The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 1, 1906, Page 1

| in the FORECAST. | rancisco and Vi- air Friday; warmer morning; brisk west wind in the afternoon. The Call prints more news than any other paper published in San Francisco. i VOLUME C—NO, 1. SAN FRANCISCO, POLICY-HOLDERS HEAR STR BOMB HURLED AT KING AND QUEEN OF SPAN AFTER WEDDING. KILLS FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1906. PRICE FIVE CENTS. NGE TALE ABOUT TRADERY COMPANY LIVES OF ALFONSO AND VICTORIA ARE SAVED BY ELECTRIC WIRE DEFLECTING THE EXPLOSIVE MADRID, May 31.—The public rejoicings over the marriage of King Alfonso and Princess Ena had a terribly dramatic sequel at 2:30 o’clock this afternoon, as a bomb thrown from an - | upper window exploded with deadly effect near the coach occupied by‘the King and Queen. Providentially, King Alfonso and Queen Victoria escaped when an electric wire deflected the bomb, but at least sixteen persons, most of them belonging to- the personal and military escorts, were killed. Many others were injured. Escaf)e of Royal Coupl(: Is Almost Miraculous and Tragedy| Turns Rejoicing of Populace Into Tumult of Rage. AMILADADG MAY PAY Granting of F‘;ivors to Oil Trust Is Likely to S Y ,,,L i; ROCKEFELLER CHATS GAILY A5 HE GOES ABOARD STEAMSHIP 0il Baron WZ]I;S Erect and Appears to Be in Best | of Health. Liners Deutschland. -and” Pro-| vence Will Race Across the Atlantic. NEW YORK, M | a host of | ach, the d of Hamburg-American the Provence of the French of th rted today across the Atlantic, ; see which will make her port | | Rockefeller was on the | making his first ocean trip | , with his wife and a| « two months’ tour of | n the Provence were Mr. and | harles A. Morse, who laughingly they were going on their second | -ymoon trip abroad for months. f Rockefeller was nervous he Sa\'tl no sign of it. He did not in any way re- semble a man in i1l health. His fikln‘ was tanned, he walked erect and calmly ed and chatted with Mrs. Rocke- | »r as he went aboard. | ) course 1 expect to have a good " he said; “otherwise I have noth- | ing to say,” and with this the reporters who approached him had to be content. | Accompanying the party were sev- | eral private detectives, who will also act as couriers to the party on the | Continent i YOUNG suvEREIGN OF ‘i HE SPAN IARDS AND THE ENGLISH PRINCESS WHO YESTERDAY BECAME HIS CONSORT, AND HENCEFORTH WILL BE KNOWN AS QUEEN VICTOR IA OF SPAIN. MADRID, May 31.—At least sixteen | persons were killed by the explosisn of the bomb hurled at the young King and Queen this afternoon as’they were re- turning from the wedding ceremony. The following are the killed: CAPTAIN BARROSSA, commanding part of the King's escort. LIEUTENANT REYSINET. LIEUTENANT PRENDERGAST. SIX SOLDIERS. THE MARQUISE OF COLOSA. DAUGHTER OF THE MARQUISE. DON ANTONIO CALVO. NIECE OF DON ANTONIO, aged 6 years. JOSE SOLA, 7 LOUIS FON . ONE ROYAL GROOM, who was lead- ing one of the horses drawing the coach carrying the King and Queen. Several of those killed were standing on the balcony of the house from which the bomb was thrown. x The explosion occurred just as the royal couple were about to enter the palace. The route of the cortege had been diverted from Arsenal street to Mavor street, owing to the popular de- rears of age. A sire. The procession had just passed through Mayor street and was about to. turn into the esplanade leading to the palace when an explosion shook the | buildings in' the vicinity, stunning a large number of persons and throwing the cortege into inextricable confusion, KING AND QUEEN UNHARMED. The royal coach was brought to a sudden stop by. the shock, officers and soldiers of the escort falling to the ground around the equerry and horses that had been killed. The screams of the terrified multitude mingled with the groans of the dying. It was imme- diately seen that the royal coach wad intact, except that it had been dam- aged by flying splinters. King Alfonso immediately alighted and ussisted | Queen Victoria out of the corriage. They then entered another coach and | were driven swiftly to the palace. All this occurred so quickly that peo- ple away from the immediate vicinity were not aware of the tragedy and con- tinued to acclaim their sovereign. Soo however, there appeared the empt! royal coach with horses missing and others spattered with blood. The _—_— __ Continued on Page 3, Column 3. Cost Dearly. Government Will Press Prosecutions Against the Offenders. Gmplete Chain of Evi— dence Held by At- torney General. Special Dispatch to The Call. WASHINGTON, May 31. — Fines amounting to several millionstof dollars will be demanded by the Government against the railroads shown by the Garfield réport to have been guilty of granting favors to the Standard oil Company. This report, with added de- BIG FINES SIXTEEN PERSONS LIABILITIES THIRTY-TWO TIMES TOTAL ; OF PAID-UP CAPITAL AS STATED BY ATTORNEY Policy-holders oi the Traders’ Insurance Company oi Chicago have taken steps to learn the facts regarding the corporation to which they paid their money in premiums to provide for themselves indemnity for fire losses. 'They were told yesterday by an attorney ior the con- cern that the Traders’ Company had but $500,000 in paid-up capital stock and that the risks amounted to $160,000,000 in the United States, of which over $5,000,000 was on San Fran- cisco properties in the burned district. The claimants were offered 60 per cent fo sign ofi, Attorney From Chicago Tries to Induce Them to Compromise Their Claims and Shows Capital for Vast Risks Is Small. Claimants Decide to Investigate Condition of the Wrecked Corporation and Appoint 2 Committee to Ascertain Facts. Before an assemblage of holders of fire insurance policies issued by the Traders’ Insurance Company of Chicago the statement was made yesterday by an attorney, who said that he repre- sented eight or ten stockholders of the company, that with but $500,000 of ecapital stock the de- funet concern carried $160,000,000 in fire risks, of which the fire of April-in the burned distriet in this city represeuted $5.187,000. The representative was W. C. Bates of Chieago. Altogether he made it appear that the Traders’ Company, now in the hands of a receiver, has but $1,800,000 in assets that are available with which to meet all the $5187,000 due in Sap Francisco and all other liabilities included in the grand total of $160,000,000. QUESTION IS RAISED WHETHER THE OFFER IS ABSOLUTE. Part of his statement - Mr. Bates made voluntarily, while offering San Francisco policy-hold- ers payment of 60 cents on the dollar of their claims. A part was in response to questions pro- pounded by excited poliey-holders. When Bates was pressed to answer whether the offer of 60 cents was absolute he said that certain stockholders, whose names he did not mention, would personally raise $250,000 to be paid to losers, to make up 60 per cent of their claims, this $250,000 being in addition to the assets belonging to the company. Bates was invited to name the stockholders who had volunteered, but he refused. There was a reinsurance reserve of $1,300,000, Bates also said, but this was held to provide tails, will go to the Department of Jus- tice this week, and, it is asserted, way bills, bills of lading. -hlymng records and other ¢ocuments accompanying it upon which tobase: rosecution.’ Specific vialations showing thé grant- for losses all over the United States. The total assets were made up of $500,000 in capital stock, so Bates said, and also $1,300,000 in surplus. ' NO ONE OFFERS TO TAKE UP WITH AMOUNT SUGGESTED. No one in the meeting of stockholders, which was held in the synagogue at California and Webster streets, moved to accépt 60 cents on the dollar. ' Insurance Commissioner Wolf was heard to advise the policy-holders that a dangerous prece- dent wonld be established if an offer of 60 cents on the dollar was take up, and that other insur- ing of rebatés on shipments -ggregut- ing more than 2000 cars will be alleged in one instance. Recently the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy road was fined $10,000 a car for six cars of shipmeénts upon which rebates were given. No imprisonment penalty coversd this act, but if this be made the standard of filnes the Government hopes to teach violators a lesson. Chicago, New York and St. Louis are mentioned as -probable places for bringing the new cases. One of the evidence is at hand, is that of ship- ments made from Whiting, Ind., to St. Louis for the Waters-Plerce Oil Com- ing rates are alleged to have been given between these points for ten years, those of last year alone saving the Standard Oil Company $240,000. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. the Chimigo and Alton and the Chicago and Eastern Illinois roads. were men- tioned in the Garfleld report in connec- tion with these alleged violations. Should the Government proceed |against these roads it will urge the heaviest possible fines, and also en- deavor to collect the same amount from the Standard Oil Company. 3 The conferees on the rate bill today finally agreed to accept the Lodge amendment, re-enacting the penal clauses of the original Eilkins bill for giving rebates to shippers, but first strengthened it by striking out the words “willfully and knowingly” as ap- plied to railroad officials. The amend- ment as adopted today aims at “the man higher up.” CASSATT TO BE A WITNESS. Railroad President to Testify Before the Commerce Commission. WASHINGTON, May 31.—The Inter- state Commerce Commission decided to- day to continue its inquiry into the operations of the Pennsylvania and the Bal ore and Ohio railroads. A hear- ing will be had tomorrow, when officers of both roads will appear. The names of the witnesses will.be withheld from the public until they have been served with subpenas. At Philadelphia on Tuesday, hearin will be held in the case of the Pennsyl- vania. On_that occasion, it is believed, President Cassatt will be called upon to tell what hie knows concerning the pos- session of coal stocks by managing offi- cers of his road. John B. Thayer, fourth vice presi- dent of the Pennsylvania, had a con- ference with the commission this morn- ing, and it is understood he informed the members of the Federal body that Preslde? Cassatt would be ready to apxenr efore them on Tuesday. 3 decision has been reached that no further attention will be paid to oil until the commission has completed its inquiry as to the relations of the roads with the coal industry. FATAL COLLISION OCCURS ON THE ST. CLAIR RIVER One of the Vessels Is Cut in Two and Sinks With Part of Her Crew. DETROIT, Mich, May 31.—The steamer Erin, upbound and towing the schooner Danforth, was run into and cut in two b( the steamer Cowis in the St. Clair River just below St. Clair early today, and three of the Erin's cr'erz v.;lel'e“l drownedi‘ ok 2 e dead: Mrs. ry Reed, River, Ont.; Watchman, shi Detroit, home Ambherstburg, Hubert, cook, Cleveland. Nine mmbiu of the Erin's crew and the 13-year-old -son of Mrs. Reed we saved. Captain Sullivan and the boy and mate, George Patterson of Port Dalhousie, Ont., James Dagden and Grove Shook, of Windsor, Ont., and Thomas Lyon and George Fanshaw, of (fl}l;veu:‘lil e, N. Y., were picked up by ishermen. Officers of the schooner Danforth t.; Mrs. crew who were asleep had little c! collision that those ers Itor_ th most flagrant cases, upon which much | pany. False way bills and discriminat- |- anee companies might take advantage of it to make a similar offer. A committee of seven was authorized to inquire and report to the policy-holders at a meet- ing to be held next Monday afternoon at 2 o’clgck at the same place. Marshall Hale presided yesterday. The eommittee of seven was appointed by him. The members of the committee are W. F. Humphrey, H. G. W. Dinkelspiel, A. Aronson, Walter Lin- forth, W. H. Metson, J. W. Bennett and W. D. Plummer. DUTY IMPOSED UPON THE COMMITTEE IS COMPREHENSIVE. The duty imppsed upon these committeemen is to inquire into the aceura:y of the figures submitted by the Chicago attorney who spoke for the Traders’ stockholders, to also inquire into the finanecial ligbility of the stockholders of the Traders’ Company and the criminal lLiability of the directors of the same corporation, and to investigate all the facts relating to the company and to submit a report next Monday afternoon. This being the first gathering of policy-holders of any fire insurance company in this city since the April fire to consider the situation, the occasion was replete with interest. -At the assem- bling hour of 2 p. m. Judge Dunne’s courtroom, where the meeting was held, was almost filled. Ten minutes later it was crowded, the policy-holders standing in a dense mass after every seat was taken. Men of large wealth, mechanies, clerks, keepers of hotels, pale and almost hysterical women who lost all they had in worldly possessions and a score or more of attorneys were present. OFFER CAUSES DEPRESSION AMONG THOSE INTERESTED. From the beginning the expression of the policy-holders was anxious. Their anxiety deep- ened as W. C. Bates made the stajement that culminated in the offer of 60 cents on the dollar. At the close of the meeting they filed slowly and solemnly out in the corridors and discussed for a long time the dark situation. The proceedings were opened by Insurance Commissioner Wolf, at whose call the policy-hold- ers met. Wolf said that it was ‘‘d great disgrace that the Traders’ Insurance Company should at the first shot from the cannon raise the white flag and go into the hands of a receiver.”” He had called the policy-holders together because so many had visited his offices. He deemed it advisable for them to meet and to decide upon the course that they would pursue. ADVISES CO-OPERATION AS MEANS TO SECURE GOOD TREATMENT. “T thought it well,” said Wolf, ‘“to get you together and find out what you wish to do jointly and individually; whether you wish to be represented at Chicago. Several Chicago attor- neys have offered to serve ybu gratuitously. Some of these attorneys wished to represent me. There is only one former California attorney in practice in Chicago and he is busy. ‘It is necessary to give notice of loss and proof of loss -to the company, to the receiver of the company at Chicago and to the State agents of the company in this State. Judge Bates iz here, representing the receiver, Mr. Gordon. The State agent of the company is also here. So far as I can help the policy-holders I will. You ought to unite and act together. z ‘Al policy-holders in San Francisco should form associations, one association for each o the 118 insurance companies coneerned in the fire, each association to act for policy-holders. 1 think you will receive better treatment if you proeeed in tha’ way from these men who were sant here from the East not to rebuild San Franeisco, but to squeeze policy-holders; to harass and bull- doze them.”’ BATES DENIES HE IS REPRESENTING THE RECEIVER. Attorney W. C. Bates said at the outset'that he was not an attorney for the receiver of the Traders’ Insurarice Company. ‘‘I am here,”” he said,”” for stockholders in thé Traders’ Insurance Company, who have been humiliated at what has happened and at the position in which they have been placed. A ““The policies of the company in the burned district of San Franciseo amount to $5,187,000. There is not much salvage and the claims for loss will aggregate $5,000,000. The capital stock of the company, paid up, is $500,000. The surplus is $1,300,000. This makes the assets $1,300,000 to meet the loses here amounting to $5,000,000. The company also had a reinsurance reserve of $1,300,- 000. This reserve cannot all be applied to the payments of losses in any one State. ““All over the United States the Traders’ Insurance Company had hundreds of thousandsof policies and’ $160,000,000 in risks were outstanding. There is $1,800,000 with which to settle out- standing claims. The net liabilities in San Francisco I figure at $3,387,000. EASTERN LAWYER PAINTS GLOOMY PICTURE OF THE SITUATION. % ““None of you have any idea concerning the calamity that befalls an insurance company when it goes into the hands of a receiver. From -Maine to California the moneys of the Traders” Insuranee Company have been garnisheed. In some States where the reinsurance reserve is deposited receivers have been appointed. , “T don't know how it is in California, but in Chicago when a company is put in the hands of a receiver it becomes the prey of buzzards who eat it up in litigation that lasts fror- three to five years. The receiver at Chicago is able now to pay 30 to 40 per cent of losses in San cisco. years "CONTINUED ON PAGE 2, COLUMNS 3, 4 AND 5 i