The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 31, 1901, Page 1

VOLUME XC-—NO. 92, SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, AUGUST. 31, 1901 TWO GREAT TRANSCONTINENTAL LINES CALL _HERBERT P. THRALL TO IMPORTANT POSITION o4 INSURGENTS UNDER MARIN TAKE HONDA The Colombian Garrison Flees Before Victor- ious Invaders. Commander of the Machias Reports All Quiet on the Isthmus. Diplomats Are Still Apprehensive, However, Concerning Affairs on the Frontier of Venezuela. atch to The Call —"General Ramon leader, with 3000 pied Honda on the morning of merchant who has just Colombia by way of Cuba extensive properties near v were veteran troops, well ammunition, and I under- I left wn Magdalena River In a vernment war steamer. before. cannet be kept long by remain Perez secretary for the Colombian pa said to-day that the General Marin had been de- e Government troops is false. American Interests Safe. REATU, 1406 G Street, N. W., ON. Aug. 30.—American inter- ered on the isthmus is there imminent danger tion of trafly on the Parame feated by e conclusions drawn by of- State and Navy depart- from dispatches received athan Sargent, com- bat Machias, at Colon. Sargent, on his arrival at went ashore and traveled by rail- across the isthmus to Panama and k to Colon so as to make a personal of the conditions along the f railway. On his return to Colon v he sent this dispatch to the Navy Department “I have most autho ited Panama and Colon. The e results of the investiga- tion give me the following information: There is no appearance of an organized insurgent force in the vicinity of the rall- way. Free and uninterrupted transit ob. tains with every prospect of continuance. The rumor is unfounded that United Btates property is in need of assistance. is quiet here and more reassuring when we started.” Headway Against Insurgents. ch confizms the information by Minister Silva of the Legation. The Minister has believed - that there was at any time danger of serious trouble on the isthmus. been more apprehensive about one in the interior of Colombia and on the Venezuelan fron Mail advices which Silva received to-day indicate that the Government is making rapid headw against the insurgents received to-day olomblar throughout ‘Colombia, and that there are | prospects that order will be completely restored in the near future. Notwithstand- ing the fact that such favorable reports are being received there will be no change in the orders of the Iowa, which is now coaling at Acapulco on her way to Pana- me. It it believed that the presence of an adequate American naval force on both sides of the isthmus will have a salutary effect, and inasmuch as European powers have hurried warships to the isthmus, it is believed to be wise to let the Towa con- tinue on her wav to Panama. INTERESTING SIDELIGHTS ON SOUTH AFRICAN WAR LONDON, Aug. 8lL—Some interesting sidelights are thrown on the South Afri- can war by advices published to-day. A dispatch from Cape Town to the Daily Mall indieates that Scheeper's commando has now moved to the southwest and in- vaded a part of Cape Colony previously undisturbed by the Boers, while more se- vere restrictions have been imposed, with the object of preventing communication between Cape Town and the newly dis- turbed areas The Cologne Gazette’s correspondent in “ape Town declares that the entire terri- of Cape Colony i€ a “seething mass rder.” He asserts also that the are receiving support from all 30ers e, writing to the Dalily a decided opinion that banishment - proclama- t result in the surrender of a single inportant commandant and that uch selerer penalties are needed, the ¥ uscf§ policy being vigorous military measures. presses hener's 1 willin Cza) Sails fsr Denmark. {REBURG, Aug. 30.—The and the imperial children iled this akernoon for Copgenhagen, on bcard the yakht Standard. They will re- main a few dys in Denmark before go- ing to Kiel af} Dantzie, 4 been fighting for two | Honda that day | The garrison | ason of being surrounded s probable that General | there but a few | | | | | | | New Office Is Instituted by Management of Southern and Union Pacific. Skilled Man Is Invited to Conduct Great Mail Contracts at High Salary | 3 AP THRALL PROMINENT OFFICIALS OF THE RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE 'WHO HAVE WON LAURELS BY WORK. - — [ the yellow building on Market street, in which are the offices of the Southern - Pacific Com- pany, that Herbert P. Thrall, su- perintendent of the eighth division of the railway mail service, has been offered the position of superintendent of mail con- tracts for the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Rallway companies. The position is & new one for these transportation lines, but other railways have such an official. . The Santa Fe has J. W. Lindeay to care for their mail busi- ness. J. Lowrie Bell, formerly general superintendent of the railway mafl ser- vice and afterward First Assistant Post- master General of the United States, is similarly engaged with Eastern railways, The Bouthern Pacific and Union Pacific companies, in their modernization under the new Harriman management, have seen that they must place themselves upon an equality with all possible com- petitors, and the instifution of the office which the two great corporations would confer upon Mr. Thrall is in the line of advancement. The honor conferred upon Mr. Thrall is very great. It is a tribute to years of faithful and efficient service for the DECISION IS RENDERED IN LAWTON LAND CASE Important Question Regarding Pos- session of Oklahoma Territory Bettled in Washington. WASHINGTON, Aug. 30.—In the contest case of J. D. Albert against James R. Wood, coming from the Dawton, Ok. T., land district and involving entry No. 1, the Acting Secretary of the Interior has rendered a decision in the hearing on the c The charges upon which the coh- test was founded were substantially that Wood's entry was made in violation of the homestead law by reason at its lueatlon EWS from the East has reached | 1 United States rallway mafl and an ac- knowledgment of competency, expert | knowledge and executive ability in an ex- | ceptionally arduous and exac(lns line of endeavor. Duties Are Onerous. Whether Superintendent Thrall will ac- | cept the offer made by the railway com- | panies is uncertain. He is out of the | city, having.gone to Ogden and Portland | in_connection with the work of the rail- | way mail and will not return to the city | until to-day. That he has the proposition | under consideration is known. The offer of the railways carries with it a salary | very much larger than the one that he receives from the Government, being | more than double, His present salary Is only $2700 per annum, while the railway gompanies are prepared to *ay $7000 per annum for his services. No one could possibly fill the requirements of the roads without expert and intimate knowledge | of a vast amount of detail, which 1t would be’ impossible for an outsider to acquire in any reasonable length of time. The duties that the transportation Ilines call | upon - their malil superintendent to per- { torm include the designing, bullding and fitting up of mail cars. The Government does not fit up cars for the mail service, although it pays the railways for doing the work at a fixed rate per foot for the necessary equipment. This service re- quires expert knowledge, for the condi- tions vary materially on main lines and | on branch lines. The railways" repre- | sentative, caring for thelr mail interests, hae still more arduous. service in conneéc- tion with the negotiations with the Gov- ernment which he must conduct. He must provide for the welghing of the mails -that pass over the lines that he represents. There is a great amount of detail in this connection and in the other work to-be performed. Clearly the pesi- tion that Mr. Thr-1l has been invited to occupy will be no sinecure and the salary on the south line of the town of Lawton, and that the entry emibraces a tract a mile long and only a quarter of a mile wide, and was o taken. for speculative pur- poses and not for agricultural purposes, and that the entry was made at a time when there were a large number, of town- site settlers on the land who occupled it for trade and business purposes/ . ' . The decision holds that the selection apd entry. of land adjacent to the town of Lawton was not in violatiorf of the letter or spirit of the law and that thé faect that there may have béen alléged town- site settlers on the land at the time' hé !made his entry does not affect Wood's i with all the that is attached to the pesition does not seem large when the fact Is clear that all lines of the work will require an expert. Thrall’s Fine Record. Superintendent Thrall has been con- nected with the railway mail in this ‘division, which includes the “entire Pacific Coast, sinée 1890, when he accept- ed an appointment as inspector. He served in this capacity until 1898, the most of the time being in the jurisdiction of Postal Inspector Munro. In 1898 he was appoint- ed superintendent, succeeding Sam Flint. The territory that he has supervision over includes - California, Nevada, Oregon, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Utah and Wash- ington. - Several thousand miles of rail- way are in this extensive district. These all have to be. looked after in detall by the superintendent of the railway mail service, and he hag also to provide for the prompt and accurate movement of matls over a large number of star route routes, and by stage and water transpor- tation as well. Mr. Thrall has also to pro- vide the schemes for all .the, postoffices in the ‘States mentioried,” which instruct the Postmasters when all. mails must be ready and when dl!qntched, and they are accountable to him. Altogether, so say the postal people who are well acquainted workings of the Postoffice service on [this | coast. Superintendent Thrall has the hardest of the posfal po- sitions on ‘the Pacific. Ccast and adjoin- ing territory to fill. That he has been ef- ficient Is a matter of common knowledge ftom one end of the country to the other. Question of Succession. The announcement that Superintendent Thrall may take another position will cause a flutter in the postal service. If he decides to accept the offer of the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific com- panies the vacaney that will be occa- sfoned by his resignation from the Gov- service right of entry. Thé land was not sub- ject to appropriation for townsite pur- poes, nor was ‘any person authorized to enter upon it ‘or occupy it for purposes of ‘trade or’ business, and no’such oecu- pancy could operate to dafea.t ‘his “right to enter. It is-further held in the opin- fon that Wood's entry.is not bad on ac- count of the-form of the tract embraced; that the special pravisions of the ‘act of May 2, 18%, do. notheontrol in' this mat- ter, but that ‘the nfierfl provlslom of the homeéstead law.de.. The Secretary says that under the act of June 6, 1900, making provision fot the disposition of | these lands, 1t 1s directed tirat they shall — g A H té'TEDHErD 5 o+ ernment service will be worth considera- tion by those who are in the line of .pro- motion and who do not shrink from faithful work. There are several persons who occupy leading positions - in : the railway malfl service, at present subor- dinate to Superintendent Thrall.” Promi- nent among these are A. H. Stephens, assibtant superintendent of - the rallway mail service, and F. W. Vaille. Mr. Stephens’ is in the office with Superin- tendent Thrall ‘and has " done excellent and careful work in that position, being in charge when Superintendent Thrali is out of town. Mr. Vaille is stationed at Portland, Oregon, and his duties are now _principally "in connection with the star routes. He went to the Philippines in 1808 to organize the United States mail service In the islands. . Having performed that duty he returned to the United States, succeeded in Manila by C. M. Cotterman, who now has the title and office of director of posts with a salary of $4000 per annum attached. Either Mr. Stephens on Mr. Vaille might be appomnt- ed superintendent¥of the railway mail be disposed of- ufler-the general provi- slons ‘of the hemestead ~and = townsite laws of the United States, and that un- der this 1dw Wood's location s valid. ekt ey ity Whiteman Arrested at Boston. BOSTON, 'Aug. 30.—On the charge of swindling two ‘firms of brokers in this city, Alonzo J. Whiteman, former mem- ber of the Minnesota, Legislature, was ar- rested this -afterncon. Whiteman had been sentenced in New York for swind: ling and while waiting for a certificate of reasonable doubt, which he hoped to secure, wlma he was out on bail, came to this city 'and, it’ is alleged, he cashed mf@mJ. checks for m;r" _" <+ service for this division if Superintendent Thrall resigns. News in Washington. The following dispatch from Washing- “ton gives a part of'the story: WASHINGTON, Aug. 30.—It is rumored here that two great transportation lines, the South- ern Pacific Company and the Unlon Pacifié Company, acting together, have decided to pro- vide themselves with an official to look after thelr mail contracts and all the matters con- nected therewith, and that they have made a liberal offer to ‘Herbert P. Thrall, at present superintendent of the eighth division of - the { railway mail service, to'take the position.” Mr. Thrall has given great satisfaction to the Post- office Department as superintendent, having been an unexceptionable official. - The move of the railroads named is in' line with the plans of other great transportation corporations, no- ticeably the Santa Fe Railway Company, which has already a -mail superintendent, who deals directly with the Government for the company. Mr. Thrall has probably been selected on ac- count of the' record he has ‘made In the Eighth District and also because he is familiar with almost the entire territory of the Southern and Union Pacific lines on the coast. il inielulel @ ¥OUR PERSONS KILLED IN A BLAZING HOUSE Woman and Children Lose Their Lives as Result of Brooklyn Fire. NEW YORK, Aug. 3.—Four persons were killed and seven severely injured in a tenement fire in Brooklyn to-night. The dead are: MRS. ROSIE ROTHGIZER, 37 years of age, jumped from fourth story window. ANNIE BECK, 7 years. TILLIE BECK, 5 years. 3 | FRANK BURD, infant. |28, San Francisco; FLAMES ADD 10 HORRORS OF A WRECK Heavy Loss of Life in a Great Northern Disaster. Number of Those Who Per- ish Is Placed at Sev- enteen. Former General Superintendent Downs and His Son Are Num- bered Among Victims of the Disaster. e S Special Dispatch to The Call KALISPELL, Mont., Aug 30.—West- bound passenger train No. 3 on the Great Northern was wrecked at 8:30 o'clock to- night near Nyack station, forty miles east of Kalispell, in the mountains. An eastbound freight train backed out of a switch at Essex and broke in two, twenty- eight cars going down the mountain and crashing into the passenger train. The special car of Assistant General Super- intendent P. T. Downs of the Great Northren and a day coach of laborers were demolished. The wreckage caught fire and was de- stroyed, some of the passengers perishing in the flames. Superintendent Downs and his son were instantly killed with their cook. Many laborers were crushed to death or cremated. The exact number of dead is not yet learned, but it is believed at least seventeen perished. One sleeper caught fire, but It is re- ported that all of the passengers were got out safely. All of the doctors in Kalispell went with 2 wrecking erew to the'scene of the acci- dent. - The phssenger cars wrecked wers on the rear end of the train. A train loaded with dead and Injured will arrive during the night. SPOKANE, Aug. 30.—Great Northern officlals here have received only meager reports of the disaster near Kalispell. It is known, though, that among the killed were P. T. Downs and son. Mr. Downs was, until recently, assistant gen- eral superintendent of the Great North- ern, and was recently promoted te the position of vice presidert of the Spokane Falls and Northern branch of the road. His home was :n Spokane. Mrs. Downs is in the Wast. The brief reports received here sar that the wreck took fire and that the telegraph line was burned. The greatest mortality is sald to have been among a carload of Italian laborers, a numberof whom are repgrted to have been killed outright, while others were in- Jured. It has been impossible as yet to learn the names of any of the killed, except Mr. Downs and his son. ST. PAUL, MiAn. Aug. 30.—At the Great Northern offices in St. Paml no news has been received as to the re- ported wreck. The wires are badly mixed to Montana from this point, owing to a storm. MORGAN NOW BUSY ON SHIPBUILDING PLANT Immense Works Are Scon to Be Con- structed at the Hackensack Meadow 2. NEW YORK, Aug. 30.—The Mail and Express says that a great shipbuilding plant is to be established on the Hacken- sack Meadows and a large armor plate plant is to be built by the Anglo-Ameri- can syndicate which recently purchased the Bethlehem Steel Company. J. P. Mor+ gan is sald to be the controlling factor. e S GOVERNOR OF IOWA WANTS THE PRESIDENCY Secnator Dolliver Says That Shaw Proposes to Enter the Next Campaign. CHICAGO, Aug. 30.—Senator Dolliver of Iowa, while in Chicago to-day, announced that Governoer Shaw of lowa would be a candidate for the Presidency. The Sen- ator alfo said that Towa and a consider- able portion of the Middle West would be back of Iowa's favorite son. g 4 Weather Station for Yellowstone. MILWAUKEE. Aug. 30.—Professor Wil Hs Li Moore will leave to-morrow for Min- neapolis. He will visit Yellowstone Park for the purpose of making a report as to the feasibility of establishing a weather station there and then will visit the Salt Lake, Cheyenue and Denver bureaus. o S in Alabama. MONTGOMERY. Al Aus. 20.—The Constitutional Convention to-day con- cluded the article on suffrage and it was adopted. The only important amendment adopted provides that persons who vote must own $300 worth of real and personal property. Licensed to Marry. OAKLAND. Aug. 30.—Licenses to marry were issued to-day to Harry Dale Dan- forth, aged 26, and Eva Mae Reed. 25 both of Oakland: Orin Miles Bullock, 27, and Annie M. Ford. 27, both of Oakland; ‘Willlam Eugene Greer, 26, Oakland, and Florence Martha Lamon, 22, San Fran- eisco: John Schudel, 34, and Elisa Appet. Franklyn Joseph Payne, 27. and Lena Fotheringham, 2, both of Sutter Creek.