The river press. [volume], August 29, 1906, Image 1

About The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current

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The River Press.
Vol. XXVI.
Fort Benton, Montana, Wednesday, August 29, 1906.
No. 45
FIGHTING AGAINST NATI KE
Southern Pacifie Railroad Trying to
Change Course of Colorado River.
Yuma , Ariz., August 23. —It is be
lieved by competent engineers that the
problem of diverting the flow of the
Colorado river into the Salton sea is
about to be solved. The Southern Pa«
cific company has more than 1,500 men
employed in the construction of a new
channel for the river and is building
a headgate and dam with the view of
changing the course of the stream. It
is estimated that the cost of changing
the flow of the river will amount to
nearly $1,000,000. The construction
of a railroad twelve miles long to af
ford means for transporting the ma
terials for the dam is one of the big
items of expense. This road is nearly
finished. The preliminary arrange
ments for diverting the big volume of
water which has been pouring into the
Salton desert for the last 18 months
or more will soon be completed and
the first real test of the plan adopted
by the engineers will be made. If the
dam and headgate are capable of re
sisting the tremendous pressure of the
river's flow the project will be success
ful; otherwise, it will be defeated and
the permanency of the great Salton
sea will probably be assured. There
is a fall of 423 feet in the new cannel
of the river from the point where it
leaves the old bed until it reaches the
Salton sea. This fact makes the flow
especially hard to contend with. No
ordinary obstruction can withstand
its pressure.
The attempt which is now being
made to divert the flow by means of a
dam and headgate is the second of the
same kind that has been tried since
the new channel was formed. The
first attempt was unsuccessful because
the water found a soft spot in the dam
embankment and soon tore through
the structure with gigantic force.
It is stated that if this second at
tempt to control the flow of the river
results unsuccessfully no further ef
forts will be made and that the per
manency of the Salton sea will be ac
cepted by the Southern Pacific and its
plans for changing its route will be
made accordingly. If the water is
permitted to continue to flow into the
new inland sea the size of the latter
will be greatly enlarged as time pass
es. It still lacks many feet of being
up to sea level. The sea will be more
than 100 miles long by 70 miles across
in places when the big basin is com
pletely tilled. Some of the old stations
on the Sourthern Pacific railroad are
already more than 100 feet beneath
the water. The permanency of the
new body of water will necessitate the
building of its main line far up in the
foothills, where the construction cost
will be heavy and the expense of train
operation much greater than upon the
original line through the former des
ert.
It is the opinion of scientists that if
the flow of the water into Salton sea
can be diverted it will not take more
than a few months for the water now
in the sea to be evaporated. The tor
rid heat of the sun will soon dispose
of the water and the desert will again
make its appearance.
Some people are so certain that the
sea is there to stay that large boat
lines have already been established
thereon. These boats ply between
many points and are used principally
in the forwarding of mining machin»
ery and supplies from the railroad to
the distant foothills. Companies have
also been organized to establish
pleasure resorts upon the shores of
the nftw sea.
Engineers Are Wanted
Washington , Aug. 23.— The reel a«
mation service has need of several
constructing engineers of experience
iu earth work, tunneling, concrete
masonry and similar operations. It
has called upon the civil service com
mission for an examination to be held
October 1 to secure eligibles. This, in ,
general form, is similar to the pre- '■
vious examination held on April 1, '
l!H)4, from which a large number of
engineers have been selected.
The examination does not necessi
täte the appearance of the candidates i
at any particular place, but, on the
contrary, papers are to be prepared;
and sent to the commission to be re- !
ceived by them before October 1. The
markings will be made on the basis of
the paper submitted, special weight 1
being given to experience in one or
more of the various lines of construc
t:on work. The salary offered at first,
is from $1^0 to 8250 per month and
will be determined with reference to
the particular work to be done and the
ability of the eligibles.
j
!
cheyenne, Aug. J>.—L pon request
of Sheriff Stough of Fremont county, 1
After Squatters In Wyoming.
Governor Brooks last night ordered
out Company b of the state national
guard, stationed at Lander, to pro
ceed to the Shoshone reservation to
aid the sheriff in preserving order on
the new townsite on the reservation.
August 14, the day before the reserva
tion was opened, 300 "sooners" gath
ered on the border of the reservation,
and on the morning of the 15th every
town lot on the new townsite was oc
cupied by a squatter. Some bad feel,
ing exists among squatters who were
off and who may have difficulty in re
gaining their claims, but no serious
trouble is expected.
W ill Rebuild Valparaiso.
Valparaiso , Aug. 23.—The gov
ernor of the state of Valparaiso today
issued a proclamation saving there
will be plenty of food and medicine
for all sufferers and that there will
soon be sufficient shelter for all those
in need. He warned the people that
the authorities are fully able to con
trol the situation and that no disor
ders or lawlessness would be permit
ted.
Extraordinary measures will be
adopted to prevent looting of the
ruins. Some business was resumed
today. The wire communication to
Santiago has been restored, but the
lines are being used exclusively by
the government. Martial law still
prevails. The government has ap
propriated 84,000,000 for the relief of
the destitute. A company is to be or
ganized with government backins for
the rebuilding of the city.
Cloudburst Hits Kansas City.
Kansas City , Aug. 23.—A terrific
rain storm prevailed in Kansas City
and in this vicinity early today, caus
ing more or less serious damage. In
Kansas City 5.93 inches of water fell,
this being the record for the time,
three hours and a half. Low-lying
lands were flooded and the police and
fire departments were called upon to
rescue persons from basements in Lit
tle Italy, in the north end of the town,
and in the east and west bottoms,
where the water entered many small
houses.
Several down-town basements were
flooded and goods damaged. Trees
were stripped of their foliage and hun
dreds of sparrows were killed. At
Elmwood cemetery, three miles east of
the business district, serious damage
was done. Practically the entire
cemetery grounds were flooded, and in
the lower grounds a strong current
formed. This resulted in the washing
out of dozens of graves. At least 200
bodies were exposed
nele Joe Would Not Decline.
New York , Aug 23.— A dispatch to
a morning paper from Plattsburg, N.
Y., says:
Speaker Cannon arrived at the sum- j
iner home of J. C. Sibley, of Pennsyl
vania, from New Vork, yesterday, j
He knew nothing of the resolutions;
adopted by the Illinois state conven- j
tion indorsing him for the presidency i
until he saw the papers, and said he
was very grateful to the people of his
state for their confidence, but he was
in no sense an active candidate for the
nomination. ^
When asked if he would accept it if
it was tendered him, he said no man j
could decline so high an honor at the j
hands of his party. He will remain
at Congressman's Sibley's residence ■
until September 1, when he will leave ;
for Maine, where he will speak.
Against Joint Statehood.
' e °PP° slD £ factions at the polls,
*: rt ; vv ® rL " man J' challenges and sev
? ra fights. A feature of the vot
* Nas 1 iat Mexican electors went
a m0st aQ ^ d b in ^ f avor o f jointure,
l ow Kates to Boise.
Boise , Idaho, Aug. 24.— It is an
nounced that the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern railways, which are
not included in the Western passen
ger association, have determined to
more than duplicate the rate granted
by that association a few weeks ago
for the coming session of the Nation
al Iirrigation congress, to be held in
Boise September 3 to S.
The Western Passenger association
granted a round trip rate of one fare
plus 50 cents and the two Hill roads
now come forward with a round trip
rate of a straight one fare, from any
point in Minnesota, North Dakota,
Montana, Idaho or Washington.
Tucson , Ari/.., Aug. 23.— The re
publican party in Tucson and Pima
county, at the primary held today,
went on record as opposed to joint
statehood, in Tucson the anti-joint- 1
ure ticket received 402 votes, against
263 cast for jointure. In outside pre
cincts the vote was similar.
Great feeling was exhibited between
I. AND
kai hs confessfi»
The Oregon Conspiracy Case Proved By
Several Witnesses.
Portland , Aug. 24. —In the Blue
Mountain forest reserve case today,
former Forest Inspector Salmon B.
Ormsby testified, on cross examina
tion, in the United States district
court, that his own conduct, in mak
ing a favorable report to the govern
ment on the proposed establishment of
the reserve, was influenced by two half
sections of school land, deeded to him
by Defendant Franklin P. Mays, as
well as by his friendship for Mays.
Counsel for the defense, however, se
cured an admission from him that,
if he had not himself believed that the
proposed reserve would be for the
public good, the other considerations
would not have been sufficient to cause
him to make a favorable report.
A feature of the examination was a
statement by Professor Heney that
Ormsby was a conspirator in the plot,
but that he had not been indicted be
cause the government wanted to use
him as a witness.
Ormsby's cross examination was
finished early in the afternoon. He
was followed by \V. M. Laforce, who
testified to having held the deeds to
the two half sections Ormsby was to
have for making a favorable report,
pending the establishment of the re
serve.
Daniel W. Tarpley, under convie
Daniel W. Tarpley, under convie
pro
tion of land swindling in connection
with the notorious "11-7" case, was
the next witness. He told of having
learned through Captain Ormsby of
the proposed reserve, and that he ob
tained fr.om Ormsby's son, th
posed boundaries.
He said he reported to Horace G.
McKinley, also convicted in the
"11-7" case, and that McKinley in
terested a Wisconsin man, named
Hyde, in the scheme to the extent of
84,000. Taking this money, they went
to Salem and filed
state school lands
paying therefor the
of 20 cents an acre
Tarpley said, he and McKinley to
gethe r filed on 100 acre s more iu the
same manner.
Railroad Magnates at War.
New \ork , Aug. 24.—The Herald
today says that representative« of the
two great railway systems of the
northwest that are at dagger's points
other's terri
about invasions of each
tory arrived in this city yesterday.
They were James .J. Hill, president of
the Great Northern railway, and Sir
\\ illiam C. Van Home, chairman of
asked for his opinion of the Iatter's
plan to build a Canadian line from the
Pacific ocean to Winnipeg. Ma., in
j retaliation for the Canadian Pacific's
encroachment on the Great Northern
j preserves.
"I don't know what Mr. Hill's plans
j are," said Sir William. "Mr. Hili
i may be seriously planuing the ouild
ing of some lines into Canadian Fa
cific territory, and, while 1 am little
more than an individual director in
that company now, I do not hesitate
to say that two miles of line in the in
terest of the Canadian Pacific will be
j buiit in his territory to every mile he
j builds in that of the Canadian ;Paci
fie."
■ Sir William expressed a belief that
; the real motive for Mr. Hill's project
to build a Canadian line was the ac
.
the directors of the Canadian Pacific
railway. Sir William promptly threw!
down the gauntlet to Mr. Hill when
I nele Sain May Interfere
New York , Aug. 24.— A special to
1 the World from Washington says: A
close watch is being kept by the Amer
ican government on the developments
of the revolutionary movement in
tive competition of the Canadian Paci-1
fic in through business from Chicago
to Spokane.
Cuba for the purpose of determining
whether this government will be forced I
to intervene in the interests of peace.
The question now being considered is
whether the United States shall inter
fere of its own volition, or wait
until President Palma asks for assist
ance.
No definite information has yet been '
received as to whether the Cuban gov- !
ernment can put down the present rev
olution. If Palma finds the situation'
is beyond his control, it is believed he ■
would* not appeal directlv tr. o.» 1
not appeal directly to the
American government, but the re- 1
quest would come through the Ameri»
can minister at Havana or the Cuban
minister in Washington. If the situa
tion there becomes serious this gov
ernment will interfere.
Great Northern Car Shops.
Superior , Wis., Aug. 24.— It is re
ported on seeminglyjreliable authori
ty that the Great Northern road is
about tu establish at Superior a large
carbuildintf plant that will furnish em
ployment for about 1,000 men. Nego
tiations for a site have been on for
some time and it is reported that the
road has secured an option on land '
belonging to the old Stinson estate '
äouthwest of the city. According toi,,
the outlined plan it is the intention 1
not only to build car? for the Great !
Northern, but also for the Northern
Pacific and Burlington roads.
Favor Ne» Style Spelling.
OESTER Bay , Aug. 24.—Uncle Sam
is thru with "through'" and probably
hereafter Uncle Satu will be officially
known as "Oukel Sam." President
Roosevelt today, announced that the
spelling reform recommended by the
Carnegie committee will hereafter be
accepted in all department correspon
dence and in all official documents.
The printers, stenographers and clerks
in the government employ and the
cabinet officers will be required to
"unlearn Euglish as she is 'writ, "
and to begin over according to the
Carnegie rules.
The public printer has been ordered
to prepare a list of 100 of the most
frequently used words with the new
method of spelling and distribute
copies to all departments. The presi
dent thinks the American language
9hould have an individuality and that
the present innovation will result in
saving time and trouble for both na
Uives and foreigners who are trying to
learn the language. This order means
that the pending treaties with foreign
• HJs u U0rs - aUtl body -vas anxious
•■■be among the ô .t h hi At dav break
countries will be so changed that the
English cousins of America will hard
ly recognize the language of the off
spring nation.
depositors Stormed the Bank
CHICAGO, Aug. 24.—Sixty police
men were overwhelmed today by a
mad rusl. of men and women who were
with difficulty, it seemed im
the crowds swarmed arouud th..- bank,
anu b.\ S o clock the ouuk was sur
rounded by 15,000 people Sixty po
licemen had beeu sent to the bank, but
they were unable to handle the crowd.
The greater number »a- able to speak
the English lauguage.
Forty more officer» were tiuaily sent
to the bank and order was even ti
restore
possible to make the depositors eom
prehend that, although only 5,000were :
to be paid today, the others would be 1
paid just as much within a few days
At one time the crowd threatened to
threatened to
fairly storm the bank, as, waving
their pass books in the air, they
rushed for the door, shouting in Bo
hemian, Polish, Norwegian and Ital
ian. The receiver was all day paying
the 5,000, aLd will pay as many more
tomorrow.
Rich Men Here Swindled
Seattle , Aug. 24.— A confidence
game of incredulous proportions has
been worked in this city since last
December, although it has only re
cently been unearthed. Moneyed men
of the northwest have been taken
down the line for sums aggregating
$150,000, and Montana, Oregon and
California men are among the vic
tims.
The plan has been to hold fake
fights and wrestling matches at ob
! . P T tS f b ,° Ut Lake Wa8hi °Ston.
! 1 he Vlctims believed that they were
1 jobbing sporty capitalists who liked
to watch a private bout. Apparently
by merest accident, the fighter who
was supposed to win, would slip and
fall knocking himself unconscious and
the jobbers would be jobbed.
cessful as the gold brick scheme, and
far more popular among the conti
The game is an old one and as sue
I dence men of today. Other fake
prop
Pendleton, Oregon, is
lost $42,000 on the deal.
»—»
Bozeman , Aug. 24. —'The heavy rain
s ^ ormï P aî t week have seriously '
damaged the spring-sown crops and
osition* were pulled off by wrestling
matches where the man who was slated
to win would break a bone or be
knocked unconscious. Butte and
Anaconda men are mentioned among
the victims. Charles Cunningham of
aid to have
timothy
sprint
hay. Hardly
crops
any of
the
spring grain hud been cut previous to
the storm, and the wind and rains
have ti aliened out the heavy oats and
barley crops so that many of the fields
have the appearance of having a, i
heavy roller run over them. Should 1
,1 tum I
the weather change and turn warm,
the los s to farmers will be about 75
per cent. Owing to the grain being
flattened out, it will be difficult to
harvest it.
THi: CI BAN INSURRECTION.
President Palma Offers Amnesty To In
surgents Who «.»uit
„
' tJ H * VAIÎA » Au ?- The anxiety of
' re8ident P»!«»» to extend every pos
toi,, °PP° rlunlt y for peace without
1 b,ood8hed and his desire to permit
! those who joined »lie insurrection un
der misguidance to report and return
to their homes unmolested, combined
with the general wish to end the situa
tion fraught with so much loss and
suffering, has led to consideration by
the president and his cabinet of a pro
ject decreeing a 30-day amnesty per
iod, during which the insurrectionists
are invited to lay down their arms and
return to their peaceful pursuits. It
was proposed to issue the decree to
morrow, but persons close to the
president strongly opposed the meas
ure, and the matter was deferred and
may be relinquished.
So far as actual conflict went, Sun
day proved to be a day of inactivity,
but preparations proceeded without
abatement. A fund of 12,000,000 has
been set aside by the treasury for de
fense and drafts on it are heavy and
constant.
1 he situation in so increasingly se
rious that it is tacitly admitted In all
government circles that the enlarge
ment of the army will not stop at any
given number, but will continue in
definitely.
New \ okk, Aug. 25.—Arms and
ammunition for the Cuban govern
ment were shipped from here today in
haste on board the \Vard line steam
ship Mexico. The steamer had stowed
away in her hold 15,000 Remington
repeating rifles, 800,000 rounds of am
munition and six Gatllug rapid-fire
guns for the use of President Palma's
forces. The shipment, it was said,
would have been larger, but the vessel
could carry no more. The steamer
Kansas, which will sail next Thurs
day, will carry 3,000,000 rounds of
ammunition uud 5,000 Hoiuiugton!? fop
the Cuban government.
Goinpers Plans Political Boycott.
Washington , Aug. 26.— "He who
is not for us is agaiust us" is the
motto which President Goinpers has
adopted as the slogan in the tight
which his organization purposes to
make iu the approaching campaign to
encompass the defeat of those con
gressional candidates who are con
sidered unfriendly to union labor.
I lie test adopted to decide who is
or ^ aDized ié the unequivocal
indorsement of the bill of grievances
£ ' v \ a " addressed *>y the American
J?edertttion of Labor to the people, the
pre#, " eüt ,)ro lem ' of the senate and
Speal{er c ' anD on. A circular letter,
containing this bill and certain ques'
tions, has been addressed to each can
didate as nominated. The candidates
who have qualified their answers and
have not announced full acceptance of
the declarations iu the bill of griev
ances are to be denied an indorsement
by the federation. They will be la
beled "evasive," "doubtful," or "ig
norant," notwithstanding their asser
tions of friendship for organized la
bor. Those who oppose any of the
policies will be known as "hostile."
Object To Negro Troops.
Washington , Aug. 26.— Army offi
cers are at their wits' end to decide
what is to be done with the negro
troops of the United States. The
Brownsville, Tex., episode has
brought the matter to a crisis and al
though the troops which offended the
citizens of Texas arc to be transferred
to Fort lleno, Okla., the authorities
of the department by no means feel
sure that this will end the difficulty.
When it was suggested today that
they might be transferred to the north
west, to such isolated posts as Fort
Assinniboine, it was said that, not
only was that post one for cavalry
.
^ t " r "
purposes, but there was no question
that the people of Montana, learning
that this particular body of men had
been objectionable to Texas, would
put up just as strong a protest against
their presence in Montana.
According to the statements made
at the war department it seems prob
... ,
able that congress, at fts next session, 1
will be asked to repeal that section of j
the law which calls for the enlistment j
econd suggestion for the dis- 1
posai of the negro troops was that '
they be sent to the Philippines.
answer to this the same authority said j
that the Filipinos objected to them
fully as much as did the whites in this
country, and as a result they were
, i
slatloned > u the Moro country,
Mindanao. It is said that this is the
only portion of the islands where they
can be used, and that they can be used
there only because the Moros are in a
constant s
täte of insurrection, and,
therefore, have no voice in the selec
tion of the soldiers who are to main
tain order.
For l.ife Insurance Reform.
St.
Paul , Aug. 25.—Millions will
be held in reserve for the policy
holders of life insurance companies
and the cost of insurance will be ma
terially lowered if a bill approved by
the insurance commissioners meets
with the approval of the various legi«,
lators next winter.
The bill, which requires an annual
apportionment and accounting of the
surplus of life insurance companies,
it is maintained by many of the com
missioners, strikes at the root of all
the evil of the life insurance com*
panies, by holding their officers ac
countable for the enormous surplus
of the dividend contracts under whtcb
nearly all the life insurance companies
operate.
Over a Million Insurance.
San Francisco , Aug. 26.—The in
surance loss on the Palace hotel build
ing has been adjusted at 11,302,610.22.
Ibis is more than the insurance com*
panies will have to pay, for the total
insurance on the building was only
il, 265,000. It being a total loss,
therefore, a liability of a trifle over a
million and a quarter will be dis
tributed among 9$ companies.
KII.LED BY WOMAN ANARCHIST.
Russian General Added to List of Victims
of Revolutionists.
St. Petersburg -, Aug. 26.—Satur
day's unsuccessful attempt on the life
of Premier Stolypin, with Its useless
slaughter of 28 persons, was fol
lowed by another revolutionary out
rage, in which General Min, com
mander of the Siinonovsky guards,
was killed on the station platform at
Peterhof by a young woman, who fired
five shots into his body from an auto
matic revolver and then, without re«
sistance, submitted to arrest.
The capture of the girl was effected
by General Miu's iwifc, who helû her
until the arrival of an officer.
Ihis was the third successive at
tempt on the life of General Min, who
was condemned to death by the terror
ists immediately after the Moscow re
volt, last December, on account of
stern repression practiced by a batal
lion under his command, and especial
ly for the wholesale execution of per
sons condemned by drum-head court
martial for being caught with arms in
their hands.
General Min was returning from his
summer residence at Peterhof and had
ju.-t greeted his wife* and daughter on
the platform when a young woman—
almost a girl—approached from be
hind and fired two shots into his back
and then three more into his body as
it sank to the ground. Further shots
were prevented by Madame Min, who
threw herself upon the murderess and
seized the hand which held the pistol.
lhe woman did uot attempt to es
cape, but she cautioned Madame Min
not to touch a handbag which she had
placed on the platform before shooting
General Min, adding that it contained
a bomb. To the police she admitted
that she had done the deed, saying
that she had executed the sentence of
the fighting organization, but she re
fused to give her name.
lüg l.and Steal Suspected.
Santa Fe , N. M., August 25.—
Gigantic thefts of immensely valuable
coal lands in New Mexico are said to
lie on the eve of exposure and as a re
sult a number of prominent territorial
officials and prominent citizens are on
the anxious seat. A secret investiga
tion by experts has been going on for
some time, and enough crookedness,
it is alleged, has already been un
covered to warrant the immediate can
cellation of scores of entries which
were obtained through collusion of
entry men.
lhe ramification of the various
deals extends over several years, and
coal land worth well into the millions
has simply been stolen from the terri
tory.
, Agents for the United States land
1 office at this place have been quietly
j at work for some time inquiring into
j alleged fraudulent entries in the rich
Hasan district in Bernalillo and Ter
1 ranee counties, and as a result of their
' work a notice has been served on Dr.
In|j.H. Sloan, territorial insurance corn
missioner, to appear and show cause
why extensive coal land entries on file
in the land office in which he is inter
ested should not be cancelled and le>*al
—- »■
action taken against himself and
sociales. The coal entries in mm
oal entries in question
have been filed on at a cost to Dr.
Sloan, it is stated, of $32,000. The
land in question, it is claimed, at the
lowest, is worth at least $500,000.