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About Corvallis gazette. (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1905)
TURN ON THE WATER .John Day River, May Irrigate 250,000 Acres. . LARGE TRACTS ARE WITHDRAWN Engineer Davis Proposes to Water Large Section South of the Columbia River. Washington, April 1. The prospect lor government irrigation in the Uma " tilla country has materially brightened in the last few days, since the receipt of a report from Edward I. Davis, as - sistant engineer in charge of the Uma tilla project. After making exhaustive ' topographic surveys, Mr. Davis reports that he has devised a scheme by which he believes it will be possible to irri gate anywhere from 100,000 to 250,000 . acres of extremely fertile land lying .just south of the Columbia river in Umatilla, Morrow, Sherman and Gil liam counties. It was originally intended to utilize the flood waters of the Umatilla river for irrigating these lands, but an ex haustive search failed to find any feas ible dsmsite on that stream.' Engineers found that the bed of the stream' was ' -of such loose structure that no reser voir could be built that would hold water. But Mr. Davis has discovered what he believes to be a feasible plan whereby the government can store the " : flood waters of the John Day river and by a long canal divert it onto the land originally intended to be irrigated from Umatilla river. While his plan i's probably more expensive than would ' be the original Umatilla project, had it been feasible, it seems to present the only solution of this great irrigation problem.' As soon as convenient Mr. Davis' plan will be submitted to the board of : reclamation engineers, who will go over the ground and determine upon its feaa ibility. Reports seem to indicate that there is plenty of water in the John Day river to irrigate at least 200,000 acres of very rich land. .The reclama tion service is very anxious to construct " ;an irrigation system in the Umatilla ;ountr and is hopeful that Mr. Davis' plan will prove practicable. The withdrawals yesterday under this project are desired either for irrigation or for rights of way. The new plans call for an extensive system of canals, and the government, as far as possible, ' 'Endeavors to protect rights of way of this character, to prevent conflict with private owners. MUST MOVE RAILROAD. Government Negotiates with O. N. for Washtucna Coulee R. & . Washington, April 4. Just as soon as the government reaches a satisfact ory agreement with the 0. R. & N. Co. regarding the removal of the railroad tracts trom tne bed ot washtucna cou lee, in Eastern Washington, steps will - be taken looking to the construction of the big Palouse irrigation project. The government is ready to go ahead, but can do nothing as long as the railroad . occupies thiR coulee, for one of the es sential features of the Palouse . project is the conversion of Washtucna coulee into an immense storage reEervoir. At the present time a representative of the reclamation service in in rrmtpr- ence with a representative of the War. riman interests, in the hope of aereeinir upon a figure which will compensate the railroad company for moving its tracks to higher ground, and which will, at the same time, not be consider ed an imposition on the government The railroad company has stated that $350,000 was a fair price for removing its trflfikfl: the reclamation Rprvira ia. lieves that this is more than it would actually cost to perform the work, and is not willing to pay that price. Japanese Rule Manchuria. Gunshu Pass, Manchuria, April 1. Chinese merchants arriving here after a circuitous flight from Mukden relate that tne Japanese have taken over the administration of Manchuria. They have installed Japanese 'officials in place of the Chinese, have taken pos session of the Russian administrative buildings, and have established a Jap anese police force at Mukden. . The work of converting the railroad from Port Dalny to Mukden into a narrow gauge road has been completed, giving three railroad lines of supply. Blockade Runner Taken. " Tokio, April 1. The steamer Indus try, whose nationality has not been aiBueruHiieu, was seized Dy tne Japanese on March 28. She was presumably bound for Vladivostok. The British steamer Mars, which was stranded off urai promontory on juarcn 17, wnue n,cjupuuS me paBoago ui ooya strait, nas proxen in two. under ner engines. Her bow and stern are both submerged. Her captain and nine of the crew have been rescued. , Irrigation of Umatilla Land. Washington, April 1. The secretary of the interior today ordered the with drawal from entry of 690,000 acres of land in Oregon and 90,000 in Washing ton on account of the Umatilla project. BOWEN IS UPHELD. Has Not Exceeded His Instructions in Dealing with Castro. Washington, March 31. Dr. Jose de Jesus Paul, special representative of President Castro, had an interview to day with the president respecting the issues that have arisen between Vene zuela and the United States. Dr. Paul appears to believe that these issues might be settled by a change in the American legation in Caracas, in view of the strained relations between -President Castro and Mr. Bowen. He is awaiting the text of the communication from Bresident Castro to the American minister relative to tht arbitration pro posal, which document is en route to Washington by mail. As an impression apparently prevails to some extent, not only in Vennezu- ela, but in this country, that Minister Bowen has incurred the ill- will of President Castro by an excess of zeal in the presentation of the American claims against Venezuela, it may be stated that official inquiry from Wash ington has developed the fact that Mr. Bowen merely presented to the Vene zuelan government the precise instruc tions sent to him from the State depart' ment relative to arbitration ; that he did not add to nor take from those in structions in the slightest degree, but in fact effaced himself, so the fact is that the State department and not Mr. Bowen is responsible for this present ment which has so stirred the Vene zuelan government. In view of the statement from Dr Paul touching Mr. Bowen, it can be added upon the highest authority that, in view of the adminsitration, the doctor has no official standing and whatever communication he makes to the president or State department, can not have any weight or bearing. If President Castro is dissatisfied with Mr. Bowen, he must have recourse to the regular diplomatic channel and communicate that fact formally to this government, which cannot receive rep resentations on the subject from other sources. " MILL IS IN RUINS. Bannockburn Property at Albany Ravaged by Fire. Albany, Or., March 31. The old A1-' bany woolen mill, a brick building being operated by the Bannockburn Woolen Mills company, of Portland, was Wednesday entirely destroyed by fire, involving the owners in a loss of about $50,000, and the city in a loss in payroll and general expenditures in the city's stores that cannot be replaced in years. While the Bannockburn Woolen Mills company will not suffer a loss greater than the figures given above, the building could not be duplicated for less than $75,000. It cost that when . built, and later some $20,000 more was spent upon it. The fire originated in the drying room, in a wooden annex or basement built below the main floor of the build ing, on the water front. It is sup posed to have been started by an ex plosion in the steam drying apparatus, though the exact origin is not known. The flames shot quickly up the big power belt to the first floor of the main building. Here the greasy floor and woodwork furnished fuel for the flames and in a moment the entire building was on fire. The building, with all the valuable and intricate machinery, is a total loss There were no manufactured products on hand, hence the losses aie confined to buildings, machinery and the small amount of raw material. The large boiler and engine are thought to be un injured, though some explosions that were heard from the direction of ' the engine and drying rooms may have in jured the big machinery. Pennsylvania Miners Will Strike. Aitoona, fa., Marcn 31. Tne oper ators and miners of Che central bitu minous district of Pennsylvania, after being in conference in this city almost continuously since March 10 endeavor- in8 to aKree on a wa8e 8cale 8 'wWi effect on April 10, adjourned finally to day without coming to an agreement. The failure to agree means a suspen sion of work by the 16,000 organized miners of the district at the end of the present week. The employers demand a 10 per cent reduction, but the men 8ay is beyond consideration. Commission on Port Arthur's Loss St. Petersburg, March 31. (1 a. m.) The membership of the commission to investigate the circumstances of the surrender of Port Arthur, under the presidency of General Itoop, has been announced. It consists of General Reuberg, of the engineers ; Giebenckoff and Kamaroff , of the infantry; Denion enkofi , Krijanorsky and Bogaviesky, of the artillery; and Admirals Dikoff and Doubasoff. The .sittine will begin at the middle of May. Awaits Creditors' Approval Washington, March 31. Interest at the State department centers in the at titude of the French and Belgian cred itors ' towards the recent settlement with Santo Domingo. It is realized there that an unfavorable reply on their acceptance by the government at Wash part might cause an embarassing situ- ington of the" proposition of the Domin- ation, in view of the action which this government has already taken. These creditors have, in all, claims of $16,- 000,000 against Santo Domingo, and their attitude towards the agreement is 0f ereat importance . All but American Treaty Ratified Berne, Switzerland, March 31. The Bundesrath today ratified all the pend ing treaties oi commerce witn tne ex ception of the treaty with the United States. Further negotiations regarding the latter will be necessary because of the action of the American senate in modifying what is regarded as an sential clause of the treaty. COMMISSION IS OUT Asked to Resign by .Direction of the President FREE HAND IN REORGANIZATION All Commissioners Now in Washington Comply with Request, Which Is - Cabled to Governor Davis. Washington, March 30. The first practical step having in view the re organization of the Panama canal com mission was taken today, when, in compliance with instructions from President Roosevelt, Secretary Taft re quested the members of the commis sion to tender their resignations. This request was promptly complied with by the members of the commission now in-Washington and their resignations will be in the hands of the president tomorrow. The purport of Mr. Taft' a letter re- questing the resignations of the com- missioners was sent to Major General George W. Davis, retired, of the army, governor of the canal zone, and also one of the members of the commission, and a prompt answer is expected from him." As indicated in the letter of Mr. Taft, the resignations are requested in order that ' the president may have a free hand in reorganizing the commission. That the president has contemplated re organization has been known for some time and he has been in consultation wijh Mr. Taft as to his future policy in choosing its personnel and directing its work. It waB believed originally that better results might be accom plished by the appointment of a small er commission than now existing, but a recent opinion of Attorney General Moody held that under the law, the president was' required to name seven members in all. The appointments probably will be announced during the progress of his Southern trip. The members of the present commis sion, m addition to General Davis, are Rear Admiral John G. Walker, of the' navy, retired, chairman William Bar clay Parsons, William H. Burr, Benja min M. Harrod and C. Ewald Grunsky, the last four being civil engineers. FAILS IN SPEED TRIAL. Torpedo Boat Destroyer Makes Final Effort on Puget Sound, . Seattle, April 1. Twenty-five knots was the average speed made by the tor pedo-boat destroyer Goldsborough on her final trial held m the waters of Elliot bay this afternoon. On the fifth lap of the mile course the craft made 29.4 knots for half a mile, but she failed to keep it up, and from the re port of the trial board there is little hope that she. will ever be able to de velop an average of more than 25 knots. True to her reputation, the Golds- borough featured the trial with a series of accidents. They were of a minor character, however, consisting only of trouble with her auxiliary engines and the blowing out of packing in her steam connections. It cannot be determined what the Navy department will do re garding the Goldsborough until .after the result of the trial is submitted to the bureau at Washington. The trial board was composed of J. V. B. Bleeker, captain of the Bremerton navy yard and president of the board ; J. B. Buret, naval constructor at the yard ; Com mander Stacy Potts, head of the steam engineering department ;- Commander R. M. Doyle, of the Philadelphia, and Lieutenant B. II. Fish, of the Phila delphia, who acted as recorder of the trip. Lieutenant G. C. Davidson and his crew from the Paul Jones, another tor pedo boat destroyer,-were in charge of hthe engineerine department of the Goldsborough . No Person was Responsible. Brockton, Mass., Maroh.30. A state ment that no evidence had been ad duced to snow tnat any person was criminally liable for the explosion in the R. B. Grover company s shoe fac tory here last week, which caused the death of 58 employes, made this after- noon by District Attorney French, con- eluded an inquest held in the police court to determine, if possible, the I cause of the accident, said that he believed Mr. French also it to be shown that the explosion was due to a hidden defect m the factory boiler, Good News to Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo, Republic of Santo Dbmineo. March 30- The news of the ican government tbat tne government of the United States assume control of the finances of this republic with the view of setting aside a portions of the revenues for the payment of .its debts, pending definiteaction on the part of the American senate, has had a most favorable effect here. Engineer of Indian Irrigation. . Washington, March 30. Secretary Hitchcock today designated William H. Code, of Los Angeles, as chief en gineer of Indian irrigation. He will have supervision of irrigation construe- ea-1 tion . work on Indian reservation throughout the West. i RUSSIA HAS OFFERED TERMS Official Admission at St. Petersburg J J i Bluffing on Indemnity. - ist. retersourg, Marcn 29. Alter a meeting of: the council ; of ministers, which lasted until after midnight, the positive information was given out through an official channel this morn ing that Russia has outlined the. terms under which she is prepared to nego tiate peace. It was asserted on the same authority that, thanks t o the good offices of the United States and France, the question of bringing about the termination of the war had assumed tangible form and that preliminary steps in the negotiations would be i taken in the immediate future. Of the terms upon which Russia would be willing to begin negotiations,.! enough was known tonight that Russia will maintain to the eleventh hour an absolute opposition to any Japanese I proposal to impose a direct indemnity upon her conquered foe. It is also., in timated that a demand for the cession of Russian territory would meet with the same vigorous opposition. It is apparent, however, that the czar himself is convinced of the Russian situation in the Far East and of the in ability of the Russians to resume hos tilities with any chance of success the event of a suspension of prelimin arv negotiations The opinion was expressed yesterday j by all exceptionally well informed for eign diplomats here that the demon strative declarations of the ministers on the subject of indemnity and cession of territory are intended as a balloon d' essai to draw out opinion on the sub ject in Tokio. Eventually, this') diplo mat asserted, Russia is prepared to ac cept peace on any terms that Japan may be willing ot offer. FIXING A WITNESS. Charge Placed Against Armour's Gen eral Superintendent. Chicago, March 29. The Federal grand jury tonight returned an indict ment against Thomas J. Connors, gen eral superintendent of Armour & Co., on a charge of interfering with a wit ness summoned to appear before the jury investigating the beef trust.' Mr. Connors, who is J. Ogden Armour's most confidential employe and the ' act ive head of one of the largest packing companies of the world, was arrested on a bench warrant by a deputy United States marshal and taken to the grand jury room, where he was released on $5,000 bonds. After his release Mr Connors refused to discuss the matter The indictment charges that John Edward Shields, of Brooklyn, a former employe of Armour & Co., who testified before the grand jury, was approached, favored and entertained by Mr. Con ners, and specifically states that on March 25 the offense upon which Mr Uonners was indicted occurred, it is also charged that Shields was given the use of Armour & Co.'s offices at 205 La Salle street to transact his business while in Chicago and also the use of a private telegraph wire in the office of the packing company. WAITING FOR CASTRO'S LETTER Government' Will Continue Negotia tions Unless It Is Insolent. "Washington, March 28. It has been decided to await the reception of the exact text of President Castro's refusal to accept Minister Bowen's arbitration proposition before proceeding further with the negotiations in this line. It is realized that there may only be a fair difference of opinion as to whether or not the Venezuelan response was couched in discourteous language, and it may be that at this distance from the seat of negotiations and after the lapse of a few days the words which appeared to Mr. Bowen to be insolent will admit of a different construction. The disposition is to move circum spectly at least at this end, and, unless President Castro chooses to force an issue by another move at Caracas, it is beliveed that some time will be con sumed in reaching a settlement. ,- No Big Game Hunting in Alaska. Washington, March. 29. As tne re sult of representationa by Secretary of Agriculture Wilson, it was determined by the cabinet today that no permits should be issued this year for big game hunting in Alaska, except for authoriz ed representatives of museums. Simil ar action was taken last year because of the knowledge that game in 'Alaska was rapidly being destroyed and it was desired to preserve it so far as possible for the benefit of the natives, altnougn thev are reauired to comply with . the local game laws. . ; Japanese Again Advancing. Gunshu Pass, Manchuria, March 29. The Japanese are again moving for ward and the Russian guard has fallen back from its position, about 13 miles north of Sipmghai ( 74 miles north of Tie -Pass) to Chaomiaodzi, which is situated 40 miles below Gunshu 1 Practically complete reports show that the Russian army sacrificed general commissariat stores to the amount of $1,250,000 and stores foran'army corps amounting to $500,000 at Mukden. Try Again in Wisconsin. Madison, Wis., March 29. Unfavor able action on a bill for an exhibit at the Portland exposition was reconsid- ered by the Wisconsin assembly today, Iaiiu i new uiii uppiupixauug fit,uuv was introduced. . j - v : n : v : ini nnrt WAITING FOR 1 Cincinnati. Post A Little Lesson In Patriotism Let our object be our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country." Daniel Webster. The United States owes no less of a debt to the men who established a government out of the chaos that in evitably succeeded the revolution than to those heroes who fought the battles of liberty on the field of war. Had It not been for the untiling energy of the nation builders the work of the r e volutionlsts would have been for naught. No one saw more clearly, or urged buftjs kino. more zealously, the wants of a consolidated government than did Rufus King. He was one of the most ardent of the Federalists, de voting himself to upholding every act of Washington. He collaborated with Hamilton in several articles that ap peared over the signature "Oamilhis." King's unimpeachable honesty and undoubted loyalty led to his appoint ment to the post of minister to Eng land. His mission had to do chiefly with the questions of the right of search. Through the unpleasantness that finally culminated In the war of 1812 King acted with discretion and the most earnest patriotism. . Although not at the outset an advo cate of that war, nevertheless when It was once declared he gave it his most decided support. One of the incidents which marked his attitude was his ap pearance In New York at the time when a financial panic was threatened and by his advice and example restor ing confidence in the government. HIGH-WATER ALARM. To Prevent Overflow of the Refrlar- erator Drippan. Of course, there is but one way to satisfactorily equip a refrigerator to drain the water arising from tne melted ice, and that Is to connect it by pipes with a permanent drain, as ALARX FOB REFRIGERATOR. .ne health authorities will not allow it to be connected direct with a sewer. Where this luxury of construction is not available the overflow alarm and reservoir shown In the illustration offer a good substitute.' This Idea, the invention of a Chicago man, provide the usual piping in the refrigerator leading to a pan concealed underneath. In the pan a portable float is ar ranged, connected with two arms in such a manner as 'to indicate on a registering device the height of water In the pan and thus warn the house wife or domestic when the pan needs to be emptied. The construction of the f : i. HER CUE. several parts of the device 1 exceed ingly simple, and as it can be readily dismantled when not needed, as In winter, It does not complicate matters. BIG QUESTION TO SOLVE. J. HiU Says that United States Is Fac ing startling ionaitlons. "I don't believe In viewing condi tions through the colored glasses of either optimism or pessimism," said James J. Hill, of the Great Northern Railway, to a representative of "Suc cess Magazine." "I believe In exam ining them without prejudice, in order to form conclusions that approximate ' the truth. For Instance, I don't try to palliate the fact that In this country we have some big and threatening problems to solve. "One of them is the labor question. The present standard of wages is arti ficial.' It must be reduced if this coun try is to compete with others in the markets of the world. Our foreign trade in manufactured products, In stead of increasing with the increased production, is falling off. "Consider the single but important item of steel. A very few years ago we were told that our steel was com manding the world's markets. Nobody dares to tell us that now. Even na tives of our own country, in the Philip pines, have recently been sending big orders for steel to Germany. Why? Simply because they can get it cheaper there. 'As it is In steel, so it is in many other products. Germany is making great strides ahead of ns. She is, in fact, leading the world, and promises to Increase her lead. Her mechanics work cheaply, and spend sixty-six hours a week in their factories, where- ours spend but forty-four. More over, they are better workmen. , 'We cannot nope to compete with her In foreign trade until we reduce the cost of our manufactured products and improve their quality. Even Eng land, suffering from Industrial paraly sis because of the power of the trades unions and other influences, is moving faster than we are. The simple truth Is that we are being badly beaten In the race for the markets of the world." Not Lonesome. Seated on the grass in front of a sod cabin, in Oklahoma was a man cleaning a double-barreled shotgun and after we had conversed for a few min utes I asked him how far it was to the nearest neighbor's. "A trifle over two miles,", he replied. "As far as that? You must find it rather lonesome here." "No, I can't say as I do." "Perhaps you are not one of the lonesome kind." "No. I'm not. But, you see, I mort gaged the claim for $400." "Yes." . :. . " ' . "And I couldn't pay and they fore closed on me." "I see." "That was two years ago, and the sheriff has been trying to get posses sion ever since. He comes twice a week and we have a shot at each other and at least twice a week some durned fool comes along and wants to know if I ain't lonesome, and when you add the claim jumpers, the rattlesnakes and the skunks this life Is about the excitlngest thing I know of. There comes the sheriff now and you had better get down behind that log and keep clear of his buckshot" Topeka (Kan.) Journal. Why He Kicked. ; "Look here!" exclaimed the Irate in vestor. "I believe I have been bun ioed in the stock you sold me." . "My dear man,'" replied the suave voiced broker, "you fail to realize ". "That's just the trouble; I haven't realized a cent." Important Question. ' Proud Father And while at college my daughter learned to be an excellent rifle shot Why, she's an expert at any range.. " . . ...j. - - OUltor lanxlOUSljrj I wouuer u buh s I an expert at a kitchen range?