The
Hooc
l i ver
lacier.
It's a Cold Day When We Get Left.
VOL. IX.
HOOD RIVER, OREGON, FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1897.
NO. 9.
Epitome of the Telegraphic
Kews of the World.
TERSE TICKS FROM THE WIRES
An Interesting Collection of Itemi From
the New and the Old World In a
Condensed and Comprehensive Form
Cbh'C, F.' Crocker,' Vice-president of
the Southern Pacific railroad, died at
his home in San Francisco. i
Sheep owners in Eastern Oregon are
organizing to proteot their.flooks from
the merciless gnn of the cattlemen.
The miners' strike in the Eastern
states is assuming a desperate aspect.
The miners have appealed to . the rail
waymen for help.
C. M. Shultz, of Chicago, has bought
I the Tacoma Ledger and has- placed J.
M. Bradley in editorial management.
The price paid was $18,000. . :
There is a great rush from Seattle
and the 'Sound to the gold fields at
Clondyke. One miner sa's that many
will go there who will never return.
, John Durbin,. one of Oregon's oldest
pioneers and citizens died at the home
of his grandson, Duncan Ross, near
Salem. He was nearly "103 years old.
The pioneer jubilee has been ushered
in at Salt Lake, and this week will be
witnessed one of the grandest celebra
tions ever seen in the inter-mountain
country.. iV.j.. , ." .
The. Japan official press states that it
is probable that the Japanese govern
ment will agree to the proposal of Ha
waii and submit the dispute between
the wo countries to arbitration.
- The famous Broadmoor Casino, a
$100,000 pleasure resort at Colorado
Springs, : Colo., was burned to the
ground. The entire .loss will be double
that amount. . There was scarcely any
insurance.
I Two masked men robbed the Sao and
Fox postofflce, 50 miles from Guthrie)
O. T., and secured a quantity of regis
tered letters, stamps and a small sum
of money. They were after $20,000
being paid the Indians.
W. A. Bellwood, a Well-known
Philadelphia merchant, has been ar
rested, for obtaining jewelry under
false pretense. He pawned the jewelry
t to get money to bet on horse raoes, and
in this way lost $18,000.
The Central Labor Union of New
. York, after a long wrangle, adopted the
following resolution: "Resolved, That
the appointment of T. V. Powderly as
commissioner of immigration is the
greatest offlioal insult ever offered by
the federal government to organized la
bor.",, ..- ; '
Lieutenant Peary, the famous arctic
explorer, has left Boston for Greenland
on a preliminary voyage. The object
of the voyage is to establish a station at
a northern point in Greenland which
shall be used as a base of supplies for
an expedition in search of 'the North
Pole under Lieutenant Peary in 1898.
The National Republican League con
vention met in Detroit. Delegates were
present from nearly all thestates. ,
The departure from Portland of the
British ship Glelielvan brings the grain
fleet for the present season up to 77
; vessels compared with 68 the year be
fore." Advices from Constantinople indicate
that 1 the sultan is obdurate regarding
the acceptance of the peaoe proposals.
Edhem Pasha is hastening back to Do-.
jnokos, and the furloughs of all Turkish
officers have been canceled, in readiness
for a renewal of hostilities.
. Advices, frpmt. the. south of France ,
show that the destruction by the floods
there, was greater even than earlier re
ports indicated. The losses are esti
mated at 200,000,000 francs in the aggre
gate. ' Hardly a village, has escaped
-. damage,, and 'the 'number of ' persons
' drowned is nearly 300. '
E. M. Waite, about 70 years old, who
was the "oldest printer in Oregon,
dropped dead in'Salem. ; The printers
were to play the barbers a game of
baseball. : 'Waite carried a printer's
towel as a banner for the ' printers in
the parade. He fainted from the heat 1
and never regained oonsoiousness. I
The parliamentary Sputh African
commission, which has-been inquiring
into the Transvall raid, has agreed '
upon its report. ' The report will ex
press an emphatic opinion that what
ever justification there 'might, have
been for action on the part of the peo-
pie of Johannesburg, - there was none
whatever for Ceoil Rhodes' conduct in 1
subsidizing, organizing and stimulat- I
ing an armed insurrection against the
government of the Transvaal, -3 rs j
Henrique Laidley, Portuguese vice
consul at San Francisco, is at Monterey,'
Cal. , at the request of the Portuguese
minister at Washington to make a thor
ough investigation' regarding the dis
turbance over the hauling down of the
, Portuguese flag from the pole above
Manuel(Ortin's grocery store and the
' burning of the flag. Ortin's notifica
tion to the minister at Washington re
sulted ' in the investigation. Laidley
declares if the affair is not satisfactorily
explained the Portuguese government
vill demand an apology from the Unit
ed States,
PASSED WITH A RUSH.
Tariff Bill Went Through the House in
Record Breaking Time.
Washington, July 21. The confer
ence report on the bill was adopted by
the house shortly after midnight by a
vote of 185 to 118, and at noon today
the report will go to the senate for ao
tion there. " This eolipses all previous
records. The rebult wm accomplished
after 2 hours of continuous debate.
But two speeches were rnade by the Re
publicans, one by Dingley, in opening
the debate, and by Payne, in closing it.
The sugar schedule was the main
point of assault, but the most interest
ing feature of the debate occurred when
Bailey and McMillin, the two rival
Democratic leaders, crossed swords on
the question of the orthodoxy of the free
raw material doctrine, the former op
posing and the latter championing it.
The galleries were crowded up to
the time the vote was taken, many dis
tinguished people being present.
Among them were many senators,
many members of the cabinet and a few
members of the diplomatic corps. Ev
ery Republican in the. house who was
present voted for the report. The
Democrats, with five exceptions, voted
against the report; The exceptions
were Slayden, Brouisard, Myer, Davey
and Kleburg.
The Populists and silverites did not
vote solidly. Shaforth, Newlands and
Hartman did not vote.
The Populists who voted against the
report were as follows: Baker, Bar
low, Botkin, Fowler, Jett,-Lewis, Marj
shall, Marton, Peters, Simpson, Strowd
and Vincent. , Four dd , not vote
Howard, Kelly, Stark and Sutherland.
The other Populists were absent. ' ", "
An analysis of , the vote shows that
180 Republicans and five Democrats ;
voted for the report, and 106 Democrats
and 12 Populists against it."
v Senate Proceedings.
Washington, July 21. The senate,
after assembling, went into executive
session for over two hours, and on re
opening the doors the conference report !
on the general deficiency bill was agreed
to. ; The Harris resolution in regard to
the Union Pacific railway was taken v.p,
and Morgan continued his speech on the
subject. He hoped the president would
defer action in order to enable congress
to look into the matter. Thurston gave
notice of his intention to dieouss the
'subject in the future. Stewart then
took the floor.
He reviewed the history of the con
struction of the road, contending that
it was a patriotic effort, and not a
soheme to rob the government.' Harris,
in refutation of this, called attention
to President Cleveland's stricture upon
the Union Pacific management in bis
message of January 17, 1888.
Stewart said he did not wish to ex
onerate the company from the payment
of its just dues to the government, but
objected to their being regarded as
criminals. He desired to have the
whole matter closed. The resolution
under consideration would accomplish
no purpose. : "'
: Thurston spoke in opposition to the
resolution. He contanded the govern
ment had already risked enough money
in the investment; that, without ex
tending, another . favor , and without
making further expenditure, it should
proceed in the ordinary legal methods
through the courts to enforce its legal
rights, whatever they might be, and to
secure repayment of all its dues' on
whatever property the courts shall find
are justly subject thereto. . The propo
sition before the senate, he said,
stripped of technicalities, was simply to
invest another $34,000,000 and take the
chance of getting it back on the ulti
mate sale of the road.
At 5 o'oloek an executive session was
held, and then adjournment was had. '
Placing the Navy on a War Footing.
New York, July 21. A special to
the Herald f from 'Washington says:
With a view to making available for
immediate service as many of the ships
of the navy as possible, Secretary Long
is considering the advisability of plac
ing the monitor Miantonomah in the
reserve.
The Miantonomah was laid up in or
dinary at League island in 1895 and
since that time but little attention has
been paid to the ship except to make
repairs from time to time. ; Secretary
Long now intends to have the vessel
put in thorough condition so that she
can be ordered into reserve .with the
Columbia and Minneapolis. This
means that a "short crew" with a full
supply of , stores and coal will be kept
on board and that the she can be made
ready for sea service within five days
if the necessity arises.
' While department officials declare
there is no significance in this move,
the attitude of Japan with respect to
Hawaii and Cuban troubles are suffi
cient to make the administration de
sire to be in good shape to meet any
emergency that may arise.
Killed the Horse.
Rosebnrg, Or., July 21. Near Fair
riew. Coos county, vesterdav. while
George Martin and a companion were
leading two horses, Martin was attacked j
by his horse and badly wounded. The
horse seized him, threw him to the j
ground and was tearing the flesh from
his body in a horrible manner when !
his companion secured a club and killed
the horse. Martin's shoulder-blade is
broken. It is thought that he will recover.
He Was Nearly One Hundred
and Three Years Old. ;
ONE OF OREGON'S PIONEERS
Five of Hi Children Are Living, the
Xldest Being Seventy-Five . and the
Youngest Sixty-Two. j
Salem, Or., July 20. John Durbin,
one of Oregon's oldest pioneers and
oitizens, died at the home of his grand
son, Duncan Ross, eight miles north
east of here, today. He would have
been 103 September 13 next. . ., . '
- , John Durbin was born in Fayette
county, .; Pennsylvania, September 13;
1794. His birth, antedated the death
of George Washington five years. He
did service as lieutenant in the war of
1812, and lived through the Mexican
and civil wars. He knew what Indian
warfare was from having lived among
the Indians. In 1800, Mr. Durbin
moved from his native state to Richard
county, O., where, in 1820, he married
. Sarah Fitting. ; Of his union were
born 10 children, five of whom are liv
ing. The family moved to Hancock
county, Illinois, in 1 1842; thence to
Clayton county, Missouri, in the same
year. In the spring of 1845, the fam
ily, with a body of emigrants, set out
for Oregon, arriving in the fall of 1845.
Mr. Durbin settled in Marion county,
where he lived continuously until his
death. He lived an active .life, giving
most of his time to farming and stock
raising. In the '50s it was his custom
to drive bands of - cattle into the Rogue
River valley to graze off of nature's
rioh pastures. He had a large band in
the valley at the time of the threatened
oiit break of the Rogue River Indians.
It was-Mr. Durbin 's good fortune to get
along peaceably with the Indians, even
when they were hostile toward the gov
ernment and other settlers. . He treated
with Rogue River Indians at the start
by promising them two head of fat cat
tle a year for the privilege of pastur
age, and he always lived up to the
treaty. The living children of John
Durbin are: Casper J., of Huntington,
Or., aged 75; Mrs. Fannie A. Martin,
four miles east of , Salem, aged . 72;
Isaac, aged 65, nine miles northeast of
Salem; Solomon, 84 miles east of Sa
lem, aged 68; Mrs. 'Mary J. Starkey,
of Salem, aged 62.
FOURTEEN DAYS IN A TOMB
Stevens, the Imprisoned Miner, ' Kes
cued Alive.
Phoenix, Ariz., July 20. James
Stevens, the imprisoned miner, . was
rescued from the Mammoth mine this
morning, after an imprisonment of 14
days. . At 7 o'clock this morning the
miners broke into the drift where Stev
ens had been confined. ; '"'
Stevens is fearfully emaciated, and
has lost fully 70 pounds during his con
finement, but his mind is clear. He
stated that he had thoughts of suicide
toward the end of his fearful wait. He
had eaten his lunch before the cave-in
came, and has since had nothing to eat.
Of water he had a gallon, which was
consumed in three days. His candles
lasted two days, during which he man
aged to open up a connection through
the filled-in stope, thus securing purer
air. ." '
Afn the attempt to rescue him, a shaft
was sunk 127 feet through solid granite
in 13 days. -" ' ' . .- -
Hunting for a Lost Gold Mine. '
Goldendale, Wash., July 20. David
Johnston, a pioneer of Lewiston, Idaho,'
passed through- Goldendale yesterday,
en route to Mount Adams and to a
point near the St. Helens gold fields.
The old prospector 1 spent last summer
in that vicinity prospecting. He tells
a story of a find he made that has a
similarity to a "fairy tale." He be
lieves he is on the track of the lost
mine of the old Dutchman, who died in
Yaquina city a few years ago, having
buried underneath the hearth of his log
cabin a sack of gold nuggets,' which
was found some months after his lonely
death. . It seems every summer the
Dutchman disappeared 'from Yakima,
and was always seen going in the sec
tion of the country about the head
waters of the Big Klickitat river. He
returned to Yakima just before snow
fell more mysteriously . than was his
departure. ' He lived for years at Yak
ima, a recluse, and died apparently
without a . friend or relative. Mr.
Johnston last summer found a mine
that had been covered up carefully, and
in it was cached a gold pan, pick and
shovel. ; He goes new to uncover the
mine to the extent of ilie previously
removed earth. As the prospects are
good, he believes that he will find the
long lost "Dutchman's mine."
; Annual Clean-Up of a Mint.
San Francisco, July 20. The mint
in this city is temporarily closed for
the annual clean-up, and for the count
ing of the coin on hand preparatory to
the turning over o'f the institution to
the new superintendent. Therefore,
it is announced that no deposits of gold
or other bullion will be received until
August 1. :
'
The dog is mentioned 33 times in the
Bible.
THE PLOTS THICKEN.
Some Serious Questions Confront . the
Nations of the Earth.
' London, July 21. In the house of
commons today, in the course of a de
bate on the' foreign office , vote, Sir
Charles Dilke, radical, said: - '
''The gravest foreign question at the
present moment grows out of our rela
tions with the United States, and if the
matter is not dwelt upon, it is because
the government is conscious that in
these difficult matters, it . cannot count
on the support of the entire house.".
! Serious Complications Possible. "7
I New York, July 21. A special to' the
World from "Washington says: v : :"
' The possibility of . serious interna
tional complications between the United
States and Great Britain as the result
of the recent gold discoveries iri Alaska
has become apparent to the state depart
ment. Senator DaVis, of the senate
foreign relations committee, has been
requested to secure the immediate rati
fication of a treaty for determining the
boundary . line between Canada, and
Alaska in order to lessen the jyobuble
difficulty.':, --.fW ;,
,: Chairman Davis has announced 'his
intention of calling this treaty, up ifor
action at the next ' executive session of
the senate.? I; There is 'said to be no ob
jection, and prompt ratification is ex
pected. 'i-M.t '.. ,'::'' '.!:';; f.'f-.'..'.'. .;
A NOTED CHARACTER DEAD.
Amelia Kohler, Who Inspired "The
' ' '" Last Rose of Summer." ' . : o .
New York, July 21. Mrs. Amelia
Kohler died today at Mount Vernon.
Had it not been for '"' Mrs.' Kohler, Tom
Moore might never have written ,"The
Last Rose ' of ' Summer.'"- " The poem
was of her suggestion, and the first line
was from her lips. - j She was early in
the century a close friend of Moore's
sister, and kept a private school , in
London. While walking in the garden
of the school one day. Mrs. Kohler,
so the story goes, plucked a rose, re
marking:; "''Tis the 'last rose of sum
mer; . why not write about it,' Dr.
Moofe?" ,. ' : ... ';.;-.. -
The incident suggested the thoughts
that were . afterward so beautifully
woven into." verse, and the pofem was
dedicated by the poet, to "Amelia,''
which is Mrs. Kqhler's name. J :
j Mrs. Kohler was 92 years old when
she died,' and for- 20 years had lived
with her daughter, Mrs. F. M. Saun
ders, at Mount Vernon. Her maiden
name, was Amelia Offergeld, and her
father , was an officer under . General
Blucher. ', The family home , was at
Aix la Chappelle. Mrs. Kohler often,
spoke of having seen Napoleon in her
girlhood.' "' " ' ' - ' '
New Era in Rapid Transit. ,
New York, Julyj 21. The Journal
and Advertiser says: Projected changes
in the motive power of the1 three ele
vated railway lines of Greater New
York and the ". New York, New Haven
& Hartford steam surface 'roads have
been announced. ,( In; the case of the
New Haven road the alterations have
begun and the elevated , roads, await
only the consummation of incidental
plans to embark in changes of kindred
type, ' whioh porlend, among other
things a revolution of the rapid transit
system of New York. ' '' "
: Good Demand for Warships. 9 .
New York, July 21. The Herald's
correspondent in Rio de Janeiro tele
graphs that the United States -and Japan
have communicated with the govern
ment of Brazil with the idea of the
possible . purchase of . warships now
building for, Brazil in England and
Germany. ' ". ' .
- Owing to Brazil's financial plight" at
this time it was recently decided ' to
sell before completion, if possible, all
the war vessels being built .for Brazil
in the two countries named. -, These are
principally small boats. . . . ,. v-' . 0
" Blood Wanted. -
Rome, July 21. ThePopolo Romano
announces that the Count of Turin has
been challenged by Prince Henry of
Orleans to a duel for the calumnies and
insulting remarks he is alleged to have
uttered at the -expense of the Italian
officers recently released from captivity
in Abyssinia. . Prince Henry had de
clined to fight with the Italian lieuten
ant who had been designated by the
drawing of lots to challenge him.
A Battle Koyal, Perhaps. : .
London, July, 21. The Telegraph's
Vienna corresnondent learns that the
British government has demanded ' the
immediate coercion of Turkey. ' Russia,'
on the other ' hand, has declared that
the moment for 'coercion has not ar
rived, and that the situation must not
be complicated. Germany, the corre
spondent states, has concurred in this
view.. '. '-.' - . -r
Prince Henri Makes a Distinction.' ' -.
, London, July 20. The Daily :. Mail's
Paris , correspondent says:.,.. Prince
Henri of Orleans declines to,', fight . a
duel with Lieutenant Pinin, one of the
Italian officers" recently released from
captivity iri Abyssinia, who' was desig
nated by the drawing of lots among his
comrades ' to 'challenge the " prince.
Prince Henri, however, is willing to ac
cept a challenge from an Italian officer
of a rank corresponding to-his own.; ; '
, The French admirers of Balzac have
determined to erect in his ' honor a
splendid monument in the city of
Tours the place of his birth.
A VAST' MEM M
Marvelous Richness ; of the
Clondyke District.
THIRTEEN MILES IN EXTENT
Millions Taken Out in a Few; Weeks
; The Ground Is Said to Be Literally
' Strewn With Gold. . ,
San Francisco, July 19. A story
rivaling in intensity of interest : that
told of the fabulous wealth of . Monte
Cristo was related by passengers on the
little steamer Excelsior, which has just
arrived from St. Michael's, Alaska.
Millions' upon millions of virgin gold,
according to the story,, await the fortu
nate miner who has the hardihood and
courage to penetrate into the unknown
depths of the Yukon district. There was
tangible evidence on the little steamer
of the truth of the story told by the
travelers, for in the cabin , were scores
of sacks filled to the very mouth with
"dust" taken from the plaoers of the
far frozen North. The amount brought
in is variously estimated at from $500,
000 to $750,000. v; ; i ..:. -
v There came in on the Excelsior some
40 people among them some women
from what is now known as the Clon
dyke district though, only 15 of these
had been actually, engaged , in mining.
There were among them men who had
been for more than 10 years facing the
dangers and hardships of the frozen
North in the hope of making a rich
find but who signally failed. But now
they come back with fortunes stowed
in their gripsacks and untold millions
to be picked up in the country of which
so little is known. r
The new Eldorado lies just across the
Aaskan boundary in British territory,
It is of recent discovery, but already
there are at least 3,000 people on the
ground and more are flocking in that
direction as fast as transportation can
be secured. ".-: . i-;-
. The discovery of the Clondyke region
presents a story that is uniquely inter
esting. Around Forty-Mile, on ; the
Yukon, is a tribe of Indians known as
the Stickers, and with them is a man
who years ago was known as George
Cormaok, but who is now called "Stick
George." In September last at the
head of a party of Indians, he left his
hut near Forty-Mile camp and started
in a southerly direction, saying that he
intended to find a new gold field before
his return. He came back two weeks
later and startled the miners with the
announcement that 40 miles away there
was gold to be found in plenty. The
streams abounded with the yellow
metal, and all that was needed was for
somebody to pick it up. - f r ,j
Many persons flocked to the place,
and in time the word reached Forty
Mile camp that untold riches could be
found along the bottom of Bonanza
creek and its tributaries. Men who
had failed at the former camp imme
diately packed their belongings and set
but for the new fields. It was a hard
and trying journey, but that was nothr
ing compared with the promise of mil
lions at the end of the route.
The following is an extract from a
letter received by the Excelsior.' It
was sent from the Clondyke region by
a prominent and wealthy young busi
ness ma,n of San Francisco to his brother
in this city: ' ,,
"The excitement on the river is 'in
describable, and the output of the new
Clondyke district is almost beyond be
lief. Men who had nothing last fall
are - now worth a fortune. One, man
has worked 40 square feet of his claim
arid is going out with $40,000 in dust,
One-quarter of the claims are now sell
ing at from $15,000 to $50,000. ,The
estimate of the district given is 13
miles, with an average value of $300,
000 to the claim, in which some are
valued as high as $1,000,000 eaoh. " At
,awOn sacks of dust are thrown under
the counters in the stores for safe keep
ing. t , .; -:; -:'
"Some of the stories are so fabulous
that I am afraid to repeat them for fear
of being suspected of the ihfection. ,
"LaboY is $15 a dav and board, with
100 days1 work guaranteed, so you can
imagine how difficult it is to hold em
ployes. 'If reports are true it is the
biggest placer discovery ever made in
the world, for though other diggings
have been found quite as rich in spots,
no such extent of discovery has been
kqbwn which prospected and worked so
high right through." ....
AN OFFENSIVE ALLIANCE.
Spain and Japan A (tain Said to Be Com
bining Against the United States.
" London, July 10. A Paris, dispatch
to a newspaper here says that inquiry
at the American , embassy there has
elicited a confirmation of the rumor
t?iat the governments of Spain and Ja
pan have arranged an offensive allianoe
against the United States. The terms
of the undertaking, which is for the
mutual protection of Cuba and Hawaii,
provides that iri the' event of aggressive
action on the part of the United States,
tending toward interference in Cuban
affairs, or persistence in the annexation
of the Hawaiian islands, both Spain
and Japan shall declare war simultane
ously against the United States, and
shall make hostile demonstrations along
both the Atlantic and Pacific coast lines,
THE CONFEREES AUREE.
All the Tail ft Differences Have at Last
, Been Settled. '
Washington, July 20. When the ,
Republican conferees on the tariff ad
journed at 6 P. M. today, the an
nouncement was made on behalf of
each house, that they had agreed on all
the items of the bill, and : that the re
Bult of .the partisan conference would
be submitted to the. Democratio mem- ,
bers of the conference at a full meeting
to be held next day. : .. , , t ,
This announcement had been made
informally to the Democratic members
of the conference at noon", and had
formed the subject of general specula- '
tion about the senate during the after
noon, It appeared, after the informal '
statement was made, , that there was
still much to be donejn the way of
putting the bill in shape, and the .con
ferees spent six hours in close, applica-,
tion to the work in hand. They were, '
for the most part, merely running' over
the bill, but there were still rates to
be agreed upon which had been passed
over until the sugar schedule should be
finally disposed , of. The revision was
not even completed during the after
noon session, and some of the members
returned to renew the work tonight. i
The members of the conference still
preserve the strictest silence in, regard ,
to the conditions made, giving out no
offioial confirmation as to the changes
made in the bill.-- It is learned,' how
ever, from an entirely reliable source,
that a very large majority of the senate
amendments were . accepted....-.- This was
rendered necessary by several circum
stances. A , number of amendments
made by the senate were verbal, other3
were trivial, and still others were made .
necessary to secure harmony of con
struction; and would have been made
by the house if that body had had the
bill under consideration for so long a
time as the eenate. 1 - ? ? ;
All such changes as these are accept
ed without question by the house con.
ferees. They , also accepted in moat
cases all these alterations made by the
senate in order to secure the passage of
the bill in .that body. Senator Jones
of Nevada, holding,' as he did, the prac
tical balance of power, both in the sen
ate and in the conference, was enabled
to secure many concessions for Western .
interests iri the senate, and these ha
held for without exception in the con
ference. He even succeeded in secur
ing a degree of protection for beet-sugar
greater than was given either in the
senate or house bill.
, The bill, as agreed upon, will, when
made public, present an entirely new
sugar schedule, at least, " in the main
item of the duty on raw,, and refined
sugar, the fourth presented sinoe the
bill emerged from the recesses of the
ways and means committee.
IN EVENT OF TROUBLE.
The Navy Department Will Not Be
Caught Napping-. .
San Francisco, July 20. The Bulle
tin says this evening that it has re
ceived information that the navy , de
partment has determined not ' to be
caught napping in the event of trouble '
with Japan over the annexation Of the
Hawaiian islands.' All orders of the
department, which would have result-
ed in moving ships of the Pacific and :
Asiatic squadrons from headquarters to
distant points, have been temporarily
suspended. While the authorities, at
Washington deny that there is any
effort to keep all available vessels at
ports where orders can reach them at'
short notice, naval office's admit that"'
such a scheme is being carried out, and
that orders have been .issued to ; the ,
Asiatic squadron requiring the fleet to
make no move and hold itself in readi
ness to return to the coast or proceed
to Hawaii on short notice. '" ", '. ' . ' t
, The report that the . coast defense
monitors Monadnock and Monterey
will be sent to Honolulu is denied, and
the statement is made that they will -be
held on the coast.
Inquiries have been received at
Mare island, from headquarters as to
the condition of the Baltimore, now .
under repairs there, with a view of
putting her in commission in case of '
emergency, although under ordinary
conditions she would not be ready for
service until September, or even later, "
THE TORPEDO . BOATS,
Next Naval Appropriation Bill Will
- Favor the Coast..-, w- ' :'- a r
I Washington, July 20. It is safe to ; '
say that the next naval appropriation
bill will contain a provision for letting
the contract for building some of. the
torpedo-boats on the Pacifig coast.. The ,;
bill passed previous to , the last ' con
tained a provision which allowed the'
Pacific coast 5 per cent ' more than '
shipyards on the Atlantic coast. This ;
difference gave the Paoific' bidders an -'
opportunity to . compete. The clause :'
was omitted from the current bill; by-
mistake, or through design on the part
of those who ' had the measure t in
charge. . By a 1 singular coincidence, '.
the men who had the bill in charge
during the last session come from states
which are largely interested in ship
building on the - Atlantic coast." The
bill was passed during the closing days
of congress and rushed through' hur-
nedly, as must be .expected in .the
short sessions of ; congress every two
years. The Facino coast interests will
be looked after next time. ,