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JANUARY 4; 1907
b!Ui? -?f establishment of a largo steam-driven
station for the supply of tho mines. The Idea 0
S??en hG VICt0Ha Falls was thn quite new
to the Gorman group. When, however, they Z
allzed tho probable requirements of So count
it was at once apparent that ultimately the water
power must be the only satisfactory mode of sup.
Ply. The idea of using Zambesi water power
yature's own reservoir of power, was then quickly
token up. Its scientific possibilities had even
been previously examined by leading experts
such as Mr. Ralph D. Mershon of New York Prof
Blohdel of Paris Dr. Tissot of Bale and Signori
Sa dini and Scotti of Milan, besides the chief
British engineers. All agreed that the project
was technically 'and commercially feasible, and
this induced the German financial group in which
the Dresden bank plays a leading part to 'come
in. The Transvaal, like the United States, con
tinues to have no end of trouble over the Orien
tals. The last Asiatic ordinance of the Trans
vaal legislature, passed in September and now
awaiting imperial sanction, has carried racial
distinction to a degree which has caused the
Indian and the Chinese and the Japanese resi
dents to protest"
ALBERT T. PATRICK, charged with the mur
der tf William. Marsh Rice, has been saved
from the electrical chair by an order of Governor
Higgins of Now York, his sentence being com
muted to life imprisonment. It was on Septem
ber 23, 1900, that William Marsh Rice was mur
dered. Subsequent events are shown as follows:
October 3, 1900, Albert T. Patrick and Charles
F.- Jones, Rice's valet, arrested on charge of forg
ery. February 27, 1901, Jones confesses that ho
murdered Rice at the instigation of Patrick. April
16, 1901, Albert T. Patrick held for murder by
Justice Jorome. January 20, 1902, Patrick's trial
begun. March 26, 1902, Patrick convicted.
March 30, 1902, Patrick marries Mrs.
Addie M. Francis in Tombs. April 7, 1902, Pat
rick sentenced to die May 5. June, 1903, motion
foi new trial denied. June 9, 1905, denial of new
trial affirmed. June 15, 1905, August 7 set for
execution. "July 24, 1905, stay granted pending
appeal for reargumeht. October 27, 1905, re
argument denied. December 6, 1906, Patrick re
sentenced. July 11, 1906, Recorder Goff denies
Patrick's appeal petition for new trial. Decem
ber 20,' 1906, sentence commuted to life imprison
ment.
THE TALLEST OFFICE building in the world
is now being erected in New York City. It
is the Singer building on Broadway, between
Cortland and Liberty streets. It will be forty-one-stories,
612 feet high, and will be ready for
, occupancy May 1. The foundations are "carried
down ninety feet below Broadway. The New
..-York World describes tho method of preparing
; .the foundation: "After the necessary excavation
has been made the working chamber, a deep box
-., jnade.of small sections of timber or steel, with
' out a bottom, and with the lower edges shod
with-steel, is lowered into place. The sandhogs
begin to undermine the cutting edges, the spalls
.being-removed by huge buckets. As the chamber
sinks below the water line a sectional shaft,
equipped with an airlock, is inserted in the roof,
and compressed air pumped into the chamber to
.keep it clear of water. One pound of pressure
r is employed for e.very two and one-third feet be
"low the water line. The building of the founda
tion pier is done simultaneously with the sinking
of the chamber by placing layers of concrete on
top of it, and increasing them as the chamber
sinks. At the same time the concrete serves to
counterbalance-the air. pressure within the cham
ber. When the chamber has reached bed rock
the foundation pier is almost complete. The
chamber and shaft are then removed and the space
left filled with concrete."
IN THE MBDST of its Christmas festivities the
whole country .paused to watch with beating
hearts the efforts to rescue one man from a
i living grave. And when the entombed, man was
finally brought to the surface, alive and well,
-everybody rejoiced. The story is another proof
.of the adage that "truth is stranger than fiction."
' L. B. Hicks and five other miners were caught in
-a cave-in hundreds of feet below the surface in
a mine near Bakersfield, Cal. Hicks' five com
panions wqre killed, but an overturned steel car
.saved Hicks. For three days he subsisted on a
,plug of. tobacco, and finally managed to reach a
pipe extending to the surface. He tapped off the
miners' distress signal-and the men at the' sur-
face -were amazed to hear it. Instantly they re-
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The Commoner
Sdthh0lf 0uOrta', hnd Pcded only to
rn,th0 b0'Hes of six dead companions, and
alive Thna emgo that one or m6ro. were sUll
mnnco.M pIpo had beon Jammed' so. that H was
impossible to send anything through iL But a
nZ Si P tT5 80nt down ,n8ld0 of !t and through
h i? H,el" was nourished. For sixteen days
nniJ? confined in a narrow, bouldcr-lined space
only large enough for him to roll over in. At tho
end of ten days the rescuers were so near him
they could talk to him, but the shifting sand and
rocks made caution necessary. A misstep and
Hicks would be crusheed. A phonograph was
rigged up to entertain him, the chief fear being
that his mind would give way under tho strain,
finally he was rescued, and Bakersfield was tho
scene of a jollification that will live in local
history. Hicks was buried for sixteen days, but
when rescued was feeling good. During that six
teen days millions of eyes anxiously looked every
day for the good news that this humble miner
who was making such a gallant fight for life had
been rescued. And for sixteen days hundreds of
sturdy men worked without ceasing to rescue their
comrade. It was a Christmas story that won all
hearts.
REPRESENTATIVES OF tho lumber trade tiro
considerably exorcised because of tho In
creasing car shortage. J. E. Deffffcbaugh, editor
of the American Lumberman, has sent a letter
to lumber dealers saying that this car shortage
"has reached a point where it threatens the pros
perity of the country and of tho lumber indus
try." Mr. Deffenbaugh announces in his paper
that a "national reciprocal demunage convention"
will be held at Chicago January 4. In his letter
Mr. Deffebaugh says: "Laws and court decisions
relate only to the railroad interest, while recipro
cal obligations as common carriers aro ignored.
Believing the time has come for national action
and that the matter is urgent, and as anything
introduced at this short session of congress
should be presented promptly, I purpose, on behalf
and with the approval of tho lumber industry,
to issue a call for a meeting of tho representatives
of lumber associations and individual shippers,
together with representatives cf other great ship
ping industries, to be hold at Chicago during tho
first week of January, 1907, to prepare an argu
ment in behalf of reciprocal demurrage and to
draft a bill to be presented to congress, wo hope
in a special messgage by tho president, backed
by the weight of such a convention, providing for
an amendment to tho interstate commerce law
which will provide for just and adequate reci
procity In car service. In such a law lumbermen
will concede national demurrage regulations, while
demanding equivalent penalties from the rail
roads for failure to perform their duties as com
mon carriers."
A MANILA NEWSPAPER, La Independence,
calls attention to the fact that sometime
ago President Roosevelt said he favored govern
ment of the Filipinos assisted by Americans.
La Independencia says: "We appreciate that It
would be a violent, although possible measure -'to
discharge Americans in office to replace them
by natives; but at the same time that we recog
nize the undeslrablllty of such a proceeding, we
can not understand how, face to face with the
declared Intention of the United States, the au
thorities, when a vacancy appears, seem to seek
far and wide for any American to fill tho post,
while not making the least effort to find a Fili
pino, of whom, as a rule, there are not one, but
many. Our affirmation must not be ascribed to
blind national self love. It is the result of a firm .
conviction as to our present capacity, pursuant
to which we agitate for our speedy independence.
In that sense the Independence party will labor
and try to influence the authorities. In view of
our assertion that we possess the necessary ca
pacity, and inasmuch as there has been plenty of
time and plenty of opportunity for putting Into
practice the benevolent formula of President
Roosevelt, we regret to state that if its applica
tion is much longer deferred the Filipinos may
easily come to doubt whether this promise was
at all sincere, or was only given to quiet a nat
ural impatience. We believe the former. And
since we believe It we think that the government
.is sacredly bound to materialize this often re
peated expression, which has all the Importance
of a promise given to us from the White House.
If the American authorities disbelieve our ca
pacity we still must remind them that a late and
slow apprenticeship Implies a slow and lato ca
pacity. If there be a doubt, let it be ascertained
whether truth is with us or with those who deny
our aptness. If we are unfortunate enough to
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fail, it maythen bo consldarcd tolo domonslrat- -1j
cd that-qur roloaso from ArrHfrfcaV Hiipromacy Is - i
denied becauso wp havo unsucaosHfully triod our Ji
5;laaBJf:vm.c"L...Th0 P'ent couro ot. '
. "Boar' umcouraKQ even tho most
confident amongst us."
A 3cK0RDIiG TO A. R. Rcovo, writing in tho
jO-TTNe,WiY,ork Vor,t1' deaths from football in
io!!rUMIt0(1 ,SU)--C w(SrQ 87 f,er cont fowor (luring
1906 than during 1905, while Injurie have been
one-third less frequent nnd of a far !pkh serious
character. Mr. Roeo says: "Tho death roll of
the gridiron of 1906 number threo victim, against
twenty-two in 1905. Last year two players died
from being kicked in tho stomnch, throe from
dislocation of the spine, two from concussion of
tho brain, two from paralysis, one from a broken
rib driven lno hi heart, one from an abscess
on the brain, one from tho bursting of a blood
vessel, one from blood polHonlng, one from Inter
cranial hemorrhage, one from cerebral hemor
rhage, one from subdural hemorrhage, one from
meningitis and a girl from porltonitis. This year
the death roll Includes only one death from Inter
nal Injuries due to tho old mass play and two
deaths duo to tackling, one from tho rupturo of
a blood vessel in the head and one from a broken
neck. In addition to those threo, two players
died of heart failure doatbs not to be attributed
to football, since they might have occurred in
any sport in which a physically unfit man enters
or in any brisk exorcise. Neither playor was In
a scrimmage at the time of his death. Two moro
deaths occurred at Rugby, In Canada, but as
neither Rugby nor Canadian statistics figured
last year it would scarcely be fair to charge them
up against football this year. In tho matter of
injuries, the decrease was from ninety-five to
fifty-nine really serious cases. Tho dangerous in
juries due to mass play have been almost elimin
ated; the less serious Injuries, duo bo hard tackles
in tho open field, havo remained practically tho
same. The injuries for 3906 aro: Ton broken col
larbones, ten broken legs, two sprained ankles, ono
bad face wound, two fractured ankles, ono
wrenched hip, seven twisted knees, two cases
of concussion of the brain, three men kicked in
tho head, one 'seriously Injured,' threo armB
broken, two broken noses, two broken fingers,
threo leg bruises of a minor character, tlnco legs
twisted, ono injured kneo, two backs bruised, ono
; player dazed, ono breastbone fractured, one elbow
' dislocated and one player merely described as
'laid up.' Football is not yet a parlor game, but
it is no longer permissible to murder ay opposing
team in cold blood."
LINDON WALLACE BATES, a civil engineer of
high standing, doos not share President
Roosevelt's optimism with respect to the com
pletion of the Panama canal. Mr. Bates, speak
ing to a representative of the New York World,
says: "I have every reason to accept as most
accurate the president's report upon existing con
ditions at Panama insofar as ho does examine
and report upon them. He has investigated con
scientiously, zealously and minutely. The men
are doubtless well housed, sufficiently fed and
their creature comforts In games and
their recreations certainly well considered and
provided for with dutiful care. These are all
essentials, and are wisely safeguarded. But, after
all, they are details, not the basic elements of
canal construction. Many will wish that tho
president could have thought it wise to go into
the larger reaches of the subject and have touched
the heart of its living Issues, financial and techni
cal. First, is the appropriation going to cover
tho expenditures? Three years have gone by
and $40,000,000 has been expended before tho
work is really begun. Is the balance going to
cover the full toll of the coming strenuous years?
And are eight years going to compass the execu
tion? My own views upon every element and
feature of this great project have been set forth
with deliberation and care In 'The Crisis at Pan
ama.' That the absolute truth and the full truth
be given the public at every step of this arduous
path is, in my belief, the only hope for the canal.
Believing as I do that large deficits will soon ap
pear, I believe It would be the right proceeding
to prepare the people and let them anticipate
what must come. Had the French people known
the whole Inside facts there would havo been no
discontinuance of their ill-fated enterprise. They
could have called wiser counsels in time and
could have had their dearly wished for canal.
It Is because I supremely desire an isthmian
waterway, and for twenty years have studied
and worked for one, that I bring such light and
knowledge as I possess to the American people."
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