decree of the United States circuit court declaring the securities company illegal, added materially to Its holdings of the North ern Pacific and Great Northern stock, with the intention of retaining con trol of these roads. This statement EUhu M. Root took occasion to deny emphatically and specifically, saying that he was authorized to say that neither Hill nor Morgan have acquired one share lnelther company since the decree was handed down. Synod in Session. Elmira, N. Y.. April 13. The foreign mission board of the German Evan gelical synod of North America, la in session In this city. The meetings will last three days. AT THE BEE HIVE We are right up to the minute with a COMPLETE LINE of mm- mm mim The assortment includes all the latest styles and materials: India Silks, Lawn, Oxford, Cotton Voiles, etc. . Our Muslin Underwear line will satisfy the most exacting; Corset Covers, Skirts, Chemise, Night Dresses, trimmed in em broideries, laces, insertion, etc. ' In Millinery we have some ilew things for your inspection ra fine line of Trimmed Hats irom $2.00 to $5.00. Also another lot of those Fine Tailored .Hats. You can buy them CHEAPER AT THE BEE HIVE The trout begin to rise. FISHING TACKLE J. N. GRIFFIN Get a pole and go after them.