The San Francisco call. [volume], February 26, 1898, Page 8, Image 8

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

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8
DRINK THE
WATER FROM
BOG LANDS
Disease-Laden Liquid
Supplied to the
Angelenos.
Marshes Tapped by the
Mains Running to the
City.
Sewage and Barnyard Filth
for Which the People
Have to Pay.
CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT.
But a Few Miles Away Ara Pure
Mountain Streams Which Might
Be Utilized.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25.— Seated on
a footlog crossing the Los Angeles
River, upon which is marked in large
letters "Property of the city of Los
Angeles.'" which marks the location of
the famous or infamous Pomeroy &
Hooker tract, a condemnation suit con
cerning which has been pending for
more than five years while the City
Water Company has collected $1,600,000
from the people in water rates; sur
rounded by mud, brush, horses and cat
tle. The Call representative hereby at
tempts to give the people of the State
of California something of a descrip
tion of the water supplied to the people
of Los Angeles.
The ground over which the stream
flows is verdant, which speaks well for
the kind of soil, a thick loam, furnish
ing the best quality of mud. The sur
rounding country consists of bogs and
lowland swamps, and flowing into this
section are numerous channels from
the surrounding towns, where the sur
face flow of water continually adds
to the volume of the stream.
Burbank is situated about one and a
half miles from here, in the upper part
of the sloping land. The mountains are
about eight miles distant. The land
gradually slopes down to the Los An
geles River, which is the only drainage
stream from all the surrounding coun
try for a distance of forty miles. Thus
it will be seen that the water which
flows in the river is nothing more than
an outlet for all the surface flow of the
entire valley from its mountain source
to the ocean, thirty miles distant.
The water itself has much sediment
and foreign matter. The stream for its
entire length is lined with fungous
growth and its banks are the pasturage
for herds of cattle, sheep and horse, as
well as the sites of many barn yards.
The town of Toluca is situated about
two and a half miles up the stream,
with other towns and villages farther
on, whose sewage can find an outlet
only through this river.
Thus it will be seen that the Pome
roy & Hooker tract is the central part
and the diverting point at which this
river water is to be transferred from
the river bed into prepared conduits or
pipe lines to be furnished as water for
domestic purposes in the city of Los
Angeles. The site or land is situated
about 340 feet above sea level, being
about SO feet above the center of the
city of Los Angeles, which is about
twelve miles distant. This site is what
has been proposed as the future source
of water supply for the inhabitants of
Los Angeles.
The Crystal Springs, of which more
will be written later, is just a few miles
below this site and is acknowledged by
all to contain an impure, undesirable
substance, animal and vegetable mat
ter, and is therefore not fit for dorms
tic use.
The Pomeroy & Hooker tract was of
fered to the city for $30,000 about six
years ago. A committee abo-ut that
time went to the place to make an In
vestigation of it, with a view to having
it supply the city with water for do
mestic purposes. The committee start
ed from Los Angeles armed with sand
wiches and beer. In impenetrable jun
gles of willow, nettles and flags, the
committee became confused — yea, in
deed lost, mired down in the mud and
stuck fast. A rescuer appeared.
"Billy" Mulholland (everybody knows
him) came along about that time. See
ing the City Fathers in such a predica
ment, he volunteered to rescue the
committee, and it was soon on land,
high and dry above the main marshes
of the stream. During the confusion,
incident to their journey through the
jungles, the commltteemen lost their
sandwiches and beer; but "Billy" was
well armed for the occasion.
Starting out from the corner of Ala
meda and Marchessault streets, from
the well-filled exchequer of the water
corporation which does business in that
particular part of town, he was pro
vided with champagne and turkey, and
la, the committee appointed to protect
the city's interests and look for a new
water supply fell down and worshiped
the corporation champagne. The com
mittee felt so grateful to its benficent
rescuer that all proceedings were im
mediately changed. New plans were
laid, and the city, instead of purchas
ing the lands, proceeded to litigate. A
condemnation suit was instituted, and
the tract that would at that time have
cost but $30,000 has already cost it more
than $50,000, together with $1,600,000 in
water rates, and Providence only knows
whether the litigation is any nearer a
settlement to-day than when it first
began. The people are becoming tired
of this protracted lawsuit and its
costs, w\hich, added to the undesirable
quality of the water, make the propo
sition ridiculous to continue the case
or even to consider the tract as a feas
ible source of supply.
It would perhaps be interesting to
the reader to be informed as to the
method contemplated for developing
■water in these low marshes and river
beds. The system is known as the per
colating system, which consists of a
main conduit or underground flume dis
tributing or throwing out branches in
various directions beneath the surface
of the land desired to ,be drained. This
■would necessitate the excavation of a
great deal of earth, roots and debris,
and would be a considerable expense.
The water percolates through the soil
above into these trenches below, the
water being conducted into the main
conduit, thence to the main trench and
then into the reservoirs for distribu
tion. This system is used in the Crys
tal Springs district, end is the means
used to provide water to the citizens of
Los Angeles.
It seems strange that any sane peo
Scene at the Point Whence Los Angeles Derives Its
Water Supply.
p!e should ever contemplate the devel
opment of water in such a place, when
but a few miles distant there is an
abundance of sparkling water direct
from the snow-capped mountains in an
abundance that cannot be exhaust* <l.
There are sites in the mountains for
storage reservoirs and places for devel
opment that can and undoubtedly will
furnish a storage for an abundance of
pure water for the citizens of Los An
geles. This water from the mountains
can be easily led down to and connect
ed with the mains that are now laid
from the swale lands of the Crystal
Springs to the reservoirs of the city of
Los Angeles.
The mountains immediately above
these marshes are all Goverament
lands, and have been by proclamation
of the President created into a forest
reservation. Those mountains will nev
er be settled — in fact, are not capable
of settlement, and the strong hand of
the Government will forever protect the
watershed from the intrusion not only
of settlers, but of cattle, sheep and
other animals, and will forever protect
and preserve the natural purity of the
melting snows that fall thereon during
every winter season.
But this discussion is hardly ger«
mane to the original point of this arti
cle.
As to these low marshes again: Think
of this water seeping through the roots,
decayed branches and underwood into
the subterranean channels. Think of
the amount of surface water which
flows over this, and much of that sur
face water will undoubtedly find its
way into these underground conduits.
Notwithstanding any precautions that
may be taken, hundreds of cattle are
continually grazing over this land and
the adjacent territory, and horses,
hogs and other animals wander about
at their will. This %vater can never
be considered healthful and can never
be made of use to the citizens of Los
Angeles.
The valley through which the river
flows is called the San Fernando Val
ley, and it is very productive and ex
ceedingly rich. New farms are con
tinually being started along the entire
valley. Thus the number of cattle,
farm houses and barns are continually
increasing and the entire flow of the
water which drains this section must
find its way to the ocean through the
only course, the Los Angeles River.
There can be no stop or limitation
as to the amount of herding done in
this section. The only place whereat
to obtain this underground percolating
system must be along the borders of
the river. Hence if the site were to
become the head works for the city of
L<>s Angeles it must in a very few
short years change its source of sup
ply or Jose its credit for being a city
for health and recreation and find a
source of pure water for its domestic
purposes.
It has been a question in the minds
of the people of the city of Los An
geles for a long time as to who was the
real owner of the Pomeroy & Hooker
Tract. The nominal owners are both
wealthy men and amply able to make
a long and strenuous fight if they
should see fit and if their interests so
dictated, but the contest has been such
a one and the circumstances have been
of such a nature as to indicate that
there were forces at work other than
that of the ownership of the land in
volved.
At the time of the first negotiations
the city had voted bonds to acquire a
water works system. These bonds
were carried by a majority of 5 or 6 to
1, and it looked very much as though
the day of doom for the City Water
Company had arrived.
In these desperate straits something
had to be done. The head works were
about to be acquired when the little In
cident of the "Lost Committee" oc
curred. Then the Council immediately
changed front and instead of purchas
ing this site instituted a condemnation
suit, which by delay after delay has
resulted in five years of litigation.
Who has been benefited by this de
lay? It certainly has not benefited
Messrs. Pomeroy & Hooker. It is said
that they have been to an expense of
$50,000 in conducting the litigation, and
their judgment for damages, which now
exists and from which they are prose
cuting an appeal, is for only $30,000.
Manifestly they haye 1 not been bene
fited by the law's delays.
The City Water Company, on the
other hand, has been able to collect
$2,000,000 in water rates and the trivial
sum of $50,000 expense has amounted to
very little with it. It is noted by the
people that the attorneys that repre
sent the water company represent
Messrs. Pomeroy & Hooker. It is ob
served that the expert engineers in the
pay of the water company advance
their opinions on the trial on behalf of
Mesrs. Pomeroy & Hooker also. Tak
ing the facts together, first, as to who
has the money, second as to where the
interest really lies, and third the fact
that the engineers and attorneys are
the same, and the people are led to be
lieve that the City Water Company has
some interest in the condemnation suit
of the Pomeroy & Hooker tract, and
that the selection of this tract — or
rather the selection of the means by
which it was to be obtained— was one
of the biggest steals from a munici
pality that has ever been instituted in
Western America.
A steal of $2,000,000 has already been ef
fected, and now the City Water Com
pany is laying its plans deep and mys
terious and is controlling the press of
this city for the purpose of effecting
another steal of about the same mag
TIIE SAX FRAKCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1898.
The Los Angeles River at a Point Where the City-
Has Placed a Sign to Indicate Ownership.
nitude. The question arises with the
citizens <>f Los Angeles as to whether
or not a second $:.', 000,000 steal is guing
to be permitted.
The facts in regard to the Pomeroy &
Hooker tract and the $2,000,000 collected
in water rates while the litigation has
been delayed, have never before been
properly presented to the people of Los
Angeles before this article.
This stern rc-ality stares the citizens
in the face: Are they to be mulcted
of another $2,000,000 and be given in re
turn only the poisonous water that
emanates from the bogs, marshes and
COW pastures of the lower San Fernan
no Valley, when the " water from the
snow-capped peaks of yonder moun
tains, protected from intrusions by the
strong hand of the United States Gov
ernment, runs quietly to waste and the
people are not allowed to share in its
benefits?
The corporation has been at all times
too stingy with its exchequer to spend
i the few hundred thousand dollars
necessary to supply the city with this
mountain water, while again it has
been in better position to hamper it by
means of supplying the water from
the low swal.es, marshes and bogs
below.
As The Call representative sits here
on this footlog and attempts to peer
into the future, with the citizens
| awakened to the steals of the past and
j the attempted steals of the present and
I'sees them throw off the yoke of the
merciless corporation and go into yon
der mountains, where a munificent
I Government has reserved for them a
! supply of melting snow, and pipe the
i same down for the use of the people
! without the interference of the mo
| nopoly, he sees before the city the fu
ture that lacks only this one necessary
prerequisite to its greatness.
The most thriving business in Los
Angeles to-day is that of peddling wa
ter upon the streets. One water com
j pany distills water and sells it for 75
cents for each ten gallons. There are
various small concerns peddling water
from adjacent springs. Everybody in
the city who can afford it purchases
this class of water, and only the poor
allows the substance from bog
ponds to touch their stomachs. It is
said that the people actually pay to
these companies more money for dis
tilled and spring waters thus peddlrd
from wagons than will be necessary to
pay the interest on the cost of con
structing a system from the mountains
to the city.
One reads of water being peddled
! through the streets of Jerusalem and
j other cities of ancient times, but it is
| hard for the people of California to
! realize such a state of affairs in a met
ropolitan city of to-day.
PASSED A STEAMSHIP
SEEMINGLY DISABLED.
French Vessel Believed to Be La
Champagne Probahly in
Distress.
NEW* YORK, Feb. 25.— The Dutch tank
steamer Bremerhaven, which arrived here
this afternoon from Antwerp, reports
that on February 19, in latitude 43, longi
tude 44, she passed a steamship, appar
ently a Frenchman, which was almost
Stopped and was heading northwest. She
had two mas* and two funnels. Regula
tion lights were burning, but no signals
were displayed.
It is quite probable the Frenchman had
set anchors out, although it was too dark
to see if such were the fact. The weather
had been very stormy, blowing hard from
the northeast and continued to blow
throughout the following day, Sunday
and part of Monday, with very heavy
seas from the northeast.
Captain Ninnes. when informed that La
Champagne was overdue, said there was
no doubt in his mind as to the identity
of the vessel.
Death at Los Gatos.
SAX JOSE, Feb. 25.— A. Rosp, an old
resident of Los Gatos, died of heart dis
ease yesterday morning. The deceased
was a prominent orchardist of the vicin
ity. He was 63 years of. age and a native
of New York. A widow survives him.
ARGUE AGAINST
THE INJUNCTION
San Jose Officials Seek
Relief From Law's
Restraint.
Councilmen Protest Against an
Order Preventing an
Alleged Job.
Judge Kittredge Takes the Fire-
Alarm-System Case Under
Advisement.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
SAN JOSE, Feb. 25.— The petition "of
Sanford E. Smith for a permanent in
junction to restrain the Mayor and
Common Council from awarding a con
tract for a new fire alarm system to
A. J. Coffee was argued and submitted
before Judge Kittredge to-day.
A short time ago the Council awarded
Coffee the contract for a tire system for
$3900, while a bid from the Gamewell
Company for $3300 for a similar system
was before the Council. The Mayor ve
toed the ordinance, but the Council
boasted it would pass it over his head,
and to prevent this waste of the pub
lic's money a temporary restraining or
der was procured. O'uncilmen Fay,
Nolting. Dittus and Krieg were repre
sented by Attorneys Spencer and J. W.
Sullivan and Attorney W. H. Hardy
appeared for S. E. Smith.
The objections of the Councilmen
and Coffee were read. Deputy Clerk
Simonds was sworn and exhibited the
vote on the ordinance awarding the
.contract for the fire alarm system
and other data relating to the ordi
nance. Judgt- spencer then began an
argument for the Councilmen. He
said the case was similar to the street
sweeping case argued a week ago, and
that the only matter worthy of present
consideration was the veto of the
Mayor, filed after the issuance of the
temporary writ of injunction. That
veto changed the conditions so that the
present procei dings were futile and un
necessary.
He then proceeded to analyze the
bids, claiming that those of the Game
well Company did not comply with the
published notice, which specified that
Willard's system should be furnished,
and that the Council in selecting Cof
fee's bid as the lowest and best had
acted within its discretion and for the
best interests of the city.
Attorney Sullivan, for Coffee, follow
ed In an argument along similar lines.
Attorney Hardy held that the Coffee
bid did not comply with the notice. He
said it was not the lowest and best bid
and that the injunction should i.ssuo.
Counsel claimed the other bid was the
lowest. Unless the Injunction should
lie the Council might override the
Mayor's veto.
The case was then submitted for a
decision. As the thirty days allowed
by law in which to pass an ordinance
over the Mayor's veto- expires in a
few days the question must be decided
quickly.
Mayor Koch filed an answer to the
summons this afternoon. He denied
that unle=s restrained he would enter
into the contract with A. J. Coffee,
setting forth that on February 7
he had vetoed the ordinance.
SAN RAFAEL'S TEN
THOUSAND CLUB
Business Men Unite to Promote
the Welfare of the
City.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
SAN RAFAEL, Feb. 25.— Permanent or
ganization of the Ten Thousand Club of
San Rafael was effected at Anderson's
Hall last night and officers elected as fol
lows: President, P. T. Burtchaell; vice
president, J. E. Hayden; treasurer, R.
W. Johnson; secretary, George L. Rich
ardson; assistant secretary, T. H. Rush;
executive committee— W. N. Anderson, R.
Furlong, D. Convery, R. Kinsella. R.
Magnes, H. Gieske, D. R. Hughes, O.
Fitch, F. W. Taft.
The object of this club is, primarily,
to increase the population of the city of
San Rafael to 10,000 people before the
month of June, 19<>l. To attain this the
material development of San Rafael's re
sources is absolutely essential; therefore
tne club will use all legitimate means to
promote immigration to Marin County and
to San Rafael in particular by the follow
ing methods: By establishing and main
taining a bureau of information in San Ra
fael where reliable information of every
character concerning the resources of the
county may be obtained, by personal or
written application; by promoting and en
couraging the development of every le
gitimate industry in the county; by ad
vocating and urging the construction of
first-class county roads; by encouraging
and urging the construction of railroads
and street-car lines; by impressing upon
the people the urgent necessity of improv
ing and beautifying all public squares
and parks and public school grounds in
San Rafael and vicinity; by using all hon
orable means to promote the best inter
ests of San Rafael and vicinity and by co
operating with all associations and organ
izations having for their object a similar
purpose; by raising funds by subscription
or in any other legitimate manner for the
purpose of carrying out the objects of
thjs organization"; by celebrating national
and State holidays in a fitting and be
coming manner.
HUNTINCTON
MAKES HIS
LAST STAND.
Attempts to Defeat
the San Pedro Ap
propriation.
His Congressmen Rally
About Him for the
Final Struggle.
First Strike at Oakland Har
bor to Establish a
Precedent.
DEFEAT IN THE HOUSE.
I
Both Items Remain in the Rivsr and.
Harbor Appropriation
Bill.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
Call Office, Riggs House,
Washington, D. C, Feb. 25.
There was a hot fight in the House
this afternoon against making appro
priations for river and harbor improve
ments, provided for by existing law, for
which no contracts have yet been
made. It was evident from the begin
ning that the principal purpose of the
fight was to strike out the appropria
tion for San Pedro harbor.
The fight was opened with Parker's
motion to strike out the appropriation
for Oakland harbor ($133,000) on the
ground that no contract had yet been
made for the work. The friends of C.
P. Huntington promptly rallied to the
support of Parker, not because they
were opposed to the appropriation for
Oakland harbor, but because the defeat
of Oakland harbor on the ground stated
would be a precedent for defeating the
appropriation for San Pedro.
That the real assault was on the ap
propriation for San Pedro harbor was
soon made apparent by the speech of
General Grosvenor of Ohio, attacking
that appropriation on the grounds that
the contemplated improvement was
unwise; that it would cost more than
the amount limited by law; that no
contract had yet been made for the
work, and that an excellent harbor in
that vicinity was to be constructed by
private enterprise and turned over to
the Government without cost, provid
ed the Government should not proceed
with the improvement of San Pedro
harbor, and asserting that an offer in
writing to this effect had been filed
with the Secretary of War by persons
of unquestionable responsibility. This
statement of Grosvenor's is understood
of course to refer to Huntington's
proposition to improve Santa Monica
harbor at the expense of his own com
pany, but an investigation has failed
to elicit the fact that any such propo
sition has been filed with the Secretary
of War.
Mr. Cannon, replying to Grosvenor,
practically declared that he was not
in favor of going on with the improve
ment of San Pedro harbor, and rather
shocked the members of the California
delegation by intimating that there
was a little joker connected with the
$400,000 appropriation in the bill. He
declared that advertisement for con
tracts for work on San Pedro called
only for the construction of a break
water, while the appropriation and the
law under which it was made required
the construction of a deep-water har
bor. He therefore thought the courts
might hold (contrary to the Attorney-
General's opinion) that the appropria
tion could not be used for the construc
tion of a breakwater.
A long colloquy followed this sugges
tion of jugglery, in which Messrs. Ma
guire, Cannon, Barlow, Hepburn and
Northway participated.
Maguire tr.-ok the position that Can
non and others had confounded the in
ner and outer harbor projects, which
he said were entirely distinct; that the
act of lSi»8 contemplated only the im
provement of the outer (or deep water)
harbor, already deep enough for com
mercial purpi/ses and a refuge for the
largest vessels afloat, provided only
that it be protected from heavy seas
and from the shoaling of its entrance
|by the deposit of sediment, both of
i which purposes would be accomplished
I substantially by the building of a
breakwater.
Cooper (R.) of Wisconsin came to the
support of the Californians with a
clear and powerful ten-minute speech
in favor of the appropriation.
He said he wiuld rather see every
other appropriation in the sundry civil
bill fail than witness the national hu
miliation involved in allowing the pri
l-vate owners of Santa Monica harbor
to further their personal interests by
defeating the appropriation for San
Pedro.
At the close of Cooper's speech the
opposition to San Pedro was practically
abandoned and the appropriation
passed without division. It was re
marked that throughout the debate
Hooker of New York, chairman of the
Committee on Rivers and Harbors,
who was such an earnest champion of
Santa Monica in the Fifty-fourth Con
gress, sat behind General Grosvenor,
prompting and advising him but tak
ing no direct part in the discussion.
Ever since the sundry civil bill was
reported to the House last week Hunt
ington's man Friday (otherwise called
John Boyd) has been buttonholing
members of Congress.
The result of this fight adds another
to the list of Mr. Huntington's failures
to control legislation in Congress,
where he was once thought to be om
nipotent.
The attempt to strike the Oakland
appropriation from the bill failed.
LOS ANGELES POLICE
COURTS ARE ILLEGAL
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25.— The Police
Justice courts of this city have been de
cided illegal by Judge Van Dyke of the
Superior Court. A writ of habeas corpus
was asked for in the case of Ah Sang, a
fan-tan player arrested some time ago.
This morning Judge Van Dyke relasad
the prisoner and decided that the Whit
ney act, under which the Police Courts of
this city are constituted, does not apply
to this city, as the census taken last year
by the Postoffice Department showed the
population to be in excess of 100,000. He
declares Police Judges Morrison and Ow
ens to be illegally in office and their offi
cial acts null and void. The decision af
focts a large number of prisoners now
held awaiting trial, but as the two jus
tices are also Police Judges under an
other law it is possible that their work
may be continued as such and extend to
all cases of misdemeanor within the city
limits.
THE LUCILLE
SAILS AT LAST
Government Expedition
Leaves Nanaimo for
Alaska.
End of a Vexatious Delay At
tended by Heavy
Expense.
For Eight Days the Vessel Has Been
Detained Awaiting a Tug's
Arrival.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
SEATTLE, Feb. 25.— The vexatious
wait for a tug which has detained the
pack train of the Klondike relief expe
dition at Nanaimo for the last eight
days is now over and the ship Lucille,
with her interesting cargo of army offi
cers, packers, mules and Government
supplies, is on her way to Alaska. A
telegram received here to-day an
nounced the arrival at Nanaimo of the
tug Monarch. The ' ship was imme
diately made ready to proceed on her
important mission to the north in tow
of the Monarch.
Thus ends another of the introductory
chapters of the history of the Govern
ment expedition for the relief of the
men who may be reasonably supposed
to feel even now the dread invasion of
want— men known to be battling un
successfully against scurvy induced by
lack of variety in their food. From the
first there has been delay following de
lay, until it seemed that the train on
which so much depended would never
get under way. Even after sailing from
this port, after detentions sufficiently
discouraging, the vessel immediately,
on striking British waters, was tied up
once more for what promised to be an
indefinite length of time.
The 112 mules, whose condition is of
such importance to success in crossing
the passes, had suffered from confine
ment in the stalls of the ship's deck,
and it was found necessary in Nanaimo
to unload them and. put them into a
warm barn.
The transfer of the mules from ship to
shore and back again is not child's
play. It requires some time, and there
is always danger of loss through in-
Jury to some of the animals. Hardly
are they settled ashore than the tug
Monarch appeared, and then came the
change from shore to ship. The work
of reloading the stock was begun this
morning and completed in the aft-r
noon. By this time the Lucille is well
on her way, providing no unforeseen ac
cident has occurred.
All this delay has cost some one
thousands of dollars; it ha* been re
sponsible for a loss that can hardly be
calculated in holding back an expedi
tion on vhe early arrival of which in
Dawson depends the physical well be
ing of hundreds of miners. Further cost
is possible through the arrival of the
pack train at Dyea after the snow and
ice have become so slushy as to render
the use of pack mules impraoticable,
and the animals themselves worthless.
It seems difficult to place the respon
sibility. Havner & Co., charterers of the j
Lucille, claim that the Government un
derstood perfectly that there would be
a wait at Nanaimo.
"The Government has no cause for
complaint," said Mr. Havner to-day.
"Before the Lucille sailed on February
16, we went to Captain Robinson and
told him we could not promise to get
the party to Dyea at any definite date.
We told him that it might take forty
five days to reach there; that we could
have the tug Monarch only as far as
Nanaimo and must wait there to catch
another tug coming down from the
north. If they wished to go by some
other vessel we offered to unload their
stuff. We even went so far as to in
sist that they should pay the expenses
of keeping their men and mules at Na
naimo during such time as we might
be compelled to remain there. Every
thing that could be suggested to ex
pedite the departure of the Lucille from
Nanaimo we have since done. Since
she left here we have been under an
expense of $300 a day, so you can read
ily see our interest in getting the expe
dition landed in Alaska as early as pos
"We have a contract with the Puget
Sound Tug Company, which controls
practically all the large tugs on the
sound, to take the Lucille to Alaska.
As a matter of fact they have about
half again as much business as their
boats can attend to. I think now, how
ever there will be no further trouble.
"Since the ship has been tied up at
Nanaimo Captain Robinson Jr.,- local
representative of the War Department,
has tried in every way to hasten the
expedition on its. way. Since no tug
could be secured at first he thought of
sending a United States revenue cutter
to tow the Lucille."
At the time United States District
Attorney W. R- Gay did not believe that
this could be done, but later changed
his opinion. There was also some
thought of bringing the Lucille back to
American waters and transferring her
freight and passengers to some steam
ship. The chief objection to this was
that no vessel with space enough to
take the entire pack train with the sup
plies for the expedition could be
found. It was that fact, indeed, which
induced Captain Robinson to recom
mend the sending of the train and sup
plies by the Lucille. The original con
tract, as will be remembered, was on
the steamship Signal, but delay in the
arrival of that boat from Alaska caused
the cancellation of the agreement.
The Government has stipulated to
pay Havner & Co. $6000 for the use of
the Lucille on this voyage. A portion
of the amount has already been paid.
It is probable, according to good au
thority, that the payment of the bal
ance of the $6000 will be refused by the
Government, and in that case Havner
& Co. will be forced to enter suit.
LADS "PLAY DURRANT"
WITH A COMPANION.
Strangle Him Almost to Death Be
fore a Woman Comes to His
Assistance.
STOCKTON, Feb. 20.-The Mail this
evening is responsible for a story to the
effect that recently four or five little boys,
•whose ages ranged from 8 to 12 years,
concluded to play "Durrant." Setting
upon the smallest of the party, they pro
posed that he be Durrant and that they
would make believe hang him. They
placed a piece of black cloth over the
youth's head, put him into a little wagon
and tied a rope around his neck so tight
ly that it made the youngster scream
with fear. The rope was soon drawn so
taut, however, that the screaming ceased.
The boy's companions concluded that he
had merely stopped yelling because they
told him to.
The little fellow's yells had been heard
by a woman living near. She hastened to
the spot, and soon saw that the boy was
being strangled to death. She finally got
the rope loosened sufficiently to allow the
helpless boy to breathe. She had arrived
just in time to save the little fellow's life;
already he was blue in the face. A few
breaths of air soon revived him. The
names of the boya were withheld.
GENERAL BOOTH
AT LOS ANGELES
Third Visit of the Salva
tion Army Chief to
California.]
Speaks Feelingly of the Dif
ferences Between Himself
and His Son.
Given a Loyal Greeting by the ttank
and File of His People in the
South.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25. — Gen
eral William Booth, commander-in
chief and founder of the Salvation
Army, arrived in this city over the
Sante Fe at 8:30 this morning, and a
right royal welcome did he receive at
the hands of the 200 Salvationists who
had gathered at the depot to welcome
him and his party. With the general
were Commander Booth-Tucker, the
leader of the forces in America, and
his wife, Consul Booth-Tucker, Com
missioner Nicoll, editor of the Salvation
Army publication in Great Britain, Ad
jutant Deverell, the general's private
secretary, Colonel Lawlor, the singer,
and Brigadier Alice Lewis, the con
verted opera singer, who Is secretary
to Consul Booth-Tucker.
Although the streets of Los Angeles
were muddy and very damp, the faith
ful soldiers of the army lined up behind
the carriage containing their chief and
his staff, and followed it to the bar
racks. Here the visitors remained but
a few moments, after which the party
was driven. to the residence of J. S.
Slauson, on Figueroa street, where they
will be entertained during their stay.
General Booth has still a most Impose
ing physical appearance. He Is aa
straight as an arrow, and looks at
least ten years younger than he really
is, his age being 69. To a Call repre
sentative he said:
"This is my third trip to California,
my last being about three years ago.
Since I shook hands with the President
at the White House I have received a,
hospitable welcome throughout the
country, and I may truly say a marked
approval of my work. We are better
understood now in the United States
since the mists and fogs of the recent
controversy have rolled away, and it is
seen that ours is a disinterested work
for the poor and the lost — a purely phil
anthropic work, in fact.
"I really don't understand the feeling
of the Volunteers of America. I don't
understand it any better than you do;
but the feeling of unity in the army is
a hundred times stronger since the dis
agreement than it was before. I of
fered, when I first came to the States,
to visit my son and I did see him but
not alone, for that he declined to per
mit. I am still in the dark as to his
attitude, and no one but God knows
what it means to me to be thus es
tranged from him. Almost every hour
I ask myself how- it will out. I
think of it day and night and pray con
tinually for aid and council."
Being asked if he had formed any
opinion regarding the war feeling in
this country as a result of the Maine
incident, he safd;
"I know little of the matter, but It
i would seem ridiculous that Spain
would seek, in her present circum
stances, to arouse the United States
against her. And Ido not think that
this country would seek a quarrel
either. But, after all. I know nothing
about it. I know only the heart of
England, and that I know as perhaps
no other man can. I am linked to
her people by almost mysterious bond,
and I fully realize that England is a
powerful nation, with an especially
warm regard for the United States.
You cannot know as I do how strong:
that regard is."
General Booth held his first meeting
at the Pavilion to-night. The larg*
building was packed to the doors.
ADVERTISEMENTS.
RELIEF FROM PAIN. .",
Women Everywhere Express thei*
Gratitude to Mrs. Pinkham.
Hrs. T. A. WALDEN, Gibson, Ga., write*:
" Dear Mrs. Pixkiiam: — Before tak-
ing your medicine, life was a burden
to me. I never saw a well day. At
my monthly period I suffered untold
misery, and a great deal of the time I
was troubled with a severe pain in my
side. Before finishing the first bottle
of your Vegetable Compound I could
tell it was doing me good. I continued
its use, also used the Liver Pills and
Sanative Wash, and have been greatly,
helped. I would like to have you use \
my letter for the benefit of others."
rirs. FLORENCE A. WOLFE, 515 riulberry
St., Lancaster, Ohio, writes* rV |
"Dear Mrs. Pixkham: — For two
years I was troubled with what tho
local physicians told me was inflamma-*
tion of the womb: Every month I suf-
fered terribly* I had taken enough,
medicine from the doctors to cure any-
one, but obtained relief for a short
time only. At last I concluded to write
to you in regard to my case, and can
say that by following your advice I am
now pef ectly well." , ,_. ' ■ " : — _J_
lira. W. R. BATES, rtansfield, L«., writes : .-'
".-.'., " Before writing to you I suffered
dreadfully from painful menstrua-
! tion, leucorrhcea and sore feeling in,
I the lower part of the bowels. Now my
I friends want to know what makes me
; look so well. Ido not hesitate one min-
1 ute in telling them what has 'brought
; about this great . change. I cannot
praise Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable
Compound enough. It is the greatest
remedy of the age." ,
i
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