The record-union. [volume], December 30, 1899, Image 1

About The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903

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VOLUME 98*-NO.
THE WAR IN
SOUTH AFRICA.
Latest Dispatches Received From
Chiveley Camp
Hlit at Some Important Movement on the
Part of General Buller.
The News Interpreted to Mean That
He Contemplates a Renewal of
His Attempt to Relieve Lady
smith, Though the Report is Ac
cepted With Some Misgivings
in Official Circles,
LONDON, Dec. 30—(5 a m.)— The
latest special dispatches from Chiveley
Camp hint at some important move
ment as imminent. This is interpreted,
with some misgivings, to mean that
General Buller contemplates ~ ~»iewal
of his attempt to relieve Ladysmith. It
Is reported by the same dispatches that
the Boers have now retired to the north
bank of the Tugela, being afraid that
the swollen river may bar their re
treat. They are also moving their
laagers nearer Ladysmith, probably
with the intention of putting further
pressure on the garrison, which now i
seems to be suffering pretty heavily
from bombardment.
It is difficult, however, to concei c
that General Buller would make an
other frontal attack, especially now j
that the river is rising, and an addi- j
tional indication that this is .lot his
purpose is the fact that he has removed |
his headquarters back to Frere. The,
Boer movement northward from the
Tugehv is quite in keeping with the ene- I
my's plan of securing a safe line of re- j
treat.
It is known that further artillery is
due to arrive for General Buller, but the
belief here is that his forces even then j
will be too weak. He may, however, be
animated by a desire to accomplish ;
something before the arrival of Lord
Roberts, and to satisfy the keenness of
his men to retrieve their defeat.
The reported engagement with Kaffirs
is very vague, and cannot be explained
pending the arrival of later dispatches. 1
The Earl of Mount-Edgiecombe,
brother-in-law of Lord Landsdowne.
says the War Office would countenance
a scheme to enroll volunteers in a sort
of preparatory stage in order to learn
drills and the like. The number of
members of the House of Commons who
have volunteered ?Oi the front threaten
seriously to reduce the Government a
majority when -Parliament reassembles, i
The Rothschilds have donated £2,000
to the Buckinghamshire volunteer fund.
It Is estimated chat £200,000 win be
contributed privately to British funds
throughout the country. Already the
fund for relief - of families of soldiers
exceeds £500,000.
The "Times" has the following, dated
December 27th, from Lourenzo Mar
ques: Cargoes for the Transvaal have ,
dwindled to one-fifth of the average,
bat large shipments are expected from \
Europe. In the meantime there are'
persistent rumors here and in Durban j
that guns and ammunition are smug-,
gled through for the Boers. A French i
liner now in the harbor Is said to have'
brought two large guns from Mada
gascar.
The "Times" to-day publishes the
following dispatch from Chiveley Camp,
dated December 24th: Parties of Boers!
approached to-day within three miles i
of Chiveley Camp, threatening our wa-J
tering parties, who are compelled to go
some two miles owin? to the scarcity!
of water. It is reported that the Lady
smith garrison made a sortie on Thurs
day and captured a hill.
The "Daily Mail" assorts that several
guns have been removed from the forts j
at Plymouth by night, and that these
will be sent to Cape Town.
The Modder River correspondent of
the "Times," referring to the scare fir
ing of the Boers, says: "Their ner- ;
vousness causes much amusement
among the British. It is quite certain
that half the Boer force is employed
watching by day and the other half'
by night. Prohibit the consequent
weariness with the scarcity of water;
and the presence of typnoid will r<>nder
the Boer position Intolerable. Their;
present action is due either to a scare
or to a wish to cover a retirement to
Spvtfontein."
Dispatches from all parts of South
Africa emphasize the great enthusiasm j
among the troops and oublic, occasion-i
ed by the appointment of Generals I
Roberts and Kitchener. The announce
ment that tl 8 former will have su
preme command, and that the latter
will be chief of staff, has largely dis
pelled the depression in Cape Colony
caused by the recent reverses, while
the soldiers anticipate everything from
the presence of "Bobs," from success
In battle to Cape beer.
Advices from Cape Town dated De
cember 24th say an investigation shows
that the reported disaffection among i
the Dutch in the Victoria district has
been overdrawn. The farmers, it is
pointed out, are mostly land owners
and will not risk the loss of their farms
by rising.
A dispatch from Lourenzo Marques,
dated December 23d. says a curious l
story is current, emanating from Boer j
sources, that Matt Steyn. brother of
the President ef the Orange Free State,
anl B<>o Free Staters, have definitely !
refused to continue the war. Matt
Steyn, acting as spokesman of the par-:
ty, is reported to have told the Presi- i
dent that he was only authorized to i
interview in the interest of peace, and
that the Burghers did not feel that
they were bound by his "unwarrantable |
conduct," especially as they ran the I
risk of confiscation of their property,
and they simply desired to be permit-1
ted to farm in peace and proposed to
immediately return to their farms.
Sir Richard Howard Vincent, mem
ber of Parliament for the Central di
vision of Sheffield, and Colonel of the •
Queen's Westminster Volunteers, has
been appointed to command the infan
try division of the City of London Im
perial Regiment.
The text of Colonel Baden-Powell's
proclamation to the Burghers besieging
130.
Mafeking, the gist of which has al
ready been cabled, comes from Lour
enzo Marques to-day. After asserting
that the Republics cannot hope for for
eign intervention, and pretending to re
late the exact attitude of all European
Powers, including ISmperor William,
who, the Colonel *gays, "fully sympa
thizes with England," Baden-Powell
makes the extraordinary statement
that the American Government has
warned the others of her intention to
side with England should any of them
interfere.
A War Office dispatch from Colonel
Baden-Powell, date* December 12th,
after announcing that Lady Sarah
Wilson had arrived safe at Mafeking,
adds that the health and spirits of the
garrison are very satisfactory.
BELATED DISPATCHES.
LADYSMITH, Sunday, Dec. 24 (via
Pietermaritzburg).—General White has
had a slight attack of fever but he is
now convalescent. The Boers' shell Are
has been very damaging recently. On
Friday one shell killed six men and
wounded nine. The same missile killed
fourteen horses. Another just missed
the Fifth Lancers' lines, slightly
wounding six officers. Several shells
have fell close to General White's
house, compelling the remove I of head
quarters to another point. It is re
ported General Joubert-is again in com
mand of the Boers. The military au
thorities appear confident, but they are
very reticent. Boers have been ob
served moving northward and west
ward in large numbers.
PIETERMARITZBURG, Wednesday,
Dec. 27.—A dispatch from Ladysmith
dated December 22d, says: The Boers
have mounted another howitzer on'
Surprise Hill, replacing the gun cap
tured in the sortie of the Rifle Brigade.
While they watch us nightly with a
searchlight, and bombard the place
daily, they show no signs of assaulting
the town. They probably think they
can starve us out, but we have plenty
of provisions.
The total casualties since the siege
began are seventy men killed and 276
wounded.
PRETORIA, Tuesday, Dec. 26 (by
way of Lourenzo Marques. Thursday,
Dec. 28).—Commandant Snyman re
ports as follows from Molopo: "On
Monday morning the enemy from Ma
feking attacked one of our forts in force
with cannon and an armored train, and
so persistently that there was fighting
right on the walls of the fort. But we
have retained our fort. The British loss
is reported at fifty-five."
The other commandos report "All
quiet." with the exception of the usual
bombardment of Ladysmith.
Commandant Swart reports from the
laager at Alowynskop. near Zeorust,
that he had an engagement on Friday,
December 22d, with Kaffirs in the
neighborhood of Derdorpoort. The
Kaffirs occupied a strongly fortified
ridge, and were well prepared for
emergencies. After heavy fighting the
Burghers captured the Kaffir position,
losing three killed and five wounded.
General Schalkberger reports under
date of December 23d that trains are
now running to Colenso, indicating
that the Boers have built a connection
around Ladysmith. 1 i
General Cronje reports from the
Modder River December 24th that the
Boers captured two British forts at
Kuruman, December 17th.
It is rumored that General Methuen's
big naval gun has exploded.
The Transvaal Government has pro
mulgated a new gold tax law, by
which individuals and companies work
ing their own mines are taxed 30 per
cent, of the output, while mines work
ed by the Government will pay 50 per
cent. Suspended mines will pay 30
per cent, on their probable output, cal
culated on three months' workings. Re
ducing works will pay 30 per cent, of
their net profits. The law is retroac
tive to October 10th.
KIMBERLEY, Friday, Dec. 22, via
Modder River, Dec. 27.-' Before dawn
to-day a detachment of the mounted
forces with artillery and light infan
try, moved out in a westerly direction.
Boer artillery from Kamperdam opened
fire at Ottos Kopje, Kimberley, fort
replying with twenty shells.
The British force reconnoitered out
posts along the Lazaretta ridge, the
Boer patrols retiring. Having accom
plished this, and having discovered
Boer reinforcements approaching from
Wimbledon ridge. Colonel Ohamier.
with the Royal Artillery, exchanged a
dozen shells as soon as the guns could j
be limbered up. Some 500 Boers
poured in a heavy fire from their
earthworks, the British finally retiring
with the loss of one horse. The move
ment showed that the Boers were still
keeping their guns in the vicinity of
Kimberley and are able to summon re
inforcements rapidly. It shows their
proneness to vacate a position imme
diately when weaker than the oppo
sition force.
LADY SARAH W T ILSON.
MAFEKING, Sunday, Dec. 24th, (by
native runner to Mochudi.) —Lady
Sarah Wilson is living in a bomb proof
shelter of her own construction under
the private residence of Mr. Weil, j
There she is enabled to exist with some
sort of comfort, and if she chooses to i
spend a part of the time in the house
her shelter is close enough to enable
her to take cover between the ring of
the warning bell and the arrival of the
projectile.
The correspondent of the Associated
Press at Mafeking. to whom she
granted an interview, was struck with
the fact, on entering her bomb-proof j
refuge, that she is unquestionably an
old campaigner. Even in this noisome, j
dark hole, dug under the ground, she
manages to make herself comforta
ble. She has whisky and soda as well :
as cigarettes to offer visitors. !
Lady Sarah's adventures were excit
ing, sometimes amusing and often j
spiced with considerable danger. It
was on a Thursday that she left Mafe
king. She arrived at Settlagoll Hotel !
that night. Before morning she was '
aroused by the rattle of musketry and :
the boom of guns. It was Captain
Nesibitt of the Mashonaland mounted
police, now a prisoner in the hands of
the Boers, who was fighting desperate- |
ly, unable to get back or to go for- i
ward but holding the wrecked armored
train until the last. As soon as day
light would allow Lady Sarah placidly
rode to the scene of action and pho
tographed the wreck. .Finding that
her presence at Settlagoli exposed her
to insults, the Boers moved her to
Moauti. where she enjoyed the hospi
tality of a colonial farmer. By means
of heavy bribes'she persuaded natives to
carry information to and fro, and ex
traordinary stories regarding her were
circulated among the Boers. One was
that she was the wife of an English
(Continued on Eighth. Page.) I
THE RECORD-UNION.
SACRAMEXTO, SATURDAY" MORINTNGr, DECEMBER 30, 1899.-EIGHT PAGES.
THE CAMPAIGN IN
THE PHILIPPINES.
Gen. Otis Reports to the War De
partment at Washington
Ths Capture of a Stronghold of Rebels
The Filipinos Lost a Large Number
in Killed and Wounded, With
Twenty-four Prisoners Taken—
The Americans Also Captured a
Large Amount of Ammunition,
the Rebels' Food Supplies and
Considerable Other Property.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29.—The Ad
jutant General received a cable message
from General Otis this morning telling
of the capture of a mountain strong
hold beyond Montalban, northeast of
San Mateo, formerly supposed to be im
pregnable, and the capture of many
prisoners and a large quantity of arms
and ammunition. The dispatch is as
follows:
Manila, Dec. 29, 1899.—Adjutant Gen
eral, War Department, Washington;
Colonel Lockett, with his regiment, two
battalions of the Forty-sixth (Colonel
Schuyler); one of the Forty-fifth
Dorst), and a company of the Twenty
seventh Infantry, also two guns, under
Captain Van Deusen, attacked the
enemy, 600 strong, in a mountain
stronghold beyond Montalban, north
east of San Mateo. A large number
were killed and wounded and twenty
four were taken prisoners. Lockett also
captured one cannon, forty rifles, 20,000
rounds of ammunition, 500 pounds of
powder, the arsenal fortifications, all
food supplies and considerable other
property. This captured point is locat
ed on a mountain trail, and was for
merly supposed to be impregnable. Our
casualties were Lieutenant Enslow,
Eleventh Cavalry, and five enlisted
men wounded, mostly slightly. Private
Matson of the Forty-fifth Infantry was
drowned."
General Otis at Manila to-day cabled
the War Department that First Lieu
tenant Edward R, Taylor, Twelfth In
fantry, was run over by a train cross
ing the Agno River, near Bautista, on
the 20th inst., and died in a few hours.
Lieutenant Taylor was born in Illinois,
and was appointed to the army from
Idaho in June, 1889. He was graduat
ed at the military academy and as
signed to the Twelfth Infantry, with
which he served in South Dakota and
Nebraska up to the time of the out
break of the Spanish.war, when he ac
companied the expedition to Santiago
Bay. At the close of the war he re
joined his regiment and served in Kan
sas and Missouri until February, 1899
when he accompanied his regiment to
the Philippines, where he remained to
the time of his death.
TRIAL OF MOLINEUX.
An. Interesting Incident During
Cross-Examination of Cornish.
NEW YORK, Dec. 29.-The most in
teresting incident to-day in the trial of
Roland B. Molineux, charged with the
murder of Katherine J. Adams, oc
curred during the cross-examination of
Harry Cornish by Mr. Weeks, defend
ant's counsel. Mr. Weeks asked the
witness to step from the stand, sit down
at the end of the table occupied by the
attorneys for the State, go through the
performance of opening the bottle of
bromo-seltzer, show how he knocked
the contents into the glass, how he
poured the water from one glass into
another, being careful to get approxi
j mately the same amount of water that
he used in the preparation of the fatal
j dose on the morning of the murder of
j Mrs. Adams. Cornish complied with
; the request, and proceeded to show
| how much he drank of the mixture,
, also about how much Mrs. Adams took
jof the poison. It was not until Mr.
j Weeks asked the witness to drink the
water in this plan to mimic reproduc
tion of the scene that the Recorder in
terfered. Mr. Weeks assured Cornish
that the water would not hurt him, but
the court remarked:
"This dumb show has gone far
enough."
Assistant District Attorney Osborne
good naturedly told the witness to go
ahead and drink the water, and the wit
ness picked up the glass with tiie re
; mark:
"Well, I will drink tt."
At this point Recorder Goff again in
terfered, with the statement that he
would not permit anything of the sort
to take place in the courtroom.
Mr. Osborne said that while Cornish
did not like the tactics adopted by the
! attorney for the defense, he had no ob
| jection to drinking the water if allowed
jtodo so by'the couic. This, however,
| the Recorder would not consent to.
Two of the most important witnesses
| for the prosecution were on the stand
! during the day. They were John D.
Adams. ex-Secretary <>f the Knicker
bocker Athletic Club, and Cornish. Mr
; Adams was the first witness called.
; The most interesting point in connec
j tion with his testimony to-day was his
1 positive identification of the hand-
I writing on the poison package as that
of Molineux. The testimony of Cornish
consisted largely of detailed descrip
tions of the scenes of the morning of
the murder at the Adams flat.
Recorder Goff refused to allow Mr.
Weeks to ask any questions as to the
present whereabouts of Mrs. Cornish,
the wife of the witness, and why Mr.
and Mrs. Rogers, the ratter the daugh
ter of Mrs. Adams, had separated.
Few new facts were elicited in the
attempts to trace the poison package
from the Knickerbocker Athletic Club
to the Adams flat. It was, however,
discovered that Cornish deposited the
bromo-seltzer bottle in his desk at the
club in the presence of P. S. Finneran,
ttiat he lost the key of the desk, and
that it was afterward found on the
floor of the Adams flat, after the death
of Mrs. Adams; that just before the
murder it was necessary for the en
gineer at the club to break open the
Northeast of San Mateo.
desk for the purpose of removing vari
ous articles, and that the desk was re
paired in a makeshift fashion.
Cornish also testified that he was mis
taken in his statements to the news
papers immediately after the murder
as to the time when he brought the
podson package from the club to his
room at the Adams apartments, and
that he had refreshed his memory by
talking with Mrs. Rogers concerning the
matter.
A PERFUME FARM.
One Soon to be Established at Mon
rovia, California.
CHICAGO, Dec. 29.—The "Post"
says to-day: Within a few mor'hs
there will be established in Monrovia,
Cal., the first perfume farm and per
fume manufacturing plant operating
on an extensive scale that has ever
been established in this country.
A party of New York and Chicago
capitalists have been working on the
scheme for several months. Thou
sands of acres of land have been
bought in Southern California Ex
pert German and French chemists
have already been engaged, and early
in the coming spring the plant, it is
said, will be in full operation. A
meeting of the promoters of the enter
prise will be held at New York in a
week or two, and final arrangements
for the organization of a stock com
pany completed. It is intended to in
corporate under the laws of Illinois.
Mistook His Wife for Burglar.
NEW YORK, Dec. 29.—Alfred Mor
rison, a professor of languages, mis-
took his wife for a burglar during the
night and shot her at their home in
Mount Vernon, N. Y. Mrs. Morrison
exonerated her husband from all
blame. He is almost insane from
grief. Mrs. Morrison may die.
Fire at Burlington, lowa,
BURLJNGTON (la.), Dec. 29.—The
building and contents of the Biklen-
Wisener wholesale grocery were de
stroyed by fire, entailing a loss of
$150,000, with insurance of $95,000. In
tense cold prevented the firemen from
doing effective work.
SENATOR KYLE OF SOUTH DAKOTA
HAS RETURNED TO THE RANKS
OF THE REPUBLICANS.
Prefers the Gold Standard to Bi
metallism With the Ingredients
of Radical Socialism.
NEW YORK, Dec. 29. —A special to
the "Times" from Washington says:
Senator Kyle of South Dakota, who
has been classed in the Congressional
directory, presumably upon his own au
thority, as an independent in politics,
but who repeatedly has voted with the
Republicans, has come out in a declara
tion that will justify the makers of the
directory hereafter in classifying him
as a Republican in name as well as in
fact. He is out of line with his former
Populist associates, and says so.
"Though I am a bimetallist and have
been so from conscientious convictions
for twenty-five years," he said, "I
would rather take the most undiluted
gold standardism than to accept bimet
allism with the ingredients of radical
socialism that are now associated with
it."
He does not favor that part of sug
gested legislation which gives to the
Secretary of the Treasury authority to
issue bonds at his own discretion, be
lieving that when the people of the
United States find it necessary to in
crease their public debt Congress should
be consulted.
On the general question of voting for
the gold standard, he does not believe
that the enactment into law of a prin
ciple which is now generally recognized
will affect the country disadvantage
ously.
"We have been practically operating
under the gold standard," he said, "for
thirty years. We have brought our
selves into harmony with the money
systems of the world. It is a doubtful
proposition whether it is right to disturb
values again when by such action we
do injustice to the creditor class and at
the same time put ourselves out of joint,
with the rest of the world. In thirty
years we have adjusted ourselves to
new conditions, and in going to bimet
allism now we might be committing a
second wrong, the demonetization of
silver being the first, in order to make
a right."
Senator Kyle says that the third
party movement has degenerated into
an indorsement of all that is radical
and socialistic.
The Chairman of the Populist party
in South Dakota he says, is a Socialist
of the most pronounced type, whose
newspaper advocates an entirely new
form of Government. The Republi
cans and conservative Democrats who
were associated in the independent
movement in the past, have returned to
their former political allegiance, not
caring to follow Altgeld, Debs and other
agitators.
"Because of these radical meetings," he
says, "the American flag was twice
torn down and the red flag of socialism
raised in its place. I am in favor of
American Institutions," added Mr.
Kyle, "and I would rather take the Re
publican party, with all in it that is
distasteful to me, than be allied with
those who have no respect for our flag
and who want to tear down our Govern
ment."
"Is the independent movement in
South Dakota at an end?"
"It is probable that the Socialists, the
radical Populists and the radical Demo
crats will get together and operate un
der the name of the Reform party. In
the election last fall there was no or
ganized Democratic party and no Dem
ocratic ticket. The name was complete,
ly obliterated, and yet it was not so very
long ago that the Democrats cast 27,000
votes in my State. This conglomerated
party can never win. The present Pop
ulist Governor was elected by a bare
majority of 300, although previously
the Populists had several thousand
majority. In the last election the Re
publicans, without money and without
a struggle, won by nearly 7,000. In the
Presidential campaign next year South
Dakota will go for McKinley by from
10,000 to 15,000. The Socialistic ten
dency of the third party people and the
prosperity which is being enjoyed by
the South Dakota farmers have sound
ed the death-knell of the old move
ment."
THE PAST YEAR A
PROSPEROUS ONE.
Rarely Have Sanguine Commercial
Hopes or Predictions
Found Such Adequate Realization as in the
Season Just Closing.
The Tear 1809 a Record-Breaker
in Nearly All Lines of Business
and Industry—The Volume of
Domestic and Foreign Trade the
Largest Ever Recorded, and the
Bank Clearings Surpassed All
Previous Records.
NEW YORK, Dec, 29.—Bradstreet's
review of "the year in business" to
morrow will say:
Rarely have sanguine commercial
and financial hopes or predictions found
such adequate realization as they did
during 1899. Certainly nothing like the
widespread and general upward move
ment of values, alike of staples and of
securities, such as occurred during this
year, could have been foreseen. Linked
with an immense business and a record
breaking production in nearly all lines
of business and industry, except, per
haps, in some products of the agri
cultural interest, there was with it an
advance of staple values, either of
which alone would have made the year
notable, and, combined, to have served
to establish the year as a record
breaker, and set up new standards. The
volume of domestic and of foreign trade
alike was the largest ever recorded and
the bank clearings, reflecting immense
business expansion, active speculation
in stocks and immense new industrial
floatings, far surpassed all previous rec
ords.
Prices, as a result, primarily of the
stimulation proceeding from supply and
demand conditions, scored probably the
greatest advance in any single year, j
and brought the general level of staple 1
values to the highest point reached for j
more than eight years past. Failure
statistics point to the smallest number
reported for seventeen years past.
These results have come to pass in the
face of a considerable increased pro
duction of wheat and an immense fall
ing off in the yield of cotton.
Industrial affairs for the year has
been one of enormous expansion. Cer
tainly nothing like the general advance j
in wages of industrial employes has
been witnessed for many years, and this
has been accomplished with a mini
mum of friction.
The close of the year finds order
books filled to from three to six months
ahead in nearly all lines. Distributive
trade was naturally of immense vol
ume throughout the year, though mild
weather at the close tended to modify
the satisfaction with which retail trade 1
in winter fabrics was regarded. This
was, however, partly compensated for
by a holiday business surpassing all j
previous records. Notwithstanding
smaller exports of agricultural products
during the calendar year, breadstuff
shipments being 15 per cent, smaller, ;
cattle and hogs exports 12 per cent !
less, and cotton shipments, owing to the
short crop, at least 15 per cent, less,
there was such an expansion in our
manufactured exports that the entire
export trade of the year will consider
ably exceed that of the last calendar
year, which was the heaviest recorded,
and will make the year no less notable j
in the line of foreign than domestic j
trade with a total of exports little less'
than $1,280,000,000, an aggregate!
which, if reached, will mark a gain of I
3 per cent, over the record total of ,
18518.
Imports have naturally shown a
marked revival, and if the gain for the
I eleven months is maintained for the j
month of December, a total a little be- I
low $800,000,000 may be expected,
which would guarantee a total foreign ]
trade well in excess of $2,000,000,000, j
an amount it might be remarked, never j
before equaled. As to exports, it is to 1
be noted that nearly one-third of all
are manufactured products, a propor- j
tion never before reached; and, as to;
imports, the very increase in raw prod- j
ucts intended for manufacture bears 1
testimony to the activity of domestic ;
industry. The apparent trade balance
in our favor, though not as heavy as >
in 1898, will still aggregate an enor
mous amount.
That the advance In the price of
staples has not been a fictitious one, or!
based upon arbitrary actions of combi- !
nations, is evidenced by the fact that a
similar price movement has been wit- I
nessed abroad, the general level of
prices in England, for instance, being l
higher on December Ist this year than :
for more than eight years past. The;
course of values, too, has been in ac
cordance with expectations of econo
mists, in that the greatest relative rise
has been in manufactured goods or in
products of industry, not exclusively;
agricultural. Breadstuffs alone of all
the classes of staples are actually lower
now than they were a year ago, the'
decline being about 6 per cent. On the
other hand, the manufactured or partly
manufactured products, such as metals, j
raw and manufactured textiles, build- j
ing material, coal and naval stores, I
have scored remarkable gains. Metals, j
as a whole, were 50 per cent, higher
than a year ago, due largely, of course, I .
to the forward rush of iron and steel j
prices, which have all practically j
doubled in value within the year. Raw | ;
cotton and wool have made especially
noteworthy advances, and from being
among the most depressed of industries, :'
the textile manufacturing trades have
become among the busiest there is rec- j
ord of. Other textiles have shared in !
this advance, and the result Is that tex- j :
tiles as a class are one-third higher
than a year ago.
Coal and coke have shared in the '
wonderful industrial development of the 1
year, with a rise equal to that in tex
tiles, and building materials, too, have
made equal gains, owing mainly to the
marked advance in lumber. Naval )
stores showed a gain of nearly one- j ■
third in price. Hides and leather are j :
one-fourth higher. Livestock, dried 11
fruits and oils are one-eighth higher, >
and provisions, chemicals and miscel
laneous products have all advanced.
Taking bank clearings as an index,
the outlook at present favors a total at
the country's clearing-houses, making
comparison with previous years, of 74
per cent, over 1897 and of 51 per cent,
over 1892, while as compared with 1894
the volume of clearings has practically
doubled. Active stock speculation and
immense industrial floatings, but, above
all, enormous and industrial activity,
naturally swelled the volume of clear
ings in the Middle States, but the gains
in the New England gioup, including
Boston, where copper share speculation
was extensive, and where are the great
manufacture centers, were also consid
erable. The largest monthly clearings
up to December were reported in March,
while outside of the metropolis the
highest total was shown as late as Oc
tober. The flurry in money late in De
cember swelled the weekly bank clear
ings to an unprecedented sum, making
possible exceptionally heavy Decemner
aggregate. Decreases from 1898 at in
dividual cities were few, and due main
ly to changes in methods unconnected
with the generally large business done.
As compared with 1894, every city in
the country naturally reports larger
clearing, but it is worth noting that
thirteen cities in all show decreases
from the year 1892, wliich still remains
at those cities a year of unequaled
trade. The railroads of the country
have done the heaviest business in their
history, proved by the gains in gross
and net receipts over all previous rec
ords.
That the transportation interests are
determined to share still further in the
unexampled volume of tonnage offer
ing is proved by the general advance
in rates scheduled for January 1, 1900.
Railroad Building, though mostly
branches and feeders, was the heaviest
reported since 1890, was double the
average of the preceding four years
and 50 per cent, larger than- in 1898.
The record of embarrassments has
been of a steadily diminishing scale as
regards number, and even in liabilities
the year's record is an exceptional one,
and it not for a few large failures
in the last two months of the year
that period as a whole would have been
fairly entitled to the appellation of
phenomenal.
The total number of failures, based
upon complete returns for eleven
months and partial returns for Decem
ber, will be in the neighborhood of
9,550, a total smaller than in the pre-
ceding year by 17 per cent., and 40 per
! cent, less than in 1893, the year of the
i panic. As compared with 1892, there
i is even shown a decrease of 6 per cent.,
j and the number of failing traders, firms
lor corporations is in fact the lightest
since ISB2. As regards liabilities, while
the showing is not so good as expected,
there is a reasonable hope of the aggre
gate not being much in excess of $120,
--000,000, which would be 13 per cent,
less than in 1898, and 70 per cent,
smaller than in the panic year, 1893,
and only 11 per cent, more than in
i 1892, a year of exceptionally good trade.
The return of normal conditions is
1 indicated by the percentage of assets,
which may aggregate $02,000,000, being
only 51.6, as against 52 per cent, last
year; 65 per cent, in 1893, and 50 per
cent, in 1892. The percentage of those
! failing in business, too, will show a
j marked shrinkage, and will be among
i the lowest ever reported.
That the improvement in business has
I made itself felt at last in all parts of
the country is indicated by the South
ern and Pacific States groups, showing
I the largest decrease in failures from a
' year ago, fully one-third in each case
The business community looks forward
to 1900 with at least equally mixed
feelings of hope and confidence.
NEW YORK, Dec. 29. — R. G. Dun &
' Co.'s "Weekly Review of Trade" will
say to-morrow:
No correct report of failures in 1599
can be made until the year has closed.
A collapse of speculation in copper
J stocks has swelled the aggregate at
, Boston alone over $6,000,000 within a
few days, and might yet add to the
I record. The failures reported are fewer
in number than in any year since 1883,
: and smaller in amount of commercial
liabilities than any year since 1881. The
j aggregate of defaulted liabilities is
I $120,160,000, but nearly two-thirds of
j the banking liabilities were added with
'< in a few days, t<ie aggregate reaching
I about $30,1*00,000. The commercial 11a
| bilities have been about $89,260,000,
though exact returns for a few recent
failures are not yet obtainable. No
I other years except in 1881. with de
: faulted liabilities of $81,155,932, and
: 18S0, with $65,752,000, have failures
been as small since the agency com
menced quarterly returns in 1875.
The week has been exciting only at
Boston, where the failures growing out
of speculation and the efforts to re
establish banks and firms suspended,
have not given the week a holiday
character. Yet general business is
thoroughly safe and prosperous, and no
important firms have failed, save some
which were individually connected with
concerns involved in speculation.
The speculative troubles come be
cause the volume of legitimate business
and the unprecedented distribution of
profits, interest and dividends, made it
no longer possible to carry some stocks
on borrowed money. Prosperity itself
placed a check on speculative features.
Wheat and cotton speculation has
taken a holiday, prices scarcely vary
ing, and the movement of both is sur
prisingly small. Atlantic exports of
wheat (flour included) have in four
weeks been only 8,278,618 bushels,
against 19,874,587 last year, and Pa
cific exports 3,314,271, against 3,856.
--808 last year. The corn exports con
tinued about as large as last year, but
cotton exports this month have been
less than half last year's, with some
decrease on takings of spinners. Ac
cumulated stocks in mills and markets
both here and abroad are so large that
there is no haste to pay the prices
asked.
The industries are closing the most
extraordinary of their history. Long
established branches have undergone a
veritable reconstruction, vastly increas
ing their capacity, while new industries
which scarcely existed a year or two
ago have enlisted a vast capital, altered
the mode of business and production in
almost every direction and improved
conditions for the future almost beyond
calculation. j
Death of a Catholic Clergyman.
NEW YORK. Dec. 29.—Rev. Sylves
ter Malone, pastor of the Roman Cath
olic Church of Saints Peter and Paul,
Brooklyn, and a member of the Board
of Regents of the University of New
York, died to-day aged 79 years.
WHOLE NO. 19,011.
RAIL ACCIDENT
IN COLORADO.
The Cheyenne Flyer on the Union
Pacific Road
Crashes Into a Builder Valley Trail at
Brighton Station Crossing.
The Mail and Baggage Car and the
Smoker of the Flyer Caught Fire
and Were Destroyed, and the
Express Messenger Burned to a
Crisp—Fourteen Other Persons
Also Injured.
DENVER. Dec. 29.—The Cheyenne
flyer on the Union Pacific Railroad
crashed Into the Boulder Valley train
at Brighton, Colo., at 6 o'clock this
morning. One man was killed and
fourteen persons injured. Wlnfleld
Randleman, express messenger, of Den
ver, was burned to a crisp.
The Boulder Valley train left Denver
a little late this morning and as usual
stopped at Brighton, which is the Junc
tion for the Boulder Valley line from
the main line to Cheyenne.
The Cheyenne flyer, Union Pacific
train No. 3, also left Denver late, and
coming into Brighton in the early
morning dusk, ran into the rear end
of the Boulder train, telescoping two
or three cars and derailing the pas
senger locomotive.
The section gangs from the Denver
yards and half a dozen passengers oc
cupied the Boulder train. The mall
and baggage car and the smoker of the
flyer were burned.
Following are the passengers Injured:
H. S. Hooker, Oolln, la., head cut bad
ly; Mrs. Margaret Young, Mansfield,
Mo., forehead cut; S. G. Hurst, banker,
Brighton, badly cut and bruised; F. V.
Davis, traveling salesman, Denver,
head badly cut, back injured, ribs
broken; W. G. Tompkins, traveling
salesman, Kansas City, head badly cut,
back injured; C. H. Payne, Laramie,
Wyo., head badly cut, right hand
mashed; Mrs. McCanfca, Laramie,
bruised.
Mrs. Young was in the chair car with
six children. None of the children Were
hurt.
Superintendent Deuel says he cannot
understand why the Boulder train was
not on the sidetrack, as it had twenty
minutes to clear the Cheyenne flyer.
The Boulder train consisted of four
teen loaded freight cars and a heavy
caboose. Engine No. 815, the locomo
tive hauling the flyer, lies out on the
prairie, a total wreck, as evidence of
how hard the crash was.
The injured were brought to Denver
about noon and taken to hospitals.
Conduc»or McAllister of the Boulder
train was crazed by the accident. He
attempted to Jump into the burning
wreckage, and had to be forcibly re
strained.
Remarkable fortitude was shown by
Fred Laws, brakeman on the Boulder
Valley train. He wnas making a cou
pling near the head of the train when
the collision occurred. He was thrown
down. His cries for help were not
heard, and he drew a knife from his
pocket, cut off his leg, and crawled
from under the car. His recovery is
doubtful.
FLOUR SEIZURES.
New Contentions on the Law of
Contraband. Goods Involved.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29.—The seizure
by British warships of several merchant
ships carrying cargoes of American
goods to Delagoa Bay on the ground
that the goods were destined for the
Boers is bringing out the fact that sev
eral new contentions in the law of con
traband goods are involved in the case.
Thus far the discussion has turned on
the point that the consignees were
Americans residing at Philadelphia. But
it is contended in some official quarters
that the first question in the case )s as
to the consignee, not the consignor. Ac
cording to this view, the original ship
ment might have been In good faith,
but so long as the consignment was
likely to pass Into the hands of the
Boers it was suggested that the rules
governing contraband of war had been
violated, and the goods could be seized.
It is expected, therefore, that when the
inquiry is prosecuted by Embassador
Choate at London and Consul Hollis
at Pretoria, they will have before them
not only the facts as to the original
consignment, but also all of the evi
dence relating to the bonafldes of the
consignees in having no connection with
the Boers.
THE LAWTON FUND.
Now Amounts to Over Thirty Thou
sand Dollars.
WASHINGTON, Dec 29.—Adjutant
General Corbln reports to-day that the
contributions to the Lawton fund
amounted to $30,52.5, being an Increase
of about $4,000 since the last previous
list
Following is a list of subscriptions of
$100 or more received since yesterday:
Chicago subscriptions through Alex H.
Revell, $1,223; William K. Vanderbilt,
$1,000; John E. Parsons, New York,
$100; E. C. Conners, New York, $100;
Hon. James McMillen, $100; W. T. El
kins, Philadelphia, $500; daughter of
Mr. Einstein of the New York "Press,"
$100; Mrs. Eleanor Martin, New York,
$100; Hon. Timothy O. Woodruff, New
York, $100.
Thomas Mackellar Dead.
PHILADELPHIA. Dec. 29.—Thomas
Mackellar, senior member of the Arm
of Mackellar, Smith & Jordan, type
founders, died to-day of pneumonia at
Ms home In Germantown. Mr. Mack
ellar, who was a printer, poet and au
thor, was born In New York August
12, ISI2. He was the author of num
erous books, poems and hymns, among
them "The American Printer." a
treatise on practical printing. He was
President of the Type Founders' As
sociation of the United States and was
a member of a number of other or
ganizations.