Hood
liver
acier
It's a Cold Day When We Get Left.
HOOD RIVER, OREGON, FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1897.
NO. 50.
VOL. VIII.
ON THE AGGRESSIVE.
THE DAY' IN THE SENATE.
RAILWAYS IN MEXICO.
T'
Epitome, of the Telegraphic
'News of the World.
TERSE TICKS FROM THE WIRES
An Interacting Collection of Item Front
the New and the Old World In a
Condensed and Comprehensive Form
Forest fires are said to be starting up
again around Ashland, Wis. ' .
The Santa Fe purchased the Atlan
tic & Pacific railroad at a foreclosure
sale for 112,000,000.
The Transvaal will observe the
queen's jubilee day as a holiday as a
token of appreciation. 1
;A big fire in Pittsburg, Pa., de
stroyed $3,000,000 worth of property,
and resulted in one death and the in
Jury of four persons.
The banking-house of J. B. "Wheeler
& Co., in Manitou and Aspen, Colo.,
have gone into the hands of assignees.
No reason is given by the directors.
V. D. Case, of Pittsburg, Columbia
county, and J. VV. Duncan, of Uma
tilla, Umatilla county, Oregon, have
been appointed fourth-class postmasters.
A Washington special says that it
has been definitely decided that Nation
al Committeeman J. E. Boyd, of North
Carolina, will be appointed solicitor of
internal revenue.
. Colonel 'John Hay, the newly ap
pointed United States ambassador to
England, was received with unusual
distinction while presenting his cre
dentials to the queen at Windsor castle.
:i It has been found that Victor Koski
was the man drowned off the ooast a
few days ago with John Rock, while
fishing near Astoria. ' Koski was a resi
dent of 'West Astoria, 80 years of age
and unmarried.
" Johanna Spath, widow of Jacob Spath,
: is suing Katz & Sons, sausage manufac
turers, of San Francisco, for $100,000
damages. Her, husband was killed in
the defendant's faotory and the widow
charges (he firm with being responsible1
on account of negligence.
President McKinley has sent to con
gress a message concerning the lynch
ing of three Italians at Hahnville, Va.,
August , 9, 1896. He recommends an
appropriation of $40,000 lor the heirs
of the persons without admitting the
liability' of the United States in the
premises. f i "1 j - , ,
' In the German reichstag Count von
KaniU, the agrarian leader, interpellat
ed, the government on the Bubject of
the proposed United States tariff. He
asked if the government wished to con
tinue the agreement of 1891, and said
the Dingley bill implied leas the in
crease of v American customs revenue
than the successful expulsion of Euro
pean imports from American markets.
f A duel was'' fought at the entrance to
Washington Park, Chicago, which
might, have resulted fatally for one of
the principals, had not the seconds load
. ed the revolvers used " with blank car
tridges. The principals were W. L.
King, son of a noted lawyer who died
some time ago, and Colonel Jeremiah
Bask, a veteran of the. Confederate
army who had. fought on board the
Merrimac. ' After shots had been ex
changed the duelists' honor had been
satisfied, and they shook hands.
Four lives were lost in a tenement
house fire in Brooklyn, N. Y. .' C
, Fire consumed the elevator and other
property of the Iowa Elevator Company
at Peoria, 111.; loss, $200,000. '
Trainwreckers threw a switch and
wrecked a train on the Houston & Tex
as Central and killed one man and in
jured several.
The schooner Annie was crushed in
an ice floe off St. Johns, N. B. The
crew of twenty-five men barely escaped
with their lives. .": 1 ,
N. Burris, Son & Co. , of Norfolk,
Va. , one of the most prominent and
widely known banking firms in the
South, has failed. '
The insurgents against Spanish rule
in the Philippine islands are still 25,
000 strong ajid offering stout resistence
in the mountains.
The Hansard union of printers and
publishers in London, whioh collapsed
in 1891, has paid a quarter of a million
sterling of its indebtedness.
The mineowners of Leadville, Col.,
met and subscribed $50,000 toward
draining the mines, and it is estimated
that opening the mines will put 750
men to work. .
' The Frenoh fishing vessel Valiant,
Captain Pierre, from St. Malo for Mi
quelon, struck an iceberg on the Grand
banks, near St. John's, N. F., on the
18th Inst, , and almost . immediately
foundered. She had seventy-three
fishermen on board, and all took to the
boats. ' Only one of these boats has so
far been heard from. - When it left the
vessel, its complement was ten men.
Three perished from exposure and hun
ger. . The bodies of the first two were
thrown overboard, but the -survivors, in
their desperation, were driven to can
, nibalism, and ate the third. The boat
was picked up by a schooner. Th sur
vivors are in -a shocking condition, and
are so badly frostbitten that their arms
must be amputated,
Insurgent Operations in Havana Prov
' lnce Attended With Success.
New York,. May 5. A special to the
Press from Key .West says: Havana
advices show that the insurgents are
active in that province. Tapasta was
attacked last week by a force of 400
insurgents, and held for an entire day.
The Spanish garrison in one of the
blockhouses retired completely, while
the other held their ground and did not
fire at the insuregnts or disturb them
in any. way. The Cubans took posses
sion of the vacated blookhouse, looting
it of all the arms and provisions they
could find, and then set it on fire. ;'
The other, blockhouse, with a gar
rison of 800 troops in and around it,
kept quiet, no offensive operations be
ing attempted by the Spanish in com
mand. ' The Cubans camped within
half a mile of the Spanish force, and
plundered the stores of the town with
out opposition.
La Heiba was attacked by a force
from Rodriguez' army, the first of the
week, and the Spanish garrison driven
out. There, is a small earth fort there
and two blookhonses. They attacked
the earthworks early in the morning,
and carried them ' by a dashing oharge,
the Spanish retreating into their block
houses1 at the other end of town.- One
of these was attacked by the Cubans,
and three bombs exploded under its
walls, shattering it badly and killing
several inmates. The Spanish, surren
dered, and were paroled by the Cu
bans. Some firing took place between
the insurgents and the other two block
houses, but no attack was made on
them, the Cubans apparently being con
tent, with the victories they had gained.
They entered the stores, took what they
pleased, and loaded their plunder in ox
teams in plain view of the Spanish.
The' Spanish loss is said to have been
about seventy-five killed and wounded.
Word reaohed the palace yesterday
that a garrison of 200 men at a small
place in the southwestern pqrtion of
the province deserted to the insurgents
last week, carrying all their arms and
ammunition and a field piece. "
The insurgent captains, Rafael Men
doza Sicarros, and Bicardo Haldez,who
voluntarily surrendered a fortnight ago
in Pinaridel Rio and were liberated un
der Captain-General Weyler's amnesty
deoree, have been arrested. They are
to be deported in irons to Ceuta for
confinement.
;' Advices from Sancti Spiritus report
that the Spanish volunteers in the gar
rison there are becoming mutinous, ow
ing to the government's failure to pro
vide adequate commissary supplies.
From" thirty to forty are deserting
daily. ; :
Dr. Zertucha In Trouble.
New. York, May 5. A .dispatoh to
the Journal from Havana says: "Dr.
Maximo Zertucha, Antonio Maceo's
physician, who ia alleged to have be
trayed the Cuban general to the Span
iards, was arrested at his home near
Guinea yesterday and t brought to Ha
vana under close guard. It is under
stood at the palace that Weyler has or
dered ' his deportation to Chafarinas
island, a Spanish penal settlement off
the African coast." 5
A FORTUNE FOR A TRAMP.
Jacob Loosing Is in Luck If He Can
' Be Found.
New York, May 5. This story has
to do with one Jacob Loesing, a tramp
who ran away from his home in Havre,
France, when a little boy of 16, and
who has just been left $38,000 by a
rich uncle who died. The man was
taken to a lawyer's office nine months
ago to be 'examined as a witness in an
assault case. In the course of an ex
amination these facts were brought out:
The man was Jacob Loesing; he was
born in Havre; his unole, who con
ducted a large flour business at Havre,
took charge of him and sent him to a
boarding ehcool. When the boy was
16 years old he ran away, went to Paris,
mastered the English language, earned
a little money, made his way to Liver
dool and came to this country on a cat
tle steamer. Finding it was necessary
to work, even in America, the runaway
went West and obtained a position as
porter in a hotel in Iowa. He drifted
to San Francisco. There, sad to re
late, .the;' wanderer was compelled to
serve eighteen months in San Quen
tin, accused of having broken into a
laundry. When liberated he came to
New York.
All this Jacob told the lawyer. The
latter did not place much confidence
in the man's story, but after giving it
careful consideration, he decided that
there might be some truth in it, so he
wrote to a counsellor at Havre and re
ceived the reply that Jacob's uncle had
died several months ago, leaving an es
tate valued at $38,000. It was only
for Loesing to go there and prove his
identity. Money needed for expenses
would be advanced.- But Loesing can
not be found. , '
Drowned In Salmon Bay.
Seattle, May 5. B. H. Waller, cook
of the schooner Compeer, loading lum
ber at Ballard for Central America,
drowned in Salmon bay this afternoon.
He had quit, intending to go to Alaska,
and a new cook had been engaged for
the schooner. , They started in a small
skiff for the ship, the skiff capsized
and Waller drowned. The new cook
saved his life by clinging 4o the over
turned boat.
Zdhem Pasha - Begins the
Expected Attack. .
ME FIGHTING AT VELESTINO
recks Successfully Repelled the
Turks With Great ' Loss to the
' Invaders The News From Eplrus
London, May 4 A dispatch from
thens says: The reports of the Turk-
i assaults on Pharsala are officially
nfimieJ. - "v r '
The Fighting: at Yelestlno.
Athens, May 4. Diapatohes from
'bursalu, the headquarters of the Greek
rtny in Thessaly, give further particu
trs of the recent fighting between
.'urks and Greeks at Velestino, ten
niles west of Volo, at the junction of
he railroad connecting Volo with Lar
ssa and Pharsala. The Turkish at
acking force consisted of 8,000 infan
cy, 600 oavalry and thirteen guns.
The charges of the Turkish gun cavalry
were firmly withstood by Evzones post
ed on Karnavassa hill. An entire
Turkish regiment was decimated. Four
Turkish squadrons which attempted a
oharge were received with a combined
rifle and sharpnel fire which mowed
:lown seve-al hundred. The Greek
irregulars co-operated with the regu
lars. Fifty Greeks were killed, and a
major and five subalterns wounded.
A detachment .-of Turkish : cavalry
from Larissa approaohed the railway
between Pharsala and Domokos, which
town is about ten .miles south of Phar
sala, in the Greek ' rear. The Greek
artillery opened fire upon the enemy's
cavalry at long range, and after heavy
oannonading forced the Turks to retire,
the Greek cavalry pursuing them.. .
i The Turkish commander apparently
wished to surprise the Greeks at Phar
sala and sent two, army 'corps against
them, one from Trikhala, the other
from Larissa. :y
Greek Positions Taken.
Constantinople, May 4. Edhem
Pasha has sent a telegram announcing
that after a serious fight at Velestino
the Turks had captured three forts and
four entrenched positions, the Greeks
retiring to Volo. " ' "I
s .
Greeks Again Attacking; Pentepigadia.
Athens, May' 4. -A dispatch from
Arta says that 10,000 Greeks, under
Colonel Bairastaris, are again attack
ing Pentepigadia.
" The German cruiser Augusta Vic
toria has arrived at Phalerum.
Official Turkish Advices.
Constantinople, May 4. Rifzi Pa
sha, commander of the Turks at Jan
ina, yesterday telegraphed a report to
the effect that the troops had oocupied,
after a fight the heights commanding
Karavan-Serai. The Greeks fled, ac
cording to the official Turkish accounts,
by way of Kunuzades.
Retreated to Arta. '
London, May 4. A special dispatch
from Athens announces that the Greek,
army has retreated in thorough order
to Arta, where it is awaiting reinforce
ments. , .
Turks Besieging Arta.
Athens, May 4. The Turks are pre
paring to beseige Arta. - , :
In Panlc-Strlcken Yolo.
New York, May 4. A Herald dis
patch from Salonica says: An English
man who arrived here last night from
Volo, where he had been four days,
says that the scenes of panic and con
fusion are indescribable. . Law and or
der have disappeared and all semblance
of authority is gone. The whole beach
is strewn with baggage, and people are
clamoring and waiting for ships that
do not come. Rifles are being promis
cuously served and cartridges, are
thrown in heaps-in the streets and the
people fill their pockets with them. - ;
The Englishman ' saw the Greeks'
flight at Velestino. Fugitives rushing
in without money of provisions inter
mingled with the soldiers who had
thrown their arms away ' so as not to
impede their fight He also saw -the
;aptain of an American ship who left
Athens on the 28th. He said the peo
ple were terribly bitter against the roy
al family and would kill any of its
i.nembers if they could get at them.
They accused Prince Constantine of
having betrayed the army and of being
in collusion with the Russians. ' "
The latest he heard was that the king
had taken refuge on a Russian warship.
The streets were full of armed people.
The shops were being plundered. . ,' . ; '
Moustapha Bey's Advices.
Washington, May 4. The Turkish
legation reoeived this from Constanti
nople: Edhem Pasha telegraphs v that,
fter a fight which took place at one
hour's distance from Veleatino, our
troops took possession of three fort
resses and three intrenchments. Hefzi
Pasha, commander-in-chief of the Ot
toman forces in Epirus, also announces
that the Hellenes who were located at
Karavan-Seai, not being able to resist
the attack of our troops, were com
pelled to abandon the town, and - that
the troops commanding the pass of
Comdjadis also have been taken by our
troops.
Several Important Questions Came Up
' ' for Consideration.
Washington, May 6. After a recess
covering practically ten days, the senate
met today with a large accumulation
of routine business and several import
ant questions, including the Morgan
Cuban resolution, awaiting attention.
The attendance was unusually large.
Among the bills introduced was one by
Chandler of New Hampshire, for the
issue of certificates of indebtedness up
to $50,000,000 to meet deficiencies of
revenue. It was referred to the finance
committee. " ' 1
A resolution by Pettus of Alabama,
was agreed to asking the secretary of
the treasury for information as to the
amounts paid as drawbacks during the
last ten years. . -
Vest's resolution, directing the com
mittee on commerce to investigate and
report on the causes of the Mississippi
.floods was favorably reported from the
committee on contingent expenses. i
The Cuban resolution was called np
by Morgan, who asked for a vote.
Hale of Maine, just returned after an
extended absenoe, desired time to pre
pare his remarks. He assured Morgan
there was no purpose to delay the reso
lution for the mere sake of delay. Af
ter proper debate, he said it would be
voted on, as he was as anxibus as any
one to have the resolution disposed of.
Morgan endeavored to have a day fixed
for a vote, but there were objections.
, In the House. .
Washington, May 5. In the house
today Joseph B. Showalter, recently
eleoted to represent the, Twenty-fifth
Pennsylvania district, to fill the place
of J. J. Davidson, deceased, took the
oath of office. j : i ,
Bailey of Texas presented a resolu
tion that the Nelson bankruptcy bill,'
recently passed by the senate, be taken
up by the house on Monday, May 10,
and considered until disposed of. He
asked unanimous consent for immediate
consideration of the resolution.
Brewster, Republ'can, of New York,
objected. Simpson of Kansas rose to
a question of personal privileges, and
sent to the clerk's desk to be read an
extract from the New York Mail and
Express accusing him of being an ob
structionist and predicting that he
would be pulverized under the speaker's
triphammer. . "
A NEW COALINS STATION. -
The United States May Yet Establish
One at Santo Domingo.
New York, May 5.- A Herald spe
cial from Wahsington says: General
Grant's project for the establishment
of a naval coaling station in Samanii
bay, Santo Domingo, may yet be real
ized. According to Mr. Henry Smytbe,
minister to Hayti, and charge d'affairs
to Santo Domingo, under the Cleveland
administration, the Domingo govern
ment is ready to cede suoh a station to
the United States without asking the
payment of a dollar. '
Mr. Smythe has not submitted an
official report on this subject to the
state department for the reason that his
resignation was accepted before he had
time to prepare it, though he had
oalled on Secretary Sherman, to whom
he made an oral report. . . ;
In a letter recently written by Mr.
Smythe to a former friend in Washing
ton, he says that he discussed with the
Dominican foreign office a treaty which
embraced the following heads and di
visions: Commerce, navigation, extra
dition and reciprocity of interests and
concessions. ' ' ' -
Under this lattet division he obtained
the concession of a coaling station for
the use of the American navy during
the continuance of the treaty on the
sole condition that "coaling facilities"
be allowed the Dominican navy in
American ports. The coaling station
was to be located at any point in the
bay of Samana, or in either of two fine
harbors east of Santo Domingo or the
Caribbean sea.
STRANDED IN JUNEAU.
Two Hundred Men There Are Unable
- to Get Away, i ,
, Port Townsend, Wash., May 5. The
steamer Al-Ki returned this evening
from -an uneventful trip to Alaska,
bringing but four, passengers and very
little freight. A large number of
stranded people are at Juneau. They
went north without supplies, expecting
to beg food from others while en route
to the Yukon. They were given to un
derstand they would starve if they
started on the trip, so they remained at
Juneau. The recent raise in fare from
$15 to $32 from Juneau to Sound points
preclude their leaving Juneau, and the
resnlt is that there are upward of 200
men there, without money or the means
of getting either to the mines or back
to the Sound.
No court will be held in Alaska for
several months to oome. A Juneau
paper says that there are so few cases
for jury trial upon the district court
calendar for the May term that the cir
cumstances will not warrant the great
expense which the summoning of a jury
would entail upon the government
Washington Supreme Court. .
Olympia, Wash., ., May 5. The SU'
preme court has granted a petition for
a rehearing in the case of the State vs.
MoCann, from King county, and in the
City of Tacoma vs. Tacoma Light as
Water Company, ;.
Insurgents Won the Battle
; of Purgatory Hills. J
SPANISH LOSS WAS HEAVY
They Were Drawn Into Ambuscade,
, ' Where a Withering Fire Was
Poured Upon Them From All Sides.
, New York, May ' 8. A Herald dis
patch from Havana says: - .
The engagement which the Spanish
had with General Roderiguez. in the
Purgatory hills, and which was report
ed as a deoisive Spanish victory, turns
out to have been the reverse.
The Spanish columns encountered
the insurgents and attaeked sharply,
relying on their superior forces. The
rebels retreated toward their camp, and
suoceeded in playing their old trick of
drawing the Spanish into an ambus
cade. General Castillo arrived with
reinforcements while Roderiguez was
engaging the Spanish and fell on their
flank. The fighting lasted five hours,
and in killed, wounded and prisoners,
the Spanish lost 280 men.
News comes from Santiago de Cuba
that 200 volunteers headed by a priest
and a prominent physician have joined
the insurgents because they were dis
satisfied with the conduct of the Span
ish authorities, nd believed that Gar
cia would succeed in retaining his su
premacy in -the eastern province,
r The situation at Banes continues to
command attention. Four cruisers and
several gunboats have been": ordered
there to land a force to march on the
port in the direction of Holquin. The
rebel foroe in and near Banea is esti
mated at 8,000. : ; -'i ' .
General Weyler came quietly back
to Havana yesterday morning after a
six week's trip to Santa Clara, during
which, if he accomplished anything
from a military standpoint, the fact has
been moat effectually concealed. It is
now reported that he is going to Spain
soon, but the report is probably due to
the fact that his son sailed April 80.
It was reported last night that an in
surgent chief of importance.had been
sent to Pinar del Rio. He is believed
to have been Quintin Bandera, but the
statement lacks confirmation.-, W
. From Matanzas and other towns in
Havana, Santa Clara and Pinar del Rio
comes the news that starvation and dis
ease are on the increase. '
A Cuban Officer Captured.
; New York, May 8. A World dis
patoh from Havana says: ' , , ;
Advices from Sagua la Grande say
that Rafael Fernandez, adjutant on the
staff of the insurgent General Roban,
has been captured. He is an American.
He is confined in the military prison
at Sagua. ' His case ia receiving atten
tion at the hands of Consul Barker.
Cuban Reforms to Be Applied..
Madrid, May 8. The queen regent,
at the cabinet meeting today, signed a
decree providing for the application of
the agreed-upon reforms , for Cuba.
The action was due to the receipt of a
cable message from Captain-General
Weyler announcing the western part of
the island was pacified.
AMERICUS CLUB'S BANQUET.
Decorations Were Burned, but
the
Speeches Were Made.
Pittsburg, May 8. The eleventh an
nual banquet of the Amerious Club, in
memory of General Grant, was held
tonight, in spite of the fire in the ban
quet hall which destroyed the decora
tions and threatened for a time to put
a stop to the ceremonies. The club
had made great preparations for the
event, and the decorators had been at
work for several days and had adorned
the ceiling with four rows of inverted
pyramids, constructed of red, white and
blue bunting. The pyramids, several
hundred in number,, entirely covered
the ceiling, and the points of them ex
tended to within about eight feet of the
floor. An electric light was suspended
from the top of each, and a bunch of
smilax festooned from point to point.
The effect was very beautiful., The
windows were artistically draped, and
in the center of the north wall was a
lifesize portrait of the hero of Appo
mattox, v
The club management wished to se
cure a photograph of the decorated hall,
and in the attempt, to secure a flash
light picture an explosion occurred
which . was followed by flames which
practically destroyed the entire decora
tion of the hall. Men were at onoe put
to work to remove the debris, and the
banquet was delayed only an hour, the
dismantled condition of the room prov
ing but a slight detraction from the
evening's enjoyment.
There were 824 diners seated at the
table, with U. S. Trent as toastmaster.
Fatal Sawmill Explosion.
'. Pittsburg, May 8. A boiler explo
sion at Alderman's sawmill in- the
Kanawah valley, W. . Va., , last night,
.killed two men and seriously injured
five. The killed are: Perry Devers
and George Conley. The injured are:
W. Hickman, '"homas Hickman,' Will
lam Balton, W'lliam Alderman, John
McCauley. 1 lie three former will
probably die. The mill was badly
wrecked, and tha loss will be heavy.
English Contractors Preparing to Build
. Several Lines.
City of Mexico, May 4. An import
ant company has been . incorporated
here, with a capital of $1,000,000, the
larger part of the shares being 'taken
by Pearson & Son, the English contrac
tors having in hand the drainage of the
Valley of Mexico and the port works at
Vera Cruz, with a few Mexican share
holders. The new company will be
known as the Mexicati Land, Naviga
tion & Railway Company. The first ob
ject of the company is to build a rail
way frorii some suitable point on the
National Tehuantepeo road to a desira
ble point in the state of Vera Cruz.
The government gives a subsidy of ovei
8,000 acres of public lands per kilo
meter of railway constructed. On some
400,000 acres of land thus acquired
the company will settle European and
other colonists. Among other plans of
the company is to acquire railways in
the southern part of .Vera Cruz, and
also the railroad line has already been
located, and construction will begin in
two months. :
THE LEVEES ARE HOLDING.
Worst' Is Apparently Over North of
. the Red River.
New Orleans, May 4. Plspatcheg
from all points along the river today
show that the levees are holding. A
fall of one-tenth at Providence strength
ens the belief of engineers that the
worst is over from the mouth :of Red
river to the Arkansas line. The danger
points now are from Red river landing
southward. At Plaquemine .today the
river rose four-tenths, and the levee,
workers in that vicinity are having a
hard time keeping the line in a condi tion
of safety. The gauge here shows .
19.80 tonight.
" Major Richardson, chief of the state
engineers, came to the city at the gov
ernor's order to act as advisory engi
neer on the local work, and declared
the defense well constructed. Here
and elsewhere the day was devoted to
hard work, and no mishaps have occur
red. There is considerable alarm about
Davis levee, but extensive reinforce
ments will be begun there, tomorrow.
The High Water at St. Louis.
. St Louis, May 4. The continued
high water has excited a great interest,
as was evinced by the enormous crowds
that flocked to the river front today.
The river continues to rise, marking
80.95 at 4 P. M. At a number of
places along the levee the' railroad
tracks were under water. ; The termi
nal association, whose tracks are partly
under water, expresses no uneasiness.
One of the officials stated it would take
five feet of water before all their river
tracks had been submerged, and , that
they had engines which would work in
three feet of water, therefore it would
take a rise of eight feet beyond the
present stage before the company would
be incovenienced. -
Situation at Matches.
Natchez, Miss., May 4. With the
exception of a half-tenth rise during
the last twenty-four hours,' ., the river
situation remains unchanged. The
weather having cleared, the situation
tonight seems more hopeful. . While
the levees are in fair shape, they have
many streams of water running through
them, necessitating a large ditch to be
dug to oarry off the water at Vidalia.
They are being worked on by a large
force and closely guarded. In many
plaoes the river is within less than a
foot of the top, and the current is very
swift .:. .
Circulation of Currency. .
1 Washington, May 4. The monthly
statement of the controller -of the cur
rency shows that on April 80 the total
circulation of national bank notes was
$232,802,244, a gain for the year of
$8,700,899, and a loss for the month of
$906,650. .: " , ,-,
The circulation based on United
States bonds was $208,768,549, a gain
for the year of $5,865,410, and a loss
for the month of $999,153.
The circulation secured by lawful
money was $24,033,695, an increase
for the year of $3,835,589, an increase
for the month of $92,508.
The amount of United States regis
tered bonds on deposit to secure circu
lating notes was $232,749,300, and to
secure public depostis, $16,313,000.
, Gunboats Ordered Into Commission.
Washington, May 4. The first result
of the laying-up of the big cruiser Co
lumbia is manifested in the prepara
tion of orders by the navy department
for the commisson of two new gunboats,
Helena and Annapolis. The Helena
will go into active service for the first
time on June 1, and the Annapolis a
week later, on the 7th. These boats
will be kept on the North Atlantic sta
tion for about three months, when, be
ing thoroughly shaken down, they will
be sent to one of the foreign stations,
probably China, to relieve some of the
larger cruisers now in need of over
hauling. , ,
: Alaska Mail Service.
Washington, May 4. The first regu-'
lar mail service authorized for an en
tire year in Alaska has been contracted
for by the postofllce department, the
service being from Juneau to Circle
City, 900 miles each way. , The con
tract calls for one round trip a month,
beginning July 1, 1897. William F.
Sailer; of this city, is the contractor,
the contract price being $6,999. .