The San Francisco call. [volume], April 29, 1904, Image 1

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

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VOLUME XCV— NO. lot.
THE WEilSEB.
*
Forecast made at Saa Tran
circo {or thirty hours endiasr
mlOnUfht, April 29:
San P?anclsco and vicinity—
Talr Friday; fredt westerly
winds. A. O. McADIE.
District Forecaster.
Continued on Page 4, Column 2.
PISTOL SHOTS ARE FIRED
IXTO HOME OF CAXDIDATE
Attempt Is Made to Assassinate Nomi
nee for. Mayor on an Independent
Labor Ticket. »
JEFFERSONV1LLE. Ind., April 28.
An attempt ' was made last night to
assassinate D. M.' Robins, candidate
for. Mayor on. the Independent: Labor
ticket. * IRBBBBI
Robins was seated in his home
when two bullets crashed through the
window, one splintering the • chair, on
which he was sitting and the other de
molishing a lamp. The shots had
been * fired from an alley. • in which a
revolver was found later. No arrests
have been made.
William Buck, a lifetime convict from
Glove, who Is acting as cook, grabbed
a butcher's knife and attacked his fel
low convicts, saving the life of the su
perintendent. Wilder was badly beaten,
shot in the thigh, and, it is thought,
fatally stabbed. _ '
The leader of the revolt was William
M. Lauztannau, known as "Three
Fingered Jack." He is one of the sev
eral men sent here for inciting the
riots at Morenci last July, when the
miners of that camp were on strike.
Those riots occasioned the calling out
of the National Guard and a force of
Federal troops.
TUMA, Ariz., April 28.— An attempted
prison break of about fifteen desperate
convicts in the Territorial Penitentiary
occurred at 8 o'clock this morning and
came near resulting in the death ot
William S. Griffith, the superintendent,
and U. G. Wilder, assistant superin
tendent.
The officials were In the yard mak
ing their usual morning rounds, when
they were attacked. Wilder was
knocked senseless. Griffith was over
powered and would doubtless have been
led to the gate and an attempt mada
to force him to open it had not fire
been opened by Guard Stevens, whose
position upon the wall enabled him to
witness the assault. Six convicts were
wounded by him.
Special Dispatch to Tb« Call.
Desperate Battle Is Fought
Between a Crowd of Felons
and Officers in the Ari
zona Penitentiary in Yuma
¦( Perhaps of all the spectators of the
famous voyage down the ways there
was not a 'more tense-eyed ¦ throng
than the men who > have built the
cruiser. They ; ha« welded ¦ her sides
together, '.' and every white-hot rivet
they, hammered to connect the- steel
plate; voiced a wish that .the product
of their.hands and brains would prove
an ? 1m pregnable barrier to aggression
from any alien people. „ Some of. the
engineers who helped build the mass
ive structure: that will * undoubtedly
prove la powerful engine of war gained
admission' to the ; christening •; stand:
Others sought.; the water 'front: and
with, the actual constructors watched
the . result ' of , their . labors. The ' public
was ; barred ¦ from * the edge ; of i the
launching t wharf, : but '* a '* \ crowd ' of
splendid-looking, men,. in, overalls and
jumpers," stood: close \ to j. where v the
muddy watersof the 'bay. -lapped the
piling of the' pier.and every, heart beat
high-; in ' hopes Hhat 'no j untoward . oc
currence might happen .that ,would de
stroy or/ delay . the product of their
lahors.: •] *' .. \, '.-. '¦.' ¦ ¦ ¦'- : '.
¦Henry :'T.; Scott- was,', visibly^ nervous
as - . the ' fateful . moment ' approached.'
Perspiration ?. his ; cheeks , . and
forehead ;, from' under.;: the ."-somewhat
1 antiquated .high 1 1 hat hej ? , wore. r -. .;; The
strain 1 of the' great .endeavor, was plain J
ly telling upon; him.' 3; Almost, without
any-warning to: the spectators on the
, platform 1 ! he • gave \ the iw.ordf to . -' Mrs/
Martini his daughter^to^press the -but
tbn.'^'The^ slow,- starting; of ithe' ; ship*
was !the 'signal 'to "'.Miss Pardee -to
another, v representative of. '.the works
where. the new cruiser was constructed.
Mayor Schmitz and' his. wife -were- in
the procession, ' and many prominent
county ".and \ city , officials. Far in the
rear • came Major . General .' MacArthur
and. Major West of the United . States
army. - Between- the '..extremes were
many \ officers of ' the army, " navy and
transport service. Among these the
well-known faces ,of Commander C. B.
T. 1 Moore from Mare Island and -Major
Devol, head j of jf the transport service,
were generally recognized. • .
, The , procession .was i piloted! to \ the
platform,; where- standing .space
been reserved for them. Mrs. | Martin
had arrived .previously with her hus
band and; all the arrangements for the
launching .were ready « and awaiting
only a' high tide' signal. Below could
be heard the ; sledges, of the workmen
knocking . out : the main \ supports , that
held the cruiser on. the ways. > Guarded
as r carefully as the jeweled collar of
the , Nabob, of t Irawadl '¦ was ", a' » white
button; set 'in a rough , timber^ on. -the
platform.; The inopportune pressing. of
this would have cost the lives of twenty
men who were laboriously knocking out
the supports that held the huir in place.
WORKMEN WATCH SLIDE; <
In. the lead .walkedVMiss, Pardee, evi
dently.; burdened by * being placed -as
cynosure \of| so . raany/ eyes.-j but • becom
ingly-sweet; and' attractive even in : her
unusual position.": In-, her.- hands she car
ried ',-. a ;\ splendid '.bunch V of/ pink , roses;
that gave a touch 'of color to her -white
gown.. ;.-. Beside ; her 'walked ? Henry '.". T.
Scott,, head of ? the -Union Iron;- Works:
Just ••;•; was , r; Governor I Pardee,'
chatting laughingly 'with George Scott.
, Welcoming the new arrival of the
seas was the battleship' Ohio, ' built by
the Union Iron Works \ and jj launched
three years ago Jin- the; presence .of the
well-beloved and lamented William' Mc-
Kinley, then President of the United
States and subsequently the victiir/ of
a crazed assassin's bullet. A gun -from
the Ohio boomed out as the 'California
struck the water, and all in the grand
stand turned their eyes
Memories of the launching of the near
ly equipped battleship and the tragedy
of a President's taking off occurred to
many, and some women cried at the
memory of the -kindly, man. who was
killed at Buffalo . as he tried to grasp
in friendship the hand of the man who'
shot him. This: was the one touch of
pathos that shadowed the launching of
the California."
Shortly after;. 10 o'clock the tug Slo
cum arrived at the outer pier of the"
Union Iron .Works, . bearing most of
those ' who : , were ;to .• take - prominent
parts In the christening- of the i, new
cruiser, j They were met by j Captain .of
Police Soillane and- Lieutenant " M. { J.'
Conboy with ' a • ' squad -of : policemen,
who made: smooth their, way* through
the steel-sheeted stacks; of material? in
the yard of the. works and kept/out
siders from .interfering, with the prog
ress of the party. : : V *
i- " CHRISTENERr ARRIVES.
- When the ship struck the /water there
was a gigantic splash fore aridaft. All
the gathered craft- in the bay in front
rocked roughly and 1 the thousands' of
spectators clung to handrails-momen
tarily. On the pier, upon which' the
ways were set an Immense .throng had
gathered. Upon"; these for -a distance
of two hundred feet . from the ..beach
a shower of water fell.-ruinlng many a
spring hat^ and. dainty gown. (Despite
this discomfort, not a - single * person
sought' shelter; until j the vessel had
glided out ' into its 'resting 'place In. a
mud bank more than 100 yards { from
shore. With it went 'all the debris of
its supports. Huge timbers, shattered
to bits in the pressure put- upon them,
littered the space of water between the
wharf and the new cruiser. ..
, OXE TOUCH OF rATHOS.
reached the immense , cable . was re
leased automatically and the newest
wedlock of the, seas had been- consum
mated;' ' - ' • : '-' -,-' : -' ' ':¦
Inch by {inch at first, then foot by
foot and, finally .with* a. rush, the great
mass started to the : waiting; waters of
the: bay. -Behind it' trailed levia
than steel; chain; never taut, and" never
restraining. When •/ the >'- water was
Slowly, but with constantly j increas
ing momentum, the gr?at mass of navi
gable steel started down the ways.
These ' had been tallowed so , that' the
descent was easy for the newest cruiser
of the United States. 'Behind her trailed
a chain cable of vast proportions and
two traveling cranes overhead ; paid
this out without checking the speed of
the vessel. The cable was intended as
a. precautionary, measure, in "case any
accident should happen as the cruiser
was gliding.' into the bay. -Happily no
call was made -. upon it. Sailormen
would say that this was a good augury
for the accountthat the California will
give, of herself when- It becomes her
unhappy, duty to Impress upon, a na
lional enemy the power of the -United
States and the strength .of the State,
the name of ; which the latest addition
to the national navy bears.
CRUISER 1 RUSHES ? SEAWARD.
When the California left the ways
and glided into the* rippling waters of
the ' bay most of the throng 4n , the
christening stand were taken by sur
prise. It had been officially, given out
that, the exact moment of the bridal
between the salt waves and the steel
maiden of -Mars. would- be ; at 10:40
o'clock in the morning.' This was fore
casted as being the time of highest
tide. Expectant observers, tense on
the momentous occasion, I consulted
their watches and settled back for a
wait of two or three minutes.
Without warning, at 10:3S the shapely
form of metal was released by Mrs.
Walter S. , Martin, who pressed a but
ton and at the same moment Miss Par
dee, apprised of the imminency of the
event, waved her bedecked bottle of
champagne high in air and smashed
it on the prow of the slowly gliding
ship,, at the same time uttering the ir
revocable name of the cruiser.
LAUNCHED BEFORE TIME.
ulously, there were no serious . acci
dents reDorted' in transportation cir
cles. More secure and satisfactory
were the police arrangements for pre
venting the vast crowd from meeting
with injuries after it had arrived at its
destination. Captain John. Spillane- and
Lieutenant Michael Joseph Conboy
were specially ; detailed from head
quarters to -care for the" situation.
With them went fifty-four officers and,
despite the rush, the crowd and the
many imminent . dangers, they re
turned to their station with the proud
record that not a single accident had
occurred to visitors during the launch
ing. - • . • . '
For most people of the city the oc
casion was a holiday. In adddition to
the vast throng that wandered. at will
In the capacious yards of the' Union
Iron Works, every wharf on the south
side of the water front, every eminence
in the Potrero district and every.build
ing in the entire city that commanded
a view of the ways were crowded by
spectators. Although the United Rail
roads diverted" many cars from their
accustomed routes, the service -was en
tirely unable to handle" the'; traffic it
was compelled to bear in the direction
of the Union Iron Works. .
Men. women and; even children Were
compelled to hang to hand rails with
insecure footing on the sideboards. ; In
crder to reach their destination. Mirac-
When she went down to the sea there
were no useless words of speech in set
language that Is said to bo. the means
of disguising one's thoughts. Prominent
people in all walks of life thronged the
launching platform, but they had no
other expression than a throaty cheer
and a ja-oud swelling at their- hearts
that another stout ship had tasted the
water and some day might be the
means of proving that the United
States is impregnably superior to any
power, on land or in the vast reaches
of the ocean.
Never into the salt sea has gone a
vessel freighted with the responsibili
ties of the maintenance of a great re
public and the hope of humanity so
gladly as did the California. Only a
whimper could be heard from the stout
timbers that have held" her so. long
from contact with the element she was
born to; no steel plate, on ¦ her vast
sides failed to welcome their mission;
not a rivet squirmed . under the test.
Compactly, unswervingly and without
complaint she answered the prayers of
her makers and went into the sea,
voiced by every articulate, note of en
couragement that a representative
American citizenship could devise.
XO SPEECHES ARE MADE.
As willingly as a- newly born babe
nestles on the bosom of Its mother' the
United States cruiser California glided
yesterday Into the waters of the bay.
Fully 50,000 people watched her • wed
the rime of countless ages, - her bow
foaming with California champagne.
A pretty girl, gowned in white and
evidently embarrassed by the promi
nence that the occasion . had forced
upon her, told the. ship in. a clear
voice, "I christen thee, California."
Close to her breast she held a magnifi
cent bunch, of American Beauty roses.
She was Miss Flore.nce Mary Pardee,
daughter of the Governor of California,
and the fittest and sweetest little girl
that ever sent a warship oh its mission
to destroy or be destroyed. " • • - ¦
COPICTS
ATTEMPT
TO ESCAPE
Cheering ; Multitude Witnesses '. Big . •¦y(0Ss^j's;5 Initial ¦¦¦ E?rpi :; andi$.^ii:les.hip-- Oh io
Welcomes Her Graceful Sistfer With -Boom ing Gun. '
¦ '- When the launching was over the po
lice were kept ¦ busy in saving curious
people from danger. * The most persis
tent of ' these -were women. Sergeant
Wall and a detail of men tried to drive
back the throng from the pier to allow
the employes of the Union Iron Works
to secure the floating timbers by means
of a - four-inch hawser and : a traveling
crane. Reluctantly » the i crowd moved
back under the orders of the police, but
the foreman decided > finally*'" that; he
would Inoti attempt to recover the tim
bers until the holiday crowd had with
drawn.*>With such a curious crowd, he
stated,- there mlght^be danger of some
inexperienced . person ' being .hurt.
Slowly the timbers under the bow
crushed, with the noise of trees re
covering from frost. Slowly started
the great ship to the ocean, relieved of
the supports to its vast weight. As it
went down the ways there, was a
crunching sound from the battered
supports. A woman looking over, the
railing said the timbers were the vic
tims of a new. power and that they
cried out in agony.
Nothing could have been devised in
mechanics to surpass the methods
used in launching the great cruiser.
Every, pound of her was calculated to
a nicety. Each support . that was
knocked from under the hull by the
workmen held a certain . weight,
which was figured almost to a fraction
of a pound. ,„ Before the launching the
supports were mechanically reduced to
a minimum. When Mrs. Martin
pressed the button every 'pound of re
sistance^was removed and the cruiser
sought the water as a diver takes a
dip. •
The device for the actual launching
protected, only, the blocks at the bow
end of the ship. • Most of the others
were knocked out. . When the button
was " pressed :a quarter Inch rop« was
cut automatically by an ax. which re
leased a car on either side of the
ship, 'which acted as a butter against
the remaining '- supports. «. As these
Came down the incline and tore away
the remaining supports the cruiser
settled steadily on. the tallowed ways
and .started its voyage seaward. . Un
der her keel she carried the last sup
ports and churned them to splintered
edges in, her anxiety to, reach the
rime for which she was intended. ,
- PUBLIC SEEKS DANGER.
smash the bottle of champagne .on
the pink bow of the sliding steel struc
ture, and before it had gone three
inches -she had made her christening
in a voice audible to everybody within
a ; reasonable . distance.
,V RUSHES TO THE WAVES.
SPLENDID NEW ARMORED CRUISER CALIFORNIA JUST BEFORE SHB ¦SLIPPED > FROM '.THE 'WAYS -'ATrTHEUNION IRON WORKS.
Continued on Vage 2, Column 1.
It Is said that the Emperor is highly
indignant over the'KinEhfu Maru af
fair, and that he will relieve Yeszen
and order him to be court-martialed.
EMPEROR IS IVDIG.VAXT.
The possibility of a Japanese attempt
to mine the entrances to Vladivostok.
as was done at Port Arthur, is con-
Kidered. but the conditions are dlffcr
rnt, and besides Rear Admiral Yeszen,
with the lesson of the Petropavlovsk
disaster fresh In his mind, will ob
serve the utmost caution.
The fact that the navy Is doing some
thing of an offensive character appeals
to the popular mind, which has been
unable to appreciate the reason for the
inactivity of the fine ships of the Vlad
ivostok squadron.
It is generally recognized that Rear
Admiral Yeszen cannot do more .than
frighten the Japanese and compel
them to exercise greater caution in
their military movements, as the sink
ing of a few transports or even cruis
ers can have no permanent effect on
the result of the war. Moreover, he
is bound by his instructions not to
risk his ships unduly, the intention be
ing to keep them safe for an attack
with the Baltic fleet when it arrives
in the PaeinV.
The operations of the Vladivostok
squadron have revived the spirits of
the people of St. Petersburg, who
have been downcast since the de
struction of the Petropavlovsk and the
consequent confinement of the rem
nant of the Port Arthur fleet to the
harbor. ' '' •¦.:,
REVIVE RUSSIAN* SPIRITS.
"During the night of April 26 two
Russian torpedo-boats met at Bea the
Japanese military transport Kinshiu
Maru. of 4000 tons, laden with rice and
other military stores and about 1500
tons of coal. The transport was armed
with four Hotchkiss guns. The Rus
sians captured on board seventeen of
ficers, twenty soldiers, eighty-five mil
itary carriers or" coolies and sixty-five
cf the crew, who surrendered. The re
mainder of the men, who were to form
a landing party and who were left
without officers, obstinately refused to
eurrender or go on board a Russian
cruiser. Furthermore they offered
armed resistance to the Russians. In
the end they were sent to the bottom
with the transport."
Admiral Yeszen also reports that,
besides the sinking of the Japanese
eteamer Goyo Maru at Gensan on
April 25, the Russians sank the same
evening the steamship Nakamura
Marti of 220 tons, wHose crew was
caved. ' 1.
The official report of Rear Admiral
Teszen to the Emperor is in part as
follows:
The Russian Admiralty is disposed to
minimize the Japanese loss because of
adverse comment, both at home and
abroad, upon the action of Admiral
TcFzen. It is admitted, however, by
members of the diplomatic corps that
no other course was open to Yeszen
when the foolhardy Japanese persisted
in offering armed resistance to the
Russian warshijw after having been
given every opportunity to surrender.
Yesterday's bombardment of Port Ar
thur was insignificant and probably
was Intended simply to let the com
mander of the Russian fleet know that
it would be dangerous for him to at
tempt to leave the harbor to Interfere
with the movement of Japanese troops.
YESZEVS OFFICIAL REPORT.
L*<X> men went down with the vessel.
Other reports give much larger figures,
one asserting that 3600 Japanese pe»
is-hrd. The Kinshiu Maru was a large
vessel, and as she was en route to Ko
rea with troops it seems improbable
that only 200 men remained on board
after the few that surrendered were
taken off.
ST. PETERSBURG. April 29.—Ac
o rtiins? to the official rez>ort ofcJAd
isftfai -TrssKir'vw — comnJaSafel ' IBS'
Vladivostok warships which sank the
Japanese transport Kinshiu Maru, only
SHANGHAI, April 29.
Jt is reported here that
the ftussians have suf
fered a disastrous re
pulse after two days'
fighting on the Yalu
River. ; The Japanese
forces crossed the river
and the Russians re
treated.
Special Dispatch to Th<* CaU.
¦ Several weeks ago a shortage of
SS500 was. found in his accounts. This
the associates made good and gave
him an opportunity to repay them.
Other shortages being discovered, he
was ousted from, the position of sec
retary and started an opposition con
cern. Further investigation of his ac
counts revealed other shortages, and
his former associates coused his arrest.
Melvill declares that he cannot be con
victed and defies his accusers. He re
fuses . to make any statement about
financial affairs.
Additional embezzlement . charges
and others of passing fictitious checks
and forgery probably will be preferred
against him by reason of his. alleged
acts while acting as secretary of the
Fidelity Abstract Company. After his
arrest it developed that his peculations
will amount to more than $10,000 and
that his transactions cover a period
of more than a year.
Associated with him in the abstract
company were such prominent men as
;W. .T. Craig, attorney for the Board
of Trade;- William Mead, president- of
the Central Bank; -George H. Peck, a
San Pedro banker, and others, hut they
permitted Melvill to run the business
without their supervision.
LOS ANGELES, April 28.— J. H.
Melvill, well known in business circles,
a prominent Democratic politician and
regarded as a man of means, was ar
rested to-day on a charge of felony
embezzlement, consisting of the alleged
appropriation of $600 which had . been
entrusted to him. /; '&.,
Special Dispatch to The Call.
cjfikado's Army Repulses the Enemy
in Two Days' Fighting at
£ . the Yak
Ten Thousand Dollars Said to Be the
Sum Taken From a Southern
California Company.
Japanese ftefase to Surrender
After Their Officers
; Yield.
Former Associates Have
Warrant Issued for
Embezzlement,
Business Man of Los
Angeles Goes
to Jail.
Hundreds Go Down
With the Kin
sMu Maru.
HEAVY LOSS
OF LIFE ON
TRANSPORT
ACCUSED
SECRETARY
ARRESTED
LATEST ADDITION TO THE GREATER NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES
GLIDES SMOOTHLY FROM WAYS AND IS CHRISTENED CALIFORNIA
T JNDER the most auspicious conditions that have ever attended a launching of any United Sta tes fighting craft, the cruiser -California glided into the bay of San
KJ Francisco yesterday morning. Over her bow Miss' Florence Mary Pardee, daughter of the Governor of the commonwealth of California, broke a beribboned bot
tle of champagne, voicing the words, "I christen thec California." Both the maiden and the wine are products' of the State after which the new cruiser isnamed. The
launching zvas held under the auspices of the Native Sohs of the Golden West and was attended by prominent persons in all walks of life.
THE THEATXE3.
AJca2ar-r-"Tlie Sew Clown. 1 *
Special Matinee To-Day.
California — "A Girl From Dixie."
Central— "The Still Alarm."
Chutes — Vaudeville.
Columbia — "Stmninjr for Office."
Fischer's— "Chow-Chow."
Grand — "Whirl-I-Gijr."
Majestic — "The Crisis."
Orpheum — Vaudeville, f* -i^
Tivoli — "When Johnny ! Come*
Marchinsr Home."
PRICE , FIVE CENTS.
san francisco; Friday, ;;APRiii 29, ; i904.
The San Francisco Call