Oronjo'c Doaporato Resistance After Ftiil-
ure to Escape from Roberts ,
WANTS TIME TO DURY HIS DEAD
Kitchener Hi-piles , "riplit to n rlnlfth or
Surrender Unconditionally" Cronjo
Says thnt In IIli Intention lloburlM
IVIrm thnt tin Hun Scattered lloers
Infllvtfhg ( Irent LOUR.
,1 ,
i. LONDON , Feb. 23 , General Cronjo
* is seemingly making his last stand.
I Ho is dying hard , hemmed in by
' British infantry nnd with shells from
bixfey guns falling into his camp.
On the third day of the flght that
Boer chief asked for an armistlc to
bury his dead.
"Fight to a finish or surrender un
conditionally , " was Lord Kitchener's
reply.
General Cronje sent back word that
his request for a truce had been mis
understood and that his determination
then ns before was to light to the
death.
The battle went on. This was the
situation of General Cronjo Tuesday
evening , as sketched in the scanty tel
egrams that have emerged from the
bcmi-silcnce of South Africa.
Officially , Lord Roberts wires that
he has scattered the advance comman
dos of the relief columns that were
trying to reach Uonerai uronje. it was
regarded as singular that Lord Rob
erts , wiring Wednesday , should not
mention the appeal for an armistice
on the previous day and also that the
war office should withhold good news
if it had any.
Without trying to reconcile even
the scanty materials at hand it seems
that General Cronje is in a bad and
even n desperate situation , and that
the British are pressing their advan
tage.
tage.The
The engagement with General
Cronje's 5,000 to 8,000 entrenched men
is likely to become an Incident in a
battle between the masses. The sep
arated fractions of the Boer power are
rapidly drawing together to attack
Lord Roberts.
Will General Cronje be able to hold
out until the Boer masses appear , or ,
if he does , will they then be able to
succor him ? The British are facing
Boers on ground where the arms , tac
tics and training of the British are
expected to give them the advantage.
General Buller , according to a dis
patch from Chieveley , dated Wednes
day , finds the Boers in positions north
of the Tugela largely reinforced. This
seems strange.
The War office for the first time
has given out an official compilation
of the British losses. The total is 11-
208 to February 18. This does not in-
dude , therefore , Lord Roberts' recent
loss , nor the Wiltshire prisoners.
The Press association learns that
the British losses at Kcodoosrand
were 700.
The relative position of the contes
tants is likened to CIPSS players one
of whom from time to time adds pieces
to the board , while any loss to the ad
versary is irreplaceable.
The Capetown correspondent of the
Daily Telegraph says :
General Cronje's request for an ar-
mistic was a mere dodge to gain time
to make trenches. Lord Kitchener re
fused , but gave him half an hour to
consider whether he would surrender
unconditionally or fight to n finish.
The Boers having said that their In
tention had been misunderstood and
that they would fight to the end the
battle was resumed.
STOPS THE REINPORCEMENTS.
Ceil. Itouerts Devotes Time to Prevent-
In ? Aid llu.iehlni ; Cronje.
LONDON , Feb. 23. The war office
has received from Lord Roberts the
following message , which was delayed
in transmission , dated Paardeberg ,
Wednesday , February 21 :
"Yesterday afternoon I was satisfied
by a careful reconnaissance in force of
the enemy's position , thnt I could not
assault it without very heavy loss ,
which I was most anxious to avoid.
Accordingly , 1 decided to bombard him
with artillery and turn inv attention to
the enemy's reinforcements. The re
sult was most satisfactory. The Boers
were driven off In all directions , losing
a good many killed and wounded anil
about fifty prisoners , who ray they ar
rived from Ladysmith twn days ago by
railroad. They also n : y It was our ar
tillery fire which caused them to aban
don the kopje they won occupying.
Our loss was two officers , Captain
Campbell of the Ninth Lancers , and
Lieutenant Houston of the artillery
and four men , all slightly wounded.
MovliiK I > r. Keelev'H ICuiiiulni.
LOS ANGELES , Cal. , Feb. 23. The
remains of the late Dr. Leslie Keeley
who died suddenly In this city yester
day , are to be take.i to Dwight. 111.
on Monday next. The widow will ac
company the body east. The service.- *
in this city are to bo of a simple char
acter.
Attack llrltlth CoiiNiiluln.
BBYROOT , Syria , Feb. 23. A mob
ot Mussulmans has wounded the son
of the British vice consul , Abels , at
Sldon , and has surrb ifnded the con
sulate. Troops have been dispatche
and the consul general has gone to the
scene of the disturbance.
ARulnaldo Now In Japan.
NEW YORK , Feb. 23. A specia
from Hong Kong , British China , to the
Evening World says :
United States Consul Wildman ha
information that three members o
the Filipino junta , Luban , Ponce and
Agonclllo. brother of the < > nvoy , lef
recently for Japan to meet Agulnaldo
This gives credence to the story tha
Asninnldo escaped from the island o
Luzon to Formosa when hunted b >
General Lawton's expedition througl
the northern part.of the itland.
STOPS FOR A FIGHT.
Oenornl Kelly-Kenny t'otrlip * Up with
Itonr Guard of tlm llorrn.
PAARDERBERG DRIFT , Orange
Free State , Tuesday , Feb. 20. ( Via
the Moddcr River , Wednesday , Febru
ary 21. ) One of the costliest action *
of the war occurnyl at Pnardobdrlft
Sunday , February 18. General Kel-
ly-Ken'ny. in his pursuit of General
Cronje , caught Ills rear guard at Klip-
drift and followed the burghers to
the Boers' laager nt Koodoosrand.
The drift action began at daybreak ,
the mounted infantry driving the Boo'
rear guard up the river towards the
main body , while another body oi
mounted infantry maneuvered on ths
right front and flank of the Boors. The
British main body advanced to on'-
Hank the Boors' laager on the north
bank of the river. General Kelly-
Kenny , having seized two drifts , found
the Boers strongly enclosed and or
dered an attack , with the Highland
brigade on the left and General Knox'a
brigade on the center and right ,
while General Smith-Dorrlen's brigade
crossed the river r.nd adranced alonr ;
the north bank. On both the north
and south banks the ground is level
and the advance across th's ' was dead
ly and the British losses were heavy.
The battle was an exact replica of the
Modder river. The soldiers were un
der ( Ire all day , and all the fighting
had no definite result , as the Boers'
laager was well barricaded and they
remained therein. The British guns
shelled the laager vigorously and the
Boers confessed to a loss of over 800
men.
men.Thn
Thn terrific shnlllnir wn
in Monday , when General Cronjo ask-
d for an armistice.
The shelling was continued Tuesday ,
iver fifty guns pouring hot shot into
he Boor camp.
FORAKER ATTRACTS A CROWD.
nate Opened by Heading Washington's
Farewell Addres * .
WASHINGTON , Feb. 23. An annual
ustom which has prevailed in the sen
ate for many years is the reading by
, omo senator designated by resolution ,
of Washington's farewell address , im
mediately after the reading of the
"
"ournal of the senate on Washington's
birthday. Several weeks ago Senator
oraker , the senior senator from Omio ,
, vas selected to read the address.
It is a notable compliment to him
.hat when the senate convened today
all the private and public galleries
ivere crowded and scores of people
stood in the corridors unable to gain
admission. An unusually large mull-
'liceof ' senators
was present and all
; ave close attention to Mr. Foraker's
eading , which was a fine bit of elocu
tion. At the conclusion of the read-
ng lie was congratulated by his coi-
eagues.
AIMED AT TIN PLATE TRUST.
Richardson Follows Up Anti-Trust Kc o >
IntloiiH ulth Another.
WASHINGTON , Feb. 23. Repre
sentative Richardson of Tennessee ,
the democratic floor leader , today In
troduced a resolution In regard to tin
plate trusts similar to those recently
introduced in relation to trusts in
sugar and paper.
The resolution states that because
a recent rise in the price of tin plates
indicates that trusts or combines ex
ist for the purpose of destroying com
petition , the products manufactured
by the American Tin Plato company
and other manufacturers of tin plato
shall , six months after the passage
of the resolution , bo prohibited by the
Interstate Commerce commission from
transportation in any manner whatever
from one state to another , until the
commission is satisfied that such prod
ucts offered for competition have not
yielded a profit to the manufacturers
of more than 4 per cent.
lioerH Shelling I.ad.vxniith.
LONDON , Feb. 23. The Morning
Post's second edition publishes a dis
patch from Ladysmith , dated February
19 , which says that the bombardment
continues with unusual persistence
and activity from Bulwana and Blaa-
uwbank , but Is doing small damage.
The garrison is In good spirits over
General Roberts' success and the ad
vance of General Buller , which is now
visible.
Food for Klinbcrly.
LONDON , Feb. 23 1:30 : a. m. The
war ofllce has Issued the following from
Lord Roberts :
"Paardeberg , Feb. 22. Methuen re
ports from Klmberley that supplies of
food and forage ar * bolng pushed on as
fast as possible. There will be enough i
coal to start the DcBecrs mines in ten
days. By this moans grea ; misery will
bo alleviated. Hospital nrrangementa
there arc reported perfect He hopes
Prleska and the adjoining country will
soon be settled. "
.Inlli Itt-iil ( irtnt 111.
NEW YORK , Feb. 23. Princess Can-
lacuzene , who was Julia Dent Grant ,
granddaughter of General U. S. Grant ,
Is ill with typhoid fever in St. Peters
burg , Russia. Her mother , wife of
General Frederick Dent Grant , now in
the Philippines , sailed hurriedly on th
American liner St. Louia yesterday.
She hopes to reach the bedside of her
daughter within ten days. She took
with her an American trained nurse.
1'itttl SlitK * for Uhurltr.
LONDON , FeFb. 23. Madame Pati
sang this evening for the war fund nt
Covent Garden , the scene of her former
triumphs.
I.onffMorth'N Dtmth Ueporled.
WASHINGTON , Feb. 23. A cable I
message was received at the war de
partment from General Otib today say
ing that Captain Samuel B. Lang-
worthy , Thirty-fifth volunteer infantry
died nt Biilinag , Balucan , of pernicious
remittent malarial fver yesterday aft
ernoon. This officer waa one of the
oldest volunteers in point of sort ice litho
the islands. Ho was a resident of Cal
ifornla and was appointed captain litho
the Seventh California Infantry In
May , 1 9'J.
ffl THANKFUL
Some Eesolutiona that Were Adopted Before -
fore Adjournment ,
THANKS FOR A CORDIAL WELCOME
Tlioni AYho Ituvi * ( Icncroiiftly Contributed
Fund * , tlm ( lUcrt of FJOW Trnimporlif
tlon , faithful and IClllclrut onicnrx uiul
Other * Co inn In for ( ! od Words Other
Ncbr.mkit Matter * .
LINCOLN , Fob. 2 ( > . Before adjourn
ment the National Creamery Butter-
makers' association adopted the fol
lowing resolutions :
"Resolved , That wo , the members
of the National Creamery Buttcrmuk-
crs' association , in session assembled
at Lincoln , Nob. , February 22 , 1900 ,
having enjoyed the unstinted hospital
ity of the people of Nebraska upon the
occasion of their ninth annual con
vention , do hereby extend our sincere
appreciation and thanks to the stnto
of Nebraska for her cordial welcome ;
to the people of Lincoln for their lib
eral and fraternal treatment ; to the
members of the Commercial club for
their unselfish and thoughtful enter
tainment of the city's guests , and wo
especially desire to extend to Messrs.
Morris Friend , J. C. Seacrest. A. M.
Priest. A. T. Peters and E. C. Folsom ,
the local committee of the Commer
cial club , the thanks of the association
for their labors in perfecting arrange
ments for this convention which have
resulted so satisfactorily in every par
ticular ; nnd , be it further
"Resolved , That in appreciation of
the dependence ot this association
ipon the financial support of the ai
led interests for a continuance of its
work upon the plans adopted by its
officers and managers , wo extend our
icarty thanks to all who have so gen
erously contributed to the funds of
this association during the last year ;
to the railroad corporations who have
by their grant or reduced transporta
tion rates pcmittcd the assembly of
so large a proportion of our member
ship , and to the dairy press for their
liberality in advertising the affairs of
the association without charge ; and ,
bo it further
"Resolved , That the thanks of this
association DO extended to the mana
gers of the Burlington route for their
prfouse decoration of the convention
hall in which our sessions have been
held ; and , be it further
"Resolved , That we extend our sin
cere thanks to the officers who during
the last year have so faithfully devot
ed their labors to the needs of the as
sociation , and to all others who , by
their personal efforts , have succeeded
In making this convention one of the
most successful In the history of the
National Creamery Buttermakers' as
sociation ; and , be It further
"Resolved , That we , the members
of the National Creamery Buttermak-
er.s' association , desire to express our
appreciation of the valuable work be
ing done for the agricultural Interests
of the United States by the depart
ment of agriculture under the direction
of Hon. James Wilson , and especially
to thank the secretary of agriculture
for his attention to the needs of the
dairy Industry , hl.-i interest In our
association and his honored presence
at our convention ; and , be It further
"Resolved , That we , the members of
the National Creamery Buttermnhors'
association , bslievlng that all cream
ery butter should be adjudged as to Its
merit upon a uniform basis of quality ,
respectfully recommend that In future
competitive exhibitions of butter under
the auspices of this association no dis
tinction be made between the product
of separator creameries and that from
factories In which the butter Is made
fiom gathered cream , but that all ex
hibits be accepted under the uniform
clnsallllcatlon of "creamery. "
3
I'orter Kept Itiixy.
LINCOLN , Feb. 2G. Secretary of
State Porter is busily engaged these
days In securing and compiling evidence -
dence In the arguments to be heard
by the state board of transportation
March 1 on the tentative order issued
some time ago ordering the railroads
to reduce the freight rates on cattle
10 per cent and on hogs 5 per cent. It
will bo remembered that the secretary
and the attorney general were not disposed -
posed to sign the order demanding this
reduction , both contending that it was
not enough.
From tins evidence already on hand ,
Secretary Porter Is of the opinion that
he and Mr. Symth were justified in
their conclusions.
Funeral at n Xubraitldin.
FREMONT. Neb. . Feb. 2C. The
funeral of the late Dr. L J. Abbott ,
who died at South Omaha , was held
from St. James Episcopal church. At
the request of the deceased the burial
service of the church was read by Rev.
Irving Johnson of South Omaha , and
there was no funeral sermon or eulogy
pronounced.
t'repuro for I.nrRf Fimoriil.
YORK. Nob. . Feb. 26. As no church
In the city Is large enough to Ijold the
large crowd who desire to attend the
triple funeral service of the three meni'
hers of Company A , First Nebraska
whose remains have arrived from the
Philippines the large new auditorium
will be used.
.Supreme Court Appointment * .
LINCOLN , Feb. 2U. It is learned
from reliable sources that at the sit
ting of the supreme court Tuesday
Judges Holcomb and Sullivan decided
to appoint Lee Herdmun of Omaha to
the position of dork of the court and
librarian , the position now hold by D
A. Campbell. From the same Bourro
it IT learned that Wilbur F. Bryant of
Hartington will bo made official court
reporter , to succeed Charles F. Rose
and that Eland W. Nelson of the land
rammlBMonor'K office will succeed Ed
ward J .Strvlght aa assistant clerk.
BUTTERMAKERS IN CONVENTION.
.Senator Thurnton , llolnu In Lincoln , Ad-
dreMed the
LINCOLN , Feb. 23. During the con
vention of buttcrmakers In thla city
Senator Thurston was presented , and
spoke in part ns follows :
"I never made any butter , but 1
love it. I bellovo In the liberty of
the American cow and 1 believe In ev
erything thnt tcndH to secure her in
her birthright. When I came to the
city yesterday I was struck by the
amount of yellow decorations to be
seen on every side , and then I hap
pened to think that the huttermak-
ors wore In session hero. That Hame
thought caused me to wonder If the
buttermnkers wore not practicing n lit *
tic deception on the people because
of the fact that at one period of the
year , in the wntcr , all butter , unless
colored , is white.
"Well , do 1 remember the old cows
ot the farm. Those memories shall
always remain with mo and oven today
they cause me to wish that .some in
genious American would Invent a ma
chine for milking cows and give the
boys a rest.
"I believe In the Integrity ot the
American cow and 1 do not think aho
should bo placed In unfair competi
tion with anything which la but an
imitation. Congress owes a duty to
the American people to so legislate
that products of all kinds should rest
on their own merits and sell for what
they really arc.
"For thirty years I have noticed the
evolution of the cow in the state of
Nebraska. The first sample was that
of the Toxns Htnnr. and the first de
gree of development was reached by
rosslng him with the locomotive.
M least in the estimation of juries this
made a high-priced animal. When
he schooners began crossing the
ilalns the old fashioned cow was In-
reduced and she has been gradually
mprovcd by the infusion of new
blood so thnt she stands today the
iqiinl of any in the world.
"Tho real success of the American
'armor depends on his selling the Un
shed product. The man who disposes
of ills product directly from the soil
receives but little for his efforts , out
lie man who disposes of the finished
product receives the most for his toll.
Nebraska , from year to year , Is ship
ping less and less of the raw product
uul more and more of the finished
article.
"I can't go into the details of the
business in which you are engaged ; 1
cannot advise you on matters pertuln-
ng to the buttcrmaktng business , but
can guarantee you that I will do all
: can in my official capacity as a rep
resentative of the great commonwealth
of Nebraska in the United States sen-
[ ite to protect your industry from un-
ustifiable and unfair competition. "
The Mead Merchant Itoliliery.
WAHOO , Neb. , Feb. 23. Creditors
of Lee Johnson , the hardware mcr-
ihant of Mead , alleged to have been
ebbed of $7.COO were in Wahoo , as
well as Mr. Johnson himself , and were
: losely examining the records , but
ound nothing in sight with which to
satisfy their claims. All of his real
&tatc was covered with mortgages and
mechanic liens , amounting to about
$5,000 , as soon as the news of the rob
jery became known. His full llablll-
ies are between $7,000 and $8,000.
Though the actions of the blood-
lounds , together witli other circum
stances , cast suspicion upon Mr. John
son himself as having laid a scheme
o defraud his creditors ; lie denies It
nnd declares ho was actually robbed
? r his money. Mr. Johnson has always
been considered perfectly honest and
trustworthy , but the later develop
ments in the case now before tire pco-
; ) lo have cryntalized public sentiment
into doubling the genuineness of his
robbery story.
State Vapltul Note * .
LINCOLN , Neb. , Feb. 23. II. G. Patton -
ton of Sherman county has been ap
pointed ' bailiff in the supreme court.
This Is the first appointment made ; by
the j now supreme court. While the
position 1 does not carry with it a very
large ' salary the applicants were quite
numerous.
The State Swine Breeders' associa
tion met hero and listened to the read
ing of a number of papers treating of
the various phases of the hog indus
try.
try.Tho
The sentence of John W. Tatrum of
Buffalo county IIUH been suspended by
Governor Poynter and his ball llxed
at $1,200. Ho was convicted on the
charge of horse-stealing and sentenced
to a term of thirty months in the state
penitentiary.
Skin ( iruftliiK Successful.
WEST POINT , Neb. , Feb. 23. The
operation of grafting human skin on
the burned portions of the body of Mrs ,
Mnrxmeler of St. Charles precinct , to
accomplish which four young men vol
untarily gave up each over live square
inches of cuticle , has proven a suc-
COSK. The bandages were removed and : l
the new skin found to have taken good
root. This is the first operation of the
kind ever performed in Cuming county.
I'unorul of n Soldier.
VALPARAISO , Nob. , Feb. 23. The
remains of Royal M. Lawton of com
pany E , First Nebraska , arrived at
Valparaiso February 1'J and the fu
neral was hold at the opera house
February 20 in the afternoon , Chap
lain Malitay conducting the services ,
after which a large concourse of people
ple followed the remains to the ceme
tery.
1'ontmaitur at I.one I'lne.
A1NSWORTH , Neb. , Feb. 23. Jas.
A. Nay , postmaster of Long Pine and
ono of the oldest and most respected
residents of Brown county , died of ) '
heart failure. Mr. Nay was a veteran
of the war of the rebellion and for
gallant conduct received a lieutenant's
commission In the Sixty-third Indiana.
Ho wa.s formerly a county commission
er and stood high in the councils of
tno republican party of tills district.
He was a Royal Arch Mason anil waa
burled by Ms myrtle brethren.
IS BY I
Efforts to EocoTor Mouoy Deposited In
tha Alma Bank ,
TWO AGREEMENTS ARE ALLEGED.
Annvrfr of Judft'O ( Imlln to the Vetllloit
of the Mute Department Defendant
! N J 'ho Drpotllory I.mr Wni Ulira-
Kurdcd bjr Stnte Trmnurcr nnd llond
Delivered Without Ill KnouUdgB or
Coimout.
OMAHA , Neb. , Feb. SL William
Gaslln of Kearney riled answer to the
Riilt Instltued by the state of Nebraska
in the United Stated circuit court
againsP the First National bank of
Alma nnd ether to recover the sum of
1-10,000 deposited in the Institution before -
fore its failure.
The answer admits that on or about
February 26 , 1894 , the First National
bank of Alma executed to the state
n bond In the sum of $25,000 , nnd that
it waa at that time represented to the
defendant that the .said bond would
not ba delivered until all other parties
mentioned in the body of the instru
ment had signed the bond , but that
nil of the signatures were not obtained ;
thnt in the bond it was spccilled that
the bank should pay interest to the
state at the rate of 3 per cent per an
num on nil ttimiiw ilniwicltml rvhlln
without the knowledge of the defend
ant the bank ontorcd into another con
tract and agreement whereby it prom
ised to pay interest at the rate of
(5 ( per cent upon the deposit ; that ho
signed the bond understanding that
the rate would bo 3 per cent , and
would not have signed it had he known
that the bunk intended to pay U per
celt.
celt.The
The answer further sets out that tha
term of the state treasurer who was
in office nt the time the bond was de
livered expired January 3 , 1895 , nnd
that the bond given the state expired
with the term of the officer accepting
it ; that at the time the office of thla
treasurer was turned over to his suc
cessor , whrt made the contract , nil
the money deposited by him was rans-
fcrred , and that therefore the amount
of money sought to be recovered was
deposited in the First National bank
of Alma after the expiration of the
bond- and the bondsmen are not lia
ble ; that the contract entered into by
the bank and the state of Nebraska
was an act which required authoriza
tion by the board of i.irectorB , and that
such action was never authorised , but
was the individual net of A. L. Burr
nnd Daniel Sullivan ; that the deposit
was made under the terms of the "de
J
pository act. " which provides that
there shall bo deposited in no bank an
amount in excess of one-half of the
value of the bond furnished by the
bank , nnd that the plaintiff cannot
recover because the deposit in the
First National bank of Alma exceeds1
one-half the value of the $2GGOO bond
furnished. The answer also denies the
jurisdiction of the court.
Cm Him .loin < lo n
OMAHA , Neb. , Feb. 21. Supervisor
of the Census D. II. Wheeler wants
applications for the position of enum
erators in the Second congressional
district. When Mr. Wheeler first took
charge of the office ho was Hooded
with applications and thought ho
would have no trouble in getting all
the men ho wanted , but when ho
came to look at them ho found that
many were for places In the same
enumeration district , while certain dis
tricts wore not represented at all , or
the applicants -were of such illiteracy
that they could not be considered.
A sample application says : " 1 un
derstand that wlmon is to bo appoint
ed ns enumerators , and would like you
to tell me wliare I can get application
blanks. " "These arc the kind of people
ple that want to do work that will re
quire the highest Intelligence and abil
ity , " said Mr. Wheeler In disgust.
"There is from ? 75 to $100 for fifteen
or thirty days' work , and I wish people
ple would como after the jobs who
can do the work when they get it. "
Coil : In Dakota County.
JACKSON , Nob. , Feb. 21. An export
who examined the Klley & McBrldo
coal mlijo reports that the coal near
Jackson was equal to nuy Iowa coal.
The vein is three feet and eight inches
thick and is much harder than Iowa
coal. He also measured the depth of
the shaft and found it to bo seventy-
three feet. The expert tried to secure
nn option on the mine , but Messrs.
Illley and McBride , remarked that
their fortune was In the mine and
money could not buy It.
A coal drill will be put In and n
sample of the coal taken up and sent
I to the officials at Lincoln for oxamlna-
' tlon and if , as required by law , they
will secure the $5,000 bounty which tha
state pays for auch discoveries.
HlniiiioiiH IN Hold.
LINCOLN , Neb. , Feb. 20. Frank G.
Simmons , late postmaster nt Seward ,
charged with embezzelment , waived a
picllmlnary examination before Com
missioner Blllingslcy and was bouri > l
over to appear at the next term of tin ;
federal court , which will bo held In
Omaha. Bond was given in the sum
of $2,500.
I.enim and Itolnrni.
WAVERLY , Nob. , Feb. 21. Some
weeks ago J. N. Martin of this place
ccntracted a severe cold and in a few
days noticed that ho had lost the sight
of ono eyo. There was no soreness or
pain in it. He lot nature take its
course and now his sight is rapidly
recovering.
In Corn Shullcr.
TECUMSEH , Nob. , Feb. 21. Charles
Muggy , u farmer residing north of
Cook , lost all the fingers ot his right
hand in the mauhnory of a corushellcr ,
A NEWSPAPER FAMINE
SCARCITY OF PRINT PAPER
MAY BRING IT ON.
Urcnt Rliortago of the Alntorlal from
Which It In Blnde Cunndlnn Supply
of Wood Pulp Shut Off llnllroly for
tlie
( From the Chicago Daily Inter-Ocean. )
A serious famine threatens the paper
Industry of the United Stated. Vaiious
causes have conspired to lessen the
product of the mills , while the demand
for print paper nnd the other ordinary
grades is unprecedented.
The conditions led to n secret meet
ing of the loading paper manufacture
of the United States yesterday at the
Great Northern hotel , to consider what
could be done to avert the fumlno
threatened by the shortage in wood
pulp , which , If It Is not relieved , will
cause the vast paper mills of the coun
try to shut down and cripple seriously
every Industry which depends upon thn
product ot the mills. Nearly all of
the leading paper manufacturers of the
country were present , and the principal
topic of Interest was a now fiber for
( ho manufacture of paper , to take the
place of the wood llbro now in
such universal use. What the new
flbor Is , the paper manufacturers would
not say. They nvorrcd that at present
the process by which it is manufactur-
ored is In n crude stage , but they dis
cussed it as the only visible solution
of lireannf ilHIIniiltlou.
( Irent r.aolc of Mntortnl. '
"Not for twenty years has such n
serious j condition confronted the manu
' facturers of paper , and there is great
danger that wo may bo forced to close
our mills for lack of material , " said A.
D. Schueffnr of the Hartford City Pa
per I company , who presided over the
meeting. "Various causes are respon
sible for this condition. The principal
ono is that wood pulp , from which the
lower 1I 1 grades of paper IB manufactured,1
1B I so hard to got that there is a con
stant scramble for material. Recent
Inquiry of the pulp mlllw nt Sault Stc.
,
Marie , the largest pulp mills In the
world , develops the fact that there is
not a pound for sale there , and other
mills are an hard pressed. The rapid
cutting of the forests of the Eastern
nnd middle Western states , nnd the
stopping of the Biipniy from Canada
Is largely responsible for the threaten
ed famine. Added to the scarcity oC
timber is the recent mild weather,1
which has made it Impossible to brlna
the pulp wood which has been cut to
mnrkot. A largo part of the scason'a
cut of the forests of Wisconsin anil'
Michigan , upon which the middle
Western Htates depend for pulp woodj
Is now lying on the bare ground and
cannot bo moved until snow cornea. '
Another great danger comco in thei
possibility of a heavy fall of snow fol
lowing this long dry season. A fall ot
eighteen Inches of snow would cover
up the pulp wood already cut BO that
It would bo next to impossible to dig
It out and float U down the river to the
mills.
T.ahor Alto Hraroa.
"A great scarcity of labor in the pin (
eries lias also nuulo the movement ot
pulp wood to the mills slow. Com
panies cutting pulp wood have spent
thousands of dollars importing men
into the pineries to cut pulp woodenly
only to lose them when they got there.
Boys of eighteen nnd nineteen are be
ing largely employed in the work.
"Canada has boon the source of sup
ply for many of the Eastern mills ,
but that source of supply has boon cut
off ns the cutting of Umber on crown
lands has been prohibited and the
province of Quebec makes the Importer
pay $1.90 per cord duty , which makes
the material too expensive. The only
solution wo can BOO is to adopt a now
fiber us a substitute for wood flbor.
That is the subject of discussion. Wo
have ono in view , but I do not care to
talk of that now.
"Another difficulty which confronts
Eastern manufacturers Is a lack or
wntcr upon which they depend for
power. That , too , Is the result of the
cutting away of the forests. The mills
of the middle West are not embarrass
ed in this respect to the same extent
ao the Eastern mills.
"We have not como together to form
any combination or to ralso prlcoa.
The demand naturally governs prices.
The oolo object is to avert a famine If
pcncible , for a famine would hurt the
producer as much as the consumer. "
J. C. Brockclbank. vice president and
Western manager of the Manufactur
ers' Paper company of New York , with
offlcea in the Rookery building , con
firmed the statements made by William
Schaeffer concerning the trade.
Condition It Serlom.
"If present conditions In the pineries
continue , there will be a serious short
age of pulp wood in the West until
nert fall , " ho said. "It has been sim
ply impossible to get the spruce , from
which wood pulp Is made , to market.
It grows in the swamps of the pineries , ,
and the winter has been so open that
it has been Impossible to haul It to the
rivers , down which it is floated to tba
mills , as wagons would sink to the
hubs in mud and water. Only contin
ued cold weather can relieve the condi
tion. "
The stock of paper now on hand is
extremely short. The export trade ,
v/hlch was large , has boon abandoned
entirely , and the Jobbers have vorr
little free paper on hand. The mills
bavo no free paper and will see that
they are in condition to meet contracts
already made before they soil to any
one else. There is serious danger that
the mills may have to shut ddwn en
tirely for lack of pulp wood. The great
est danger to the trade , is likely to bo
during March and April , nnd Muy , but
the famine will continue until next
fall.