The San Francisco call. [volume], July 25, 1903, Image 1

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

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
Jk MILLIONS "of acres of timber lands situated in]the coast States are involved in a gigantic
tJjJi deal which, it is reported, is '. being engineered by a syndicate which includes E. H. Harri-
and James J. Hill, the, railroad magnates, and Frederick Weyerhaeuser and T. B.
Walker, lumber • kings. 'The design' of this syndicate, iV is asserted, is to control the entire lumber
outptU^of the West. Harriman is said to be mosVactive in promoting the scheme. and is represented
itere b'y.E. W. Eberlin of New York, who is at the Palace Hotel. v>y
PLANNING MIGHTY TIMBER
COMBINE ON PACIFIC COAST
Continued 'on : Page .: 2;' Column . 5:
VICTORIA. B.C.. July 24:^-Mall .'advice's
were received V by ; the steamer Tremont,
'^which arrived ¦ to-day from- the Orient,
that"'; 200 rioters attacked the Empress
Dowager's summer palace near Peking
on 'July 7. and • a body of troops w«» dis
'pa tched ; to , the ;. scene - by . Viceroy Yuan
! Shih Kal. The rioters 'fled on the arrival
*cf the troopj '"' '¦ . * .
RIOTERS. MAKE /ATTACK
ON AN EMPRESS* PALACE
LONDON. July £3.— A Vienna dispatch
just' received _ says that Prince Ferdinand
passed through Budapest at 10 o'clock this'
morning, seeing nobody, and proceeded
immediately to Ebenthal. In the Austrian
Alps, where his mother lives, taking with
him a numerous suite. -It Is said in some
quarters- . that Prince Ferdinand warned
the .Austrian and Russian Governments
thr.t he would not return unless* the powera
granted the application -of Macedonian
reforms, but this statement is not- con*
firmed. . ,'¦ '¦ .-.-¦¦
;: BELGRADE, ; July 24— Priace Ferdi
nand, accompanied by his children, passed
through this cjty on" his way to, yienna.
t BERLIN,' 1 July '. 24.— Notwithstanding the
semi-official denial' that Prince' Ferdi
nand's departure from Servia amounts to
a flight, the Voslche Zeitung/ which gets
well - authenticated ¦ private ~< information
from Bulgaria, says it believes that the
rumors of the ' Prince's flight have some
basis nnd regards It as probable ' that ha
has left the country until the existing ex
citement has subsided. It prints * to-day a
special dispatch from Sofia, saying it is
openly asserted there that an * attempt
against Prince Ferdinand's -throne is not
Impossible, Servians example haying had a
profound Influence on the Prince's
enemies.- '.
, HOUSTON, Tex.. July- 24.— This has
been a day of Intense excitement" at; Sour
Lake. \,Ttie business center \ was; at
day treated to a shower-bath of . oil.
night ' Wall : street . is running , in oil, the
plank walks are submerged and . not j a
gleam, of -artificial light has been • per
mitted.In. the business center lest' the all
pervading gas fumes generating frpm the
lakes. of ; oil should become ignited. Such
a catastrophe would mean the destruction
of, this; town of 9000 population and ¦ per
haps'of a large per. cent of the'fleld..
.. Not in v the history of this , field has such
a 1 gusher come in.. 'it is located on the
Kelster-Geudry tract.' in the center of , the
business section, and Just off Wall street.
For a month the well has been under way.
Last- night oil sarid was touched, and ope
rations i were '• suspended until this morn
ing, " whenballlng was commenced. A fair
ly s good well was. anticipated, .' but . there
were ". no indications of a . tremendous
gusher. : : There was a mighty, deafening
roar, 'and mud. water and. oil shot; eighty
feet- over ¦ thq derrick from - the ' six-Inch
pipe, ; The workmen ran for . their lives;
and'a'btampede followed on Wall street;
which was thronged. . A 'stiff wind from
the .west > aided to turn the ' whole down
pours into '. the street. ." Bankers, oil men
and * sightseers had . no /time • to escape.
They i were L drenched * from ; head ' to . foot
.Withln'f thirty - minutes;' three i squares' of
the section iwere ¦¦>'. completely" bathed - in
the Vgreasy^ fluid. r The* board" walks; In
places ¦ and ! to ; cross ; the .,. street
meant ¦ to ¦_, ¦ wade .¦ In \ oil « knee ; . deep. , { It
raised sufflciehtly. to. flood 'the first floors
of : majiy3 business houses. -The roar of es- (
caping gas. was, tremendous. c-The'drillers
!work"ed : through * the 'i. deluge /and \ within
three.j h'ours r had' the well '•' shut off • and
'capped. "' ';
Special Dispatch to The Gall.
BULGARIA'S
RULER FLEES
TO VIENNA
TEXAS TOWN
GIVEN SHOWER
BATH OF OIL
T. 7 B.\ Walkef 4 >had 'also '}, been ; busy - :in
Northern* California' and Southern Ore
gon", where? tie';: has ; by,* now, invested «. In
excess of ,'a 4 million ' dollars. ¦¦ : Blodget t' had
HOLD ; FOB •• BETTER ; PRICES.
The scheme Is said to have originated in
the mlndof a closefrierid bf Harriman's
more than threeyears ago and. received
prompt consideration' from j the ma'gnate,
who was not slow-ln studying the feasi
bility of the undertaking. At once he
started h^s agents' westward , to work out
the . plan, which has thus , far progressed
successfully. . Weyerhaeuser at , once fell
In with the" project and proved a valuable
assistant -to -Harriman,; securing the co
operation /of ; HH1 ; and finally that of
Walker.'! '*'¦¦.. ¦• ..." ••¦
.!lT, was about this/time that the last,ves
tige of I the i' once j great \ timber belts of
Michigan, ; Wisconsin • and Minnesota .was
rapidly disappearing -before the axes J of
the j lumbermen. :¦ ; and ..they were ; already
looking to\the far West< for, another great
supply. -The'; Weyerhaeusers— father .' and
son— had alrea'dy^begunfmaklng purchases'
of timber land In. Washington,' where they
have ; now? established v mills.* Under i. the
corporation; name -7of : the
Timber * Company I of ;/ Tacoma \ they; have
acquired, more* thanfeight; million r acres, of
land.'C- ¦ V ¦ : 't- ¦ ¦ "'•: '«V^'*
to be one of the latest ambitions
of J E. H." Harriman. head of the railroad
syndicate. According to 'the. best of in
formation, the railroad .magnate, ' work
ing in harmony with several ¦millionaires,
has set,: his .'project In motion and is
rapidly gathering under his control, the
major portion of. the largest timber tracts
in California, Oregon, \ Washington- and
Idaho. , , . . . . "
Assoclated^wlth'; Harriman _ In,> the big
undertaking are said , to", be James : J. Hill;
president x of -the Northern ; Pacific, 'who
usually fights Harriman on everyJpossible
excuse; ¦ Frederick 3 • Weyerhaeuser - : of
Minneapolis, who ' is . familiarly' known as
the Rockefeller' offthe timber world and
who Is also closely, allied with Hlllln the
northern ;,"; railroad .: enterprises; jjj T. "\ B. 1
Walker of Minneapolis,' also an [ old; busi-]
ness associate j of Hill; 'Jacob Blodgett, a
wealthy timber '; man ' of j Grand f Rapids,
and a number | of other. , rich . men of in
fluence in the various timber sections oj
wig'ste/riv. States. ; : .l';.^-l,V\ ¦'-.'-[,' ¦
HABRIMAN'S AGENTS AT TyOBK.
A GIGANTIC combine, . having ".in
view a- monopoly of the vast tim
ber. Interests of the West, is said
PROMINENT RAILROAD MEN AND TIMBER LAND MAGNATES WHO
ARE REPORTED TO BE MEMBERS OF. A SYNDICATE THAT PLANS
TO CONTROL ENTIRE LUMBER OUTPUT. OF THE PACIFIC COAST.
~ -.•¦ ; \u -i ,. i . •.. -. - , .
MINING MAN AND EX-SOLDIER WHO WAS , FOUND rDEAD- AT
BERKELEY AND PORTRAIT OF • HIS DAUGHTER, TOGETHER
WITH ONE OF. HIS DECORATIONS. * .,>•.:«¦¦
ENGINEERS
SAVE TRAINS
FROM WRECK
KING GOES
SLUMMING
IN DUBLIN
THE mystery surrounding the death
of Captain Thomas Howard, whose
bullet-riddled body, found just, a
week ago behind a barn in West
Berkeley, ha«= assumed proportions of as
tounding magnitude. From Dawson City
to New York there stretches a' web of evi
dence fraught with significance.
During the last year Captain Howard
was the victim of a gigantic fraud, upon
the successful consummation of which
would have depended the loss of prop
<ity of almost unlimited value. Over his
own clgmnture he had confessed himself
wary cf one of the conspirators against
him who had once killed a man and would
not hesitate to shoot him. During his
entire stay in Ban Francisco he would
not so out on the Etreets after ¦ dark
unaccompanied.
-On Saturday last he was found lying
beside Brennan's barn in West Berkeley
with two bullet holes through his head
end a frightful fracture of the skull.
From the papers of the dead man. now
In the hands of the Coroner at Berkeley,
there Is gleaned a story which may throw
a Btrong llgrht upon the tragedy which
was enacted in the dark hours of the
night behind the 'lonely barn in West
Berkeley. They chow the stake for
which Captain Howard was lighting and
Incidentally how his death might facili
tate the plans of those who were seek
ing to lay their hands on the prize.
BICH CLAIMS THE PRIZE.
Captain Howard was the possessor of
1600 acres of mining property situated on
IndlanTUver, in the heart of the richest
gold fields of the Klondike district. This
had been awarded to him by the Govern
ment of British Columbia as a reward of
meritorious services rendered in the Red
River rebellion of 1SC3. It Is about this
that there is hinged the drama which had
it* climax behind Brennan's barn In West
Berkeley.
By the dead man's papers, now in
the hands of the authorities, it Is shown
that in December, 1S01. he was in New
York endeavoring to form a company to
work his concession on the Indian River.
his attorney. George P. Clay,
whose office Is at 133 Broadway, he be
came introduced to a speculator by the
name of Daniel F. Coholan of 271 Broad
way.
Coholan became Interested In Captain
Howard's scheme, and, organizing a com
pany from among a group of " wealthy
financiers, prepared to consider,. Captain
Howard's offer. In a- copy of a letter ad
fircssed to Cobolan it appears that How
trd asked that a necessary working cap
tal be secured and that he be paid $50.
•00 as soon as the corporation was
'ormed. >
Continued on Page 2, Column 4.
Special Dispatch to The Call
MERCED, July 24.— An ' extraordinary
but futile attempt at train wrecking was
made to-day on the Southern Paciflc.Rall-;
read, about twenty miles north of Merced
dnd near Delphi Station. - : ••' .' I ¦' - -. ; :
The southbound train, a freight, found
about fifty fishplates across 'the rails. The
train was running slowly ahd^the obstruc-'
tion was discovered by the engineer. The
train following encountered ;\ fourteen
plates across the rails, which were, seen
in time to prevent accident. ' .. "¦
Information was given to the, Sheriff
and at 5:50 o'clock a special train,. carry-
Ing Sheriff Swan and Under Sheriff Moore
and a posse of twelve arrhed citizen's; left
Merced for the scene.
A few miles this side of where, the 'ob-,
structions were placed two detachments
were stationed with instructions to arrest
anybody seen along the track. .The train
proceeded . slowly and obstructions ' were 1
again found. Two hobos were, taken . in
charge who said they - had seen boys', at
some distance who appeared to # be;doing
something on the track. The tramps w^U
be held as witnesses. . ; • . - :
' The footprints of barefoot boys and the
hoof murks of horses .were found/near
where the obstructions were placed., From,
the Information given by the hobos and
from other sources it is believed that' the*
deed . was committed by two ' brothers.'
aged about 10 and 14 years, r who were^
herding horses In the "vicinity and who'
live about a mile : and . a ¦ half, from /the;
place wTiere the obstructions were' placed. ;
Guards were .placed' on the \tracks.' 'byi
Roadmaster Bulger and the boys' 1 will be
arrested in the morning/ '- -- .^-'-1'
Special Cable, to" The' Call and New York
Herald..- Copyright. 1003, by the New York
. Herald Publishing Company.
; DUBLIN, July. 24.— King Edward's Dub
lin: slums : vislt % will long be remembered.
Refusing" to bV bound by the official pro
gramme he went from o^e . tenement to
another", talking' to the humble dwellers
and manifesting real interest in their wel
fare.. ' .', ','.'»
. As he". walked through the. streets, hat
in hand, , the , enthusiasm of the .'people
knew, no bounds. It had been arranged
that the King \ should visit two of the
corporation tenements, but this did not
satisfy him; and,; to the astonishment of
all. he pursued his investigations in a
thoroughgoing fashion. ' !" * )_ ¦-
.'AT noteworthy incident occurred as the
King. was leaving* St. Patrick's Cathedral.
An old woman, struggling through a
dense; crowd which had gathered at the
entrarico and • reaching forth her' right
hand," endeavored to get close to the King,
her' intention \ evidently being . to shake
hands. "Several 'officials were about', to
push heraway^when the King interposed,
saying: •"Ltave her alone, God i bless
her.."-,. ;;.-'; ' -;-'.- ;.*•¦•¦ '¦ f ' : . ¦ . •
¦With. a fervent: "God bless your Majes
ty." the old woman then Kaluted the King,
who shook her 'hand- warmly, v • ' /' \
- in. theVcoursV of \ his round; the"' King
called upon a !nian .who had been -. out
of '. work' eight j,'months and gave him • a
five-pound. note. LiAfter. visiting, one tene
ment house the. ( Klng walked quickly from
the ''Rtrcetj'lnto^ another t poorer *one and
.up'-aVnarrow., alley "leading ; to 'at court,
where -ho ' spent' several minutes'. -When
he reappeared" a"' crbwid of .'poor . people. In
fthe outside : . rushed , forward ' and
•cheered-, again- and • again.V-« g 1 - - '.
"When the 'Klnc '¦ stepped Into ; the room
If Successful They
Will Have Strong
¦Monopoly.
Days Before His End
He Voices Fear
of Jfssassins.
Papers of Deceased
Disclose Details
of Fraud:
Harriman and Hill
Said to Be^Behind
Big, Scheme.;
The ;'pdor folk .of; the neighborhood
crowded "along the \ path/ checring^coritln
uously. Children,; too— -little j bare-legged;
hatlees and unwashed children— who never
hoped to see a real live King pass by their
gutter : playground/' joined :* in •- the demon-'
stratio'n.V while; from ; ;wind6jvvs "and"; door
ways i. men uh(T women * shouted . a : chorus
of^VGood*lucW;t6 )r y8l 1 ' ' ":\'~"" '¦'.}'¦'¦''.
I can assure you tliat the talk of ' wfer be
tween Russia and Japan is an Invention. Japan
has not the least int«itl:n of taking th«.t course.
S^ proposes to wait h ml maintain Her attitude
of watchfulness. . Japda and America are act-
Ing' on the tame lines and it would be difficult
for any other power to -withstand the pressure
they and Great Britain could apply. . '
It is said that Japan intends, to do
nothing until October, when the final
evacuation of Manchuria must occur. The
failure of Russia to withdraw from Man
churia would ¦' be followed by a serious
movement on the part of Japan.
A dispatch to Reuter's Telegraph Com
pany from St.. Petersburg, dated July 20,
says:' ' . ¦'. .¦- , ¦'.¦_. -..' ¦•¦¦ ., . . \_ -
"The attitude; of Japan and the warlike
tone of the majority of the Japanese press
have' attracted much attention in official
circles here. It is declared by the best
informed people that there is no likeli
hood of war, certainly not upon Russia's
Initiative. It is said that Russia has
every motive/ for peace, . chiefly
for financial Treasons, with which v aro
wound up'a desire for extensive domestic
reforms, whichUhe government considers
# to be the most efficacious of dis
arming internal discontent and nipping
the revolutionary propaganda in- the bud.'
| "It is believed to: ; be Impossible, ; from
the Russian standpoint, for. Japan to em
hark in a contest with Russia single
handed, and it lisV not thought she' will
secure the . material support of Great
Britain or- the .United States. Neverthe
less, 'Russia is .taking every precaution
to strengthen her. military and naval
position In ttfe->,prleht, v believing this to
be ¦ the' surest ¦ means ' of discouragfng
Japanese aggression.', -•.'¦,., -,¦"-.
/ -"Ml Lessar's | Port. Arthur conference is
said , to have dealt .'^chiefly, •". with these
measures; though they 'are 'declared to be
entirely precautionary, war 'being .the
furthest thing from the wishes of ' the
Russian government.!' . '¦'¦¦.
occupied by, Joseph Healy he' found Healy
busily engaged "at' his 'occupation of. boot
making.. Healy giving ah
account of the visit.; said: *
/''I was partly going on! with a "pair of
boots when the; King came In,' but of
course he * didn't minih a working-man • at
his -.work. I ; said . .1 ."was very . much
obliged'; to his Majesty for ''visiting a poor
man's room." 'V- ";- ; >': ~
LONDON, July 24.— Japan has decided
to adopt the, policy of waiting and watch
ing Russia, advocated by Great Britain.
In the meantime she will urge China to
carry out the assurances given to J the
United States respecting Manchuria and
will endeavor to obtain the opening of ad
ditional ports. At the Japanese Legation
here the following statement was made:
Japan Will Not Invite Hostilities
. Before- October.
GJVES RUSSIA MORE; TIME.
By. command of .'the throne the Board
of Rites has. prepared a programme , for
a week's celebration of the Emperor's
birthday . ; beginning on August • 17. .
there." ; .' ". ' ••*_' ;;/;¦'-,.;. / ' '"-"¦.•_
The Chinese text ofii .tlie; -^commercial,
treaty with . the ;.Unite4 - sj ajtea, *_Jg^belpfir
revls'ed^;iVla^-hoi\e]^TOVstfe^eaiyT.wi}l'"
be -signed at an"-"t:arlydate;-a ! 1loVe which
is encouraged by Prince Ching, president
of the Board of Foreign Affairs.
PEKING, July 24.— Reports continue to
be received here that Russia is constant
ly increasing' the number, of her troops
in Manchuria, and that Russian soldiers
are passing through?' Newchwang, en
route to Port Arthur. Admiral Alexieff,
the ¦ Russian, commander,' is said to be
strengthening the garrisons at Dalny.arid
other places on the Llaotung peninsula
with the object, it Is believed, of having
his troops so disposed ihat theyVmay.be
speedily, mobolized in the event of the
destruction of th.e Manchurfan railway
along the northern border of ,Liaotung
peninsula by the Japanese, a hostile oper
ation which, it is admitted, the Japanese
are competent to perform at any time.
A. number, of English and Japanese 'offi
cers" have j gone to : . the - Korean I border to
learn if .the ". Russians ¦ are. fortifying
.. LONDON, July 25.— The Standard this
morning: prints a Tientsin dispatch which
says that ¦ the Newchwang • trains are
crowded with Russian troops going in the
direction j of Port Arthur; that ¦; these
trains are taking precedence over normal
traffic and that heavy t guns, and 'other
artillery, are beine sent, y ... *
"The Times' Peking correspondent says:
There tare Incessant shipments of coal
and food stuffs to Port Arthur and fever
ish drilling and gun practice on the Rus
sian side/ • . ¦ ¦ .¦¦**¦
Special Dispatch to .The Call.
English and Japanese Of
ficers Start.fbr' Border .
¦ of Korea. ' „.;¦
Constant ' Arrival . of
at
Russia, Increases
the Manchurian
Garrisons^ &
CAPTAIN THOMAS HOWARD of Victoria, B.C., whose body was found with two bullet-,
holes in the head and a fractured skull, behind a barn in West ¦ Berkeley last Saturday, was
the victim of a manifest fraud on the part- of New York speculators. For' a year he. had
fought to retain rich mining claims in Alaska, He Jiad expressed the fear, that Me would be shot by
an agent cf his defraudcrs. He dared not walk the. streets after, dark. . , • " '" '.'
WAR SIGNS
IN ORIENT
MULTIPLY
HOWARD'S DEATH REVEALS
CONSPIRACY OF ENEMIES
* S&N ; FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1903,
VOLUME XCIV— NO. 55.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
The San Francisco Call.