The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 12, 1903, Page 1

VOLUME XCIV—NO. 104. SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1903. PRICE FIVE CENTS, POSTAL INUESTIGATION RESULTS IN INDICTMENT AND THE DISMISSAL OF EX:INSPECT — -+ TRAVELERS NEED NO LONGER ~ FEAR HONOLULU INSPECTION >TOR OF THE CUSTOMS OFFI- CE IN THIS CITY. Assistant U York, His guests wer ary of the Treasury Ar of the Port of New York Hamilton Fish Jr. and Jr. shed visitors were met on by Acting Collector W. a Colonel J. Spear, Surveyor of tinent New ters had been them, Assistant Secre- Trepsury Armstrong was cted by hy Federal officials. SEEKS MUCH INFORMATION. In speaking of his visit to San Fran- o the Assistant Secretary said: “l am on my vacation trip and this is urney to California. I am tak- ing the opportupity to familiarize myself with the many 8etails of the customs ser- vice on” this coast so that I shall be in a better position to handle various matters @&s they come before me in the future. “l am golng to devote myself to busi- where q and | + Treasury Officials Find Way to Administer Customs Laws Without Annoyance to Passengers. — s and T expect to learn ¥ things that will be of great value to me when I return to W lector Stranahan of New York nor Assistant Treasurer Fish of that city is here on business. They are spending their vacation and will not teke part with in any investigations I shall make, question as to the manner of ex tion of baggage of passengerg com- ng from the Orient, via Honolulu, to San Francisco, is the principal reason of my to this city. » Secretary of the Treasury that as e inconvenience to passengers as pos- » be caused, but at the same time due sib It is the earnest hope | hington. Neither | WL B. Hamrzrory—~ AFER AT CEATEMPEST WHIRLS NEAR DU SHORES Mariners Warned Off Florida’s Coast. £ LTy Special Dispatch to The Cail. NEW YORK, Sept. 11.—Although still making viclent movements of its vortex in the vicinity of Nassau, the West In- | dian cyclone which stealthily reached the vigllance must be exercised to protect the | revenues of the Government. I am not going to hold an investigation, but sim- ply a conference, and we hope to arrive at a clusion that will be satisfactory to all parties concerned.” RECEIVED AT CUSTOM-HOUSE. At 11 o'clock yesterday morning Assist- ant Secretary Armstrong was the cyno- sure of all eyes gt the Custom-house. On arrival at the Federal buliding, escorted by, Acting Collector Hamilton d Surveyor of the Port Spear, the dis- uished Washington official was con- ducted to the rooms of the Collector of the Port. were done by Hamilton. A large number of distinguished of- | ficials met Assistant Secretary Arm- ong, including Colonel John P. Irish, B.| of visitors proceeded to the | Naval Officer of the Port; Chauncey St. John, Deputy Surveyor of the Port; Spe- clal Agent George E. Channing of the treasury and many heads of departments. Dr. Rupert Blue of the Marine Hospital presented the physicians under his charge and was complimented by Assistant Sec- retary Armstrong on his efficient work in cleansing Chinatown. After some little time had been spent in meeting officials, the Assistant Secre- tary of the Treasury settled down to work. The conference was executive, and those who took part in it were John D. Spreckels of the Oceanic Steamship Com- pany, R. P. Schwerin of the Pacific Mail Company, W. H. Avery of the Toyo Kisen Kaisha Company, Collector of the Port of Honolulu E. R. Stackable, Surveyor Continued on Page 2, Column 5. Colonel Stratton being unable | to be present owing to iliness, the honors | Bahamas on Thursday, apparently in- creased in intensity to-day and main- tained, though very slowly, its approach to our shores. As 1ts front impurged on the western margin of the gulf stream a northeast wind at Jupiter (on the Southeast Florida coast) rose in the morning to a veloclty of thirty-two miles an hour and presum- ably continued to rise all day, though un- fortunately fio telegraphic report could be obtained from that important station at New York, which apparently indicates that the telegraphic wires on the adjacent Florida coast were carried away by the storm. It therefore appeared necessary to extend the storm warnings north as Charleston But the northwestward advance of the storm which was indicated on Thursday night’ and even this morning has been temporarily. retarded. Over the ocean area from the Carolina and Georgia coasts eastward to the meridian of Ber- muda, as to-night's reports show, the barometeric pressures were rather strengthened than weakened and conse- quently the cyclone cannot at once over- come this bank of high pressure in its effort and directly recurve toward Cape Hatteras. It will therefore have to wait un- til this aerial obstruction in ite path is re- moved before the track to the northward is cleared, and the storm may lose some of its present energy and possibly it may be diverted from its original northwester- 1y course. But until it reaches a position in which its character and future course can be definitely discovered the commanders of vessels sailing now to the southward will be cautioned. Thus far no shipwrecks are reported off our coast. : as far SINTY SHIBS L0ST. FIFTY LS B OuT Storm’s Ruin Over Great Britain General. Coast Towns and Agri- cultural Districts Suffer. Bodies Washing Ashore Con- tinue to Swell List of Fatalities, PSSR, SRR Special Dispatch to The Call. LONDON, Sept. 12.—Storles of disasters caused by Thursday's storm vecupy col- umns of the morning papers. More than fifty lives were lost and some sixty wrecks are reported. Damage in this line alone will amount to thousands of pounds sterling. An enormous number of tele- graph and telephone wires are still down througheut the United Kingdom. While the details of the havoe wrought by the storm are necessarily incomplete reports come in from all parts of the United Kingdom showing that the devas- tation was general. All sorts of vessels were caught in the gale and many found- ered, several with their entire crews. A great number of minor craft is belleved to be lost and the bodies washing ashore continue to swell the terrible list of fatalities. The gale sprang up with sudden fury from the southwest, and the wind blew with a velocity at times reachipg fifty miles an hour, and Thisgg@tinuéd several hours. ¥ 20 All the coast towns suffered more or less and the agricultural sections in the interior report incalculable damage, ow- ing. to the late harvest. The beautiful hop gardens of Kent have been ruined and in many places the valleys of the Thames and the Severn are submerged, quantities of sheep and cattle being drowned. TELEGRAPH LINES DOWN. For some time telegraphic communica- tion was completely stopped and the land lines are still in terrible st e. The tel- egraph companies report th he wires and poles are down everywhere. Great numbers of fine trees in the parks of Lon- don and other cities were torn up by the roots or stripped of their branches, and the list of minor damages and casuaities t is amazing. In adilition to the deaths from drowning revorts from inland give many fatalities resulting from various causes incident to the storm. Dispatches from France and Germany indicate that widespread damag= has been caused by the storm on and land. Telephone communication between Lon- don and Paris had not yet been restored and there is much delay in telegraphic dispatches owing*to the damage to the continental land lines. The suburbs of the metropolis are lit- tered with trees and branches which have been blown down. The tents of the First Army Corps, which was under canvas preparatory to taking part in the maneu- vers, were almost blown to pieces. It is possible that the whole force may be recalled from Aldershot. BREAKWATER DESTROYED. The breakwater of the new harbor in course of construction at Dover has been entirely swept away, involving a loss of many thousands of pounds sterling. The channel steamers from France arrived Jate this morning after perilously rid- ing out the storm for .six or seven hours. Marny lifeboat rescues were made and several fatalities and many accldents were recorded. Much wreckage is being washed up all around the coast. From Dungeness it is reported that a Ketches crew, numbering eight men, were all drowned. At South Sea several bodies have been washed up. Poole, Whitestable and Ports- mouth all report wrecks and fatalities. A derelict yacht has been towed into Portsmouth. The fate of her crew s not known. Much damage has been done at Bath and Hastings. A vessel is in distress off the Goodwin Sands, where the lightship is adrift. The lifeboats have been busy all along the coast. The hop crops have suffered great damage. A Liloyds dispatch from Cowes, Isle of ‘Wight, reports that the American steam yacht Enchantress was badly damaged in the English Channel. A South Sea lifeboat went out to a dis- tressed bark off Weymouth. There were no signs of life on the vessel and it is supposed that her crew was drowned. sea s S e il ORDERS ISSUED GIVING PEARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE Commander’s Start for His Dash for North Pole Will Be Made on July 1. WASHINGTON, Sept. 11.—Orders grant- ing three years' leave of absence to Com. mander Peary of the navy, beginning April 1 next, were issued to-day. He {s now on duty at the Hureau of Yards and Docks. He will start for his dash for the north pole July 1 next. OR J. WW. ERWIN & o+ The Indictment. ||| Erwin’s Reply. S | kil i H E: ndictment —.re- |t | 66 O say that'I am sur- turned -“against James | | priséd beyond meas- W. Erwin, assistant superin- | wre cxpresses it mildly. tendent of the free delivery Knowing my complete inno- system in this city, charges cence I have never for a mo- ; him with conspiracy to-de- ||| ment considered the possi- | fraud the Unitéd' States by bility of such action. I have | using undue influence to se- | || had no opportunity to con- | cure <the adoption by the {| <ult with friends or to secure Postoffice Departinent of a | |.| legal advice, and so must be patented device for announc- | | | excused from making any | ing the time of ‘the next ||| statement in connection with | mail collection. the case.” | * % § b * Special Dispatch to The Call. ASHINGTON, Sept. 11.—Fouyr new names are dragged Int the postoffice scandal in in- dictments returned by the Washington Grand. Jury. last | Tuesday and made public by I istrict At- torney Morgan H. Beach to-day. Six per- sons in all were indicted. Additional In- dictments were returned against George W. Beavers, superintendent of division of salaries and allowances, and against Au- gust W. Machen, former :uperintendent of free delivery. The new names are: James W. Erwin of California, former postoffice inspector; Isaac S. McGiehan of | New York, George H. Huntington of New | York, Eugene W. Sheble of Toledo, Ohio. ‘Postmaster General Payne has forwarded to Erwin his dismissal from the postal service. Sensational statements concerning the connection of former Assistant Postmas- ter General Heath with the Postal Device and Improvement Company of San Fran- clsco are made in the testimony submitted to the Grand Jury within the last few weeks. One thousand shares of stock of the San Francisco company are alleged to have been distributed among postoffice officlals to obtain the adoption by the department of the device for registering on letter boxes the time or the next mall collection. INTRODUCES RICHARDSON. Daniel 8. Richardson, president of the California company, came to Washington accompanied by Erwin to introduce the device. Erwin was then serving as post- office inspector. He introduced Richard- son to Beavers, Machen, Heath and other= at the department. Jne thousand shares of the company’'s stock are said to have bgen distributed to the Postoffice Department employes, Who took it under assumed names. | innocence, Epecial Dispatch to The Call. ERKELEY, Sept. 1l.—James W. Erwin returned to his home at 2628 Benvenue avenue this even- ing after a week’s stay with his family at Capitola. He said he had received no official advice concerning his indictment and dismissal from the service. “I don’t know what to think about ft all. It is terrible to blast a man's name in this way without a hearing. I do not know what I am accused of and as for being dismissed from the gervice I cannot | belleve such a thing is possible except | that such work has been done because of the recent trouble in the department “I am very tired and have been sick with ptomaine poisoning for a week and have just arrived at home, but I have started here to write a statement and without knowing how it sounds I wish you would run it as it is.” Erwin then furnished the statement written by himself: “I have just returned home after a week's absence and the only knowledge | I have that an indictment has been re- turned against me for conspiring to de- fraud the United States Government is derived from the newspavers. Tq say that I am surprised beyond measure ex- presses it mildly. Knowing my complete I have never for a moment considered the possibility of such action. OFFI. AL CONSIDERATION. “I am glad that the officers of the Postoffice Department, with which I have been connected for more than sixteen years, still have sufficient confidence in me to make public the fact of my indict- ment before the papers could be served on me. They are correct In assuming that 1 will be found when wanted. “I have had no opportunity to consult | following | | - PROMINENT LOCAL POSTAL | OFFICIAL INDICTED BY THE ! | WASHINGTON GRAND JURY. ‘ l e CASTAWAY FOUND UPON SHIP'S KEEL Schooner Rescues Starving Woman and Men. Special Dispatch to The Call. PROVIDENCE, R. I, Sept. 11.—One of the most grewsome of sea tragedies was told to-day when the schooner W. 8. Flelding reached port from West Indlan waters. When nearing Port au Prince on her outward voyage the Fielding ran near a dark object bobbing over the seas, and, heading for it, found it to be an over- turned small schooner, with seven men and a woman clinging to it and striving with the little strength that was left In them to hold on to its slippery bottom. How they managed to do so is a mira. cle. The coasting schooner to which they belonged had struck a rock, had partly filled and then suddenly “turned turtle.” The crew of seventeen persons had all managed to get upon the bottom of the overturned craft. There ensued days of starvation and thirst, in which nine of the seventeen died, and then on the fifth day came the thrilling rescue of eight survivors. The Fielding was about twelve miles distant from the island of Gonaives when the boat was sighted. Captain King, who was In command, took a long survey of the object through his binoculars, and Continued on Page 2, Column 1, Continued on Page 2, Column 3, Continued on Page 3, Column 1, 5