The New York Herald Newspaper, July 15, 1874, Page 3

THE MIDDLEFIELD DELUGE. Three Dams Instead of Two Give Way. Other Insecure Reservoirs in Western Massachusetts. THE PEOPLE JUSTLY ALARMED Latest News in the Flooded Districts. CHESTER, Mass., July 14, 1874. The Middlefield flood is the matter now upper- most in the public mind in Western Massachusetts. From Springfield to Pittsfleld and from Springfield to the Vermont line nothing else is thought or talked of. A general feeling of alarm and inse- curity prevails everywhere, and very properly, too, for there are 4 score or more of thriving commu- nities whoare at the mercy of just such shabby dams and reservoirs as those which have swept through the Mull River and Middlefield valleys. In this later deluge there was fortunately no loss of Iife, but nevertheless the consequences have been sufficiently disastrous to awaken the community to a sense of its duty in looking after these numer- 0us sources of death and destruction. THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE FLOOD Was the giving way of a third reservoir situated farther back on the Middlefield brook than the two which have been previously inentioned. This res- ervoir was the smallest of the three and was built about twenty-five years ago by Mr. Sumner U. Church soon after the decease of his father, the bntlder of the old reservoir at Factory Village. This upper reservoir was situated near the Hins- @aie and Peru town lines and was known as the “Goose Neck” reservoir. It contained water sumi- cient to operate the factories below for ten or twelve d@ays, and was Kept on reserve for emergencics of drouth, All these reservoirs were private prop- erty, and no county commissioners had been called out to pass upon them. The dam for the reservoir of the village, which was built in several instai- ments, had been accepted by the town of Mtddie- field as @ town way and was considered safe. It certainly was strong, and but for the giving way of the reservoirs above would undoubtedly have held firm. The former Hampshire county commis- sioners, who were so sharply censured by Captain Enos Parsons’ jury at Northampton, will not come in for blame on account of this disaster, but the present Board, who have just become weli ac quainted with food-damaged roads and bridges in the Mill River valiey, are to be given work in this extreme limit of their domain. THE VIEWS OF A ROAD COMMISSIONER. Ex-Road Commissioner Matthew Smith, of Mid- alefeld Ventre, to whom the people were indebted ! for the exceltent condition of the destroyed road | to the depot, started off at three o’clock this morn- ing by his most feasible route across the nills to | Northampton to lay the condition of things before the Commisstoners, And they are about as follows as to the public ways:—For haifa mile next below the reservoir, through Factory Village, the road is all gone. Atornear the lower end of the village the brook turns easterly, andthe road in its con- tinued southerly course used to cross a bridge, which is gone with the abutments. Beyond this bridge for three-fourths of a mile the river Keeps around a ravine farther east than the road and much lower than it, - and the eight houses on that section of the road were unharmed. Further down the valley nar- | or less degree to the disastrous result. Tows, the road came nearer the brvok, and from | this point to the Middleiteld depot jor nearly a mile the road ts partially or entirely swept away. © There diverges from this depot road, near where the devastation begins, an old wagon road, from one pointin which, through several pasture lots, is levot. Besides the damage to the road in Middle- By: only road for foot people to the Mtadileficid eid, Which cannot be made good ior $15,000, the | flood swept off several bridges in the highway, be- sides a private bridge leading to an old sawmill owned by Bulkley, Dunton & Oo., of New York. ‘The two paper mulls owned by this firm were situ- ated some distance up the west branch, but the food set back and damaged their Jower mill, which had recently been repaired, to the extent of about $3,000, by tearing up floors and carrying away Inmber. THR WIGHWAY DAMAGES. | suiflciently serious, | it would seem as if even they would profit by the of months ago. The Aflantic ress, which téaven Boston at five o'clock, pat Springfield at half-past eight, Last Sunday night it wae an- usually heavily loaded, @ great many of the passen- Poe being bound for Saratoga. About five minutes fore it was to jeave Springfield Conductor Rus- sell was Informed by-telegraph of the damage which had been done to the road, and of course the train was detained. It will thus be. seen that the difterence of afew hours in the destruction of the dams might have resulted in a calamity witch it is horrible to contemplate. It would have been dark when the train reacned the points of damage, and itis more than probable that tt would have plunged headiong into some of the gorges which the mad waters leit in their track of devastation, THE LESSONS OF THE ELOODS. a “How Many More” {Boston Journal, July 14.) The second flood in Western Massachusetts comes as if to prevent that call for a thorough inspection of all reservoirs, dams, &c., which was raised alter the Williamsburg disaster, trom dying away and being forgotten, as is too apt to be the case. It shows the absolute necessity for a prompt and faithful discharge of this duty, if we would avoid untold losses and dangers, It is true the flood of Sunday does not appear at our time of writing to | have occasioned any certatn loss of ilfe, but ib was attended by some miraculous escapes, while its g eral operation cannot but s Seer! aes oa of the more terrible events in the vel ‘ailey. The general sympathies of the community will be extended to the individual sufferers, and doubt- less any cases requiring charitable assistance will receive it. The wonder is that the food was not more disastrous than it proved. ‘There were two connected reservoirs, and the breaking away of the upper on® cauged the whole trouble. With re- gard to its defects of construction we have yet no definite information; but the result shows plainly enongh that there were gross defects and renders it probable that they bay have been remeaied by seasonable attention, How many more such cases exist in Massachusetts, and is it necessary to have them brought to light in this way? Death in the Dam. {Springfield Republican, July 14.) The bursting of the Middlefield reservoir simply deepens the already profound conviction in the popular mind that there is deathin the dam all around in these manufacturing hill towns, For- tunately the loss 1s only of property, but this is | We should hardly suppose thas so pugnacious an individual as the Boston and albony, Railroad would submit to so heavy a damage without testing its right to indemnity under the common law. The lesson for the Com- monwealth is simply to insist upon more scientiiic | and careiul dam building and a stricter responsi- | bility of reservoir owners jor damages, Luck vs. Danger. [Boston Globe, July 14.) The giving way of the reservoir at Factory Vil- lage, Sunaay afternoon, so soon after the terribie warnings of the Mill River disaster, shows how much danger is to be apprehended from similar occurrences elsewhere. lt 1s not at all strange that these disasters have come so near together; the wonder js that more of them have not been precipitated by the acknowledged insecurity o1 80 many dams in this and other parts of the country. 1t wil, however, be a very culpable negiect if this state of things is allowed to continue. fhe County Commissioners ought to give espectar attention 1o structures of this kind, and altuough what we know of the neglect ot those of Hampshire in the Mill River case does not inspire much conildence in their carefuiness or ability, yet recent terrible warnings Ol their past misconduct, Although the disaster at Middictield caused no | such lamentable destruction of human life as that at Mill River, yet the damage to property was great, and only fortunate circumstances prevented | similar scenes as those which scarcely more than seven weeks ago Carried mourning and desolation into 60 many homes, This is the second affair of the kind in Hainpshire county in less than two Months, and it 18 notable as showing the folly of that supimencss which trusts to good luck to ward off impending dangers, Although we have not as yet safficient knowl- edxe of the facts of the case to say witn certainty Just where the biame lies, there seems good rea- 800 to believe that it ts the old story of the neglect of various parties, each contributing in a greater The fact | that the lower reservoir was built thirty years ago only emphasizes the need oi constant atten- ton to structures which are likely to be weakened by lapse of time, and éemand to be strengthened by the appliances which improvements of modern science suggest for the salety of human life and property. More fortunate than the Mill River reservoir proprietors, the Midale- field people had hills for the sides of their princi. pal structure and were the better abie, thereiore, | to make & suflicient outlay tor their dam. ‘ney seem to have bcen content, however, with using | the ordinary traveligd road ior thib purpose, rais- | iInsidiouely The road und bridge damage at Chester is hkely | to prove more serious tian was at first thought, | and it wiil perhaps cost nearer $15,000 than $10,000 to replace the bridges and repair the Toads, The jarm damages will also prove quite Such as will be eastly recovered from, At Huntington the ood damaged the Highland Imills to the extent of $4,000 in Soaking the cloth stored in the lower story; and other damage in that village will amount to $4,000 more, which is | £0 distributed as not tobe felt by the individual losers, It ts regarded as wonderful that no more damage was done at Huntington. Thc channel of the river was fuli to overNowing before the fresh increase from the Midaleticld reservoir arrived. But the distanee was so great that the force of the flooa was very much abated, OTHER VILLAGES TUREATENED WITH DESTRUCTION. heavy in the aggregate, but it is among so many | parties that the individual losses are generally | Other villages fartber up the stream are appre- | hensive of dunger from reservoirs. ‘he people of Becket are beginning to think that they stand in jeopardy every hour. It was deemed advisable to @pen the gates of some of their large colleetions of waters, Monday. Ibe Village was well nigh nooded by tlie jailing rains, Some buildings were for a time in such danger that gooas were removed from them, A:little break in the dam of a reser- Voir added to the treshet would have washed tuem | out completely. REPAIRING THR RAILROAD, Tne Boston and Albany managers are pushing forward tbe work of reconstruction with vigor. At the break at Middlefeld Mr. Mayo, of Pittsileld, has @ large force at work. ‘The long timbers necessary ‘were brought down from Chester at an early hour this morning, aad it is hoped that by to-morrow wight or Thursday morning a temporary bridge wi be completed so that trains cun pass. A force of 100 men is at work on tne bridge next west of Chester, and twenty others are repairing the track. ‘The road will be open for travel in a few days, but it will rake a long time to rebuild the bridges de- stroyed in permanent form. A stone arch bridge, partially swept away. was finally finished with nitro-glycerine this afternoon, preparatory to build- tng an iron structure. THEATRICAL COMPANIES DISCOMMODED BY THE BREAK. Among those whose arrangements have been seriously disarranged by the oreak in the railroad are a couple of theatrical companies who had just concluded engagements in Massachusetts, and ‘Were billed !n cities and towns west of here for Monday evening. The Parisian Novelty Company finished up @ three weeks’ season in Boston on Saturday evening and leit on the Sunday evening train for Albany, where they were to open last evening. Upon arriving at Springfield the news of the flood and its damage to the Boston and Albauy Ratlroad was beard the first time, and of course it Impossible for them to proceed further, Superintendent Russell offered to retund them the money they nad paid for transportation between Springfield and Albany, the same as he offered to do by the other passengers, The manager, however, held that the Tallroad company had contracted to carry them through, and persistently reiused to receive his money back or surrender his uckets, some twenty or thirty in all, and it is possibie that an action for damages may ensue. ‘ihe 1atiroad company main. tain that they were not responsible for a weak dam constructed by other parties and that neither Were they responsivie for the heavy rain which swept it away. Furthermore, admitring that the tickets Were 80 many contracts, the fact that they Were issue on the Lord’s day will render them bull and void according to common law. Among the otner dramatic companies inconvenienced was ¥OX'S “HUMPTY DUMPTY” TROUPE, Which finished up here last evening. They were %o perform in Pittsfield this evening, which is only Aity miles distant by the Albany road; but, in con- Sequence of the interruption ot its travel by the deluge they were obliged to go about three times Tthatdistunce, ana then arrived barely in time to ‘make good their engagement with the public. BOUND 10 OVERCOME THE DIFFIOULTY. Among the passengers who arrived in the early train from Boston this morning Was a young man enirous of reaching Saratoga in time for the great Face on Thursday. I he went around by the way of New York his funds, h be sufficient to carry him tirougn, He thought the matter over for » few moments and finaly concluded to go by the Boston Albany route uuder any and all circum- stances. In carrying Out his determination he came as (ar as Chester on the cars, and then ‘walked it through the fooaed district, a distance of about twenty miles, to the point where trains are running regularly to Albany. I met him near Middietield at about mid-day, and notwithstanding the scorching sun, he ras posting along with as mench confidenve and speed as if he were a verita- bie Weston. It is tobe hoped that he will enjoy ‘ the races. WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED, If tne reservoirs had given Way three or four hours jater in the day the circumstances might Dave heen 98 shocking and heartrend- ‘$0g As the Jamentable Mill River calamity a couple for was | wile, | @ said, would not | ing it some twenty feet for a distance of irom | thirty to forty rods. It appears that the dam gave Way once before it was finished, but the confidence afterwards felt in its safety does not appear to have been lessened during the years in which its must have been steadily though sapped, We may ask, what were the County Commissioners doing during that period’ Is it possible that they regard a road- side dam, against which water covering 100 acres nd exposed to danger trom the proximity of a regervoir higher up the stream, and covering from fiity to eighty acres, as prooi against the swollen floods caused by rain among the hills? As it was the upper reservoir, built twelve years ago, which gave Way first, 1t would seem as if the nearer the construction came to the present time the flimsier itis, Although the lower reservoir did not break duwn so utterly as the upper one, yet the water which dashed over and through its shattered dam did a great deal of damage. foundations Remarkable Escapes. {Boston Globe, July 14.) Various remarkable instances of escape from death are noted. D. H. Tucker’s family, at West’s mull, had a narrow escape. Mr. Tucker was away, na his family fled to the high ground. Just as they reached the Boston and Albany ‘Orchard’? bridge it began to fal. They were motioned back by Mr. Alderman, who was on the opposite side; but one of his little girls, Maggie, made a desper- | ate run across the earth and stones, falling as she ran, and finally escaped, ‘Their house was not carried away and they returned to it alter the danger was over. Another very, narrow escape was that of Mr. Spencer Knox and who were driving home from the funeral of Mr. Tucker's father, His horse Was young and easily {rigntened, and, on hearing the roar of the waters, refused to be driven either way. Mr. Knox sprung out, As they crossed the highway bridge on the Middlefield road it | fave way, apd the waters rose fast around them, ut by great coolness they succeeded in escaping, « and Mr. Knox opened his doors to the family of Nr. Janeraux, who lost everything put what they wore. At Chester, W. Hannum and N. A. Howard, the former connected with the Hannum Axe Company and the latter with the Emery Company, had a narrow escape from drowning. They were watching the dam at the emery mall, rien the dike gave way, and were thus sur- rounded with water. They escaped, however, by fording a part of the stream. The inmates of several houses on the depot side of the river were removed in carriages, aud for a time there was great alarm among the inhabitants, PRUDENCE AT LAST, The Croton Aqueduct Repairs Vigor- ously Prosecuted=The Cause of the Leaks—A Relic of the Mayor’s Early Official Life. Stirred, possibly, by the recent disaster in Mas- sachusetts, the authorities bave at last been moved to action in the matter or repairing tne Croton Aqueduct. A force of laborers was put on | the work yesterday morning. They commenced operations just below Ninety-eighth street, at the | place where a HERALD representative saw, on the 27th of June, four barrels with whicn the neigh- boring iamilies utilized the leakage. The depart- Ment stated on the 25th of June that there was no danger, and insinuated that the HERALD repre- sentative had been misled by imaginary persons— bugbears evolved Out of the inner consciousness | of some irritable person. It 1s obvious that a leak | in @ water conduit is not conducive to satety, and | it 18 reassuring to find that even at this late day the numerons very serious leaks, carefally in- spected on the 27th of June, specified in detail the morning afterwards, are being looked to, ‘There is one thing that calls ior remark: Chief Engineer Tracy states that the pipes within the masonry are of iren coated with asphalte. This accounts Jor “the milk in the cocoanut, The asphaite has in the thirty-seven years since it was applied been abraded by the silt, the disintegrated gravel and grit borne along by the water, the iron left thus exposed has become rusty and worn out. Ague- ducts should invariably be lined with hydraulic cement, by the use of which the plain masonry outside is all that 18 needed. ‘The iron piping is | worse than useless. It 18 admitting an enemy gratuitously, MARBIAGE IN VENICE. {From Galignani’s Messenger, July 4.) We receive from our correspondent at Venice an account of a marriage, which took place at the British Consulate in that city on the 20th of June, by the Rev. J. D, Mereweather, between Gerald Raoul Perry, Bsq., Her Britannic Majesty's Consul in the Island o! Réunion, and Elena, daughter of the late Francis Lowe, of Boston, Mass., United States. Mr, Gerald Perry is the son of Sir William Perry (for many Fas Her Britannic Majesty's Consul General at Venice), and of his wife the late | Geraldine de Courcy, sister of the present Lord | Kinsale, | partially or wholly imported WASHINGTON. —- + Wasuincton, July 14, 1874, The New District Commissioners at Work—The Indebtedness to Morton, Bliss & Co. Settled—The Various Em- ployes and Laborers To Be Paid At Once. The new District Commission has paid the in- debtedness due the firm of Morton, Bliss & Co., of New York, and received the securities deposited with that firm by the late District government. The amount loaned the late government by the firm was $225,000, to secure the payment of which $400,000 worth of sewer bonds was deposited with those gentlemen. The interest upon the loan. amounted tu $11,005, making the total amount of the check sent them $236,005. The bonds de- posited as security were to-day received by the Commission and by it deposited m the Treasury Department in the cus- tody of General Spinner. A requisition was made upon the Treasury of the United States to-day by the Commissioners for $616,000 to pay the employés and laborers of the Jatg Bogrd of Public Works, as well as those of the late District government. Of this amount $299,000 are to pay the employés of the District proper, including School teachers, firemen, laborers ana others, and $317,000 to pay those of the Board of Public Works, The law requires that $75,000 of the appropriation Of $1,300,000 shall be used to pay the laborers em- ployed by contractors upon public work, the @mount to be retained from that due such con- tractors, The Commissfon has therefore notified the contractors to (orward their payrolls as soon Qs possible that the laborers may be paid. The Payrolis of the old government are also being ar- ranged and the work of paying the employés will be commenced this week. The $500 Counterfeit Bills. One of the ladies employed at the counter in the National Bank redemption division of the Treasury Department to-day discovered among the notes sent for redemption one of the counter fett $500 bills originally discovered at the Treasury Department about a year ago. It was so periect that several of the most experienced clerks in the Treasurer’s office thought 1t genuine, but upon referring it to the engraving and printing division it was after an examination pronounced counter- feit, The note will be branded and returned to the national oank from which it was received, Treasury Decisions. The following are among the recent decisions by the Secretary of the Treasury :— Reps, piain and fancy, which are manufac- tures of worsted, silk and cotton and of worsted, silk, cotton and jute or fax, ‘intended for upholstery use, worsted bein; @ substential compound thereof, are hei dutiable at tne rate of fifty cents per pound and thirty-five per cent ad valorem, less ten per cent, they being valued at over eighty cents per pound. Jute thread waste 1s not dutiable. Domes- tic alcohol in bond cannot under existing laws be transferred to a manufacturing bonded warehouse for the purpose of being manufactured into medict- nal preparations for export without first having the internal revenue tax thereon duly paid, New scraps of leather or refuse splits are dutiable at the rate ot filteen per cent ad valorem. Article 78 of the Customs Regulations of 1874 is amended so as to read as jollows:—Railroad tron, into the United States, may be entered under bond to be repaired or remanuiactured, and atter the same shall have been repaired or remanutactared be withdrawn for exportation without ment of duty. ‘the privileges accorded by the law extend only to iron rails or bars for railroads which have been laid down and used on the track of a railroad to such an extent as to require repair or remanutacture, In ail cases the withdrawal and exportation of such repaired or remanulactured railroad iron must be made at tne same port where it was | Originally imported, and within six months from | the date of importation. The department holds that cordiais in bottles are spirituous beverages and are iiable to duty in the same man- ner and atthe same rates as brandy and other spirituous liquors—viz., to a duty of $2 per gullon lor each proof gallon when at proof or over, and to the same rate for each wine gallon when under prool, and also that botiles are subject to a duty ol three cents each, less ten per cent, Japanese silks or poplins, being munulactures of | silk and cotton, of which siik is the component material of chief value, are dutiable at the rate of flity per cent ad valorem. Worsted lace shawls are liable to duty at the rate of filty cents per pound and forty per cent ad valorem, less ten per cent. thirty-five per cent ad valorem. An amendment to the Treasury regulations provides that goods may be withdrawn from warehouse prior to liquidauon. Windser soap or periumed toilet and shaving soap is liable to a duty of ten cents a pound, with twenty per cent ad valorem. A cargo of tea, orig- inally shipped at China for Montreal, but which on arrival at Montreal had its destination cnanged to New York and was cen thence without breaking bulk at Montreal, 18 held to be an impor- tation rom Montreal, and, therefore, liable to a discriminating duty of ten per cent ad valorem under the third section of the act of June 6, 1872. Suk and cotton bindings composed in part of cot- ton, showing that material on the face as well as on the back of the binding, avd which are not known or recoznized commercially as silk gal- loons, silk braids or silk trimmings, were held, as they were not otherwise enumerated, to be duti- able at the rate of fifty per cent ad valorem, Fruit syrups are dutiable twenty-tive per cent ad valorem. The New Torpedo Boats—The Intrepid to Make a Trial Trip to Key West— The Character of the Vessels. The new torpedo boat Intrepid, recently launched at Boston, will make a trial trip to Key West, where experiments as to her practical work- , ings will be made, A number of officers have al- ready been ordered to her, most of whom have been on duty at the torpedo station at Newport. This vessel is about 450 tons burden and was de- signed by Naval Constructor Hanscom, chief of the Bureau of Construction. Another iorpedo boat, now being built at New York, was designed by Admiral Porter, but is smailer than the one just launched, being of 340 tons, No name has yet been fixed upon for that vessel, but it 18 proposed to call her the Alarm. ‘The vessels are very different in design and finish, The one now being built at New York will be brought to the Washington Navy Yard shortly after being launched to receive her outfit, as well as the Fowler wheel, & new propelling iu- strument never before used on vesseis of our navy. The boat designed by Admiral Porter will be armed with an ll-inch gun, but that designed by Mr. Hanscom will carry no guns. The object of these vessels is to explode torpedoes under the enemy’s ships by means of arms and prows, to | which the torpedoes are attached, The Bonded Warehouses. Special Agent Lobdell, of the Treasury Depart- ment, leaves to-morrow morning to look after the government interests in the bonded ware- houses, Appointment of Indian Agents. The President has made following appointments | of Indian agents :— S. B. Parish, of Uregon, for the Malheur agency in Oregon; John A, Simms, of Washington Terri- tory. ior the Colville agency, Washington Terri- tory; James Irwin, of Jilinois, tor the Shoshone agency, Wyoming; Toomas J. Jeferds, of Arizona, for the Chiracahua agency, Arizona; J. P. Clum, of New Mexico, for the San Carlos agency, Arizona; James KE. Roberts, of Ohio, for the Campahacne agency, Arizona, ARREST OF A BURGLAR, On Monday the residence of Mrs. James Larkin, at 97 Division street, was broken Into by some par- ties who had effected an entrance by breaking the fanlight over the door. A watch, coat, earrings and meerschaum pipe, valued in all at $63, were the reward of the successful operators. Tne police | were notified, and yesterday UMcer Lyon, of the Tenth precinct, detecting Stephen Flynn in the act of attempting to pawn the stolen watch at No. 195 Bowery. Flynn was put under arrest and commit- ted by Judge Bixby in $1,000 bail for trial. Ann Duffy, residing at No. 300 East Fourteenth street, was startled at half-past eight o'clock Mon- day night by a loud ringing of the door bell, sSne went to the door ana was informed by @ boy that aman was endeavoring to cut bis way into the basement. She summoned OMicer Berry, of the Seventeenth precinct, who arrested a man named John McKune, who, knife in hand, was industri- ously engaged m removing @ sash irom the base- ment door. McKune was held ior trial by Judge Bixby in default of $1,000 bail, THE BURNS HOMICIDE, Kelly Held to Bail. mothy Kelly, the man who stands charged with fatally beating John Burns, was yesterday pope | heey, before Coroner Woltman by Cap- tain Killilea, of the Twenty-second precinct, and released on giving $600 bai) to await the resass of an invesuation, Photographic paper is subject to a duty ot | THE THIRD TERM QUESTION. ‘What the Honest Farmers Will Do, {From the Scranton Times.) As the nomination of two men is equivalent to the election of one of them it will readily beseen that Presidents are not really chosen by the people but by a few politicians, while the part that the people take is simply going through the form of ratifying a selection already made. In this view of the case if Grant really sets himself about | ithe may be able to so set up and manipulate a convention as to insure his nomination, which would be the very best thing that could happen to the democratic party. ‘the honest farmers and mechanics of the country will not find it so — to break down the traditions of the Repubiic and ig- nore the example of Washington and Jefferson, and though the politicians may nominate they cannot elect, AS against Grant for a third term Hen- dricks or Thurman would sweep the country like rairie fire. We only hope that Grant and his fo hide may be foolish enough to compass his nomi- nation. Judge Pierrepont Right. (From the Galveston News.) It is evident that many of our Southern con- temporaries are by no means oppressed with the idea of a third term for Grant. Perhaps Judge Pierrepont did not utter the wildest of predictions when he said that Grant would be re-elected with the support of Southern democrats, ARMY INTELLIGENCE, Changes in the Quartermaster’s Depart- ment. Wasminaron, Jnly 14, 1874. The following changes in the stations and duties of officers of the Quartermaster’s Department have | been made :—Colonel Stewart Van Vliet, Assistant Quartermaster General, is relieved from duty in the Department of Missouri, and will report to the NEW YORK HERALD, WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1874.-TRIPLE SHEET. | Investigating Committee in reference to their de- | Quartermaster General ‘or duty in connection | With the national cemeteries. Lieutenant Colonel | Rasus Saxton, Deputy Quartermaster General, is relieved irom duty in the Military Division of the | Atlantic, and will report to the commanding gen- eral in the Department of Missouri for assignment to duty as chief quartermaster of that depart- ment, Major James A. Vana, (juartermaster, is relieved irom duty in the Department of Missouri, and will proces to Philadelphia and relieve Captain John L Rudgers, military storekeeper, of | duties assigned him in speci:l orders No. 144, July | 2, 1864, reporting by letter to the commanding general of the Miltary Diviston of the Atlantic for | Orders in connection with the duties of district | quartermaster, Captain George Weeks, Assistant juartermaster, is relieved from duty at Baltimore, Department of the Columbia for duty at Fort Van- couver, Washington Territory, in piace of Captain Henry Ww. Jones, Assistant Quartermaster, who is relieved from duty at that place and will report to the commanding general of the Military Division of the Atlantic for assignment to duty at Balti- | More. Captain A. J, mecanlgie, Assistant Quarter- master, is relieved trom his present duty at Washington, D. C., aud will report to the com- | manding general of the Department of the Mis- sourl ior duty as District Quartermaster in New Mexico, | sd tier A. F. Rockwell, Assistant Quar+ termaster, Will report to the commaniling general of the Military Division of the Atlantic for duty at Burtaio, N. Y., in charge of the Fourth Quarter ter’s district in that division, Captain Charles 8, Hoyt, Assistant Quartermaster, now on leave of absence, is relieved from duty in the Department of the Columbia and will report to the command- ing general of the Department of the Missouri for duty at Fort Leavenworth, in place of Major Dana, relieved, The officers concerned will change their stations under instructions to be communi- cated by the Quartermaster General. NAVAL INTELLIGENOE. Assignments to Duty. WASHINGTON, July 14, 1874. Passed Assistant Engineer John Lowe has been detached from special duty connected with the In- trepid and ordered to duty on boara that vessel; Lieutenant A. H. Fletcher and Master M. F. Wright have been ordered to the Intrepid; Master Daniel D. Stuart has been ordered to the Roanoke; Mid- shipman William H. Slack has been ordered to the | receiving ship Sabine; Carpenter H. 8. Philbrick | has been orderea to duty in the Construction De- partment of the Portsmouth, N. H., Navy Yard. Commander A. P, Cook is detached from the tor- pedo steamer and ordered to command tie vor- pedo boat Intrepid at Boston; Lieutenant Com- mander Horace B. Mullen is detached from the Colorado and placed on waiting orders; Lieuten- ant Commander ‘A. S. Baker is detached trom the torpedo steamer and ordered to temporary duty as executive officer of the torpedo boat Intrepid; Ensign McDimock 18 detached from the Roanoke ana ordered to the Intrepid; Passed Assistant Paymaster Henry G. Colby 1s detached from the receiving ship Independence and ordered to duty ‘8 ass.stant to Pay Inspector Sullivan at the Mare Island Navy Yard; Passed Assistant Engineer W. | A. Windsor and B.A. Taylor are detached from Special duty connected with the Tennessee and ordered to the lmvrepid. THE WEESAWKEN FIRE. Detail Aceount of the Losses—General Manager Clarke’s Official Statement, Until the oil docks at Weehawken are com- pleted a temporary yard will be established at Penhorn. ll the oil cars now arriving at the Erie stations are sent to that place. The krie Company | had pipes leading from the different tanks to a main reservoir, in order that the oil could be drawn off in case of accident by fire. jis precau- tion proved usejess, however, during the recent confagration. When the men attempted to make use of that pipe it burst, and its contents were | lost. The principal losses tn oil were sustained by Barker & Co., of New York, Keyharat of Pennsyi- vania, and Gust, Hye, Ohlen & Co., of New York, The Kclipse Lubricating Company of Franklin, Pa., had just stored 3,000 barreis when the fire broke out, and this stock proved a total loss. The following official report of the loss to the Erie Company Was received yesterday morning by President Watson: | Enis Raitwar Company, ‘ j Orrick OF GeNERaL Manager: \ New Vora, July 13, 1874, | Puree H. Watson, President: Sin—In reply to your inquiry respecting the loss at | Weehawken by fire on the 10th, 11th and 12th insts, I have to state, from the best examination I have been bie to give the property an compan, the er), that the loss sustained by ced for trom $150,000 to $175.00 7m 7,8 a8 not to dis. jal erations or interfere ri With our oil traffic. We are handling oll at Weehawken to-day. Truly yours JAMES C. CLAKKE, General Manager, A squad of 320men was engaged yesterday in clearing away the débris. Mr. AXford, Superinten- dent of Construction, is engaged im making an estimate Of the cost of reconstruction to be sub- mitted to the new Board of Directors, Another Incident at the Fire. Itappears that the whole honor of saving the men on the Pennsylvania Coal Dock, as was pub- lished in yesterday’s HrRaLD, does not com. | Pletely belong to shipmates of the Edith. Plosion of on fire of the dock, Thomas Lynch, who had al- ready rendered valuable service in laying a line of hose between the dock and pier opposite, was com- pelled to withdraw from the burning mass, and the frantic occupants, to the outer part of the stream, to the imminent danger of raging fire be- | hind and the deep river in front. His boat was too small to receive more than the three he had alreaay saved. With great exertions, making for the bark Edith, be roused the attention of the crew and heiped them most anly in the humane endeavors Which Were so nappily successiul, TOMPKINS SQUARE, ‘The Central Park Band will, if weather permits, | perform to-day in this square, commencing at half Soon after the ex- PART AT Finale, “Nation AUSTRALIA AND OHINA. Her Britannic Majesty’s steamship Basilisk ar- rived at Singapore June 30, having successtully completed @ survey of the previousiy unknown northeastern shores of NeW Guinea, Captain Moresby reports that the existence oi a new and shorter route between Australia and Cuina is an established fact. THE M'OORMICK HYDROPHOBIA OASE. Investigation To-Day. At two o’clock this (Wednesday) afternoon Coroner Kessler wilt commence an investigation | in tne case of William McCormick, @ butcher, late of No, 909 East Fifty-first street, who died on the 25th ult., a8 18 alleged, from hydrophobia, resuit- ing from the bite of @ dog received @ month pre- viously. A medical jury has been impanelled and the examination may last day or two, as } several well known physicians are desirous of ex- | pregains their opinions on the subject of - jobia, The matter ited great interes! aeveral Gaye alter the deatn of SE koUormmiek. bsg and will report to the commanding general oi the | Hugh Balston and his | the tank and the immediate setting | | ment ol what he was and was not prepared to do, | the charges against him. | | The Erie | Company lost nothing whatever in oil, the owners | having to assume all risk under aspecial contract. | | | | | | | named by Mr. Beecher. | j | \ | | | condemn all parties concerned. | fill verbally and in writing for four years over BROOKLYN'S SORROW. The Beecher Investigat- ing Committee. More of Kir. Tilton’s Facts and Fancies—What the Committee Have Done. | | The usual reticence 1s observed by the Beecher | liberations, The members have evidently decided | to keep their own counsel, and they are men of | precisely that mental butld who are sure to carry out in its integrity whatever they propose. It is, however, known that they have fixed Monday next as the day to receive Mr. Tilton and his | “strict array” of documents. It is understood | among those likely to be well informed that those documents will refer to the Bowen part of the scandal and will be largely made up of hearsay evidence. Mr. Tilton, in bis last published letter, | a the following passage: ‘Of yottr legal advisers had previonst if, on my appearance before you, T | Id preserve a judicious reticence concerning the worst aspects of the case, I might thereby fucititate, through you, such a public presentation of Mr. Beecher’s fence a1 ol would close, rather than prolong, the existing seandaL The Brookiyn Kagle of last evening gives the fol- lowing explanation of this passage, and states that it shows that from “some mental defect Mr. | Tilton is unable to distinguish between fact and fancy” :— During one of the recent sessions of the committeé a | Prominent lawyer, whose name has been wrongfully | used in connection with that of Tilton as his possibie | counsel in the case, was present at the meeting, for what purpose le not known Tilton was giving his state, ni the commitiee were urging him to tell, then and there, all he knew against Mr. Beecher. ‘Iilton sald that Mr. Beecher did not want him to tell all he knew. ‘The com- mittee assured him that he was mistaken; that Mr. Beecher's letter authorized them to get at all ‘the facts. Tilton did not think so, and Mr. Beccher’s letter was presented for his ' perusal. He took the let- | ter and looked it over and said that there was Nothing there that called for all that he could say. They told hina to read it again, there was a clause, there calling for truth and justice in'the matter. Tilton looked it over again and found it He se to be very much astonished that Mr, Beecher should make such a de- mand. Then turning to hislawyer, he said ip his own intmitably pompous manner, ‘Sir! this very day you | told me hot to come here and tell all of the truth.” “Why, man,” replied the lawyer, “how in the world can ‘ou say that? I never had such an idea in my head!” Well, Teplid Tilton, “then I inust have been mis. en.’” The committee will be occupied during the re- | mainder of the present week in the examination Ol several important witnesses. Very strict meas- ures have been taken to prevent the testimony going astray in the columns of newspapers. Mr. Beecher’s Calm Confidence, [From the Albany Argus.) | Henry Ward Beecher has asked for a full investi- | gation of all rumors concerning hiri. His notes | expressing this desire are pervaded by that | calm confidence which alone possesses the soul of atrong men couscious of the rectitude of their con- duct. | A Prudent Suggestion. [From the Detroit Post.) The comedians are talking of getting up a book containing all the scandals extant about ministers ot the Gospel. This isto be their revenge for the denunciations whicn the pulpit has hurled at the stage. It would be only fair for the “piayer people” to take their turn. Mr. Beecher a Good Speculation. {From the Washington Star.] Some of the New York papers, with that readi- | ness to bow down to advertising wealth and influ- ence, which makes them so truly independent, | and which enables them to characterize all papers outside of New York as venal and time-serving, | are shouting in chorus that this is Just the tribunal to deal with the matter of Mr. Beecker’s “sorrow,” as they tenderly phrase it. | Now it is notorious that the rich and inftuenttal | geutiemen of Beecher’s congregation hold bim in | the light of a good speculation iu tne way of keep- ing up the value of their property in Plymouth church, and in a purely business way it would be | disastrous to their speculation to have Beecher’s “nsefuimess’’ broken down by the establishment of Wiat would Plymouth church be worth as a property without Beecher? | They are just as likely to cripple their sensation preacher as tne owners of a crack race liorse would | be to hamstring their property at the instance of outsiders, Tilton’s J iges Indiscreet. The members of the committee which is investi- | gating the.Beccber-Tilton matter refuse to give any information as to what witnesses have been examined or what they have said, and yet the Brooklyn and New York papers are publishing what Mrs, ‘Tilton stated, as they allege, and assert- ing that Tilton ts and has been crazy. If anything could prejudice one in tavor of Tilton 1t would be just this sort of thing. Here 1g a secret examinati by a number of persons they declare that they Will make a iul] and impartial investigation, but that ag yet tley are unprepared to say anything; | but certain persons pretend to know what has been done and are confident that Mr. Tilton will | break down if he goes before the committee, and | nis brother has been in an insane asylum. Mr. | Tilton may be crazy; he has been, undoubtedly, | exceedingly foolisn; ‘but unis sort of an attempt to prejudge the case against bim 1s exceedingly indis- | creet, os 80 lar as it 1s aided directly or {ndirectiy | by Mr. Beecher’s friends, Mr. Beecher has de- | manded, as he could not avoid demand- | ing, @ trial He has selected his judges; | he has put himself so far in the right. He cannot now, aby more than can ‘Tilton, afford to have any snap judgment or sealed veraict, Hither the whole story must come out plainly and squarely, or the sensibie public will | Men of honor, | rincipie, do not back and not to say of Christian nothing, or over a gross offence, tg the detriment of the public morals and deterioration of the infa- | ence of the Christian religion. If the truth is not | worth telling, neither Beecher, nor Tilton, nor , Moulton, nor Bowen is fit jor decent society, tor | they have thrown a glamour around it which hag caused infinite trouble and infinite disgrace; 11 it ought to be told, and is not, the committee will commit an unpardonable wrong to certain in- | dividuals and the cause of morality. | Appetite for Scandal. | {From the Springfield Republican, July 14.) We suppose a good many reputable people, some from vuigar curiosity and some from a paiaful desire to know the worst, will welcome Mr. Til- | ton’s promise to tell all he knows under oath be- | fore the committee appointed by Mr. Beecher. Dr. Leonard Bacon at least ought to find the cup of | his jey full, his satisfaction at having been the means of drawing out the trutn exceeding his | grief at the bitterness of the truth itself, Some people, with a great liking for (ruth abstractly, | relish it best as the French do their coffee, noir. Beecher’s First Sermon in Plymouth | Charch. \ [Berleigh’s letter to the Boston Journal.) 1 I conversed with a gentleman to-day who heard | Mr. Beecher preach his first sermon in Brooklyn. | The site on which Plymouth church now stands | was considered so unfavorable to public worship | tnat Dr. Cox’s society abandoned it and sold it to the Plymouth people for a song. Dr. Cox's people, owing to the visit of Mr. Beecher, were obliged to ive up their church before they were ready. The , lecture room being crowded, many of the old soci- | ety went back to their old home, The congrega- | tion that greetea Mr. Beecher half filled the louse. Just betore the service commenced @ rough-look- ing youngster, with @ turndown collar, with an ‘ air” of haste and energy, took the pul- | pit. He looked like @ young farmer frean | from the plough. His dress was soiled, past five. The following is the programme :-— | PART I. | 1 March, “Brother's Rock"...... Dodworth | 2 Overture, “Poet and Peasant” ‘| | 3. Air, “Dermot Astore | 4 Wait, “Beautitul Rhine’ . | rant i, | } 53 Long Branch” : -Dodworth | 6 ences from the operas ot Meyerbeer. 7. polka, “Little Warbler . 8 weet Spirit” ifs Wallace | rtormed on the cornet and saxophone.) “Grande Duchesse”.......... Offenbach | ‘Old and Merry Friends ‘Dodworth | irka, "Fata Morgana’? CMIraUss | | “Will You Dance 1. Dodworth hair in the utmost contusion, clothes ill-fitting, | stockings blue—shoes unblacked. Following Dr. Cox, Who was ultra clerical, with bis white cravat and black silk gown, the young Western preacher formed a marked contrast. He did then what he | has done ever since, proceeded at once to business without the formality of what is known as private prayer. Before the preacner got through, his | rough Western look, hig untidy hair, seedy dress, | blue stockings, short pants and coarse shoes were forgotten, Then nearly ail the churches had service in the aiternoon. Young Beecher was to | preach in the evening. My informant and his | jamuly went leisurely to church. There was an) acre Of people outside, Even the standing room was | occupied before seven o'clock. The disappointed | ones, a8 they went away, gave vent to their feel- | ings in the original remark, “A new broom,” &c. | And the broom has been sweeping away for | twenty-seven years, The Geecher and Tilton C . | OFFICE oF THE STAR, } No, 27 Ory Hatt sacatn | New York, July 14, 1874 To THE Eprror OF THE HERALD:—~ Your Tilton-scandal reporter uses the colamns of the HeRatp to-day to say:—First, that [ am “preparing # statement for tLe committee, em- bracing several important facts,” and, second, that “our reporter endeavored to interview Mr. How- ard, but he could not be found. On inquiry at the oMce our reporter learned that he was at the Ainpodrome A sentiemaniy attaché of the Star [From the Springfield Republican, July 14.) | giving the details of what the said that Mr. Howard’s statement would give new light to the controversy; tat all he wanted wi truth; that nis confidence in Mr. Beecher was abat and that he thought ‘1uUton was labo: under @ hallucination.” I am not preparing a ‘statement of importang facts” any more than Tilton is, and for toe same reason—I have none. Abd in this connection pere mit me to suggest that while Mr. Baruam’s Hippoe drome is well worth the circuitous notice you giva it, and more; while my confidence in Mr. Beecher is equally @ fact, I really don’t seem to be abie ta gee that it is of any particular interest to the reads ersofthe HeraLp, Had it been my Dissent lot ta meet your ingenious representative I certain! would have told him precisely, a8 the “gentle manly attach’ appears to, that “Mr. Tiltom 1 laboring under @ hallucination ; and I probab! would have added that 1 think 16 about time be rested {rom hs labors, 3 And now, in retora for this burst of confidence, will you kindly tell me whatare the cherges mad by Tilton and in what does the scandal consiat Respectiully, JOSEPH HOWARD, Jr. POISONOUS PRISONS. —-—___ The Disgraceful Condition of Jeffersom Market Prison—What inhumanity and Carelessness May Lead To. The condition of Jefferson Market Prison, as hag been frequently pointed out tn these columns, i& something disgraceful, The ventilation in thigl prison 18 so bad that the city authorities have, been, over and over again, emphatically censured by coroners’ juries for allowing ® prison to exist which endangers the lives of those Who are place in it, and which is certainly a glarifig contratio+ tion of the humanitarian spirit of the age. It iw diMcult to pailiate or excuse the offemve com mitted in this instance by the authorities who are vested with the power to reform all such abuses, A great many men and women @re placed in cells for trivial offences, such a9 drunkenness, disorderly conduct, &c., an® even though they be innocent their health an their very lives are jeopardized by the foul air ap the many other flagrant defects of the prisotg This should certainly not remain so any longer, and the Grand Jury should take prompt action mi the matter in order to : REMEDY THIS GREAT EVIL, There are some cases in the Jefferson Market Prison, as in every other of the police court prisong in this city, which appeal with particular ‘orce of pathos tothe symputhy of the kind hearted and’ generous. Men are dragged every day into cella’ | who are, in point of education and respectability, far abdve the grade of the average prisoner, ree spectable fathers of families who, perhaps, were picked up trom the sidewalk by some brutal policeman in a fit of apoplexy or when suffering irom sunstroke. The wise ofi~ cer of the law, with his usual discrimination and@ | sagacity, deciares that “the man is drunk,” and he 18 forthwith dragged into one of the foul, wretched cella—tiere to rot, and, maybe, to die. It would be bad enough if such cases were to hap« pen m some rougn Western mining city, where the amenities and refinements of civilization are yetin their infancy, but when a prison in New York—1in the famed centre of American progres@ and culture—is found so sadly wanting 1n all the | simplest requirements of humanity and justice it 18, indeed, time tor prompt action. ‘The Grand Jury which takes up this subject may with propriety be reminded of the good example | which has | BEEN SET BY A SIMILAR BODY im such an out-of-the-world place as Charlottetown, | Prince Edward Isiand. There the complaints were made not about the prison attached to a police court, but about the shameiul condition of the Lunatic Asylum. ‘The Grand Jury visited the asy- lum and their investigations afforded them signa which, for the credit of humanity and mercy, be 16 said, have rarely been equalled on this side of the Atlantic. In the offictal presentment which they made on the subject they deciared that it was difficult to ask the Court to believe that an institu- tion 80 conducted would ve allowed to exist in a civilized community. In a cet below ground, about six by seven feet, tney tound a poops woman entirely naked hiding her- self on the floor beneath some broken, dirty straw. The stench was unbearable. There were horrible pools on the floor, evidently the accamu- lation of many days, as there were gallons and gallons. ‘I'he poor, forlorn creature endeavored to Nide herself in the filthy straw. The only article she had upon her was u rag tied closely round her nook with, which she could easily have strangled herself, In another cell, about the same size, another young woman was Closely confined, THE STENCH WAS SO UNBEARABLE that none o1 the jurors could remain there longer than a few seconds, in this cell there was not even the dirty siraw, but the poor creature lay | Upon the bare boards in astate of filth which was | bickening. In another cell on the same level and of the same dimensions, six by seven feet, they | Jound an elderly woman; but “common de- cency” restrained the y | Whole asylum was in a state o: filth, and the stench was such that some of the jury were ill tor hours aiter inhaling it! The keeper of the asylum 18 an ordinary laborer, who relinguished the occupation of @ joiuer for his present posi- tion. He showed no evident unwiilingness to allow the Grand Jury to see the victims. In cons clusion they say:—‘“‘Some one mast be responsible for this terrible state of things. and We beg most re- Spectiully to ask the Court where the responsibility” really lies, and if it be competent for us to pre:er an indictment against the guilty parties, in order not onjy that punishment may be awarded where itis so justly deserved, BUT THAT THE UNFORTUNATE CREATURES of whom we have been speaking may be rescued from their present deplorable condition and this province be relieved from the foul and shameiul disgrace which now rests upon it.’ ‘tms 1s the language which ought to be used in relation to such pest-houges as the Insane Asylum in Chariottestown and the Jefferson Market Prison, They shame the very communities in whose midst they are allowed to exist, so that every citizen Should feel bound to effect the Lay =) improve- ments and reforms. There is no doubt that the Grand Jury could put a stop to the abuses in the Jefferson Market Prison, and it 1s their duty to take the measures which are necessary to imme- diately accomplish that worthy object. The great city of New York tannot afford to be disgraced by ber shambies, CORONERS’ CASES. Isaac Cohen, a patient in the Lunatic Asylnm, Blackwell's Island, fell down a flight of stairs and died trom the injuries received. The inquest will be held by Coroner Woltman, who was notified. James Robbins, a man thirty-five years of age, while bathing at the foot of Nineteenth street, East River, yesterday afternoon, became ex+ hausted, but was rescued by Captain Purcell, of | the tugboat Brilliant. Death, however, ensued in ten minutes afterward. The body was sent to tha Morgue and Coroner Woltman notified. About ten o’clock yesterday morning Wilham Haley, an Irish laborer, thirty-five years of age, was almost instantly killed by a portion of the tunnel, at Ninetieth street and Fourth avenue, caving in and falling upon him, his body being terribly crusned and mutilated. The body was re- moved to the home of some relatives, Ninety-sixth street and Lexington avenue, where Coroner Woltman was notified to hold au inquest, Patrick Giltoyie and Joseph Grauber were also injured at the same time. The body: of an unknown man, five feet seven inches in height, with light sandy hair, cut short, was yesterday found floating in the dock at pier No. 44 North River. Deceased had no whisker: had a scar on the head, and wore a blue flannel shirt and EP tls The body was sent to the Morgue and Coroner Kickhof notified. Adam Groosman, filty years of age and a native of Germany, by trade a cabinetmaker, died tn the Charity Hospital, Blackwell's Isiand, from concus- sion of the brain, but from what caase the concus- sion Was produced did not appear from tue certifi- cate of death given by Hospital Surgeon Ely. Coroner Woltman will make an investigation. William Carey, a lad eight years of age, accl- dentally {eli into the dock {oot of Canal street on Monday evening ana was drowned, The body was recovered venteraay morning, and Coroner Wolt+ man notified to hold au inquest. Deceased lived at No. 208 West street. DEPARTURE OF MORMON CELEBRITIES FOR EUROPE. Among the passengers for Europe from this city yesterday were two well known Mormons of Salt Lake City, viz.:—Jolin Henry Smith, son of Presi- dent G. M. Smith, and David Mackenzie, Secretary of President Brighain Young. The former goes as ® missionary to England to bring out a large nomber of Mormons to this country next Septem- ber, and the latter, Mr. Mackenzie, to Scotland, of which country he is a native, for a similar se. They were accompanied by Mr. L. John uttall, County Ulerk. ‘The whole p spoke’ most enthusiastically of tue progress of Mormon- isin, The headouarters of Mormon emigration to this country in Europe is at Liverpool, TROUBLE ABOUT A CORPSE, On Sunday Thomas Roe diea at his residence, No. 170 East 112th street, from @ dose of Paris gr taken with suicidal intent, Subsequently Coroner Woltman was called io hold an inqnest, but Mrs. Roe, the widow, refused to have the necessary examination made and so conducted herself as to vaise the suspicion that she was not in her right mind, {he Coroner accordingly ordered the re- mains to be sent to the Morgue; but yesterday Aiternoon, when the driver ot the dead wagon called, the widow persistently refused to give them up. The police telegraphed to Mr. voroners’ Secretary, for instractions. and fivally the matter ‘was rejerred to Coroner Woltman for settiomant,