The San Francisco call. [volume], August 22, 1910, Page 1, Image 1

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

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The World's Seed Garden Is in
the Santa Clara Valley. See the
Illustrated Article in
The Sunday Call Next Sunday
VOLUME CVIIL— NO. S3.
MANIAC RUNS
AMUCK ON
SHIP
Captain E. B. Wood of the
Steamer Buckman and
Then Himself
SHOOTFNG FOLLOWED
'BY LEAP OVERBOARD
Insane Passenger Identified as
Fred Thomas, but Little Is
Known of Him
OTHERS SCURRY FOR
SHELTER AFTER SHOT
FRED THOMAS, an insane pas
senger who had run amuck on the
upper deck of the steamer Buck
man, bound from this port for Seat
tic, snot and instantly killed Captain
*-• •». wood,w ood, commander of the vessel
yesterday morning while the
boat was making its way southward
just off the Oregon coast. Before he
could be overpowered he ran to the
rail and threw himself into the ocean,
The first information of the double
tragedy was conveyed to this city in
a telegram from H. F. Alexander at
Tacoma. president of the Alaska-Pa
cific steamship company, owners of
the Buckman. The message was ad
dressed to-W. D. Wells", general agent
of the company here and ran as fol
lows:
Wireless Flashes Tragedy
"Received wireless from Buckman j
advising Captain Wood was shot and j
instantly killed thi> morning early by
•
insane passenger named Fred Thom
as. It* ,mas atterwards jr.mped over
board. 'Have wired Mrs. Wood at
Portland suggesting that she take ;
\u25a0 .. .^
Shasta limited tonight. Will wire you
a,-jain when I hear from her. Notify
Wood's brothers; also coroner, and
do everything necessary. Answer this
wire promptly. H. F. Alexander."
While details of the dual tragedy
arc lacking, the. steamship officials
here presume that Captain Woods
met his death while .endeavoring to
pacify the demented man. They be
lieve that Thomas must have shown
come previous signs of insanity and
that when the captain was called in
to take charge of him, the latter drew
a revolver and shot him.
What little news they have indicates
that the shooting of the captain creat
ed a panic among the passengers and
sent them scurrying to their cabins
for shelter, the fear being that having
killed Captain Woods the maniac would
begin shooting indiscriminately at any
and all who croesed his path. The
panic was short lived. The' officers of
the boat had the situation in hand in
c moment and advanced toward Thoma
s. The latter did not wait for them.
Plunges Into Ocean
Casting his revolver from him into
the ocean he caught the top rail and
deliberately vaulted overboard. He
sank iron^diately and was never seen
again.
The Buckman. commanded now by
.Second Officer Brennan, who has been
sHjring as first officer during this trip,
J-.^theaabsenee of First Officer Peterson.
•tvlio is on a shore leave, is due in port
kt 11 o'clock this morning with the
body of Captain Wood aboard.
Captain Wood has been in the service
of the Alaska-Pacific company for five
years as commander of the Buckman.
and has always been considered one of
the most efficient officers in the employ.
He was 38 years old and leaves a. wife,
but no children. Mrs. Wood was on a
visit to Seattle, and when apprised of
the death of her husband left on the
Fhasta Limited last night.
Wife Survives Victim
The parc-nts of Captain Wood are
dead," but he leaves three brothers, a
sister and a half brother. The sister is
Mrs. Arthur House of Mill Vallej'. The
brothers are Seabury M. Wood of 2616
California street, who is employed by
the Southern Pacific company as an
agent to meet incoming steamers;
Charles N. Wood of 6525 Raymond
street, Oakland, and W. H. Wood, agent
for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St.
Paul railroad at Sacramento. J. M. B.
Atkinson, an insurance broker of Se r
attle, is a half brother of* the dead
captain.
Fred Thomas, the maniac, booked his
passage from Seattle, but the steam
st.ip officials have been unable to fden
tiVy him. Captain Wood has been at
lea since he was 13 years old. and* com
manded the steamship Jcannie prior to
taking the Buckmart
The San Francisco Call.
FIRES DOOM MONTANA AND IDAHO TOWNS
FLAMES CAUSE $1,000,000 LOSS AT WALLACE
All Night Fight Saves Town,
But Hundreds Are Left
Without Homes
24 MEN PERISH
Section of Wallace Destroyed
During Night, but Morning
Dawns on Victory
Western Montana and Idaho
Continue to Suffer and Many
Residents Flee
WALLACE,* Idaho, Aug. 21.—
Fire fighters prevailed after
an all night struggle with the
flames that swooped down upon this
city last night from the blazing for
ests, and the greater part of Wallace
was saved, though fivo persons suf
fered death and the property loss
amounted to $1,000,000.
Daylijht this morning showed that
the imminent danger of* the city's de
struction had passed but it brought
also confirmation of losses which
were only rumored and suspected
during the conflagration of the night.
John J. Boyd, a pioneer of the
Coeur d'Alenes, and former. Oregon
Railroad and Navigation agent was
suffocated in his home while trying
to rescue the family. 'Two unidenti
fied men were incinerated in the ruins
of the Michigan hotel, and another
man was burned in the. Coeur d'Alene
hotel. William Hearmouth of Win
nipeg, fire lighter, single, and Joe
Fenc, fire fighter, single, suffocated in
a tunnel on Placer creek.
Many Fire Fighters Perish
Of the fire fighting forces, an accur
ate toll of the dead and wounded is
quite unavailable, but the dead, it is
known, number 24. the total injured
25, in addition to 10 blinded.
The steady work of the city fire de
partment, members of the Twenty
fifth infantry, volunteers and forestry
forces alone saved Wallace from anni
hilation.
Eastern Section Destroyed
The entire eastern section from
Seventh street to Canyon was de
stroyed with three terraces of resi
dences on the hillside. The principal
buildings burned and the estimated
loes^s follow: . V- .
Coeur d'Alene iron works, foundry i
and warehouse, $100,000; Standard oil
company, $20,0(T0; Coeur d'AJene hard
ware company, $150,000; Worstell fur
niture company, $50,000; Smith & Fish
er, $50,000; Sunset brewery, $50,000;
Oregon railroad and navigation com
pany, passenger station and row of box
cars. $50,000; Pacific hotel and annex,
owned by W. L. James of Spokane,
$60,000; Times printing company, $25,
000; Worstell furniture company,
$50,000.
About 150 residences were destroyed
and many other smaller business places.
Providence hospital and the Federal
company's big mills are the only build
ings saved in the east ertd.
The forest supervisor reports the en
tire country between Wallace and the
St. John river "is swept practically
clean and the loss of timber is stupen
dous. -S\.
Burke and Alullan Threatened .
Fires between Burke and' Mullan
threatened both towns tonight and
many women and Children were shipped
out.
At 10 o'clock the blaze at Mullan was
under control, but a . bad blaze was
raging above Burke. \ ; *
Dead Remain Unidentified
It is impossible to learn' the names
of the dead, most of whom came in
from Spokane and other points at the
call of the forestry service. The bodies
are being buriud wherever they are
found.
. Days and weeks may elapse before
anything like a complete estimate of
the fatalities is available.
Two or three hundred persons are
left homeless in Wallace. The water
supply is good. " The lighting plant,
which was disabled last night, has re
sumed 'operations.
HUNDREDS FLEE FROM
FLAMES IN MONTANA
MISSOULA, Mont., Aug. 21.— The for
est fires in western Montana and Idaho
are sweeping over a vast area, driving
hundreds of fugitives before them, de
stroying small settlements and- wiping
-Continued on Page 2, Column 0
SAX FRANCISCO, MONDiiY, OTGUSTJ-22,v 1910.
Situation in Brief
With Partial Loss
Fifty dead in and around W'nl
lin-r. Idaho; property lotos ft 1.000
.-000. Fire has not enlarged area
liurncd Saturday nip lit.
Mullan probably safe, but fires
threaten. \u25a0 .
Elk City reported still un
burned.
Four or more dead in fires near
Xewport, Waoh.
One hundred and eighty men
in the forestry service are miss*
injr in the St. Joe country.
'J'afi, Mont., ha* been burned;-
Saltese is nurrouuded by fire;
Dc Borgia and St. Hcri* are
nrriously threatened; llaughan, '
Mont., is reported destroyed. /
Solid line of fire from Thomp
son Fullx, Mont., \u25a0 for 50 miles
to Idaho line, with portions of
Belknap. White Pine, Xoxon and
Heron burning.
Conflagration rages in Galla
tin forest, Montana. Thompson
Falls is iif peril.
t Anntone, Asotin ; county, Wash.,:
Is threatened with destruction.*. *
. Ymir, B. C, is in danger from
fires which are burning: tin the
bush. Other fires are gaining
headway in that region and the
situation Is alarmingr.
Avcrjr, Idaho, destroyed and
people flook to Tekoa.
Xeiharf, Mont., is burning.
TWO KILLED IN
FAMILY FIGHT
Brother Slays Brother and Girl
Meets Death in Desperate
Encounter
[Special Dispatch to The Call]
CROCKETT. Aug. 21.— Two are dead
and five seriously injured as the result
of a family feud that .was fought out
last night between three brothers,
their wives and children. The perpe
trator of the double murder is in jail
at Martinez, with several others con
cerned in the bloody battle, and the
wounded men and women are being
cared for in the Contra Costa county
hospital.
The cause of the outbreak lies in the
animosity that has embittered Stfffino
Belleci and his two brothers, Joseph
and Frank, since Stefino was arrested
some time ago on complaint \ of his
relatives for malicious mischief.
At a gathering in the Toscani hotel
here last night Stefino drank late with
several companions and, armed with a
revolver, rifle, razor and knife, went
direct to the home of his brother Jo
seph. He burst through the door, call
ing that, he would murder his brother,
but finding only the women of the
family home, he attacked them with the
razor, cutting Mrs. Belleci and her
mother on the head, face" and neck.
Frank Belleci. who lives next. door,
rushed into 'the home and at this Ste
fino produced the revolver and fired.
The bullet went wild, and Frank se
cured possession of the weapon after a
struggle, in which he received a deep
knife wound in the breast. Rosie Bel
leci, Frank's daughter, went to her
father's aid as he lay on the floor be
neath his brother's upraised knife. Her
uncle lifted his rifle and pressed the
trigger as the girl sprang to her
father's aid, and the bullet struck N her
in the head, causing, instant death.
Joseph Belleci and Salvator Belleci,
a son of Frank, arrived at the home at
this time, and Joseph seized a rifle and^
shot Steflno in the breast, inflicting a
wound that may prove fatal. Stefino
returned the fire with his revolver,
which he had wrested from Frank, and
killed Joseph with a single shot.
-'By 'now relatives of the combatants
were gathering from all parts of the
town, armed with knives and revolvers,
but Deputy Sheriff James Fox. calling
together a few, citizens, rushed into the
house and put the men and women un
der arrest, though Stefino made a des
perate fight to escape. A telephone
call to Martinez brought Deputy Sher
iffs Howard Veale and Charles^ Palmer,
with John Hauser, deputy :: coroner.
Though there were evidences "; that the
relatives of ; the arrested men .were' in
ugly mood, the officers "prevented any
demonstration. • :\u25a0:\u25a0\u25a0 .*\;.z- : :~-l
WELL KNOWN PRISON
GUARD SERIOUSLY ILL
George • Dunbar, a guard 'at San
Quentin prison,, was Uaken from' a ho
tel at 89. Broadway late; last night and
removed to St; Mary's 7 liospital.v He is
suffering from peritonitis' and; is'lnYa
serious, condition.*- v Dunbar ' has ' been'
employed ': as a ; guard at. the: state
pri son \u25a0 for. a number.,, of 'years r and " -is
well known- about thebay cities. *\u25a0'\u25a0-':'.'<
Some 'of the main buildings in the \u25a0 low^
VALUABLE GOVERNMENT
[Special Dispatch to The Call] £
WASHINGTON. Aug. • ' 21. — Several
valuable documents 'to be on
flic In the state.department containing
the ..records,- of immigration .at. several
of the most' important .ports; of entry
of this country; j including; San; Fran
cisco, are . "missing. ' .This -fact'- was
brought to-Uighti today .when anxomcial
of \u25a0 the immigration * commission ? made
a request* for; the complete set of rec
ords for, the last-three, quarters .of the
fiscal year : ended -June .! 30," 1868.". A
thorough ; but ' unsuccessful search ;• for
the missing/documents was jmade by
the bureau* of .indexes: and archives. :
"The immigration' 'commission- has'un
REVOLUTIONISTS ASSUME
CONTROL OH NICARAGUA
NEW ORLEANS; Aug.' 2 1.— According
to cable advices v received* from 'Man
agua, Jose Dolores Estrada, reported to
have temporarily /received- the .reins of
de factor • government of \u25a0 Nicaragua
from Madriz, issued: a proclamation to
day turning over the goVernment to the
insurgents. - It is believed Juan "die > Es
trada, leader of : the insurgents, will; be
come, president.' . .... ,': . .'
Death ta Yankees
v^'WASHINGTON.^Aug/^i.^The provis-
Inal government of Nicaragua- is \u25a0 totter
ing, the. Madriz army ; is demoralized,
SENS ATION MA Y LURK IN
STATE BOARD'S MEETING
[Special Diipalch iq The Call]
y SACRAMENTO, .Aug. 21.— The 5 state
board 'of equalization .meets 'tomorrow,
and >it wasCstated' at^theTcapitoF that
10 county 'assessors :had v been} cited 'to
appead .afidr explain* .^the : assessment
rolls" which they : have; submitted. * • r
'Among -the "assessors., cited ; are 'those
from. San . Francisco,<-Santaj.Cruz,- San
Joaquin, Los ; Anseles c -and Jliiveirtside.C, s
dertaken to compile -a- table showing
the. total, immigration . to • the. United
States from the . year 1522- to- date by
years, ports of .entry and. sexes.
To ' obtain this information it was
necessary to, go \u0084to . the files xof :. the
state'-department,, where original -ship
ping were V supposed ~ to be
stored. ; None "of the ; manifests for' the
last, nine months ;• of the -year 'ending
June i .30,,1565,;. can >. be ', _ found .-',for ; the
ports* of Portland; -Philadelphia, 'Balti
more, 7 Charleston, .Savannah', Key. West,
New. Orleans,; Galveston and San Fran
cisco. -It- is feared - that 'i many valuable
records supposed to be safely stored. in
the state, department^ have been 'lost.
consternation.' reigns in^Managua,, and
Doctor ; Madriz,-.his general in chief,.Tol
edo,, and: General I ri as are preparing to
flee from the country. This, is the news
received, today, from United States Con
suls; Ollvares ,at Managua, and-'John
son, at" Corlnto. ~ : ~] '•'. :; > ; " • \u25a0'.".' .; \u25a0•.. :\u25a0'
In Managua.crowds are crying "Death
to : the Yankees.'- \u25a0 , • ;>; >
The cruisers. Vicksburg, 'and : York
town are ;atCorinto,and ; the American
legation and. consulates. "at Managua are
under police guard. ; Preparations have
been made to' meet'attaeks on' American
lives and' property.'* - \u25a0•\u25a0 * • . v
The citing of the "county assessors -of
i Riverside and Los means" that
, the controversy ' which \u25a0 developed" seri
i sations: last : year! may.be; re<^i/ined. v JThe
I Los^ ;Angeies --assessment- .Aqlls J^jve're
"^adjudged; too^low" by "the 'state :eq\ial
? izersillasfyear ahd;were boosted almost
i.50 "per* een£~ causing a' ruction''^;' the
\u25a0 state ; ;board,'vas;iwell as jbittj^ ; feeling
i ini the souUu : • "•"--:<"\u25a0. -A^O^
THEWEATHBR^^.
iY'ESTERDA Y— Maximum &npcratffeA>4^
minimum temperature, 50. ft pi w
'FORECAST FOR TODAy^ifSl^/]
light northwest ivrnd. V\.\vV «&$
JAPAN ANNEXES
HERMIT KINGDOM
Vi > Dynasty in \Korea ; Falls Be=
\u25a0 * \ fore . Conquerors After [
;• VV " 518 Years:
.TOKYp, Aug. ,21.— Within the week
"the -hermit kingdom" and the empire
of; Korea will- become historical terms,
12,000.000 people will be added to the
population \u25a0of Japan -and territory as'
large as England will be one -part of
the Japanese empire. ; '
. Theltreaty of Portsmouth, which set
,tled'th6;war between Japan and Rus
sia,'', pro'vlcles that Japan shall have the
"guidance, protection and' control. of
•Korea and the last stage of this "agree
ment _is ; now: becoming an' actuality
.af.ter.-i^hree years of experimenting to
discover a practical ~ method ' for -con
servation of, the. national entity- of .the
Korean, peninsula.
The privy council of Japan today was
summoned to* meet at " 10 :"30/o'cfock to
morrow" mourning, and this is, regarded
by well informed persons as practically
the signal to' complete the negotiations
.between ; Lieutenant; General Terauchl,
the 'Japanese ' resident : general in Ko
rea,-and'the emperor of Korea and his
"which have continued a week.
•Whiler the /negotiations are shrouded
in : official j silence 'there 'no longer can
be'anyTdoubV that .the' Korean' emperor
has^ agreed to "sign' -a convention by
which,, inoriew.of the untenable condi
tions obtaining, he*andhis ; government
and people consent'to theabsolute con
trol of Korea by Japan.'
\u25a0I The* Yi. dynasty in ,K6rea hi|i, lasted
forHlS years. Seven branches of the
family remain and ,'the heads of , these
-will-be given -rank as princes.
'Throughout- negotiations the mass of
the, Koreans have. been' kept in entire
ignorance ; of -what 'has'"been-transpir
ing.; The newspaper censorship is com
plete j'and;, Japanese newspapers have
"not 'been' permitted to be' sold in Korea.
4 It ; is not^believed thatfannexationby
rJapan. will -involve, disturbances in any
section of Korea, which is thoroughly
\u25a0policed. , -; .
BRITISH. CRUISER RUNS "
INTO QUELPART ISLAND
»Bedford*ls "Ashore and: Japanese
"Wairships Will Aid It
;< TOKYO.'Aug; 21— The British cruiser
ißedford ran ashore on the -southwest
portion - . of Quelpart island; today/. Jap
anese warship's have^ been sent :to.iis
assistance. s i The r weather ; is bad. >: The
\u25a0Bedford /at; the. time ~of the acident was
sailing : with. the .British! squadron"; from
China, ;for* Nagasaki, Japan,
japan../;-..-. :;,.„,.. . ... . ; ....;;. :, ;:; \u0084..,_
PRICE FIVE >m^sT^
FIRST TRAIN
HAILED BY
TOWN AND
GABIN
Mountaineers snd Hundreds
From Country Villages Wild
ly Cheer for Western
Pacific Special ,
NOISIER GREETINGS ARE
FOLLOWED BY SPEECHES
Road Passes Through Wonder
ful Country in -Which Vast
Area Is Still in Its Vir
gin
MARVELOUS Su :
LINES PA :' ; <j: RAILVMY
ERNEST S. SIMPSON
[Special Dhpatch to The Call}
OROVILLE. Aug. 21.— This day
"through the ranyons to the
waters of the west" the West
ern Pacific led its iron stallions down
to drink.
It has been a great day for north
ern California. More than a half
century the sturdy folk of these
mountains and valleys have waited
for jthe first transcontinental train.
To see how they welcomed the train
has been a spectacle worth long- jour
neying.
It began early in the morning when
the special wound through the long
Beckwith tunnel, which pierces the
Sierra divide for the. Western Pacific,
and drew up at the new made town
of Portola. There the people of the
new countryside were gathered to
set a look at -the first overland trai/j
of the system that now links them to
the busy world.
Night at Oroville
Tonight the first day of the Cali
fornia phase of the spectacle reached
a climax here at Oroville, where we
halt until morning in order that there
may be no travel in the dark and so
that the entry into Oakland and the
Pacific terminus may be made Mon
day afternoon in due state and style.
The Oroville celebration was well
done, after the enthusiastic and whole
souled fashion of a community from
which any city north of the Tehachapt
might very well take lessons. in civic
team work. Four of the Orovillians,
they don't mind the smile provoking
designation, were on hand ak Portola
with a ton of fruit — melons, oranges,
grapes, peaches and figs — with badges
of thcrr favorite golden yellow to pin
on every breast and with four des
tined lines of Orovillc talk just to
give the travelers a foretaste of
tonrght's rousing welcome. The Oro
ville advance guard was made up «ff
X. B. Cran,?, secretary of the chamMf
of commerce; A. M. Smith. E. Meyer and
Major A. F. Jones, veteran boomers and
boosters all.
From every cross roads and every
cabin in the pine clad uplands with hat.
hand or 'kerchief greetings were waved
to the speeding train.
Powder Burned
Hisrh up in the Sierra valley, the fer
tile mCadow land that lies at the very
top of the mountain barrier, a stalwart
rancher stood close to his cottage wait-
Ing for the tsain, and as it came abreast
of him he presented arms with his
shotgun and then blazed away with
both barrels at the blue sky, the first
powder burned In California in honor
of the "Western Pacific's completion.
Though he may not have heard them,
appreciative cheers and shouts were
tossed back to him from every open car
window.
A little farther on another Sierra val
ley man had brought bis wife and the
baby to get the first look at the-his
toric first passenger train. Their expe
dition seemed to bo chiefly for the
baby's benefit. „ Held high in its father's
arms, the future citizen or cltizeness
of proud Plumas was given the first
and best look at the flying special.
In its beginnings, at least, the people
are for the "Western Pacific, doubtless
because they believe that the new road
is for them for their prosperity. To
Blalsden they came by saddle and team.
Village Band Was There
Johnsville sent, a decorated wa.goi>
with its band, wide halted mountain
men blowing and thumping out melody
with a refreshing fervor. Women and
babies were there In summer white,
with flags and smiles and cheers.
A; C." Agnew climbed ; into ' the bane
wagon and steadied _ himself .with on*
hand by 'the- streaming silken flag a*
he {told f h«i his own Johnsville and al
of prosperous :Plura*s how sood if. f«S -