!D OTT DY FIHE.
TOWN IS ALMOST DE
. , KTROYKD BY FIRE.
Ctarta In Saloon on Main Street
nd Flash Through Entlra
ISualnaaa District.
Isd, B. D. Spedal ) There Is gen
ital aioom tonight in Lead, the home of
tit gTat Homestake mine, fur there
are few families who have not lost per
sonally in the conflagration which
threatened for a time to wipe out the
town at 1:3 this morning.
It -has been predicted for years that
lire would start some windy night in
the portian of the city which comprised
block or more of wooden buildings
ao4 at last the prediction has come
true and it was just as the wise ones
amid It would be, the loss aggregating
fw.aoe.
Just why the fire stopped when and
... where it did Is a big mystery to Lead
people, since It had everything us own
way for four long hours. The wind
Blew a gale from the northwest and
there were thirty buildings ablaze at
en time.
NO WATER TO FIGHT IT.
People stood around the hills helpless
tor a time, for there was a scarcity of
water. The flames from burning build
ings spread over three blocks of brick
and wooden buildings and caught the
rst row of dwelling houses on North
Bleeker street with lightning rapidity
and there seemed to be nothing to pre-
eni tne general destruction of the en
tire business portion of the city. The
residence portion around the mills and
toe three great stamp mills them
selves.
HOMEETA KE MILLS THREATENED.
The mills stopped crushing ore for
once and the miners were brought up
from the deep levels of the mines to
tight fire. Across the street from the
Homestake offices, store and the Hearst
Ire library there was a row of wooden
buildings which, if they caught the
Mace would surely set on fire the build
lngs on the east side of the street, and
nothing could then save the Homeatake
Wills.
DYNAMITE SAVES THEM.
The firemen used dvnamite to Mow
the wooden shells out of the way. Sticks
of giant powder were laid clear around
she sides of one office building in the
enter of the wooden row, a fuse was
attached, a cry of warnig was sent to
the brave firemen, there was a deafen
ing roar and three buildings shot up
into tne air. Plate glass was shattered
for blocks around by the concussion,
kut the powder did the work.
The firemen were able to keep bark
the flames from the Homestake build
ings and the Hearst free library, the
gift of Mrs. Phoebe Hearst of San "Fran
cisco, one of the heaviest holders of the
Homestake stock. The first blast of gi
ant powder did such good execution
that the second and third shots were
made. The shot was set off at the of
Jlce occupied by the Western Union Tel
egraph company. There are not more
than half a dozen whole pieces of glass
is the business portion of the city.
One hundred thousand dollars Insur
ance was carried and the Iocs will range
between $300,000 and 1400,000.
PROGRESS OF THE FIRE.
The fire broke out at 1:30 a. m. In the
Dalkenberg saloon on Cpper Main
treet, and with a very high wind, soon
commenced to spread. The J. K. Karle
meat market and the Millie Kemp Pho
tography, adjoining on the east.caught
and were partially consumed. P. A.
Gushurst's grocery, in a brick build
ing, was skipped. Fire caught on the
three wooden buildings east of Oush
rt's store, occupied by a meat market,
Marcoux, furniture, and L. D. Jacobs,
stationer.
The Miners' Union hall, at the rear
of these buildings, caught next, and at
the same time the fire jumped across
Bleeker street and destroyed W. R,
; . Dickinson's pharmacy, W. B. Perkins'
-stationery store. Curson s real estate of
Ve, J. P. Jenkins' pharmacy and gut-
two saloons and a gent's furnish-
goods store.
BUILDINGS DESTROYED.
fire from the Miners union nan
tad north, soon having the cheap
rdlng houses and "tenderloin dia
ef surrounded. The conflagration
Sd to the rear of wooden buildings
If 111 street, and everything was soon
", -ilue. Commencing with the Abe Fink
Cigar Manufacturing company, the fire
destroyed the Black HHla Telephone
Co.'s office, Henry Jacobs' hardware
More, Knester Bros.' confectionery store
"Wolff FtriV jewelry store, Fawcett &
Delehant. grocery; J. I. Cranson's tailor
hop, Bergelet Jewelry store, American
VhtpreM office and a saloon. Across
Pine street the lire consumed Cot ton &
Andrews' saloon, O, Berg's jewelry
More, W. C. Bower's justice office, the
Western Union Telegraph office, Kyton.
aers tailor shop, Andrews' barber shop
and the Homestake lodging house.
Fire companies came from Deadwood.
Tsrraville and Central City, and a great
light was made against wind and lire
with a low pressure of water.
BURNED OUT TWICE.
' Borne of the business men burned out
fit the lire lost everything they had in
faa Ma; Are here six months ago. They
WlH begin business again as soon as
possible in new buildings. Plans have
boss drawn for the erection of a new
atoee and brick building to take the
rlir of the one burned belonging to E.
Jfaust- of Lead. Plans are also being
jnade for four brick buildings, including
MW hotel.
There will be a new Lead In six
' ammlhi which will rival the finest city
' (a Ifte state. The good people of Lead
f rejoicing In the clean sweep the Are
" r wlB through the bad lands of the city,
IN toughest resorts of the town were
tl'M of the blocks of wooden buildings
-' gm tm ashes.
-i lareral hundred people are without
Many people have gone to
Jhrood and other places to find shel
C t bead firemen fought the Are
ftowt Ther had everything
"t Umn. Firemen came up from
rood aad adjoining cities to help,
i people will be equal to the present
i City la a mining city of 7,000 tn
founded In 1878, and built
(Let Industries of the Homestake
' tate mine. It was conatruct
wt Wholly of Black Hllla pine
tttta recent years. Several
brick business buildings and
sdsotne frame residences have
UA. But the major portion of
'M Of oao-atory frame build.
i were burning like tinder in
, -f of this morning. Insur-
high, bnt has
" . ajr tafcea ta limited
.:t iMwakt arttallir
a
uum mn BtssusTEo.
Says Committee Is Hoidlnar Back
His Boer Resolutions,
Washington, D. C Special.) Poon
after the senate convened Mr. Sullivan
of Mississippi offered a resolution that
the Philippine iBlands are the rightful
property, honorably acquired, of the
United States; and that "while the mis
guided Filipinos continue the present
war brought on by them, against the
rightful authority of the United States,
so long as a single gun In their hands
Is trained upon our Hag, no expression
of intention as to the future course of
the United States with respect to them
should be made by the senate."
Mr. Sullivan asked that the resolu
tion lie on the table until he should call
it up.
Mr. Mason of Illinois then gave no
tice that tomorrow, after the morning
hour, he would enter a motion that the
committee on foreign relations be dis
charged from further consideration of
his resolution expressive of the senate's
sympathy for the Boers in their strug
gle with Great Britain. He had, he
said. Introduced the resolution on De
cember 6, and it had been in the hands
of the committee ever since.
"I have no Intention of violating the
rules of the senate," said Mr. Mason,
but it is celarly the intention of the
committee on foreign relations to take
no action in regard to the resolution
and I want it brought Into the senate
and placed on the calendar.
"The committee could give us a re
port if it would. If a majority of the
committee is opposed to the resolution
let it report It adversely. That would
be making some progress. I am satis
fied that 35 per cent of the people of
the country are In sympathy with the
Boers in their war with Great Britain,
and I am just as certain that a major!
ty of this body would favor the resolu
tion I introduced. It Is the merest
child's play for us to sit here and not
be able to get a vote upon it.
WASHINGTON NEWS NOTES.
Items of Interest From Our Nation
al Capital.
Washington, D. C. (Special.) Cap
tain Silas "W. Terry, late In command of
the Iowa, has been assigned to succeed
Admiral McCormick, as commandant of
the Washington navy yard.
Quartermaster General Ludinston has
bten informed that the transport .Sner
idan has left Manila and the transport
Westminster left there a day later,
both bound for San Francisco.
The republican committee on order
of business in. the senate discussed the
program of legislation during the re
mainder of the session. No conclusion
was reached on any subject. The com
mittee is unanimous in its desire for a
tinal adjournment prior to the meeting
of the republican convention in June
and efforts will be directed to that end
The senate committee on appropria
tions has authorized a favorable report
on the house bill providing that th
revenues collected from Puerto Rico bt
expended in that Island. The bill was
so amended as to Include only the mon
ey collected tip to January 1, 1M0. The
clause of the house bill authorizing the
refunding of future revenue collection!
was stricken out.
The ratifications of the Samoan arbi
tration treaty were exchanged at the
state department by Secretary Hay for
the United States, Lord Pauncefote for
Great Britain and Dr. von Holleben for
Germany. The treaty submits the
claims for arbitration to King Oscar of
weden.
Senator Allen Introduced an amend
ment to the Puerto Rico appropriation
bill, declaring that the constitution was
by force of the Paris treaty extended
over the inland of I'uerto Rico and its
inhabitants.
THE PLAGUE MAY BE HERE.
A Supposed Case is Discovered In
8an Francisco.
San Francisco, Cal. (Special.) 9 case
of what is supposed to be bubonic
plague, though the exact nature of the
disease is yet uncertain, has been dis
covered in Chinatown. The palient.wbo
iM a Chinese residing at lOvt Dupont
street, was immediately isolated and
the whole of Chinatown has been placed
under strict quarantine regulations.
No fear is apprehended of the spread
of the disease, whatever it may prove
to be.
A large force of police is being kept
in Chinatown to maintain the quaran
tine placed upon that section pending
the outcome of the bacteriological ex
amination of those portions of the body
removed from the suspected Chinese.
The physicians Interested In the case
are not yet prepared to make a deflniK
statement regarding the case, but from
others who have had experience In such
matters, it is learned that the case will
hardly prove to be one of plague, aj
the dead man has long been a resident
of this city. Had he been a recent ar
rival from the Orient greater alarie
would be feit. The cordon of police
now watching Chinatown Is kept then
simply as a precautionary measure.
FOR PHILIPPINE SOLDIERS.
Thirty-Two Cars of Meat Shipped
From Chicago.
Chicago, III. (Special.) Thirty-two
refrigerator cars 700,000 pounds of
ham and bacon, cured under govern
ment formula, with a view to preser
vation in tropical climates, bound for
the American soldiers in the Philip
pines, left Chicago on the Chicago &
Alton railroad and will go direct to
San Francisco, where it will be trans
ferred from the refrigerators to a wait
ing transport and thence to Manila,
After the hams were smoked and
cured In the usual manner, they were
placed in a white muslin sack. Then a
thin coating of oat hulls was placed
around the ham and another sack of
white drilling was drawn over all. Then
the ham was packed In salt. Stock
yards men say that hams thus treated
will reach Manila In the best condi
tion, rain, dampness, fog and tropical
winds having no effect on them.
Is Merely Child's Play.
London, March 12. Mr. A- G. Hales,
the correspondent of the Dally News,
who was captured by the Boers Febru
ary 9 and released a few days ago, tele
graphing from Bterkstroom says:
"While I was a prisoner at Bloem
fonteln I had an interesting Interview
with President Steyn. He said the bur.
ghers were determined to fight to the
last man and that the struggle In the
Free State would be child's play com
pared with what would follow In the
Transvaal.
"President Steyn predicted that the
capitulation of Pretoria would be pre
ceded by events which would astonish
Europe. He appointed a deputy presi
dent to remain at Bloemfontein during
hi absence at Pretoria la tbt Interest
of the free State."
DECIDES FOR BOARD.
STATE BOARD OF TRANSPORTA
TION IS UPHELD.
World-Herald la Awarded S4.OO0
Judgment Against the Omaha
Be For Libel.
Lincoln, Neb. Special.) Tba su
preme court adjourned without an
nouncing any appointment of clerk ot
the supreme court and his assistants.
A number of decisions were handed
down.
The case of the Nebraska Telephone
company against Cornell was decided
in favor of the state board of trans
portation, and the case of the Bee pub
lishing company, plaintiff in error,
against the World Publishing company,
defendant in error, was decided in fa
vor of the latter.
Both opinions are by Judge Sullivan.
In the Nebraska Telephone company
case, the company asks the Lancas
ter county district court to grant an
injunction restraining the board ol
transportation f r hearing and acting
on John O. Yeiser's complaint alleging
excessive rates for telephone service
requesting the injunction on the grounc
of the unconstitutionality of the law
creating the state board of transporta
tion. The court refused to Issue the
injunction and thet ase was taken to
the supreme court, which in Its decision
sustains the action of the lower court.
The act of 1SS7 creating the board of
transportation Is held to be constitu
tional and It Is declared that the board
has power to inquire into Intra-state
business of express, telegraph and tele
phnnecrmipanies, and to regulate their
rates therefor.
WORLD-Hfczr.ALD WINS.
The Bee-World-Herald case was ap
peaied to the supreme court from Doug
las county, where a decision had been
rendered in 1 t5 awarding t the World
Publishing company $7,uw for a ma
licious libel published by the Hee. con
veying th? Idea that the World-Herald
had been maintaining for tome time a
precarious existence; that it was nc
longer able to meet its flnanclul obli
gations; that it v. as a tottering bank
rupt, and about to pass out of exist
ence. The supreme court holds, how
ever, that damages awarded are ex
cefulve, and plaintiff is required to lite
a r'-mittitur of ?:!.0w within thirty days
The essential portions of the ey'labut
are as follows:
"A newspaper article in which It if
falsely stated that a busiii'-ss corpora
tion is maintaining a .recariUH exist
ence; that it is not able to meet It
financial obligations arid l totteiing
bankrupt and about t-. pass out of ex
istence, is libelous per s.
In this state the measure of recov
ery In all civil actions Is compensation
for the injuries sustained. A plea Jus
tifying a libel I- not effective If the
evidential facts Instead of the ultimnti
facts are alleged: but If the trial court
and the litigants treat the plea as sulli
clent and proof is introduced on the
theory that it l sufficient. Its Infirmity
may be cured by amendment.
In the trial of an action for clam-
ages resulting from the publication of a
newspaper libel, where the gist of the
action is for damage done th plain
tiff's business, it is proper to show the
extent and character of the business
and Its volume both before and after
the publication of the lilielous article.
In the action for libel, under the al
legation of los of business. It. Is com
petent for the plaintiff to prove a gen
eral loss or decline of patronage with
out naming particular customers or
proving that they ceased to do busines
with him.
Where a defamatory article con
tains an Imputation upon Its solvency
and stability of a large newspaper con
cern, it is proper In the trial of an ac
tion to recover damages ooisioned by
the libel, to show by expert proof the
general effect of suc h an article on the
business of such a publisher.
"Where It appears that a Judgment It
based on a verdict that Is excessive,
though not given under the influence of
passion or prejudice, it may be ier
mitlcd to stand, even In action ex de
licito. on condition that the excess be
remitted.
"Damages held to be excessive and
plaintiff allowed to file a remittitur."
REMITTITUR OF J3.000.
In conclusion, the opinion, after re
viewing the action of the lower court,
is as follows:
"On the subject of damages, the in
structions were quite explic it. The Jury
were told that the damages which they
were authorized to ailow, were actual
damages, and such only as resulted di
rectly from the libelous article set out
In the petition. This statement was
sufficient; it could not have been mis
understood. For the reason that the
damages awarded are in exeess of the
loss sustained by the plaintiff, the
Judgment will be reversed unless the
remittitur for the sum of 13,W0 shall be
filed with the clerk of this court within
thirty days fro mtbls date. If such re
mittitur be so bled the judgment for
U.W) with interest on that amount will
be affirmed, it is the settled doctrine
of this court, even In actions of ex
dellcito, that a judgment based on a
verdict which Is excessive, but which
was not given under the influence of
passion or prejudice, will be permitted
to stand, on condition that the excesi
be remitted. Judgment accordingly."
PAYIN6 UP THE SHORTAGE.
Insurance Comdanles Making Up
Moores' Shortage.
Lincoln, Neb. (Special ) The Insur
ance companies which,, in consequence
of the supreme court decision In the
tent case against the Home Insurance
company, are compelled to pay again
fees paid Eugene Moore and which he
embezzled, are doing so with very bad
grace. Most of them regard the whole
matter as a sort of "legalized robbery,"
and plainly say so In letters accompa
nying their checks.
An Instance is furnished In a letter
received from Marsnall 8. Drlggs, pres
ident of the Williamsburg Fire Insur
ance company, enclosing a check for
$02 payable to tbe state treasurer, as
second payment of fees for lxai and
1M6. First payment was made by
checks made payable to "Eugene
Moore, auditor of public accounts."
Moore appropriated the money.
Mr. Drlggs, in his letter to the audi
tor, after outlining tbe facts, winds up
In this fashion:
"The state Is to be congratulated that
It has Insurance companies to indem
nify it against the dishonesty of its
official. There seems to be no burden
too great for insurance companies to
bear. We are unable to see the equity
In this case, but then New York has
much to learn from the 'great and
growing west.'
"We forward this day check for the
full amount, drawn to order' of the
state treasurer, and thank God It is
no greater."
Only 93.000 Naoassary Now To
Start a National Bank.
New York. (Special) Advices recelv.
id by local banking Interests from small
towns and villages throughout the
United States indicate that atate banks
in all sections of the country are pre
paring to take out charters under the
national system, as soon as the cur
rency bill becomes a law.
New York banks arc already making
efforts to secure the business of these
institutions, one bank in this city alone
receiving in one day more than thirty
inquiries upon the subject. One man
from a western town told a bank officer
tthat he expected to start eight banks
with a capital of l,V)Q each.
Reports of similar preparations in
other sections of the country led to a
prediction by an oflicer of one of the
be&t known banks, that fully 2,0o0 na
tional charters would be app;led for,
after cxlBling restrictions were niodl
Ued. The Evening Tost says: "It was esti
mated today that any one with U.OOO
capital i-ould start a nailoual bank un
der the new system. All that Is re
quired Is Ji.W.K) In 2 per cent govern
ment bonds, which could be secured at
ruling prices for about -ti.7i0. These,
representing the capital of the bank,
could be sent to Washington and cir
culation for the full amount of the
capital lmemdiatcly taken out. The
organizer of the bank then has only
$2,750 tied up In the enterprise, but
could take deposits In the regular way.
Whether the system can be properly
safeguarded under such requirements
is not known, but local , bankers are
Watching the experiment with great In
terest and more or less concern.
"Such extension of the national sys
tem is expected to yield large prolils to
national banks of this city, since state
banks at interior points, keeping their
balances with state banks or trust com
panies in this t it y, will have to transfer
their accounts to national banks if
they wish (hem counted as reserve), as
soon as the new charters are taken out.
This, It Is thought, may result In a
serious loss for some of the lurge state
banks, since such accounts In the ag
gregate represent a large Volume of
business,
"A bank president cited the difficul
ties of the present system as the reason
why New York banks, with their enor
mous volume of business, found it ex
pedient to take out only about Jli.Wm.
(00 in circulation. A bank paying tl20
or H'-iO for 4 per cent bonds of which
oniy ii per cut could be issued, would
have to tie up M0 or S4rt on each JIM
so invested, besides paying double the
tax culled for in the proposed law.
"On that basU the transaction would
be decidedly unprofitable, to say noth
in gof the expenses incident to print
ing, etc., which would slill further cut
into the income. This Is why local
banks, carrying the grealest number of
out of town accounts and shipping mil
lions of currency each year to western,
eastern and southern correspondents,
when crop moving demands cut down
interior money supplies, took out little
or no circulation, although it might
have materially protected their reserve
during periods of money stringency.
'Some of the large state banks of
this city have considered informally the
advisability of taking out national
charters .and It is not Improbable that
certain changes of this sort may I
made later on. Hut the provision of the
banking law in this stat.", allowing the
state banks to establish branches In
this city, may di-b-r some institutions
from making the change."
EX-PRESIDENT A CANDIDATE.
Harrison Said To Want to Be Presi
dent Again.
Washington, V. C, March 12. Benja
min Harrison of Indiana, once presi
dent of the United States, and still a
popular man, looms up as a big stum
bling block in the way of the second
term syndicate which hns pinned its
faith to William McKinley.
As Indiana Is just now the republican
etorm center, every bit of evidence go
ing to show that there Is an Important
antl-McKinley movement going on out
there Is eagerly seized upon by political
Washington.
General Harrison Is talking and act
ing as though he would be willing to
head a revolt against McKinley on the
Issues presented In the Puerto P.lcan
bill. He Is outspoken In his opposition
to the administration's announced colo
nial policy. He Is also opposed to the
surrender of the Monroe doctrine pro
posed under the Hay-Paunrefote trea
ty. As his latest announced Interview
puts him on record as sympathizing
with the IVier. ag'-dnst 'the British
General Harrison has the popular side
on all Important Issues.
That the friends and former political
managers of Mr. Harrison should so
carefully time his enunciation of views
th popular questions before the peo
ple, shows, according to a Washington
point of view, a well matured schemt
to boom the former president.
IMPERIALISM A COSTLY LUXURY.
Uncle Sam Must Foot Big Bills On
Account of Colonies.
Washington, D. C, March 11. The
house subcommittee on appropriations
will report within a few days another
urgent deficiency li!l, covering l,ff)0.i)00
shortage due to trA military operations
In the Philippines. Of this sum J700.000
is for a navy department emergency
fund. It Is proposed by the republicans
to place this sum at the disposal of the
president for the purchase of coal boats
at Cavllo, a water boat for the Phil
ippines, and It Is projiosed to appropri
ate trl.tyiO to take care of Insane sol
diers In the Philippines. The democrats
on the committee object to the loose
manner In which congress Is BSked to
place so much money at the disc retion
of the president. The subcommittee re.
ported the bill favorably to the full
committee, but they were required to
take charge of It again and re-examine
some of the Items.
St. Helena for Cen.CronJe.
London, March 10. The Dutch risings
In the northwestern districts of Cape
Colony are the only cloud visible In
the sky of British prospects.
The military authorities have decided
that General Cronjo and the other Boer
prisoners shall be sent Immediately to
the Island of Kt. Helens, there to re
main until the end of the war. Lord
Hoberts has chosen Lord Bathurst, col
onel of a mllltla regiment at the front,
to command the escort to St. Helena,
which was last month placed in cable
communication with Capetown and
London. It Is also asserted that the
cabinet hag resolved to neither propose
nor entertain a proposal st the present
lancturs (or an exchange ot prisoners.
MAY CAPTUiiE STEYN.
PRESIDENT OF ORANGE
STATE IN DANCER.
FREE
Roberts Presses Llns Back From
the Moddsr Rlvsr and May Yet .
Capture Him,
London. (Special.) A dispatch to the
Times from Modder liver, dated Wed
nesday, says:
"The Boers ocupy an extensive post
(Ion between ourselves and both Bloem
fontein and Wmourg. Tney Include the
bulk of the Natal forces and are under j
General Joubert himself. Only sufficient
men have been left behind to hold Van
ftetnan's Pass and Lalng's Neb. Kx
tensive desertions are reported during
the trek. An engagement Is Imminent.
which will probably be decisive as to
the whole war."
London. (Special.) Ixird Roberts has
again outflanked the Boers and Fre-e
staters and they are retreating rapidly
to the nortn and east, closely pursued
by a strong force of British cavalry and
horse artillery, while no less than SO.000
Infantry are following In their track.
ror some time Iord Roberts has had
a growing commando of Boers en
trenched In his front on both banks of
the Modder river, about ten miles east
of Paardeberg. The strength of this
commando has been put at 4,000. but as
the trenches covered a space of fliteeu
miles they must have been underesti
mated.
The Boers were faced by the Ninth,
Seventh and Sixth divisions, while Gen
eral French, with his cavalry, was at
the last moment brought from the ex
treme left of the British line to the
extreme right, facing the Boer left.
The British operations opened with
the cavalry working round the Boer
left, covering the march of the sixth
division. The Boers at once fell buck
to the north and east. The cavalry and
horse artillery followed closely, and the
Seventh and Ninth divisions and the
fjtiards' brigade also marched In pur
suit. The Boers lost one gun, an Immense
quantity of forasre and a number of
tents. The retreat hi's d-getierated Into
a rout. HotH-rts' headquarters last
night were at Poplar's drift., which I
probably eight or ten miles east of
Koodixisrand drift.
STKVN MAY BE THE UK.
It Is known that President Steyn
within the last two or three clays has
been with this Boer force. He probably
is still with it, and If It can be sur
rounded he may be cuptured.
The Boer tactics appear to have tieen
elementary in the extreme, for ihoy hud
no real defense on either of their Hanks,
although their entrenchments were In
irlcate. while the nature of the coun
try allowed the easy progress of cav
alry In w hichever direction was deemed
advisable.
The ease with which Roberts at
tained his object strongly Indicates that
the Boers) never Intended to make a
serious stand at this position, and that
it was merely a screen to hide their
real point of concentration or was a
device to get the British to display their
full strength If either of the supposi
tions be correct the Boer designs were
successful.
From other quarters of the war the
repot t are favorable t the British, ex
cept In th northwestern province of
Cape Colony, where the Dutch uprising
Is setting the Carnarvon district on fire. !
In Natal Buller Is pushing up recoil
loitering bodies of troops northward
and westward, backed up by reinforce
ments.
Scouts report that there are no Boers
in the Natal Fide at Van Keenan's pass.
A still more heavy casualty' list has
teen received from Buller of losses dur
ing the last two weeks of February, af
fording evidence of the determined re
sistance of the Boers in the final opera
tions for the relief of Lndysmlth. The
catalogue comprises 123 killed, !i7."
wounded and fifty-four missing. Add
ing these to the returns Issued cm Mon
day, It makes the total 1.S09 for the
fortnight named. Altogether it may be
estimated that no less than 6.000 Brit
ish troops were placed hors du combat
by the operations of the relief column
iulrng the last ten weeks.
General Clements has advanced as far
;ia Oorlogspoort river. His next move
will be to the Orange river bridge.
Gatacre's mounted infantry have gone
to press the retreating Boers, who have
two guns In position on Bustard's Nek.
SBARRETTI WILL REMAIN.
Thinks Protests Against Him Have
Ceased.
Havana. (Special.) Mons. Sbarrettl
bishop of Havana, says there is tic
truth in the story that he has asked
Borne to recall him. On the contiary,
he feels that the opposition originally
felt to his appointment is dying away,
iloreover, he is not subject to the con
gregation of the propaganda and has
not asked to be removed. He suggests
ihat some one who does not understand
ihe question Involved must have put
the report In circulation. Senor Oual
ierto Gomez, discussing the rumor.sald:
'The great fear that Cubans had was
:hut a bishop would be appointed who
would sympathize with and give pref
erence to the Spanish clergy. If Mon.
?barrettf proves himself to be wlth
us bios in this respect, as he seems
lo be doing, all should go well."
The popular committee appointed by
Ihe promoters of the movement of pro
:cst against the newly appointed bteh
ip. held a meeting, at which letters
vr read from General Gomes, General
Lacret and other prominent men. It
sas reported that 5c,0 ladles had given
n their names to constitute a commit
.ee, or several committee, to continue
he opposition. The meeting decided to
'orm local committees forthwith.
A petition has been prepared asking
Ihat Colon cemetery lie placed under
:he management of the civil authori
ties, th grounds of the request being
hat the church Is now separate from
the state, and the cemetery, and that
the present burial fee, $18, Is mui h too
Mgh.
A further petition will ask for the
bolltlon of convents on the ground
that these institutions arc "antl-hygl-nlc
and non-humane."
fiweat Shops and Child Labor,
Cleveland, O. (Special) The morning
IcsHlon of the National Council of Jew
ish women was omitted today lo allow
Ihe delegates to visit various Cleveland
institutions. A large number of them
went lo the Jewish Orphan Asylum
mil the home of the aged,
Miss Hudlo American, the corrcspond
'n gsecretary of the council, addressed
.he young women of the womens col
ege, speaking of the work of the con
turners' league, which has for Its ob
ect the doing away of the sweatshops
uid child labor.
(MwsMIT HWstS.
far Fibres shell "w tVIs I'llMai
for Jaar larsss
That rt of th cexosnut whost
properties are not so well kun in
lalifornia is tbe outer covering' or
luihk. The inner woody nhrll of this
makes excellent fuel. If you are in
itiatcd into the mystcrirs-or, rather,
(ricks of the trade, you will als
know that it does duty as "pice."
How spicy it really i depends upon
what is niixed with it. At any rate it
is too gxcxl a fuel to be thrown away,
l:ut the fibrous outer hfll of the co
?oanut was, until very recently
thrown into the bay to float off and
finally ilisflj-ure the surrounding
beaches. There is now a factory on
the llcrkclcy diorr of the bay which
uses this despised husk in the manu
facture of another useful commercial
jominoclity. Jt is the only factory of
its kind in California, and it assumes
t position of peril I is r importance
when it is remembered that it is con
erteil what was previously consider
d waste matter, which was hard to
get rid of snl which bid fair to be
ome a nuisance, into an arliclc of
;rrat utility. Out of this husk a very
irotnatic, perfectly sanitary and
njirinpy material is being' made to
M-ne as a substitute in mattress making-
for the unsanitary curled bair.
The husk of the cocouniit shell con
tains a fibrous material which really
makes excellent furniture and mat
tress filling'. It is infinitely superior
to shoddv. This industry is only in
:t infancy on this coast. Twenty-live
per cent of the husk is hair or fibre,
the rest is dust; but not even this
lust is wasted, for nurserymen have
found that it makes un excellent cov
s'rinjf for winter flower beds. The
first process throiifrh which the husk
s put is tluit of crushing-. This is ac
?(imp!ivhcd by a machine resembling
i rock crusher, and sounding very
Tinch like one when at work, driven by
l forty horse power engine. This is
.nllcd the picker. The hus.k comes
:mt of it as dust tind coarse Jinlr-like
fibre, with here and there a remnant
of shell. This is (licked over by boys
and thrown wjrniu into the picker-?
Sua Francisco ( hroniclc. "
Following White Ylau'a .tlethodi.
How oddly civilintinn works lier
fotaries lit limes is illustrated in the
history of the Osaire Indians. The
Ostiffe Nation is reputed the richest
per capita in the world, they having
Ml acres of (roM-rn merit land fur every
mini, woman and child and receiving
besides. $.70 every three months. They
recently hud handsome houses built
by speculative traders, though after a
ihort trial of them they moved back
into their tepees nnd left Iheir fine
house iHcnnl. There nre 250 fiimilies,
mil they owe the traders $100,000, and
now more than two-thirds of them are
croing- into bankruptcy to shirk their
iebts, for tlu-ir land cannot be taken
from them and their quarterly stipend
will continue to conic. If only the
Indian traders themKche enjoyed
better reputations for honesty, no
loijlu the country would heartily sym
pathize with them for being done out
of tlifir money by thesp savag-cs, who
have learned the tricks of the whites.
As Hie Indians did to the. whites just
about what the Indians had been led
to believe from past experiences the
whites, would have done to them, these
promoters of cii iliation w ill receive
very little jiity on account of their
losses.
Why Neighbor Jones Conldu'l Gather
Them.
In a certain Sunday school the
teacher was endeavoring to explain
that a man could not expect to reup
if he never took the trouble to Bow,
says Tit-Bits. 'l!ut what he docs sow
he wiil reap," he continued. "To make
mutters plainer, 1 will ask you a ques
tion, if I planted turnip sc'c-il, what
you think I should get?'
"Turnips!" shouted several.
"Iliffht," wiid the teacher.
"But it don't nllus come of?," put fn
one precocious youth. "It didn't wi'
neighbor Jones."
"Indeed:" remurked the teacher.
"Vis," went on the bright scholar,
" 'K sowed some Inters n little while
nffn. but 'e iii.i't reaped none."
"Well, perhaps he's gathered thcmV
"No. V ain't gathered 'cm."
"Weil, dug them up, then?"
"No, nor dug Yin up, trnvthiir.
"Oli, 1 sec," smiled tin- tenehcr.
"The potatoes are not ready vet? He
will (.father them bv-nnil-bv
"No, I doau't think its 'e will." per
illed the scholar.
"WhyV hkKp,! the puzzled teacher.
"Why, ycr see," responded the other.
Mtlmly, "we fathered Yin when he was
in town, the day before lie was Jfoinj
i ouruiilp ssm relrurd.
The driver of a slow pnKsenper train
hotic.il that the stoker always stared
intently at the windows of a certain
cottage near the liue, and curiosity im
pelled him to ask for tin explanation
of the habit.
"My girl liics I here," Miid the stoker
cnteniiouhiy.
I hen I suppose hhe nits in the win
dow watching for you?" surmised the
jrncr.
"No. she ilon'l: she nin't time tn
play the- fool." frruntcd the stoker, I
only look to see whether the window
biimi s op or down. If it's up I know
it's courtin' night; if it's down 1 know
it ain't. That all."
"And do you always visit her when
you see the blind up?"
"You bet I do, Wi," nnswered the
stoker, heartily. "It's one of her tripe "
an onion nlg-hts, an' she knows I
hoiilil not lurn tm but for IimL
Coortin" is a dry ame without a tuslj
upper to help it aloiiff."
Why HeUas Wakeful.
"Hldn't slep a wink Ust nipht,' said
Ihe dyspeptic.
"Overwork?"
"No. I heard one of lbme sonps
ibout slumber sweetly, avert dreams
e Ihine., and the confounded tune
cept running through my bead all
light," Washington
! '."''.I'." . V
f
V-- - ;:. ', -"-try
