IP
)
fiRARlNG ONCANAL
DlVIDE-THEr MONEY.-
Two Great Irrigation .Works are Pro-
i posed for Idaho. .
Washineton, March 20. Eeclama-
READY TO SPRING
fiiah Time to Make a Change in service Engineers k08S and poweii, ; Twenty-Two Japanese warsmps
Isthmian Commission. 1
ENGINEERS LEAVE IN DISGUST
Trouble is Said to Be Lack of Effi
cient Organization Payrolls
Already Padded.
Chicago. March 18. Walter Well
man. wirincr from Washineton to the
Record-Herald, says that graft has al
Teady made its appearance among the
nA)lovea of the United States on the
Panama canal, according to an Ameri
can engineer who was on the isthmns
only three weeks ago. It is evidently
high time President Roosevelt was car
rying out his plan for a complete reor
ganization of the canal commission.
This engineer, who had exceptional
opportunities to gather information as
to conditions on the isthmus, declares
it is within his personal knowledge
that payrolls are already hemg padded
and that various forms of petty gratt
are practiced. The trouble is said to
te lack of efficient organization. - Chief
Eneineer Wallace is working like a
Trojan in the field and has almost
-worn himself out trying to push the
work at Culebra Hill and to bring
order out of chaos in the organization
The present canal: commission is de-
, clared to be a faildre by every man who
has visited the isthmus during the last
six months.' The commission remain-d-at
Panama just long enough to estab
lish certain iron-clad rules whose literal
-enforcement has been a great
of Idaho, called upon Senaator Dubois
today in reference to the, proposition
now being considered by the secretary of
the interior to divert about $1,000,000
from the Minidoka irrigation project
and use it in inaugurating what is
known as ' the Boise-Payette project.
Senator Dubois endorses the views of
the reclamation service engineers and
will call upon Secretary Hitchcock and
urge him to approve the proposition to
have both projects carried to comple
tion; -
From investigations and preliminary
surveys it has oeen found that part of
the Minidoka project south of Snake
river is not feasible at this time and
cannot be built until that part of the
project north of Snake river shall be
completed and put into - Operation. It
is proposed to take the funds which
would be required to build south of the
river and use them to build the Boise-
Payette project, which is estimated to
cost about $1,000,000. If this is not
done, it is believed the funds intended
for the south project will ' be . turned
back into the general reclamation fund,
and Idaho will lose the -benefit of
them, at least for the present
WILL WAIT FOR THE ENEMY
MINE EXPLOSION KILLS TEN.
Men Left on Guard at1" Night Perish
in West Virginia.
Charleston, W. "Va., March 20. An
explosion occurred at the mines of the
New River Smokeless ' Coal and Coke
company at. Rush Run at 10 o'clock last
night, in which ten men were killed.
The explosion was in the Kusn mine
detri- and extended to the Red Ash : mine,
ment to the chief engineer
other officials who are trying
and the nearly two miles away, and great names
to push burst out ot tne mouths oi both mines
Ko -o-nrV i Thon t.Ti mernhpTfl of the About seven men stayea m eacn mine
nmmioainn with th Amentinn of Gen- at night to take care of them and all
eral Davis, returned to tne united
States and are here yet. Evidently
they do not care to live on the isthmus
and prefer the climate of New York
-and Washington.
On account of the unsatisfactory
state of affairs on the isthmus, many
engineers and other employes : of the
commission are givin up their jobs ' in
-disgust and returning home.
Reports say that the commissioner
who looks after the medicine supplies
Tefuses to allow such medicines as are
required and in many cases such as are
-given out are badly adulterated.
CASTRO SHUNS FOREIGNERS
were killed.
The interior of the mines is in such
condition at this' time that it is impos
sible for anyone to enter to investigate
The Rush Kun and Red Ash mines
are the property of the same company
and the latter is the mine in which 46
lives werelost three years ago. It is
impossible at this time to ascertain the
cause of the explosion
CASTRO PREPARESTO FIGHT
Is Arming for Defense Talks of At.
tack on New Orleans.
Willemstad, Curacao, March 18.
According to trustworthy advices re
ceived here, the situation in Venezuela
is unchanged, both internally and as to
ioreign affairs, . except that the rela
tions between President Castro and the
various legations at Caracas are a little
more strained. Ca9tro has now ceased
to talk with the European representa
tives concerning the Venezuelan debt,
. and the recent recall of General An
tonio Vetulini, seond vice president of
Venezuela, who has been in Europe for
some time endeavoring to arrange a
-settlement with the British and German
bondholders, is regarded as an indica
tion that the negotiations have failed.
-It is said that no diplomat has been
able to secure an interview with Castro
-concerning disputed international ques
tions for- months."- Castro' maintains
bis belligerent attitude and ' continues
to make military preparations.
In Track of Russians.
Great Naval Battle Seems to Be Next
Scene in the. Military Drama
in the Far East. .
London, March 16. A disp&tch to
Lloyds, dated at Singapore, 6 p. m.,
says the British steamer Hongwan I
reports having passed 22 Japanese war
ships off Horsburg, 20 miles east of
Singapore, at the entrance to the
Straits of Malacca.
The appearance of Vice . Admiral
Togo's fleet in the track that would be
used in any attempt by Vice Admiral
Rojestvensky to make for Vladivostok
is the most interesting news of the day.
It is not known whether Vice Admiral
Togo himself is with the fleet. -
According to the Daily . Mails' corres
pondent at Singapore, who visited the
fleet, the officers were unusually reti
cent. Two Japanese officers landed and
conferred with the Japanese consul,
and it was understood by the corres
pondent that the squadron would soon
sail again, as. it required nothing. -
The .presumption is that ; Rojesv
vensky's squadron is still off the coast
of Madagascar, but, as the iee in the
harbor of Vladivostok is beginning to'
give way, the Russian admiral must
soon make a decision whether to dash
for Vladivostok or return to Russia. ..
Naval experts here believe that Togo
will not come much further in quest of
the Baltic squadron, on the ground
that be cannot afford to run unneces
sary risks.
STORM ON BRITISH COAST.
. --'" ROASTED TO "DEATHv.
Ntneteen Persons Perish in New York
.;-, .- Tenement House Fife .
I New York," March 15. Nineteen per
sons were burned to death in a fire
which destroyed- the . five-story tene-1
ment house at 105 Allen street early
today. More than 40 are injured and
00! a few of the-sleeping inmates es
caped unhurt. Several of those who
perished were roasted to death in plain I
view of the thousands in the streets.
Coroner Goldenkranz declared after
an investigation that he had reason to
believe the blaze was the work of an i
incendiary. He issued subpoenas for
the fire marshal, tenement house com
mission and building owners and health
and police officials to appear before him
at the inquest Thursday. '
ine nre started in the basement oc
cupied by Isaac Davis, his wife and
three children. Davis had been out
last night, and returned early this
morning, going into his store upon the I
same floor just in time to see the kero
sene lamp in the rear explode.
He says he woke his wife, and both
tried to put out the flaming lamp, but
without success, and then gave all their
attention to getting their -children, out
of the building. A policeman who I
heard the cry of alarm rushed to the
scene, and every effort was made to
rouse the sleeping persons in the house.
In the meantime the ' names had
spread with startling rapidity, and
when the persons who had been asleep
in the upper floors : awoke they found
themselves confronted by a wall of
flames on every side. The panic strick
en people, fighting for their lives,
rushed to the fire escapes, only to find
them littered with rubbish of all de- I
scriptions and almost - impassable.
Down through these narrow . passage-I
ways flowed a stream of humanity.
WHOLE LAW DEAD. -
Seeks Settlement with Other Nations
- but is Hostile to France.
Paris, March 20. Official advices
are to the effect that President Castro.
of Venezuela, is seeking ' to settle his
complications with Germany and Great
Britain, probably with a view to leav
ing him a free hand in dealing with
the complications ; with the United
States and France. The, latter awaits
the decision of the court at Caracas,
however.
France .has not subscribed to the po
sition of some other European govern
ments in entrusting to the United
States the enforcement of rights against
South ' American countries. ' On the
contrary, this government expects to
enforce its own rights, although what
ever action is finally determined upon
will undoubtedly be communicated to
Washington with the view of securing
American co-operation.
Many Shipwrecks and Serious Loss
of Life Result.
; London, March 16. A storm of hur
ricane force burst over the Irish and
English coasts during the night, and it
is feared that many disasters have oc
cured. The telegraph lines are broken
at many points. The British ship
Khyber has been wrecked off the Corn
ish coast. Twenty-three of her crew
were drowned and three were saved
The Khyber sailed from Melbourne,
Australia, October 26, for Queens
town. ' . . '; . ' '
: The storm swept over the north of
Ireland early 'this morning, and did
great damage to property. Fears are
entertained for the safety of the fishing
fleets. -
The high winds have caused terrible
havoc along the coasts of the United
Kingdom. Telegraphic ' communmca-
tion between London and many points
is cut off. The lifeboat stations, are
busy, and shipping "everywhere is seek
ing shelter. Numbers of minor wrecks,
accompanied by loss of life, have been
reported. ,
READY ON-TIME.
Change in Asiatic Naval Command.
"7 Washington, March. 20. Rear Admiral-
Stirling, commanding' the Asiatic
fleet,' has cabled the Navy - department
He ap- that he has left Cavite on the flagship
parently regards an attack on Port Ca- w icsonsm, accompanied by the battle-
bello and La Guavra as probable, and smP Oregon, the gunboats Nanshan
lias mounted six new French Six-inch and general Alva and the torpedo boat
vguns and a number of Small guns on the destroyers Bainbridge, Barry, Decatur,
beights overlooking these ports, and cnauncey ana JJale, tor Hong Kong,
has available three small coast defense
-vessels. . . -
Castro's attitude - is reflected in a
pamphlet just issued through one of
.his advisers, Colonel Juan Bautistia
Xamedo, in which plans, for sending
50,000 . Venezuelans against New
Orleans are disclosed. The pamphlet
urges the public to avenge the insults
"to Venezuela offered by the Americans,
-and declares the invasion of the Mis
sissippi valley would be the most effect
ive means of curbing the action of the
United States. .
where the admiral will haul down his
flag on March 23 and transfer the com
mand of the station to Rear- Admiral
William Folger, now commanding the
cruiser squadron of that fleet.
Stock Certificates Forged.
Denver, -March 18. Forged stock
certificates of the Colorado Fuel & Iron
company have been unea,rthed by the
presentation of a counterfeit certificate
for 100 shares of stock, par value $1,
O00, at the Denver office of . the com
pany for transfer. The certificate came
irom a lawyer at Davenport, la. Ap
pearing on the certificate as president
of the company is the name of James
A. Keblo. Mr. Keblo was never presi
dent of the company. There is also a
certificate with the forged signature : of
Secretary D. C. Beaman.
Flood Bursts Kentucky Dike.
Winchester, Ky., March 18. The
break in the Kentucky river dike near
Ford grows wider, and a channel fully
100 yards wide is filled with a rushing
torrent that is eating into the south
bank of the government lock. Giant
trees of a century's growth have been
torn loose and carried away. One of
the government's buildings at the locks
fell into the river today and the others
are in danger. Conservative estimates
place the damage thus far at $250,000.
. Engine Blows Up, Injuring Three.
Echo, Utah, March 18. A Union
Pacific engine pulling eastbound freight
No. 52 blew up while passing the sta
tion today, injuring Engineer H. .L.
.ruruy, iJireman j. n. .Bunker anp
BrakemanJ. -Jones.
Insult is Offered France
.. Paris, March 20. Count de Segonzac,
who was sent by the Moroccan commis
sion to investigate the commercial don
d it ion of Morocco, has been captured
b Arabs. The case resembles the Pej
dicar:s affair. The incident causes ex
citement, owing to France's policy of as
suming paramoi n control in Morocco.
The secretary of tlie Moroccan commis
sion in an interview said that the capt
ure of Count de SegoDzac proved the
necessity for rapid French action in
Morocco '. The otl er
mission are safe..
Congress Unintentionally Abolished
Lieu Land Selections. '
Washington, March 15. Without
intending to do so, congress has appar
ently repealed the lieu land law in. its
entirety. It doing so it has erased
from the statute books the law which
has been responsible for more fraud
than any other public land statute j it
has put an end forever to a system of
exchanges by which the Federal govern
ment has actually been cheated out of
millions of dollars' worth of valuable
timber land. ': - ; .
in the closing hours of the laBt con
gress, the senate passed a bill that had
long been on its calendar, intended to
restrict lieu selections to non-timbered
lands. It was a bill that had pre
viously been passed by the house, but
which had been amended by the senate
committee. Because of this amend
ment,, the bill was sent to conference,
and there it was again altered until it
was amended out of shape and accom
plished a very different purpose from
what it did as it passed the house and
senate.
Although the bill retained its title,
"An act. prohibiting the selection of
timber lands in lieu of lands in forest
reserves," its text was so changed that
it not only prohibited the selection - of
timber lands, but all lands in exchange
for lands in forest reserves.
FINANCIERS MAY BRING PEACE
Lewis and Clark Fair Will Be Com
plete on Day of Opening.
Portland, March 16. With the ex
position more than -two months' away
exhibits from all parts of the world are
daily reaching the exposition grounds
There are now a hundred cars or more
of exhibits stored in the various build
ings and word has 'been received that
many more shipments are en route
from Eastern points and ports. - -
The significance of this is that the
various displays can be arranged more
effectively than has ever before been
recorded at an exposition. Since the
exhibit palaces are nearly all completed
and the others will soon be done, there
can be no delay in getting the . exposi
tion ready, and it is announced as the
intention of the. exposition management
to have the fair in a state of readiness
even to the slightest -detail on -June 1 .
Works.of Art Destroyed.
New York, March 20. Many valua
ble paintings and pieces of statuary and
articles used in instruction were de
stroyed by a fire which damaged the
building occupied by the National Aca
demy of : design. One fireman was
buried under debris from a falling wall,
but was rescued and removed to a hos
pital. He will recover, t While an ex
act estimate of the damage could .not be
made today, it is said it will be at
least $50,000.
Vesuvius Throws Hot Stones.
Naples, March 20. Mount Vesuvis,
is again in eruption and is throwing
out burning lava, red hot stones and a
high column of smoke, with detona
tions which are heard at long distances.
The eruption is attributed to an earth
quake which was fell for 80 miles.
Guard for Railroad Bridges.
Warsaw, March 20. The directors
of the Vistula railroad have asked for
troops to guard the bridges between
Siedlce and Malkin, because of the re
ceipt of letters threatening "their . de
struction.' '
Japan Will Not Offer Peace. ,
London, March 16. Bron Hayashi,
the Japanese minister, in an interview
today on the subject of peace, said that
a 1 suggestions to the effect that Japan
, had officially or unofficially put tor
1 ward feelers looking to the conclusion
membe s of the , of peace were unfounded. "Whatever
individuals may say hereafter," ,' he
added, "you may regard it as certain
that japan does not mean to put for
ward peace terms. '. When Russia ac
knowledges that she i beaten or ex
presses her willingness to discuss
peace, we shall be ready "
Russian Guns Sunk in Rivers.
Niuchwang, March 1 6 . The mili
tary men here advance the theory that
the difference in the number of guns
the Japanese. are reported to have cap
tured and those General Kuropatkin is
reported to have lost, is owing to the
Russians, when routed, dropping their
guns into the rivers through the ice and
abandoning others in ravines and gul
lies. It is expected that, as soon as
the present rush at Mukden is over,
search for the lost artillery will begin.
"RELIEVING '
GUARD NEAR THE SHAH0.
- : - - - -
PUTTING A LIVING SENTRY IN A DEAD ONE'S PLACE.
Since the midwinter campaign of Napoleon In Russia almost a century
ago no great war -nas been wagea unaer such terrible climatic conamona
as prevail in Manchuria to-day. There was suffering in the trenches before
Sebastopol In the winter of 1854-55, but nothing like that of the Japanese and
Russians along the Shaho River. The work of entrenching is almost impossi
ble, and at the outposts the sentries have to be content with holes burrowed
in the ground. Walking to and fro with a background of snow to throw the
figure into relief as a mark for the sharp shooter means death. Even careful
burrowing, says the London Illustrated News artist, who drew the graphic
sketch reproduced above, cannot always protect the Japanese sentries from
the Russian marksmen, and not infrequently when the relief comes a dead
man has to be drawn out of the pit to make room for a living successor.
NEW FRENCH PREMIER.
M.
Be-
Ronvler, S accessor of Combes.
San Life as a Book Agent.
M. Rouvler, who succeeds M.
Combes as French premier, has been
for more than . a generation closely
identified with the politics of the Re
public. He has been repeatedly at tne
head of the department of finance, in
which position he established a reputa
tion which made his name a household
one in France
The new; premier began life as a
book agent. , Subsequently he en
gaged in the Russian grain trade, and
his business journeys to Constantl-
Tie Pass Taken.
Tokio, March 16. The Japanese oc
cupied Tie pass at midnight, March 15.
Details of the occupation of Tie pass
have not yet been received at imperial
army headquarters. An official bul
letin reports the action and that the
Japanese are in hot pursuit of the re
treating Russians, but it does not men
tion any particulars about the fight.
Refusal of French Bankers to Lend
Money is a Blow to Russia.
" London, March 15. The revolt of
the French, bankers is considered by
the London . newspapers as the most
hopeful and important news of the day,
promising an. early conclusion. of. peace
between Russia and .Japan. - Apparent
ly the proposed loan has not been abso
lutely refused, but only postponed.
This, however, is regarded here as be
ing tantamount to a refusal, and is ex
pected to Bpeak louder to the Russian
war party even than Kuropatkin's re
verse at Mukden.
It is the general belief that by the
death of M. Germain, the late governor
of the credit Lyonnais, Russia lost her
strongest financial friend in France,
ana that, had he been still alive, no
difficulty would have been experienced.
With the American and English mark
ets closed to her, it is thought that
Russia can " only turn to Germany,
. which is not likely to be much more
responsive" than France, and the only
alterative would seem to be to make
peace. ,
Island Officers Get More Pay.
Washington, - March 15. Hereafter
the ten per cent additinoal pay allowed
the officers serving in the insular pos
sessions will be computed on the basin
of their regular salaries, with longevity
pay added, according to a decision ren
dered by the supreme court of the
United States. .The question was in
volved in a suit instituted by Lieuten
ant Colonel Stephen C. Mills, who
served two years in the . Philippines
His salary was $3,000 and his long
evity allowance $1,000. He was paid
10 per cent adlitional upon the $3,000.
Price of Linoleum Will Advance,
New York, March 15. Leading man
ufacturers of linoleum , nave agreed,
saya the Journal of Commerce, to ad
vance all inlaid goods 10 per cent and
all printed goods 20 per cent the in
crease to take ettect on ail goods manu
factured from today. Present stocka
will be sold at the old prices between
now and May 1, after which nothirg
will be sold except at the new figures
This action has been prompted by rad
cal changes in the cost of raw material.
Nebraskans Will Keep Passes.
Lincoln, Neb., March 15. The house
today, by a vote of 42 to 40, argeed to
indefinitely postpone the bill making
it a crime to give or accept railroad
passes. ..Today's action, disposes of all
the antj-pass measures, every one being
defeated. ' .
from many different pronunciations of
the name of a town. Different people
put the emphasis on different sylla
bles, and this often created confusion.
The noise of the train in speeding over
the rails also made it difficult to make
out what was being called.
"Finally," said the trainman, "I -concluded
that I would first attract
the attention of every passenger 1b
the car apd then call out the station,"
emphasizing first one syllable and then
another, using all of the accents and
inflections I had ever heard of. In
the course of time I got what I con
sidered the best way of impressing
the mind with particular names, and
we carried few people past their des
tination." I
Nature has greatly aided this man in
his work. He has a voice singularly
full and resonant. When he breaks
loose at the end of a car a half -awake
passenger starts from his seat as if a
steam calliope had started on a rag
time tune, and by the. time he winds
up on such names as Tuscola, Areola,
and Tolono passengers for these places
are loading up witn packages ana
grips and reaching for umbrellas.
Chicago Tribune.
M. BODVIEB.
nople, Odessa, Smyrna and other ports
bordering on the Mediterranean gave
him a valuable and broadening train
ing. . In 1869, having acquired a, com
petence, he engaged in politics and
through his efforts G-ambetta was sent
to the Chamber of Deputies from
Marseilles. In 1871 Rouvier himself
entered the chamber and at once be
came prominent in . French political
life. He is accounted one of the
strong -men of France, and, with Del-
casse, the foreign minister, and -M.
Doumer. the new president of the
Chamber of Deputies, has vastly en
hanced the power and prestige of the
republic. ." -
A WORLD WONDER.
Trainman Who Makes People Under
stand a Stations Name.
"Ka-n-ka-kee!"
"Kan-k-a-a-a-kee!" -"Kan-ka-k-e-e-e!"
William I. Crawford, a colored train
man, of Chicago, has reduced the call
ing of station names to a practical
system that has won for him the praise
and hearty thanks of a million of pas
sengers. When he inflates one of the
healthiest pairs of lungs in Illinois,
opens his mouth, and begins to play
on a station name, no man, woman or
child fails to understand what it is.
Crawford has been on the fast trains
of the Illinois Central between Chi
cago and Cairo for the last ten years,
When he first became a trainman he
noticed that a man or woman wpuld
look him squarely In the face while
he was calling the station, and that
about the time the train had got well
underway from the depot at which the
passenger wanted to get off, Crawford
would find him sitting In his seat In
blissful Ignorance of his having been
carried past. This did not happen
once, but many times, and the ob
serving employe began to suspect that
people did not "catch", him.
In many instances - trouue arose
Paper as FueL
In these days of scarcity of fuel It
may be interesting to know how one -thrifty
housekeeper, with more leisure
than money, has warmed her house
for years during the two weeks or so
in the fall and spring when heat ia
needed in the morning and evening
only. She uses old newspapers and
prepares them for combustion by
twisting them into fagots. For the
furnace she tears the paper in half, -doubles
each half together and twists
it tightly. For the fireplace heater she
separates the sheets, crumples each to
gether and finishes by giving a slight
twist, while for the small stove in her
sewing room or for a grate that is
sometimes used in a north room, she
merely' gives the paper a close crumple.
She finds it, better to prepare the fuel
pretty near the time of using it as
it burns better If it has not been al
lowed to gather dampness. This fuel
Is prepared at odd times, usually at
dusk, by the mistress and her children,
and is kept in huge bags made of cast-
off garments, and these forms meas
ures for the amounts needed. -.
New Use for Refined Parafflne Wax. -
A new and important use for refined
paraffine wax seems to have been dis
covered by a prominent resident of
Ohio, living near Lancaster, who had
two trees badly damaged by storm,
one being a maple and the other an
apple. In each case a large limb waft'
broken down from the trunk, but still
attached to it. The limbs were propped'
up and fastened securely with straps,
very much as a broken leg might be
fastened with splints, and then melted
refined wax poured into and over all
the. cracks. The "surgical operation"
was entirely successful. The paraffine
prevented the escape of the sap, kept
out the rain and moisture which would
have rotten the trees, prevented thet
depredations of insects, and the llmbsi
seem thus far to be perfectly re-at-i
taehed to the trees. -
Best He Could lx.
Bacheller (disgustedly) Huh! You're
to be married, I hear.
Oldham Yes, to Miss Playne.
Bacheller Poor chump! I thought
you knew better. v.
Oldham So I do, but none of them
would have me. Philadelphia Press.
. A man never kicks if his name U.
misspelled in the police records of
newspaper
i