The San Francisco call. [volume], June 18, 1904, Image 8

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

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

                
Special Information supplied dally to
business houses and public men by tho
Press Clipping Bureau (Allen's). 23ft Cal
ifornia street. Telepuane Main 1042. •
Henceforth whaleB are to be sacred
to the Norwegian fisherman. The Nor
wegian Parliament has passed a bill
prohibiting the catching and landing of
whales on the coast for the next ten
years. • ,
Townsfnd's California Glace. fruits In
artistic fire-etched boxes5715 Market st*
A Kansas banker who played fast and loose, with
other people's money is now an apprentice tailor con
vict in the penitentiary at Leavenworth. While he may
find.it difficult to adapt himself to his new environment,
he certainly may glory in the gratification of * a new
sensation, involved in what must be novel to him— -the
; "experiencevof earning ah honest living.
SEEKING INFORMATION— R. L.
B., City. When a person writes to a
stranger asking for information and
wishes a reply, by mail, the writer
should always inclose a self -addressed
and stamped envelope for a reply. It
is enough for the person to furnish the
information without being required to
pay the postage for doing; bo. The
same rule applies to queries sent to
newspapers. •
• An emissary of Japan, high in authority, has reached
this cpuntry with the avowed purpose of extracting
from conditions that he finds here reasons to suggest to
his Government severe restrictive legislation which will
keep Japanese laborers at home. Can we doubt now
that the Mikado, wise in his generation, is dpjng every
thing in his power to win our friendship?
THE battles won by the' Japanese on the peninsula
above Port Arthur arc among the greatest actions
at arms that have gone. into history. 7 The latest,
that of Telissu. again illustrates the fighting capacity, of
the Japanese and, their, determination ..not. to stay
whipped. Their comprehension of tactics is marvelous'
and their courage matchless.
•, Lieutenant General the | Baron Stakelberg, the Rus
sian commander, ; admits that he was sure, of victory
when lie . succeeded in. enveloping the Japanese : right
itank," but 'at that point the "Japanese turned and . en
veloped his right flank and cut his force to pieces, com
pelling a retreat so disorderly that fourteen Russian
guns were abandoned, the wounded left on the field and
many prisoners taken. Yet when the fight began the
Japanese had only a single battery of six-inch ' guns
and were repeatedly repulsed by the superior number of
the Russian guns.
VvAH soldiers and, j military, tacticians will . appreciate
what"' it meant,; under such .circumstance's,: to ' persist -in
THE BATTLE OF TELISSU.
The industry of eleven years, the dubious endeavors of
many anxious and ambitious men and women and the ac- (
commpdating'. acquiescence of thrifty publishers have
borne fruit in an "American peerage." Yet it is not good
to believe that there are still many otherwise worthy
American citizens who. will disturb the even current of
their lives and pay heavily" of their money to be made
publicly foolish:
BLEACHING HAIR-t-Minerva, City.
Preparations for bleaching the hair are
good for the purpose, but must be used
continually, for the bleaching material
discolors only to the surface. When the
hair grows out there is a line of de
marcation which establishes the de
ception. If you are Intent upon bleach
ing your hair the best way to do is to
consult a professional bleacher.
COPY OF WILL— A. R., City. A
copy of a will that has been filed can
be obtained from the County Cleric ot
the county in which such will was filed.
The valuation of,_the estate left by a
deceased person Is to be obtained by
an examination of the report of the
appraisers to be found on file in the
court in which the will Is probated.
King Victor Emmanuel's pet ambi
tion is to signalize his reign in the an
nals of Italy by converting Rome into
a seaport. The project of connecting
the EternaLClty with the sea by means
of a ship canal Is, of course, not a new
one; in fact, it has been mooted quite
a number of times. But now, thanks
to the energy and determination of
-the King, the scheme is about to be
put Into execution. The Tiber, which
should be the natural means of navi
gation between the metropolis and the
sea, is, unfortunately, useless for the
purpose, as the shifting sands at its
mouth, its winding course and its ever
changing shoals and pools not merely
render it unavailable for any sea-going
craft, but are likewise 'of a nature to
preclude any attempt to render it navi
gable by means of dredging for ships:
of large tonnage. • The canal, however,
could easily be constructed and offers
no engineering difficulties. The total
cost has been estimated at $11,000,000.
the idea being to make it wide and
deep enough to enable two vessels of
big tonnage to pass each ether, and
the time required for the construction
would be between four and five years.
The distance from Rome to the sea is
considerably under fifty miles and the
canal would have the, effect of draln
' ing and of sanitating a considerable
A Canal to Rome.
Tliej' tried to elect /a school teacher in a Texas town
the other day and one man was killed and four others
were desperately wounded. When the worthy people
of the Lone Star State go in for sweetness and light
there are no half-way measures with them. It is
the, morgue or. nothing,' and 1 the: recent incident is. fully
up to the precedent that gencrally.it is the morgue.
ELECTRICAL INSTRUCTOR— B. L.
B., City. Any first-class bookseller
will furnish you cuch books as you
may need for the study of electricity.
This department does not advertise the
names of booksellers.
KING OF GREECE— Enq.. * Cit>.
The total income of the King of
Greece from various sources is $260,000
annually.
'Answers to Queries.
there to take charge of the campaign
Against the Kaiser's rebellious fub
jects — the Hereros. These warlike
native?. 50.000 strong, have provided
ihe Kaiser's crack army with the
toughest military nut it hss been
¦exiled upon to crack since the war
svith France, and after Fix months of
blundering by leaders of the lower
rank the Emperor decided to send an
officer from the general staff to the
scene of action. General von Trotha,
who enjoys a fine reputation as an or
ganizer and tactician, is taking with
him reinforcements of 1500 men and
horses, and he will assume the active
I'ommind of the colonial army later
in June.
The new commander in chief is 56
years old. From 1894 to 1897 he com
manded the Kaiser's colonial forces in
East Africa, and in 1900 he accom
panied Count von Walderpee to China
»ith the rank of major general.
• Problems that will tax General von
Trotha'n abilities to the fullest await
him in West Africa. The Hereros
have proved a crafty and stubborn
foe. In the serious engagements that
have so far taken place they have suc
ceeded In defeating the Kaiser's troops
Signally. Their resistance has, indeed,
become so stanch that the Germans
have practically declared a truce
pending the arrival of reinforcements
from home: Armed with the Mauser
rifles and ammunition' supplied them
by German settlers in ' peaceful days,
the Hereroe have shown that they are
strategists as well. On two occasions
they have decisively outwitted their
crack antagonists, killing and wound
ing more than 100 officers and men.
There Is considerable my*tery about
the result of one ftghtyfind the where
abouts of a machine gun. with which
the natives are believed to have got
away. The Herero*, like the Boers,
are all mounted, understand the art
of lighting behind cover and se>m to
have mapped ont a comprehensive
guerrilla campaign. The Germans,
fresh from the fortresses and drilling
grounds of the Fatherland, find them
selves confronted with the necessity
of opposing tactics about which they
know practically nothing. The Hereros
occupy a country admirably fitted for
a tedious defensive campaign. The re
gion is mountainous and heavily tim
bered ami well fitted for harassing the
operations of an organized enemy.
The difficulties confronting Germany
in its Southwest African colony have
died Germans at home with fresh con
victions that the Fatherland is not "cut
cut" for a great colonial career. The
present rebellion seems to have been
the direct outgrowth of bureaucratic
government upon the part of German
functionaries,, who have .attempted to
govern negro natives in .the Jungles
II LIEI'T. GCXERAL VON TP.OTHA.
WHO TAKF8 COMMAND OP GER
MANYte AFRICAN FORCES.
Mr. Gladstone was once drawing
very remarkable conclusions from
some figures — an art in which he was
an unapproached master. A member
on the other side laughed out a "Hear,
hear!" ironically. Gladstone stopped
Instantly and turned and looked Trith
interest at the interrupter, who as
suredly would at that mdment have
given a good deal to recall his words.
Then he turned back to the Speaker.
"Sir," he said, "the honorable gentle
man laughs." For a minute or two
he quoted from memory a long string
of figures proving the accuracy of
what he had previously said. "The
next time the honorable member
laughs," he continued in honeyed
tones, "I would advise him — I would
venture to counsel him — to ornament
his laugh — to decorate it— with a;V
idea." ;. V
Gladstone's Retort. J -
lilied lake.
The talcs whispered low by the gossip/
Inc grasses.
The secrets that hide in the fern-tan
gled brake.
Brave hunter is he of the woods' ancient
wisdom.
Deft ansler. who catches the water
fall's tunes.
Sly trapper, who snares from the rock
and the river
. Their shadowy legends and mystical
runes.
Then up and away to the chase that is
bloodless.
Away to the streams, without tackle
or pole. •
The noblest of game is for spoilsman
and angler
Who hunt with the eye and the ear and
the soul!
— The Youths' Companion.
The lore of the punctual bird homeward
hieing.
The thought in the heart of the wood
blossom shy —
The dreams that are haunting the
zephyr-blown treetops.
Or sailing- the deep of the .soft sum
mer sky — r
The bright winged fancies that flit o'er
the shallows, ¦¦'."* '-L.
And pleam on the breast of the calm.
Wak<>! Wake! quit your slumbers. See
on the^horlzon
The morn's rosy banners are burning
to red. ; . .' •;
Up! Up! and away! there are visions in
woodland
And meadow outworth all your dream-
Ing In bed.
Nay! lose not the moments, the south
wind is searching
The hilltops and thickets unseen by
the sun.
And never was morning more gallant for
hunting
The game to be captured without rod
or gun!
Aye, plenty of game to be found for the
seeking.
Proud trophies the hunter may claim
. at his will.
And spoils he may win of the richest
and rarest.
Whose mind is to follow, but never to
kill.
For him is the plaint of the murmuring
brooklet.
The sons that is sighed from the soul
of the pine.
The game far too high for the range of
the rifle.
The fish beyond reach of the hook and
the line!
The Hunt.
to meet you, Mr. Scott. My name is
Dave Barry."
"I'M PLEASED TO MEET YOU.
MR. PCOTT. MY NAME IS DAVE
BAKRY."
Many of the railroads in the South
are prone to giving passes indiscrim
inately, so that on come of the smaller
roads about all the prominent people
who live along the line are carried
! free. Storekeepers, sawmill proprietors,
politicians— in fact almost everybody
who can afford to pay his fare goes
scot free, while the negroes and poor
country folk pay the large fares ex
acted—the larger, of course, for the
ronds* loss on the deadheads. One
Georgia railroad, however, according
to the Boston Transcript, has set its
face against the evil, and has resorted
to Scripture to make plain Its position.
It has posted in the two or three pas
senger cars that comprise its equip
ment the following notice:
"This means you! ¦.'-.» ".-¦
" 'Thou shalt not pass.'— Numbers,
xx:18.
" 'None shall ever pass.' — Isaiah,
xxxiv:10. .
¦ " 'Suffer not ¦ a man . to . pass.' —
Judges. iii:29. ,- . ; - :
" 'The wicked shall no more pass.' —
Nahum, 1:13.
" 'This generation shall not pass.'—
Mark, xiii:30.
" 'Though they roar, yet they cannot
pass.' — Jeremiah, v:22.
f " 'So he paid the fare and went.* —
Biblical Warning.
The ornithologists of the Department
of Agriculture have been making an
investigation of the economic va'ue of
the Bob White, or meadow lark, as we
call him in California, as a result of
which it Is now announced that that
bird is "probably the most useful
abundant species on the farms."
Field observations, experiments and
examinations show that the Bob White
consumes large quantities of weed
seeds and destroys many of the worst
insect oests with which farmers con
tend, and yet it does not injure grain,
fruit or any other crop.
It is calculated that from September
1 to April 30," ' annually, in Virginia
alone, the total consumption or weed
seed *y Bob Whites amounts to 373
tons. Some of the pests which it ha
bitually destroys, the report says, are
the Mexican cotton. boll weevil, which
damages the cotton crop upward of
$15,000,000, a year; the" potato beetle,
which cuts off $10,000,000 from the value
of the potato crop; the cotton worms,
which have been known to cause $30,
000,000 loss in a year; the cinch bug
and the Rocky Mountain locust,
scourges which leave desolation in
their path and have caused loss to the
extent of $100,000,000 in some years.
The report urges measures to secure
the preservation of the Bob Whites in
this country. '
The Useful J^rk.
" 'I'll stand you *arf a bitter for
your trouble,' I says. And even that
bit of lip didn't fetch 'im!
"But the .ladles! Well,; they're lit
tle bits of all right. They're free
enough with money; and wot's
more, they'll swaller any story you
like to tell 'em! And I've got a nice
little scheme on my next day off. I'm
takin' three of 'em from the Hotel
Cecil round to see the sights. I'm only
chargin' them my own! day's wages —
seven bob and exes." — London Leader.
" 'Thank you, sir,' says I ¦ again.
'And do you know what I shall do af
ter your great kindness?'
" 'Well ?' says he.
In spite of all sorts of temptations
the front seat on the top of an omni
bus U the great attraction' for Peony
L. Potts and her merry sisters. Peony
Rays that the car driver is altogether
just rlpp4n' — full of interesting infor
mation, full of -sweet stories and quite
a gentleman.
On the other hand, what does the
bus driver think of Peony and her
papa? One of them unburdened his
soul to a Leader representative re
cently.
"There's Yankees — and Yankees!"
he said. "There's cute Yankees and
there's bloomin' cute Yankees. And
1 seem to have struck the bloomin'
cute ones — and no mistake about it.
There was one gent yesterday, as Bill
pulled the bus up. for goin" up hill in
White'all. He gets on the front seat
and he saya, 'Say, driver, give us the
lay of this 'ere city of yours!'* And I
showed Mm everything from Charles
the bloomin* First to the Benk. And
he wags his wiskers and says they're
Just all right for an ole-fashloned
place like London; and when I've
talked myself dry, this Yankee he says
'Thank you, driver— : and good mornin'
to you. And if you ever come to New
York City and call on Silas G. Bland
I'll show you some of bur little lions,'
he nays!
"And he gets down — after stoppin'
the bloomin' bus again — and he' never
offers me a cent! But I gets my own
In afore he goes. I says, 'Thank you,
sir, I'm havin' a two-quid trip to your
city In the autumn!'
" 'Well,' says he, 'call on me and
I'll tot you round!' •
The last few days have seen the ar
rival in London of a great crowd of
beauty, fashion and wealth. The
American girl is here and she is teach
ing us all a thing or two in manners,
conversation, dress and "hustle."
Our Anglo-American hotels are full
to overflowing; there is an enormous
demand for ice cream, soda and Niag
ara nuts; the polite gentlemen from
Messrs. Cook's are showing the mys
teries of London to the admiring fair;
and the bus driver is in his element.
The London Bus Driver.
He will have in mind the matter of parks and park
ways, of architecture, of the most effective methods to
supply vantage points from which to see wonderful
vistas of -ba3 r , ocean and mountains, and of the. adorn
ment and general improvement of parked areas now
existing. From his labors much in the way of good
suggestion is expected.
From the pinnacles of the highest hills in the city,
the Twin Peaks; from the rocky headlands that rise
on opposing ?ides of the Golden Gate and front the
width of the blue Pacific, on the tops of scores of ele
vated localities, there is so much to be seen and to be
admired that the oldest citizen who is endowed with
artistic perception and sense 'of the picturesque never
tires of looking. With a system of improvements that
is commensurate with the opportunities afforded the
scenic advantages will be greatly enhanced.
Los Angeles has paid a great deal of attention to
the creation of a park system and has thereby provided
for its enjoyment some of the show places. of the United
States. Sacramento is now incubating schemes for the
bcautification of the area that has been known for many
years as the China Slough. Improvement clubs in all
parts of this State are engaged in making the best of
their surroundings, employing their best judgment to
produce good effects.
Development of natural beauties has been longer de
layed in the larger cities north of California, on the
Pacific Coast. Now, however, stimulated in some de
gree by the coming Lewis and Clark Exposition, Port
land, Oregon, is entertaining large ideas lor its' own
¦improvement. A report has been obtained from John
C. Olmstcd of Boston, who laid out the Lewis and
Clark exposition grounds, outlining a system of park
ways, boulevards and parks for the city.
A large forest reservation west of the Willamette
River with a f picturesque parkway running along the
river bank, extending to another large forest rcscrva
. tion on the hills northwest of the Mountain View Park
addition and connecting City Park and Maclay Park;
a river bluff parkway cast of the river and connected by
a bridge with a parkway west of the river at Fulton;
another river bluff parkway east of the river to a bluff
park, west of Columbia University; a great meadow
reservation among the Columbia sloughs; a park on
Mount Tabor to preserve hill scenery cast of the river;
a boulevard^ to Mount Tabor Park; parks on Ross
Island and Swan Island — these are among the largest
features of the scheme as reported.
There is no doubt that Portland will be benefited if
it enter upon large and properly conceived improve
ment on. the plans outlined in the foregoing. The Pa
cific Coast is properly the scenic region of the United
States and its attractive places are numerous. Common
advantage will be derived from having all the principal
places on the routes of travel 'on this coast made as
pleasing as possible'. They will form" a chain to draw
spectators from the remotest parts of the civilized coun
tries of the earth.
THE minds of the people of the Pacific Coast have
¦ ever been awake to the advantages that inhere
in developing the picturesque surroundings with
which they are endowed by nature. In this city, after
some years of discussion' of a preliminary sort, an asso
ciation has . been formed having for its purpose the
improvement and adornment' of San Francisco. A
landscape artist of acknowledged reputation and of wide
experience has been engaged to provide a plan suffi
ciently comprehensive to serve for the future and a
report will be submitted by him for consideration within
a year.
\ BEAUTIFYING . COAST CITIES.
The Board of Health, after a "deal of agitation, inves
tigation and discussion, has legislated pure milk for San
Francisco. It will be interesting to watch now what
relation these new laws will bear to a practical reforma
tion of conditions which have become a serious menace
to the health of the city. A little more watchfulness by
officials, and a little less la'w from municipal bureaus
might work wo'nders.
Special Co.T:*:x>n<lenc*.
\ BERLIN. June 2. — I send here
with th« latest photograph of Lieu
tenant General von Trotha, com
mander of the Sixteenth Infantry Di
vision of the German army, who has
just sailed for German South Africa,
To Fight Hcreros.
portion of that Roman Campagna
which is now rendered almost .unin
habitable by malaria.
In ancient times when ships were
very much smaller than they are to
day, and when the bed of the Tiber
was less filled with silt brought down
from the hills than to-day, the tri
remes and the galleys came up direct
by the river from the sea to Rome and
it was to this that the Eternal City
owed so much of its grandeur and
prosperity. King "Victor Emmanuel
sees no reason why he should not re
store to his capital its former impor
tance by once more converting it into
a seaport, no longer^ however, with the
assistance of Father Tiber, but by
means of a big ship canaL Let. me
add that at the present moment the
cost of sending merchandise from Ci
vita Vecchia, at the mouth of the Ti
ber, to Rome, or from the city to Ci
vita Vecchia. is as great as the coat
of freight between Liverpool and New
York, although in the latter instance
the distance is over S00O miles, whereas
between Rome and the sea there are
a little over forty miles.
"Is that so?" said Barry, extending 1
his arm to shake hands. "I'm pleased
This story concerns John Scott, man
ager of the Union Iron Works, and
Dave Barry," professional pugilist. Bar
ry had obtained : employment at the
works, and one day he and two other
employes hid themselves behind an out
house to indulge in a quiet smoke. Just
as the three were in the' midst of their
enjoyment Scott came upon the scene.
The latter took in the situation at a
glance and frowned perceptibly.
Barry's companions were equal to the
emergency and at once busied them
selves in carrying several pieces of iron
toward the A\aln works. Barry, how
ever, stood his ground, and Scott
frowned all the more.
"Well, young man," said Scott, "why
don't you get to work?" * '•:
"Oh, I will, soon," replied Barry, non
chalantly.
"Do you know who I am, sir? I'm
John Scott."
Introduced.
When he left his home at Treves the
entire officers of the corps and all the
military bands of the (district escorted
him to the station, and as the train
steamed out of the station the thunder
of artillery proclaimed the event to the
country for miles around.
The thins was carried so far, in fact,
that protests were made against such
premature Jubilation. Owing to the
enormous difficulties in front of him It
is feared that Von Trotha's mission
may result in failure. In circum
stances it ia pointed out that demon
strations of triumph in advance are al
together misplaced and will probably
expose Germany to ridicule.
and wilds bf Africa upon the ''mall
fist" lines with which Germans at home
are handled. Millions Of marks' worth
of property have been destroyed by the
Hereros and whole" communities of Ger
man settlers have been massacred. The
"little war" has already cost the Kaiser
over *3,000,C00 and has wiped out the re
sults of twenty years of careful indus
trial and commercial effort. Besides
the military problem, the financial loss
and the economic waste involved in
the war, the rebellion has stirred up a
nasty departmental squabble in Berlin,
with the Foreign Office, the Colonial
Office and the War Department fight
ing each other and indulging in all
kinds of Intrigues.
Meanwhile General von Trotha must
have been a good deal embarrassed by
the attentions that were' lavished upon
him prior to his departure. Since the
news of his appointment was made
public he hap been feted throughout
the country. Banquets have been given
in his honor, and speeches made glori
fying the great deeds which he was
expected to achieve. Addresses of con
gratulation and nd/niration haye been
presented to him by the score, and he
has b<?pn serenaded. ~ ; '-'¦*•'-. :"¦:(
After the fact it i^ easy to see how more effective
means might have been taken to save life after the
fire started. It was in the bow of the boat. The offi
cers ran her to beach, bow on. This made a draft that
sent the blaze quickly her whole ; length, cutting off
all chance of escape from death by fire except death by
water. . When beached she was still ., in water at such
depth and so far from shore that beaching her did no
good. The stream there is' always full of craft of all
kinds. It would seem that v if the officers had backed
her, blowing signals of distress, the fire would not have
been forced astern, and backing in midstream other
boats could have approached and taken off many of
the passengers who perished by running her ahead.
But f there is little time for thinking in ten minutes
in such a panic and such peril, v and the officers did the
best that occurred to them. The lesson should be
heeded wherever boats are liable to be crowded, and
people who use them, a<? well as the officers who com
mand them, and all public authority that may be in
voked, should concert measures that will secure the
maximum of safety.
Within the brief space of ten minutes between 700
and 1000 perished in East . River, at the beginning of
what was intended to be a day of pleasure. In ali of
its aspects the calamity is sad and awful and appeals
to human sympathy far and near, as shown by the con
dolence ofjnunicipal officers in this country and Europe,
and the official sympathy expressed by the President
of France and other rulers, through President Roose
velt. *"-
Probably not one in all the hundreds that swarmed
on the Slocum thought of danger, or planned how to
meet it if it came. Least of all dangers is it probable
that any thought of fire. New York and all the-Atlantic
Coast cities and the towns on the Great Lakes have this
boat excursion habit. There is a charm in being on the
water that lures thousands to enjoy it, and so there are
in tall such cities regular summer excursion boats that
rarely leave the dock with less than the limit of passen
gers allowed bjy law, and this limit is often exceeded
with impunity. These are usually wooden boats, and
even if the hull is metal the upper works are of wood
and very inflammable, because of the use of paint and
varnish.
Official regulations are made ; to secure safety, but
these seem insufficient. The profits of the owners of
the boats depend upon accommodating all that can
crowd aboard, at a cheap rate, and there is such a
universal lack of caution and care for consequences
among excursionists that every boat is a floating possi
bility of disaster. No one can control nor hold in dis
cipline such a crowd as went to its death on the Slocum.
Any slight thing that would cause a panic would be
sure to bring injury and death to many under such con
ditions.
For a brief time excursion going folks who seek
escape from the blistering heat of waterside cities in
the East will remember this awful scene and avoid
crowded boats. But the memory of it will soon pass
away and other boats will be as crowded and with risk
as great. It ought to be easy, in the case of v such
organizations as the Sunday school that was on the
Slocum, to regulate the number going on. board so as
not to crowd the boat and to divide the children into
commands, each instructed to obey a captain. By select
ing cool-headed persons for command, who know all
about getting at life preservers, rafts and boats, the
fatalities might be minimized, even in the face of such
sudden and unexpected peril as struck the ill-fated
pleasure boat and turned her into a floating and fiery
charnel house. It may be well to invoke some form ,of
public authority charged with the enforcement of all
possible precautions. When Sunday schools and other
organizations with a definite number charter a boat,
such public authority would take charge and all the
passengers could be instructed to obey its commands.
The whole subject will no doubt be fully discussed,
and as in the case of precautions in theaters some
measures will issue from it that will enhance the safety
of such crowds on such craft.
THE Chicago theater fire was the cause oMmme
diate official attention to fireproofing of theaters
and places of public assemblage, and to the con
dition of exits therefrom.' The hundreds who died in
that catastrophe were not sacrificed altogether in. vain;
Small as may be the consolation to the thousands who
mourn them, their fate saved thousands of others "by
the stern regulations which it caused to be made all
over the world, whereby a similar horror is made less
possible. j
The opening of ;the heated term and of the con
current excursion seasqn in New York is the occasion
of the greatest disaster on the .water that has ever oc
curred in this country. The children of a largeparish. on
a Sunday school outing, crowding a regular '"'excursion
"boat, have been cruelly sacrificed to a false feeling of
confidence in the safety of the boat. No doubt her hull
and machinery were in order and the official inspectors
had done their duty. But no matter how fit she was
for the waters on which she sailed there is never safety
on such .a boat, crowded to her limit with women and
children, whose only thought is the pleasures of the
DISASTERS ON THE WATER.
It seems no longer safe for Russia to depend upon
her supposed superiority in numbers and equipment.
Japan has a military force of one million men. Russia
claims ten millions. But she is far from her base, while
Japan is in ready contact with hers. The Japanese have
won the respect of the whole military world, and the
non-military as well. Japan has generals who are as
keen experts in the art ; of war as Alexander, Caesar,
Marlborough and Napotebn in their day, and as skill
ful as Grant and Von Moltke. Then they have observed
strictly all the conventions of warfare, according to the
most modern ideas. They have been gallant to prisoners
of war, have given every care to the wounded enemy
and have buried their dead foemen with all the honors
of war. The Western nations can well afford to fellow
ship these island warriors and patriots. They are no
discredit to the civilized family of the world in which
they have incorporated themselves in the short space
of a half century.
advancing until -defeat was turned into victory. If the
Japanescforce in reserve be in reach to cut off Stakel
bcrg's movement to rejoin the main forces of Kuropat
kin, he will be caught without artillery and .will probably
be. annihilated. . His force was moving under orders to
raise the siege of Port Arthur. It is believed that this
was contrary to the judgment of Kuropatkin and the
Viceroy, but in St.- Petersburg officialdom.. the .cry has
been "On to Port Arthur," and the judgment of the
field commanders was overcome. '
THE SAN FRANCISCO, GALL,- SATURDAY; JUNE 18, 1901
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL
JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor .......... Address All Commttnications to JOHN McNAUGHT/ Manager
Publication Office... >~. v.. ........ ...... Third and Market Streets, S. F.
SATURDAY .....' V. ; JUNE 18, 1904
8
MEN AND MATTERS IN
THE FORE AS THE WORLD
MOVES
TALK OF THE TOWN
AND TOPICS OF THE
TIMES