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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 1907)
PUIUSHES FULL A990CIATC0 PRCSSIRKPORT COVCRSTHK MORNINQ FIELD ONTHC LOWERCOLUMBIA VOLUME LXIII. NO. 279 ASTORIA, OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1807 PRICE FIVE CENTS HUNDREDS ENTOMBED TcrriflcExplosionat Jacobs Creek Nines. BUILDINGS WRECKED Disaster In Pittsburg Coal Com pany's Mine Will Equal Monongah Horror. BODIES HORRIBLY MUTILATED Hear? Rumbling Followed by Report . and Coactistion Felt WithJo Radius of t Several MUet Reeculng Parties; at Work Though Little Hope Entertained JACOBS ORBKK, Deo. lO.-An ex plosion of gee la the Darj mine of the Pittsburg Cul Company located here, today, entombed between 00 and 250 miners and there la scarcely a ray of bone that a single one will be taken out alive. PsrlUlly wrecked buildings In the vicinity of the mine and the eon dltion of the few bodies ao far recovered indicate, the explosion hsd such a tent flu force that it .corns Impossible anyone could have survived It. All 13 borne taken out, tin to this time, are tor ribly mutilated and three are headless Tills is the third disaster this month In the wins of bituminous coal underlying v tern lVnnylvania and West Vlr glnla, and today's catastrophe swells the number of victims of dcsdly mine gas, for 10 days, to between 550 and QUO. That today's disaster will not equal, or even exceed, In los of life, the Mon ongah horror is due to this being holiday of the Greek Catholic Church and many miners did not go to work (hit morning. As was the case at lion ongah, the explosion fallowed a brief shut down, the Dnrr mine having been closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The explosion occurred at 11:30. A heavy rumbling was followed by a loud report and concussion that shook the nearby buildings and was felt within a radius of several miles. At the same time there came from the mouth of the Vine an Immense cloud qf smoke and dust. Reports were circulated during the afternoon of seething fires back in the working,. but up to thin time the rescuers have found no Are at any place In the mine. As far aa known only one man escaped, Joseph Mapletou, a pump er, who emerged ifrom one of tlio side entrance directly after the explosions. He left a part of the mine, where most of the men were working, to. go to the engine room and get oil. Mapleton says he was blinded when the explosion oc curred, and! for a time did not, know anything. Then he got to the, aide en trance and worked hie way out, v He is somewhat bruised and cut, but after having hi. injuries dressed, he returned to the mine and joined vine rescuers, ductals of the mine have only a faint hope of any men being alive, noverthe less the rescue work, is being carried on in the theory that some of, the. men may have found placet of safety. A consid erable number of miner were Amerl cons, some of the official estimating probably one-Half are Americans, as the great majority of foreigners were not at work today. 100 Injured. A wild rnmor followed fast on the explosion .placing the number tilled and wounded In to thousands. ALLEGED CONSPIRACY. Lumber Men and Senator Borah , Tried in Idaho. to be MADISON, Wis., Dee. 10. J. T. Bar ber and Sumner G. Moon, millionaire lumlwiuen of Kau Claire, Wis., Indicted with Senator Ilorab for alleged conspir acy in land frauds may be taken to Idaho for trial. Judge Queries In an nouncing his decision ia the United States court today said that th Indict merit is sufficient to warrant the re moval of the defendants to the court of original jurisdiction. Barber and Moon will iring witnesses from Idaho to at tempi to prove there was no continuous conspiracy. MAGAZINE EXPLODES. Storing Place of Large Quantity Dynamite Csuaee Destruction. of PALERMO, Sicily, Deo, 19. A tor rifle explosion occurred this evening In the military powder magaclne, where a large quantity of dynamite was stored, nd was followed by a large number of lesser explosions, the vhole town being badly shaken by it, and the people thrown into a panic. Almost immedi ately flames shot high Into the air and aprcaii to tne ruins or nounw wiv nau fallen in. addinor creatlv to the terror o: those in the neighborhood. It Is esti mated about 29 persons were killed and ADVANCEMENT IN SCIENCE. Meeting of American Association Sclenos la Chicago. CHICAGO, Dec, 18. Men prominent In the fields of scientific research through out the country will gather la Chicago a week from next Monday to attend the fifty-eighth annual meeting of the American association lor the advance ment of science, the largest body of men of science in the country, Sessions will be held from December 30 to January 4, Inoludlng aad it estimated that there will be aa attend auce of between 2000 and 4000. Special ista in various branches of this depart ment of teaming. The association is to be the guest of the University of Chi cago, and will bold its combined and sec tional meetings in the lecture balls on the campus. WILL INCREASE SALARIES. ST. PETERSBURG,. Doc 19. In honor of St. Nicholas' day which falls on Thursday next, the 'emperor has is sued a reicript to the army announcing a general Increase in the salaries of the ofUrcrt beginning in 1009. A commls .Ion has been appointed to draw up schema which will mainly affect the lower ranks who are notoriously under paid in comparlon with those of other srmir. Recently great numbers of Rus ttlan soldiers mode application for en Hutment in the American service. DAMAGING EVIDENCE State Puts New Witness on the Stand. CORROBORATES ORCHARD Boy Testifies That His father Had Long Conference With Pettlbone and Overheard Part of the Conversation Also Went to Federation Headquarters BOISE, Dec. 10.-New and damaging testimony mns presented by the state today in the Pettibone trial. Charles Neville,, the , 17-year-old son of John Neville," whom Orchard ald he was directed by , Moyer to kill, because "He knew, too much, was the chief witness today, telling of his hunting trip with hi father, and Orchard. On the night of the Independence Depot explosion, the boy said Orchard left camp early in the night and did not return until dawn, corroborating j Orchard's testimony on that point. When the trio went to Denver, young Neville stated, he and his father went to Pettibone's store and his father had a conference with Petti bone, parts of which he overheard. "Then I will squeal," was one of the remarks he said he heard his father make. They also went to the Western Federation headquarters, he said, and hla father had a long talk with a man whom lie did not know and whom he could not iden tify. Young Neville was not a witness in the Haywood trial. He waa brought to Boise but was not placed on the sUnd. It was expected Mrs. Ida Toney, the second iwife of Orchard, would tes tify today bus tha cross-examination ef Neville waa only fairly begun when the hour of adjournment was readied. ' Mrs. Toney will be called tomorrow and the state will rest its case after her testimony. Orchard was on the stand most of the day but his examination brought out no new points. NEGOTIATIONS STILL PENDING FOR STEAMER LINES Special Committee Reports to Adjourned Session Yesterday Afternoon. FORM OF BOND-CONTRACT IS FIXED UPON Contract Covers Entire Range of Agreement Between Mr, banana and the individual Subscriber for Bonds of the Transportation Company. ADHERES EXACTLY TO BASIC FEATURES OF ORIGINAL COMPACT SPECIAL COMMITTEE LARGELY AUGMENTED IN MEMBERSHIP AND A RODSINO MEETING CALLED FOR THIS EVENING AT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, IN ORDER TO CLOSE THE IMPORTANT DEAL WITH PRACTICALLY POPULAR SANCTION. The adjourned session of the Citizens' Mooting, called on Wednemlay last to consider the offer of CoL William H. Garland, of New York, to establish a steamship system out of this port, etc., convened yesterday at the Chamber of Commerce, at 1:30 o'clock, a goodly number of representative people being presm w near (be report, of the com mittee named the day before to confer n Air. Uariuml. ' At yesterday's meeting Chairman Samuel Elmore, of the special commit tee referred to, presided, and Manager Whyte, of the Chamber of Commerce served M secretary. O. C. Fulton, of the committee was also d regent, but Mr. Ferguson, the third member, was out of the city on imperative business of a private nature, but left his col- leagues to do what they thought proper in t!ie premise. The special committee submitted, as the substance of their findings in rela tion to Air. Garland and his project, the following form of bond-contract drawn, upon (full agreement with Mr. Garland, and covering the whole status of opera tions involved as between that gentle man and the individual subscriber for the bonds; and which reads, as follows, in full: "In consideration of the covenants and agreements hereinafter mentioned, to be well and truly done and performed by of herein men tioned as the second party, I, Win. H. Garland, of New York City, New York, hereinafter mentioned as the first party. hereby covenant and agree as follows, tnat is io say First: To organise during the months of December, 1007, end January, 1008, under the laws of the State of Oregon, a corporation by the name of ASTORIA STEAMSHIP ! &. TRAXSl'ORTATIOX COMPANY, authorised among other things, to own real estate and to engage generally in the transportation business and particularly to operate a line of steamboats for both nassencer and 'freight service between the City of As toria, iii Oregon, and Cntalla and Valdw and other points, in Alaska; the place of business and head office to be at all times, at the City of Astoria, with a capital stock not less than $3,000,000 to be fully subscribed for. at least 41.- 000,000 of which stock to be subscribed for and paid for by the first party. oecond: Jsatd corporation will ao quire, on or before the first day of June, the tee simple title to not less than 1000 continuous feet of water frontage on the Columbia River within the corporate limits of the Citv of As toria, and will, on or before the first day of iNovember, 1008, have completed on said water) frontage a dock or docks. wharf or, wharves for deep sea vessels, the cost of which, together with the : purchose price paid for said real estate, to aggregate at least $200,000; said corporation will also have purchased and Mil own in its own right, on, or before, the first day of May, 1008, at least three steam vessels of modern type, equipped for first-class passenger and freight ser vice, each of said vessels to be not less than 1000 ton burden, and will, on, or before May 1, 1008, place each of said vessels in actual service on the route between Astoria, in Oregon, and CaUHa and Valdcz, In Alaska, and such other points aa may be desired by the first party and maintain the same in such service. "imrd:The said corporation tliall issue its first mortgage 0 per cent 25 year bond to the amount of $500,000, payment thereof toT secured by a first mortgage lien upon ail of the above- described property, vessels, and fran enises, superior to any and all other liens." "In consideration whereof, the second parly hereby covenants and agrees to accept, receive, and pay for of the said $500,000 mortgage bond issue, bonds to the amount of , payments to be made thereon as follows, and upon the following conditions, that is to say: '',"'. First: The second party shall nav said sum to the ........ Bank of As toria, Oregon, as trustee, aa follows: 20 per cent thereof, on or before Feb ruary 1, 1008, and 10 per cent thereof each month thereafter until the same is paid in full, payments to be made on or before the first of each month. "Second: Said money to be held by said bank as trustee to be delivered and paid over to the order of the said cor poration when the said corporation and aid trst party shall have performed all cf the conditions and stipulations r-eremiieiore mentioned within the times I erfcinbetore mentioned. Time of oer formance of the covenantand stipulation on the part of the first party and said corporation, to be held aa of the essence I of this contract. It ia provided, how ever, mat vie entire issue of said $500, 000 first mortgaged bohda must be sub scribed for b , solvent persons aocept ah'o t,, W. H.' Garland, and the sub scription contracts therefor deposited in several banks of the City of Astoria. "These deposits must be made on or before the first day of February, 1008, and if . said amount has not been and performed, or -in case the corporation shall fail to do and perform the condi tions and stipulations herein mentioned by. it required to be done and perform ed, then the said above mentioned bank shall dmmediately return and repay to the second party the money theretofore paid it by the second party. Upon com pliance by the first party and said cor- the first mortgaged bonds aforesaid In the sum of $.., . to pay said corpora tion said subscribed sum aforesaid. "If said committee stall certify that said first party or said corporation has not complied with tit terms of this agreement on his or its part said money paid hereunder shall be returned to the second party, bis heirs, personal repre sentatives or assigns. "In addition to the above the said Wm. If. Garland agrees to deposit with the said committee stock ia said cor poration to the amount of $125,000 fully paid up to lie proportionately divided and delivered to all the purchasers of said bonds, y "Dated at Astoria, Ore., this ..... day of 100 " The report aforesaid waa unanimously adopted and ordered of record in due course; whereupon, J. IL Whyte, moved, and was duly seconded by F. L. Parker, that the name of the following citizens be, and they are, added to the original committee of three under the resolution creating said original committee for the express purpose of considering and passing upon the text and terms of the bond contract reported back to the meeting of citizens held this day, December 19, 190": Judge Frank J. Taylor, Judge J. Q- A. Bowlby, John H. Smith, Judge C. H. Page, Frank Spittle, John C McCue, J. E. Higgius, J. A. Anderson, Frank Patton, 8. S, Gordon, Geo. IL George, Charles Wilson, Isaac Bergman, W. F. McGregor, C, H. Cal lender, F. L. Parker. F. A. Fisher, Norris Staples, Max fiklbbe, Geo. Flavel Geo. W. Sanborn, Gust Holmes, Benj. Young. A. Scbemeckau and C. 8. Brown, and aid motion prevailed unanimously. In order to expedite the business of the meeting and of the committee as well Manager Whyte yesterday after noon directed the following letter to each of the new membcra of the main committee, so that tbey might know the duty of the bour and prepare to come tonight with certain equipment for the task named, to-wit: "Dear 8ir: This is to advise you that at an adjourned meeting of citizens held this day at 1:30 o'clock in the Chamber of Commerce to consider the report of the committee of three Samuel Elmore G. C. Fulton and E. Z. Ferzuson. here tofore appointed to confer with Wm, H. Garland upon the proposed establish ment of a steamship line, your name has been added to that committee for the express purpose of considering and pass LIE PASSES INCOIE House Scene of Fistic Encounter. ANGER COMES TO BLOWS Minority Leader Williams and DeArmond of Missouri En gage in Scrap. HOUSE TRANSACTS BUSINESS Two-Four Session Doe Aetna! Work- Committee Appointments . Are An nounced First Money I Appropriated Oregoniana Named on Committees, (Continued on Page 1) LISTEN TO 'PROPOSAL Mine Owners of Goldfield Will Hear Hilton. NO COMPROMISE TO BE MADE Looking to the Abandonment of the Position Taken by the Mineowners' Association That Any finer Who Goes to Work must Renounce the Union. GOLDFIELD, Dec lO.-The mineown ers of Goldfield will listen to the propo sition of Attorney O. N. Hilton, of Den ver,, acting for the Western Federation of Miners, has presented, though there is small; probability I any i compromise can be made at this late day. What the proposition is, which Hilton has to offer, has not been . revealed, but the mineowners are emphatic in their state ment that no compromise, looking to tne abandonment of the position taken by them, that any miner who goes to porstion shall deposit with the said 'work must renounce the Western Fed hereby bank, bonds, to the . amount subscribed by the second party. "That for the purpose of determining -whether or not the terms of this con tract shall have been fully performed by the first party and said corporation, the j following committee of citizens of As toria are hereby appointed! agents or the subscribers hereto, to-witi Said committee shall examine and deter mine whether or not the terms of this contract have been fully complied with on the part of said first party, and said corporation, if no certificatea to that effect shall be signed by said committee and delivered to said party, upon which said trustee, is hereby authorised upon delivery to it for the second party of eration, will be accepted. Hilton has stated he is authorized to moke import ant concessions, even to the removal of some , of the i members of the Federation, who may be considered aa agitators, from the camps. The mines are working with about the same num ber of men as were at work yesterday. No considerable number of men, to break the strike, have been brought in as yet General Funston left for San Francisco today. MILLS NOW SECSSTASY. DENVER, Dec 19.-James B, Klrwan, acting secretary of the Western Federa tion of Miners has resigned on account of ill health. He will be succeeded by Ernest Mills, a member of the executive board frora British Columbia, -WASirXNGTOX. Dee. 19. The word "liar was twice used in anger on the floor of the house today, the first occa sion being when Representative Gaines, of Tennessee, denounced a local paper for printing a statement regarding his alleged interest in the deficiency appro priation, for seeds for free distribution; and the second and more serious occa sion waa when De Armond, of Missouri, applied the eipthet to Williams, of Mis sissippi, the minority leader, the two men engaging in a fistic encounter, which only ended when they were forcibly separated. The trouble arose over a misunderstanding regarding the vrsation of a week ago about some committee appointments, De Armond in sisting he had not made any specific recommendations bat had only asked that Bepftsentative Booker, of Missouri, and one op two other Democrats, from that State, be considered according to their special fitness. Williams maintain ed, otherwise and the anger of the two men increased until they came to blows. During the two hours and twenty minutes' session of the House it got down to actual work and transacted considerable business. ' All that had re mained to make this possible "was the announcement of committee appoint ments made by the Speaker today. Several of the chairmen became alert, -with regard to their rights, and forced the reference to the committee of sev eral propositona on which immediate ac tion was desired. This was not accom plished however without more or less debate which at times grew warm. The first money appropriated by the present ' Congress was awarded today. The amount was $60,000. and it is to be used in supply of the seed deficiency caused by the destruction by fire of the government seed warehouse in this city. The House will meet again on Satur day, on which day adjournment for the Christmas holidays, will be taken., , COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS." I (WASHINGTON Dec. 19. Speaker Cannon today announced the. committee assignments for this Congress. Many changes from the last Congress were made, but in the main the members who heretofore head important offices, ana retained in them. Among the assign ments made today were: . Agriculture, Hawley, of Oregon; claims, Haiwley of Oregon; irrigation of arid lands, Ellis of Oregon! mines and mining, French of Idaho; navy affairs, Ellis of Oregon. 'Republican vacancies remain unfilled on various committees as follows: Com mittee on elections, number 3, one va cancy; agricultural, one; manufactures. one; levees and improvement of Mis sissippi, two; war claims, two; private land claims ,two; ventilation and ao- coustics, one; expenditures In navy de partment, one; accounts, two. While the clerk was reading the com mittee exhibited unuBual interest. Al most every seat was occupied. Many gave evidence of their satisfaction with their assignments, but a number clearly manifested some disappointments.