The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 22, 1902, Page 1

VOLUME XCI=-NO. 17 3. SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 1902. PRICE FIVE CENTS. FORT DE FRANCE IS BOMBARDED BY MARTINIQUE'S VOLCANO, RED-HOT BOULDERS ARE SHOWERED UPON ST. PIERRE RUINS BIG GUNS ROAR A WELCOME UPON ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH et 1 { | | | ™M-cAMsori - THE FREMCOH AMBASSADOR NNAPOLIS, Md., May 2L.—The | | tces vbensntines 1 4 h h republic who | participate in the { | A n t upon the | . Rochambea || | next French battleship ads at 2 o'clock representing Theodore F. of Pu Assistant 8 Pie igers—reached Annap gton at 9 o'clock and em- dispatch Dolp Captain Albert G. Leaves. panied by > and boat ers were acco! ers of the French embassy | o e 5 e American esc . the Alba Al Kearsarge under the c Higginson, were an- Point Lighthouse The Gaulois s the Dolg appeared u fluttering ber jack at the | be hereof, at 12:50 p. m. Some 2 on the how of the French bat- | tlest Higginson's flagship, the | K E anchor, while the Al- | ke ¥ rge took positions below | the Olym GIVEN HEARTY GREETING. The 1 h lay between Anna Point Lighthouse. give a sign of welcome fo hoisting a signal ded with a signal and the air reverberated with a cannon boom from the Gaulois, the traditional twenty- bne gu This was followed by two = from the band on board the Gaulols, one of these being the *Marseil Immediately thereafter the United States Commissioners proceed- edina ch to the Gaulois and as they eppro the French battleship a salute ot fifteen guns was fired the French steamer d ‘been made for a most Or every board preparation h Pleasing recept @entatives. The giant battleship was spick and span from bow to stern and every sailor, marine and officer was in proper place to give a hearty welcome to the American visitors. As soon as the commissioners touched the deck of the Gaulois they were effusively greeted by General Brugere, their staffs WORDS OF WELCOME. grectings had been exchanged the were escorted to the cabin, whe: ceremony of welcome and once took place. Assistant Sec- { State Pierce spoke on behalf of ent of the United States and Af visit the brief re- Cene Brugere replied in a few words. | The Am n commissioners spent half e ard the Gaulois and then returs « Dolphin, in the mean the French com- on board the Dolphin return- he Dolphin Colonel embassy offi- :rned to Wast Pierce re- >-morrow morn- wili respects 1o leay neluding the unt n of the American repre- | Admiral Fournter and | calls upon the | : cail upon the | of to-day oc-jef good will as’ al REPUBLIC’'S REPRESENTATIVES Ceremonies Precede the Unveiling of Monument. American Warships Meet and Escort the Gaulois. ! | i | 1 | i 1 i | { | THE ROoCHAMBEAU STATUE 5 | il § I ol MONTUMENT THAT WILL BE UNVEILED AT WASHINGTON SATUR- DAY, AND FRANCE'S DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVE WHO IS E : TERTAINING SOME OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, i + = ] curring at Annapolis. Early to-day .a come from heyond the sea in recent days. party of officlals left here to take part in the reception at Annapolis. This in- | cluded the President’'s commission. head- | ed by Assistant Secretary of State Plerce, | Captain Vignal, military attache of the | French embassy, who goes to greet Gen- eral Brugere: Captain de Faramond, naval attache of the embassy, who will extend | greeting to Admiral Fournier, and several ! other members of the embassy staff. At noon the French Embassador, M. | Cambon, entertained at luncheon the vis- | itors who remained fn Washington, and beyond_ this the day was given over to | the exchange of courtcsies between the { Prench officials and these of the American Government. Embassador Cambon called at the White House to-Gay to arrange with the President certain detafls of the programme, but the visit was without slznificance beyond the renewal of felici- tations on the happy circumstances of the | present cordial exchange between the two | repubites. MESSAGE FROM LOUBET. The receipt by the President of a cable- from M. Loubet from Kronstadt, | Russia lating the United States |upon the inauguration of the -Cuban re- public, created a most favorable impres- sion in Government here, as it s | iooked upon as quite as prictical evidence of those that have | i gram | President Loubet's dispatch was the oniy one recelved on the same day of the noti- { fication of Cuban independence, and it is | particularly welcome In view of the fact that the French President was absent from Paris and engaged on a mission of | much importance to European policy. The House of Representatives to-day re- | ceived official notification of the exer- cises attending the unveiling of statue of Marshal de Rochambeau Washington on Saturday next. On ‘motion of Payne of New York the House agreed to adjourn over from ¥ri- day to Monday In order to take part in the exercises, ! Soon after the Senate convened to-day communication from the Secretary of State was recefved announeing the unveil- ing of the statue of Marshal de Rocham- beau of France in Washington on Satur- day, May 24. On motion of Cullom the Senate decided that when that body ad- | journs on'May 23 it be until the following Monday in order, he said. that the Senate might attend the ceremoni the | i a Shot in Self-Defense. REDDING, May 21.—The Coroner's jury that Weld an inquest on the death of Charles Scharsch, who was killed on Bear Creek yesterday by his brother-in-law, Joseph Kouney, returned a verdict that the Killing was done in self-defense. { truth of the matter. MYSTERY SHROUDS TRAGEDY Ernest Brown Found Dead With Bullet in His Heart. Young Woman De- clares That Clerk Killed Himsellf. |Henry Hencken Par- tially Corroborates Her Statement. Police Incline to Sui- cide Theory, but Will Investigate. ‘With a bullet in his heart and a pistol beside him, Ernest Brown, a grocer's clerk, was found dead in a room of the house 601 McAllister street, at 2:30 o’clock this morning. Mystery shrouds the affair, but the police believe that Brown kilied himself. Mamie Smith, a -prétty woman of about vears of age, first told the police that Brown lay dead in the room. It was at 2:30 this morning that Patrol- man A. N. Smith was approached by an xcited young woman who informed him | that a man named Brown had probably shot himself in a room at 601 McAllister street. The officer accompanied the young woman to the house and found the dead | man. A rapid examination showed him that the man had succumbed to a bullet wound in the heart. A revolver lay be- side the body. The patrolman notified the Central Police Station, and the young woman was taken there, where she made a statement of what: she claims to be the She said that her name was Mamie Smith, and that she was well acquainted with the dead man, who wax named Erpest Brown. and who was a clerk, jn the employ of Tl. and M. Henck- en, who have two plages of business, one of which is at MeAllister and Franklin streets, of which H. Hencken, one of the | partners, is the manager, Both the pro- prietor and the clerk, she says, have been paving her attention, but of ‘the two she liked Hencken best, saying she *‘did not care much for Brown."” Last night, sald Miss Smith, she went out to the Chutes with Hencken. On their return, they met Brown. and the three | went to the room at 601 McAllister street, Brown and Hencken became involved in an altercation, and Hencken finally left the room. Shortly after, says Miss Smith, Brown attempted an assault, but she repulsed him. Then Brown started for the door, saying he would look for Hencken. The woman then insisted that she would go out to look for Hencken. She left the room, she declares, and as she-closed the door, she says, she heard the sound of a shot. Thereupon she went to the McAllister Hotel, where she is emploved, and on reaching her room she fainted. On re- viving she told a servant what had oc- curred, and the latter advised her to no- tify the police. She then went out and finding Patrolman Smith related the oc- currence to him. The girl was held pending further investigation, and Detec- tives were sent out to find Hencken. The tatfer was soon located, and he corrobo- rated the young woman's statement in most particulars. Hencken said it was his room in which Brown shot himself, and alzo stated that Brown had been ving ‘over financial difficulties. He said he thought It probable that Brown had committed suicide. Hencken said that he went to his room with the young woman, and that after Brown came in, he went out, going into Brown's room, and went to bed. He de- clared further that he heard no disturb- ance in Brown’s room, and is sure he did not hear the shot that ended Brown's life. The police incline to the theory of sui- cide, but will make a thorough investiga- tion. CORRESPONDENT’S DISPATCH INDICATES WAR'S END Bennett Burleigh of the London Tele- graph Sends a Significant Message. LONDON, May 2L—A private telegram received by the Dafly Telegraph from its war correspondent, Bennett Burleigh, contains the simple word “Returning,” from which the conciusion is drawn that peace is assured, becat ¥s the Daily Telegraph, Burleigh’s devotion to duty is too well known for him to dream of quit- ting his post while there is yet work to be done. “All the world will rejoice with us,” adds the Daily Telegraph, “if this opti- mistic view should prove correct.” Miners Make Concessions. WILKESBARRE, Pa., May 2.—The three anthracite executive committees of the United Mine Workers of America at their joint meeting to-day decided to per- mit the engineers, firemen and pumpmen to remain at work provided the coal com- panies grant them an eight-hour da present wages. 1f these demands are not granted by June 2 the men shall then sus- pend work. The three boards will meet again to-morrow morning. It is said that nothing was done to-day In regard to the matter of involving the bituminous min- ers in the present struggle. KINGS HOUSE, S AMAICA 4 % ’ g R AN e o Increased Eruptions Cause Fearful Havoc. Death - Dealing Lava Still Flows Over the Island. Amid Din and Panic Americans Work at Rescue. Dlfulke 7 1y From the Special Correspondent of The Call and the New York Her ald. Copyright, 1902, by the New York Herald Publishing Company. ORT DE Mar- tinique, May day of terror and panic has been spent by the people of Martinique. For six hours FRANCE yesterday Fort de France was literally | bombarded by - Mont Pelee. many of them incandescent, rained on this city from the clouds. Houses were destroyed and fifes were started in many quarters. \Vith the stones fell hot mud and ashes. The air was so filled with volcanic dust that it was barely possible to breathe. At times it seemed as if suffocation must be the fate of all who could not be taken on board the ships i the harbor. While the loss of life has not been great, the cruption yesterday was far worse than that of May 8, when 30,000 inhabitants of St. Pierre were de stroved. For many hours the explo- sions were so heavy that it seemed as if the island would be s from its foundation. Down upon the ruins of St. Pierre fe great bowlders, all redhot, that battered what was left of the unfortunate city bevond resemblance of its former self. Ashes fell in torrents, and it is now re- ported that the site of the city resembles a great gray plain. FLEE TO STARVATION. Thousands have left Fort de, France. Some have gone into the mountains to almost certain starvation, preferring that to the fate that would be theirs if the lava of Mont Pelee buried them in the ruins of the city. Others have gone to nearby islands, there to depend upon the charity of strangers. Every ship in the harbor is constantly visited by those who would flee at the next appearance of great danger. Clustered about the ships are small boats filled with natives, who beg to be taken up. Hundreds, finding it impossible to obtain boats ta take them to the ships, have swum out, risking their lives in the water to facing the danger which fills them with more terrible dread. One who took this mode of escape is Richard Kadish of West- minster Park, Manchester, England. Kadish had been traveling through Venezuela with William R. Grace Jr. of New York, and arrived here a few days ago. When the culminating- explosion came yesterday morning and fear struck to the heart of every person on the isl- and Kadish rushed to the shore and plunged into the water. He succeeded in moving his shoes and then kicked off his trousers. Being then little weighted with clothes he struck out for the Brit- ish cruiser Indefatigible, which ' was nearly a mile off shore with steam up and ready to put to sea. He reached the ship safély, though much exhausted. He remained until evening, when he re- turned to shore, the eruptions having perceptibly lessened. BRAVERY OF AMERICANS. In the excitement time is found give praise to Lieutenant McCormick tones, aken to and the American officers and men un- der his command, who have never lost their presence of mind and are working bravely to save those who are unable to save themsehves. The Potomac, which McCormick commands, was ordered ta run down the coast to make observa- Another | | | | i 1 | | | | | | | i | STt 1E TWO INT OF FIRE FROM THE RESTING ISLAND SC PLACE OF WORSHIP THAT WAS DESTROYED MAY 3 BY THE AVA- ! | | | ! e | | CRATER ENES. OF IONT PELEE, AND tions of Mont Pelee in eruption. Just, | as on Monday, the ship was taken close | | under the volcano, where it remained until driven away by the flow of lava,| | which reaches far out to sea. Licuten- | ant McCormick brought back a report | that fissures have formed in the sides of Pelee and from them lava flows in broad | | streams. * All along the shore near S| Pierre the water is boiling, and curtains of steam rise that a the land is possible only when the wind blows with sufficient force to lift’ them ) for a few seconds. St. Pierre is described by Lieutenant McCormick as driven into the earth. About half the city . has been buried deeply under ashes, which are constantly falling.. The heat from the volcano was so great and the Potomac went so close inshore that she returned with the paint on her sides blistered. On the way back from St. Pierre Lieutenant Mec- Cormick saw a great crowd of men and women on the shore signaling wildly for help.. All were taken on board and brought'to Fort de France. Those thus rescued were almost starved. Sup- plies were given to them and they were the ' relief committee such view of turned over to here. REFUGEES STILL COME. From all parts of the island not cut off by the flow of lava refugees are com- ing into Fort de France. tain roads are filled with panic-stricken and starving natives. ‘Arriving here their terrors do not decrease. and they are as anxious to press on to some safe place as they were to get here. All the roads are dotted with dead and many are reported to be dying, having fallen | from weakness on the way. Liberal wages are offered for res- cuers to go out and assist those who | have fallen by the way, but the laborers are too full of fear to be tempted by any offer. The panic was greatest vesterday when the sun rose, shining faintly through the haze of ashes. The skies were filled with rolling and whirling | clouds that were fiery red. Many be- lieved that flames were about to fall upon them from the heavens, and The moun- | in their frenzy, % the terror that ensued was pitiful. The spectacle was so appalling that the populace could not appreciate the sub- limity of it. PANIC OF THE PEOPLE. Quickly, the streets were filled, and soldiers and sailors mixed freely with the citizens, all frightened and witless. All struggled to get to a place of safety, they knew not where They be- lieved that where they were the me cursed thinking it was prayers they were uttering. Others fell on their knees.in the streets and besought pro- tection from above. Few were able to all was place of greatest danger. ets restrain from tears. When the panic subsided a little there was -a general scramble for the mountains or the water front. When the Potomac start- ed for St. Pierre the French cruiser Suchet went outside and made a tour of the island in the opposite direction. She passed St. Pierre, but had no part in the work of rescue of the refugees who had been driven to the shore by the storm from - the When the two steamers returned to Fort de France they found the panic here even greater than when they went away. There had been a recurrence of the detonations and stones had been falling upon the city. A steam launch from the Cincinnati picked up 100 persons who were strug- gling-in the water and took them to the Suchet. Scores of others were taken ta the Cincinnati and to the Potomac. The small-boats of the latter ship were out constantly, saving many who other- wise must have been drowned. This was a work of dander, as the sea was as rough as if a hurricane was blowing. WATER IS POLLUTED. Supplies are here in plenty for present, but great suffering has caused by the lack of water. All the natural water supplies have been pol- luted by the lava. which has developed sulphuric acid. Water is being doled out from the ships, and word has been sent to nearby islands for a greater supply. volcano. the been Continued on Page Three.