The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 11, 1901, Page 1

VOLUME XC—NO. 11. SAN FRANCISCO, TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 1901. PRICE FIVE CENTS. BRITISH AND BOERS ENGAGE IN BATTLE AT SUCH CLOSE QUARTERS THAT PISTOLS ARE BROUGHT INTO USE BY COMBATANTS Burgher Invaders Capture Labuschagne’s Nek and Dewet| With a Thousand Men Takes Up a Position in the Gats- rand Hills Near Lord Kitchener’s Li ne of Communication June 10.-It is re- of the in- f rebels. The con- severe work Petrusberg, to. clear out the Brand and In one affair eleven engaged were either ound Fighting was at such ters that pistols were used. that General Dewet, with has occupied a position in empting i or w hills, Sir n Sprigg. Prime Minister of , reports that the Boers in the slutely avold coming with the British T themselves with sn The s are enfory strir the distribution of fooa from De Aar and southward from Buluawayo. Only tials are permitted to be distributed Mrs. Botha's Mission. LONDON ne 1 rest of those who are wate developments in the South African war centers in the forth- coming interview between M Botha, wife of Command Botha of the Boer forces Kruger. It is certain that she is the bearer of an im- t message from her husband, and h press has lost 1 time in reaching the concl that this message will urge Kruger to’sue for peace. The Sun hears that Mrs. Botha will start Welinesday for The Hague, where Mr. Kruger has been summoned to attend a confernce of the Boer agents in Europe and the United States to consider the Mrs. Botha has brought from her husband, “in whick he advises Mr. Kruger - as the constitutional head of the Government to sue for peace on best terms obtainable.” Lord Kitchener, in a dispatch from Pre- toria under to-day’s e, says the num- ber Boers killed, imprisoned or sur- rendered during the last month totaled From June 1 to June 9, 2 Boers were killed, 4 were wounded, 409 were made priscners and 33 surrendered, and 651 repo: e of Boers has | South of the Krugers- the | 3 — gan work thereon. The dispatch has cre- ated a sensation here. The following For- elgn Office statement is authorized by Count von-Bulow, the Imperial Chancel- lor: “Neither Great Britain, France nor Russia ever approached Germany to par- ticipate in any action aiming at ending the South African war. Germany has all along distinguished between offering her geod officks and intervention. To render her good offices would be possible if rifles, 1 wagons 50 rounds of ammunition, 120 and 4000 horses were captured. Medals for War Heroes. On Wednesday morning, on the Horse King Edward, accom- the Queen, will distribute the uth African medals amid imposing and | borate military displays. Their Majes- ties will use the beautiful Indian tent | which the King brought back from his | Indian tour. The Moorish Embassy has | been invited to witness the ceremonies. The first reciplents of”the medals will be Earl Roberts and Lord Milner, who will be followed by a crowd of generals snd staff officers, including Generals Bul- ler, Warren, Gatacre, Colville, Pole- rew and others. Medals will be bestowed also upon the | various foreign military attaches with the British forces in South Africa, including Captain Stephen Slocum, U. 8. A., to- gether with a host of surgeons, nurses ané other persons, including Lady Sarah Wilson. It is expected that the ceremony will occupy three hours. Wilhelmina as Peacemaker. BERLIN, June 10.—The Kleines Journal to-day prints a dispatch from The Hague saying that Queen Wilhelmina’'s recent vizit here was meant to obtain Emperor William’s consent to end the South Afri- can war, both the Swelbund and the Dreibund being willing to do so through The Hague Arbitration Court, and that | the Emperor consented and the court be- Guards parage, nied by e MRS. LOUIS BOTHA, WIFE OF THE BOER GENERALISSIMO, WHO 1S BELIEVED TO BE THE BEARER OF A MESSAGE URGING PAUL KRUGER TO SUE FOR PEACE. e 3 both parties to the war requested it, but it will be remembered that Great Britain joined The Hague conference only on condition that the Boer States were ex- cluded. There is no doubt that Mr. Kruger, who is a serious statesman, came to Europe to obtain the good of- fices of several of the powers to end the war, but there is also no doubt that Great Britain does not want their good offices. At least it s true that since the South African war began Great Britain has never, either verbally or in writing, confidentially or officially. broached such an idea. It is quite possible that the Boer side has now formally asked The Hague court to lend its ald to end the war somehow, and the court has held a ses- slon regarding the matter, but that, of course, is entirely different from any serious steps to end the war.” Will Not Visit America. WASHINGTON, June 10.—It is under- stood that Former President Kruger of the Transvaal will not visit the United States during the coming summer or fall. At one time there was a prospect that Mr. Kruger might make such a visit, but those having some knowledge of his in- tentions say the visit will not be made, at least for the present. THE HAGUE, June 10.—Mr. Kruger and Dr. Leyds arrived here to-day. They drove from the rallroad station at Hil- versum Junction in a closed carriage and are staying at the residence of Mr. Wol- merans, one of the Boer peace envoys. @ il el el ieleieeleieieieh O TESTING THE VALUE OF AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVES Those in Use in South Africa Said t> Burn More Fuel Than British Engines. LONDON, June 11.—-The Dally Express publishes an interview with Charles B. Elliott, general manager of the Cape Gov- ernment rallways, regarding locomotives employed on the lines under his super- vision Mr. Elliott told the interviewer that the Baldwin locomotives consumed 20 per cent more fuel than the British, but he thought this might be due to the fact that they were of the same plied to Japan. tady locomotiv ype us those sup- Discussing the Schenec- he sald their hauling power was greater than that of any loco- | banknotes of any bank established under motives before used in the colony, but the question of thelr durability was one that ‘would require time to decide. MEXICAN CONCESSION TO FOREIGN VESSELS | They May Discharge Cargoes at Ports- Where There Are No Custom- Houses. ) | WASHINGTON, June 10.—The State Department has been informed by Consul | Canada at Vera Cruz that an executive | decree issued by President Diaz author- | lzes collectors of customs at the principal | ports on the Atlantic ana Pacific coasts | of Mexico to allow vessels, without re- | striction as to natlonality and tonnage, | to discharge thelr cargoes at ports on the Mexican coast where there are no custom- | houses or officers. Another decree exempts consular in- ‘vnlu-u covering coln of any country or State or Federal law in Mexico from the consular fee, provided no other merchan- dise is covered by the invoice: CONGRESSMEN NEARING SAN DIEGO’S HARBOR Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce Start to Receive Dis- tinguished Visitors. SAN DIEGO, June 10.—President Ballou and Secretary Wood of the Chamber of Commerce left this morning for Colton to meet there the members of the House Rivers and Harbors Committee, which Is to arrive here to-morrow evening. The party is to reach Colton to-morrow morn- ing at 10 o'clock and will leave there as soon as possible for Riverside. After a stop of three hours there the train will come direct to 8an Diego. The Southern California Rallroad is to bring the train through from Riverside in four hours, and. the special engine and crew will re- main with the train until it reaches Los Angeles some time on Wednesday night, URGES THAT MARE [SLAND BE IMPROVED Admiral Melville Pre- pares a Gratifying Report. Recommends a Deepening of the Channel From San Francisco. Asks That Large Machine Shops and Modern Docks Be Con- structed, Epeclal Dispatch to The Call. CALL HEADQUARTERS, 1406 G STREET, N. W., WASHINGTON, June 10.—Gratifying to- all California and to Vallejo, and Mare Island particularly, is the repert that Admiral Melville will sub- mit to the naval authorities, as a result | of his recent inspection of the naval fa- cilities on the Pacific Coast. His recom- mendations arc in direct line with the pe- titions that have been- forwarded from Vallejo to the Navy Department, and, should they be carried out, all that the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce and citi- | zens and the officials of the navy yard have asked for will have been granted. Admiral Melville finds that much is re- quired at Pacific Coast navy vards to im- prove their facilities for handling the large quantities of repair work for ships of the navy attached to the station. As the vast fleet serving in Asiatic waters is usually dependent also upon those vards for overhauling and docking, naval officfals find additional need for new shops, improved tools and modern appli- ances. Admiral Melville went West with the Presidential party to learn the needs of all stations on the Pacific. of his tour representations will be made to the Navy Department setting forth the distinctive requirements of each yard for its material improvement. If the re- commendations are approved . several hundred thousand dollars must be pro- vided to carry out the system. Requires Modern Shops. Admiral Melville found the yards well adapted for navy work sun the whole, but all' requiring new icols and many modern shops in order to meet the de- mands made upon them by the navy. That at Mare Island, which is the lead- Ing repair station of the coast, seems now flly adapted because of location, but as the money invested in sites and plants is too large to permit of a change to some other point, there is no possibility that the yard will be abandoned. The trouble found by Admiral Melville is lack of water through the channel from San Francisco to Mare Island for ships of heavy draft, and the danger arising now in taking battleships beyond San Francisco for repairs and docking. Only about twenty-two feet of water is avallable at mean low water, and as the Oregon and Ohio type draw from twenty- four to twenty-six feet there is no possi- bility of getting them to the yards ex- cept under very light conditions, which causes heavy expense and entails much time. The admiral will urge that Congress provide for deepening the channel to at least twenty-eight fect and enlarge the docking space around the wharves, where it is now not practicable to turn.the longer warships. Large machine shops are to be erected and sites were selected by the admiral, who also found that to equip the shops thousands of dollars must be exvended in new machinery and tools. : The work performed at the yard was regarded by him as of high order and not surpassed by any of the Kastern sta- tions. Shops for Bremerton. Bremerton, the new drydock far in the interior of Washington and with fine natural protections, is in a superb condi- tion and possesses the largest and most complete facilitles for docking ships on the coast. Admiral Melville will insist that modern shops be located there so that when a ship is doc’ 1 any class of repair work may be carr. - on that bat- tleships may require. The failure of a firm, through unfor- tunate accidents in building torpedo boats for the navy, was noted and much sym- pathy is felt by the admiral that a yard of thirty years' standing should have been forced to the wall through heavy losses the Government ships. This yard is located at Seattle and its down- fall was due to serlous misfortunes over- taking the torpedo boat Goldsborough and other craft, which the firm had to bear at heavy cost.. The Goldsborough is now In charge of receivers, who have asked that the Government accept her with deductions for the defects de- veloped in her speed trials. These trials were conducted, Admiral Melville reports, by inexperienced men, and the accidents ware a direct result of ineflclency shown in handling the boat. PRIEST IS MURDERED IN HIS CONFESSIONAL Sensation Caused by a Terrible Crime Committed Near San Geronimo, CITY OF MEXICO, June 10.—A clerieal sensation has been caused at San Ge- ronimo, near the village of Otuibo. It I3 alleged that Senor Villavenclo, madly jealous of a Spanish priest named Mar- clo, on account of a Wwoman, penetrated the priest's church during the hour of confession and shot him dead on the spot. This assassination within the pre- cincts of the church is said to be quite unparalleled in the history of the mur- ders In this country. ' As a result | HE General Hospital at the Pre- sidio was nearly destroyed by a fire that broke out in the paint shop connected with the institu- tion shortly after 4 o'clock yes- terday afternoon. As it was, fully a third - WAR-WORN VETERANS ARE SAVED FROM DEATH AMID RAGING FLAMES BY HEROIC MEDICAL CORPS MEN General Hospital at the Presidio Is Damaged by Fire to the Extent of $40,000—Explosion of Gasoline Lamp . in the Paint Shop Is the Cause of the Conflagration + AT THE HOSPITAL Corey. SENS KITCHEN . )N 7 | i 1 £ y . ) YX\}J"?’, e/ & of the vast structure, the largest and most completely equipped military hos- pital in the United States, was consumed before the flames were finally brought under control by the desperate energy of the hospital corps men and the soldiers statlored at the Presidio, assisted by the San Francisco Fire Department. The 214 sick and wounded soldiers who occupled cots In the hospital building were carried from the blazing building to places of safety by the hospital corps men, who risked their lives repeatedly in their suc- cessful efforts to accomplish this result. The flames destroyed the northern sec- tion of the hospital and the damage is estimated at $40,000. Fire Spreads Rapidly. When the fire was first discovered he- roic efforts were made by the hospital corps men to extinguish the blaze, The fire call was sounded calling hundreds of soldiers to the scene, but thelr efforts to master the hungry flames seemed un- avalling. The fire soon communicated to the main bullding and the safety of the sick and wounded soldier patients be- came uppermost in the thoughts of the fire fighters. Leaving a few men' to bat- tle with the flerce flames, the hospital corps men rushed to the wards under thelr charge and began the removal of the helpless patients. Through dense vol- umes of smoke, unmindful of the intense heat, they dashed and tenderly raising the emaciated forms of the sick soldlers from their cots, wrapped them carefully in blankets and bore them to places of safety. Again and again the rescuers re- turned and fearlessly faced the dangers that lurked in the smoke and flames. All Patients Are Rescued. For fully half an hour the brave fel- lows kept at their work of rescue, until every one of the 214 patients had been placed beyond the scope of danger. Meanwhile the fire had spread alarme ingly, and it was feared the entire struc- 2 = /i ot * i SCENES AT THE BURNING OF THE GENERAL HOSPI- TAL, PRESIDIO. £ . * ture was doomed. Bucket brigades were hastily formed, but the flames, fanned by a strong westerly breeze, continued with apparently unabated fury on'their path of destruction. Twenty hospital tents In the rear of the maln building were com- pletely destroyed. The elghteen patients occupying cots in the tents were conval- escent and were able to get out without ald. The fire-fighting apparatus at the hos- pital was wholly inadequate and, to add to the difficulties of the situation, by some misunderstanding the water running through the hospital main was turned partly into the city’ main and the pres- sure on the Presidio hydrants was greatly reduced, making the herolc efforts of the men almost futile, Gangs of men were put at work cutting away the verandas and walls connecting the wards and in this manner the spread of the flames was finally checked. Four engine companies of the City De- partment responded to alarms rang in from the boxes in the nelghborhood and — | | | with the aid of the powerful streams they poured ‘nto the burning bullding the fire ‘was sooR brought completely under con- trol. Sad Scene of Wreck and Ruin. The sad scene of wreck and .ruin pre- sented when the smoke had drifted away brought tears to the eyes of many of the former inmates of the hospital. The beautiful grounds surrounding the build- ings were covered with beds, bedding, medicine chests, all smashed and splin- tered. Linen that had been snow-white was trampled upon and stained with mud and covered with embers. Twisted pipes and broken windows were to be seen in every direction. Fire had destroyed the work of years, and almost totally con- sumed an institution which was the pride of the army miedical corps. As near as can be learned the fire was caused by the explosion of a gasoline paint burner in the paint shop under the northern end of the patients’ dining hall. The carpenter shop was connected with the paint shop, and the flames fed on the inflammable material filllng the work- shops. The fire ate its way rapidly to the dining hall and the Hbrary, and, wafted by the stiff westerly breeze, connected with the patlents’ kitchen and the hos- pital corps men's living quarters. Wards F and G was the next portion of the bullding to feed the flames. The blaze was finally conquered after a por- tion of ward H had been chopped away. The commissary and medical store- rooms were destroyed completely by the flames, entalling a loss of fully 33000 worth of medical supplies and provisions. Lose Their Clothing. In nearly all the wards were kept eX- Continued on Second Page.