The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 7, 1900, Page 1

V( )LI; M I] L XXXVII—-NO. 97 SAN FRANCISCO, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1900. This Paper pot to be taken from the Library. ¢+ ¢+« ———— PRICE FIVE CENTS INCREASE OF BOERS FACING THE BRITISH Republican Forces in Front of Roberts Are Entrenching. Fighting on a Large Orange Free State May Soon Commence. : § ¢ : : E Carnarvon. rise rebellion. OO0 OO OO, @ g from all the Buller re- ounta Many military t the Boers ns at berg M ng to various accou t from te strong position Lhere e Boers. re is import- | { fever, and as the perfod of incubation of Scale in the CAPE TOWN, March 8.—Nearly the whole of the Dutch popu- lation of the Prieska and Kenhardt districts are in rebellion. Many of the Dutch from neighboring districts are reported to have joined them, notably Piet Moolman, who will lead the rebels to Brandbles. Lucas Steinkamp, commanding the Boers, is reported marching on It is believed that Gordonia and Victoria West will It is thought that the total number of men in arms will exceed 3000. The general opinion of loyalists is that a strong force of British will be required as a reverse would spread the O OO O3+ O3 O- OO Their retreat was accelerated b nce of General Brabant, who, sta from Dordrecht with a force of about 1800 | , attacked Labuschagnes Nek on Sun- and held the position when the day | closed. On Monday .the Boers retired, taking their guns with them, and when last heard of they were trekking fast in the direction of Aliwal North. Those re- treating from Stormberg, if they do not | make a stand at Burghersdorp, will probably make their way to Bethulie. A} r they will cross the frontier un- lested depends to some extent on the ons of General Clements. Yester- | e was at Jouberts Siding, one s tion beyond Colesberg. As he now has 10,000 men, he is likely to make an attempt to cut off their retirement Th the Boer f which invaded Cape and seized Colesberg, Stormberg ht have all fallen back. They far to combine, but in the may effect a junction.” In Boers managed to take s, as they have done in Their skill in removing avy pleces of ordnance is one of t remarkable achievements of the three rees | dispatches from Ladysmith | w that relief did not arrive a day too | Mr. Treeves, a medical officer, has | telegraphed that on his entry into the town he found its state deplorable. There | were no less than 800 ca: of typhoid | typhotd s two and sometimes three weeks it is feared that there will be a great many more cases among the garrison. ANNEXATION OF FREE STATE AND TRANSVAAL Round Robin Promoted by the Support- ers of the Government Continues to Receive Many Signatures. ONDON, March 7.—The round robin r annexation of the e Free State, moted among the Government in [ and outside of Parliament, and that Lord | sbury’s words are construed into a pledge against annexation, and Lord Rob- | erts’ proclamation into a,promise of no | confiscation of Boer propefty. The Transvaal agency _at Brussels threatens a rising of the Cape Dutch in the event of annexation, though why the | Dutch should rise then rather than now is not explained. COLONIALS CONTINUE TO DEFEAT BOERS DORDRECHT, March 5.—Following yes- cess, Gen Brabant again aged Boers with advan- olding the Do captured ¥ T . smart fighting losing five or Boer fort, thus position. The the g their Boers fought tenaclousjy, contestir inch of the ground, but ultimately retreated suddenly, carrying off their gur and wagons. A mounted force pursued | them, but the result is not yet known The E h casualties during the two 2avs were thirty wounded and twelve or Chirieen Killed. The Boer losses are ur known. Thre ughout t arduous fight and severe fatigue the Colonials have behaved eplern —— ACQUISITION OF DELAGOA BAY NOT BEING SOUGHT LONDON, March 6—In the House of Commc to-day the Parliamentary Se‘c- the Foreign Office, William St . Broderick, replying to questions in ction with tge war, sald no nego- ns were proceeding between Great and Portugal regarding the ac- tion of Delagoa Bay or any other ¢ Portuguese East Africa. The Boer prisoners at Cape Town, he a mbered 621 men, exclusive of sred at Paardeberg or by Lord other engagements. ned in regard to the students’ Montreal Mr. Chamber- ary of State for the Colonles, stted the unfortunate riots nted the occurrences say- ¥ to add that a telegram ywed thelr cessation. LORD ROBERTS' LATEST REPORT LONDON, March 6.—The War Office has recetved the following dispatch from Lord Roberts “Osfo; occupted of railroad repaired 6.—General March Gatacre north a General bert’s giding station, beyond Colesberg. Clements is at Jou- The Dyke of Marlborough, with the Ox- ford company of the Imperial Yeomanry, has left Cape Town for Naauwpoort. “General Buller reports Natal now prac- tically clear of the enemy and that be | favoring peace at any price, but the mi- | nority, cannot hear of any armed body of them anywhere. The Boers left some ambu- lances full of their sick, from which the mules had been taken for transport serv- fce. BOERS ENTRENCHING AND MOUNTING GUNS LONDON, March 7.—A dispatch to the News from Modder River, dated nday, MarcH'5, and describing the Boer fon in front of Lord Roberts, says: | he Boers seem to like to be so busy | ntre They have mounted eight s on high kopjes. It is marvelous how hese weapons into such posi- | It is reported here that at a recent emergency meeting of the Free State Raad, at Bloemfontein, a radical differ- e of opinion developed, the majority Including Preside cating a fight to the end -— MONTEREY MAN KILLED. MONTEREY, March 6.—News comes here that a former Montereyan, John Todd, has been killed while fighting in | South Africa with the Royal Canadian Infantry against the Boers. The dela.lls! have not yet been learned here and it is | only known that he was Killed during | Lord Roberts’ campaign against General Cronje. Todd enlisted in the United States army at the outbreak of the war with Spain and served to the end of his term in the Philippines. Afterward he joined the Royal Canadian Infantry for the South | African war and has been with that regi- ment through all its hard fighting. PN B AMONG DUTCH REBELS. ORANGE RIVER, Cape Colony, March : e recent British victories hafe had a wonderfully quieting effect upon the rebel Dutch, many of whom in the neigh- borhood of Douglass are reported dis- heartened and about returning to their homes. The commande in the neighbor- hood of Britstown has been given carte blanche by President Steyn to raise as many recruits and to do as much damage as possible. The rebels in the neighbor- hood of Kenhardt are particularly ag- gressive, acting on the supposition that the troops of Lord Roberts are fully occu- pied in the Free State. LANGTRY'S HUSBAND VERY ILL. CHICAGO, March 6.—Captain Hugo de Bathe, husband of Mrs. Langtry, is dan- gerously Il in the British Military Hos- pital at Cape Town. A cablegram to this effect has been received by Mrs. Langtry. | t Steyn, advo- DEATH ENDS THE TRANCE , OF MISS ELIDA WILBUR After Two Years of a Deep Sleep, From Which the Efforts of a Score of Physicians Could Not Wake Her, She Passed Quietly Away. MISS ELIDA WILBUR, WHOSE SLEEP ENDED WITH HER LIFE. IS8 ELIDA WILBUR, who for two years lay unconscious to all her surroundings, baffling the constant attention and efforts of skilled physicians, passed to the great be- vond yesterday morning. She dfed at her mother’s home, 2228 California street, never having regained consclousness since the fateful day when she was found part- ly asphyxiated by g Full of sad and pathetic incidents are the last few years of Miss Wilbur's life. A young girl in the bloom of life, beauti- ful of face and figure, courted by her many friends and one of the most popular young women in society, she was cut off from the world by a single and fearful stroke of blighting misfortune. When the accident which marred her life and re- sulted ultimately in her death occurred, she was the betrothed of James Dunphy, the only son of onme of California wealthiest cattle men. From prospects of a glowing and happy future she was sud- denly launched into a world of darkness and all the blessings of nature and the happiness of her soctal life gave place to a misery as complete and perfect as is visited upon mortal being. A Living Death. The accident which made Miss Wilbur the “living dead” for over two years hap- pened on the evening of February 16, 1898. She and her betrothed James Dunphy had been visiting a mutual friend. Returning to the young lady’'s home at an early hour, Mr. Dunphy did not leave for some little time after. It was rumored at the time that the lovers had quarreled, and that he left the house unreconciled and de- termined to break the engagement exist- ing between them. The next morning Miss Wilbur was found sitting in a large, easy chair in her room. A gas jet was open and she was In a state of complete un- consciousness. The circumstances and conditions of the case scouted the idea or theory of at- tempted suicide. A window In the room was wide open and Miss Wilbur's posi- tion, recumbent, and a book which she had been reading having fallen at her side were evidences of accident. It was supposed that the light was blown out by the draught coming through the open window. The next morning Mr. Dunphy visited Miss Wilbur with an intent to es- cort her to Oakland, where she was going to attend the funeral of a friend. Baffled Medical Skill. From February 16, 1832, to the time of her death over forty physicians had been called In to attend Miss Wilbur at one time or other. Work as they would, pre- scribing every treatment known to medi- cal science, thelr efforts were of no avail. Speeclalists with reputations national in character took charge of Miss Wilbur, but success did not follow. Varying dlag- noses were made, each physician being al- lowed a sufficient. time to prove or dis- prove the worth of his prescribed treat- ment. Although unconscious, the patient was not insensible to pain. When suffering physical agony she gave way to a spasm of weeplng and when rellef came she was instantly quiet and composed. During all this time of unconsciousness Miss Wilbur was without the power of locomotion or muscular articulation. At times there were no indications in her face of her great mental disorder. Her eyes were bright, her features composed and the expression that marked her countenance was that of a being with mind and rea- son. Then there would come a sudden change, and she would lapse into a par- alytic condition. During the day the eyes were open at will. Nourishment, which was always in liquid form, was administered through a tube that ran into the aesophagus. Until two days ago, when Miss Wilbur began to weaken, she was apparently in compara- tively good health. She Never Waked. The story that Miss Wilbur regained consclousness a few days ago and uttered in a semi-delirium, “Nobody to love me,” is emphatically denied by all persons who have been in constant attention since she ‘was stricken down. The funeral will be on Thursday morn- ing, no arrangements other than the time set having been made. A score or two physicians are anxious for an autopsy, but Mrs. Logan, the young lady’s mother, is averse to it. ; | Captain de Bathe, who Is a member of | Colonel Kretchmer's staff, was stricken with fever shortly after the relleving | force entered Kimberley. | MUCH TYPHOID AT LADYSMITH. LONDON, March 6.—Surgeon Treves cables from Ladysmith that the condition of the town is most deplorable and that there are 800 cases of typhoid fever. Lavish supplies of comforts are now In the place, however. 1 WOMEN AMONG THE PRISONERS. CAPE TOWN, March 6—Many women who are reported to be good shots are among the Boer prisoners arriving here. The Dutch church has issued a manifesto in favor of the Boer republic retaining complete independence. Elorp o JOUBERT IN COMMAND. LONDON, March 7.—A dispatch from Osfonteln, dated Sunday, March 4, to the Standard says: *General Joubert Is re- ported to be in supreme command of the Boer forces here.” BIG LOAN AUTHORIZED. LONDON, March 6.—The House of Com- mons, in committee of the whole, this evening adopted a resolution to authorize a loan of £35,000,000. The vote stood 161 to 26. Railroad Wins the Suit. LOS ANGELES, March 6.—The suit wherein Judge Alexander Campbell asked for $25,000 from the Los Angeles Raflway Company was decided against him to-day by Judge Allen in the Superior Ccurt. Judge Campbell got off a car while it was in motion and permanently injured his hip. Congressman Harmer Is Dead. PHILADELPHIA, March 6.—Congress- man A. C. Harmer, the Representative from the Fifth Pennsylvania District, died | at his home here to-night, aged 75 years. COLONEL CHINN SUES ‘A WOMAN FOR LIBEL Resents Mrs. Banta’s Charge That He Shot William Goebel From Behind. - FRANKFORT, Ky., March 6.—Colonel Jack Chinn, the turfman and politician, who was with Democratic Governor Wil- liam Goebel when the latter was shot, has filed a suit for libel against Mrs. Kate M. Banta, wife of a merchant of this city. The first paragraph charges that the de- fendant, in the presence of varlous per- sons, declared that she saw Chinn “‘shoot Goebel from behind,” and that by this libelous declaration he has been damaged in the sum of $25,000. The second count says that the defen- dant, Kate M. Banta, at numerous other times and places in Frankfort, spoke and published these false, slanderous and maliclous words concerning the plaintiff: “He (Jack Chinn) shot and killed Goe- bel.” That sald words were spoken falsely and maliciously, and for the avowed purpose of charging the plaintiff with having fired the shot that caused Willlam Goebel's death. 2 THREE MEN RUN OVER BY A FREIGHT TRAIN One Dies of His Injuries, Another ‘Will Lose His Leg and the Third Is Slightly Hurt. SACRAMENTO, March 6.—Three men were run over by a freight train at Lin- coln, Placer County, shortly before 9 o’clock this morning, one of whom later died of his injuries, another will probably have a leg amputated and the third sus- talned a severe cut on the ankle. The men are E. T. Colvin, who dled; Clarence | Carpenter, whose leg was crushed, and Oscar: Cole, All are residents of Lincoln | and were at the depot watching the dis- embarking of from the Orégon | unar They were leaning against a freight car standing on the freight house track. A freight engine In charge of Engineer Kopka was shifting in the yard above and ran down to the line of boxcars agalnst which the men were leaning. The cars were moved only a short distance, but sufficient to run over all three of the men, who were knocked down by the jar of the locomotive striking the forward car. One truck ran over’them. Colvin’s chest was crushed and his legs injured. He died shortly afterward. Car- penter, who is a young man, had his left leg crushed and amputation will probably be had. Cole came out of it with only a cut ankle.’ e NIHILISTS PLOT THE DEATH OF THE CZAR Russian Police Take Precautions to Prevent an Assassination. ST. PETERSBURG, March 6.—The re- cent discovery of Russian and Polish Ni- hilist plots has led to renewed police pre- cautions. On all the Russian frontiers the police are exercising extreme vigilance and are guarding the Czar's movements. The entire routes of the Czar’s visits to barracks, theaters and public functions are doubly patrolled by secret police, while the guards about the Winter Palace and along the Neva quay are particularly numerous. LORD PAUNCEFOTE WILL REMAIN IN WASHINGTON Premier Salisbury Induces the Em- bassador to Continue at His Present Post. LONDON, March 6.~The British Gov- ernhent has decided that Lord Paunce- fote will remain as Embassador at Wash- ington indefinitely. tain Lord The decisfon to re- | Lord Salisbury, so it is probable that hum&hmmnma dean of the diplomatic us’ ons of the - British | leave Washington this year at any Death’s Awful There Is No Hop IRE CREEK, W. Va., March 6— The most disastrous mine explosion ever known In the New River dis- trict occurred at the Red Ash mine shortly after the miners went to work early this morning. Although the most herolc work of the rescuing party has been going on incessantly all day, it is impossible to-night to estimate the full extent of the loss of life and prop- erty. Ten bodies have already been taken out, and the total number of victims will reach fifty. There is little hope for those still in the mine, and who number at least forty. The cause of the explosion can only be conjectured, but it is belleved to have resulted from dust, as was the case in a Pocahontas mine some years ago. The Red Ash mine is a large drift, and the explosion occurred near the entrance, which was thus ¢losed by the falling slate. entombing a large number of miners. The scene of the disaster is be- tween this place and Thurmond, on the south branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. J. Fred Effinger of Stan- ton, W. Va., is the principal owner of the mine. Rellef parties from great distances ar- rived as soon as possible. State Mine In- spector Pinckney, with a corps of ex- perts, has been on the ground during the day rendering all assistance possible and devoting his attention more toward re- lief than to an official investigation as to the cause of the disaster. Rescue Work Impeded. The managers and bosses of all the | mines in this district came to the scene and joined In the work of rescue, but they were greatly impeded by the extent of the enormous blockade at the entrance to the drift. The large side tlers of | entrance were blown out, together with a lot of heavy timbers. Even-mules were hurled some distance. The force of such an explosion caused an immense falling of slate and other debris, so that the en- trance was filled. As many men as could work at one time were digging away with all their might, and these were relieved in short relays by other men. so as to ex- pedite the work as much as possible. The first successful strike of the rescu- ers was at 10 a. m., when ten men were recovered. Seven of them were already dead and the other three were dying. As the miners had tfallen at different places in the drift, and the explosion had caused the falling slate to blockade the rooms in different parts of the mine, the work of rescue met one great obstruction after another. The men reached at 10 a. m. were not far from the entrance, while others were at much greater dis- tances within the drift. At the mouth of the mine the scene was heart-rending. The wives and chil- dren and neighbors of those who were known to be entombed were there in full While they were all seeking to help those who were rescued and to get the mine re- opened, vet these bereaved people were for the most part in the way of the res- cuers and had to be held back from the entrance. Fail to Pump in Air. The mine is one of the largest in West Virginia and was very heavily timbered in the different drifts. It was for this reason at once feared that those who had not been killed by falling debris at the time of the explosion were pinioned by these connected timbers and might suf- fer death from suffocation. Alr was forced into the mine by engines on the surface, which were kept working after the explosion, but it was found that air could be pumped into the drift for only & short distance, as the coal, stone and earth shut off all avenues. The pumps and all other machinery in the mine were done through terhporary arrangements on the surface. After the men got under headway In the work of rescue they reached the first the | force and their distress was pitiable., demolished so that everything had to be | FIFTY MINERS LOSE LIVES IN AN EXPLOSION Harvest in a West Virginia Colliery. Ten Bodies Have Been Recovered, and e for the Rest of the Entombed Workmen. party In less than an hour, but they met greater difficulties after that time. It was then that telegrams were sent to Mont- | gomery, Charleston and other places for physictans, nurses and caskets, but dur- | Ing the greater part of the day there was use only for the caskets. | Al work was stopped In the surround- | Ing mines of the district and the people. within a radius of many miles assembled on the grounds of the Red Ash Company. As the victims were brought to the sur- face and carried away on the hastily con- structed stretchers it was frequently no- ticed that many met their husbands, fathers, brothers and sons among the res- | cuers when they thought these men were in the mines. The meetings between the men who had not yet entered the mines | and their families were very touching. Al those who could not find their friends in the crowd assumed that they were in the inclosed mines. Grief of the Relatives. The population of the mining village is only 1500. All are miners and very many of them are related and they all know one another. There was great distress all day among those who could not find their friends or hear fromh them. As Tiurmond is only three miles from the scene of the | disaster there were some few in the mine who lived at that place, but for the most part the victims resided here, and the | calamity will reach almost every little house in the mining town. None of the people here have been at their homes dur- ing the day, but all have remained around | the Red Ash mine. Some have not eaten during the day. Food was liberally sup- | plied to the relays of workmen In the res- | cuing party, but many of the women who could get no word of comfort refused to eat or go to their homes. | At a late hour to-night the most rella- | ble estimate obtainable put the number of victims at fifty. The capacity of the | mine is 175, but there have been only 130 on the payroll so-far this month, and it is said that less than half of these were in the mine at the time of the explosion. The manager, superintendent, bosses, bookkeepers and others ara very busy with the force of rescuers, but at the same time they are all very reticent as to the extent of the casuaities and any other information regarding the disaster. Awtful Sights Witnessed. ‘The scenes around the homes where the bodies are lying to-night have drawn some of the immense crowd away from the workmen at the entrance of the mine. Those working on the rescue relays say that the scene becomes more terrible as they get farther into the mine. Bodies that cannot be identifled or | recognized have been placed In the large blacksmith shop of the Red Ash Coal Company, and that place | presents the appearance of a horrible morgue. Although the bodies are man- gled beyond recognition, they are sur- rounded by those who are in distress and hunting their lost friends. The general belief is that the explosion occurred from contact with dust when the miners entered this morning with their lights, and that it was not due to fire damp, as had been currently reported all day. Nearly all the men employed in the mine were white, only about one-fifth | being colored, and most of the men were married and had familles in the little cot- tages near the tipple of the great mine. A special train arrived from Montgom- ery at 7 o'clock to-night, filled with re- porters, physicians, nurses and others, and one car contained thirty caskets. After the arrival of the train, an order | was sent back to Montgomery for fifty | more caskets. Another train arrived from | Charleston with physicians, caskets and | rellef supplies. Still another train came in from Hinton, but there is no need of physicians and nurses, as evidently all of the vieums are dead. The work of rescue is being continued during the night and will be kept up until the mine is clear. FOR WA Desires to Preven the Trans-Sib RUSSIA NOT YET READY R WITH JAPAN t an Outbreak of Hostilities Until the Completion of erian Railway. Special Cable to The Call and New York Herald. Copyrighted, 1900, by the New York Herald Company. OKOHAMA, March 8—No one of the legation in Tokio nor any of the Japanese officlals will acknowledge that war with Russia is imminent. and it is well known In diplomatic circles that at present Japan and Russia are working secretly to obtain concessions in Korea against other nations; but this does not mean that a clash between Rus- sia and Japan is not coming in the future. Japan is the only serious obstacle In the way of Russian Eastern policy. Japan must have Korea, which already is flood- ed with Japanese coolies, who are really soldiers. Russian transports pass through Naga- saki constantly laden with troops for Port Arthur. The Japanese common have a great hatred for Russia and would welcome war without counting the cost; but they have little power. Japan has not money for war and Russia will vield to Japan so long as the trans-Si- berian raflroad is Incomplete. An Ameri- can engineer who has been over the road reports that it cannot be used effectively for nine months. Rumors of an impending war originated in Shanghai, not in Japan, and were based on generalizations, not on facts. Russia is now changing her representa- tives throughout Japan, gnd would not do so if she expected an 1 te outbreak. As during the last three years a crisis resulting in war might arfse at any mo- ment; but for the present it is not at hand, and in my opinion Russia can pre- vent it until she is ready. though Lord Salisbury previous to last Friday had not considered the further prolonging of Lord Pauncefote’'s term, he apparently become so much impressed with the strength of the arguments re- garding the Embassador’s acute knowl- edge of the matters pending between the two nations that he asked him if he were willing to remain. Lord Pauncefote re- plied in the affirmative. No definite period was mentioned by the corps will not rate. passengers ‘unanimor train west bound, due at Lincoln at 8:50. in-favor of such & step, and, al- At the end of a year the British Govern- — ment hopes for a settlement of the vari- ous controversies. No communications of any kind have passed between the two Governments in regard to Lord Pauncefote, and not even any unofficial -intimation was given to Lord Salisbury by any Tepresentative of the United States that Lord Pauncefote's retention would be acceptable to the American administration. iy