fp
"
MERRY CHRISTMAS I
THE DlSPATClT tenders th mm nil.
HAMFT MIW THARf'"''
"Watch rornew features early in HBO.
The Dispatch proposes to keep pace
with tea citTs Droare.. and Its patrons
V
meats of tbe season to Jt t?i nf thnn.
T "JSV "i" ' , a.
I sandpit will continue to give all the
news eTery day In the week.
will bo gainers thereby.
j
FORTY-rOBHTH TEAS.
PITTSBUKG, "WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER'. 25, 1889.
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SharpsYille, the Heart of a
. Most Prolific Yalley of
TOMAGE ON A SHIP CANAL.
Enormous Fields of the Famo.us
.Biiaron uiocjcwai mere
AKD.FUE5ACESF0E LOTS OF ORE.
Qoaint Eemindere of a By-Gone Time When
.. - the Canal Ruled.
RICHER
PROMISE
iihe "TWfc
j 'iRS?x&?j
f m
it' I
?? WHAT PROJECTOR GOODWIN HAS 10 SAE
tjrEe nost interesting and important of
thVship canal letters appears this morning.
V"hile there remains a portion of the Beaver
f ' JiYalley yet to cover, this digression to a still
3. mere prolific section, a little further up, for
j.' a single issue, trill add both variety and ln-
- i-'- terest to the series in this canvas of the
several valleys to be benefited by the great
anew project The wonderful geological re-
. sources of the. Sharpsville region, as -well
itas its present great industrial activity,
p promise a rare development under the
stimulus of real competitive transportation.
, -" rwtoat OUB SPECIAL COXICISSIOXTS.
Shabpsville, Pa., December 24. This
jtown was one of the most important on the J
line of the old canal, as it will be on the
ijnew ship canal, if the latter is ever bnilt.
jilt was just below this town that the canal
on its way from Erie to Beaver made con
nection with the slackwater of the Shenan-
. 'go river. The dam in the Shenango still
remains, and the.slackwater is utilized for
running little pleasure steamers up to Trout
Island, but for nothing else. Trout Island
is a veil-known summer resort, about three
miles up the Shenango.
The old lock still remains, also a monu
ment to departed greatness and a testimonial
to the honesty of those days. There is not
ithe slightest evidence of decay in the stone
work. Even the chisel marks can still tie
'leeen on it.
.A MIGHTY THICK VEIN.'
. The material was the Connoquenessing
sandstone, of which there were, and still are,
immense quarries from a mile to a mile and
ahalf back of the line of the old canal. At
1 Bidge quarry the stone is SO feet thick
Without c break. "
"iBut, while the stone in the lock is as
sound as the day it was laid, the hand of
time has rested heavily upon the woodwork
of the old gates. The gates are still there,
closed as thev were when the canal was
finally abandoned; but the ppsts are rotted
and seem ready to crumble away at a touch;
tne neavy iron doiis and bands are wasting
away, in fust, and onlrthe tough oak boards
seenrtoTiave defied tlmertlde and con
tumely. "
HISTORIC OLD CKAJT.
"Within the lock above the upper gate
lies sunken the remains of one of the old
it" -.See
, canal boats, whose name even has been for-
i, .gotten. On the other side of the Shenango,
half hidden among the trees on the bank,
can-be seen the rotting ribs of another vessel,
; which was so noted in its time that its name
; is still preserved. It was the Kindoshawa,
f ' and was so called for an Indian chief who,
" .tradition says, once lived on the banks ot
the Shenango. It will soon pass into greater
oblivion than did the aborigine whose name
2 : it for a time recalled.
- But if the greatness of the canal has de-
'parted, that of Sharpsville has not Long
ago'Sharpsville had blast furnaces for the
production of pig metal from the iron ores
of this section of the country by the use of
charcoal. The first lot of Lake Snperior
ore smelted in a blast fornace anywhere was
a canal boat load of aboht 70 tons, which
was smelted in the old Sharpsville furnace
in 1853.
THE 6HASOK BLOCK COAX.
The fuel used, however, was dot char
coal, but the Sharon block coal, which had
been in Ube instead of charcoal since 1845.
Sharpsville, therefore, has the honor of in-
p " troducing the Lake Superior ores into the
Shenango and Mahoning valleys.
H The statistics of the shipment of coal from
. ' Bharpsville by canal and by rail give a good
'.- ' ;4idea of the gradual decadence of the old
v- - The Erie and Pittsburg Bailroad was com
' V ' .pleted to Sharpsville in 186L The Sharps
f '.' v "ville railroad, then known as the Sharps-
a "ville and Oakland Bailroad, was Duiltinto
' " T;i'l5barpsville jn the same year. The Erie ex
p - -tension canal was opened for public use in
-" 1845. In the period from 1845 to 1864 con
g -aiderable quantities of block coal were
j shipped from the vicinity of Sharps vile to
aS.' Erie harbor by the canal. Beaching Chi
Yfk 'cago from Erie, this coal received, at Chi
Vfr v caco, the name of "Erie" coal ; and is known
?. -there bv that name at the nresent time At
?;.-; ''jBuflalo it
was
known as "Keel Bidee"
Ait $"
V, y i IT TVAS -BTtLI, MAINTAINED.
-yr jor Mjiue juut seasons alter tne opening
rpr tbe Jrie and Mttsbnrg Bailroad to
'sharpsville the canal was maintained in
-3(good condition. The railroad, however, af
' '; fording facilities for shipments in winter as
':fi: well as dnring the season of canal naviga-
' t!on, from the start carried more coal per
, 'yea fnm Snarpsville than did the canal.
rSeeubjoined table shows the disposition
- -.iofJBie coal mined on the line of the Sharps
"" vllle Bailroad in each of the several years
i specified:
5TXMU
Del'dtoE.P.
Jt. K.
Tona coal.
Del'd. to
Canal.
Tons cosl.
Used at
Bharpsvllle
lnrnacea.
Tons coal.
rlec;3l
1WS
ii8sr;
asffi,
JSW
3S7i
;iS72 .
8S.1
108.S43
1S7.S
S3a,T4B
2M,9C
as, sos
172,123
216,031
39,101
W.2SS
33.689
1S.SS
7.S3S
X347
none
none
13.8C4
13.473
18. SiC
CS.T7J
S2.1SJ
75,667
78. SO
81,896
,-ilKS
-Beside the above deliveries to the "Erie
fndPittsbnrg J-oad the deliveries of nut
oal and slack to that road in the years
870, 11, "li and 73 aggregated about 60,
00. tons.
,.- As shown by the table the decay of the
canal commenced in 1868. In 1871 the
oifinal shipments of coal from Sharpsville by
' canal were made. In 1873 the canal prac-
3 ticauy weuk ouiui cxiBKun,
"A WOSDERFiri, OUTPUT.
1 During the period irom July 1, 1865, to
fp:- 'the present time the block-coal mines on the
gfellne of the Sharpsville Bailroad have
produced something more .than 3,600,000
tons of coal, of which the furnaces in and'
near Sharpsville have consumed about
1,000,000 tons, while shipments abroad,
through the territory between Rochester in
the East and Chicago in the "West, have ag
gregated about 2,360,000 tons.
In 1873, when the consumption of block
coal at Sharpsville, and in that vicinity,
was 91,896 tons, the demand for this coal,
for furnace.-fuel, reached its maximum.
Thereafter coke gradually, and finally en
tirely, took thtf Wace of this raw fuel. At
the present time there are but two block
coal mines in operation on the line of the
Sharpsville Bailroad. Of these, the one most
recently opened is about one mile further
away from Sharpsville than any before op
erated; yet it is not more than 1U miles
from Sharpsvillerto this mine by the quite
devions route of the railroad, ana all of the
aforesaid 3,500,000 tons of 'block" coal have
been mined within a territory represented
by a strip abont one mile in width by about
nine miles in length, in which the coal oc
curred (as this coal always docs J in "poc
eta."
A PBOJECIOB TAXES.
Mr. J. M. Goodwin, of the Canal Com
mission, from whom most of these statistics
were obtained, says:
"There are perfectly reasonable grounds
for believing that this coal exists, in ample
quantity, in territory readily accessible by
the Sharpsville Bailroad, and that upon the
opening of' a ship canal along the She
nango Yalley, affording improved facili
ties for getting the coals of Mercer
and Butler counties to market, new
developments of coal will be made. But,
with an output of 'block' as great as that
of 1871. in which year the Sharpsville
Bailroad carried to Sharpsville 355,613 tons
of that coal, this output will aDDear small
in comparison with the aggregate coal ton-i
nage irom .mercer and Uutler counties,
which will seek such a canal. Mines in the
excellent steam coals found in those coun
ties, respectively, have now an aggregate
output capacity of considerably more than
4,000 tons per diem, but at present can mar
ket but abont 2,350 tons per working day,
or abont 735,000 tons peryear.
"Mercer and Butler counties together
would send to the ship canal fully 3,000
tons of coal per diem, throughout the season
of navigation."
THE BIGGEST INDUSTRIES.
There are now in Sharpsville six iron
furuacs companies, viz: The Sharpsville,
the "Wheeler, the Claire, the Spearman Iron
Company, Pierce, Kelly & Co., and Per
kins & Co. The three last named com
panies have two stacks each, making a total
of nine stacks. Just outside the borough
limits is another furnace, owned by Hall &
Co. The capital invested in blast furnacea
in the borough considerably exceeds fii .
000,000.
One or the other of the "twin" stacks is
always out of blast. The others consume
annually 256,320 tons of coke, 102,960 tons
of limestone, and 6,480 tons of sand a total
of 733,478 tons. The product amounts to
232697 net tons of pig .metal per year. The
entire tonnage of rail freights arising from
the fnrnace business of Sharpsville is, with
out going into further details, 1,069,178
tons, equal to 53,677 car-loads of 18 tons
each, or 147 cars for every day in the year.
The total railroad tonnage, exclusive of that
arising from the Heeds of a town of about
2,500 inhabitants, is about 1,125,000 tons
per year. To do this carrying there are four
railroads, the Erie and .Pittsburg, ibe
Sharpsville, the New York, Pennsvlvania
and Ohio, and the Lake Shore and -Michigan
Southern.
THEY WOULD -WELCOME IT.
Taking these facts into consideration, it
is, therefore, evident that a ship canal
Sharpsville. In fact, they are unanimously
in favor of the project.. They are also nnan-
imous in saying mat tne Government should
I nuna it, nntinat -tennsyirania should aid
li-ania
with a bir-aDDroDritiolS5TrriTntlrT:n 1
jut. jrierceoj jt-er5e,Jk.eijy. VJO.. wno Is
largely interested in'coal'as-weiras the blast
furnace business, even goes so far as-to say
that the Slate should -provide the rights of
""ay. C ,T. DA-svsoir.
r -r. r -r' V W " ii - V
A MEKCHAKTS FIANCEE
Elopes Wllh the Dahlnr Yoone Son of a
DfUsoari Consreanaino.
Kansas Cut, December 24. A tele
gram from St Joseph .announces the elope
ment and marriage of Miss' Lilly Beed, a
prominent young society lady of that citv,
and Arthur Harlett, of Wellaville, Mo.,
son of Congressman Harlett The young
couple started out Sunday evening for a
buggy ride and were not heard or until this
morning, when the young lady's parents re
ceived a telephone message from Leaven
worth stating that they had been married.
Miss Beed was engaged to be married to a
prominent wholesale drygoods man of St.
Joseph, and her runaway .marriage has
caused general surprise.
PODE PERSONS GO TO THE BOTTOM.
A Sailor Who Was in tbe Samoa Disaster
Drowned Off Cnlifbrni .
Vallejo, CaL, December 24. A boat
containing eight sailors from .the United
States Pish Commission steamer Albatross
and a crippled newsboy left the Albatross
at Mare Island navy yard last night and
started for Tallcjo. The night was dark
and the tide running strong, and the boat
upset when near the United States steamer
Thetis.
A boat was lowered from the Thetis and
five men were rescued. John Enricht, a
sailor who was on the Trenton at Samoa;
Padgett, -machinist; W. W. Lee, colored,
and the. newsboy were drowned. None of
bodies have been recovered.
B0IALTI SETS-AS EXAMPLE
Of Calmness la an Opera House Panic at tbe
Spanish Capital.
Madrid, December 24. During the per
formance afMhe Opera House this evening
an accident to the electric light machinery
caused a panic, a cry of iire having' been
raised. By the efforts of the actors and
manager the alarm was checked and the
audience dispersed quietly.
The Queen Eegenf and the Infanta
Isabel, who were in the royal box, remained
standing during the commotion, and were
the last to leave the house.
EEAL EI0TS AT KI0.
The First Reports of Trouble la UrazII
Have Been Confirmed.
Buenos Asses, Argentine, Decem
ber 24. Private telegrams from Montevideo
received by persons here confirm the news of
recent disorder and riots in Brazil. They
also state that the situation of the present
Brazilian Government is critical.
The Choice of Senator Quay.
rsrzxxAt. tklsosax lo'int xhsfatcim
Washington, Pa.. December 24. E.
P. Acheson, who has just returner! from
Washington, says Senator Quay is favor
able to the appointment of W. H. Under
wood as postmaster at this place. The ta.ll-
about Quay opposing Underwood 'because
the latter is a friend of Acheson, and Ache
son a friend of Magee's, is regarded as ab
surd. A Case of Mystcrlon Disappearance.
Kansas Citz, Decesaber 24. Walter
Lawrence Austin, the young man who
m'vneriously disappeared from his home -in
New York, about three weeks ago, is under
arrest at Cottonwood Palls,' Ka., 'charged
with ioree stealing.- --
MISS
.j
A Fewfof the Substantial and Costly Gifts Laid at Her Feet
v .' .-i'j Till' i"'i ev l- "c .l Vti t' . - ii
. ...
CABINET LADIES ANGBY.
AN ACT OF MRS, HARRISON STIRS UP
A HORNET'S NEST.
Her Daaahter Given Precedence of All
Other in tbe Official ProgrnmmeforNew
Yenr Day Secretaries Wives
Wander What Will be Ibe
Next Affront.
rsrzcuii telegram to toe dispatcu.i
Washington, "December 24. Mrs.
Blaine entertained to-day at, luncheon the
ladies of .the Cabinet, there being present
Mm Morlbnr;Mrs;,McHee,;!'Mrs.. Wihdam
Mrs. Tracyj 'Mrs. Wilmerding, Mrs. Hoble
Mrs. Miller, wife 61 the Attorney General,
and Mrs. Busk. During the lunch theKew
Year's Day programme for the Cabinet Min
isters' homes was discussed. At this lunch
nothing was said.about the action of Mrs.
Harrison in assigning to her danchter, Mrs.
McKee. the first place in the receivincr line
on H ew Year's Day, but the new departure
in the etiquette of official society has raised
a veritable hornet's nest" among the wives of
all the cabinet members.
It had not been expected that the Presi
dent's wife would appear at the New Year's
reception, owing to the death of her sister,
but the impression prevailed in official
circles that the Vice President's wife would
take Mrs. Harrison's place in the line, and
take precedence) of course, over the ladles
of the Cabinet, all of whom are asked to
assist
UBS. m'kee has fibst place.
The official programme gives the first
place to Mrs. McKee, the President's
daughter, and who, the women declare, has
no official rank whatever. The wife takes
the rank ol her husband always. Mr.
McKee is not in official life, and therefore,
they say, Mrs. McKee has not official status.
Were she the unmarried daughter of the
President she could, with much more -propriety
f represent the wife of the President
on official occasions.
This question came up at the outset of
President Cleveland's administration, when
Miss Katharine Bayard "was given the first
place in the line at one of the official recep
tions at the White House, though Miss
Bayard was something, of an invalid at the
time. It was. after much discussion, deter
mined that during Mrs. Bayard's life, her
Slaee at the White House could not be filled
y her daughter. After the death of Mrs.
Bayard, Miss Anna Bayard, then the recog
nized head of her father's house at once and
by right took precedence over all others in
the Cabinet.
BPjECIMEN feminine aeouments.
As the Presidental succession is direct
from the Vice President into 'the" Cabinet,
the Secretary of Statejieing but ".one step
removed irom the throne," it can be imag
ined how mighty a thing becomes the order
of precedence. That Mrs. McKee should
precede the wife of the Vice President and
wives of Cabiqet officers, is no trifling cause
lor alarm. If this is the beginning what
will be the end? If Mrs. McKee takes pre
cendenceon New Year's Day, why not at
the state dinners also, and on other official
occasions? If the Vice President's wife. too.
makes her own little court, are the wives of
the Cabinet officers to be ranked by the wife
of a private citizen? What, indeed, is to be
the outcome of the present situation?
In the meantime talk is going on, heads
are very erect, and altogether there is an
undercurrent ot deep feeling that promises
to reach the tidal wave overflow- by New
Year's Day.
JIOBE reasons fob gbumblinq.
Another new departure in the official
programme, which causes almost as much
comment, is tbe giving of precedence to the
Justices of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict of Columbia over the Senators and
Bepresentativesin Congress, and admitting
them, with their legal brethren, the Justices
ottne united states bunreme Uourt dnrino
the first half hour of the reception, which is
the most brilliant portion of the day. The
Congressmen and their wives do not accept
tbe new departure gracefully and the ladies
especially are doing a larger amount- of
grumbling.
BOULAKGEE IN GKEAT LUCE.
A Woman Will Devote a Fortune of S1.500
886 to HIa Cause.
Paris, December 24. Madame Bonne
main, an enthusiastic supporter of General
Bonlanger, has just inherited.$l,500,000, the
balkvof which she will- devote to the Gen
eral's cause.
, t -'
- ' ' ' ; ' - A' j . i . .
'PITTSBURGH
anu x-iueraacy omcc
AMIELIONAIEE'SEUSE.
He Becomes n Day laborer and Works Two
Days In His Own.Minc, Thereby Se-
cnrlsg- Possession of Tnlna
bio Property.
rSTXCIAL TELZOEAJI TO THE SISTATCS.
Canadaigua, N. Y., December24. W.
H. Smith, a millionaire mine operator, has
a claim against the Betsot Salt Company,
of York, Livingstone county, for two days''
work as a common. 'laborer in the company's
salt minejit ?1 30 per day.- Smith applied
for work, at the SaperinteBdent'azoiSce tbe.
It?" j J-j ' 'l-jr-l- t.: ?;. tL
.omer.uay uvwjn avak udwq ibb saait wita
tag miners, o.b worsea two .aays, 8na oa
the morning of the third. requested a day off
on account of sickness. It was granted, and
the miner hired a rig and took a ride for his
health to the home of a farmer, S. H. Gray,
who owned land supposed to be rich in salt
deposits.
He introduced himself to Mr. Gray as an
employe of tbe JBetsof Mining Company,
' ana asked him what he would- take for his
400-acre farm; Gray had been negotiating
with the Betsof Company for some time, and
there had been a difference of only a few
dollars per acre between them. He had
abont made up his mind to complete the
deal before Smith arrived, so he answered
promptly, "$80,000." Smith accepted the
terms at once, and drew $10,000 from an in
side pocket which he handed over to bind
the bargain. Tbe deal completed Mr. Smith
returned to the .mine and resumed work.
Dnring the afternoon of the same dav, when
Mr. Gray met the Superintendent of the
Betsof mine, he said: "Well, I gave in at
last and closed with your man to-day for
$200 per acre."
The superintendent soon found that no
officer of the Betsof Company had done anv
such thing, and a lively investigation fol
lowed. All the men were called' together,
and Gray pointed out, Smith as theman who
had bought the farm. When asked who he
bought the farm for he replied that it was
for himsel He was promptly discharged,
and when he presented a bill for his two
days' work payment was refused. Smith is
from Pennsylvania, and is largely inter
ested in coal,, gas and oil lands. Here it is
believed that his scheme has. secured for
him the cream of western New York salt
lands.
RUBBER STILL ADVANCING.
The Act of ibe Para Government Brines up
Prices S Per Cent.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO TUB BIBrATOB.1
New Yo'ek, December 54. Mr. Charles
B. Plint received to-day -a cable dispatch
from the Companfa: Mercantil, the company
in whose favor the provisional Government
of Brazil recently granted, a "special conces
sion" in the snape of a tax upon all rubber
for export, adyisinga decline in exchange of
cents, and an adrance in the price of rub
ber oflOO reir, nearly 5 per cent The stock
on sale was said to be 75 tons and the
market very strong. Mr. Plint said that the
receipts of rubber in Para since December 1,
amounted ia all to 950 tons, being 40 per
cent less than the average receipts of the,
previous three years .for the same time. The
decline Jn Brazilian exchange brings it' to
253 pence. The par value of a Brazilian
mil reis is 27 English pence, and the decline
to 25K i a decline of 1) pence in a week's
time.
Mr. Plint received later the following
cable from- Para: "Bubbe'r market strong
and advancing; stock for sale, 20 tons; ex
change 254 pence; demoralization of ex
change," BURNING C0EN FOE FUEL.
The Formers la NorUweatern Kansas Havo
No Olber Uo for It.
Topeka, Kan., December 24. A State
official, who returned from a trip through
out Northwestern Kansas, says that
thousands of bushels of corn are being
burned for fuel. In some counties the
price of corn is less than 15 cents per bushel,
while coal is from 25 to 35 cents per bushel.
The corn makes, an excellent fuel. The
corn crop is immense. In all the principal
corn-producing counties it is stacked up in
great racks without protection of any sort,
it having been impossible for the last 30
days to obtain cars to move it in.
The railroads.have been nnable to supply
the extraordinary ssmm et transportation.
Every rallroad.fc short turn to 8,090
cars. - :.
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
paijta viaus iasc vanea. " - .
TONY BOSTON EATS.
The Hub Stocked at the Xscapadra of a
Rodents' Club, with Noted Members
Its Meetings la an Old
Warehouse.
tSrECIAL TKLEOBAK TO TUX DISri.TCH.1
.Boston, December 24. Bostons ans-
tocratic 400 are holding, up their hands in
holy horror over the escapades of sundry
dignified members, whose names are sup
posed, to be4 synonymous with sobriety and
propriety. It leaked out to-day that sev
eral of. the distinguished bluebloods'have
'eenholdlhg meetings' In' a loTf oh India
wharf and that they were banded together,
under the dignified title of "India Wharf
Bats," to have a good time in a manner
that would not "be allowed in the tony Som
erset street Botolphian and Puritan clubs,
of which the gentlemen were members.
The skipper and crew.of the "Bats Club"
are no fiction. They are solid fact They
are solid financially, socially and politic
ally. They wear white linen caps and
white linen aprons at their symposiums,
but they are nevertheless .solid. It is a fact
that the Hon. William Eustis Bussell, ex
Mayor of Cambridge and ex-candidate for
Governor of Massachusetts, wears a white
linen cap and a white linen apron super
scribed "Bats," at every Bats' Club dinner
that he attends. The skipper is the Hon.
Sigourney Butler. Next to the skipper In
tbe club is the chief cook. The chief cook
is, in some respects, a better man than the
skipper. His name this year, is John T.
Wheelright, a consummate culinary artist
The Bats all have to cook. Anybody
who cannot cook may pot aspire to be a
Bat If a married man becomes a Bat, the
rest of the nibblers as their first duty, con
gratulate his wife. If a bach enters' the
Bats' trap he must be so fitted for service
at the gndirdn and chafing dish that every
marriageable maiden in Boston yearns for
his companionship. The club was organ
ized in lose, through tne eaorts of five
young
were
' men. The 19 original members
Sltrnnmpir-Riitlor A ,w w.ii
S wyi ui v - 2? i j -f
John T. Wheelwright Francis Peabodv.'
William P. Weld, William Farnswortb, P.
W. Thayer, Charles S. Bird, C. Aj Long
fellow, B. S, Milton, George C. Adams,
otaniey uunmngnam, ueorge .a. JNicKer
son, Edward BrooKs, E. M. Wheelwright,
C. A. Coolidge, W. E. Bussell, Samuel D.
Warren, Jr., and William J. Dale, Jr.
The poker chips, now and then admired
by visitors, were donated by Messrs. W. XL
Bussell and Samuel D. Warren, Jr. The
popular divertisement is roulette. The loft
is on the third floor of. an old storehouse,
where ordinary mortals cannot hear, what is
going on. The room is 55 feet long and 40
feet wide, ornamented with nautical curiosi
ties, ancient China beer mugs, revolutionarv
muskets and clay pipes.
Two of the most honored guests are Will
iam D. Howells and President Eliot who,
on a recent occasion, attended one of the
Bats' levees and entered into the spirit of
tbe occasion with ail the zest of the young
est members of the club.
NUMEROUS SERIODS CHARGES
Preferred Against tbe Secretary of 'an Iron
and Steel Company.
fSrlCIAL TELIOHAM TO TUB DISPATCH.!
New Yobk, December 24. John Will
iams, Secretary of the Bam'el-Conley Iron
and Steel Company, and also representing
the United States Sealed Postal, Card Com
pany, at 290 Broadway, has not been at his
officefor about three weeks, and gentlemen
associated with him in business say that he
is In an insane asylum. Edmond Hnerste),
Treasurer of tbe Bamel-Conley Company,
has obtained from Judge Xawrence, of the
Supreme Court, an attachment against Mr.
Williams for 4,000ioney lent In his affi
davit Mr. Huerstel alleged that Mr. Will
iams, as Secretarv'of the Bamel-Conley Iron
and Steel Company, wilfully and fraudu
lently altered a check or checks drawn by
the company to the order of sundry persons,
collected the money, appropriated it to his
own use; that in a conversation Mr. Will
iams admitted that he had misappropriated
such money; had lost it In speculative ven
tures: had squandered and risked his money
and "property in reckless gambling "opera
tions, and was. entirely insolvent
Mr. Huerstel also alleges that Mr. Will
iams has concealed the whereabouts of any
stock or property which he formerly repre
sented he owned and that Mr. Williams U
indebted to. a large gawunt to taBdryotiw
trtditonb
by Progress, Prosperity
i '"-' i' -
YffiWSOFANlNEIDEL.
IKGERSOLI. DISCUSSES THE OBSERY.
-.. ANCE OF CHRISTMAS.
Ho .Atbhcs the Antlqnlty of tbe Custom
Shows a- Pagan Origin Tbe Baa
Worship of ibe Past What a
Holiday Sboald Be,
m Boh Sees It.
israelii. TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH. I
New Yjjkk, December 24. Strange as it
may appear, Colonel Bobert G.Ingersoll has
never erven an opinion on thetseat holIiJnir
-oi.Chriitwir-Li' all his loeinm, addnms
auu wriuags bis luea oi me greatest aefway
of tneAhristian,w6rId has never been expressed.-)
'-The following from 'his pea will.
thereforebe of tbe 'greater interest, as it. is
on a subject'of which the world has not yet
heard the greatest infidel of his age speak:
My family and I regard Christmas as-a holi
day that te td Bay, a day of rest and pleasure, a
day to get acquainted with each other, a day to
recall old raenrories and for tbe cultivation of
social amenl.tii; The festival now called Christ
mas is fai.jjJder than Christianity. It was
known and .celebrated for thousands of years
before tho.establishment of what is known as
our religion.. It Is a relic of sun-worship.
ANTIQUITS OF the custom.
It is tbe day on which the sun triumphs over
the hosts of darkness, and thousands of years
before, the New Testament was written; thou
sand of years before the Republic of Rome
existed; before one stone of Athens was laid;
before tbe Pbaiaohs ruled in Egypt: before the
religion of Brahma: before the Sanscrit was
spoken men and women crawled ont of tbeir
caves. Dusbed the matted hair from their n
and greeted the triumph of the son Prer the
powers of night
There are many relics of this worship, among
which is tbe shaving of tbe priest's head, leav
ing the spot shaven surrounded by hair, in imi
tation of the rays of- tbe sun. There is still
another relic the ministers of our day close
their eyes in prayer. When men worshiped tne
sun. when they looked at that luminary and
implored its assistance, they sbnt their eyes, as
a matter of nocesslty. Afterward, priests look
ing at their idols glittering with gems, shut
tbeir eyes in flattery, pretending that they
coniu not oear tn enuigence of tbe presence.
AndtMaj, taonds xf years after the old
i"Ms have passed away, the modern parson.
wituoub khowiok ma origin 01 tao custom,
closes hts eyes when he prays.
PAGAN AND CHBISTIAN CUSTOMS.
Thereare many other relics and souvenirs of
tbe dead worship of the sun, and this festival
was adopted by Egyptians, Greeks, Romans
and by Christians. As a matter ot fact Chris
tianity furnished new steam for an old engine
infused a new spirit into an old religion and,
as a matter ot course, the old festival re
mained. For all of oar festivals you will find
corresponding Paean festivals. For instance,
take the Eucharist tbe Communion, where
persons partake of the body and blood ot the
Deity. This is an exceedingly old custom.
Among the ancients they ate cakes made of
corn in honor of Ceres, and they called these
cakes tbe flesh of the goddess; and they drank
wine in honor'of Bacchus, and called this trine
the blood of tbeir god.
"And so I could go on, giving tbe Pagan
orlcln of every Christian ceremonvand rnstnm
Tbe probability is that the worship of tbe sun
was once substantially universal, and conse
quently tbe festival of Christmas was equally
widespread. As other religions have been pro
duced, tbe old customs have been adopted and
continued, so that tbe result is. this f estiral of
Christmas is almost world-wide.
A FOPTJLAE HOMDAT.
It is popular, because it is a holiday. Over
worked people are glad of days that bring rest
and recreation, and allow them to meet tbeir
families and their friends. They are glad of
days when they give and receive gifts evi
dences of friendship, of remembrance and love.
It is popular because it is really human, and
became it is now interwoven with our customs.
.habits, literature and thoughts. For my parti
am perfectly willing to have two or three a
year the more holidays the better. Many
people have an idea that 1 am opposed
to Sunday. I am perfectly willing to
ha've two a week. All I insist on is, that these
days shall be for tbe benefit of the people, and
that tbey be notmiserablo or sad or hungry,
but obserroU in a w,ay to make people happy
and to add a Uttlo to tbe Joy ot life
Of course I am In favor of everybody keep
ing holidays to suit hiraself, provided no does
not interfere with others, and I am perfectly
willing that everybody should go Xm church on
that day, provided that he la willing that I
should go somewhere else.
THREE OF A FAMILY KILLED.
HBsihjpitfWifo and Child Struck Bows
by
Ibe Iiocomotlvr.
Wilmette, Illm December 24. Three
persons lost their lives in a railroad acci
dent here to-night They were J. D. Bevellj
formerly station sweat at Wilssette, and his
wife aad child., iWhUe.crossiag .tie traeks
they, w skoek by a pMtiBg tnis,
, .-v -- . ' r -
3NZA.
TV
TUB American Kepresentatl
Vetera-
bar Describes the Prevail i, .,
Aac Alter ABCCl Vroro-O
the TXaUdf ItIC
Washington, December 24jV
"W. Wurts. Charee d'Aflaires at thff,i
BUtesXeeatien at St. Petersburg, bxwt
to the State'DeoaTtraent an account ox the
prevalence of "la grippe" in Bnssia, with
some interesting comments of lis own. He
states that about the middle 'of ifdveraber
publio attention was called to the large
number of person falling ill with much the
same symptoms, fever, severe -pains in the
head, back and limbs.
".For waut of a better narae," he says,
"the malady hat been called 'influenza,'
but it shows signs of a typhoid character,
though not of a malignant nature, and up
to the date of writing, December 6, no fatal
case has been reported. The illness in most
cases is very light and lasts but a few days;
seldom longer (ban two weeks. It leaves,
however, all persons who have been touched
by It with great debility and great depres
sion of s'blnts. In fact the after effects are
rather more unpleasant than the disease
itself.
"The disease has not been satisfactorily
explained. Most persons ascribe it to the
abnormally warm weather of the past month,
but that would not account for its appear
ance in Siberia, where it has burst out in
several places, the weather there having
been as cold as usual at this season. How
that winter seems to have fairly set in here
it is'expected that the malady triU disap
pear, but meanwhile "nearly everyone is af
fected. There is no exaggeration in print
ing the number of the sick at fully two
thirds of the population of St Petersburg.
Certainly not a house has escaped its visita
tion. The Emperor was very ill with it lor
several days, and scarcely a member of the
.imperial family has been free from it
More than 40,000 cases have been medically
authenticated, but- these represent a small
portion of the sufferers.
AX0THEB ELECTRIC DECISION.
Jndae Greshnm Sustains the Brash Com
pany's Patents at Every Point.
Indianapolis, December 24. Judge
Gresham to-day decided a case ot general
interest, especially to those connected with
electrical matters. It was a suit brought by
the Brush Electric Company, of Cleveland,
against the Fort Wayne Electric Company
for infringing the Brush: patent upon the
so-called double carbon lamp. Tbe case has
been vigorously prosecuted and' defended,
and has been .pending about three years.
All of the claims of the Brush patents are
sustained, six in all, and declared to be in
fringed.
These claims cover the all-nfoht electrle
lamps used for street lighting where two or
more pairs ot carbons are employed; one
pair being first burned and then another
automatically consumed. The patent was
attacked by the defense mainly upon the
grounds' that its claims were too broad and
sweeping, but this defense did not avail.
Electric lamps controlled by this patent are
in use throughout this country, and, in
fact, the world over, wherever street light
ing by electricity is bad?
SOLD TO THE GAS TEUST.
The Plant of tbe St. Iiouls Gas Company
- Brines $4,999,900.
rSFICUkI..:TH.SaBAM TO THZ OISrjt.TCB.1
St. iouis, December 24. In a nice,
quiet, orderly manner, the plant, franchises,
privileges and property of all, kinds of the
i St-Jjoais Gas Light Company were sold to
TKitfosTorKOeO,6X)0,'torthva'LacIede.. Gas Light Company; The sale took place
at the company's works on Second and Con
vent 'streets, and' not an incident occurred to
disturb the serenity of "the Hollins & Co.
syndicate, who were present to perfect their
scheme to, buy in the plant for the Laclede
Gas Light Company.
No one appeared "to bid against them, and
the plant was knocked, down to President
Emerson McMillen, of the Laclede Com
pany, on hjs first bid, which was $4,000,000.
He gave certified checks for $100,000 on be
ing awarded the property, and the sale was
.ratified U V President William HUThomp
son, of the" St Louis Gas Light Company.
McMille'n represented the Laclede Gas Com
pany, and tne Laclede Company means the
Gas Trust
TROUBLESOME SUITS SETTLED.
Conclusion of Litigation Over the Fortune)
of a Pnrsee Merchant.
rSTICTAI. TZXEOBAM TO TUX DISPATCH.!
NEW YoSK, December 24. A settlement
has been made of the claim against Nathan
iel Jarvis, Jr., as trustee of the estate of the
Parsee merchant, Bomanjee Byramjee
Colah. Surrogate Bansom granted an or
der to-day permitting the administrator of
the estate to settle actions against Jarvis
upon the payment of 65,000. Early in the
seventies Colah, while traveling here, be
came insane, and his property, mostly gold,
and ' amounting to nearly $100,000. was
handed oyer to Mr. Jarvis, who was ap
pointed trusteee by the Court of Common
Pleas.
Subsequently the lunatic was sent' back
to India, where he died, his property re
maining in' the custody of Mr. Jarvis- The
dlfficnltybas been to secure a decision that
would relieve Jarvis of the responsibility of
having to pay tne money a second time.
OPERATIONS SUDDENLI STOWED.
A Backet Shop Proprietor's Arrest Follows
Ezposeare of His Methods.
rSFXCJAt. TXLKJBAK TO THB DIJrATCH.1
Philadelphia, December 24. The
Metropolitan Stock Eicbange.a high sound
ing name for a bucket shop, came to a sud
den end here this aflernoon,-for it was dis
covered that the grain quotations which
they bnlletined.ottensibly from Alexandria,
Vs.. were sent from an upstairs back office.
les than a block away, and by a member of
the firm.
The proprietor, Bussel Colgrove, and his
assistant, Samuel Taylor, were held each in
$500 for swindling the public There were
two wires in the office, one was from Wall
street and had been recording honest quota-'
tions for several months. On Thursday last
the grain wire was started and a vigorous
business followed.
A BOSTON PASTOR D1T0ECED. "
Rev. William R. Campbell Separated From
His Benotlral Wife.
ISriCIAI. TKLXOBAX TO TBI DISPATCH, t
Boston, December 24. The Bev. Will
iam B. Campbell, pastor of the Highland
Church, has at last secured a divorce from
his beautiful wife, Minnie Scott Campbell,
ot St Louis. Desertion was alleged. The
father gets the custody of the little girl,
over whom there has been such a bitter'
wrangle in, the courts, bat the mother may
have her lor three months in the year.
i
Germany WW Take a Hand.
London, December 24. The Daily ITeici
says that Germany will send an iron-clad
to Brazil to protect the German colonists on
tbe Bio Grande.
Kaappe Will Go Back te Sanaa.
Berlin, December 24. As soon as the
Saffioan question k finally -settled Knappe
will rewuM his peftiefi at Geraa Coastl
fen.-.
iAIL ABOUT I
M.ASHBUENEEDEAD
The Well-Kno-vrn Scientist' Dies Snr.
'denly-atBis Eesidence. .- I ;-
-HIS ILLHESS OP BEIEP DUBATIOK.
Science Loses One of Its Brightest 13(ars'bv f
His Demise. t
- 'ZW.2i
DEATH WELCOMES GUESTS AT 1 MST
His Deojsa Cause! ty an Attack tf BHrhPs T)lmmti
' Coatraeted Wills ia Hew UerJea.
Beadewof the- Dispatch wUrWsuiSi
prised to read the announcement that DiCl
C. A.- Ashburu, the eminent eolozist'rof
this city, died yesterdayafternoon." He hash
been ill buf a short time and no thought
was entertained that his disease would carry
him off.
Dr. Charles Albert Ashburner, the geolo
gist and scientist, died at his residence, 'NaT,
363 South Hiland avenue, yesterday aer-
noon atl o'clock. - '
Thannouncemeat of the death of Mr.,
Ashburner will be a painful surprise to his
thousands of friends not only in Pittsburg,
Tint all over the United States, as if was not
known until yesterday morning thathe was
.dangerously ill.
Probably no man of Mr. Asburner's years
was so Widely known among scientists oa
the western continent and in scientifia circles
his death will be mourned as an
irreparable loss. A few weeks
ago he went to Arizona to locate
acobpermine, While up in the mountains ,
was attacked with a severe cold, but it was
not considered dangerous. When Mr. Ash
BSSSSSsb7mk!k25 So ?
JSMmm -
sHKiiiJiS
Dr. Charla JU AthbumerXrom a Recent
Photograph.
burner returned to Pittsburg the cold had;!
become, worse and he concluded to remain'
at home for a few .days- I r;
DEATH AT THE FEAST.
Every Christmas Eve while n Pittsburgh
he has entertained his friends and their
families at Ms residence. A reTrMaysiagoS
'while aVioma endeavoring to"recnperateH(
from the effects of 'Bis Westenr trlp.f he!
sent cards to his friends. Invitinz-.lhsrnktn-:
join him in his annual Christmas Evefes-TJ
itviuea. xne suoce is douoiy severe to
those who had anticipated spending
wua mm tost evening an hour
of merry making, .and he the'
fountain ot wit and mirth, scattering the
gems of his intellect among the friends' as
sembled aronnd his fireside, instead of gas
Ins upon his inanimate form. a
The primary cause of his death was acuta
Bright's disease. The attack wasf so'tridde'a
that fie was dying almost before
even the the physicians were' cogniz- '
zant of the gravity of the case.
When friends telephoned to his residence,
yesterday morning, inquiring about his con
dition, Mrs. Ashburner replied that he had
passed a restless night, but even then she
was not aware that she would ' so
soon be jiarted from her husband,
and helpmate. She telephoned Jo'serJh
Woodwell. however, to procure a nnrsei
Mr. Woodwell went immediately to tho
Homeopathic Hospital to fulfill his mission. -When
he returned to his store he was ,
handed a message announcing the deaths?-'
his friend. "' ,
. Mr. Ashburner was a member of Calvary
Episcopal Church, of which the Bev. George .
Hodrres. is castor. Mrs. Ashburner and Re.
Hodges were the-onlv persons present" wheoV J
tne scientist preatnea nis last. Ma suserea
the most excruciating pain until abont ten
minutes before his death, and although con-
kiuuf, nw uuauio w auciuk.
HIS RECORD AS
A GEOLOGIST.
Mr. Ashburner was bom in Philadelphia
February 9, 1854. He wasa graduate of the.
University of Pennsylvania in 1874, rank
ing first in his class. ' Dnring tbe summer
of 1872 he was engaged on the survey of thV
Delaware river. On his graduation . he acr,
cepted a place in the lighthouse surveV)
service. In 1874 the Geological Survey "of ''J
Pennsvlvania was reorganized with ths sii.
pointment of Prof. J. P. Leslie as Stated
Geologist Mr. Ashburner at once resigned
from the United States service to become an.,
assistant on. the survey. He was activel-r'
employed during the latter part of 1874 la
surveys of JUimin and Juniata counties. Ia
1875 he was appointed Assistant Geologist,
with charge of the surveys in McKean,
Elk, Forest and Cameron counties. In 1880 1
he was appointed geologist in charge of the
surveys of the anthracite coal fields, where.
jig uwuAicuAuictuvii ui surveying aut;
remeasuring the. geology of this greati
coal field, which has received the approba
tion of mining engineers and geologists, both
A Aw JV w Atfl rib - A 4 ft A 4 k f - -- a- J
in the United States and Europe. The
ability and skill with which the undertak--
lug was periormed led to nis being -appointed
in 1SS5, 'geologist in charee .of,
all tbe office and field work of the'- sur-'
vey. Mr. Ashburner was a member of the,
American Philosophical Society. the
American Institute of JIimnzEneineers.
and other scientific societies,, to, whose
proceedings ne nas contributed valuable
papers. He also contributed to the scientific;'
and mechanical journals. He prepared
more than 20 of the reports of the geologVj
icai survey.
HIS PITTSBUEO CABESB.
He came to Pittsburg about four yean
an Cff0ntlt fnr ihtk W.et!nttlinn.. S-'Zl'-i
pany and the' Philadelphia Gas Company
.tie nas resiaeu in. mis city -since
1885. ie was an authority fa
on, coat ana minerals or every
viauBuu uis services were eagerly sougnt pjr
cuu operawrs wuo were aesirous oi naylss;
a mine located- Although scarcely
in the prime of life, his reputation;
among scientists is wona wiue. tie was, oa
the path which leads to the keystone of famS
At the time of his death he had agreed'
to superintend' tbe collection oi dats?
for the coming census relative to coal and1
gas, anu was also employed by the State te.
furnish the authorities with statistics rela?
uve to coai.
HIS PEBSONAL CHARACTER.
Personally he was a man of the most Irfl
reproacnaoie nanits, domestic to. an alBaeetl
Continued Jn Sixth JPnge, J
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