THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA.
THOUSAND DROWN ,
AS BOAT UPSETS
EXCURSION STEAMER CAPSIZES
IN CHICAGO RIVER.
MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Pleasure Seekers, Bound for Trip
Across Lake Michigan, Perish In
Sight of Relatives and Friends.
Chicago, 111. A thousand persons
iost tholr lives In the Chicago river
by tho capsizing of the excursion
steamer Eastland while warping from
its wharf with moro than 2,400 em
ployes of tho Western Electric Co.
and tholr relatives and friends on
board, bound for a pleasure trip
across Lake Michigan.
Tho Eastland, said by marine archi
tects to have been top-heavy and bal
lasted In an uncertain manner, turned
over inside of five minutes after It be
gan to list, pouring its passengers
into tho river or imprisoning them in
its submerged hull.
Every effort was made by thous
ands of persons on the river wharf to
rescue the drowning men, women
and children. But many drowned al
most within grasp of tho river bank.
Mothers went to their death while
their children wero snatched to safe
ty. Other children died in the arms
of their parents who wero finally
saved. Hundreds of girls, freed for a
day from their tasks of making tele
phones and other electrical apparatus
in the factory of tho Western Elec
tric Co., dressed in their smartest
white frocks, drowned miserably.
Kolin avenue, a small street near
tho factory of tho Western Electric
Co., is In universal mourning. Every
bouse lost from one to all Its occu
pants in the disaster.
Efforts to discover the cause of the
accident wero begun long before the
work of rescue was over. Federal and
county grand Juries were ordered, a
coroner's jury was impaneled and all
the officers and crew of the Eastland
were arrested.
W. C. Steele, secretary and treas
urer of St. Joseph-Chicago Steamship
Co., which owned the steamer East
land, built on Lake Erie In 1903, and
remodeled later because top-heavy, it
ia said, was arrested and locked up
at a police station. The steamer was
leased by the Indiana Transportation
Co., whose officers said they were not
responsible for the licensing of the
ship and did not control the crew.
7,000 Off For Holiday.
Under misty skies, 7,000 men, wo
men and children wended their way
to the river wharf to fill five large
lake steamers with holiday mirth in
a trip to Michigan City. The steamer
Eastland, brought to Chicago from
Lake Erie, after an unsatisfactory
career, was tho first to be loaded.
Rain began to fall as the Miarf su
perintendents lifted the gang plank
from the Eastland, declaring that tho
soyernment limit of 2,500 had been
reached. White dresses peeped from
Talncoats along tho shore rails, as
those aboard waved good-bye to
friends on shore waiting to board the
other vessels.
Then the passengers swarmed to
the left side of the ship, as the other
steamers drew up the river towards
the wharf. A tug was hitched to the
Eastland, ropes were ordered cast off,
and tho engines began to hum. The
Eastland had not budged, however.
Instead the heavily laden ship wa
tered sideways, leaning first towards
tho river bank. Tho lurch was so
startling that many passengers joined
the large concourse already on tho
other side of tho decks.
Tho ship then heeled back. It
turned slowly but steadily towards its
left side. Children clutched the skirts
of mothers and sisters to keep from
tailing. The whole cargo was Im
pelled towards the falling side of the
ship. Water then began to enter low
er portholes, and the ropes snapped
off the piles to which the vessel was
tied.
Screams from passengers attracted
the attention of follow excursionists
on the wharf awaiting the next steam
er. Wharfmon and picnickers soon
lined the edge of the embankment,
reaching out helplessly toward the
wavering steamer.
Ship Keels Slowly.
For nearly flvo minutes the ship
turned bofore It finally dived under
tho swift current of tho river, which
owing to the drainage canal system,
flows from the lake. During tho
mighty turning of the ship with its
cargo of humanity, llfo boats, chairs
Will Inquire Concerning Orduna.
Washington. Formal Inquiry will
ho mado at the Berlin foreign office
by American Ambassador Gerard for
tho Gorman official version of tho re
cent attack by a submarine on tho
nrltlsh liner Orduna as it was bound
for New York with a score of Amor
lean citizens among its passenger.
A report on an Investigation con
ducted by Collector of Cfistoms Dud
loy Field Malono at Now York was
prosented to the State department. It
eubmlts affidavits of ofilcors, seamen
and passengers, Including Americans.
and other looso appurtenances on tho
decks slipped down the sloping lloors,
crushing tho passengers toward tho
rising waters.
Then there was a plunge, with a
sigh of air escaping from the hold,
mingled with crying children and
shriks of women nnd the ship was on
tho bottom of tho river, casting hun
dreds of Its passangers into tho wa
ter. Many sank, entangled with cloth
ing and bundlos and did not rise, but
scores came to tho surface, giving tho
river the appearanco of a crowded
bathing beach. Many seized lloatlng
chairs and other objects. Those on
shore throw out ropes and dragged In
thoso who could hold those llfo lines.
Employes of commission firms with
houses along tho river threw crates,
chicken coops nnd other floatablo
things Into tho current, but most of
these wero swept away by tho
stream.
Boats were put out, tugs rushed to
tho scene with shrieking whistles and
mnny men snatched off their coats
and sprang Into tho river to aid the
drowning. With thousands of specta
tors ready to aid, hundreds went to
their death.
One mother grasped her two chil
dren In her arms as she slipped from
the steamer Into tho water. One child
was torn from her, but she nnd tho
other were saved. Fathers wero
drowned after aiding tho wives and
children to safety.
Ship Lacked Ballast.
Captain Pederson said that a broken
"air chute" lot tn, water that resulted
In tho boat careening. William J.
Plamondon, nephew of the Lusitanla
victim, who was a passenger, laid tho
accident to the system of water bal
last In vogue. This ballast, he said,
was not to be taken until tho boat
had gone Into tho lake on her way
to Michigan City.
The excursion was canceled, and
the other boats disgorged their pas
sengers, some of whom had relatives
or close friends on the boat that went
down.
An official of the Western Electric
company declared that several de
partments, in which only girls wero
employed, had undoubtedly been
wiped out. Most of the employes in
departments where only girls and
women wero employed were assigned
to the Eastland.
Relief Work Organized.
At a meeting of the mayor's advis
ory committee, called by Acting
Mayor Moorhouso, It was planned to
immediately raise a fund of $200,000
by public subscription for tho relief
of tho families of the Eastland vic
tims. In addition to this sum offi
cials of the Western Electric com
pany, who attended the conference
held in the mayor's office, nnnounced
that tho Employes' Benefit associa
tion had $100,000 available for relief
work.
The Western Electric company offl.
clals stated that not more than one
third of the victims wero employes
of the company, the others being
members of the employes' families
and friends.
Orders Rescuers Off.
"Hey! stop that! yau'll spoil -the
boat!"
That was Captain Harry Peder
son's greeting to the fifty steel work
ers called from work on a new sky
scraper to cut holes in the side of
tho overturned steamer Eastland to
roscue a thousand imprisoned men,
women and children. Tho men,
armed with powerful acetylene burn
ers, were melting holes in, the steel
hull.
"Who told you to do that?" tho
captain demanded!
"The police," answered E. Nelson,
a welder.
"Woll, I don't want tho boat spoiled
you got off hero," shouted Peder
son. Just then First Assistant Superin
tendent of Police Hermann Schaut
tier saw Pederson.
"Arrest that man and every mem
ber of his crow!" shouted tho com
manding police official. "This
damned tub ought to have been
burned before this happened. Spoil
tho boat!"
f Wilson Orders Probe.
Cornish, N. H. President Wilson
has ordered that a complete investi
gation he mado by the Department
of Commerce into the sinking of the
excursion steamer Eastland in tho
Chicago river with a consequent loss
of many hundred lives. Acting Sec
rotary Sweet of tho department sent
him word that the cause of the dis
aster would be looked into and tho
president directed that nothing ho left
undone to place the responsibility.
Alleged Drug Dealer Ho'd.
Chicago, 111. John Davis, alias
"Omaha John," together with two
Chicago druggists, was Indicted by
the federal grand Jury, charged with
conspiring to furnish drugs to users
In violation of tho Harrison act.
declaring that tho ship was attacked
without warning.
Secretary Lansing will direct Am
bassador Gerard to make his inquiry
at Dorlln Tor tho information of tlio
department.
Northern States Need Men.
St. Paul. Minn. Farmers In Can
ada will not have much trouble, but
in tho northwest, In tho United
States, harvest hands urc badly
needed.
WILL DEAL DIRECT
FARMERS ARE READY TO SHIP
TO CONSUMER BY MAIL.
FIFTY-ONE TOWNS NOW LISTED
Lincoln Postofflce Bulletin Shows Far
mora Anxious to Build Up
Produccr-tcCustomer Trade.
Lincoln. Fifty-one towns nro now
listed In tho Lincoln postofflce bullo
tin showing names of farmers resid
ing thereat who are anxious to fur
nish people here with butter, eggs,
poultry nnd fruit. The produce hst
is prepared for the purpose of estab
lishing a direct producer-to-customer
trade. Fifty-six Osceola farmers head
the local list and tho number of pro
ducers at each of the towns varies
from that number down to just a few
who are anxious to build up this post
age stamp dealing. Towns Included
are as far west as Benkleman, as far
north as Dakota City, as far north
west as Lodge Pole and as far south
east as Rulo.
Designates Good Roads Days.
Lincoln. A good roads proclamation
Issued by Governor Morehead roads
as follows, in part:
"Realizing the excessive rains In
Nebraska and lateness of the season,
I havo delayed asking tho commercial
clubs and other organizations to co
operate with mo in devoting two days
to the making of good roads In Ne
braska. "The travel by auto to tho Pacific
exposition through Nebraska Is great
and I am desirous of having tho peo
ple who pnss through our state, credit
us with being progressive In the way
of good roads as well as In legisla
tion. And our rouds nre In sonstant
use by all the people of Nebraska.
"I have designated Thursday and
Fridny, July 29 and 30, ns "Good
Roadn Days.' Traveling as I by,
by automobile, it lias been a sur
prise to mo to find our roads In as
good condition as they are, consider
ing the wet weather wo have had. If
each person would spend a few days
on tho roads near their homo tho re
sult would be good dirt roads in Ne
braska. "1 ask all tho farmers, business
men. commercial clubs and other or
ganizations to co operate in this mat
ter and I fool that every man should
don his overalls and give at least tje
length of time stated, to putting our
roads in good condition.
"It is just as essential to havo good
roads ns it is to havo good houses and
barns and the people of tho city use
them as much in going to tho country
as tho fnrmers do in coming to tho
city. We can all join In boosting and
working for good roads as all are In
terested. "It Is my earnest desire that all
may take an Interest in this Important
movement."
Relic Millions of Years Old.
In the discovery of a fairly com
plete skeleton of a prehistoric mas
todon, together with a largo number
of horse teeth, bones of camels and
probably what are tho remains of
deer, Nebraska scientists bollcvo that
one of the richest pateontologlcal
finds of the year has Just been mado
at Brlstow in the extreme northern
part of Nebraska by Dr. E. H. Bar
bour and Prof. C. II. Eaton of the
university museum. Tho mastodon is
said to be of be of peculiar Interest
and valuo because of being probably
nine million years old.
Most Babies Fed On Bottle.
Sixty per cent of tho babies of Ne
braska are bottle-fed as nearly as
tho state authorities can gather the
Information. Tho figures nre given
to show tho necessity of pasteurizing
milk and as Retiring State Veteri
narian Klgln says: "There's greater
need of combating the diseases that
thrive In tho milk wo give our babies
than fighting against tho things that
lead to war for tho mortality is
greater in our peace pursuits, through
our carelessness, than on the battle
fields through our indiscretions."
Says Warehouse Law Defective.
Tho public warehouse law, passed
by tho last leglslaturo, in tho opinion
of Attorney General Reed, cannot be
enforced by tho Stato Railway com
mission. Ho gives ns IiIb reasons that
tho railway commission was created
for tho purpose of supervising rail
road rates and that It has no author
ity to take over any other mattors
not set out in the law which created
tho commission.
Kansas Wheat Crop Short.
Gustav Dilgort of Atchison, Kan., a
cousin of Philip Ackerman, hotel com
missioner, while visiting him, said
conditions surrounding tho harvesting
of tho wheat crop in his locality aro
alarming. It Is estimated, according
to the Kansas man, that tho wheat
crop of that state will bo 90,000,000
bushels short this season.
7,689 Negroes n State.
Reports of tho federal census bu
reau Just forwarded to tho stato house
show tho residence of 7.C89 negroes in
Nobraska, of which -1,259 aro males
and 3,130 arc femulcs.
Apple Crop to Be Large.
Tho applo crop of Nebraska will
bo an immense ono nnd tho quality
of the apples will bo tho beat for
many years, according to Ernost M.
Pollard, president of tho Applo Grow
ers' association, who was in Lin
coin recently
CONDENSED NEWS
OF INTEREST TO ALL.
A now broom factory will bo built
at Peru soon.
A German picnic Is to bo given at
Syracuse August 2C.
Arlington Chautauqua will be held
Avgust 23 to 27.
Odd Fellows of Avoca will hold their
annual picnic July 29.
A Community Interest club has
been organized at Lyons.
A new municipal concert band has
been assured for Hastings.
The New Era Is tho name of a new
paper being published at Hobron.
The Adams county fair will be
held September 27 to October 2.
Petitions nro being circulated In
Adams for a water works system
Soveral hundred dollars dnniago
was done In tho town of Wlnslow by
Flro caused by lightning destroyed
tho electric light plant In Seward.
Colfax county has 671 autos this
year, according to reports of asses
sors. August 31 to September 4 are tho
dates of Omaha's Merchants' Market
Week.
Lincoln county fanners say they
aro harvesting tho finest crop ever
known.
The $2,000 barn of Ed Westphnl,
south of Elkhorn, was destroyed by
lightning.
Tho cornerstono of the Masonic
home for orphans at Fremont, will bo
laid August 1.
Fremont's watermelon nnd musk
melon crop suffered heavily as a re
sult of hail.
Two large bridges wero washed out
by high water In drainage district No.
1, near Humboldt.
Thousands of dollars of loss re
sulted in tho vicinity of Omaha from
a severe hail storm.
Frank Lchmkuhl's $1,500 barn at
Wahoo was struck by lightning and
burned to tho ground.
Hebron citizens arc agitating tho
question of curbing and guttering tho
business section of tho city.
Tho first annual picnic of the Ne
braska Knights of Pythias will be
held In Ashland August 12.
Firo destroyed thg Sclavonic Im
plement store at Becmer, tho loss
being estimated at $10,000.
the overflowing of tho Elkhorn river.
Falrbury Is to havo a ladles' band
with twenty-four mombors.
J. Herbert Rlggs Is succeeding his
father, who died recently, as editor
of tho Waterloo Gazette.
II. E. Willis, formerly of Omaha, Is
now editor and manager of the Loup
City Times-Independent.
Alfred Swanson, a farmer living
near Craig, was struck and Instantly
killed by a bolt of lightning.
Harvey Ward, son of J. M. Ward of
Tecumsoh, was run over by an auto
mobile in Falls City and killed.
Twenty-threo bushels to tho aero of
CO test wheat wero threshed from
B. B. Mills' field west of Hastings.
A picnic will b held at Crab Orch
ard August 19, under the direction of
tho Commercial club of that town.
C. H. Musselman's shoo store at
Alma was badly damaged by fire. Tho
loss on stock and building Is $2,500.
N. P. Updlko of Omaha has pur
chased J. S. Hamilton's one-third in
terest ih tho Hastings Milling com
pany Soventeen head of cattle, valued
at $800, wero killed In a Btorm on
tho A. B. Cornelius farm, near Hum
boldt. Work has begun on tho construction
of a now St. John's Evnngellcal Luth
eran church-' at Daykln. The church
will cost $8,000.
John McGuIro received twenty
bushels to the aero from wheat near
Inland thought to havo been dam
aged ono-thlrd by hall.
Samuel Dickey, a wealthy farmer
living near Ponca, was killed when
his automobile crashed through a
bridge railing and fell Into a small
stream.
Hans Anderson, a farmer residing
north of Malmo, sustained Injuries
that may prove fatal, when an au
tomobile In which ho was riding ran
off a bridge.
William Ferguson, who resides near
Fremont, lost flvo valuable hogs when
a herd of forty was swept down
stream Beveral rods during high
water.
A display of Lincoln c6unty prod
ucts for tho stato fair and for tho
Lincoln county fall festival Is to bo
arranged by John Gllman, Leaven
worth, Kns., an export.
Tho total assessed valuation of
Gago county according to tho returns
made to tho county assessor, Is $11,
727.C87, a gain of a .little over a hun
dred thousand dollars over that of
last year.
A coroner's jury found that tho
death of Francis B. Bobbins, 9-year-old
boy, who drownnd in n pool at
Elmwood park, In Omaha, was duo
to negligence of tho park commis
sioner. Humidity in tho atmospliore, with
tho thermomoter 98 in tho shnde, re
sulted In death to three horses near
Hnstlngs.
Boy scouts nro to camp on tho
Hastings Chautauqua ground this yoar.
They will keop tho ground In good
condition.
Tho Ord Chautauqua will open Au
gust 3. William J. Bryan, Senator
Goro and Oplo Reed aro among tho
headllners on tho program. Tho
county fair will bo hold tho last day
of August and tho first two days of
September.
FOR THE BUS! M
NEWS EPITOME THAT CAN SOON
'BE COMPASSED.
MANY EVENTS ARE RATIONED
Homo and Foreign Intelligence Con
densed Into Two and Four
Llr.B Paragraphs,
WAIi rMfc3W.
Germany contemplates n new war
loan In September, says an Amster
dam dispatch.
The now Russlun ministry of mu
nitions, with powor to mobilize ull In
dustries, Is to bo created.
It Is reported that an enormous
mass of war munitions Is pouring lu
to Vladivostok port for tho Russian
armies.
Tho Russians nro said to be suffer
ing from lack of artillery and ammu
nition and n shortage of oillcers to
command their forces.
A second Italian cruiser has fallen
victim to an Austrian submarine. Tho
Guesoppo Garibaldi, ono of n squad
ron of four which bombarded Cattaro,
wus torpedoed and sent to tho bot
tom. Tho allies total casualties of tho
Dardanelles expeditionary forces .to
dnto In killed, wounded and missing
havo been 42,434 oillcers nnd men,
Premier Asqulth told the House of
Commons.
Tho Swedish bark Cupolla and the
Norwegian bark Nordlyset, both tim
ber laden and bound for England,
wore sot on firo In tho North sea by
German submarines.
Tho American nolo to Germany,
which is declared to bo the final
word of tho United States govern
ment with roferenco to further trans
gressions of Its rights, has been dis
patched to Berlin.
It Is reported in Borne, Switzer
land, that the German government
has Issued an order prohibiting tho
export of all Gorman boor. Tho mo
tlvo suggested Is that production al
ready has been reduced by the war to
CO per cent.
A new voto of credit of 150,
000,000 ($750,000,000), was Introduced
In tho British liouso of commons. This
second supplementary voto will bring
tho sum actually appropriated by par
liament for war expenditures to the
total of XG50.000.000 ($3,250,000,000).
A Bulgarian ministerial order was
Issued, says tho Times' Sofia, Bul
garia, correspondent, definitely sus
pending railroad communication with
Turkey. Tho stop appears to havo
been taken in consequence of contin
ued Turkish Interference with traffic.
Labor troubles are affecting tho na
tions at war. Tho Btocks of war
munitions of Great Britain and
Franco nro likely to bo considerably
courtalled through a strlko of tho
Remington Arms and Ammunition
company at Bridgeport, Conn., where
largo contracts aro outstanding.
Alberta, Can,, voted dry, lu a re
cent election, two to one.
Theodore Roosevelt told a crowd at
Portland, Ore., ho will speak on sub
jects of national interest, but not for
capheads and mollycoddles.
Flvo deaths resulted from tho heat
in Philadelphia and a sixth man com
mitted suicide while temporarily in-
sano from oppressive weather.
Ton dictographs havo been Install
ed in the Illinois penitentiary In an
effort to detect tho murdorer of Mrs.
Odetto M. Allen, wife of Warden Ed
mund M. Allen.
Nebraska has suffered at least $1,
500,000 hall damage to crops , tills
year, In tho opinion of C. O. Talmago,
manager of tho Columbia Flro Under-
writers, an Omaha firm.
Germans working In American fac
tories producing war munitions which
may be used against Gormnny are
llablo to prosecution for treason, ac
cording to an official declaration pub
lished in Berlin.
Rovongo prompted Christian P.
Bcrthscho to turn Informant, accord
ing to his own Btory as related in tho
trial of bribery charged against for
mer Detective Sergeants Walter
O'Brien and William Egan at Chicago.
Leo M. Franfc, whoso death sen
tenco for tho murdor of Marp Phngan
recently, was commuted to llfo im
prisonment, wus nttacked by anoth
er prlBonor at tho stato prison farm
at Mllledgoville, Ga., and seriously
Injured by being cut in tho throat.
Colonel Roosevelt, In discussing
United StatcB preparedness for war,
at San Francisco, said ho believed
that this country should havo military
training for young men similar to tho
Swiss method.
Nnco, Mexico, has been ocupicd by4
Cnrranza troops in violation of agree
ment with tho United States.
The Wabash railroad property was?
sold at auction to n creditors' corny
mltteo for $18,000,000, In St. Louis.
Chicago real estate Increased In,
valuo during tho last year $311,708,
124, according to figures announced!
by Paul II. WIedcl, real cstato ex
pert of the Board of Assessors.
WaUer J. Petersen, former chief
of police at Oakland, Cal., offered
segregation ns a solution of tho so-,
clnl evil in cities to tho delegates off
tho ninth International Purity con
gress at San Francisco.
P. Clay Ford, 72, formerly of BnlJ
t lino ro, who was resident manager oC
Ford's opera house at tho time pros
Idont Lincoln was shot, died at St J
Mary's hospital In Pasalc, N. J., foW
lowing an operation, recently.
l
Hiram Maxim predicted In HarrlH
burg, Pa., that tho United Stntes will'
bo invaded following tho European;
war. Tho Invader, ho declared will!
bo the one which first sees tho weak
ness of our navy and lack of national
defenses
Tho Disciples of Christ Church Ex-1
tension society has loaned altogether
$2,974,103 to 1,77(5 needy churches:
and has lost $1,99(5 of this amount, G.I
W. Muckloy of Kansas City, Mo.,
corresponding secretary of tho socie
ty, reported nt Los Angeles at tho'
church's International missionary convention.
SPORTING
Maurlco E. McLoughlln, world's,
chnmplon of singles, won tho Pacific
Panama exposition tennis champion-,
ship, In San Francisco, In men's sin
gles. 1
Joo Steelier, Nebraska wrestling
phonom, Is booked to moot Baba an
ngaff, ono of tho flock of terrible
Turks who nro In this country, at
Dcs olnes on the night of July 31.
"Deac" Myors, tho Germantown,
Nob., pitcher, has joined tho Llncolu
club of tho Western league. Myers
has been striking out fifteen to twon
ty batters in almost every gamo ho
has pitched this summer.
With tho dlsposaLof Eddlo Murphy
to tho Chicago Whito Sox only eight
of tho members of tho Philadelphia
Athletics who participated In tho
world's series games with the Boston
Nationals last year remain with tho
club.
Franklin Baker, kiiown as "Homo
Run Bakor," former third baseman
for tho Philadelphia American league
team, has been signed by tho Mor
gantown club In tho semi-professional
Western North Carolina league.
They say Bakor will receive $50 a
day for the remainder of tho season.
Jnck Ness of tho Oakland team, In
tho Pacific Coast league, hit In hla
forty-ninth consecutive game. At Lob
Angolos. Ness established a new
world's record for hitting In consecu
tive games on July 13 when ho pass
ed tho previous record of hits In forty
consecutive gnmes, mado by Ty Cobb.
WASHINGTON.
Tho Interstato Commorco commis
sion has ordered a hearing held at!
Omaha on Soptembor 21 on lumber
rates from Hclenu, Ark., to Omaha,
Dcs Moines and other points.
1
Tho Interstato commorco commis
sion decided that tho revenues of the'
principal express companies of the
United States ure inndequato and'
modified its former orders in order
to provide additional incomo.
Satisfactory progress with tho now
school for tho training of submarlno
officers was reported to Secrotary
Daniels by Captain Albert W. Grant,
recently designated as chief of tho
submarine service afloat and ashore.
Suits are about to bo brought by.
tho government against American cit
izens who, though apparently able to
do so, rofuso to repay monoy expend
ed for their relief when tjiey wero,
stranded in Europo nt tho outbreak of
tho war.
James M. Sullivan, Amorlcan minis
tor to tho dominican republic, has
tondered his resignation to President
Wilson and It lias been accepted. Mr
Sullivan's resignation is tho conse
quence of an Investigation conducted
for tho stato department by Senatoi
Phelan of California.
President Wilson hns called for re
ports on the subject of national de
fense These will bo made to him
porsonnlly by tho heads of tho war
and navy departments. Ho particu
larly wishes tho navy to stand upon
equality with tho most efficient sea
force maintained by any powor.
Shipping Interests' agitation for an
oxtra session of congress to repeal
tho "seamen's labor law" is useless,
it is stated at tho Whito houso. Tho
president will convene congress for
no caiiBo except an acuto diplomatic
crisis.
i
Largo increases In osport3 of ex
plosive, Iron nnd steel manufacturers,
automobiles, leather, cotton and
'woolen goods, chemicals, all classes
of metal goods and foodstuffs aro
shown by detailed department o
commorco statistics for May.