The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 20, 1895, Page 10

— i0 : THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1895. e DR e e e e el e iReid e e e e e R e I e L e A SOUTH AFRICAN BOOM, Stirring Times In All the Great European Finan- cial Centers. EXCITEMENT ON 'CHANGE. Some of the Multi-Milllonaires Who Owe Their Fortunes to Lucky Strikes. [Copyrighted, 1895, by S. S. McClure, limited.] NEW YORK, July 13, 1895.—For now almosta year London and for that matter all England have been slowly growing more and more excited over the gold mines of South Africa. Within a year mining shares that were issued at a pound per share and often sold for only a portion of that, have sold upas high as £33 per share, and there are plenty of people in England whe believe that these same shares will go to £100. France, too, has caught the ex- citement and is pouring its money into South African-investments and it is not impossible that mining shares of the South African properties will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange within the year. Proposals to that effect have already been made. It is rather strange that this country, which has-so keen an interest in booms of of every sort, should have thus far paid so little attention to the rise of South Africa. The latter incident comprises the most re- markable commercial romance of the cen- tury. In exactly ten years a state then w unponulate hexplored almost, from producing no gold at all has risen to the first gold-producing country in the world. The single little district known as the Witwatersrand in _the Transyaal or South African Republic will yield this year upward of $40,000,000 Worth of 1 more than the product of ail or the entire United es. This little district is, so far as productive concerned, not en miles wide and about sixty and ten years ago it was laid out in farms that were selling fora few pounds per acre. To-day the mines located upon this narrow strip have a market value of between $150,000,000 and $200,000,000. just as happened in the ornia gold fever, men who ago hardly possessed a dollar day worth uncounted millions. There are a dozen or more financial princes now dazzling London with their extrava- gant expenditures who shipped to South Africa a few years ago colonists and many of whom were practically bankrupt. A Man Who Has Made His Fifty Million Dollars. Perhaps the most remarkable product of d fields is B. I. Barnato, known from Capetown to London as “Barney” Barnato and the jolliest fellow in the world. Bar- till a young man. He comesofa glish fami turned out to bea er, who shipped off to Cape ced about there as best he is said, at one time a mem- mpany as a juggler, found himself siranded with a half crown in his ocket, went into the diamond business at I made money hand over fist no- just how, was soon ranked as one of the diamond magnates, and when the Kimberly diamond mines were consol- idated turned up at the top of the heap, worth millions. Later Barnato followed the movement to Witwatersrand, became a leading promoter of gold mining enter- da year ago was quoted at thin the last year it is currently given out in London that he has made perhaps £10,000,000 in the sale of mining shares and in promoting mining enterprises. Probably he himself does not know just how rich he is. « And should his fortune go on increasing at the rate it has sprung up, in another ten years this ex-circus juggier will be the richest man in the world. Barnato is now a member of the Cape Colony Parliament, and the other day n he was about to sail for South Africa, iven him in London, that resided over by the Lord Mayor and ed by many of the most notable financial men of England. He scatters his money like a plunger, and is always fol- lowed by a hungry horde eager to diverta portion of the Pactolian stream. He is exceedingly fond of the theater and of gay people generally, and no end of curious stories are told of his princely gifts and odd performances. If, for example, be wishes to give a theater party, he thinks very little of chartering the whole theater, or at least such a portion of it as he may desire for the exclusive use of his guests. Barnato is*no miser and works hard to enjoy his money. He has a brother who became, associated with him in the diamond business at Kimberly, ana later in the gold mines, and who, while heis not as rich as “Barney” and does not make any such tremendous splurge, lives in London in princely style and is worth several million pounds. A Bonanzae Mtatesman in South Africa. Oddly enough it was through the dia- mond mines and the gold mines that Cecil Rhodes came to be the Premier of Cape Colony and practicaliy dictator of South Africa. His political power has been gained very much in the same way that Senator Leland Stanford first made a great deal of money in Califorpia and later came to be Governor and then Benator. Rhodes was a young man in ill health and likely to die when he went out to South Africa and followed his brother into the diamond mines. There he not only recovered his health, but showed re- markable business talent, and soon be- came the head of the movement to con- solidate the Kimberly mines, which were then held by some 1600 different small holders, into one vast concern. The De Beers Consolidated mines, limited, valued to-day at $70.000,000 or $80,000,000, is practically his handiwork. Later Rhodes became interested with other diamond magnates in the Transvaal gold mines and is now quoted at something like £5,000,000. His friend and associate, Al- ired Beit, of ‘the firm of Wehrner, Beit & Co., is worth perbaps £12.000,000 and J. B. Robinson of the famous Robinson mine upward of £7,000,000. Henry Nourse is quoted at- £2,500,000, F. A. English at £3,000,000 and Piet Maraes at £2,000,000. uth Africa has thus far produced per- twice as many millionaires as did California, and the remarkable feature of the whole matter is _that, if the engineers are right in their calculations as to the ex- tent of the Witwatersrand deposits, the amount of gold the latter contain isalmost unlimited. Free predictions are offered that in five years the production of gold in the Transvaal alone will have gone far toward $100,000,000 a year, or about two- thirdsas much as all the gold now mined in the world. In this case, gold would be- come almost as cheap in commodity as silver. Indeed, so definite is the prospect that the question has already engaged the attention of financiers and economists, and M. Leroy-Beaulieu, the French statistician, has made an interesting calculation as to the possible effects of this increase upon the monetary situation. American Engineers Direct the Develop- ‘ment of South Africa. 1t is an interesting fact that these calcu- lations are based upon the reports and investigations of two American engineers, Hamilton Smith and Hennen Jennings, both of whom are well known in California. It is a rather remarkable fact that it has been American engineers who have directed the development of the South African gold mines, as it was Gardiner Williams and L. 8. Beymour, two American engineers, who rescued the Kimberly diamond mines from disaster and who have since directed their operations. It may interest some American boys to know that these American engineers, of whom there are perhaps a aozen prominent ones, are re- ceiving salaries rangine from £2000 to £15,000. John Hays Hammond is said to receive the latter sum. Hennen Jennings is said to receive £10,000, and there are several others who are drawing upward of 000 a year. An expert knowledge of mining is & valuable commodity in South Africa. Not only has American brains had a great deal to do with the development of the new mines in the Transvaal, but even American machinery is employed there in preference to the mining machinery of England, France or Germany. It is to M. 8. Harlow, who went, to South Africa and spent eighteen months there as {he re presentative of the Ingersoll-Sergeant Drill Company, that I am indebted for the material for this article. Mr. Harlow re- turned recently from the goid fields and cives many interesting facts regarding them. Said he: The Main Town of the Gold Fields. “The principal gold fields are grouped about the town of Johannesburg, which lies inland just a thousand miles northeast from Capetown. It is reached by rail from either Capetown, Port Elizabeth or East London, and probably by this time also from Delagoa Bay. The town is sito- ated in the southern portion of the Trans- vaal or South African Republic, about thirty-five miles south of Pretoria, the capita Johannesburg has now a popula- tion of about 40,000 whites, and Pretoria is a little place, a typical Boer town, of about 10,000. “Johannesburg lies on the uplands of the Witwatersrand, that is, ‘Freshwater Ridge,’ and for the most of the yearisa very pleasant place to live in. It is nearly 6000 feet above the level of the sea; is sur- rounded by a grassy, rolling country, and with tree planting and other improvements that are being made rapidly, it is becom- ing a pretty and attractive city. Itlacks nothing of the comforts and conven- iences “of modern civilization, in fact quickly utilizes all the latest improve- ments and inventions. The town is lit by electricity and an electric tramroad is being built connecting all the surround- ing mines and villages with the central town. The mines of themselves are equipped with perhaps the finest mining machinery in the world. The proprietors of the mines eniploy the finest engineering talent that money can command, and the mines are_worked in the most scientific manner. Loss from waste is reduced to a minimum, and the whole operation has been reduced to a strictly business and scientific basis. A Typical “Boom* Town. “Johannesburg itself isa study. Ithas sprung up entirely within the last ten years, principally within the last seven or eight years, and it is a typical boom town. The remarkable feature about it, however, is its curious freedom from the tough ele- ment. It presents absolutely none of the characteristics that we used to read of in the flush days of Leadville or Virginia City or Pioche. Somehow the English, who constitute the principal part of the population of the town, do not seem to Cevelop & rowdy element, and the ‘Man from Creede’ is not there. The negroes employed in the mines sometimes make a ]in’e trouble when they get drunk, but they are quickly hustled off and the town is as orderly and free from rows as a New England village. Curiously enough, it is governed like Washing- ton, by the Central Government of the South African Republic. That is to say, by the Boers. The latter are a very pious, slow-going class of Dutch peoplé, much like the Puritans. The resultistgat the saloons of Johannesburg are closed on Sunday, and at 12 o’clock each night of the week there is no gambling, and even dis- reputable houses are largely supp: A sanitary board, elected by the people, is making many improvements, and the water works, built by Barney Barnato, have introduced an abundance of water, 50 that many of the well-to-do citizens are beginning to cultivate fresh, beautiful lawns. The climate for the most part is rather mild, though during the rainy sea- son it is sometimes unpleasant. Still, the lace is healthy, and one undergoes no ardships in living there. “Nor are prices in general so very high. Good board at the hotels can be secured for about $20 a week, and while there is of course a general tendency to higher prices than prevails here, that 1s fully equalized by somewhat higher wages than are paid here. One would not notice as much dif- ference between prices there and here, between here and a Western boom town.' Asked as to whether the Transvaal pre- sented a good opportunity for making money, Mr. Harlow said: Neo Great Opportunities for Money-Mak- ing, Though. “On the whole, I should say it offered no especial inducements. With the discovery and development of the mines came an immense rush, so that all kinds of ordi- nary labor are to be had at fair prices. Moreover, a great many people who thought to settle in Mashonaland and Matabeleland, several hundred miles north of Johannesburg, have been disappoinied and have returned to the Transvaal. Then, t0o, almost every kind of business is repre- sented in some way or other, and the busi- ness man of Jobannesburg has his type- writer and rides his bicycle, and in general hasall the facilities and conveniences which one enjoys here. People who go out to South Africa, exgecling to find themselves in a heathen Jand, will "be apt to be disap- pointed by the entirely sophisticated state which greets him. He will find at Johan- nesburg, for example, a Stock Exchange that does a volume of business that would do credit to a town of ten times the popu- lation. In fact, speculation in mining stock is one of the chief characteristics of the place. Everybody speculates and shares go up and down. There are pools and ‘bull movements’ and ‘bear raids’ and ‘booms’ and all the diversions that go to make the stock exchanges of London and New York inwrestin%. ““The town is rapidly building up with handsome brick blocks and fine residences and tasteful churches, streets are being paved and the only thing so far lacking are good public school facilities. Not the least striking characteristic of the country is the presence of the gola mines on a green prairie. There are no mountains anywhere about and the usual bare, des- ertlike mining country is lucking. Before the mines were discovered all this area was_good farming land, and the cautious old Boers used to fight oft the prospectors, and, in fact, in the early daysof the Trans- vaal there was a heavy fine attached to prospecting anywhere in the republic, Of course that is all changed now, but it is the English rather than the native Boers ‘who have made money out of the mines. The Whole Development a Matter of Ten Years. “The discovery of the auriferous ‘blanket’ or conglomerate beds on the Witwaters- rand, came in 1885. 8o you see this won- derful district is just ten yearsold. In 1885 the sum of £10,000 would have sutficed to purchase all the farms of the entire dis- trict. Single claims have since sold for two or three times this sum. The. news of the discoveries soon reached Kimberly, and it was mainly the Kimberly crowd which took hold of and developed the mines, The deposits were found in a shale unlike anything else anywhere in the world. They are not in quartzite veins, but in associated beds of a sort of conglomerate which is known as a ‘reef.” The main reef is about 1200 feet wide, and the principal workings have strung along for about eleven miles. Here is the great Kobinson mine, the Victoria Rand and others which have given fame to the region. % _ “It was on account of the peculiar geo- logical character of the formation and the unexpected presence o:sold in a conglom- erate bed that at first led even expert en- ineers to declare the fields worthless. ndeed, one celebrated engineer, nex“ out at heavy expense, pronounced the al eged find an absurdity. From the very reef on which he stood, millions upon millions of dollars’ worth of gold has been taken out, land it was_ an e ination of this same reef. when it had been developed Iater, that led Hamilton Smith, the well- known American mining engineer, to de- clare that “There have often been mines of short length far richer than these of the Rand, but nothing approaching them ever have been, so far as regularity and extent are concerned.’ Character of the Gold Deposit. “The deposit is held in a broad bed or vein that takes the shape of something like an enormous bowl. 8o it happens that the same deposit will be found ata deep level some miles away from the out- crop of the reef. The English law is that a claim extends into the earth on vertical lines and not according to the ‘strike’ of the vein as in the American system. So, knowing that the vein could be tapped at a distance, an Am- erican engineer, Hennen Jennings, con- ceived the idea of sinking a long shaft ata distance from the main reef. This was the beginning of the ‘deep level' work- ings and from these many of the richest mines have been and are now being developed. The value of the gold in the Rand field, which is now practically ‘in sight,’ reaches the billions. Hamilton Smith estimated that along the stretch of eleven miles of the main reef which he saw—it having been Frospected by diamond drills to the depth of 5200 feet (one mile)— there were at least 100,000,000 tons which would yield 60,000,000 ounces of gold, or a value of £215,000,000. He estimated that the mines outside of this area would pro- duce half as much more, or a total of something like $1,500,000,000 in all. This, on an entirely conserva- tive estimate. Since the opening ch of the deep levels this estimate has been found to include only a portion of the demonstrated wealth of the Rand. So, when you consider that from 1849 to 1892 the entire gold product of California was less than $1,400,000,000 you get something of an idea of the untold riches that lie beneath the few square miles embraced in the Rand. Smith estimated that the Rand’s output of gold would reach eighty ora hun- dred millions by the end of the century. It is now not improbable that his predic- tion will be realized. A Town Removed to Get at the Gold. “When the Rand was first opened up, a town was forthwith established right on top of the reef, but when later it was found that underneath the streets and stores were valuable beds of gold, the Govern- ment opened up a town site a little dis- tance away, selling the lots at auction, or rather selling ninety-nine-year leases. These yielded a large sum, and have since increased enormously in value. This was the beginning of Johannesburg. ‘When the town was first laid out all . the supplies and machinery for the mines had to be brought from the seaboard and for 300 miles of the distance were carried in ox wagons. By the end of 1892 the Capetown railroad was built in and now two others have been completed through. The city is well laid-out and presents now a very pleasing and attrac- tive appearance. Itis modern in every de- tail, and is a busy and growing place. The mines extend along the reef for some miles in either direction,and their big crushers and the chimney-stacks of the engine-houses stand out boidly against the horizon. The mines are equipped with immense stamp batteries, and these, with the great furnace-houses, the chlorination and cyanide works, with the adjacent res- ervoirs of tailings and of slimes, following one after another over the grassy depths and rises of the country for miles and miles, present a scene unparalleled in any part of the world. “The mineral wealth of the Transvaal, however, is not confined to the Witwaters- rand. There are other gold fields along the northern and eastern edge of the re- Eublic, and not very far distant from Jo- annesburg are extensive coalmines. These latter occur not in a mountainous country, but right in the midst of a farming and stock-raising area, and the big dumps piled up contrast strangely with the purely agri- cuitural character of the country. Silver, copper and lead are likewise to be found in the Transvaal, although the silver mines are not worked much nowadays on account of the low price of silver. They probably will be developed in a few vears, with the extension of railroads and the cheapening of transportation.” CARL SNYDER. CHINESE TONGS AT WAR. The Neck of Mock Fook, a Highbinder, Is the Bone of Contention. An Officlal’s Opposition to the Murderer Disliked by Sam Yup Highbinders. There came near being a riot in China- town Thursday night. At a stormy meet- ing of the Six Companies the friends of Mock Fook, who is charged with murder- ing Quang Jong on Washington and Stock- ton streets, were advocating that the Chi- nese Consul-General, Li Wing You, should proceed to secure hisrelease on the ground that he was entirely innocent of the crime charged against him. The Ning Yung Company, of which Mock Fook is a member, asserted that Mock Fook was a good man, having been employed for thirteen years as a cook for a gentleman’s family. The Sam Yup Company, of which the murdered man, Quong Jong, was amem- ber, was opposed to any interference on the part of the Consul as its members pro- tested that Mock Fook was guilty. While this stormy meeting was pro- pressing, six or seven hundred Chinese, members of the Ning Yung, Hop Wo and others of the Six Companies, assembled on Commertial street to await the decision arrived at in regard to the action to be taken in Mock Fook's case. When Li Wing Yu and a member of the Jegation appeared on the scene, en route for the place of meeting, the six or seven hundred Chinese hissed at him, and acted in a very remonstrative manner. If it had not been for the presence of two officers at the en- trance to the rooms of the Six Companies, it is very probable that Li Wing Yu would have been roughly handled by the friends of the man who is incarcerated and seek- m; justice. % or a brief space of time the two officers had more than they could do to keep back the horde of Cninese which was apparently desirous of annihilating the Consul-Gen- eral, and had it not been for the arrival of Sergeant Shea and his squad it is more than probable that there would have been very serious trouble. As it was the officers were compelled to use their clubs ver; freely in order to break up the mob an clear the streets. The Consul-General was then escorted to the rooms of the Six Com- panies. After the adjournment of the meeting it was learned that the Consul was very re- luctant as to interfering in behalf of Mock Fook. The Ning Yung Company asserted that if the Consul does not assist by eve; means in his power in securing his’ releaz they will appeal to the home Government and demand tbe recall of Li Wing Yu. It is claimed by many friends of Mock Fook that it was a highbinder imported for the purpose who committed the crime. The Consul-General and the Sam Yup president were escorted home by tue police, as it was feared that the angry tongs would attack them and a regular Chinese riot ensue. e —.————— Ten Thousand Miles or Thirty, It matters not which, may subject you to seasick- ness on the “briny deep.” Whether you are a yachtsman, an ocean traveler, out fora day ortwo's fishing on the salt water, or even an inland tourist in feeble health, you ought to be provided with Hostetter's Stomach Bitters, a valuable remedy for nausea, colic, billousness, acidity of the stom- ach, malaria, rheumatism, nervousness and sick headache. Lay in an adequate supply. WORK ON THE STREETS, Superintendent Ashworth’s Annual Report Made to the ¢ Supervisors. COST OF THE DEPARTMENT. The Cobble Pavements and the Pri- vate Contract System Are Scored. Superintendent of Streets Ashworth yes- terday filed his report with the Board of Supervisors for the fiscal year ending June 30. During the year, the report states, there have been laid 7 miles and 5077 feet of bituminous-rock pavements; 4 miles 1129 feet of basalt-block pavements; 2335 feet of cobble pavements; 2 miles 4390 feet of brick sewers and 10 miles 4770 feet of pipe sewers. There have been accepted 16 miles 633 feet of paved streets, which makes a total of 142 miles 4505 feet of ac- cepted streets in the City. The disbursement of the §288,960 appro- priated for the department was as follows: For wages, $105,146 05; for street-sweeping, $75,023 32: for repairs to bituminous pave- ments, $2985; for repairs to Fourth-street bridge, $268; for material, $16,487 89; for work in front of City property, 16,016 42, Superintendent Ashworth, in connec- tion with the report, makes the following suggestions, which are of interest to the municipality: For the better preservation of our pavements 1 would recommend that »sn amendatory ordi- nance be passed increasing the width of the tires on trucks, gnd a strict enforcement of the resent ordinance prohibiting the bauling of oads_exceeding 10,000 pounds in weight, if such loads can be divided. The cobble pavement should no longer be allowed to disgrace our City, and I earnestly recommend that on streets of suitable grade the cobbles be removed and replaced with a smooth and noiseless pavement. The private contract system has been greatly abused, and the property-owner is often in- duced through false representations to enter into contract for the performance of street work at exorbitant prices, whereas if the pro- visions of the street law wvere complied with he would receive the benefit of public com- petition. In the matter of paving performed under private contract I favor the passage of an orain- ance requiring the contractor to furnish bonds to keep the street in good repair for a period of five years after its completion, and that such street be not accepted by the City until the expiration of said time. Thecondition of many of the paved streets in this City suggestssuch a provision, and 1 would approve the same in pl\;blic contracts if it were legal to exact a com- ance. p It is to be hoped that the present macadam- ized blocks on Van Ness avenue will shortly be aved with bituminous rock and that San Francisco will have a handsome boulevard from Market street to Vallejo. Golden Gate avenue, from Market to Steiner street, should be repaved with-bitumen. Our sewerage system is far from being satis- factory, as is evidenced by the large number of breaks that follow a heavy rainfall. Too much attention cannot be given to their cleanliness, both as a sanitary precaution and for their preservation and for better serving their pur- ose. I recommend that the interior of the rick sewer bottoms be covered with at least six inches of fine concrete. This will facilitate cleaning, afford better drainage and render these sewers more serviceable and healthy. The completion of the sewer outlet for the Richmond district has been the means of causing an extensive construction of tributary sewers within this district. These sewers are constructed in accordance with plans adopted by & previous board, and are, for the most part, only eight inches in diameter. I fear that these sewers will prove totally inadequate to carry the house drainage and surface water from the cesspools, and that the adoption of & system of such small sewers was a mistake. Our public parks and squares should receive better attention. Lack of sufficient funds has prevented their improvement, and for the same reason the streets that surround many of them remain unpaved and are without side- walks. This should be remedied, and when the City has dome its duty in this respect the Street Department can with better grace ask the property-owners to do likewise. KEEPING OLEAN STREETS. ) Some Interesting Figures From the Mer- chants’ Association. The Merchants’ Association is anxious to try the experiment of sprinkling the streets with salt water, and the members speak in high praise of the condition of East street where the Harbor Commissioners have the dust kept down with water from the bay. 1f possible the merchants would have all of the downtown streets sprinkled in the same manner. Much will depend on the recommenda- tion of the Street Committee of the Super- visors when it makes its appropriation for sprinkling. As it will be some time before lEe Olympic Club salt-water mains are laid in from the ocean, the only hope of having salt water on the streets is that the Super- visors will set aside money for salt-water sprinkling. The association has made a change in the street-cleaning work in_the fruit com- mission house aistrict. Heretofore the work was done at night, but after this the work will be done in the daytime. Some interesting figures have been fur- nished regarding the street-cleaning force of the association. When the street- sweeping machine was running 180 men were employed. This number has been increased to 216, exclusive of twenty-five teamsters. In the first or central district seventy-three men are kept busy with brooms all day. In the second district, Market and adjoining streets, sixty-three men are busy sweefiug all day. The remaiader of the 216 men are scat- tered all over town in six gangs. Sixteen wagons and eight carts are kept busy cart- inf{lway dirt. ore men will be put to work as soon as possible. At least fiity more are necessary to keep the streets in order. At preseni about 800,000 square yards are sweg,und at Jeast a million yards of street should be kept clean. The bill this month for street-sweeping will be about $10,000, but i the work be fally done. it would amount to at least $12,000. The merchants fear that the appropriation of $150,000 asked for will not enough. THE - STREET COMMITTEE, Petition of the Richmond Club to Pro- hibit the Sale of Burial Lots Denied. The petition to prohibit the sale of burial lots in the City cemeteries was de- nied by the Health and Police Committee of the Board of Supervisors yesterday morning. Quite a number of people were present to argue for and against the peti- tion, and the committee decided in favor of the representatives of the cemeteries. The petition was filed by the Richmond Improvement Club, and Charles S. Hubbs, the president of the club, was the first to address the committee. He stated that the ?m hibition of the ‘sale of lots for burial purposes was in the province of the Supervisors, and quoted a number of laws of other Btates to mfiport his arguments. He further said that the maintenance of a cemetery in the heart of a city was a men- ace to the public health, W. H. Crocker and J. Smith followed Mr. Hubbs in favor of the petition, dwell- ing at length on the improvements which had been made in the Richmond district. Judge Gunnison, president of Laurel Hill- Cemetery Association, Fire Commis- sioner Bower, representing the Odd Fel- lows’ Cemetery, and ex-Supervisor Burling addressed the committee in favor of con- tinuing the sale of lots. The committee, after listening to all the arguments, de- cided that they should not act until an expression of opinion was given by the ople. peAppmmt from a number of tradesmen in the vicinity of the old City Was read. The complainants requested that something be done to prevent the flyin; lime and brickdust from settling on an damaging their goods. The committee decided to recommend that the Mayor, who had let the contract, request Chiet Sullivan of the Fire Department to wet down the rains every day. COURSING. Drawings for the Runs at Kerrigan’s and Casserly’s Parks. There will be a thirty-two dog stake run off at Kerrigan’s coursing park to-morrow. The following is the result of the draw: T. Trant’s Little Beauty vs. C. Prendergast's Midget, J. Hurley’s Jimmy Rix vs. J. McBride's Little Whip, T. O’Brien’s Lamplighter vs. D. | Dillon’s Evening Star, A. Merril's Butcher Boy vs. Alameda Kennel’s Daisy, P. McCabe’s Bon- nie Lass vs. S. T. Desimone’s Woodfora, D. Tweedie's Dublin Stout vs. Rodger’s Sly Boy, W. Dalton's Napoleon Jack vs. J. Dunlea’s Nellie D, P. McCabe's Electric ~ vs Trant's ~ Sly Girl Jr., D. Dillon’s Sacramento Queen vs. P. J. Reiliy's Little Willie, W. Dalton’s Ilene vs. A. Merrill's Snowbird, T. Keleher's Spring vs. W. Creamer’s Regent, G. H, Burfiend’s Little Tom vs. M. Kelly'sFly, J. McBride’s Fiashlight vs. P. Mc- Cabe’s Tempest, J. O'Farrell’s So 8o vs. W. Dal- lon's Lightweigh, J. H. Perigo's Kitty Scott vs. P. Reilly’s Harkaway, J. Kerrigan's Fred Lees vs. J. McDonald’s Mayo Boy. Prizes, $20, $12,%8, $8. Ed Canavan, judge; John Cran- ston, siipper. There will be a thirty-six dog stake at Casserley’s coursing park next Sunday. The following is tte resuit of the draw: T. Ford’s Pride of the West vs. J. McGlynn's Blue Tom; T, Brennan’s Queen F vs. J. Adams’ Salvator; F. C. Randolph’s Dixie vs. J. Grace's Roll Along; J. Murphys Redlight vs. I, H. Perigo’s Wee Lassie; T. Brennan's White Rus- tic vs. J. McGlynn’s Rosa B; G. Smart’s Glenade vs. J. Tracy’s Swede; D. Burfiend’s Catch- em vs. R. Pringle's Ace of Spades; D. Burflend’s 'Tricks vs. T. J. Ward’s Grand Lady; R. Prifigle’s Snow vs. C. Pendergast’s Midget; J. McBride's Flashlight vs. J. Brady’s Wee Nell; J. King's Prince Devine vs. C. Jen- ning’s Red Rose: J. Welsh's Belle vs. J. Dean’s Kathleen; H. Hull's Jennie Lind vs. T. J. Cronin’s Jack Dempsey; G. Smart’s Occidental vs. T. Roe’s Molly Reilly; T. J. Cronin’s White Chief vs. J. Hawks' Frisco Boy; J. McGlyun's Joe Bowers vs.’ W. Kelter's Mission Girl; J. Tracy’s Soudan ve. T. Roe’s Robert Emmett; J. J.McLaughlin’s Lady Richmond vs. J. Dean’s Fullerton. Prizes, $30, $20, $10, $10, $10. Judge, John Grace Jr. Slipper, James Grace. WILL OF ALBAN . TOWNE The Estate, Valued at a Half Million, Left to His Widow. VacantChalr in the Southern Pacific May Not Be Filled at Present. Yesterday Clinton E. Worden, son-in- law of A. N. Towne, examined the con- tents of tha late railway manager’s private box and, as expected, found a will. In the will, which was made in 1894, and witnessed by Judge Hervey Brown and Attorney Fred Lake, the testator be- queathed all of his property to his wife, Caroline Amelia, and appointed her ex- ecutrix of the estate. The value of country lands and city real estate left by Mr. Towne approximates a half million dollars. He held life insur- ance policies aggregating $25,000. No rail- road bonds or stock were found among his papers. 3 The country property consists of im- proved and unimproved lands near Merced, Porterville, Tipton, Pixley and Bakers- field. Most of the land is under cultiva- tion, in grain or fruit, and is productive. About three months ago Mr. Towne placed the care of his land affairs in the hands of his son-in-law, Mr. Worden, and the latter is, therefore, familiar with the investments and the tenants. B The estate of Mr. Towne is not incum- bered by debts, liens or mortgages. This was the third of Mr. Towne's wills, but those which had been previously executed were substantially to the same effect. About the only differences consisted in the fact that the first referred to the daughter of Mr. Towne by her maiden name, and the second by that of her first husband. The third, of course, mentions her as the wife of Mr. Wor<en. The Towne residence on California-street hill contains many beautiful and valuable works of art. In the lineof pictures the most notable artists of California are repre- sented. . There is no inclination at Southern Pa- cific headquarters to discuss with news- paper men the subject of A.N. Towne's successor. J. C. Stubbs, third vice-presi- dent and general traffic_manager, whose conversation is always animated and often agreeable, will talk’ freight tariff by the hour, but when it comes to deciding upon whose shoulders the mantle of Mr. Towne shall rest he is positively non-committal. He remarked yesterday : “The work of the office is going on now just as if Mr. Towne was away on a vaca- tion. The work went.on as usual when Mr. Hopkins died; so it did when Mr, Crocker and Governor Stanford passed away, and they were all active men of affairs, There never was a_large institu- tion more completely run by its owners than the Southern Pacific. “Mr. Towne held a very important posi- tion in the company. He was second vice- prestdent, and in the absence of the presi- dent and vice-president directed affairs. The selection of some one to fill his place will not be made at once. In all prob- ability it will be the subject of conference by Mr. Huntington, Mr. Crocker, Mr. Searles and Mr. Stillman. At present Mr. Fillmore, the general superintendent, is erforming some of the duties which Mr. gowne performed, and as matters requir- ing adjustment arise the work necessary wfll be done by some one. “These accounts you read in the news- papers,” said Mr. Stubbs, *‘about strife in the company between the ‘old guard’ and the new regime are not authentic. If there is an ‘old guard’ here I should belong to it, because I have been in the service of the company twenty-five years. We are not striving in this office to pull each other down, as published reports would indi- cate. The subject of Mr. Towne's suc- cessor has not been discussed for reasons of delicacy and propriety. The authority of Mr. Towne was not abridged nor the measure of his responsibility diminished as reported. There seems to be a purpose in certain quarters to stir up strife in the company and excite friction between in- dividuals. An effort was made to weaken the friendly relations between Mr. Towne and myself, but I cannot say that it was successful.” Mr. Stubbs cited_the administration of affairs in the New York Central, Pennsyl- vania, Chicago and Northwestern, Rock Island and Missouri Pacific to make clear his proposition—that the duties of traffic manager are in a sense independent of other functions of management and that the range of freight operations often ex- tend beyond the jurisdiction of other de- partments. Mr. Stubbs was surely in a genial mood yesterday. He spoke in the kindest man- ner of his associates—Mr. Goodman, Mr. Fillmore, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Smurr, Mr. Sproule, Mr. Douty, Mr. Herrin. Mr. Red- ding, and included Mr. Mills of the land department in the general expression of good will toward his fellow-creatures. oseph D. Redding was an object of sym- glthy at headquarters the first and even he second time his discharge from the law department was reported, but since the re- port has been published a dozen times sub- sequently and the lawyer still - holds on, sympathy for him has been.wholly with- rawn. Vice-President H. E. Huntington, whose journey East was abandoned on accounmt of Mr. Towne’s death, returned to the City yesterday morning. —————— The first book entered for copyright un- der the laws of the United States was the *‘Philadelphia Spelling Book.” ——————— The Savannah, the first steamer to cross the Atlantic (in 1819), made the trip in twenty-five days. NEW TO-DAY—DRY GOODS. ASTOUNDING BARGAIN® TO-DAY! TO-DAY! Below we present a few quotations that will prove most inter- esting reading to all who appreciate EXTRAORDINARY VALUES, for the SWEEPING REDUCTIONS named are fair samples of the SACRIFICE PRICES prevailing this week throughout our vast surplus stock of STYLISH AND SEASONABLE GOODS! 5 Cents a Yard. At y 275 pieces TENNIS FLANNELS. These are not the common goods usually offered as eaders, but close, heavy fabrics, in useful colorings; worth 834c and 10c a yard. At 5 Cents a Yard. One lot ENGLISH CREPON CRINKLES and one, lot BEST AMERICAN SEER- SUCKERS. The variety is limited, but the goods are choice and serviceable and worth 12}4¢ a yard. LADIES’ BLACK HOSIERY. 25 Cents a Pair. At LADIES’ BLACK MACO COTTON HOSE, high spliced heels and toes, Peerless fast black, extra good value for $4 20 a dozen, will be closed out at 25¢ a pair. GLOVES! GLOVES! At 51.00. 100 dozen LADIES’ 8-BUTTON LENGTH MOUSQUETAIRE UNDRESSED KID GLOVES, in all the new shades of tan, modes and slates, extra good value for $1 75, will be placed on sale this day for $1 a pair. LADIES’ WHITE AND COLORED WAISTS! At 35 Cents. 75 dozen LADIES’ COLORED WAISTS, r"egular price 50c and 75¢, will be closed out this day at 35¢ each. At 55 Cents. 60 dozen LARIES’ LAUNDRIED WAISTS, regular price $150, will be closed out this day at 55¢ each. HANDKERCHIEFS! At 8% HANDKERCHIEFS! Cents Each. 100 dozen LADIES’ SHEER WHITE SCALLOPED EMBROIDERED HANDKER- CHIEFS (slightly imperfect), regular price $2 a dozen, will be closed out at 624¢ each. EMBROIDERED FLOUNCING! At Half Price. ‘WHITE SCALLOPED AND HEMSTITCHED SWISS FLOUNCING AND DEMI- FLOUNCING, in short lengths, from 1 to 4}4 yards, will be closed out at half price. Market Streel, corner of Jones, SAN FRANCISCO. *~s BrisE ror Erkc. TRic CAR Lives.— Snow and ice have always been a source of trouble on Eastern railway lines in winter. In the old horse days cars would jump the track and brakes prove useless, unless the rail was fairly clean; but with the advent of electricity an entirely new and vital feature was presented, namely, the neces- sity for as perfect a contact as possible be- tween wheel and rail. Various ice-break- ing devices for freeing the rail have been tried, but none was so effective as the time- honored salt, particularly on curvesand switches. Salt, however, is notoriously perverse as to condition, and often a most inconvenient thing to handle. Unless it was kept in a perfectly dry storehouse, dampness would attack it, weakening it, and making it difficult to feed when put into the salt boxes. Extra men, too, had to ride on the salters to work the levers and poke the hopper to insure anything like a steady flow on the track. 1ln many cities objection was freely made to the use of salt, which formed in piles, and spattering on vehicles injured the varnish. For many years managers have studied the question of preparing a very strong brine, and thus using the salt in liquid form. The theory was excellent, but in practice it was found impossible to avoid incrustation and deposits which gather on the sides and bottoms of the tanks and quickly choke the pipes through which the brine 1s conducted to the rail. The problem has at length been solved, and tge solution will put many thousan dollars a year in the pockets of the street railroad ‘companies. After experiments extending over many months a method has been discovered of producing cheaply a highly concentrated clear nfit liquor with specific iruit greatly in excess-of water. It is absolutely free from deposit or sediment, costs no more than salt to begin with, is easy to ap- Fly and most economical in use, as t involves, qrncticnllv, no wastage. The basis of the liquid is natural salt water that has been subjected to a mechanical and chemical treatment. It will not freeze even at 20 aegrees below zero. It has an immediate action. when applied, its péne- tratin% effects being very much greater than dry salt or the brine formed from salt melting on the track. For curves crossings and switches the brine is applied by the man who sweeps these points, who pours the brine from a commen sprinklin can. For main-line tracks a small ung can be set on the front platform, and the liquid can be fed to the rail by a small iron pipe. Fora very bad track and_ long distances a sprinkler-car can be used, and one tankcar will “‘brine” the rails twenty or thirty miles. Many streetcar com- panies are preparing to use the liquid en- tirely next winter, and the public will benefit in many ways by the change. S16Ns oF A NEW ERA 1N ErecTRic TRAC- TION. — A ‘singular coincidence seems to have taken place in the field of electric traction. For many years there has been & keen rivalry between the electric conduit and the storage battery for the prominent place in traction work that everybody recognized was held only temporarily by the trolley. The main hindrance to the adoption of the conduit was the matter of insulation; the air in the conduit was often damp and the conduit itseli could not be kept dry. The expense of a fairly efficient system also played an important part in the reckoning. With the storage battery, the great difficulty was the excessive weight of the lead plates of the accumulators. It could run the car well enough, but the railroad engineer was not sufficiently enthused over it to tolerate the carrying of a ton of dead weight in battery cells. Both the conduit and the storage battery in this striving for the lead in a race where victory meant an enormous fortune have been constantly evolving material improvements, and practicable railroads of both types have been in- stalled within the last year or two, as a rule with somewhat limited success. Early this month the electrical engineers of New York were invited to inspect a new conduit system, which was at work in the upper part of the city. The result was a surprise, and the conviction was general in the minds of the visitors that at last the commercial electric conduit_for street rail- way work had been attained. The system has had universal commendation, and it is said that many cities that would not adept the trolley are already taking steps to in- stall the new.conduit, which is an Ameri- can improvement upon a German sys- tem, on their streets. Following im- mediately on ‘this most impbrtant event comes the announcement of an invention of the greatest significance im storage battery manufacture. The inventor claims that by a simple and ingenious pro- cess he can make the lead plate of the bat- tery so porous that, while having all the efficiency of the ordinary plate, it will have half its weight. If this claim be substan- tiated, within thirty days two solutions will have been reached of the problem of streetcar traction which has exercised electrical engineers for a_decade, and elec- tric dogcarts and electric vehicles of all descriptions will soon share the popularity of the bicycle. TrE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE BUFFET TrOLLEY-CAR.—The trolley party fad which last year seized the staid city of Philadel- phia hasreappeared in a pronounced form. Formerly the ordinary car, provided pos- sibly with an extra supply of lights, was chartered by a party for a certain number of hours and after taking « brass band on board sped merrily countryward. This year a momentous innovation has been made. The great event of the excursion season in Philadelphia is the introduction of “icecream trolley-cars.”” These cars are among the most beautiful vehicles that were ever turnmed out of a shop. Handsomely finished throughout, they are inclosed all around the sides with bronze grill frames, and have cushion rat- tan seats with comfortable backs. Anaisle runs down the center, and between the seats are tables of the detachable pattern, such as are used on Pullman buffet-cars. On these icecream and light refreshments are served to the passengers during the trig. How gay and inspiring the icecream trolley-car can be made to look may be gathered from the fact that recently one was equipped Wwith 265 colored electric lights, the*lamps running all over the roof and even up the trolley pole. Sun- day-schools and church congregations are said to be the best customers of these buf- fet-cars. The cars have also struck the fancy of the lay picnicker. In many cases it is possible to shunt the car on to an en- tirely different system of lines, so that a prolonged picnic can be arranged. The car can be engaged for several days and, stocked with its own provisions, make an extended journey over any section of the country on which line connection can be secured. The fadis in high favor with old and young alike, and the trolley, which on its introduction on the city lines was bit- terly opposed and reviled, is now on the top wave of populiarity. RevENUE FroM Erecrric HEATING.—An electrical journal calls attention to the fact that Ottawa, Canada, has proved itself one of the most progressive utilizers of electricity on thiscontinent. The running of 50,000 lights in a city of 40,000 inhabi- tants speaks volumes, and it is doubtful if any other city in the world can approach such figures. " But even more interesting is an item in the report of the local central station, just presented, showing an income of $421 from heaters. This is & new item in similar balance sheets. Although the amount is small, it is much larger than the motor account used orainarily to ,be, as it involved only an outlay of $12, sound as well as promising business, ke y and