The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, June 23, 1899, Image 3
r Details of the Storm that Brought Destruc tion and Death , TEN DEAD TWENTY-FIVE WOUNDED Only Six Ilnllrilngfi in the Town toft Standing IJuiidrodn of People Homeless - loss and Subject * of Charity Measures Taken to Afford Jlollcf. HERMAN , Neb. , June 16. Special to the Omaha Bee : The desolation is in describably pathetic. Such is the uni versal verdict of the thousands of spec tators who have visited the site of the once pretty village of Herman today. Yesterday it was peopled by a hap py , prosperous half-thousand citizens as could be found in Nebraska. Today , with half a dozen exceptions , all are homeless , without a place to lay their hands or a table from which to eat. \ Yesterday they would have scorned charity. Today the wealthiest are liv ing on provisions sent by kindly heart ed citizens from neighboring towns. Days will pass before the debris will have been cleared away and the scene will have lost even a portion of the heartrending features which may be seen on every side. As a result of the storm , ten persons lie dead , one family having been al most entirely swept out of existence. Twenty-five are injured , some of them fatally. The dead : A. B. HOPKINS , farmer , Herman. MRS. A. B. HOPKINS , Herman. ANDERSON HOPKINS , son of A. B. Hopkins , Herman. MRS. KELSO , Pender , daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins , whom she was visiting. LOUIS CLAUSSEN , machinist , Mis souri Valley , la. , injured so he died later in Blair. W. S. RICHARDS , postmaster , Her s man ; died from suffocation , as he was suffering with chronic case of asth ma. ma.J. J. E. HAWKINS , home five miles northwest of Herman ; blown into "barn and killed by lightning. THOMAS HINES , plasterer , Blair ; died from injuries after removal to Ills home. CHILD OF S. M. DAVIS. EARL PETERSEN , son of farmer lour miles west of Herman in Dane . Hollow. The injured : Carrie Kelso , aged 7 , home in Pen- * der ; skull fractured , will probably die. , $ i Ella Hopkins , Herman ; face cut , head and body badly bruised. William Anderson , Herman ; left side of skull fractured , may die. Mrs. William Anderson , Herman ; "back and side of skull fractured ; body "badly bruised. Ed Tacket , Herman , head cut quite seriously. E. G. , or "Caney" West , head and "body badly bruised , nail run through loot , removed to Tekamah. Mrs. E. G. Pegau , Herman , head cut and bruised about shoulders. Mrs. John Kllnkenbeard , Herman , head and face cut. C. Rankin , employe on Herman stock farm , picked up in street ; in juries consist of bruises and cuts about head ; suffering from nervous prostra tion. tion.Earl Earl Pipher , boy , Herman , temple and head cut , hand Ibadly bruised. Fred Christensen , restaurant keeper , Herman , head cut , arm bruised. E. A. Pegau , merchant , Herman , liead badly cut. "Grandma" Nosier , mother of Mrs. Hawkins , five miles northwest of Her man , both arms broken , internal injur ies , not expected to live. Mrs. J. E. Hawkins , five miles north west of Herman , ribs broken and body badly bruised , injuries not fatal. Miss Hawkins , daughter of J. E. Hawkins , five miles northwest of Her uk. man , back badly sprained and bruised. Peter Lenig , farmer one mile west of Herman , arm broken and body bad ly bruised , injuries may prove fatal. Mrs. A. Anderson , Herman , head and face badly cut , arms said to be brok en , removed to Blair , injuries may prove fatal. H. H. Herzog , lumberman , head cut slightly , body bruised. George Buffington , an aged citizen of Herman , face cut and badly bruised. Fred Hurrell , farmer and spiker , lead cut Oliver Lowe , creamery man , Her man , head bruised and cut. George Coyle , station agent , head cut slightly. Mrs. Louis Wachter , wife of imple ment dealer , Herman , bruised badly , causing a succession of fainting spells. Louis Wachter , implement dealer , Herman , body badly bruiyed. Mrs. William Bree , Herman , left shoulder badly bruised and back sprained. Yesterday afternoon at 5 o'clock Herman presented a peaceful scene. A little later clouds began to gather and before 6 o'clock torrents of rain were deluging the streets. The citizens were not frightened at the appearance of the storm , because they thought it was simply a repetition of the heavy rain falls , which had visited that section previously. At 6 o'clock , however , omnious clouds began to appear , and little knots of people assembled in every part of the town to watch them. As the clouds grew more dense the Inky blackness appeared terrifying and the more timid sought storm cel lars. Scores of people congregated in these cellars awaiting the approaching cyclone. At 6:15 it swept down upon them , coming from the northwest with a frightful velocity. Those who were still in positions to watch its onward sweep say that it came from two di rections and the appearance of the town today would indicate -that such was the case. Old-timers who were cooler-headed , however , think differ ently. They believe it came down from the northwest , spreading as it struck obstructions and converging when these were torn out of the way. It required but a few minutes for the storm to do its work , although it seemed hours to the unfortunates penned up in the storm caves. Citizens who are able to recall their impressions during the storm , al though suffering with terror , say that as the wind "passed over them It seemed like the flight of thousands of large birds , accompanied by the Inter mittent crashes of heavy shells. They knew little of the havoc which was wrought In and around their homes. When they emerged it was to find a scene of desolation which was abso lutely appalling. Houses were blown down in every direction. With few exceptions the citizens could locate their homes only by the cellars in which they had crouched or by a few familiar pieces of furniture which remained In the shells which formerly had been com modious and comfortable homes. As far as the eye could see , from south to north , no building stood to furnish a refuge for the homeless citizen. It required only a moment of con templation of the frightful scene to bring the citizens to a realization of their duties to each other. Parents be gan looking for children , wives for husbands and sons for their parents. As these were found unscathed the neighborly spirit took possession of them and they turned their attention to alleviating the sufferings of those about them. The dead were removed to the Meth odist church in the north part of the city , which served as a morgue. The injured were taken to a parsonage to be transported later on a relief train to Blair. Relief trains came down from Tekamah and Blair with physicians clans and nurses to aid in the search for the injured and dead. Ninety-six persons , injured and uninjured , were sent on an Omaha train to Blair where they were cared for in the Clif ton hotel and in the homes of the citi zens. The night was made all the more disagreeable by the rain , which fell on the houseless citizens in torrents. It ceased only for an hour , apparently to gather additional force and make a second attack. Few thought , however , of seeking refuge from the elements , spending the night , especially the men , in looking for the injured. The women and children were sent to the school house and the other buildings which remaineu intact. The darkness of the night was broken by brilliant flashes of light ning , which added to the impressiveness - ness of the scene. The power of the storm appeared to have been irresist ible , although its ravages were not plainly observed until this morning , when the sun revealed them in all their hideousiness. As the hours passed and the returns from the injured increased it seemed to the citizens as if every family in the town had suffered. After a sys- .tematic canvass had been made , how ever , it was discovered that those liv ing in the northern portion had suf fered most .in casualties. It was there the storm had done its worst , although its force was almost as great in the heart of the town. The storm undoubtedly came down from the northwest. Its first effects are reported from five miles northwest of the city , -where the home ofJ. . B. Hawkins was wiped off the earth. Mr. Hawkins was blown into his barn. Lightning seemed anxious to supple ment the cyclone in its destructiveness and added a bolt. It strdck the barn , setting it afire and killing Mr. Haw kins , if the force of the wind had not ended his life previously. This morn ing his remains were found charred to a crisp and unrecognizable. "Grandma" Nosier , mother of Mrs. Hawkins , was badly injured inter nally and both arms were broken. It is not believed she can survive. Mrs. Hawkins was badly injured and her daughter had her back hurt. The house was razed to the ground , while not enough of the outbuildings could be found to fill the box of an ordi nary lumber wagon. Continuing its southerly course , tearing trees up by the roots , leveling fences , strewing barbed wire across the country and covering the earth with debris the cyclone next made its appearance at the home of A. B. Hop kins , half a mile northwest of Her man. Here it wrought the saddest havoc , the happy family of the farmer being slain outright , with one excep tion. tion.The bodies of Mr. Hopkins and hjs wife were found 100 yards north of the house in his orchard after the storm. They had been blown out of the house by the wind , which , in its rotary motion , apparently whirled them out of its path as if angry at them for not having placed an ob struction in its way. The body of Mrs. Kelso was found lying on a pile of debris near the for mer site of the house. Anderson Hopkins , the son of the owner of the farm , lay near in the last agonies of a terrible death. Back in the orchard holding to a small sapling as if her life depended upon the tenacity of her grip , lay Ella Hopkins , an elderly daughter , with her face and head badly cut and her body bruised. Near her little Carrie Kelso , granddaughter of Mr. Hopkins , was sitting on a stump , dazed and motionless , as if she did not realize what had happened. The wind played strange pranks around this house , apparently delight ing in the destruction it was making. The trees in the orchard north of the house were torn up by their roots. Their tops pointed in a southwesterly direction as if they had been blown down by a wind coming from the northeast. To the west of the house the trees were blown toward the southeast , the wind apparently re suming its original course. Not an outbuilding was left standing. Bed clothing , wearing apparel , furniture and stock were scattered in every di rection. Having demolished everything about the Hopkins homestead , the death dealing cloud sped upon the town. It struck the first house in the extreme northwestern portion.This was occu pied by Peter Christiansen. Hardly a vestige of the formerly comfortable cottage was left , it being carried away and smashed into such small frag ments that Mr. Christiansen could not find even the lintel of one of his doors. Again the storm seemed 'to desire vengeance upon an unintentional oh- structor. Not only did Mr. Christian sen lose his home in Herman , but the storm swept away his house and barn on his farm four miles west of the city , in what is known as Dane Hol low. In the same yard with Mr. Chris tiansen was the home of Mrs. William Bree. She had seen the storm approaching preaching and had taken refuge , with her daughter , Mrs. Louis Wachter , in the cellar beneath the front porch. Mr. and Mrs. Christiansen came and joined them , and it is to this desertion of their home that the latter two owe their lives. The Bree house was torn from its foundation and twisted to the south , leaving the cellar and its occu pants unprotected. A brick struck Mrs. Bree on the shoulder , while sev eral flying missies fell upon Mr. and Mrs. Wachter , bruising and cutting them quite severely. Veering a trifle to the east , the wind passed between the Bree house and a dwelling across the street , leaving the latter unharmed , although it was only fifty feet away. 'Right on this street is where the storm spread. Striking the home of John Fitch on the corner of the street southeast of Mrs. Bree's home , it commenced the leveling pro cess , its swath being two blocks in width. As if guided by a hand which believed in destroying everything pos sible , it backed up a trifle , crossing the back yard of the home of Mrs. J. C. Stokes , the first house on the west side of the main street which was in jured. Only slight damage was in flicted here , however. Across the street from Mrs. Stokes It struck a house where dinner had evidently been ready when the storm approached. The table was set and even today the dishes are still un touched. It was here that the Ander sons lived. They took to a cellar , ac companied by Louis Claussen , which proved so poor a refuge that all were injured , Claussen so badly that he died several hours later after having been removed to Blair. The rest of the citizens between Sev enth and Second streets felt the full brunt of the storm. Across from John Fitch's place , west of West street , his barn was razed , not a single shingle being left. A little further south on West street the home of Mayor E. W. Burdic had the roof lifted off the east ern wing. It was not far from this point that Postmaster W. S. Richards lost his life. He sought safety in a cellar , but it proved his tomb. He was suffering from chronic asthma and it is believed that this , augmented by the terror of the occasion , was the cause of his death , as there were no marks upon his body when he was found. Another was so seriously injured in the heart of the city that he died lat er. He was T. J. Hines , a contractor from Blair , who had come to Herman during the afternoon to attend to some business. He was caught under some debris which fell between two build ings and injured fatally. He was re moved to his home in Blair , where he died this morning. Mr. Hines was for merly a resident of Omaha , where he was well known and highly respected. He came to Nebraska early in the ' 60s. With the exception of the Central hotel and a residence a block north not a single building wa& left standing in the heart of the city. Both these buildings were fairly gutted by the wind. The storm came just as the evening meal was being served at the hotel. In fact , two guests were at the table when the proprietor , M. J. Ken- yon , entered and advised them to ac company him and his family to a cave until the danger had passed. In this cave the ten persons composing the family of Mr. Kenyon , the help at the hotel and ten boarders and guests , found a safe shelter from the storm , as no one was injured. The Baptist church , several blocks above the hotel , was leveled , the wind1 scattering the seats about the streets and carrying the pulpit several blocks toward the south. Just below the church the implement house of Louis Wachter was demolished. A large stock of buggies and farm implements was wrecked , the wind carrying the lighter portions of the vehicles away and , angry at the resistance of the more weighty machines , wrapping them up in coils so they would be rendered useless foever. The Plateau bank , the only brick structure in the town , was torn to pieces , the brick being scattered for blacks. Nothing but the vault was left standing , the wind driving a heavy rail through its side to remind the own er of its terrific force. Below the bank the general mer chandise store of E. A. Pegau , the millinery store of Mrs. M. Denny , the harness shop of William Gray , the general store of Kenyon & Co. , the hardware store of D. W. Harper , the saloons of Sam Deaver , Ed Bonneau and Sam Barrett , the grocery of Ben Trueblood , the drug store of G. M. Lydick and the general store of H. H. Wallace were crushed to splinters , the loss being almost total in each case. Mr. Lydick had just put in a hand some so'da fountain , which was dis figured beyond recognition. His loss is very heavy , as he also had about ? 1,200 worth of furniture stored in an other part of the city which was to tally destroyed. In its course southward the storm struck the new waterworks of the city and demolished them. A great iron boiler sixty feet in length and weigh ing seventy tons was rolled a block. Not only did the storm wreck all the buildings on the main street , but it went out of its way to deal the rail road a pretty hard rap. The stock yards , opposite the Plateau bank , were razed , the heavy fence and deeply im bedded posts proving poor obstructions to the wind. - Back of them the Peavey elevator and the elevator of the Crow- ell Grain and Lumber company con tributed their roofs , the upper portion of the cupola leaving in each case. The contents were thus exposed to the rain , which poured down upon them in floods all night. Along the Omaha railroad track nine cars were blown over , their trucks be ing twisted off and carried twenty-five or thirty feet away. Two cars were apparently picked up from the track and set down three feet away , thereby giving the impression that the wind had found them with their load of grain too heavy for further transporta tion. The railroad depot , coal sheds an'd telegraph wires were blown down , the books of the depot being carried half a block away and deposited in a bunch upon the hill. Superintendent Haynes estimates the loss to tne rail road alone at $6.000. Over across the railroad lived the only man who carried cyclone insur ance in the town. This was John Lar son , section foreman for the Omaha railroad. When Larson saw the storm approaching he gathered his family about him and descended to the ce ment cellar which he had constructed shortly after a hard windstorm several years ago. He thought from the ap pearance of the storm at that time that he might need it and it was for this purpose that he put so much toil and money into it. His labor was re paid after years of waiting. That cave saved his life and those of the beings he valued most. The storm carried away his house , leaving the cellar open to the world , but the occupants were secure from harm. He is homeless to day , but his cellar will remain and a new home will rise on the site of the old one , as John says he intends to retain the cellar as long as he lives. He had $1,000 cyclone insurance on his house and contents. As scarcely a vestige of either remains he will ask the Phoenix Insurance company to pay his policy. Returning to the main street and concentrating its force , the storm scat tered the lumber from the yard of the Crowell Lumber company to the four winds , although they seemed to have been concentrated into one for the time being. The cottage of D. W. Pipher , local agent for the Standard Oil company , lost its roof , and the oil company's building to the south of the cottage was lifted from around the two heavy tanks and blown across the country to remain unidentified. The pipes around the tanks were bent Into coils , having the appearance of having been wrapped around a gigan tic spool. Opposite the office of the Standard Oil company the homes of Dr. Clark and D. W. Harper were visited. Thereof roof of the rear wing of the Harper residence was torn off and the side of the house badly marred by flying pieces. The wind blew the windows out of Dr. Clark's house and the rain did the rest during the night , coming in through the damaged roof and soaking everything within. The last house struck in the south ern portion cf the town was occupied by S. J. West. It was switched around so the corners rested on the sides of the foundation , but the damage was slight , except to the contents , which suffered materially from the soaking they underwent. It was here that "Caney" West was injured. The re mainder of the family went to the cave as soon as they saw the dark cloud approaching. "Caney" West did not think the cloud would strike Her man , so he remained in the house. When he saw it really intended to visit the little town he removed his shoes so he could wade to the cave. He was too late , however , as the wind caught him before he left the house. It carried him out through the window , which was broken by the wind for his passage. He was found by his broth er later limping around in the yard in a dazed condition , trying to find his way back to the house. He had run a nail through his foot and was se riously injured about the body. After passing West's house the stormed veered to the east , and left the large school house and a couple of cottages opposite it uninjured. Then , as sated with destruction , it rose in the air and left the vicinity which it had ravaged so sorely. When the spectators began to arrive this morning the sight was one which appalled the most thoughtless. Piles of lumber lay in the streets. Wherever the eye turned it rested upon the re sults of the visit of the elements. Hogs , horses , cattle , chickens , ducks and cats were strewn along the streets , the storm having driven them to their death. The household goods of the citizens were strewn from one end of the town to the other. Vases , books , furniture of all kinds , china and glass ware and kitchen utensils were seen on every hand. Men who considered themselves well off in the world yes terday wandered over the scene of their late abodes today wondering where the next meal was coming from. Pitiful smiles , which were given with a vain attempt to be cheerful , marked the faces of the unfortunate citizens when they spoke of their misfortune. Each tried to make light of his own losses when a neighbor was near and to offer his condolences for the hard luck of the other. It was a scene of destitution , al though few of the sightseers appeared , to realize It. Two thousand of them wandered over the ruins looking for souvenirs of the storm. They did not seem to realize that what they were taking might be the dearest pieces of bric-a-brac some women might have among all that mass of broken and marred remnants. Each carried off something , some of the most humane , it must be confessed , contenting them selves with limbs from the broken trees or pieces of bark from the scarred veterans which had withstood dozens of storms , but finally succumbed to this one , which appeared to have con tained all the violence of those which had passed before in years. It is estimated that 5,000 persons visited Herman and spent the day in sightseeing. Scores carried kodaks with them and the unsightly piles were photographed that others who were not so fortunate as to have had the opportunity to come might see them. The saloon men whose stock was bur ied under the ruins unearthed severa5 Kegs of beer and set up their dis mantled bars. Over these they sold their drinks and kicked because citi zens objected to the sight of drunken men on the streets while their hearts were full from the misfortunes they had suffered. At 4 o'clock the beer gave out and the saloon men were forced to vend cherry wine and pop , which to them seemed a sacrifice of time and much needed money because they might have done so much better on the brown liquid. Sioux City Sends Relief. SIOUX CITY , June 16. Sioux City at noon today sent a draft of $210 to the relief committee at the stricken town of Herman , Neb. Tins money was raised inside of an hour and the com mittee is still at work. More money will be sent after the committee has had a chance to do some more solicit ing. Donations of clothing and bed ding also have been called for by the mayor and Commercial association. Poincarc Accepts the Task. PARIS , June 16. Poincare inform ed President Loubet this morning that he would accept the task of forming a cabinet. He will take the war port folio , in addition to the presidency of the council. MMeline , in an interview with M. Poincare , strongly urged the latter to form a cabinet whose main plank will be the settlement of the Dreyfus affair. Crowds Assemble at Every Station Through Which Train Passes , HEARTY WELCOME TO HOLYOKE. Party Driven Directly to Home of Kx- Conffrcssmun Whiting ; , Where the Member * Will Have Kest and Oulot The Executive In Excellent Health. HOLYOKE , Mass. , June 19. The president's special train arrived at 10 o'clock. At Springfield Miss Grace McKinley and Colonel Roger Morgan of this city boarded the train , Colonel Morgan conveying the welcome of Gov ernor Wolcott to the distinguished vis itors. In honor of the presence of Presi dent McKinley this city is in gala dress today. Mr. Whiting will be the president's host. At Westfield the train was boarded by a committee of Holyoke citizens , headed by ex-Con gressman William Whiting , who greet ed the president warmly and was intro duced to the other members of the party. Holyoke was reached at 10 o'clock. As the president , who was the first to alight , appeared at the door of the last car a mighty cheer arose from the thousands congregated there. He bowed his acknowledgements to the round after round of cheers. The party alighted in an open space which was roped off and guarded by policemen. They were greeted and wel comed by a commitice from the city and were taken direct to the waiting carriages and the drive to the home of Mr. Whiting began. In the first car riage with President McKinley were Mr. Whiting and William Skinner and the second carriage contained Assistant Secretary of the Navy Allen , Acting Private Secretary Cortelyou and Mayor Chapin. Mrs. McKinley and Mrs. Allen were driven directly to the home of Mr. Whiting , other women of the party going to the Hamilton hotel. Mr. Whiting's personal guests during the day will be President and Mrs. Mc Kinley , Secretary and Mrs. Allen. Dr. Rlxey and Private Secretary Cortelyou. The line of carriages was greeted with cheers and waving of flags and handkerchiefs from the crowds which lined both sides of the streets through which they went. At the Whiting residence the guests were welcomed by the hostess and the members of the Whiting family. Several of the more prominent local gentlemen called to pay their respects. There were many offerings of flowering plants and magnificent bouquets from the female admirers of Mrs. McKinley. ASSESSMENT SYSTEM WRONG. Senatorial Committee Hears Complaints at Chicago. CHICAGO , June 19. At the close of today's session of the senatorial in vestigating committee , Senator Bax- ted stated that the senators had con cluded to continue the investigation another week. The Chicago assessment system was under consideration all day , and al though a great deal of uvirtjnee was heard nothing developed with the ex ception of a revival of the long stand ing controversy between Robert C. Givins , president of the taxpayers' as sociation , and the city officials regard ing the cost of cement and paving mate - te ! al generally. Mr. Givins' chief complaint was that city officials were evidently in collu sion with "promoters , " who , he inti mated , were working in the interest of cement companies and contractors. "Property has been assessed in this town at from 60 to 75 per cent of its actual cash value , " declared Mr : Giv ins. "These special assessments have placed real estate on such a basis in some parts of the city that you can not give it away , and have damaged Chicago property to the extent of $100,000,000 , within the last six months. Total Deaths at Richmond. NEW RICHMOND , Wis. , June 19. Today , five days after the New Richmond mend tornado , it is possible to give a summary of the deaths and destruction with fair accuracy. The official list of known dead contains 102 names ; five unidentified bodies have been bur ied , besides some parts of bodies. A conservative estimate of the bodies still in the ruins of people not report ed missing would be fifteen. This brings the loss of life to about 125. The best estimate on the loss of property in the city of New Richmond compiled from a list of individual property owners who lost everything , reaches a total of $550,000. To thlti may be added about $200,000 for house hold goods and other property destroy ed in this immediate vicinity , not in cluded in the buildings totally demol ished. The relief fund is growing rapidly , having reached $35,000 today. Delivery of Armor Plate. WASHINGTON , June 19. Repre sentatives of the Carnegie and Bethle hem armor concerns were at the navy department today to make final ar rangements for the delivery of the 2,271 tons of side armor for the Ala bama , Illinois and Wisconsin , recently ordered by Secretary Long. The tests will be considerably greater than those heretofore made and will be designed ; o give a higher grade of armor than ; hat furnished up to this time. The Canal Commission. WASHINGTON , June 19. The Nica ragua canal commission held another meeting today and then adjourned to meet in this city on the 6th of July. Adbiral Walker , the chairman , was authorized to appoint committees to consider the various general lines of investigation heretofore agreed upon. The appointments will be made in a day or two. Each committee is expected to be ready to report to the full com mittee when it again meets a tentative and preliminary plan for the prosecu tion of the commission's work. This will be passed upon by the full body COMBINES ARE A MENACE. The Industrial Commission Cot * TcatU inony oti Trusts. WASHINGTON , June 10. Durlni the afternoon , the Industrial commit tee heard a statement from P. E. Dowo of New York , president of the com mercial travelers' league. Mr. Dowo said the opinion of the commercial men at large was that the trusts were a menace to the community. He esti mated the number of traveling sales men In the United Stateu at 350.000. saying that the census figures of 60.000 were grossly Incorrect. The formation of trusts and combinations was throwIng - Ing a large number of these men out of employment. Mr. Dowe said that the trust combination had raised the prices of the commodltlea they were con trolling from 5 to 100 per cent In al most every Instance , except coffee and sugar. In these they were still fight ing for control of the field. He aald his figures in this line were absolutely correct , being from reliable commer- citl acquaintances. The examples he gave were : Iron pipe , over 100 per cent ; tinware and enameled ware , about 33 per cent ; brass goods , 60 per cent ; chair trust , just formed , will ad vance prices 30 per cent ; rubber over shoes ( United States Rubber company ) advanced prices 14 per cent on May 1 ; American Tin Plate company advanc ed prices something like 30 per cent : newspaper quarter to half a cent a. pound , a further advance In prospect ; book papers 5 and 10 per cent ; an ad vance is expected in writig paper ; In common soap 25 cents to 50 cents it box ; Hint glass bottles will be ad vanced 10 per cent or more ; jobbers and manufacturers of clocks have ad vanced the wholesale prices on account of the advance of metals 60 per cent ; all metal goods have been advanced : brass pins 25 per cent ; pipes and bushes V1V- * . per cent ; combs , 7J/- > per cent ; ribbons , 10 per cent : school fur niture has gone up as well as paper baks and wrapping paper. "The umbrella trust failed four years ago , ' 'said the witness , but it advanced - ed prices while in existence and after its break up the return to legitimate and healthy prices caused a loss to the retailer through the stock on hand. " This witness concluded by saying that before leaving New York he had been warned by an acquaintance , a lawyer , indirectly connected with some of the trusts , that he was doing a dangerous thing in speaking before the commission , as he was liable to "be crushed like a caterpillar. " The commission will hear tomorrow M. L. Lockwood of Pennsylvania , the last of the trust witnesses , and next week will take up the investigation or agricultural interests. BROKERS MUST PAY THE TAX. Transactions In IJucket Shops Must Con tribute Their Tart. WASHINGTON , June IS. Commis sioner Wilson of the internal revenue bureau has rendered a decision which has been pending for a long time re garding the liability of bucket shop transactions , to the stamp act. The decision says : By a bucket shop is meant a place other than a board of trade or ex change where the parties who agree to buy and sell stocks do not ordinar ily contemplate the receiving or de livering of the certificates therefore by the buyer or seller either at the time or in the future. Such transactions iu stocks are taxable. In the case of every agreement to sell at a bucket shop there is both a presumptive buyer and a presump tive seller and this is true whether the customer agrees to sell the stock to the manager of the place or the man ager of the place agrees to sell stoclr to the customer. Where agreement of sale has been made and no delivery of stock takes place and the party bolding the agree ment of sale wishes to c.ose the trans action by disposing of his interest in said agreement , and settles with the holder of the contract by paying the deficiency price , in contemplation of lav , ' there is an agreement to resell the shares to the original seller. All these transactions must be evidenced by a written memorandum. It makes no difference whether these , agreements to sell stocks made at bucket shops are called "selling privi leges" or "purchase privileges" or whether they are called by any other name , such contracts are taxable the same as stock transactions on the stock exchange. Regarding the sale of grain and oth er products of merchandise at bucket shops , the commissioner , in view of the recent decision of the United States supreme court in regard to the sales of merchandise at a board of trade , exchange or any similar place , revokes the precious decision that a. bucket shop as ordinarily conducted is a similar place to a board of trade or exchange. It is understood that in the case of a bucket shop there is commonly only one manager or firm who control all the sales and purchas es made at that particular place , and where this is the case uo tax accrues on the sale of grain or other merchan dise made thereat , except where a bro ker's contract or memorandum of sale is issued , when it must be stamped with a 10-cent stamp. Minister Drops Dead. NEWCOMERSTOWN , O. , June 19. While sitting in a hotel office. Rev. James Singleton , aged 60 , residence un known , died suddenly of heart failure. Deceased was en route from Philadel phia , On his person was found his appointment as a minister of the Bap tist church and a letter of recommen dation signed by Governor Taylor of Knoxville , Tenn. Daily Gets Out of Anarond.i. CHICAGO , Jun3 19. A special to the Times-Herald from Salt Lake says that Marcus Daly of Montana and his asso ciates in the Anaconda Mining com pany have sold all their holdings in that company to an eastern syndicate headed by John D. Itockefeller for S23.000.000. Though the transfer oc curred more than a month ago. it has never been made public. The sale leaves Mr. Daly with nothing in Mon tana except his "Bitter Root" stock farm. He is also pledged not to engage in cooner mining in Montana.