The San Francisco call. [volume], February 25, 1898, Page 2, Image 2

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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2
MORE OMINOUS GROW THE SIGNS.
GENERAL MERRITT
INSPECTING FORTS
ON THE ATLANTIC
All the Sigos Point to an Early
Movement of Troops Toward
the South of Florida.
ATLANTA, Ga., Feb. 24.— Major-General Merritt arrived in At
lanta at 4 o'clock this afternoon and was met at the depot by Colonel
Co.>k, commander of the Fifth Infantry. Captain Oscar Brown of the
State militia and Mayor Colder of Atlanta were also at the station.
The general was immediately driven to Fort McPherson and went
into secret conference to-night with the officers of the post. This is
Merritt's first visit to Fort McPherson, and is creating a great deal of
interest in army and civil circles.
It is seml-officially reported at the post to-night that eight of the
ten companies of the Fifth United States Infantry are under waiting
orders, and that the ultimate plan is to send detachments of twb com
panies each to Charleston, Savannah. Brunswick and Key West. It is
expected that the order for the companies to leave for seaboard will
be promulgated at the conference btween General Merritt and the offi
cers of the post to-night. This conclusion, however, is merely conjec
ture among the privates.
An order was received to-day directing the immediate testing of all
guns arid a quick report of the ammunition on hand. The report Is
made now that there are at the post four hundred rounds for each man,
should the entire regiment be ordered into service. The regiment has
also a gatling gun of the most improved pattern, and there are on hand
50,000 rounds for it.
Colonel Cook was In conference with the railroad officials to-day
•with reference to moving men In the event that the contemplated order
for movement is received.
tie to obtain, but in this case, it is not
difficult to draw conclusions. I will say
tfu's, however, unhesitatingly and un
reservedly. If this same court should
End that the disaster was due to an ac
:ident, I will, knowing the character of
the men composing the court/ accept
that verdict without question, and will
believe that my informants have been
misled themselves, and have, in turn,
misled me. That I do not believe tlm
to be the case is evidenced by the fact
that I am sending you the story.
"You American correspondents," a
level-headed naval officer and one of
high rank said to me yesterday, "have a
tremendous responsibility on your
shoulders just now."
I assured him that one, at least, was
fully conscious of the fact.
"To make myself clearer," the officer
continued, "the American correspond
ents in Havana can exert a tremendous
influence on popular feeling at home, a
dangerous power to hold when the ten
fion is so great, and especially at this
s:oment when official mouths are closed.
But here is the main point I wish to
tnake. It is that all of you should sub
ordinate your loyalty to your papers
during this crisis to your spirit of pa
:riotism. Don't you see that the longer
the general public is kept in doubt, the
longer we will have to prepare tQ meet
the trouble that must come when the
truth is known."
Were I permitted to tell you the name
of this officer, you would appreciate the
startling significance of his words at
price.
I had a conversation with another offi
cer whose opinion would also carry
freight were I permitted to use his
nan!?. It was about the Maine and her
di>a?ter.
"Supposing," I asked him, "that it is
found that the vessel was destroyed by
an outside explosion, will that, think
you, be itself a casus belli?"
"If the Maine was destroyed by an ex
plosion coming from the outside," this
officer said to me, "you can depend
upon it that a mine did the work. No
torpedo could have made such a wreck.
Now, if a mine was under the Maine, it
was placed there before her arrival in
port. It is not to be expected it was not
placed there by persons in authority,
end upon these devolved the responsi
bility of seeing that it could not be ex
ploded by an accident, and that no one
except duly authorized persons were in •
formed of its location and connections.
If it is once proved that there was a
mine, I can see no difficulty in placing
the responsibility."
If there was a mine beneath the
Maine there is no likelihood that any
traces of it will ever be discovered, as
the wreck in going down must have
crushed under foot any fragments of a
mine that might have been left. The
niud is very soft in the harbor and the
wreck is settling in it at the rate of a
foot a day. The hull is now imbedded in
the mud to the depth of eight feet. The
divers sink to their armpits in the mud
and have the greatest difficulty in prose
cuting their work. Those engaged on
the forward part of the ship are under
charge of Gunner Charles Morgan, an
officer specially detailed from the flag
ship New York for the purpose, and
who has the reputation of being the
most efficient of his rank.
In Havana there is a belief, which has
been nurtured to the point oi convic
tion, that the Maine came to her un
doing by reason of some internal ex
plosion. Many, therefore, have been led
or misled into the belief that so far as
Spain is concerned the matter is at an
end. If all signs fail and the Court of
Inquiry reports that the Maine was de
stroyed by an inside explosion, there
is, from the standpoint in Havana, a
possibility that this crisis in the affairs
of nations may be. tided over. But if
the court finds otherwise, the pendulum
of belief having been allowed to swing
so far in one direction, must 'swing as
far in the other. Investigations in this
direction which I have made lead me to
believe that such a decision of the court
after the first surprise of it will be re
garded by the masses here as a "Yankee
trick" looking to' indemnity, and what
may result from this no man can say.
Accompanied by an American resi
dent here for a number of i years';- I vis
ited several cafes yesterday frequented
by the Spanish naval and military offi
cers and * attempted to talk with these
gentlemen. They are all very mysterious
ar- <? : c? >cerj t regarding tits di»uLer, and
it was impossible to glean anything but
hints.
I heard an officer say: "It only cost
us 20 centenas apiece."
What he meant I do not know. In
the course of the afternoon my friend
and myself were approached by the
Chief of Police and told not to talk any
more to officers.
In the Herald's specially chartered
tug, the Albert F. Dewey, the fleetest" of
her class in these waters, I left Havana
this forenoon. All was quiet in the city
at the time of departure.
HOPELESS APPEALS OF
FRANTIC RELATIVES.
Pitiful Pleas Not to Bury Their Dead
by Alien Hands in an
Alien Country.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.— The state
ment in the Sigsbee dispatch, received
at the Navy Department to-day, "that
friends of the dead should understand
we are in the tropics," is understood to
refer to the urgent pleas of relatives of
the dead for the bodies to be brought to
the United States. These appeals con
tinue to be received here, and while
they excite the deepest sympathy of the
officials, no hope can brt held out that
the dead can be broughtlback. One of
these appeals make a j pitiful plea
against burying of the dead "by alien
hands in an alien country." -
There are circumstances which, if
they could be made known, would end
such appeals and would show that the
department has not been wanting in a
desire to bring the remains to this
country. These circumstances have
been withheld, mainly through a desire
to save friends and relatives from the
pain which would be caused by a full
disclosure of the effect of the explo
sion.
The press representatives have told in
part of the terrible mutilation of the
bodies, but it is feared this has not
been fully realized by friends and rel
atives. The men were sleeping on the
berth deck, with metal floors and ceil
ings, which by the force of the terrific
explosion, were ground together into a
confused mass. Knowing this, there is
little hope that many of the bodies still
missing will be found or, if found, that
they will be in a condition to be
brought to the United States.
MOVEMENT OF THE
TROOPS TO SEABOARD.
«
It Is Believed in Bailway Circles
That Plans Are Being
Made for It.
PITTSBURG. Feb. 24.— There is a
growing belief in Pittsburg railway cir
cles that the War Department Is mak
ing preparations to move troops to the
seaboard in the quickest manner in
case of an emergency. T. D. Lore, su
perintendent of the Pennsylvania west
of Pittsburg, returned to-day from
Washington. Mr. Lore admitted that
he was in consultation with Assistant
Secretary of War Meiklejohn. but de
clined to state the nature of the talk.
OFFER OF ADMIRAL
BOGGS' ASSOCIATION.
Naval Volunteers Who Patriotically
Offer Their Aid to the
Government.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.— The Admiral
Boggs Association of Naval Veterans
of New York has volunteered Its serv
ices to the Government In case of war.
In a set of ringing resolutions made
public to-Jay the association says:
"While we anxiously await the re
port of the court of inquiry, trusting
These Spanish Ships, Don Juan de Austria and .Reina Christina, Now Stationed at the Philippines, May
Threaten Our Commerce in the Pacific.
THE SAN FRAXCISCO CALL, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1898.
that this deplorable catastrophe may
have been an accident, as first reports
seem to indicate, should it prove to
have been the dastardly act of a secret
enemy and the means of involving this
country in war with Spain our Govern
ment will require the services of all
the available men to man the vessels
of our navy. Therefore be it
"Resolved, That the Admiral Boggs
Association, as a body of naval volun
teers, being ever ready to rally to our
country's call in defense of 'Old Glory, 1
tender to the Government our services
in any capacity which we may be ca
pable of performing either on shore or
on board ship, and that copies of these
resolutions be forwarded to Washing
ton."
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
SECURE FROM ATTACK.
Fortifications Along the Potomac
Capable of Repelling Any
Ordinary Fleet.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.— Thanks to
the promptness and efficiency of the
chief of engineers and the chief of ord
nance of the army, the city of Wash
ington is now regarded as being well
nigh safe and secure from attack by
water. The fortifications at Fort j
Washington and Sheridan Point, on the
opposite side of the Potomac, are suf- \
ficiently advanced to be able to repel
an ordinary fleet of invaders, and in
case of necessity they could be vastly
strengthened in a comparatively short
time. These defenses are considered
sufficient to keep all hostile vessels be
yond the range of gunshot of the na
tional capital.
Moreover, the river has been blocked i
off and prepared for mines and tor-«
pedoes at a point below the fortifica
tions already mentioned, so that it is
probable some of the ships of an enemy
would be blown out of the water be
fore it would be necesasry to use the
guns at the forts.
The officers of the British warship
Hood to-day cabled from the island of
Creete expressing deep sympathy over
the disaster to the Maine.
FORT SAM HOUSTON
HAS A WARLIKE ASPECT.
Troops in Shape for Immediate Serv
ice — Rangers Eager for
the Fray.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Feb. 24.— A
special to the Herald says: There was
a warlike aspect around the headquar
ters of the military department of
Texas at Fort Sam Houston here to
day, for the first time since the Span
ish-Cuban trouble arose. The order for
target practice at a target range thirty
miles from here was countermanded,
and all troops are kept close to the gar
rison for actual service on a moment's
notice. It was learned from the captain
of one of the cavalry troops that or
ders have been given to have every
thing in readiness for travel, and an
uneasy spirit among the soldiers is
clearly manifested.
The situation at the post has caused
much excitement and comment in the
city, and it is generally believed here
that war with Spain is inevitable and
that the United States is prepared for
it. Old Texas Rangers are anxious for
the fray, and veterans of that brave
military organization declare that they
will protect the Texas coast without
aid from any other source.
STILL NO NEWS OF THE
OVERDUE LA CHAMPAGNE.
Has Nearly Five Hundred Souls on
Board and Much Uneasiness
Is Expressed.
NEW YORK, Feb. 25.— 1t is five days
since the French liner La Champagne
should have steamed into port, yet no
tidings of her have been heard since she
left Havre on February 12. She has 479
souls on board, including 48 saloon pas
sengers, 53 in the second cabin, 203 in the
steerage, her officers and crew, number
ing 175. The agent of the French line
cabled to Havre yesterday for a list of
the passengers and this, he says, will be
here to-day. His conjecture is that some
mishap has occurred to the steamship's
machinery and that she may be in tow of
some other craft.
The North German Lloyd steamer
Friedrich der Grosae from Bremen was
sighted south of Fire Island at 12;10 this
(Friday) morning. She may bring some
news of the belated Frenchman.
SUBMARINE MINES
ACROSS THE NARROWS.
NEW YORK. Feb. 24.— A chain of
submarine mines which extends from
shore to shore of the Narrows and can
blow up the biggest man-of-war afloat
has just been completed by the engi
neer corps of the War Department. The
work has been in progress during the
last three nights, and was conducted
with gr3at secrecy. It was completed
early this morning, before dawn. A
cable now connects the mines and the
touching of a button at Fort Hamilton
or Fort Wadsworth will explode them.
Relief for the Victims.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.— A thousand
representative people gathered at the
Metropolitan Opera House this after
noon to bid for the boxes and seats
for the performance on Sunday night
next for the benefit of the families of
the sailors and marines who lost their
lives in the battle-ship Maine.
A New Adjutant-General.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.— A Washing
ton special to the Herald says: Colonel
Henry C. Corbin will be appointed by
President McKinley to-morrow adju
tant-general of the army, to Bucceed
Adjutant-General Brock, who retires
on account of age.
INQUIRY INTO
THE DISASTER
Chaplain Chidwiek Is Ex
amined as to Personal
Experiences.
Divers Also Questioned More
Fully by the Naval In
vestigators.
Secrecy Enjoined Upon Those Who
May Know of the Treachery
of Spaniards.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
HAVANA, Feb. 24.— The court of In
quiry held its usual sessions to-day.
Captain Sampson reports that Chap
lain Chidwick was examined as to his
personal experiences at the time of the
disaster to the Maine, and that the tes
timony was taken of the captain of a
British bark in the harbor and the su
perintendent of the West Indian Oil
"Works across the bay at Regla, both
of whom witnessed the explosion. Mr.
Rolf, the British engineer of the float
ing dock in the harbor, wrote a letter
to the court, but. it is said, did not add
anything material to what was known.
At the afternoon sessions the divers
were examined more fully than before.
Their testimony is taken from day to
day. The court expects now to finish
here to-morrow, and to sail on the
Mangrove for Key West, where the
other officers and men will be exam
ined.
The wrecking tug Right Arm did not
go jiorth as was expected yes
terday. She is now moored beside the
poop of the wreck, and will save the
smaller portions as far as possible in
advance of the arrival of other tugs
with better facilities for heavy work.
The hoisting apparatus must be cap
able of raising scores of tons to be
effective in the work to be accom
plished.
Chaplain Chidwick reports that all
the wounded here are doing well ex-
BELIEVE WAR IS COMING.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.— A St. Louis special to the Herald says:
Governor Stephens of Missouri believes that the sinking of the Maine
was caused by Spanish treachery and that the time has come for the
United States to avenge the deed. In an interview to-day, the Governor
said:
"There has never been any doubt in my mind that the Maine dis
aster was caused by Spanish treachery- Neither an apology from
Spain nor an indemnity will appease the wrath and indignation of the
American people. War to-day, in my judgment, is imminent, and Our
people should prepare for the worst Missouri will do nobly her duty."
* The C,r vernnV says he believes that the States will soon be called
upon for troops, and that in such an event the entire militia of Mis
souri and 300,000 patriotic citizens are ready to respond to the call to
arms.
who may dip at any moment.
Neither the officers of the court of
Inquiry nor the witnesses will give the
slightest indication of* the testimony or
the conclusions deducible from it, and
all say that the men employed on the
wreck have been warned to observe an
equally strict reticence.
This course is regarded as eminently
wise by the American and all intelli
gent Spanish officials, as there is no
telling what passions might be aroused
or what evil results might be brought
about by the talking freely on official
matters in the present state of public
feeling in Havana. Thus far Americans
are treated with the utmost courtesy
and kindness and it seems the special
care of the residents of Havana to
show friendliness.
Consul-General Lee says there is no
truth in the report that he had asked
Captain-General Blanco to dismiss
from Cuba certain newspaper men for
sending sensational stories to the
United States. On the contrary. Gen
eral Lee has never interfered with the
newspaper men in any way. To-day
the principal streets and buildings are
gaily decorated with flags and bunting
in honor of the Spanish soldiers— 2o29
infantrymen, under the comand of Jose
Amador— who arrived this morning by
the Bteamer Montevideo from Barce
lona.
General Solano, the chief of staff, to
day returned, on board the Mangrove,
the visit of the court of inquiry, acting
as the representative of the Governor-
General. Admiral Manterola person
ally returned the visit paid to him by
the court. The Thursday reception of
General Blanco was resumed this even
ing.
The insurgents have raided the Smith
and Fisher plantations, on the Canam
bo, in the Trinidad district, and killed
one and wounded five of the defenders,
>who numbered only seven. They burned
all the buildings but the dwelling of
Mr. Smith, and, according to the Span
ish account of the affair, took away or
destroyed $200,000 worth of provisions
and merchandise and : got $4000 in
money. ''..._
United States Consul Walter Barker
at Sagua la , Grande is reported ill. It
is said that he Is threatened with pneu
monia.
9
TWO BRIEF TELEGRAMS
FROM CAPTAIN SIGSBEE.
More Bodies Found in the Wreck,
Some in Hammocks Over
the Magazines.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.— Late to
night the Navy Department received
two brief telegrams from Captain Sigs
bee at Havana. One related to some
routine matter of expenditures in con
nection with the work on the Maine,
and the other is as follows:
"Divers report more bodies in the
wreck. Some hammocks involved* in
debris. Probably not recognizable."
This dispatch indicates that the di
vers have finally secured at least a
partial entrance to the quarters in the
forward part of the vessel where the
crew were asleep when the explosion
occurred, and under which were the
magazines. One fact that the divers
were unable to extricate the bodies
shows the fearful obstacles against
which they are working, and bears out
the belief that the work of submarine
investigation will necessarily proceed
slowly.
Explosives in Readiness.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.— There are a
large number of torpedo cases at Fort
Wadsworth and Sandy Hook in con
stant readiness to be filled with the
necessary explosives at a moment's
notice, says a morning paper. A con
signment of these torpedo cases and of
the cable used in the construction of
mines has been shipped to San Fran
cisco for the protection of the Pacific
Coast.
One From Sonoma County.
SANTA ROSA, Feb. 24.— A. J. Hol
land, one of the seamen who perished
in the wreck of the Maine, was from
Sonoma County, being formerly a resi
dent of Windsor. Much grief has been
caused by his untimely end.
INTEREST THE PEOPLE
OF THE PACIFIC COAST.
Lively Debate in the House Over an
Appropriation for Yo
semite Park.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.— During the
consideration of the sundry civil appro
priation bill in the House to-day Repre
sentative De Vries offered an amendment
providing an appropriation of $6300 for the
preservation of trails, bridges, etc, in the
Yosemite National Park. A heated dis
cussion on the proposition then followed
and excitement ran high in the House.
Representative Cannon, chairman of the
Appropriations Committee, fought the
amendment bitterly and was supported
by Chairman Lacey of the Public Lands
Committee. Representatives De Vries
and Loud defended the amendment and
on a division the vote resulted 83 ayes
and 4S nays.
The Committee on Rivers and Harbors
will have a meeting to-morrow for the
special purpose of hearing the delegates
who are here to urge aprpopriations for
the Sacramento. San Joaquin and other
nvers in California. Representatives
Loud and Maguire and Hugh Craig will
advocate the removal of Arch and Shair
rocks in San Francisco Bay
BEERS BROTHERS MISSING.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24.— William L.
Beers and Norman Beers, doing business
as Beers Brothers, contractors, have been
missing since Monday. They have left
behind credits to the amount of $7000
and their whereabouts !r unknown. Some
of their creditors are inclined to the be
lief that neither of the brothers will be
seen here again.
The Beers Brothers had on hand two
contracts, one to erect a residence for L
A. Staple for $4500 and one to erect a
building for Clara L. Vallely to cost
$2800. Both structures were about half
completed.
The last seen of one of the brothers
was at Ventura. The creditors are the
Redondo Lumber Company, Barlys Plan
ing Mill Company, the W. C. Furrey
Company and Dr. Granville McGowan.
The sureties of the contracts are all good
They are W. C. Furrey. George Lane, W.
P. Schlosser and A. J. Crookshank.
Bunce Gets His Commission.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.-Franc!s M.
Bunce, commandant of the navy-yard
here, to-day received from Washington
his commission as rear-admiral. His offi
cial rank up to to-day was that of com
mander. Recruiting was continued to
day on the receiving ship Vermont. Up
to to-day only forty-Jive men had been
accepted. About 1500 would-be volun
teers had visited the Vermont since the
recruiting began last Monday.
To Cure a Cold In One Day
Take Laxative Bromo Quinine Tablets. AH
druggists refund the money If l* falls to cure.
25c. The genuine has L. B. Q. on each tablet.
SHIPS FOR SALE
IN NAVY-YARDS
OF THE WORLD
Vessels the United States GoverQ
roent Could Buy If It Should
Con)e to War With Spain.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.— 1n preparing for any emergency it is the
part of wisdom to ascertain the potentialities of the world to meet ne
cessities. Administration officials are not unmindful of this and
there are reasons for believing the possibilities of replenishing our na
val strength from abroad are not being overlooked. Many ships which
are in process of completion for smaller navies can be regarded as In
the market for cash. In the shipyards of Birkenhead, Chile has under
construction a torpedo gunboat of'quite formidable dimensions. It has
1200 tons displacement, 6000 indicated horse-power, an estimated speed
of 22 knots per hour and bunker capacity greatly in excess of the usual
type of torpedo boat. The normal coal supply Is given at 120 tons. The
cost of this fine craft is not given.
The Vulcan Works of Stettin, Germany, have under way for the
Chinese Government three powerful ships which may be in the market
for the highest bidder, because the outlook for cash payment when they
are finished is not very promising.
These three ships are of 8000 tons displacement, contracted to make
19.5 knots over a measured mile and are intended to carry not less than
1000 tons of coal. It is said that they can be bought in their present
state for about $2,000,000 apiece.
The Elswick Company is constructing for the same Government
two fine ships of 4500 displacement each. They are to be finished as soon
as money for their purchase is shown. The indicated horse-power of
these ships is to be very high. The speed anticipated for them is 24
knots an hour for four consecutive hours.
The ships being built for Brazil may be considered in the market.
If the United States wants them. Brazil's friendship for this country
would seem to assure that. So when the new cruiser of the Amazonas
type approaches completion, American money might convert it into an
American ship. It is in process of construction at Elswick, England,
and its displacement is to be 3600 tons on a normal draught of sixteen
feet. The engines will develop not less than 7000 horse-power and are
estimated for a maximum of 7500 indicated horse-power. The speed is
to be 20 knots for one hour and a sustained sea speed of more than 15
knots is predicted. The bunker capacity is to be 700 tons.
In this list of possibilities might be counted two fine ships for Japan
now nearing completion at the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, and
at Philadelphia, the Kasagi and Chiosa. They are of 4750 tons displace
ment and are guaranteed to have a speed of 22.5 knots an hour.
In addition to this there is also a fine craft for Japan at the Els
wick Works. It is to be of 4150 tons displacement and to have a speed
of 24 knots. Its bunker capacity is to be 1000 tons of coal and it will be
able to stow away at least 300 tons more.
It will be seen that there is a formidable array of warships that
might be bought by the United States in an emergency.
SPAIN SURE
TO REFUSE
Will Never Comply With
the Demands That
May Be Made.
When a Definite Ultimatum Is
Made This Country Will
Act Promptly.
President McKinley Understands the
People Will Not Brook Any
Diplomatic Delays.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.— A Washing
ton special to the Herald says: Neither
Consul-General Lee nor any officials
here has ever suspected from the first
that the Government of Spain or im
mediate representatives of that Gov
ernment in Havana had any direct
connection with the disaster. In that
light they cannot regard it as a hostile
act; but it would, of course, be so re
garded if the Spanish Government
should refuse to make the reparation
demanded.
The real danger in the situation is
thought to lie in the negotiations that
may be undertaken for a satisfactory
reparation. It ia beginning to be seri
ously doubted if Spain will ever admit
that the catastrophe was due to any
other cause than an accident on the
ship, and if she should whether she
would pay the large indemnity, make
the disavowal which would be demand
ed and execute the person or persons
guilty of th& destruction of the ship.
Nothing short of $10,000,000 indemnity
would likely satisfy the authorities if
the question is to be settled on indem
nity basis. It is doubted whether Spain
would be willing or able to pay this
indemnity.
In the absence of prima facie evi
dence that the explosion occurred from
some implement of war under control
of the Spanish Government, which the
authorities here all admit may be very
difficult to furnish, Spain would be very
likely to haggle over the question of
indemnity and insist upon positive
proof before agreeing to pay it. It may
be accepted as a foregone conclusion
that a demand for indemnity will be
made if it is definitely settled that the
original explosion tuok place on the
outside of the ship, even though the
Government may not be able to prove
that a torpedo or mine under the con
trol of the Spanish Government caused
it.
If such a demand is made Spain
would doubtless resist it. and it is
probable that the United States would
be compelled to submit an imperative
ultimatum, which would leave Spain
the choice of a settlement or war. The
President appreciates that the temper
of the country is such that it will not
stand any prolonged delay in the set
tlement of the controversy over the
loss of the Maine, and he will be very
prompt to act when he has the final
conclusions of the court of Inquiry be
fore him.
DROWNED IN THE KLAMATH.
Young Half-breed Indian Capsized
in a Canoe.
CRESCENT CITY, Feb. 24.-George
Stevens, a young half-breed Indian, was
drowned yesterday in the Klamath
River, some two or three miles above its
month. Stevens and his married sis
ter, with a small child, were descending
a rapid in a canoe, when the boat struck
a snag and came near capsizing The
man and child were thrown into the
swift running water, but the woman
with rare presence of mind and prompt
ness of action, clutched her tender off
spring in the instant that singly was
available, and saved it.
Sweeney's Sentence Commuted.
SACRAMENTO, Feb. 24.— Governor
Budd to-day commuted the sentence of
Charles J. Sweeney, who was committed
to Folsom in 1894 by Judge Wallace to
serve eight years for an assault to com
mit murder. The commutation will take
effect on March Ist.
if question put in ._» They were dis-
I earnestness. Pos- I • \%_ j
II siblyyouoan Jl CUSSmg the ad
V- reply. " ■ •Jf vantages of Cop-
per River in op-
. '^^mim^^' position to those
of. Dawson, when the quiet man of the
crowd remarked, "If I thought I would
be better off there than here I wouldn't
care which it was." His cheeks were
bright enough, but he had a listless air
about him. "What's the matter, Jim?"
queried one of the group. ' "That I
don't know," was the short reply, "and I
can't find anybody that does." ■ Jim
drifted away, and the talk turned to what
it was best to do for him, and every one
had a different idea. Miners on pros-
pecting bent don't waste much time on
sympathy tho', and but for his own ac-
tion Jim would never have seen the gold
fields of the North. . He drifted half aim-
lessly into the Hudsonian Institute a month
or more ago, and plainly said he did
not know what made him so weak. It
did not take long to locate the drain on
the system, and that , being stopped in
the course of a few days, he began to
mend at once. After the cure was.
effected Jim says that each man iof the
company knew that he had done the
right thing by looking just where -he did
for help, but they none of them had
sense enough to ,m '"■ni'_'
give him the J^*F~^^K
right advice when •if &i hma .J %
he needed it. lin t v Ml
I sure he has the J
V answer. Have i
The address of the Hudson Medical In-
stitute is corner of Market. Stockton and
Ellis streets. "Hudyan," the great
remedio-treatment for all nervous dis-
orders and lack of manliness, is the
sole property of the doctors of that es-
tablishment. It has cured "20.000 weak men
since its introduction. Circulars and tes-
timonials showing what it has done and
what it can do for men are sent quite free
to all who ask. If you have blood taint of
any nature or in any stage ask for free
"30-day blood cure" circulars. All free,
doctors' advice included. Get the help
you need.
Here Now!
BBul 0 liUn ■
Le Mont's Crystallized Eggs
Have arrived and are, in stock. - The
Klondike • outfitting trade supplied.
Every up-to-date . article here of a
practical nature. Klondike cooking all
day long. Call and ; taste, samples of
condensed "food.' Every article we sell
iTopen^r inspection. We have many
specialties: that will interest you. No
I obligation to purchase. r ' - ; '
i . '■ - - 9 ,'^ ' _ ' .;■; ' .. ;.'■■ \..' ,-,. >„■:.'- ■ .- ■■■'-■ ■■•"'■ '-''**''_*
CASH STORE
i 25-27 Market St., S^F. p.