t acier. It's a Cold Day When We Get Left. VOL. Till. HOOD RIVER, OREGON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 1S97. NO. 32. THE SULTAN IS OBDURATE. ACCEPTS OUR OFFICES. PERISHED TO A MAN. T.1G River Gl THE MEVS OF THE WEEK From. All Parts of .the New World and. the Old. i; Hi'' OF INTEREST TO OUR READERS oasprehenslva Review of the Import ant Happening of the Fast Week Culled From the Telegraph Colnmni, An ocoult temple will be built in Si n Franoisoo by theosophista, and fund 4 have already been subscribed. A strike instituted at Georgetown, Mass., has thrown out of work 200 men, and promises to embrace the en tire six shoe factories of the town. ; A threatened oat in wages was the cause of the strike. - A family of ten persona and a num ber of oattle have been engulfed by the subsiding of a bog of 100 aores near Castle island, county Kerry, Ire land. It is stated that other persons , were drowned. !. The foreign office informs the Asw ! ciated Press that no communication to any power regarding Cuba and the United States has been made by Great Britain, and it is added that - no repre sanations direotly or indireotly have been made on the subjeot to the United . States by Great Britain. If any other powers have done so, the foreign office is not aware of the fact. The oonstruotors of the Siberian rail .." road have undertaken to build a line through Mantohuria. starting from a k point on the river where the Siberian road joins the trans-Baikelia line and terminating at Mikolskaya, Russia. The ministerial press of St. Peters burg poiuts out that this line will make Russia the intermediary of peaoe . ful civilisation between Europe and Asia. , ' .. . A speoial trom Paris says it is sug , gested that Great Britain, Franoe and Italy, the powers most interested, offer ' their servioes in the Cuban question in order to prevent a . conflict between Spain and the United States, and ter minate the revolt. Dr. E. Forbes, representing a Lon don firm, arrived on the last steamer from the Orient in San Franoisoo, with v cases of medical instruments valued at $80,000.' He olaims they are works of art, and should be admitted free of duty. The oustoms authorities are withholding the instruments, however, until the duty is paid. ' The postmaster of Des Moines, la., had his oarriera look up worthy oases of poor families and delivered presents . to them on Christmas morning. Sev eral hundred dollars was subscribed by business men for the purpose. S aores of letters were reoeived from poor chil dren telling what they desired Santa Claus to bring them. ;' , Senator Mitchell, of Oregon, has! proposed an amendment to the sundry civil appropriation bill, providing for auxiliary fishcultural stations at points to be selected by the commissioner of . fish and fisheries in Oregon, Washing ton and California, for the propagation . of salmon, trout and other fishes. The amendment appropriates $17,600 for the purpose. ... Jerry Burke, the colored boy, who haoked Mrs. John Foss and her daugh- ter, Mrs. Cavanaugb, with an ax, at their home at Clio, Livingston parish, , Louisiana, last Sunday, was oaptured by a posse of citizens about a mile from the scene of the crime. In view of the faot that the ladies are not dead, the plan to burn him at the stake was abandoned, and he was simply riddled with bullets. ; The secretary of the treasury has sent to congress a computation of the aPaoifio railroad debts as made by the government aotuary. The statement shows that the advances to the Union Paoiflo, including the Kansas Pacifio, by the government, will, at maturity, the first of next July, amount to $92,- 846,285, of which sufficient has been re paid to reduce the amount to $53,289. . e 593. The balanoe due on acoount of j, the Central Pacifio on July 1 next will ",ube $60,818,377., .; Dr. Thomas Powell, of Missouri, re cently made some remarkable experi . ments before a party of dootors in Los Angeles in order to prove the efficacy of his remedy for oertain diseases. He alarmed the physicians present by in jeoting baooillus tuberoulosis and bac v oilli diptherial into himself, appearing to take them without evil effect. He also injected some baotina into two ,: guinea . pigs, which promptly died. His next experiment will be to iDjeot sputum from a woman dying of con gumption into himself. The annual statement of construc tion published by the Railway Age, of .Chioago shows that during 1896 only 1,802 miles of railway lines were built y in the United States. . This is one mile less than the total reported for 1895, and the smallest mileage built in any :, year sinoe 1875. The number of lines on which this track was laid is 163, which is eleven less than the number of new lines added in the previous year. Track was laid in thirty-eight of the forty-four states and territories. . The longest mileage was built in Cali fornia 187 miles on eight lines. Absolutely Refuses to Permit Further Interference. Constantinople, Dec. 80. The Rus sian ambassador on Saturday, acting in ooncert with representatives of Great Britain, Franoe, ; Italy. Germany and Austria, bad an audience with the sul tan, Abdul Hamid, one of many such interviews within the past year, on the same subjeot, the better administration of affairs in the Turkish empire . The Russian diplomat began by warning the sultan and the Turkish government that if the evenues oeded for payment of the Turkish debt were touched, v European ' oontrol of the finances of the empire would become inevitable. M. de Nelidoff, the Rus sian ambassador, further informed the sultan that the ozar guaranteed his per sonal safety and engaged himself to maitain the sultan's supremacy in the eveat of severe measures being neoes sary upon the part of the powers. '. The sultan, however, remained obdurate, refusing to consent to any measure of oontrol, financial or otherwise, by the powers. . The Russian ambassador said the condition of the Turkish empire placed the throne and the caliphate in immi nent peril. Thereupon .Abdul Hamid remarked impressively; "I may be the last of the caliphs, but I will never become a second khe dive." In addition to these warnings, M. de Nelidoff sent a note to the Turkish gov ernment and; to the palace. The ut most significance is attached to it in diplomatic ciroles. He pointed out in preoise terms the necessity for the sul tan following the advice of the powers and acting in complete agreement with their plans for improving the situa tion, warning them once more that the sultan's refusal to do so involves the most disagreeable oonsequences. The ambassadors of the powers will meet again to disouss the situation, and will reassemble in future twioe a week until they oomplete their recom mendations to the sultan and his ad visers. The envovs acting together will henceforth maintain' the strictest seoreoy regarding their deliberations and the aotion taken or contemplated and will not even inform the envoys " of other powers of the deoisions reached. '. These latest steps upon the part of the powers are once again reported to have produoed a profound impression at Kiosk and in pursuanoe of the is suance of an amnesty deoree the Ar menian prisoners in Asia Minor and this oity and vicinity are being released daily" in batches of fifteen. JUSTICE IN CHINA. Tlratei and Counterfeiters are Promptly Beheaded. . San Franoisoo, Deo. 80. According to the latest advices from the Orient Li Ka Chuck, superintendent of the Canton police, on November 23, seized a large number of counterfeit coins. The chief coiner, Tse Sang, and others, were arrested. . An imperial deoree from Peking oommanded the immediate? decapitation of the three named offend ers, and enjoins the viceroy to deal with the others as he thinks necessary according to law, as a warning to the people. The offioials who effeoted the seizure were all promoted in rank. , . . The Canton viceroy reported in an other memorial the capture of two no torious pirate junks. In effecting the capture one military officer lost his life. A deoree was issued on the 19th of November authorizing the execution of the oaptives and ordering the offioials ooncerned in the oapture to be promot; ed in rank and that the matter of the military officer who had lost bis life be referred to the board conoerned for rewards and posthumous honors. An Investigation Asked For. New York,.' Deo. 80. Several life insuranoe oompanies have asked Coro ner Tuthill to make a thorough investi gation as to the cause of the death of David Blakeley, manager of Sousa's band, who expired suddenly in his office in this city in November last The body is to be disinterred in odrer to determine whether certain sums in a Chicago aocident insuranoe company oan be collected, Blakely having suf fere 1 a severe bioyole aooident some weeks prior to his death. An Immense Blast Fired. San Diego, Deo. 30. The Southern California Mountain Water Company fired the largest blast at Morena made in - the history of the ' state. The amount of rook disloged was 160,000 tons. . Giant and blaok powder was used. All the deposits of powder which were plaoed in tunnels at differ ent levels in the hills were conneoted by eleotrio wires, which completed a oirouit. . . A Big Cruiser Floated. Cronstadt, Deo. 80. The armored jruiser Rossia, of 12,180 tons displace ment, the largest vessel in the Russian navy, whioh ran on a sandbank in the beginning of November and , has been frozen in ever sinoe, has ' been floated after fifty-one days of incessant labor with steam ioebreakrs. Bombay, Djc. . 80. The bubonic plague is increasing," there having been 2,094 cases and 1,494 deaths from that cause up to date. The exodus from the city oontinues, and the natives are threatened with malarial law unless they conform with the sanitary regulations. to A DELAY IN THE PROCEEDINGS They Insist That Incidental Negotia ' tlons Shall Be llosed First Gen eral Arbitration Treaty Completed. Washington, Deo. 80. Seoretary 01 ney left the state department at 12 o'olock today and went direct to the British embassy, where he held a long conference by appointment with Sir Julian Paunoefote, the British ambas sador, relative to the status of the Ven ezuela treaty. Mr. Olney 's call fol lowed the arrival of Minister Andrade, of Venezuela, and James J. Storrow, counsel in the Venezuela oase, who reached Washington late last evening. The result of the conference was guarded with the usual seorecy which prevails at meetings between the secre tary and an ambassador, but there is good reason to believe it was the occa sion for going over sevoral new phases of the Venezuela question. The offioials are reticent, and will say only in general terms that the pros peot of an acceptance of the settlement by , Venezuela is good. It is understood,-however, that there are impor tant limitations to the acceptance whioh appear to make the ' case less hopeful of an immediate and satisfac tory conclusion than has been expeoted. The plan of an extra Session of the Venezuela congress to ratify the treaty has been practically abandoned. There appears also to be a question as to the nature ' of Venezuela's acoeptanca. President Crespo and the government authorities hare expressed satisfaction with the general settlement, so far as they seoure arbitration, yet they have not yet expressed official approval of all the details of the settlement On the odntrary, there seems a very earnest desire at Caracas for more ex act information of the terms of the treaty between Venezuela and Great Britain. . At present there is no disposition to await the gradual maturing ' of this complete treaty, and it is little short of settled that the treaty will have to be forthcoming, and all the incidental negotiations closed before the desired Venezuela ratification is seoured. , In official and diplomatio -ciroles, there continues to be a satisfactory and hopeful view of the situation. It is felt-all obstaoles will be cleared away in time, and there is a disposition to' minimize obstaoles as being under the head of minor details. ,. At the same time, the practioal abandonment of the extra session of the Venezuela congress and the dispo sition to olose all negotiations on the final treaty before acceptance is given do not increase the prospeot of a speedy conclusion of the oase. . ' ' Ontbe question of general arbitra tion between the United Stated and Great Britain, Mr. Olney and Sir Julian have made their final draft of the treaty, and it is in the hands of Lord Salisbury, awaiting his approval. No doubt exists of its approval, and it is expeoted to oome daily. . THE PACIFIC ROADS' DEBT. President Cleveland Preparing to Bring the Mattir to a Settlement. t ' Washington, Deo. 80. The Even ing Star today says: ' The president has had several con ferences of late with the attorney-general, and the secretary of the interior and the seoretary of the treasury, with a view to speedy aotion for the adjust ment of obligations of tha Paoiflo rail roads to the government It has been settled that steps will shortly be taken for the foreclosure of the government mortgages on these roads, unless congress shall ' make provision for settlement of the ques tion at the present session. . With the amount already matured, more than $13,000,000 of the prinoipal of the subsidy bonds issued in behalf of the Union Pacifio line, and more than $6, 000,000 of similar bonds issued in aid of the Central Pacifio road, will have fallen due and been paid or -, must be paid on or before January 1 next. Without reference to the application of the sinking fund now in the treasury, this state of affairs will, in the opin ion of the president, as stated in his annual message, "create such a default on the part of the companies to the government as will give it the right to at onoe institute proceedings to fore close its mortgage lien." - r , - In addition to the above stated - in debtedness maturing January 1 next, there will mature thereafter, by Jan uary 1, 1899, the remaining principal of suoh subsidy bonds whioh must also be met by the government. ; These ag gregate $41,000,000, of whioh $20, 000,000 are on account of the Union Pacifio, and $21,000,000 on acoount of the Central Paoiflo Company. 1 Lost on te Swedish Coast. Hull, England, Dec. 80. The Wil son line' steamship Volo is a total loss at -Wingu, off the coast of Sweden. The crew and passengers were saved. The Volo was a screw steamer built at Hull in 1890, registering 841 tons net. ' Venezuelans Not Ready ' Ratify the Treaty. Spain Asks the Unitel Stales to Aot as Mediator. Washington, Deo. 30. It has been learned from an authentic source that Secretary Olney and Senor Dupuy de Lome have practically terminated the negotiations of the Cuban question, whioh are to be submitted to congress when it convenes, January 5. The terms of the agreement are based on recent official communications from Premier Canovas addressed to the seo retary of state. -.. . .., v : The premier states clearly the terms whioh Spain will accord to the insur gents, and praotically asks the United States to propose these conditions to her rebellious subjects. In return for our good offloes, Spain assures this gov ernment she sincerely deplores the great commercial loss which we have sus tained on acoount of the Cuban dis turbances. She assures us she is even now considering a reoiprooity treaty which will deal mainly with Cuban products, and whioh will be framed in suoh advantageous terms toward this government that our . losses, both in commerce and. in the destruction of Amerioan property in Cuba, will be most generously compensated. Premier Canovas bays Spain cannot, as a self-respeoting and respeoted na tion, stand before the world as having been coeroed into , measures by the United States. . She has freely granted all she now offers, and that in the face of a rebellion. But she acoepta tho good offices of the United States to act as mediator, and to guarantee to the insurgents amnesty and the enforce ment of the new reform law whioh she is about to proclaim in Cuba. The form of government offered is, the Spanish statesman declare?, the limit of independence which oau be granted to a province by any nation without absolutely severing the bonds of union with the mother oountry. Autonomy as enjoyed by the Canadians can never be granted in Cuba. What Spain is willing to grant the insur gents, if they lay down their arms, and what she asks the United States to guarantee, is an act whioh provides for a counoil of administration which shall control all matters pertaining to the commerce of the West Indies and all estimates upon the general taxation and expenditures of the island, as well as its general home government. Spain's Backdown. ' New York, Dao. 80. A Madrid dis pa toh to the World says: , '.""'"., An evidently inspired editorial ' in the Epooa today, foreshadowing . the possibility of an , understanding , be tween the Spanish government and President Cleveland, has caused a pro found sensation in Spain. The Epoca, the organ of the conservative party, now in power, says: "Amerioan intervention in Cuba is perfeotly logical on the grounds of material interests and- national senti ment It might become au inevitable necessity of American home politics, and it is eminently to the in'.erest of our own country to avoid a oonflict while we oan do so with honor, main taining our dignity and sovereignty." The present active efforts of Spanish diplomacy are all aimed, it is asserted in diplomatio and political quarters here, at oonvinoing the American state department that exigencies of domestio policy make it impossible for Spain to enter into any formal agreement or convention with the United States for the settlement of the Cuban question. Strenuous efforts are being made by the Spanish and other European gov ernments to prevail upon President Cleveland to be content if Spain assents taoitly only to his interference, and satisfies Amerioan opinion for the time being by voluntary and prompt insti tuting in Cuba and- in Porto Rioo of the reforms voted by the- c'ortes. This is an' understanding,' however, that Preimer Canovas will ask the . cortes this year to authorize oomplete colonial autonomy and reduction of colonial tariffs, to prepare the way. for a reci procity treaty with the United States. The Spanish generals agree that it is possible to reduce the insurrection in Cuba to the three eastern provinces in a few months with the foroes now on the island, but they share the opinion of General Weyler that oomplete pa cification of the rest of the island would require a much longer time, un less the - rebels should be convinced that resistance is sure to diminish in consequence of the Spanish government coming to an understanding, even un official, with the United States to set tle the Cuban question. Crime of a Tramp. ' Grafton, Wis., Deo. 29. John Holmes, a farmer near here, was shot last evening by Ferdinand,' Fragen kneoht, whose objact was presumably robbery. Two shots lodged in Holmes' head and one passed through his neck. He cannot reoover. After firing the. shots Fragenknecht fled.. 1 He was quiokly pursued by a posse of citizens, who oaught him and were on the point of executing him when the police in terfered, and after much ' trouble suc ceeded in lodging him safely in jail. The murderer evidently is a tramp. He asked Mrs. Holmes for a meal, which was given him, and he then pulled a revolver and shot the old farmer while his wife was in another room. She ran out shouting ."mur der," and a crowd soon collected and followed and captured the man. A Resume of Events in the . ' . Northwest. .. .. EVIDENCE OF STEADY GROWTH News- Gathered in All the Towns o! Our Neighboring State Improve ment Noted in A 11 Industries- Oregon. . A project is on foot in Brownsville to have a free reading-room. Stockbuyers are paying $12 to $17 for 2-year-old steers, and $15 for oows, in Grant county. . . ';.....' Cattle on the range in Grant county are looking thinner than ever at this time of the year. , Empire City's town treasurer holds $1,200 town funds, and the oity boasts of no indebtedness. The colored miners at Beaver Hill, in Coos county, are organizing a lodge, supposedly of Masonry. There are about thirty taxpayers in Wallowa county, who pay taxes on property valued at over $6,000 eaoh. Elgin has shipped 787 oarloads of grain, stook, wool, lumber and ties in the last ten months valued at $105,000, Strange as it may seem in midwinter the feunohgrass is growing on Grant county's hills, says the Canyon City News. . , - . Mr. Herrick expeots to have work begun on his oannery at The Dalles in a few weeks, to put it in shape for the spring run of salmon. S. B. Edson, representing Edson Bros., of Gazelle, Cal., who has been in Lane oounty for some time buying cattle, will ship about 350 head, eight carloads, to Gazelle. The cattle are mostly 3-year-old, steers. . , In answer to a request from the Mil ton board of trade for a conference upon the quesiton of dividing Umatilla county, the Pendleton chamber of com merce has written that the question of division is one for the people of the county; but that, as an association, it is opposed to division. : ,' Last summer P. Boler, who lives in Springfield preoinot, in Lane oounty, raised ' several hundred bushels of canary seed, and sold it in Portland, Salem and Eugene. He reoeived 4 cents per pound for the seed. It is better than the canary seed raised in California and the other states, weigh ing considerably more to the bushel. An old oonple, while on their way to The Dalles last week in a two-horse , hack, were upset in a snowdrift on a steep grade on Ten-Mile, and went rolling down the hill. A young man went to their assistance tried to get the horses out of the drift, and the horses and hack went tumbling after. For tunately, no one was seriously hurt, nor was muoh damage done to the rig. Harold Parker has returned to Baker City from Omaha, after an absence oi several months. Last spring Mr. Parker left Huntington with 13,600 sheep, the property of Gutherie, Foss & Co., of Omaha, to be driven over land to Clarks, a station near the me tropolis of Nebraska. Although it took Mr. Parker four months or more to make the drive, he was so successful that he lost but ninety sheep. ? . - .' Washington." ' ' A great deal of wheat has been sold in Ellensburg lately. The city treasurer of Fairbaven has issued a call for warrants numbered from 8970 to 8080 inclusive, drawn upon the general fund, there being funds on hand with which to pay them. Buokley citizens are now oiroulating a petition for- the establishment of a wagon road from that town to the Summit mines, and pledges of assist ance are said to be numerous. The aggregate value of real property in Eliokitat oounty is 1896, as equal ized by the oounty .board, is $1,612,506. The population of the oounty is 7,600. The oounty has fifty-six organized school districts, with an attendance of 2,680 pupils. ; ( The Washington state board of pilot commissioners for the Columbia river and bar have submitted their report to the governor of vessels bound in and out of the Columbia river from July 1 , 1896, to Ootober 6, 1896. It shows that there were sixty-four bound in and sixty-one bound out between these dates. The oity oi Ellensburg has been or dered by the oourt to make a speoial tax levy of four mills a year for four years to pay the 'amount of the judg ment in the Lorerice case, wherein a verdict for damages against the oity was rendered, because of an aooident resulting from a defective sidewalk. The judgment now amounts to about $10,000.. ' " Superintendent Barnett, of the St. Louis mine, was in Everett the other day from Silverton. " He brought down five pack horses, and had to make them swim the Stillagnamish river three times. It was a perilous undertaking, for the stream was high and swift. Tho nnmnnnv Vina a drillinor mi t fit ready to put in the mine as soon as the maohinery oan be transported by rail, : and then work will be continued all winter. v ' Brave Party of Texans Fighting for" Cuba Killed in a Hot Fight. New York, Deo. 29. A special to the World from Key West, says: ' The Lone Star company, of the Pa triot Army of j West Cuba, consisting . of fifteen Texas sharpshooters, perished to a man after battling more than five hours against vastly superior Spanish forces in Pinar del Rio provinoe, kill ing double their own number and wounding probably as many more. Havana offioials are jubilant, passen gers say, over the news of this victory. . A Cnban band was observed near . Pinar del Rio oity Thursday morning, and General Melquiz sent two squads of oavalry to attack it. After a run ning fight, the band, whioh proved to be oomposed of the fifteen Texans, was chased into a "bottle," a bit of hum- -mock having one opening. The Texans, seeing they were in a hole, retreated to the further end and fortified them selves behind some boulders.. i The Spanish troopers dismounted and sur rounded them, pouring "in a fire from both sides. : The brave Texans replied , and kept up the fight more than five hours. By that time, six of the fifteen bad been killed and four wounded, while twenty-five Spaniards had bit the dust and ten or more were wounded. A flag of truoe was sent in by the Spanish, and the Texans were oalled on to surrender, but the Americans re-, fused, shouting, "We remember Ma-' CeO." ;. ' h- ' ' This infuriated the Spaniards, and they fought with renewed fieroeness. Twice they charged, but the rapid fir ing of the brave little band drove them back. By getting on a high ridge be hind the Texans' position, the Span-' iards were enabled to kill all but two ' of those left. Those two gallantly con tinued to fight and held off the enemy an hour longer. Then, overoome by thirst and enfeebled by loss of blood, flowing from a dozen wounds, they were out to pieces by the Spanish, who finally dashed up as the Texans oried, . "Viva Cnbalibre." .; ESCAPED LYNCHING. ' A Murder, r Owes Bis Safety to Gov ' ernor Stone. ' ''' ', Jefferson City, Mo., Deo. 29. The presence of Governor Stone at the coun- -ty jail tonight probably saved Toba Lanahan, oolored, from being lynohed. At 8:80 o'olook, a mob of fully 1,000, whites and blacks, surrounded the jail, threatening to avenge the .most revolt ing murder ever committed in Jeffer son City. Early this morning the body of a 14-year-old negro girl, Millie Gaines, was found in a yard baok of Joseph Stampfli's furniture store. The child had been outraged, her skull crushed and her body mutilated in a . horrible manner. Suspioion : pointed to Tobe Lanahan, and he was arrested. In the basement of the furniture store - inoriminating evidence was found. ' The news spiead over the oity, and by night there was great exoitement. When a lynching was . finally threat ened, Governor Stone, aooompanied by Mayor Silver and Assistant Attorney- General Jordan, went to the jail and Governor Stone spoke to the mob. He appealed to them to leave the punish ment of the crime to the state. As oitizens of the capital of the state, he implored them not to permit, in the -very shadow of the capital, such a crime as was contemplated. , When the enraged men were finally induced to withdraw, the prisoner was removed to the ' state penitentiary. Armed guards from the state armory assisted in the transfer of the prisoner. Another Big Tunnel. Seattle, Deo. 29. H. C. Henry, the millionaire contractor, today confirmed the report that he had seoured the con tract to build the approaches to the Great Northern railroad's tunnel through the Cascade mountains, and that men were already on their way to commence preliminary work. Mr. Henry refused to state the amount of the contract. It will take about six months, to do the work, and then every- thing will be ready to commencs on the tunnel, which will be one of the ' greatest engineering feats known in railroad history. . The tunnel will be 2 miles long, and will reduce the altitude of the road 1,000 feet. - . i Mailcarrler Protected Himself. Burlington, Ky., Deo." 29. A col ored people's Christmas oelebration be- . gan at Big Bone springs Wednesday night, and continued all night. Chas. . El wart, a mail oarrier, while passing the plaoe yesterday morning,' was as saulted by Harvey Foster, oolored, armed with a razor. Elwart shot Fos-" ter dead. He has been arrested.- El- wart's reputaiton is good while that of Foster is bad. . , ' Disastrous Fire. Potsdam, . N. Y., Deo. 29. The Windsor hotel, four saloons, two cloth ing stores, three restaurants, one gro cery, two livery stables, and two bar- , ber shops, oomposing a large portion of . the business section of the town, were burned today. The loss is estimated at $100,000; partially insured. ! A Postofflce Block Burned. Amesbury, Mass., Deo. 29. The postoffioe blook was badly damaged by fire today. The loss cn the building and property of the various ocoupanta will amount to $60,000; insurance, about $40,000. The fire probably J oaught near the boiler in the basement, i