Evening Star Newspaper, December 1, 1893, Page 1

THE EVENING STAR. PUBLISHED DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY- AT THE STAR BUILDINGS, 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, corner 11th St, by iy; The Evening Star Ni: Oompan: NS He KAUFFMANN, Pres New York Office, $8 Potter Building, —_ +- = ‘TE EVENING Stax in served Aty by carriers, on their socount, at 10 cents on own week. or $40. per month. Copies at the counter conts each. By mail—enywhere in the United States or ‘ostage preprid—S0 cents per Satcmpat 8 ; ens ea ae Gan 61-00 per year ) #411 mail subscriptions must be paid in advance. Rates of atvertising made known on application. oo to subseribers in the Che Evening Star. Vor 83, Na 20,744. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1893—TWELVE PAGES. TWO CENT Am index to advertise- MR. HOLMAN TALKS. How He Thinks the Revenue Should Be Raised. HE DECIDEDLY FAVORS AN INCOME TAX He Also Thinks the Expenditures Should Be Reduced. INTERESTING SUGGESTIONS. Judge Holman, discussing the question of increasing the revenue with a Star rq porter today, said: “There are, of course, three sources of internal revenue that have been more or less considered: The tax tobacco and an income the tax on ingle & i F E 5 i iil t E to Make Up the Deficit. “There are practically three modes by which the deficit could be made up: By issuing bonds, and thus increasing the pub- lic debt; by an income tax, which would Fealize from $50,000,000 to $75,000,0U0, or by @ reduction of expenditures. In regard to the bond issue, I do not believe any politi- cal party would survive a material enlarge- of the: public debt in time of hope that that will not be attempted at for lI am confident that the great people believe that the em- o Cy ible and lavish expenditure of public money. “If the expenditures of our government Kept up to their present rate, I think the increased revenue required should be provided by an.income tax. lt is a just and equitable method of raising revenue. ‘he burden falls upon persons most abie to bear it. It falls exclusively upon ample es- tates instead of upon the prime necessities of human life. It is manifest now that our fe} expenditures of the government, would go earnestly to work it would find no difficul! in reducing the expenditures of the govern- ment so that the present rate of internal revenue and proposed reduction of tariff taxation would furnish ample means to Support the government and meet the re- quirements of the sinking fund. We cannot with honor abandon the sinking fund. It was not intended as a guarantee to the holders of public securities, but a solemn engage- ment of Congress to the people that the public debt should not be permanent, but should be extinguished on the reasonable basis provided by the act of 1862, under which the debt would be paid off within a reasonable period of time. Exemption from debt is one of the guarantees of frugal gov- ernment, and frugal government is the only guarantee we have of the perpetuation of our free institutions. “It is reported in the public prints that the bounty on sugar is to be continued for years and reduced by trifling annual re- ductions. I do not believe the democrats of the country will consent to this. There has never yet, in the whole history of the dem- ccratic party, been a time when that party was not at war with bounties and subsi- dies. Those modes of promoting special interests and industries and private enter- prises are in sharper antagonism with the democratic principles than any other ideas of government that can be expressed. The equal rights of men and their equal pro- tection by government are opening up to all alike. Against Subsidies d Bounties. “So far as government is concerned equal opportunities in the struggle of life are democratic principles, and the democratic masses of this country will not submit to subsidies and bounties to create or enlarge the wealth of favored citizens at the ex- pense of the industries of the whole people. I sincerely hope that the committee on ‘ways and means will not misapprehend the spirit of the democratic party in regard to subsidies and bounties. My belief is that a reduction of tariff taxation to a revenue basis is not only demanded by the great majority of our people, but absolutely re- quired and necessary to enforce upon Con- a@ reduction of public expenditures. measure of our expenditures will de- pend upon our revenues. I wish to see the revenues sharply reduced and I believe the democratic Congress will meet this emer- gency, not by bonds or increased taxatfn, but by a reduction of the expenditures of the government. A reduction of these ex- penditures, instead of weakening the gov- ernment, will give it strength by purifying the administration and its affairs. In the Forty-fourth Congress the current expenses of the government were reduced more than $64,000,000. No public interest suffered; on the contrary, it strengthened and led all the departments of government, striking down mercenary motives.” + + «—_______ AN OFFICIAL QUARBEL. Mr. Henry Smith, the Assistant Regis- ter, to Be Removed. It has been decided that Mr. H. H. Smith, formerly journai clerk of the House for many years, is to be dismissed within a day or two from the position of assistant regis- ter of the treasury, which he has held since receiving an appointment early in the ad- ministration of Mr. Harrison. There is quite a story in this case, and it is one which has received the attention of not only the Secretary of the Treasury, but of the President himself. Mr. Cleveland appoint- ed Mr. Tillman, who was formerly secreta- ry of the Farmers Alliance, to be register of the treasury, and soon after this induction to office he and Mr. Smith, deputy register, locked horns, and there has been a merry war from that time forward, which has just now reached its height. There have been charges and counter charges filed with the Secetary and the President. Mr. Smith is a republican, but served as journal clerk of the House under Mr. Carlisle, and, of course, is well known to him. Just what caused the row between Smith and Tillman is unimportant, as it has been obscured by taxes are mostly raised on the labor of the country and not on the great estates which have been so enormously increased of late years and that too, mainly through favor- itiem of classes in legislation. The govern- ment is mainly employed in the protection of the rights of property. The owners of ample estates cannot complain. Very ample revenues can be raised through an income tax without scrimping the homes of our people. The act of 1862, the war measure, exempted only incomes below $000. We could well afford to extend the exemption now as high as $2,500 or $3,000, and yet with a very moderate rate of tax the rev- snues would be ample. y persons favor on all estates. I think the larger income of a citizen may be the larger rate of | eg BF : fe ey By i tax, and the just- ess of a reasonable income It has always i i fe HE f by i ett Ff ie E & i | i rg te rate of the permit me, however, to sug- is in my mind at this time iswerable argument in favor of a me tax. It is a wholesome @ tax, I think, would work jovernment that ought to imperative. As matters as federal government is he fe . f E i ; 85 dts t R ih F i to mmerease the public ex-| mainly been organized by citizens of ample means, who are benefited by the lavish expenditure of public money. The Great Private Estates. “If the great private estates of the coun- paid @ tax in proportion to the value of their estates for federaP purposes, these citizena, instead of urging extravagance in government, would become interested in restoring our government to what it was years. The frugal system of our federal government is fast going beyond the limits intended by the founders of the q of ample means who Tesponsibie for this state cannot complain if called upon Feasonable portion of the expendi- tures of the government. It ts common to the enormous increase of expendi- has within the last the growth of the conflict since. Smith charged the register with tyranny over the employes in his office and with general in- competency. Tillman charged Smith with drunkenness and neglect of duty, and many other charges and counter charges have been filed. Smith has now filed with the Secretary charges and a great mass of documentary testimony intended to sustain them, that Mr. Tillman tried to dicker with both the democratic and republican national commit- tees during the last presidential campaign Yo sell out secrets of the alliance, and that, getting better terms from the democrats than he could get from the republicans he furnished the democratic committee with the alliance list and other information which was very valuable to them during the campaign and which is believed to have been of material assistance toward the election of Mr. Cleveland. ‘The President Acts. Soon after Cleveland’s election Mr. Till- man became a candidate for the position of commissioner of immigration and was pressed for the place by a large number of democrats who had been associated with the mzeragement of the presidential cam- paign and who claimed that the appoint- ‘ment was due him for services rendered. No man was appointed to that particular place and Mr. Tillman was Kept on the anxious seat for a long while, but finally in response to numerous demands from democrats that he be rewarded for his very valuable services to the party he was ap- pointed register of the treasury. It is said in the department that he makes a capable and efficient register. The President has been informed that Mr. Smith has made boasts that he covid not be removed, and consequently the order has gone out that his removal be made as quickly as possible, THE COMING MESSAGE It is Being Copied for Transmission to Congress, Se UNUSUAL SECRECY BEING OBSERVED. It Will Be Sent to the Capitol on Monday, AND ALSO MADE PUBLIC. The usual semi-weekly meeting of the cabinet was held this afternoon with all the members present except Secretary Smith. Almost the entire session was de- voted to the final consfderation of executive communications to Congress. The Presi- dent’s message and all the departmental reports ate finished and will be transmitted to Congress on Monday with the possible exception of the report of the Secretary of the Treasury, which may not go in until The President's message is now being put into official form for Congress. Custom prescribes that it shall be in writing, not- withstanding that it is usually in type be- fore it goes to the Capitol. Two copies are made, one for the Senate and the other for the House. Maj. Pruden, assistant private secretary, is making one of these copies and Mr. Young, executive clerk, the other. They are penmen of superior skill, Mr. Pruden’s chirography being parti i The copying is being done in Maj. Pru- den’s room and the work is surrounded with the usual secrecy and mystery. Police Officers on Gua: As an additional precaution, Police Officer Lewis is stationed at the door with specific instructions to allow no one, especially newspaper men, to enter the room or to ap- proach anywhere near the sacred man’ script. It will be given to the public Mon- day in the usual way through the two press —e It will appear in Monday's ———___+#+_______- FOR THE OPENING OF CONGRESS. Preparations Being Made at the Ca; tol—All Expected on Monday. Preparations about the Capitol for the opening of Congress have been completed. The furniture has been repaired and var- nished up and new carpets laid here and there and daubs of paint put around where needed, and everything is in readiness for Congress to reassemble and get to work. There are at present a great many members in town or close enough to be here in a very few hours, but still those who went home to their districts are coming in very slowly. There were yesterday about one hundred and fifty Representatives in the city, most of whom had not returned to their homes at all, and probably not more than twenty have returned today. Most of those who went home took their Thanksgiving dinner under their own rooftree and started for Washington todayy 6002s Durin; tomonsper and Bandai they are expect in t numbers. it is be- lieved that nearly every Senator and Rep- resentative will be present at the opening of Congress. The Speaker is expected to arrive on Saturday night or Sunday. Among the new asrivais today were Sen- ator Voorhees and Representatives Bailey, Hutchinson, Hayes, Hopkins. Murdock, Lane, Mercer, Cobb of Alabama, Fithian, Hare and Livingston. The death of Rep- resentative O'Neill of Pennsylvania, the Father of the House, will cut short the ses- sion on Monday, probably an adjournment being taken on the announcement of his death soon after the formal reassembling There is a great deal of work before both houses of Congress and a verv active and perhaps exciting session is anticipated. —_—_—_-2-___—_ WORK OF THE MINT. Coimage Executed a: Metals Pur- chased During the Ye: The annual report of Mr. R. E. Preston, the director of the mint, shows that the value of the coinage executed at the mints during the fiscal year was: Gold, $30,038,- 140; silver dollars, $5,343,715; subsidiary sii- ver coin, $7,217,221; minor coin, $1,086,102. Total, $43,685,178. The number of pieces coined was 97,280,875. Since April 1, 187%, the total amount of silver purchased by the government was 496,954,809 fine ounces, the cost of which was $508,83,975. The average cost per fine ounce was $1.024. The total number of sil- ver dollars coined since March 1, 1878, was 419,332,550. ‘The imports of gold during the year were $22,060,380. The exports during the year were: Domestic coin and bullion, $1U2,337,- foreign coin and_ bullion, 298. Total, $105,066,655. The impor" of silver during the year were $34,293,999. The ex- ports were $41,047,612. ‘The approximate stock of gold, silver and uncovered paper money in the principal countries of the world aggregated: Gold, $3,001,900,000; silver, 33,931,100,000; uncover- ed paper money, $2,700,000,000. e production of the precious metals in the world during the calendar year 1892 is estimated to have been: id, $138,861,- 000; silver, $196,458,800. end he will be removed as svon as his suc- cessor can be selected, which will probably be within a day or two. + e+ “DOCKERY IS COMING.” Words of Dire Moment to Many Gov- ernment Clerks. “You'd better brace up, old man, Dockery will be coming around pretty soon.” This is what the chiefs of the divisions in the de- partments say now when they want to in- still new energy into clerks. As Saracen mothers of old hushed their crying babes into fearsome silence by whispering the dread name of Richard Coeur de Lion, so does the name of Mr. Dockery and the joint departmental commission serve to send cold chills down the spinal columns of a whole | division of department clerks of this day. @ “Dockery ts coming around,” they whis- per in awe-struck tones. To those who | have never seen him the name implies a dreadful creature with a thousand eyes,able to pick out every flaw, to see opportunities for all kinds of inconvenient reforms, and to discover every imperfection or short- coming in the clerks themselves. They see visions of a fierce, avenging being, wreak- ing wrath and imposing tasks. “Dockery is coming around,” goes the rooms, like the premonitory sigh of the | wind before a storm, and pipes and cigars | are hastily thrust out of sight, half-written occurred few YogTy, to the increase of the pension Ust, but an examination of our appropria- tion bills will disclose the fact that the fmerease has occurred all along the line, that the increase of the pension list alone would not have created any embarrass- ment whatever at this time. Had that the only source of increase there ae ae large surplus in the treasury of the ff revenues ‘would have oat however, of meeting the present embarrassments Which goes to the root of the evil of our time, and that is the reduction of our pub- Mle expenditures. With the pension list as it 1s and as it is likely to be under the present —— $185,000,000 a year, the entire our government ought not to Beach 000,000. ia “If the present democratic Congress, Which is now wholly responsible for the letters are shoved under the blotters, heads bend lower over the work, and hands move faster if more nervously. Every foot- step in the hall conveys a terror. “Dockery 1s coming around,” repeat the messengers in frightened accents as they pass from room to room, and themselves proceed to cover where they cannot be found by the awful presence. It's a wonder- ful revivifier, that magic sentence, and al- though somewhat old, is still used to con- jure within the departments and to put | flagging clerks into a furor of energy and | motion. The intimations of the reforms | to be worked by the juint commission, how- | ever,and the announcement of those already decided upon, still give force and fear to the warning signal, “Dockery is coming around.” Governme The receipts from internal revenue today | Were $838,964; from customs, $562,193. whisper down the corridors and through the | 0% TO STOP THE SPORT. ‘Tomorrow’s Game Betwetn the Army and Navy May He the Last. It is among the probabilities that tomor- row’s foot ball game at Annapolis between the cadets of the Military and Naval Acade- mies will be the last of its kind, as it is understood that the Secretary of War thinks the practice is detrimental to the interests of the service. The rough character of the sport will be responsible for its suppression at the two academies. The point is made that the interest in the game subordinates the interest in the studies anf that those who participate in it are lable to injuries that may permanently disable them for the service for which they are being educated. It is alleged that Col. Ernst, superintendent of the Military Academy, has reported against a continuance of foot ball playing and that the department is disposed to act accordingly. The fact that tomorrow's game will be the last of the season, does away with the necessity for action in the matter of future games until next fall. A large crowd of army and naval officers will leave here to- morrow for Annapolis to see the game. Secretary Herbert and Secretary Lamont will not be able to attend, but both depart- ments will, undoubtedly, be well represent- Navy Department. soe - Special Agent at Chicago. Secretary Carlisle hi: Johnson of Frankfort, Ky.. to succeed J. J. Crowley as special agent in charge of the Chicago di ion of treasury agents. Mr. | Johnson is one of the most widely known |mewspaper men in the west and has for years been public printer of Kentucky. 2 Se SES A Michigan Inspector Appointed. Secretary Carlisle today appointed John Denneny of Michigan a special inspector, and removed Irving Bates of Michigan, a | special inspector. a At 9:45 Otho Brashears fell from a Metro- politan railroad car at 41-2 and C streets Assistant Secretary McAdoo and a number of bureau chiefs will represent the selected E. Polk THE SAMOAN INQUIRY. The Examination Into Lieut, Davenport’s Conduct at Apia, His Co From the Defendant — Lieut. sel Reads a Long Statement Hawley’s Testimony. The second day’s session of the court of inquiry into the case of Lieut. R. G. Daven- port, U. 8S. N., began at 10:30 this morning in the civil engineer's office at the navy yard. Lieut. Davenport, it will be remem- bered, was on board the Nipsic during the cyclone at Samoa in March, 1889, and this court of inquiry, which began on Wednes- day, involves the question as to his conduct as navigator on the Nipsic on that occasion. The court consists of Capt. F. B. McNair, president; Commander Chas. H. Davis and Lieut. Commander Richard Rush,with First Lieut. Chas. H. Laucheimer as judge advo- cate. Lieut. Davenport was present with his counsel, Lieut. Richard Wainwright. Lieut. Davenport’s Statement. After court was opened and the records of the first day were read, Lieut. Wainwright port, as to the holding of this court, and re- ferring to the reports which had been made as to his conduct, and which had led him to ask for such a court. Among other similar rumors as to his conduct, the letter said, one was involved in a letter which was sent to the committee on admissions of a club alleging improper conduct on his pa-t. This letter and the action of the committee resulted in the withdrawal of his name, which had been put up for membe-ship. Accompanying Lieut. Davenport's letter to the Secretary of the Navy was a lengthy statement as to the details of the hurricane which struck the Nipsic. The origin a force of the hurricane were described, and diagrams showing the ship’s position were also submitted with the statement which was read by Lieut. Wainwright. Lieut. Davenport’s actions during the hurricane were gone into at very considerable length and with great minuteness in this state- ment, which was spread upon the records of the court. The ship was beached, according to this statement, about 7 a.m., on a smooth sand beach in front of the United States con- sulate, and she glided on so easily that the shock was scarcely felt. The men in the engine room were not ordered up, as it was thought best to keep them there to stop the engines, as the navigator knew trom his own study of the surroundings | that the Nipsic could go ashore here with- out serious injury. A schooner had been beached there shortly before without any material damage being done. The statement described the effects of the awful hurricane on the Nipsic, and the es on board during its perilous adven- ture. According to this Lieut. Daven was among the last to leave the ship. With great deliberation he let himself down over the side and succeeded in swimming ashore, though the current was running like a millrace. He only left his ship when it had become certain that for him to remain any longer would mean loss of life cr broken limbs in the wreckage. He did all he could both before and after leaving the ship to save the lives of others, and after it was all over a number told him that they owed their salvation to him. Be- fore lying down that night he made copious notes of all the details of the beaching of the Nipsic, and these notes were verified by others who were witnesses of the scene. At the time he made a statement to the other officers that if any of them had any complaint to make of his behavior on the occasion of the hurricane he would demand @ court of inquiry at once, but ho com- plaints were made. He hedrd no more about any dissatisfaction as to his conduct on that occasion until early in 188¥, when he heard from the United States that gos- sip inimical to him was being spread about by one of hts juniors, who disliked him, basing these remarks on his swimming ashore, although that officer knew noth- ing about the occurrence. In concluding the statement, Lieut. Davenport said that he left it with the court to decide whether he had not acted at that time with discretion officer of his rank. The First Witness. The first reguiar witness called before the court was Lieut. John M. Hawley, who was on the Nipsic at the time and who was frequently referred to in Lieut. Daven- port’s statement. Lieut. Hawley came up from Annapolis this morning, having been subpoenaed to appear before the court. Lieut. Hawley stated that on the occasion of the hurricane in the harbor of Apia he was the executive oflicer on the Nipsic. He was asked by Lieut. Wainwright a gen- eral question as to what he knew of Lieut. Davenport's action during and after the hurricane. The witness then went on to tell with a great deal of technical detall, that would hardly be intelligible to a lands- man, all the orders that were given and all the efforts that were made to save the ship. On numerous occasions during the night of the storm he had consultations with Lieut. Davenport. About daylight witness said it became necessary to veer ship to keep clear of a German ship and a little ater one of the chains parted. He told Capt. Mullen that the only thing to do was to run the ship ashore to save the lives of the mén on aboard, though possibly to lose the ship. Otherwise they would have gon on to -he reef and all lives would probably have been lost, as had happened in the case of a German ship. Orders were given to to lower the gig. He nimself superintended the lowering of the cutter .and he sent ashor® in it the sick, the doctor and the two engineers. A hawser was gotten ashore, being pulled in by the natives, and shortly afterwards the order was given by the commanding officer to abandon the ship and witness went below to see that all were up. Saw Lieut. Davenport on deck and conversed with him as to saving the signals and other matters that were lit- tering up the Ceck. Witness was ordered three times to leave the ship, though he saw no necessity for leaving at first. Fi- nally Lieut. Shearman came to him from Capt. n_to tell him that the regula- tions required that the commanding officer should be the last to leave the ship and that he really must go. The witness told in detail the part that Lieut. Davenport took in the incident of the beaching of the ship and he had not completed his story when the court took a recess for luncheon shortly after noon. — —e—-—____ Gen. Henderson’s Broken Leg. Mr. Horace Cake is in receipt of a letter from Gen. Henderson, at Dubuque, Iowa, stating that his broken leg is knitting nice- ly and that it is getting along well in an all-round sort of way. He will not reach hington until after the holidays. His physician opposes his doing so. Test of Harveyised Plates. Haryeyized plates for battleships will be tested at the Indian Head proving grounds very soon for the first time. The plates represent several hundred tons of side ar- mor for the Maine. They are ten inches thick and will be attacked by an eight- inch rifle, firing three shots at different velocities. The test of the first of the twelve 13-inch guns will take place at In- dian Head as soon as the mounts are in position. gE The Vice President. order. He is expected Bloomington, Ill., Sunday. ————+2e+—___. Auburn Postmaster Appointed. The President today appointed Emil Rose Storke postmaster at Auburn, N. Y., vice J. N. Knapp, resigned. —_——__+ e+ ____ A New York Appointment. ‘The President today apointed Emil Rose northwest and was badly cut about the! an assistant appraiser of merchandise at head. He was taken to No. southeast. TaN Shc | New York, vice J. Stanley Isaacs, re- moved, read a letter of request from Lieut. Daven- | and coolness, and in a manner betitting an | lower the cutter, to send a line ashore and | The apartments of Vice President Ste- venson at the Normandie are being put in to arrive from BURNING GARBAGE. The Factory Goes Up in Flames Today. ps cape THE AFFAIR AN ACCIDENT. The Much Discussed Nuisance Ends in Black Smoke. Fire and REE ae ee THE LOSS VERY HEAVY. oe . The garbage factory at the foot of South |Capitol street went up in smoke this morn- jing. | Shortly after 11:30 o'clock this morning Foreman Morrison, in charge of the mills where the tankage of the garbage is treat- ed and changed into fertilizer. noticed a spark fly from the grinder wheel of the |mfil, A piece of steel had in some manner |got into the machinery and the friction caused a spark, which quickly ignited the dry tankaze. Foreman Morrison ran for a bucket of water, but by the time he returned the en- tire lower floor was ablaze. Upstairs were the millers. totally obliv- fous to the danger threatening them below. A moment later they were panic stricken to see the hungry flames burst through the floor, They ran to’ the steps, but the avenues of escape were cut off save the windows and toward them the frightened workmen fought their way. It was a good leap to the ground, perhaps twenty-five feet, yet they did not hesitate a moment in jumping. ‘The blaze spread with amazing rapidity and the men had to hurry for their lives. The flames seemed to spread over the cell- ings and swept through the walls as if the structure was built of cardboard. The men jumped down the stairs without waiting for their coats. It was a close call for many of them, but no one was hurt save one of the colored workmen, who wrenched his ankle. An alarm of fire was sent through the telephone and soon the fire laddies were on hand. Chief Parris led the assault, but soon found that he would have to call his reserve force out to assist in quenching the hungry flames, which were threaten- ing the adjoining property of the Washing- ton Asphalt and Tile Company. A second alarm was sent in immediately, but before assistance had arrived the entire structure was aflame. seen to be doomed. Engines rive. When the employes in the office discov- ered the fire and telephoned to headquar- ters No. 4 Engine Company was notified by telephone. They had just returned from an all-night battle with the Jackson City fire when they were compelled to start on a tory. When whole place was in a blaze except the building on the extreme western edge of the property, and they confined their ef- forts to preventing the spread of the flames. The paving block factory to north of the garbage buildings see danger for a while, but good work sa’ it. A general alarm Was turned in, but by the time the additional engines arrived there was but a blazing heap of ruins. The firemen did good work to prevent the spread of the flames, and worked under considerable difficulties. Fighting the Flames. The engines were run into the yard south of the works, and backed down the short |bank to the river's edge. From there they | were able to pump the river wate> directly, | without tapping any of the mains. By this means there were five steamers concentrat- ed at the hottest part of the fire. These were numbers 2, 4, 6, Sand. Th>ee others tapped hydrants on South Capitol street. The yard was a network of pipes, and the firemen had more trouble dodging their own Streams than the blazes. The materials were so inflammable that they mostly went off in the first gust of flame, and there was little fo> the hose men to do but to pick off the jets of fire that spurted out here and there. There was one fierce fight, however, against a bed of fire that was discovered in the loft of a warehouse on the end of the wharf. This was filled with phosphate, which, being very fine and dry, burned al- most like gas whenever it broke out in dust. A strong stream was played on this for the purpose of scattering It. As the water threw masses of it out into the air it seemed to scatter fire almost by sponta- neous combustion, and the effect was that of brilliant fireworks. This was subdued after a while, merely by virtue of the supply of phosphate be- coming exhausted. By 1 o'clock the worst of the fire had been wholly subdued, and there were only a few spits of flame coming forth from fences and joists. Like a Tinder Box, “The whole thing was like a tinder box,” said Chief Parris, “and nothing that we could do would save the place. It went like a flash.” The character of the materials caused the most deplorable stench to spread forth and the westerly wind fortunately drifted it eastward toward the navy yard. Had there been a wind from the south the good folks of Washington would all be elevating their noses this evening. The Engineer's Story. The engineer of the building, Mr. C. Roller, said: “The first I knew of the fire was the sight of the whole easte-n end in a blaze. My first thought was to save my battery of boilers. I called for help, and the men helped me to draw the fires. We hardly had time to draw the fire from under the last boiler when the engine room was in a blaze, and we had to run for it. The boilers were full of water, but the fact that the fire was drawn and the gauges open prevented a disastrous explosion.” The Loss. Mr. Baliey, the superintendent, said: “I cannot estimate yet what our loss will be. The plant is worth about $70,000, and we had about $11,000 worth of material in the place. “I think we may have as much as $35,000 insurance on the place, although it will be impossible to form any kind of idea yet. “I think the handling of the garbage will not be interfered with. We may have to take it down the river, however.” An Accident. Mr. A. Morrison, superintendent of the garbage plant, told a Star reporter that the fire was the result of an accident, and could not have been avoided. The dry tankage, he said, had been put in the machines to be ground, and he thought that by some ac- cident a piece of iron had been put in with it. When the machine was started, the iron could not be ground with the tankage, and the friction, he thought, set fire to the tankage. The wood work being saturated with grease, there was no way possible to avoid the spreading of the flames or even keep them under control until the fire de- partment arrived. Mr. C. C. Roller, the en- gineer, he said, discovered the fire and turned in the alarm. Future Proceedings. A reporter of The Star was the first to communicate the news to the Commission- ers. They realized at once the importance of the situation and calling their carriages went at once to the scene. Fortunately at this season of the year | | | | c. flames cut off retreat in that direction. All | The factory was | run ‘of a mile to the burning garbage fac- | they reached the scene the | there is little garbage being collected, but the continuance of this warm weather will | bring hundreds of complaints. | The great question of the hour is what are the Commissioners going to do with the garbage now that the reduction plant has | been destroyed. Auditor Petty was seen by a reporter of The Star this afternoon about the matter. He said that he did not anticipate any trouble. The emergency fund of the Dis- trict could not be called upon to remove the garbage. The Commissioners, he thought, would look to the sureties of the Sanitary Company to do the work and hold them re- sponsible for the completion of the contract. | While it has not been definitely settled, i is understood that the Sanitary Company will transport the garbage down the river, as was done before it commenced to treat it by approved methods, and after the in- surance matters have been settled, will ap- | ply for a permit to erect a new plant in Maryland, outside of the limits of the Dis- trict. Holding Sureties. The Commissioners decided not to for- mally discuss the garbage situation until | tomorrow morning, when they will meet in | special board session. They can do nothing, | however, except decide upon a place or de- pot where the garbage is to be transported. lit is generally expected that the foot of |South Capitol street will be the point of |shipment. The Commissioners deprecate | | the loss of the factory very much, and say | ‘they will hold the sureties responsible for | the performance of the contract. Against Rebuilding. Health Officer Hammett was not in his| office when a Star reporter called this| afternoon, but it was stated that some| arrangements would be made for the im- mediate removal of the garbage. “Will the plant be rebuilt?’ was the question asked of one of the officials, and) his response was, “I think not. There has| been so much complaint about it that I think the Commissioners will not permit) the company to rebuild the plant in the city.” The Bulildiugs. e The buildings occupied by the National Sanitary Company were erected October 14, 18¥2, and had a frontage of thirty-seven feet on South Capitol street, running back to a depth of 155 feet six inches. | The main building was of frame, one story high. In this was placed the boilers where the garbage was treated. while be- low was situated the mechanism for convey- ing the oil and tankage to the back build- \ing where the former was strained and |placed in barrels, while the tankage was |heavily pressed to extract all of the oil. After this was done the tankage was al- |most thoroughly dry, and then conveyed to an out building, known as the mill, where it was ground into fertilizer after being dried out. The plant cost, irrespective of machinery, $8,000, and was built by John Henderson & Son from plans prepared by Paul J. Pelz. ‘This is not the first fire that has occurred at the works. On several previous occa- )sions small fires have been discovered, but jluckily were put out before any | was done. | Inadequate Force. The inadequacy of the fire department of \the District was amply illustrated by this morning’s events. Previous to the alarm |sent out for the fire in South Washington jengine companies 1, 6 and 7 and truck B had been called out by an alarm sent in |trom box 136, 12th and N streets north- west. Before they got back to their re- spective houses the second and third alarms had been sent in from the fire at the sanitary plant, which took the South Wash- ington engine company, No. 6, and truck B when they returned from responding to box 136. In place of No. 7, which would have been called out by the third alarm had ned in time from the northwest box, 4 rgetown company, was or- to South Washington. All companies |but Nos. 1 and 7 and the chemical engine | | were called out by the third alarm, thereby |leaving those three companies to cover the | {rest of the District, truck C being unable to | go out because of the injury to their horses. |In. this emergency No. 1 was transferred to No. house, and the chemical engine to the house of No. 3 on Capitol Hill, the lat- ter company being directed to cover the city east of 6th street west. Before the South Washington fire was reperted out, how- jever, truck C reported that it was again ready for service, but was directed to re- main. But for a time the only companies ava! le for the whole District outside of South Washington was Nos. 1 and 7, the |chemical company and truck C. South Washington Complacent. A large crowd gathered about the burn- ing building and discussed the situation. Some were inclined to the belief that it had been set afire, but investigation proved there was no ground for such a conclusion. A number of the members of the South Washington Citizens’ Association were present and smiled complacently at the consumption of a thing that had caused them so much worry. One of them met a rter of The Star and sald: “Well, there is the solution of the whole question. It is not pleasant to rejoice at another man’s downfall, but if you could read the hearts of the citizens hereabouts you would see great thankfulness. Thanks- giving came a day late, yet it is near enough to celebrate, and the removal of that intolerable nuisance is indeed a matter of thanksgiving.” “This fire illustrates one thing,” said an- other member of the association. “There is a greater power than the head of municipal- ities competent to settle all matters.” “Well, gentlemen,” put in another mem- ber of the association, “the sanitary com- pany is now living up to its contract for the first time. It is burning the garbage.” ——— ADMIRAL STANTON REPORTS. | | Acting Admiral Stanton, late in command of the United States squadron in Brazilian waters, has made known his return to this country to the Navy Department. Con- sidering the rather pecullar’status of the admiral, who was relieved from his com- mand because of his recognition of Mello, the rebellious Brazilian naval commander, it might be supposed that he would avail himself of the opportunity afforded by his communication to say something in the nature of an explanation. But as a matter of fact the admiral’s letters, of which there are two, are models of brevity, so short, indeed, as to convey perhaps a sense of | wounded dignity. In his first letter the admiral reports his arrival in the United | States at New York, in conformity with the | requirements of the naval regulation, in| the second he simply states his address in| New London, Conn. | On Waiting Orders, | Technically, the officer is on waiting, orders, and probably he will remain at his home in New London until he receives fur- ther orders from the Secretary of the Navy. The admiral undoubtedly has enlisted the sympathy of a number of his brother offi- cers, but it is difficult to see how the Secre- tary could have pursued a different course in view of the faét that the admiral’s con- duct in the matter of saluting Mello, al- though corresponding to that of other for- eign naval officers at Rio, was made the subject of a special remofstrance by the | government. May Be Su oned Here. The case of Admiral Stanton was consid-| ered at today’s cabinet meeting, and it is Probable that he will be summoned to Washington in a few days to give a per-| sonal explanation of his copduct at Rio. Heavy Coinage in November. The greatest coinage in recent years for | any one month was executed by the United | States mints during the month of Novem- ber. The number of pieces coined aggre- gated 7,523,602, of the vajue of $11,031,- 440.35. Of this amount the gold coined | aggregated 1,265,400 pieces, of the value of | $10,784,800, the silver only 976,202 pieces, of | the value of $142,340.35; and the minor coins | 5,282,000 pieces, of the value of $1,300, Of the r:inor coin, 4,120,000 pieces were of the | denomination of 1 cent, demanded for the Christmas trade. | that the officials will find it | freight and coal A STUBBORN FIGHT. Lehigh Valley Strikers Soom to Be Holding Their Own. REASONS FOR THEIR CONFIDENCE Trains Irregular and Accidents Are Numerous. MR. VOORHEES IS CHEERFUL. WILKESBARRE, Pa, Dec. L—The Le high Valley railroad officials predicted that there would be a break in the strike on their road long before this, but the fact of the matter is they have failed so far as the Wyoming division is concerned. ‘The officials refuse to acknowledge this, but an impartial investigation made by disinterested parties shows that the pas- | Senger, freight and coal traffic is in no bet- ter shape today than it was a week ago, If anything it is worse. The crews in charge of passenger trains impossible to Operate the road with the present force of incompetent men. pMogidents are the company's property morning at the round a number o! mgs ‘umerous and destruction is great. This had the right of way. wrecked and the engineer, whose could not be learned, was injured. The branch road on the mountain cut-off Was completely blocked at noon today with cars. engines in cl of non-union crews lift the blockade this ing disgusted the crews drew the fires and track. lect the engines standing on ihe Officials Talk Confidently. PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 1—General Man- ager Voorhees of the Lehigh Valley road was in a cheerful mood this morning and he Spoke favorably of the company pros- pects. “We have stopped hiring men et all Points,” Mr. Voorhees continued, “and there are so many employes on the northern 4i- vision that many of them are being trans- and coal was moved out of the Wyoming Valley yesterday than the strike y,, on any day since ir. Voorhees further said refused all applications for positions that hat been received during the past three days and also one | that the Jersey Central had clined to iran handle Lehigh Valley 2. #. Clarke, chairman of the hood chiefs, stated at noon that One practically no change in the situation. No Change at Jersey City. JERSEY CITY, N. Dec. 1—Six empty freight trains were sent out on the Lehigh Valley road this forenoon and three loaded trains were received. Passenger trains were started on schedule time and arrived from ten minutes to an hour late. Passenger traffic is very light, and the quantity of freight offered is small compared with the business of the road before the strike. ere were no signs of the strike being dered off this morning, and none of the cia men applied for reinstatement. Attacked by Tramps. POTTSVILLE, Pa, Dec. 1—A freight train on the Lehigh Valley drawn by engine 146 was attacked by a gang of tramps this morning between Delano and Quakake. The rear brakeman made his escape to the woods and the caboose was ipeaecs ite Stare nas pelos out the brakeman who has not yet been heard from. at Delano and Lehigh Loewe d situation coal branches remains virtually the same as in the early part of the week. President before. There Rew developments on the Lehigh division. — ee PROVED HIMSELF A HERO, Am Elevator Boy at Déadly Risk Saved Many Lives, Nee 1—Fire broke out at ® o'ck this morning in the Haymarket ‘Theater building, situated at 161 to 169 West Madison street, the main thoroughfare of the most populous side of Chicago. It proved one of the worst fires which the fire department has had to contend with for many years on account of the freesing weather which caused some delay in getting all the streams to play om the burning structure. The front part of the building, which is occupied by stores, saloons and the offices of doctors, dentists, photographers, estate agents and jewelers, was completely gutted. The fire wall which separates the theater proper from the front of the build- ing saved it from destruction. The only damage done to the theater, managed by Will J. Davis and George Fair, was caused by water, which poured in Niagara torrents The loss to the theater will not exceed $5,000. It is estimated that the loss on the building and contents will amount to $60,000. The total insurance is $122,500 on the bulld- ing and theater, $75,000 being placed on the former. The flames were discovered by the janitor in the portrait frame room of W. H. Good- ing, in the rear of the fourth floor. The elevator boy at the risk of his life carried his car several times from the ground floor to the top of the building and rescued women from the flames, which were eating their way to the roof.’ He bravely responded to the call of Mrs Shea, the wife of a dentist, on the third floor, and after carrying her in safety to the bottom of the building he ascended to bring other women who were employed on the fourth and fifth floors, principally in the studio of Willttam Morrison, the theatrical photographer, on the top floor. The last call made upon him was to bring Mr. Morriscn down, but when he had run his car to the fourth floor he found the flames breaking into the elevator shaft and the danger of burning the rope forced him to descend alone. He had got out of his car only two minutes when the rope was parted by the flames. Mr. Morrison escaped by y of the roof, the Eureka block on the yeing on a level with the Haymarket butidine Fire walls to the east and west of | Haymarket building prevented the spread of the flames in either direction. - A Presidential Army Appointment. Presijent Cleveland today appointed First Lieut. James E. Sawyer of the fifth artillery captain and assistant quartermaster. ‘This appointment was made under probably the most strenuous pressure ever brought to bear upon the President, nearly every first lieutenant in the army being a candidate for promotion. “ oe At 9:10 last evening a parlor lamp was upset in the residence of James M. Hodges, 925 H street northwest, causing a fire, and | the loss was about $50.