The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 23, 1898, Page 5

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1898. RIGHTEFUL TERRORS OF SPANISH RULE DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS Evidence of the Cruelties Inflicted by Spaniards IN CUBA Presented. Senator Morgan Shows That Six Hundred Thousand People Have Perished During the Present War. Call Office, Riggs House, Washington, Feb. 22. Cuba usurped the place of Hawall in the executive proceedings of the Sen- v and was under consideration he proceeding nt presented n of Alabama as the ur ¢ Mass. nator Mor- t Mr. Koop s a capital- cently returned from ost exhaustive explora- of document Boston, laid considerable . which resulted from a stenog- raphic report of the interview between organ and Mr. Koop. The consisted of questions by Morgan and replies by Mr. provinces and had spent s time each of them in rosecution of his inquiri place outside of Havana, he effort made to take care s, and he declared dying in great plac together by the Spanish, f the ty of the lack of food. that there w: of & more liberal treat- rtunate people under of General Blanco n under the Weyler id that the people in gen- in just as deplorable a condi- e the concentrados al- side the military posts and while there was ortain instances to grow vicinity of the crop areas did not ex- n 500 yards added that if 1 to get out they could get sat to keep soul and bod even small more t He t that when The latter sald he had been in | no evidence | few between himself | In| as they had beer before the | | from the | the people | lighter upperworks of the Maine, and | would be made and the exs children attempted to go outside of the guard lines they were shot down as ruth ly as if they were enemies in arms. He said that he had seen women and children abused by the Spanish )ldiers, and that a favorite pastime seemed to be to kick the women about as if they were dogs. Mr. Koop also devoted considerable space, at Senator Morgan's suggestion, to the scheme of autonomy under the liberal ministry and pronounced it a failure from one end of the island to another. He said that business was at a standstill throughout the country; that few crops were growing, and that | desolation and ruin stared the traveler | in the face wherever he went. As a consequence property was nuch depre- ciated In value and the people were graatly discouraged. He said that the general estimate was that the war had | already resulted in the loss of 630,000 | lives, and Mr. Koop himself did not consider these flgures exaggerated. There was some comment upon the document by Senators Morgan, Gallin- ger and Mason, but no officlal action | was taken. Senator Mason sald the statement was no more than he had ex- | pected to hear, and Senator Gallinger declared that the picture drawn was a deplorable one. He said that two years ago he had advised that the United States should intervene to put a stop to the war, and that every de- velopment since had confirmed the wis- dom of the suggestion then made. Probably Li enant Commander | Wainwright, th cutive officer of the Maine, now assigned in Havana, will| be assigned to the duty of inspecting | the work as it proceeds. The officers of the two wrecking com- panies to-day said that after the expe- | dition was assembled in Havana har- bor a complete inspection of the wreck ct line of | rk determined upon 1 be ample, and all of the divers will be able to work at one time in different parts of the wreck. Most of the lifting will be done by the smaller derrick, | which I8 of sufficient: capacity for the | The facilities | it will take the monster derrick of the Monarch to lift the huge turrets of the Maine and the guns mounted within VoLone voyne it HE CALL GIVES ITS READERS ONE MORE CPPORTUNITY TO SECURE SCRIBNER'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. A number of our readers were disappointed by our refusing to ac- cept their orders after FEBRUARY 18, CLOSING DAY OF HISTORY Wishing to accommodate our readers we succeeded in making arrangements with the publishers to open another club to-day at a slightiy advanced price, for fifteen days only. CLUB. The class of people who subscribed during our last offer are so de- sirable that we have decided to make the payment only ONE DOLLAR down, balance in nine monthly payments of $2.00 each. One-half morocco, $1.00 per month more. It cost more to make this history than ever was spent on another The hest of authors—the foundation and plan laid by William Cullen Bryant, text by Sydney Howard Gay and Noah Brooks, assisted by Edward Everett Hale, E. L. Burlingame (Editor of Scribner’'s Magazine), H. E. Scudder (editor of the Atlantic), Rossiter Johnson and many other specialists ; the best of artists, from the best of mapmakers worked upon it. thoroughly accurate and scholarly, while at the same time it is enter- It is magnificently printed and bound. No other work in American history begins to compare with it in respect to illustrations. It is as perfect in every particular as the great house of Charles Scrib- That is saying a great deal, but it is true. history of the United States. Abbey to Zogbaum; taining. ner’s Sons could make it. $1.00 down, balance in nine months. Five massive volumes. 1600 This is the very best edition as guaranteed ilustrations, 3600 pages. by Charles Scribner’s Sons. Call and examine this grand work, or telephone Davis 861, and we will send a set for examination. OUT-OF-TOWN READERS—Full set will be sent on approval (state binding preferred) free of expense ; return if not wanted. Do not miss the splendid opportunity ~ You will never have another one.- Address SAN FRANCISCO CALL. Itis 1 TWO OF THE MAINE’S DEAD. them. Captain Humphreys stated that the purpose was not to separate the big guns from the turrets, but lift them as a whole. This will be a tremendous undertak- ing, as the combined weight of each turret and gun is 166 tons. The Mon- arch can lift 260 tons, so there s an ample margin of lifting power. The wreckers were loth to express an opinion as to their ability to raise the hull of the Maine. Mr. Chapman and Captain Humphreys stated that noth- ing but a close personal inspection would permit a decision on that point. They are hopeful, however, that the ship can be brought to the surface. The iron barge Lone Star will be used to receive the turrets, guns and wreck- age, and as fast as loads are made up she will be towed to the Norfolk navy yvard. = ALMOST WRECKED IN NORTHERN WATERS. Narrow Escape of the Steamship George W. Elder From Seri- ous Disaster. VICTORIA, Feb. 22.—The Portland steamer George W. Elder, which put into Departure Bay for coal to-day, re- ports a very narrow escape from de- struction. on her tfip down from, Alaska. The trouble commenced in the great storm of Fridav night, which was encountered in “ueen Charlotte Sound. The Elder became unmanageable in the heavy seas. She was blown broad- side throu-h Goletas Channel, be "m Vancouver Island and Galiano Island, and it was by great luck, added to the herculean efforts of Captain Hinckle and Pilots Edwards and Thompson, that she escaped destruction on the rocks close at hand, the channel being less than half a mile wide. The vessel was so tossed about that all the passengers and many of the crew were more or less injured. A pas- senger named Davis from California had his wrist broken. E. A. Cassel of Juneau broke his knee cap. Pilot Thompson was thrown from his berth and suffered a broken rib. Officers of the Elder say that so furious was the storm that they would not be sur- prised to hear of serious disaster to some of the many small craft in the north. THE SEA STILL HOLDS 118 DEAD Bodies of None of the Clara Nevada Wreck Victims Recovered. Definite Knowledge of the Identity of the Passengers Yet Lacking. Special Dispatch to The Call. Feb. 15 (vla Seattle, Feb. little to be added to the ac- count of the awful loss of the Clara Ne- vada. Crews of several steamships which have passed the scene of the wreck have noticed the floating masts, still attached to the sunken hull, and other wreckage, but have seen no bodies. Even from Skaguay there comes no definite news of the identity of the passengers. It is cer- tain, however, that A. Benicke of J. D. Meyers & Co., Portland; Al Noyes of Juneau and G. B. Saportas of New York are among those lost. W. F. Saportas came down from Skaguay last night. He was the last man on board of th ip before she left Skagus being there to bid his brother farewell. George Bach, who saw the burning steamer from Seward Clty, says the vessel was burning when he first-saw her, and that this must have been after the explosion. He hung a light out on the dock and with a companion watched the burning ship for four hours. It is now said that the vessel carried gunpowder, which is based on the fact that a small box of fuse washed ashore. The best oplnion, however, is that her boilers burst and that the explosion took place before the fire. This is borne out by the fact that among the wreckage is a great plece of her deck, a lot of new chairs and tables and other things that are not even scorched. No steps have yet been taken to search for the bodies, and, in short, outside of those which may be confined In tne vessel, the deep snow and wide territory to be covered make any such enterprise seem entirely hopeless. x IN AT PORT ANGELES. Passengers Compel the Captain to Take Aboard a Supply of Fresh Meat. PORT ANGELES, Feb. 22.—The steam schooner Whitelaw put in here last night 107 hours from San Francisco, bound for Dyea, with 160 passengers. There was much dissatisfaction on the part of the passengers on acccount of the meat served. It was the original intention of the Whitelaw to take the outside passage, but the passengers’ compelled the captain to come here for fresh meat and take the insfae passage. . The rumors of mutiny of the Whitelaw’'s crew. were unfounded, REVOLTING (RINE 0F WHITE MEY Dwelling of a Negro Postmaster Fired by a Mob. He and His Family Are| Shot Down as They Rush Forth. | Father and Babe Killed and Cremated in the Burn- ing Building. THE WOMEN NOT SPARED. Bullets From the Assassins Maim the Mother and Her Three Daughters. Spectal Dispatch to The Call. ATLANTA (Ga.), Feb. 22.—A speclal | from Columbia, S. C., to the Constitu- tion says: The most revolting crlme‘ ever perpetrated by white men in South Carolina was committed at Lake | City, Willlamsburg County, at 1 o'clock this morning, when the Post- master, a negro, and his family, were burned out of their home, the postmas- | ter and a babe in arms killed, and his wife and three daughters shot and maimed for life. Baker was appcinted postmaster three months ago. Lake City is a town of 400 inhabitants, and the negro population in the vicinity is large. There was a protest against Baker's appointment, but it was not a very vigorous one. Three months ago, as the postmaster was leaving the office at night in ccmpany with several col- ored men, he was fired on from am- bush, but it was not known that the would-be assassin was prompted by other than personal malice. Since then Baker moved his family into a house on the outskirts of the town, where he has also established the postoffice. Last Tuesday night a body of men, who kept concealed be- hind buildings and fences in the neigh- borhood, riddled the building with shot and rifle bullets. They shot high, but 1o one was hurt, and it was supposed that they meant to convey a warning. It was a short time before Senators Tillman and McLaurin and Congress- man Horton had asked the Postmaster- General to remove Baker because of his color, and the request had been re- fused. Baker did not move his family and gave no evidence of being frightened. He felt confident of protection from ‘Washington. At 1 o’clock this morning a torch was applied to the postofiice and Ba- ker's house. Back of it, just within the line of light, were over 100 white men armed with pistols and shotguns. By the time the fire aroused the sleeping family, consisting of the Postmaster, his wife, four daughters, a son and an infant at the breast, the crowd began firing into the building. A hundred bullet holes were made through the thin boarding, and many found lodgment in the people within. Baker was the first to reach the door, and he fell dead just within the thres- hold, being shot in several places. The mother had the baby in her arms, and had reached the door over her husband’'s body when a bullet crashed through its skull and it fell to the floor. She was shot in several places. Two of the girls had their arms broken close to the shoulders and will probably lose them. Another of the girls is believed to be fatally wounded. The boy is shot. Two of the seven occupants of the house escaped with slight injuries. The bodies of Baker and the infant were cremated in the’ buflding. All mail matter was destroyed. A Coroner’s jury was impaneled this evening, and it visited the charred re- mains and adjourned until Saturday. There is general and bitter indignation expressed everywhere, e Feudner Wins a Match. SACRAMENTO, Feb. 22.—Feudner of ‘| match at 100 live the San Francisco Olympic Club, who hoius the coast championship, defeated Stelling of Davisville in ‘a challenge igeons this afternoon for $100 a side. The score was 8 to 7. The shooting was poor on both sides, as a high wind was blowing. e TO ABOLISH CANADIAN PACIFIC DIFFERENTIALS. Great Northern and NorthernPacific Railways Are Acting in Concert. CHICAGO, Feb. 22.—It is now reported that the Great Northern and the North- ern Pacific roads have joined hands to bring about an abolition of all Canadian Pacific differentials and will insist that to be an indispensable element in the set- tlement of the present transcontinental rate war. These differentials are at the bottom of the trouble. They have been a source of annoyance and friction since they have been in existence and now it is claimed the present war offers an excel- lent opportunity of getting rid of them once and forev It is urged that there is really no reason for their existence. Any disadvantages to which the Cana- dian Pacific may be subjected in compet- ing for transcontinental business on the one hand are more than offset by advan- tages it enjoys on the other. It may be that all the matters now in dispute between the roads may be sub- mitted to arbitration for settlement. In that case the auestion of differenttals would have to abide the result, the same as all the other matters in dispute. Should the war be fought out to a finish, how- ever, it is said the two roads named will insist on the abolition of all differentials. MEN OF BUSINESS ATTEND A BANQUET. LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22—Eminent men of business disported themselves and had a gay time at the Chamber of Commerce banquet this evening. It was the annual affair of the kind and was given at Jerry Illich’s. There were & number of invited guests at the festal board, including all of the local notables. Dr. Norman Bridges presided as toast- The programme of toasts was s: “President of the United * Judge M. T. Allen; “The Mem- George Washingtor Rev. Burt Howard; *“Highwa of Com- " Senator Stephen M. White; Nicaragua Canal,” Hon. Thomas Fitch; “What We Grow in Southern California,” John F. Francis; *“Southern. California, vas, as It Is, as It Will Be,” J. S. “‘Results of Climatic Influence,” aflz%er: “The Chamber of Com- W. C. Patterson. MURDER AND SUICIDE A White Girl Killed by Her Colored Lover. Ethel Gray Shot by Henry Williams, Who Died by His Own Hand. OAKLAND, Feb. 23—At 1:30 this morning Henry Williams, a well- known young cclored man, shot and killed a white girl named Ethel Gray and immediately afterward commit- ted suicide. The tragedy occurred at the home of Miss Gray, at East Sixteenth street and Fourteenth avenue. Williams was in love with the girl and has been trying to persuade her to marry him. He called last night and spent sev- eral hours in company with her, and early this morning the people in the house heard the shots, and, going into the kitchen, found both bodies dead on the floor. —_————————— GAME WARDEN NAMED. MONTEREY, Feb. 21.—The first game warden ever appointed for Monterey County has just been named by the Coun- ty Board of Supervisors and will assume the duties of his office at once. With the appointment goes a curious provision, and one which makes the affair unique in county annals. The new war- den takes office with the understanding that should the board at any time con- sider him a superfluous official and re- quest his resignation he will hand it in. The game laws have always been kept in this county and no trouble had over them until recently, but during the past year so many complaints have reached the County Supervisors from persons who allege that young fish have been taken from the streams and game killed out of season, that the Board deemed it advis able to appoint a warden for at least a short period. E. H. Godat is the new warden, and he will hereafter devote his time to kee}aing intact in Monterey Coun- ty the California game laws. ———————— To Cure a Cold Ih One Day Laxative Bromo Quinine Tablets. Al Taks ‘% refund money 1if it fails to cure. e genuline L. B. Q. o tablet. MAY CAUSE CHANGES IN EXPLOSIVES Obsdlete Methods on War-= ships Must Be Mod- ernized. Circumstancés Have Shown, How-= ever, That the Disaster to the . Maine Was Not Due to an Accident. ‘Whether the result of accident or treachery, the blowing up of the Maine and the destruction of more than half her crew will lead to radical changes in the methods of stowing and guard- ing explosives on shipboard. That a departure from old-time custom in this respect is necessary is shown by the completengss of the Maine’'s de- struction, and the seemingly unfath- omable cause of it. The advent of high power guns, enormously increased charges, greater variety and destruc- tiveness of explosives all combine to make the modern warship’s magazines something to be carefully constructed and most scrupulously guarded. The writer spent a number of years in the nav- and is familiar with both the old and the new methods of storing | explosives on shinboard, and he does not hesitate to say (eat considering the widely different character of ammuni- tion now in use the Ordnance Depart- men¥ has not kept pace with modern requirements in the matter of stow- age and mehsures for safety. The mag- azines of the Maine were located just as they were in the old wooden frigates of fifty years ago, long before torpedoes were invented—down on the very floor or *“skin” of the ship where they would receive the first impact from the | force of a torpedo. Add to that the fact that modern powder for high power Zuns is exploded by detonation or con- cussion and not by contact with fire, and the danger of locating magazines in that way is doubly apparent. If it .be true that the Maine was| struck.by a treacherous torpedo, and | that that torpedo exploded under the floor of her forward magazines, there is no need to look further for the cause | of her destruction. That 58,000 pounds | of powder, going off at one blast, would leave little of either ship or crew to tell the tale. The rules governing the care and cus- tody of a ship’s ammunition have changed but little since the old days of black powder that a spark might ignite. The magazines are now as then, the holy of holies, into which no careless or profane foot dare step. In | the old days stores of powder and shell were not nearly so large as in the mod- ern ships and magazines were smaller. A magazine which would hold thirty tons of powder was never heard of on board the old line of battle-ship. But in the case of their smaller stores the old Benbows were ever vigilant, and some of their precautions against danger would seem absurd In these days. For instance, nobody was ever permitted to enter the ship’s magazines except the captaln, his executive offi- cer, the officer of the deck for the time being and the gunner and his mates. A marine sentry was posted on each magazine night and day. Whenever it was necessary to open the magazines either for inspection or to perform work in them, such as shifting powder, filling cartridges or shells and making “primers,” it was an occasion of cere- mony. First, a red pennant was run up at the mizzen-yard-arm as a_warning to all boats to keep away. Every spark of fire in the ship was put out, every “glim” was “doused,” every pipe ex- tinguished; even the cook's galley and officers’ ranges had to have their fires extinguished. When certain that these preliminaries were attended to the ex- ecutive officer called upon the captain for the keys. The marine officer posted a corporal’s guard at the cockpit hatch- way to keep everybody away. Then, with the gunner and his mates at his heels, the executive officer would open the magazine to be entered. Before anybody could go in, however, he had to remove his shoes and put on felt slippers; he had also to take from his pockets every metal article he might have in them. The magazines were lighted by heavy bullseye lanterns on the outside of the magazine bulkheads, the bullseyes shining through round holes in the bulkheads. To this day magazines are lighted in the same way, the only change being the substitution of electricity for whale oii. Most of these old-time precautions are still in force, though modern pow- der bteing no longer susceptible to sparks the rule of extinguishing all fires and lights when a magazine is to be opened is somewhat relaxed. The destruction of the Maine will lead to another elimination of danger in our big battle-ships. It will put a stop to the carrying of gun cotton on shipboard. ~When the news of the Maine disaster first reached the naval | officers who are famillar with ~the treacherous nature of this explosion, it was feared at once that gun cotton was the guilty agent. When it became known that there were two explosions, a lesser and a greater, conviction was certain that an explosion of inflam- mable gun cotton, spontaneously set off, had, by the force of concussion, set off the whole 58,000 pounds of brown powder in the forward maga- zine. This was by no means an im- probable thing, and the conviction was strengthened when a longitudinal section of the ship being published showed that the smaller gun-cotton magazine abutted upon the top of the quarter magazine, with only a five- eighths steel bulkhead between them. Rear-Admiral Belknap was so im- pressed with the gun-cotton theory that he inveighed in the strongest terms against that element in a ship's equipment, and declared he would never take a ship to sea with an ounce of gun cotton on Board of her. Gun cotton is said to be safe when constantly kept wet, but when dry it is apt to explode if you look at it crosswise. As its only use on board ship is to filll torpedoes, and as most of the big ships are being stripped of their torpedo equipments, the days of gun cotton on shipboard are probably numbered. As for the Maine, the gun- cotton theory of the first explosion is now declared untenable, because the gun cotton is said to have been stored in the after part of the ship, and there- fore uninjured. Reports from Havana are so con- flicting and confusing that it becomes each day all the more important that certain easily ascertainable facts should be made known. The officers of the ship certainly know where the gun cotton was stored and how much of it was on board. The heated coal bunk- er theory could also be promptly dis- posed of if Captain Sigsbee would in five words say whether his coal supply was anthracite or bituminous. As a matter of fact it was anthracite, and who ever heard of spontaneous com- bustion in an anthracite coal bunker? The Spanish theory of a hand grenade never amounted to much, but it could be quickly disposed of if Captain Sigs- bee would tell whether he had such ex- plosives on board the Maine. As a matter of fact it is very doubtful, for hand grenades long since ceased to figure in a modern ship’s equipment. The captain himself admits that while lying in Havana harbor he took the precaution to have some fixed ammu- nition brought on deck, ready for use by the light guns of the secondary bat- tery In case of quick emergency. Two of these light rapid-fire guns were in the fore military top, and it is possible that a charge of ammunition might have faller out of the top down to the deck through an open hatchway, ex- ploding somewhere near the magazine, but then it is hardly conceivable that so light an explosion would have set off the greater mass. The latest re- ports from Havana are to the effect that the magazines of the Maine were not blow up at all, though how that fact can be known just now is not re- vealed. MALE-CENTURY OF WEDDED LIFE Special Dispatch to The Call. SANTA ROSA, Feb. 22—At their beau- tiful home on the corner of Beaver and Cherry streets here this afternoon was celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the marriage of the Rev. and Mrs. J. L. Burchard of this city. The -house had been elaborately decorated by loving hands, the predominating colors being the golden yellow of jonquils and lilies, interspersed with the buttercups of the fleld. Here, surrounded by all their family and by their children’s children, they met the hosts of friends who came with well wishes. Those of the family here to attend the celebration are: Dr. and Mrs. J. S. Burchard and their daughters, the Misses Abbie and Rut., of Oakland; ex-District ‘Attorney and Mrs. D. 8. Burchard of San Jose and their daughters, the Misses Marcie, Mary and Ethel, and_their son, Master Ernest -Burchard; Mrs. D. S. Burchard’s mother, Mrs. R. McComas; Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Twombley and Miss Cora Twombley of Oakland. Mrs, Twombley is a daughter of the Rev. and Mrs. Burchard. Fifty years ago to-day In Benton County, Missouri, Miss A. L. Heath and John L. Burchard were married. In 1860, with their family, they came to Cali- fornia, and have resided In Sonoma and Mendoeino countles ever since. For many years Mr. Burchard has had charge of the Indfan agency at Ukiah, but his home is in this city. e ADVERTISEMENTS. 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