THE INDIANAPOLIS JOUENAL. VOL. T TV. NO. 22, INDIANAPOLIS, FRIDAY MORNING, JANUARY 22, 1904 TWELVE PAGES, PRICE 2 CENTS, ON TIA II. WAT TRAINS FIN K KNT8. HUGE WALL OF ICE SWEEPS HOUSE-BOATS BEFORE IT. AND RIVER BRIDGES TREMBLE AS GORGE TEARS AT THEIR FOUNDATIONS PROBLEM THAT MAYWORRY ABEH1GAHS WHEN WORK IS BEGUN ON THE CANAL Labor Question Will Prove Seri ous and May Cause a Great Amount of Trouble. i Break Occurs A hove Broad Rip ple and Thousands of Tons Start on a Journey of De struction Six Narrow K s rapes COOLIES BEST WORKERS Acq ua tic Club's Big Pleasure Craft Hurled Over Dam and Burns in River Two Miles Belon Canoe Club's Loss. But Panama Is Discussing the Passage of a Chinese Exclu sion Act NOT 'ENOUGH NEGROES Natives Are Lazv and West In dians Shiftless, and Cannot Be Depended On. From the Journal's Special Commiaatoner. COLON. December 'X. 1903. If the Ameri can plan for an interoceanlc canal offer no serious or forbidding engineering diffi culties, there are other problems grave in character that we shall have to solve. Foremost among these is that of applying the laws of sanitation to the Isthmus and of forcing obedh-nce to the.- laws. Of flint problem I have already written exhaustive ly. The other most erious one deal? with the question of labor. There has been, ever since the Republic was established, a very determine. 1 agita tion against the importation of Chinese coolies for the canal work. The argument Is advanced that the Isthmus and the West India islands can furnish all the labor neee.-sary. This Is, of course, fatuous. It does not. however, deter the leading spir its in the Republic from very vigorously in sisting upon the passage at an early date of a Chinese exclusion act. The Star and Herald, official organ of the Republic, has demanded, editorially, the passage of such an act, and Or. Amador Is understood to strongly favor the proposition. This opposition is purely selfish. There is no labor on the isthmus that would be deprived of opportunity through the pres ence of Chinese; there is no society here that would be contaminated, more than contamination has already been spread, by the coolies. They are, however, a serious menace to merchants; large and small. The French Caual Company brought coolie la bor la large quantities to the Isthmus. Those that survived the pestilence which raged in those days have gone Into business, and so developed that they now control in a large measure both retail and wholesale vending at Panama, Colon and between these two cities. Here in Colon they almost entirely monopolize the regular local trade, and at Panama they have come to be a powerful factor. In the forty-seven miles across the isthmus their command upon trade is practically complete. The ability of these people to live cheaply is more pronounced here than it is in any other country outside or China. The item of clothing is almost entirely eliminated rrom their expense accounts. Here, as in China, they conduct their little "pigeons" In the front of the buildings they occupy a residences. Fuel, except for small char coal fires for cooking, is never required, an an able-bodied Chinaman can feed him self on the Isthmus at the expense of a few pennies a day. In consequence they tan undersell any of the other merchants on the isthmus, especially as they Import largely and directly from China. These ad vantages, with that clanuiahness charac teristic of the yellow race, strike terror to the hearts of the Caucasian merchants. They know that millions of dollars will be disbursed here in wages, to flow later through tho regular channels of trade. They are afraid that If cooilea are brought here to form a majority of the wage-earners they will patronize the Chinese merchants ex clusively, thereby depriving local Caucasian merchants of the riches they hope to ac cumulate. This fear is. of course, well founded; but what alternative offers? WEST INPIANS POOR LABORERS. The Panamaians say the United States should employ native and West Indian ne fro labor. That sounds like a sensible proposition, but unfortunately the nega tive contention weighs down the affirma tive. In the first place, the native labor, if such a thing can be said to exist, is ab solutely worthies. The native laborer is laay. shiftless, Irresponsible, and generally of no aocuunt. Why should ho toil in sun baked or ruin-flooded trenches for eight hours a day when he can live as well as he wishes to live by idling ail the time, trap ping his meat and going into the forest and junglo for vegetable supplies? That Is a question the opponents of cooli labor do not answer. It is a question they cannot answer, for the natives, during the score of years since the canal work was started, have answered it so effe. tively that none save the locally selfish longer consider the native element. Even if the natives' ten den ( y waa in the direction of good service in return for a fair wage, they could not be considered, for there are not enough of them available to constitute a small divi sion of the immense corps of laborers that wUl be required to complete the caual with in a reasonable time. As for the other plan that of bringing Wet Indian negroes to the Isthmus-it is advanced without any intelligent idea as to its practicability. The stock argument used by its champions ami the opponents of son he importation is that these n.gro, Stand the climate better than does anv other class. That Is true. During the pe riod of active work by the Kreuch every class of labor known to large employers was called into service, and the West In dian r- gro proved more efficient and better adapted to the climate than did any other -that la, for a season. He did then, and will now, Iie longer on the isthmus than Will the Chinese, Mayalans. Africans. Syr ians or any other. Par a little while he will work steadier and accomplish more than will the other classes, but his in herent shiftlessnrss soon overcomes h!m in this enervatiitg climate, and he lapses into an idleness from which it is almost impos sltle to nr.. use him Add to this the fact that he is naturally most immoral, court ing rather than shunning the most loath some adtoctions, prone to debilitating ex cesses an-1 -specially ond of dedicating his nights to wild revelry and the worst carouses, and it wiU be seen that the tem porary advantage resulting from his lnbor Is more than offs.-t b the harm he does himself and to society hi general. The Isthmus has as many of these idle and improvident West Indiana as It has anv use Tor. To Nrlr.g more would only increase the sociological problem that will sooner or 1 iter have to be solved. N KGKi l-:s NOT, PHUCC RA ftVA Beside thi.s phan of the West Indian ne gro problem there is tii.tr n. of securing this class of laborer. The former efforts to contruct this anal resulted in a heavy depopulation of th West Indian islands. Should we determine to use these negroes In our attempt we could easily exhaust those islands of able-bodied men. Their champion It ss qu V ).-u we bonding swing w Saj they ran be secured in lim tltles. That is entirely false, lave frappfcd with the task of e canal and got It under full shall need almost innumerable tho, est I: nds of laborers. The most optimistic les axe that with ,') men we can tc the waterway In eight years. It e reasonable to presume that 50.000 ill have it ready to open In ten year-, there Is one thing we must avoid, WOUld succeed where the French H is the undo.- optimism which C' n.j i Is m men i f,.r t If w. failed cur- I th raed th. Prmh effort Should we termine t,. prosdente the work steadily ah ev.ry twenty-four hour of the tCONTlNl'fcD JÜN l'Aüti j, COL. J. " Extensive Preparations MRS, BECHTEL SWEARS TOM 010 NOT Kill MABEL Dramatic Testimony Is Given in German Dialect by the Vic tim's Mother. TELLS STRAIGHT STORY Of Incidents Connected with the Mysterious Murder of Her Daughter, ALLRNTOWN, 1.. Jan. 21. Mr, ruth-J arlne Bechtel, whose trial on the charge of being an accessory after the fact o the murder of her daughter Mabel, h . been in progress here since last week, took the witness stand in her own defense this afternoon. She waa on the stand for four and a half hours and proved a good wit ness. Mrs. Bechtel is a Pennsylvania fjsr man and the entire proceeding's were car ried on in that Pennsylvania Herman dialect, which was understood not only by the judge. Jury and attorneys, but by most of the spectators in the crowded court room. Mrs. Bechtel told a plain, straightforward story in a low, plaintive voice, which fre quently broke as she related the incidents and conversations that wrung her heart. Briefly stated. Mrs. Bechtel positively denied that her son Tom killed Mabel, or that she had guilty knowledge of the crime. 8he was under cross-examination when court adjourned, but up to that time the commonwealth had failed to shake her story. Mrs. Bechtel said that Tom was In the habit of chewing tobacco while In bed, and when he fell asleep the tobacco juice would run out of his mouth over the pillowca.se and sheets. Mr. Schaadt nt this juncture pro duced the stained bolster and pillowcases and sheets taken from Tom's bl. which she identified. Then came the most pointed question of all. "It is charged. said Mr. Schaadt. "that on that Sunday night Tom struck Mabel in anger and killed her. Now. you an- art old woman and have not much longer to live, as you must some day answer to your Creator, so tell us. now. did anything like that occur In your house?-' WITH THARS IX KYI IS The tears welled in the gray-haired wom an's eyes, her hands were clap-cd as if in prayer before her breast, and with her h ad toward heavrn she fervently replied: "I swear by my Hod that Mabel was not killed or struck by Tom in my home." An impressive silence followed, and then her attorney led her up to the movements of the family Monday morning. Tom left the house to go to work at 6 o'clock. Ma bel came downstairs, she said, at 7:30 and helped herself to breakfast. The sobbing mother then said: "She cum,, out in the kitchen and said she was going out driving. I asked her. 'With whom. Wasenberg r and when she answered yea, I exclaimed, 'Oh. Mahal, ' In a rebuking ton. . Mabel pit her hands over her eyes and began to cry I asked her why she cried, and she an swered. I am crying now, mavbc you'll cry later." " "What happened next?" "After a while she went upstairs re dressed herself, snd then left the house That was the last time I saw her alive It was shout ' o'clock. r"siblv a little Later " The witness told of Eckstein s call on Monday evening and of the conversation that ensued. She contradicted some of his statements made earlier in the trial. She added thai Eckstein often quarreled with Mabel and several times ha. I struck her Then Mrs. R. htel told of hearing dogs bark in the yard at midnight on Mondes Tom was asleep. hv said, and had one -U k with him in his bedroom. Another dog was in the cellar. Arising, she went to the rear window un.i saw th. . ab tn ihn lb v She saw two men carry Otnetbtni Into Miller's van; next door. The witness did not awaken Myrtha. She h ard Tm snoring The wlt nes told of finding Mab. i s body Tuesdav morning in the araaway under the house whn she went to get th. washing machine Two aprons placed in evidence belonged to the witn.s.v who ...j tur tn,. bloodstains by saying thai tn handling meats she wiped her hands on tin aprons. Mr. Schaadt aked: I- it true that jrotl wanted Mabel to go With Other men''" Never in my lif.-." was the answer. "DM you say to K k-tem that you wanted Mabel to go with men and bring in money?" N'-ver in my life, and she did not either; trier was n. ver such a thing said. ' THIBETANS MAY FIGHT AND ASK RUSSIA'S AID CAlAJUTTA, Jan. 21 Reports from the Brttlsh expedition to Thiht t Indscatl that the Thibetans are likely to show tight. The native priests declare they will appeal to ttu-jsuk ix tu advance coatu.u-, by Republican Editors to Meet EDITORS TALK OF PART OF PRESS III CAMPAIGN Seventy-Five Members of Repub lican Association Sit at Banquet Table at Claypool. POLITICIANS ARE AROUND C. W. RTIVKIIS. r.r UBERTT, IND., President of the Indiana Republican Editorial Association. Republican editors, their wives and other guests of the fair sex and s vernl guests who arc prominent among the party lead ers gathered about a long table in the American-plan dining room of the Claypool hotel last night and participated in what was generally pronounced the beet banquet In the history of the Indiana Republican Kditorlal Association. The party numbered close to one hundred, a record-breaking attendance, the menu and appointments of the banquet were all that could be desired, and to round It off there was an aftermath of speech-making and story-telling of unusual exeellence, without which the feast would have been Incomplete. As one of the guests said, by wny of preface to an informal .speech, it was indeed a fine looking crowd of men and women. The newspaper men of Indiana measure up to th - standard of their newspa-Pt?1"8. which Is not excelled by tho press of any other State, and men more representative of the best citizenship of the State could not be gathered from any other profession. The banquet, which was characterized by Infor mality and general good fellowship, was preceded by a reunion or reception in the parlors of the hotl. It was 8:39 o'clock when the party entered the dining room and the hour of midnight was reached before the final word had been said and adjourn ment taken. The Republican editors are here for the annual midwinter meeting of their asso ciation, the business sessions of which will be held to-day. An unusual interest is be ing taken, resulting in record-breaking at tendance, because of the fact that a na tional campaign is at hand, and the men who mold public opinion and had the Re publhan hosts of Indiana desire to get böget li-T and exchange ideas and plans to be followed during the next nine months. STIVKRS IN CHAUt FiaallUttl Charles V. Stivers, of liberty, presided as toastmaster at the banquet. In calling the assemblage to order Mr. Stivers felicitously greeted the members of the as- Motion and their guests, spoke of the high standard of the Republican press of Indiana, congratulated his fellow-editors upon their progress and prosperity, and urged them to stand in the coming cam- paign as they have stood in preceding struggles Steadfast and true, aggressive and resourceful, in fighting for Republican prim ipb s. Chartas I Henry was tho first spakr on the programme, and in present ing him Mr. Stivers paid a high compliment to the Journal, which, he said, has stood through all its history as the exponent o th. best in'. i sts of the State and Nation and as thi leader of the Republican press of Indiana. Mr. Henry spoke on "The Issues of the lm; tiding fampaign." In purt he said th. i the Republicans do not make cam paign issues tn the common acceptance of the term. They inaugurate policies and stand tor th. advancement, progress and pros;..;.iy . ' ;. N ttion the Democrats rais. the issues, setting up any and every CONTINUED ON FA0B Ü. COL. Z.J w tf , T,. th. of N-Qrtl,w,en,..v,nu, nrH,e Yesterday. (ULI ß3 MACHEN BANKED 00 PERU ÄND SUBURBAN -mm A YEAR, BUT HIS ANNUAL TOWNS IN IMMINENT L 3 SALARY WAS ONLY $3,500 DANGER FROM FLOOD the "Yellow Per:!:' ONE MAN DEAD Jl HURT 111 A TRACTION COLLISION Cars on the Union Traction Met Head On Oli the Marion- Anderson Line. WRECK CAUSKL) BY FOG Trainmaster, in Charge t the Kx tra, Could Not See the Ap proaching Freight Car. Special to the Indianapolis Journal. ANDKRSON. hid.. Jau. 21.-ln a collision bet. .-et a m.Mor car aut u aouth-bouud freight ou ti . Anderson-M.-.i i.:i near I.inwood. five miles tr rth of this city at 3:30 o'clock this afternoon, one man was fatally injured and two others badly huit. The victims: J A MKS MAHONkT, trainmaster for Tnion Traction Company: died later. JOHN CLAPF, motormar. Muucie. head badly cut. JAM KS PR1NG, IVndleton, hand crushed. Mahoney desired to go to Tipton late this afternoon to investigate some flood reports at that place, and as it was desired that a passenger car be taken there for use on the Indianapolis Northern line, Mr. Ma honey volunteered to take charge of the car himself. He arranged for an assistant at the power house, but the man selected missed the car, and Mahoney continued on alone. North of I.inwood a heavy fog overhung th swamp land, and Mahoney did not no tice a freight car aproaching him. The two cats struck squarely head on. Riley Younce, condtictor of the freight. Jumped. Mahoney and the other two remained in their places. Tho vestibules of the two cars Wer .smashed to a mass of ki. idling wood, und Mahoney was crushed in the debris. Roth legs were mashed, as well as his hips and abdomen. The other men re moved him from the debris and placed IP.-n up n the northbound limited car, which was turned toward Anderson. It was found that Mahoney's injuries were futat, and that John Clapp, the motorman. had a se rious cut on his head. James Prig, u iphew of ex-County Chairman John Starr, suf tered a crushed hand. The injured men were taken to St. John's Hospital. TREASURE BOX THROWN FROM A LIMITED T Mysterious RoIiIxtv of a Wells Fargo Express Car in Cali fornia Mountains. ROOTY MAY BE LITTLE SAN KRANV1SCO. Jan. ZLWhilf. the Southern Pacific Sunset lamited train v.s climbing the rough mountains between San Iaiis Obispo and San Ardo last night a Wells-FarKo treasure box was mysteriously stolen out of the express car by some un known person or persons. Timothy Sulli van, the messenger, was in another car, and when he returned he found the side dortr of the express car open und the safe missing. The robber gained entrance to the car through the end door, the lock of Which had been forced. Sullivan at once notified the railway officials of the roblx r and I search for the missing safe resulted in finding it near the tunnel No. 2 It had baen broken into and its contents had been taken with the exception of a valuable dia mond, some checks and other valuable pa pers. The amount of treasure th;U irafl beiug earned in the safe has not been determined. The express officials say that it was only a few hundred dollars, hut that there were some valuable papers. Estimates from the scene of the robbcrv place the amount as high as $80.000. but it is thought this esti mate is a greatly exaggerated Ohe. The express car carried two safes, one a through safe, which la looked at N w Or leans, and the other a local safe. It was the local safe that was taken. One man is under arrest at San lads Obispo, on sus picion of being one of the robbers, but the evidence uKuinst him is only circumstan tial. The slow progress of the 'rain would have permitted the robbers to enter the ex press car. throw out the safe and jump off after it without much danger. A man's hat was found in the vicinity of the stolen safe to-day. After th- robbery a man about thirty .ars of age bought a hat from a section man. and on arrival of the south train this afternoon w:is arrested at the depot and identified by the section man. It is believed that the robber has been captured. l)ot ie Süll for natrHliil. SAN KRANOISro, Jan. 21. -John Alexan der Dowte, with his party from the Hast, sailed t'-r Australia on the steamer Sonoma to-day. While in this city he delivered two addresses, but wus coldly received on both occasions. RAIN Special Counsel Holmes Conrad's Declaration at the Postal Fraud Trial. PROTEST KROM DEFENSE Presiding Judge Asked Xot to Ad mit the Statement as Evidence. WASHINGTON. Jan. 21-An interesting incident in the trial of August V. Mac-hen. tlM vJroff brothers and the l.orenzes on an indictment charging conspiracy to defraud the government in connection with the sale of letter-box fasteners came to-day just before the usual ' hour for adjournment. Throughout the day hank officials had been on the stand testifying concerning various ch ks and drafts which passed between D. B. Oi ff and Martha J. Koienz and George lyorenz and Machen. After J. W. Herring. cashier of the I nion National Bunk of . si inkier. Ma.. hl told of th- urtnos transactions of Machen with his bank Mr Taggart. assistant district attorney, offered in evidence the transcript of Mat-hen's en-tin- dealings with that institution. While Mr. Douglass was vigorously op posing its admissibility Holmes Conrad, special counsel for the government, exam ined the transcript. After Mr. Douglass had taken his seat Mr. Conrad rose to reply. "It appears." he said, "that the defendant Machen was making over $20,000 a year." A stroug protest at this statement came from Mr. Douglass. Mr. Conrad, however, continued, and said he proposed to show "th.it this transcript of this man s account in this bank demonstrates that on a salary of $3.500 a year, by the observance of strict economy and lue attention to business, he was making $3u.of0 a year." Mr. Douglass quickly was on his feet, and protested that ;u matters Involving the issues of the case counsel ought not im provideutly make a statement of that char acter "I made it intentionally." Mr. Conrad said. "AM right," retorted Mr. Douglass, "so much the worse, and so much the stronger the criticism." Mr. Douglass declared that Mr. Conrad had taken issue with the district attorney and with the government. Continuing, he id: "1 know verj well what was to be. and 1 sought to uncover the situation." The ipeciaJ counsel for the government, he said, had taken issue with the district at torney's Office, and said, "We want this thing in for the purpose of proving Machen made $20.000 a y. ar. Driven to the wall. It was now dladoaad that this was the real purpose of the government." To admit the transcript, he said, would put Machen on trial not in one case, but in fourteen different cases before one jury at one time and the same time. After fur ther discussion the matter was dropped un til to-morrow. INDIANAPOLIS GIRL THE CAUSE OF A SUICIDE Pennsylvania Constable Shoots Himself in the Oftice of a Po lice lustice. HIS WIFE WAS NEAR BY Special to the Indianapolis Journal. PNIONTOWN. Pa., Jan. 21. Charged with a statutory offense, t'harlcs B. Still wagon, a Connellsville constable, ended his troubles and his life with a bullet through the heart in the office of Justice of the Peace John N. Dawson in Uniontown this afternoon. Stillwagons wife and a young wom an, with witnesses and lawyers, were in the justice's office atwnit to begin a hear ing on ihe charges when Stillwagon ap proached his wife and began talking over their troubles, finally asking her to go with him into the rear office for a private con v rsation. Mrs. Stillwagon refused. Still wagon then walked into the rear office, drew a revolver ami sent a bullet through his heart, dyfosj instantly. The commencement of Constable Still wagon's troubles date back a year, when he became infatuated with uu Indianapolis girl who gave her name as Bertha 8ink and also was known as Bertha liollings- worth Bertha Sink, who was then eight- e. n y. ars old, worked in a local confec tionery store. SEI FX TL UN INDICTMENTS Returned Against Iowa Reformer tor Bij Kmhezlenjent. CLINTON, la.. Jan. 21 J. W. Warr. president of the Moline Building and Loan Association, has been indicted by the Rock Island county grand jury on seventen counts. The indictments charge that he has embezzled 100.000. Warr was a reformer and church worker, and last spring was a candidate for mayor OB the reform ticket. He Is in jail in de fault of bonds. His assets, so far as kuuwn, arc le&a than fti.OUQ. Bridges Destroyed at Munde, Ko komo and Elsewhere, and Other Structures Endangered. PEOPLE DESERT HOMES Damage Done or Threatening at Lafayette, Ft. W ayne, Winamac, Rensselaer and Huntington. perlal to the Indianapolis Journal. PMRU, Ind., Jan. 2. - Peru and the river localities for miles around are in great danger to-night from high waters. Rising streams already have done much damage, and additional trouble is feared every hour. In th village of Amboy. to the south, laaton's creek has risen and overflowed :- that people had to leave their homes. At Rich Valley, aa the east, water frssa streams emptying into the Wabash is flood ing the houses in parts of the tuwn. At Denver, oa the north, Kel river ha in undated a large part of the town, forcing people Horn their homes, lu Peru the sub urbs of Klmwood and North Peru are be ginning to suffer from backwater. The corporation of South rem has much water In its limits, and the Wabasn river, on which It is located, is daugerously high. The Indianapolis & Northern bridge over the Wabash at Broadway, connecting the suburb with the city, was to be raised to keep it from being swept away. The rain is ttill falling snd the water is still rising at this time. Four men are standing ready to float out large charges of dynamite to blow the bridge to pieces should It seem necessary to do that in order to save South Peru from being flooded, due to the gorged Ice against, the girders. The Wabash receives all the Missi -s. n. wa s water a mile east of Peru. The bridge was completed only a few weeks ago. It is a five-span girder structure, worth about $30, 000. but the engineers made the mistake of setting it too low, and the girders drop even feet below the high water mark. The water has risen over the tps f the piers, ana had not workmen raised the spans with jacks they would have been washed away hours ago. LAWSUITS TO FOLLOW FLOOD AT LOG ANS FORT Special to the Indianapolis Journal. DOGANSPOHT. Ind., Jan. 21. Although the high waters and ice in the K- an! Wa bash rivers, which unite almost in the heart of Ixigansport. have caused little damage except to residences along the banks, a hitter legal contest is predicted, in which the residents of Bel River avenue will en (CONTINT'ED ON PAGE 2, COl7 ) TORNADO-LIKE STORMS IN THE SOUTHERN STATES Strong- Wind, Heavy Rain and Lightning Play Havoc with Telegraphic Service. COLLEGE HOOK TORN OFF MKMPHIS, Tenn.. Jan. 21.-A very se vere rain and electric storm prevailed this afternoon and to-night throughout the Cen tral, Southern and Southwestern States, se riously crippling telegrsphie servier and swelling streams beyond their banks. The storm at midnight Is central over the Mts tftnsipp4 delta region. AH telegraph wires are interrupted to that territory, and it Is feared that other damage has oernrred. Reports from Texas state that winds as suming the projortlon of a tornado swept the mountain ranges to the west this after noon. At Austin the new woman's build ing at the State I'niversity was unroofed, causing a hiss of several thousand dol Much damage was done to outhouses, f n -ing and forestry. No one is reported in jured or killed. I i.-re.- Ill iFti l it. MLNOMINKi;. Mich.. Jan. .'l.-The fierce est bliszard of the season is lading here to-day. There is a heavy snowfall and a hard wind. ATI the fishermen on the ba are keeping In the .shanties end are unable to do any work. COKE REGION MINERS WILL BE ORGANIZED PITTSBl'RO. Jan. 21 .District officers of the rutted Min.- Workers put into effect to day the order to organize the miners in the Connellsville coke region as decided by the district convention. Pour organisers were sent to the fiejd to-day to personally so licit the miners In their hom.-s and in the mines when they can get near them and in mass meeting on the outside. There are 18.000 unorganized men in the l eg ion ganisers also were sent to the Sllppei Rock mines of the 1'nited Statu Ste. l ( or poratton to take charge in Batler county of the strike declared there against a reduction in wages. Gorge Crumbles Under Wesi M ichigan-Street Bridge--' T Vasbin, it on-Street Structure Withstands Its Attack. With a crash heard for miles the ic goig. that had been piling up for tMty four hours broke at the island s mile abovs) Broad Hippie at 11:30 o'clock last nlhU and a s -v. 1 later one huge wall, atsfhlasj thousands of tonn stsrted on a journey o$ destruction down White river. The large houseboat of the Indianapolt Aquatic '!uh was swept before the ava lanche of ice as If it were a rowboat. anal at the .- .me time the smaller houseboats, the half dozen boat houses and the hugij dock were torn from their foundations na moorings and borne down the river. The houseboat was carried to the bridge of the traction company, two miles below the park. In less than a half hour, and 2:30 o'clock this morning it was caught be low the bridge, lying on its side and bum ing. A lighted lamp in the second floor df the house is supisised to have caused lh-T fire. Six m n narrowly escaped with their live as the ice bor- down upon the boathcube They wre awak n. I by the crash and tVieiaT escape was nothing short of a miracle. Sev eral acta of heroism r suited In the rescu of members of the party, who had diffi culty in swimming against the terrific cur- rent and getting out of the way of the hugSP blocks of ice. When the roar of breaking ice was hearta half of the population of the little town of Broad Hipj b' were awakened. Within flw minutes the men of the suburb were on tha streets, and when th- water was seen rag- ing over the banks und rushing down int the perk the hie bell was rung and a gen" eral alarm sounded. Kvery house wan visited and the occu pants warned to prepare to leave, as no ond knew the extent of the trouble. The gorge carrying with it the ruins of the houseboat and the other debris, with a continuous road tore down the river. Grave alarm was felt for the bridge at Broad Kipple snd the traction bridge. How tho houseboat passed under the bridge could not be explained. FOUNDATIONS SHAKE. The foundations of the bridges shook a tho ice pounded up against them, but they resisted Ou- w.Li auJ the gorge parUd and passed undur the different ee t ions. Trees along the bank were snapped oft like twigs and helped to increase the weight of the mass of ice. At the Canoe Club the large boathouso was torn from its niootiugs and swept C into the river. This was a few minutes be fore the gorge reached the clubhouse and it was under the bridge and well down the river when tie gitar-t force of the swift ly moving mass reached the place. Tho ire te away the small hoaihouse. and a message to the Journal at 1:30 o'clock said) that the large dock could not long resist the attacks of the avalanche of ie. The bridge across White river at River side Park, a few yards from the boathouse was abl to withstand the force of the gorge, and at 2 o'clock was in p. safe con dition. Two watchmen were on guard U avert any disast. r. BEIDOM ALL HOLD. Indianapolis Journal reporters were at th West Michigan-street, the Washington street and the OHver-a t nue bridges a half-hour after the break waa reported at Broad EtypjSe. Ba b man was present Slheil the wall of ice hurled Itself against th - abutments of the bridges. , A half-dozen men were iuar the W.-i Michigan-street bridge. The woodwork ua the bridge and the floor was seen to trem ble at the first onslaught, but the strui -ture was strong enough to withstand thai attacks and the gorge pushed its way be tween the abutments It was feared that the Washington-streeC bridge would -nimbi before the gorg. but it. too. was stronger than the city' englneeih thought. Although It shook for an instant, the hugh mass of ice did nog shak. ,t ir m its foundations. KOAK HEARD FUR MILES When the Ice broke the roar of the tor rent as it rushed over the dam at a speed of forty miles an hour could be heard all ovet the little village end for miles beyond. All the populace was aroused and hundred of anxious householders, lanterns In hang went out In the darkness to discover tho extent of the danger to their lives and their property. The fire bells were rung and within ten minutes after the burst ing of the ice not a soul was asleep ia Broad Ripple lhe women and children were dressed and prep. i 3 to fiee for tl. is lives, and the meu were seeking place of safety for their families in case of soma unforeseen disaster which migbt torn in dent to the fast rise of the river and tho ominous r si aters aa they aurgeoj over the dam. The breaking up of th ice was fast an) ferocious, in some places above the daua li: the limits of Hroed P. the Ice wi piled along the nhore eight feet high, anal a mile above the town the eaUmato oi fifteon solid feet of Ice along th phores of the dare-devil Whita lira would not be far wrong Th White river, usually jceable snd Serena pra'tically swelled itself out of Us banks las. night and it went on a rampage which will hu.g be remembered br the realdeai of the little villages along He shores. The excitement in Broad Ripple was iSj t. nse Women m ream, d lr. terror and chifc Aran rtod ard long closer to their pw is th deafening r ar of the river grew louder and louder. It was not until th noes of the town had an opportunity to make a careful survey of the condition that the people were brought down to their normal attitudes, and even then there w iS litib- sleep for the xctted women aud children. N dam r to the population of Bt oat Ripple wa aused by th viio rutti of the w.it.rs. rel lhe great excitement robbed th. people of their reason, and they for time wer ndnioti of nervous fee that was appalling. The houseboats In the river were the asjjU t-r. rs trog the Mood, but vs ta h w r moored In th. canal Were erfectlj safe. MEN'S NARROW KS APE. As the loose blocks of lc i.uncd befog the gotg' p'- :hm the Aquatic Club s hoathOUSi and were thrown against the Sullivan bOhthouse th. six men in the latter wer. u t :. o 'I ' in. n ..board wert J. I). Sullivan, the owner; Clifford h kla, W. K. Johnson. Ouv Robblna. Custodian fierce, of th. Aquatic Club, and Dona lg Morrison. All of them live in the city. Johnson lh-s .it S14 East Tenth street, a ad ts en mpl vi of tiu Indianapolis Newa. Bull! van and Blckh were asleep on hoard the Uiat. and it war with difficulty thai they were aroused Sickle was lot aw aft. end until n w.is out in t tie river, and nt was struggling against the Ice and watet while & Ail of tht men Jumped