HUNDREDS KILLED IN THEATER.
Victims Were Mostly Women mid Children Who
Wore Attending the 3Ia(liiec.
SAFETY APPLIANCES
Place of Amusement Turned Into a
Chornel House During Holi
day Performance.
Five hnndtcd and eighty-two are
dead as the lestilt of the flrw which
suited the Iroquois theater last
Wednesday afternoon, throwing 2,2on
men, women and children In a mad
dened, crazed. Hunting; panic, while the
matinee performance was In progress.
The fire -broke out during the sec
ond act of the piny "Mr. llluelieard."
which Is the only ptndtictlon given In
the theater slme Its erection. The
company, which wns very large, es
caped to the street .!n sal'e'y, nearly
All of them, however,, being compelled
to five Into the snowy streets with no
clothing but their singe cn--tunn'a. A
few members of the company sus
tained minor Injuries, hut none wvre
scilously hurt.
The accounts of the origin of the
fire are conflicting, hut the b-st rea
son given Is that an eh'ctrlo wire
near the lower part of a pleit? of drop
sernrry suddenly broke and was
grounded. The Are spread rapidly to
ward the front of the stage, pausing
the members of the chorus who were
then engag.'d Jn the performance to
flee to tho wings with si reams of
terror.
The fire In Itself tip to this time
was not s'erlous and possibly could
have been checked had not the asbes
tos curtain failed to work. As soon
as the Are was discovered Eldle Foy.
tho chief comedian of the company,
Bhouted to lower the curtain, and this
was Immediately done.
Curtain Would Not Work.
It descended about half way anil
then stuck. The fire thus was given
practically a flue through which a
strong draft was setting, aided by the
doors, which had been thrown open
In the front of the theater. With a
roar and a bound the flames shot
through the opening over the heads of
the people on the first floor ami reach
ing clear up to those In the first bal
cony, caught them and burned them
to deo;h where they sat.
Immediately following this rush of
flames there came an explosion which
lifted tho entire roof of the theater
from Its walls, shattering the great
skylight Into fragments.
As soon ns tho flames first apt eared
beyond the curtain a man In the rear
of the hall shouted "Fire! Fire!" and
the entire audience rose as one person
and made for the doors. It Is 'be
lieved that the explosion was caused
by the flames coming In contact with
the gas reservoirs of the theater,
causing them to burst.
' Firemen found numbers of people
sitting In their seats, their faces ill
reeled toward the stage as It the per
formance was still going on. It was
the opinion of the firemen that these
people had been suffocated at once
by the flow of gas which came from
behind the asbestos curtain.
In the wreck of the collapsed bal-
BU8INES3 BRIEFS.
The Westlnghou&e Machine Com
pany yesterday declared the regular
quarterly dividend of 2Va per cent,
payable January II.
It 1b aald that the Fresrod Steel Car
Company will close Its fiscal year
with a surplus of $l,(iui).ooo. as com
pared with $3,4o3,ooo last year.
Net earnings of the Cambria Steel
Company for the current year are es
timated at $3,000,(101).
The regular 3 per cent semi-annual
Intetest on Wabash debenture A's has
been declared. No action was taken
on the B's, on which rumor said sonis
time ago Interest would he paid.
The directors of the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western railway
liavc declared the regular quarterly
dividend of 1 per cent.
Wants $5,030 Or His Life,
Superintendent Perkins, of tlio
Burlington road, has received a letter
mailed at Watson, Mo., a station on
that road 80 miles north of St. Joseph.
Mo., saying that unless he deposited
$5,000 In a spot designated, the writer,
"Odc-U Carter," would kill him on
Bight. Mr. Perkins placed the letter
in the hands of the posteffk-e authori
ties. DOWIE WILL TRAVEL.
Bids Farewell to Zlon Promising to
Return in June.
Preparatory to leaving for Aus
tralia, John Alexander Dowle bade
farewell to his Chicago adherents at
a meeting In the Auditorium Sunday.
Standing room was at a premium.
After an all-night "watch meeting," in
Zlon City, New Year's eva, Dowle
will leave for New Orleans and will
travel to San Francisco via the South
western route, stopping at various
large cities ea routs. He Intends to
sail from the latter port January 21.
and counts on being back in Chicago
next June.
"I am agoing to leave everything In
Ziou City, and not steal away with
either the lace works or the temple,"
said Dowle. "That was a malicious
He about ray wife taking away $7.00U,-
000, bait I'm foolish enough to deny it
again. I will only take with me
nough cash for spending money."
Several times in the course of his
rem arts Dowle spoke in a friendly
manner .of President Roosevelt, and
in 'his prayer asked that Mr. Rooau
vvlt't enemies be circumvented and
forestalled tn "carrying out their mis
chievous plans.
FAILED TO WOltK.
cony, the bodies wvro found In black
ened henps, plied flvo feet deep.
Illnckened corpses were packed and
wedged In (he nlsles, In the wreck of
Iron chnlrs. In the sections of tho
balcony that did not collapse bodies
were found wedged upright In the
wreck, the flesh IniMiid from the
blackened bones. Scutes and scores
of bodies were burned to crisps.
Police and citizens volunteers,
crying over the Bight that their ratt
ling axes haw revealed, stopped wa
gons In the streets and Impressed them
ns hearses for the dead. In these
wagons vehl: !ps of vvety descrip
tion bodies wire heaped like cord
wood, covered with tatipaullnsr and
hauled to the stores and rooms that
were turn.nl Into death houses.
(Ihouls by the score flocked to the
scene of the theater and began rob
bing the dead. They crushed
through the doorways of the tempor
al y niorgurs by the hundreds In tho
gule of frantic mourners seeking for
their lust relutives, and they carried
off rings, watches and purses and Jew
elry despite the utmost efforts of the
police.
The Iroquois thenter was completed
less than two months ago at a cost of
$.'iO0.i)oii and was the finest playhouse
In Chicago. It was opened to the
public on the night of November 23
with "Mr. Illuebeaid." The style of
the structure architecturally Is that
of the French renaissance. It had a
total seating capar.'ty of 1.724 chairs,
with plenty of good standing room on
each floor. The balcony had Beat
ings Tor 475. It was projected and
owned by Messrs. Will J. Davis and
Harry Powers, of Chicago, Klaw &
Erlanger. of New York, and Nixon &
Zimmerman, of Philadelphia. It was
built in the north side of Itandolph
Btnet, between State and Dearborn
streets. It was i syndicate house.
In a personal Inspection of the ruins
Mayor Harrison discovered the fire es
i ape doors and emergency exits had
not been marked "Exit." as required
by law. and In addition found the
doors were concealed with heavy
damask. Alderman William Mayor,
one of the practical builders accom
panying the mayor, found the law had
been violated In that the top gallery
had no stairwny of Its own leading
direct to the street. Ho asserted that
the theater never Bhould have been al
lowed to open In the face of this vio
lation of the laws.
Twenty-seven employes of the thea
ter and the "Mr. Bluebeard" Extrava
ganza Company are under arrcBt.
Eight were formally arialgned before
Magistrate Caverly, charged with In
voluntary manslaughter due to crim
inal negligence.
Wilt J. Davis and Harry J. Pow
ers, managers of the Ill-fated play
house, were called befoie Chief of Po
lice O'Neill. They are said to have
given the name cf an employe as the
man responsible for the Are. This
man has left the city. It is charged
that the theater authorities are seek
ing to make him the scapegoat.
8AW SAVAGES AT WAR.
American Missionary Witnessed
Bodies of Slain Cut Up.
Mrs. Allen, of tho Americaan Gos
pal mission, who sailed from Liverpool
for New York after four years' work
among the Nanakroos in Liberia, wit
nessed severe fighting between the in
habitants of the i oast towns and the
bushmen. Mrs. Allen's mission
house was the center of the first con
flict, and the Nanakroo queen sought
refiiga there. During the flght,lug
Mis. Allen was not molested, but she
saw the bodies of tho slain bushmen
chopped Into small pieces, and tho
ears, heads, arms and legs distributed
among the towns as trophies of vic
tory. The directors of tho Rock Island
Company of New J.'rsy. elected L.
F. Ixiree President of the corporation,
to succeed W. B. Leeds, resigned.
Church Choir Struck,
Melville Church, the leading Presby
terian place of worship in Westmount,
the fashionable residential suburb of
Montreal, was without a choir Sun
day. In his s.Tmon on Christmas
morning Rev. T. W. Wlnfleld. pastor
of the church, severely criticised the
membois of the choir for eating candy
during the progress of the service. As
a result of the criticism, a deputation
from the choir waited upon the rever
end gentleman on Saturday and re
quested a retraction. This he refused
to make, and as a result tho choir
without an exception, went out on
strike.
Japan Buys Flour.
Within the past eight days Min
neapolis mills have booked almost
100.000 barrels of flour for export to
Japau, Other orders are expected
before the close of the wook. For
some time Japan has bean a heavy
buyer of American flour, one large
company alone having received a con
tract tor GO.ouo barrols within a day
or two, for almost immediate deliv
ery by way of San Francisco,
Mail Clerk Burned In Wreck.
A head-on collision occurred on the
Duluth division of the Nohthern Pacific
railway at Deroun, a small town be
tween Pine City and Hinckley. The
mall car on one train was burned and
Mall Clerk Rouse was burned to daath.
None of the paesengers wore hurt.
Emery Sheldon and Ell Hemp, of
Hlgbwood, Mich., were run over by a
train and instantly killed while driv
ing across the track four miles east
of this place last night. It' Is thought
they; were, asleep. , '- ,
LION9 FOR ROOSEVELT.
Commercial Treaty Signed With Em
peror of Abyssinia.
The United States expedition to
Abyssinia, under Consul General
Skinner, of Marseilles, which arrived
at AdlR Abeba, December 21, has sue
cesstully executrd the principal feat
ures of the nilpslon. A treaty be
tween the United Slates and the em
pire of Ethiopia, opening for the first
tlmo friendly commercial relations,
has been sinned. Emperor Menellk
has given his formal acceptance of the
Invllntton to participate In the St.
Lou.ls exposition.
As a personal tribute from Emper
or Menellk to President Roosevelt Mr.
Skinner has been chnrged to deliver
to th? President two Hons and a pair
of elephant tusks. Each member tf
tho American party has btmn tender
ed a decoration, the acceptance of
which Is held in abeyance, owing to
the official character of the expedi
tion. Tho closing audience grantpd
by Emperor Menellk to Mr. Skinner
and the leaders of the American es
cort was particularly cordial.
JAPAN APPROVES LOAN.
Funds to Build Railway and for Mil
itary Purposes.
An extraordinary meeting of the
Privy- Council at Tolilo approved the
Issue by the Cabinet of an emergency
ordinance nuth.oiiz.ing the guarantee
of the principal and Interest of an
Issue of lo.oon.ooo yen debentures
for the purpose of expediting the
work on the Seoul-Ptisan railway,
which Is expected to be finished by
the end of next year. The ordinance
also provides for all possible mili
tary pnnpnfc'.a for tho tirotpptlnn of
the railway and other .Interests.
it is oeiieven mat unless uussia
modifies her reply Japan will imme
diately safeguard Korea, though such
a step will not necessarily mean war
with Russia.
MONITORS ORDERED OUT.
To Quard Our Coaling Stations In
Cuban Waters.
Orders have 'been received at tho
League Island navy yard to put the
monitor Mlantonomah In commission
after two years' Idleness, and also to
put the monitor Puritan In condition
to go to sea within six weeks. Tho
Puritan, which has not been long out
of commission, will be made ready as
soon as the Mlantonomah repairs are
completed.
Both monitors will be erpecllly
fitted for tropical service. They will
be used as guardshlps fur the United
Stales coaling station In Cuba. Ac
cording to the present Indications the
Puritan will he assigned to Ouantan
amo and the Minantonomah will go to
Pahla Honda.
By Wireless Telegraph.
December 7 a gentlemen wrote from
firemen. Germany, to the New YoYk
Central, saying that he would arrive
In New York on the Hamburg-American
liner Blucher, Monday or Tues
day. Dcemhjr 21 or 22, and request
ing that space be reserved for him on
the Twentieth Century limited, leav
ing New York for Chicago Wednes
day. Tuesday a wireless message
was received In New York, sent from
some point off the coast, via Sagapon
nek, Ing Island, saying: "Steamer
day late. Reserve two "compart
ments Tuesday, Twentieth Century
limited." The wireless telegraph as
an adjunct to twentieth century travel
is already a practical success.
Cuba Overrun by Anarchists.
Cuba Is overrun with anarchists,
and the fact that President Palma has
announced that heieafter he will not
give any receptions to any person Indi
cates that he fears assassination. One
of the first precautions taken by the
President was to .Increase the palace
guard and to place many private do
tectlves tn the vicinity of tho build
ing. 'Every stranger and one-third of
the people of tho country are regaid
ed with suspicion, and, while It was
an easy matter when Spain ruled, to
Bee the head of tlrj insular govern
ment, now it Is almost, if not quite
Impossible, unlesB one be presented
by a foreign minister or a senator of
the republic.
Armed Crank Arrested.
Having addressed a letter to Presi
dent Roosevelt, the nnturo of which led
the secret servlca officers on duty at
the White House to btilcve that he
was Insane, the police arrested Jor
man Kehl, 39 years ot age, a native of
Constiuction, Chill. When taken into
custody he had on his person a loaded
revolver and a pair of steel knuckles.
Hu claims to be an inventor and to
have several patents pending and he
desired to be protected. He was pro
nounced Insane by the police surgeons
and was sent to St. Elizabeth asylum.
AH Records Broken.
When the anthracite calllors shut
down for a holiday until January 4, the
most successful year In- the history of
the region will have come to a close.
Total shipments will aggregate 59,000,
000 tons, exceeding by Ave million tons
the best previous record. The pro
ceeds of this output at tidewater are
estimated at $273,000,000 and the work
ers who produced it received in wages
about $75,000,000.
United States Senator Proctor, John
O. CarliBle and William Alden Smith,
have been appointed by Richard Ol
ney a committee to investigate the
quarrel in the ,Red Cross Association.
Explosion Kills Twelve.
Notwithstanding the police authori
ties forbid the use of dynamite for
Christmas celehraMons the people of
the village of Reslna, Italy, were pre
paring the bombs when tho dynamite
exploded, and 12 persons were killed
and many injured.
Disastrous Fire in Manila.
Fire In the Puebio of Calumplt de
stroyed 250 home's. Several lives
were lost and l,C0l persons wore Ten
dered homeless. The loss Is $75,000,
with no Insurance. ; - .
RAN INTO OPEN SWITCH.
Passengers Aroused from Steep by the
Crash Suffer In Cold Both
Engines Wrecked.
In a wreck of fast pasacngpr train
Nil. 22 on the Lake Shore Railroad,
near Ashtabula, O.. Ihiee men were
killed and six Injured.
Tho dead: (leoige Mcintosh, of
Buffalo, N. Y.. an engineer. Deville
Spring, of Colllnwood, O.. an engineer.
O. XV. Kelptin, of llnffalo. a fireman.
The Injured: O. H. Wood, porter, of
lloston, Mass. F. J. Moore, porter,
of New York city. E. L. Gnge, bag
gageman, of Ashtabula, O. A, O.
Hlgley, fireman, of Colllnwood. O.
W. Fowler, of Chicago. H. Freytng.
of Chicago.
None of the Injured are believed to
he seriously hurt. TiaJn No. 22
was thrown from the rails by striking
an open switch In Saybrook. not far
from the Ashtabula boundary line. It
was running at about 00 nilliy an
hour. There were sewn coaches In
the train and these were drawn by
two large Lake Shote engines. The
locomotives were both thrown cross
wise of the track and are a totnl
wreck. Some of the cars wers thrown
upon their sides, others plowed deep
Into the roadbed.
The parseiigers were asleep when
the crash came. Many of them
c.iawled through the broken windows.
Ll'lng attired In their night clothes
some of them suffered from tho cold
until help arrived. Physicians and
ambulances Iroin Ashtabula rendered
prompt assistance.
The Iloswcll accommodation on the
Somerset ft Cambria branch was
wrecked near Somerset, Pa.
The dead: Engineer T. R. Carrl
gan, of Rockwood; thrown under his
engine and crushed to denth.
Fireman Charles Thomas and brake
man S. II. MoBtollor wene Injured.
ARMED MEN RAID TOWNS.
Blindfold Watchman, Blow Open Safe
and Secure $1,000,
Two white men, with revolvers, blew
open a safe, held up several persons
and otherwise caused considerable ex
citement In the suburban towns along
the main line of the Pennsylvania tall-
road.
Two men were held up at Haverford
and later a man escorting several
women was stopped by the same men,
but the screams of his companions
scared the footpads off. Several hours
Inter they appeared at Stratford, cov
ered an aged watchman with levolvers
and blindfolded him. The men then
blew open the safe In the railroad sta
tion, which Is also used as a postofltce,
and took about $1,000 in money and
stamps.
TELEGRAPHIC BREVITIES.
The Jewish societies have appealed
to the President to do something for
their race In Russia.
President Gompers nf the American
Federation of Iabor has advised work
men not to accept a reduction.
Hon.- Richard Olney has consented
to allow his friends to use his name
for the Democratic nomination.
The puddling department of the
Spang-Chalfant mills at Etna, Pa., has
resumed. Four hundred employes
returned to work after a shutdown of
eight weeks.
According to the Spanish newspa
pers, a pioject Is on foot for the mar
riage of King Alfonso to his cousin,
the Princess Maria del Pilar of Da
varla. She is 13 years of age.
Captain Dreyfus, accused of tieason
to his country, degraded, dismissed
from the French army and most bitter
ly punished, will have another trial,
this time by a civilian tribunal.
Wllllnm Dally, of Seneca county,
serving 20 yearB In the Ohio peniten
tiary for manslaughter, was shot, and
killed in the state Bhop by Guard J.
XV. Cialger. of Drake county. The
shooting was In self-defense.
The White Star line has ordered a
steamer 755 feet in length, 30 feet
longer than tho Celtic, tho Iarge3t ship
.In the world. Construction on the
vessel will begin immediately at Bel
fast, Ireland.
Mrs. Hetty Green, the richest
woman In America, has gone back
to Hoboken and taken a llttlo flat
In a building which she rents for $19
per month. Mrs. Green has with
her her dog "Dewey" and her maid.
Soon after the beginning of the year
some of tho largest manufacturers of
patent medicines will, It Is stated, put
Into effect a now plan to Btop the cut
ting of prices on such aitlcles by drug
gists and department stores.
At the request of tho state deport
ment. Secretary Moody sent a cable
gram to Rear Admiral Sterling, com
manding the Asiatic squadron to dis
patch a warship to Chemulpo, Korea,
to protect American interests there.
Senator David E. Buns, of Grand
Rapids, Mich., was held to the present
term of the Superior Court by Police
Judge Haggerty, on the charge of ac
cepting a bribe in the water deal. He
gave bend of $2,000.
At Joplln, Mo., Dort Barron, aged
17. shot and killed his father. Matthew
Barron, while protecting his mother
from an assault. The elder Barron
was Intoxicated. Young Barron, who
is under arrest, says the shooting was
accidental.
Mrs. Helen Minerva Wardner
Evarts, widow of ex-Senator William
M. Evarts, died on the old Evarts
farm, Runnymede, at Windsor, V,t.,
after having survived her husband
nearly three years. Mrs. EVarts was
In her 84th year.
Mrs. Elizabeth Morgan, of Scranton,
has brought suit against the West
moreland Electric Company of
Grecnsburg, which was recently
merged with the West Penn Heat,
Light & Power Company, for $20,000
for the death of her son, William G.
Morgan, who was electrocuted.
REYES AWAITS A REPLY.
Officials Considering How Colombia
Should Be Answered.
State department officials have under
consideration the nature nf the reply
which Is to be made to the note of
Oenernl Rey2s, the Colombian minis
ter, regarding the action of the United
States In connection with affairs
growing out of the secession of the
department of Panama, Just when
the answer Is to be ready 4s not de
finitely known.
Gpneral Reyes Is anxious for an
early reply, and the state department
officials are equally as anxious that
the matter shall be (Deposed of as
quickly as Is consistent with a care
ful preparation of the administration's
answer.
The Colombian note contains a
statement of the grievances which
that country claims to have Buffered
under the interpretations put on the
treaty of 1840. It discusses these
grievances In a calm and dignified
tone, and sets nut lessons which Gen
eral Hyes claims supports the con
tention ht has made. The probabil
ity is there will lie several diplomatic
exchanges between Colombia and ths
United States before anything like a
conclusion of the discussion of the
matters at Issue is reached.
JAIL DOORS BROKEN IN.
Congressman Succeeds In Dispersing
Angry Men Bent on Lynching.
A mob of 1,000 men and boys sur
rouiided the county Jail at Council
Bluffs, Iowa, and battered In the doors
In an attempt to lynch two negroes.
Oeorge Williams and Neely Zimmer
man, charged with nssaulUng two
white women Friday night, and were
dispersed only when Congressman
Smith appealed to the mob through
George Sanders, husband of one of the
assaulted women.
The Mayor and all the policemen
of Council Bluffs were unable to dis
suade the rioters from their attack on
the Jail, although the policemen re
peatedly charged the mob.
Congressman Smith arrived Just as
the mob crushed In the front doors
of the Jnll with railroad iron. He
rushed through the crowd and secured
the attention of Sanders, urging him
to go home and let the law take its
course.
Sanders listened and then started
for home. Congressman Smith
mounted the Jail steps and urged the
membe-.B of the mob to disperse, tell
ing them that Sanders had already
gone. This had the desired effect
and Inside of half an hour the Jail
grounds were deserted.
AIR LINE CHARTERED.
Railway Projected from Hudson Bay
to Argentina.
The Pan-American Railway Com
pany, with headquarters at Guthrie,
and with $250.ooo.ooo capital stock to
build a line from Port Nelson, cn
Hudson bay, to" the Argentina Re
public, has been charteied.
From Port Nelson the road is to
run via Wlnnepeg through North and
South Dakota. Nebraska, Kansas,
Oklahoma, Indian Territory and Tex
as, thence through Mexico, Central
America, Panama. Colombia, Ecuador
and Pei ii. Into the Argentine Repub
lic. A branch line Is provided run
ning from Peru through Vhlle to Val
paraiso. The total length Is 10. (M'O
miles. The Incorporators, as named
in the charter, are W. B. and O. R.
Davis. C. D. Farmer, H. C. lies and
EI ward HUlman, of Arlington, Okla.
CARGO EXPLODED AT SEA.
Crew and Passenger Rescued In Small
Boats.
The British steamer Lady Jolcey.
Capt. Smith, 'bound from Chilean ports
to Savannnh, Ga., Wilmington, N. C,
and New York, with a cargo of titrate
of soda. to:ik fire and sunk 75 miles
south of Porto Rico last Wednesday.
The cargo exploded and the vessel
went down within two and a half
hours. Capt. Smith, with his ciew
and ono passenger, orrlved at Ponce
in two small boats, completely ex
hausted and almost naked, having
made their way through .terrible seas.
There were no fatalities, and the only
serlour Injury was Buffered by one
sailor, who had his leg broken and
who 1 , now Jn the hospital.
COLOMBIA'S GRIEVANCES.
G' neral Reyes Makes Three Proposi
tions to Secetary Hay.
Tho stntecient of Colombians griev
ances, present sd to Secretary Hay
by General Reyes, contains these three
distinct propositions concerning the
canal:
First That the status on the isth
mus prior to the revolution be restor
ed. Second That th9 United States
content itself with keeping the rail
road open and allow Colomh'a to try
to put down the revolution.
Third That if thatso proposals are
accepted, the United States agrees to
pay Colombia for the less of ten!
tory resulting from the attitude of
this country, the amount of damages
to be fixed by Tho Hague tribunal.
Wrecking Train Meets Disaster.
Two were killed and six Injured In
a rear-end collision at Willlamstown,
Ky., on the Cincinnati Southern Rail
way. A wrecking train that was
backing up from Mason. Ky., was met
by a freight train. Tha relief cor
and two cabooses on the wrecking
train woie wrecked and afterward
took lire.
Two Men Perished In a Burning Club.
Moses T. Cloiigh, one of Troy's old
est lawyeis and William Shaw, also
one of Troy's best known lawyers lost
their lives In a flro which destroyed
the Troy, (N. Y.), club, Wednesday
morning. Mr. dough was president
of the club which included among its
members the wealthiest men of the
city.
8ev?n thousand sheep were burned
to death at the East Buffalo stock
yards. Tho loss is estimated ut
$73,000.
DOUBTS FOR COMING YEAR.
Bradstreete Review of Trade Not Op
tlmlstlo for 1904 Lesions from
Closing Months.
In Its annual review of the business
year of 1903. Bradstreets, says:
"Nineteen hundred and three was a
year of Irregularity in speculation, dis
tributive trade and Industry In some
rases of severe strains variously ap
plied and as differently withstood. As
the residuary legatee of at least five
years of great prosperity, it had to
bear cumulative effects of previous
years' mistakes, and at the same time
to carry burdens having their Incep
tion In the year Itself, Yet the tests
were well withstood, and, white ex
cesses occurred, the cours? of events
so far has proved that the general
trade foundation wan essentially
sound, and that the structure reared
upon It was In ths main, well built."
Among the rouses leading to tin
settlement In stock speculation and
later In Important industries the re
port gives: "The Injury to senti
ment growing out of disclosures of
overdoing to put It mildly. In Industrial
stock fluctuations, scarcity In money
supplies, due to absorption bv these
flotations and ta heavy borrowings by
railroads; the feeling that a subsi
dence of the lampant activity of prs
cedlng years was Inevitable; but
chiefly the cfTocts of enhanced cost
at which business was done.. High
priced raw materials, and last, hut
not Ipast, the manliest determination
of labor to get all that the traffic
would bear," the review states, wers
all elemen. s tending to cho;k con
sumption. The crop situation wes loss favora
ble than eariler anticipated, but bet
ter prospects later helped out fall
trade. Clearings reflected dullness
In stock speculation, but November
and December showed a more opti
m'Ftlc tone in general business, though
trade In dry goods was unsettled by
the enormous advance in cotton.
Trade as a whole was probably In ex
cess of 1902,
Manufacturing Industry was fever
ishly active early In the year. Iron
and steel leading. Curtailment, fol
lowing a 40 per cent reduction in
prices, cut down the output, and a lib
eral export movement started. Lum
ber and building material felt the de
cline 4n activity. The cut will prob
ably nin 10 ppr cent below 19o2.
MOVING ICE CAUSES BIG LOSS.
Damage at Cincinnati Amounts to
$200,000 and Pittsburg Loses
$25,000.
The Ice which has been forming
In the Ohio river for several weeks and
had accumulated tn several big gorges
near Cincinnati broke loose and moved
down stream under the .Influence of
the milder weather and the rl3lng river
doing a great deal of damage.
Twenty-five barges loaded with 20,
000 bushels of coal were swept down
stream and against the Southern rail
road b:idge and other obstructions and
nearly all sank. The barges, worth
$35,000, belonged to the Monongahela
River Consolidated Coal and Coke
Company of Pittsburg, and the coal,
valeed at several thousand dollars, be
longed to the Cincinnati Gas and Elec
tric Light Company.
Two big timber rafts, valued at $70,
000, were swept away. Other barges
lost will run the to:al loss up to $200,
000. The packet steamboat Grapevine
was sunk at the landing by an Ice
gorge, being the second boat sunk here
by Ice within a week. The loss of the
Grapevine, Including cargo, la over
$10,000.
ASK FOR ARBITRATION.
Police Accompany Funerals to Prevent
Strikers From Interfering.
More hearses, driven by non-union
men, were used by the Chicago under
takers Sunday In conducting funerals
than at any time since the livery driv
ers went on strlka, but in every case
pollcement rode on tho box with the
driver. In one or two Instances regu
lar funeral processions of hearses and
carriages drove to tho cemeteries.
In answer to the notification srnt
out by the Liverymen's Association
yesterday, that the places cf all the
strikers would be filled at once unless
the strikers applied for their old Jobs,
more than 10o men are said to have re
turned to work.
Norman Larson, said to be a unlnn
teamster, was arrested for interfering
with a hearse which was returning
from Roee Hill cemetery. Larson, with
two companions, stopped the hearse
and tried to unhitch the horses, but
Boeing two policemen approaching the
three men ran away. Tho police gave
chase and caught Larson. The other
two escaped.
At a meeting of the Livery Drivers'
Union it was decided to ask the Chi
cago board of arbitration to Intercede
In behalf of the union and endeavor to
settle the trouble by arbitration.
8hot His Mother-in-Law.
At Bridgeport, Conn., Joseph Eard
ley shot and killed his motherJn-law,
Mrs. Elizabeth "Lawrence, kecause he
believed she had induced his wife to
sepai ate from blm. Mrs. Lawrence,
when Eardley entered her home,
called to her son, Norman, aged 25,
who was In bad dying from consump
tion. The young man attempted to
come to the assistance of his mother,
who braced herself against the door,
but his Btrength failed and Eardley,
forcing the door, threw him to the
floor. Ho then flred a bull Jt Into the
woman's temple.
Tampered With 8witch.
A deliberate attempt to wreck a
train was made about midnight at a
point two miles south of New Castle
Junction, on the Pittsburg & Lake
Eile Railroad, where train No. 21
plunged from the rails and eight of the
ten cars composing the train wero
hurled in every direction. Positive
information was received at the offices
of the railroad that the wreck was
the result of malicious mischief. A
broken switch lock or knuckle was
found lyl:iy near the switch.
SK-H-HI
My mjw, slit's upatnir it bed.
An' it's them wif bi-r.
It's all bundled up n' red
Cnn't nobody stir;
fnn't nobody sy a word
Since it come to in.
Only thing 'at f have heard,
Leiiting all ita fu.
U "Sh-h-h!"
Thdt th.re ttnrat, aba aliakes her head
When I rome upataira.
"Ph-h-li!" she acs Yt's all she's said
To me, anywheres.
Doctor lie's tb' man 'at brung
It to ns to stay
Up makes me put out mr tongue, '
'is'en aaya, "Sh-h h!" at way!
Just ''Sli-h-h!"
I gned in to see my raair,
yen chimb on tit bed.
Waa aha glad to aee me? Pahair!
"Sh-h-hT" 'nt's what ah aaid!
'Nen I blinked and tried to see
'Nen I runned away
Out to my old apple tree
Where no one could ay
'.Sh-hh!"
'Xen f lay down on th' ground
An' aay 'at I Jeat wish
I was big! An' there'a a aound
'At old tree aava "Sh-h-h!"
pn 1 cry an' cry an' cry
Till my paw, he henra
An' corned there an' wiped my eye
An' mop up Hi' t.r"
'Nen says "Sli-h-h!"
I'm go' toll my ma-.v 'at she
Don't luit mo one bit
Why d' all aav "Sli-h hi" to me
An' not any "Sli-h-h!" to it?
Chicago Tribune.
Inquisitive Person "What nre those
peculiar looking things;" Dealer
"Pressed fumlly skeletons for the clos
ets of fiat dwellers." Judge.
The poeta burn the midnight oil
And lonely viila keep,
And product of their ivnkeful toil
Put other folkj to aleep.
Spare Moments.
Nell "That Western heiress married
A penniless Duke who weighs over 800
pounds." Belle "Well, you can't
blame her for wanting f'e most for her
money."
"I Cannot Sing the Old Songs," war
bled the young woiiinii at the piano.
But this was small relief, for the ner
ones siie sang were even worse. Chica
go Tribune.
"It's the finest piny of the realistic
school I've seen yet." "A real flying
machine on the stage, I suppose?"
"No, hut it has n real plot and a few
real actors." Philadelphia Press.
Ella "Fred shook terribly when he
proposed to rn " Stella "I didn't
Know that he was dilfldent." Ella "I
don't thing he is; we were in an auto
mobile when he proposed." Smart Set.
There was once a foppish old beau
Who aaid, I find walking too aleau,
So I prance down the atreet,
And throw out my feet.
And trip my fantastical teau.
Leslie's Monthly.
"He said he could not live without
me." "Then you will marry blm,
dear?" "No. I am going to give paw
a chance to make some money."
"How?" "Why. paw's an undertak
er." Philadelphia Record.
"Smithers, that West Baltimore drug,
gist, tells me that he always wears
$10 shoes." "H'm. that's strange. I
can readily understand that he wears
dollar shoes, but I can't see how be
wears ten of 'em." Baltimore News.
"Ia Hawaii." rolunteered the Wise
Guy, "many people live in bouses
cade of grass." "How convenient," re
marked the Cheerful Idiot. "Wbea
they want fresh breakfast food all they
have to do is to take a bite out of the
wall." Cincinnati Commercial-Tribune.
"The only rent trouble with your
magazine," remarked the purchaser, "is
thnt you don't publish enough Action."
"Great Scott, man!" replied the over
worked editor, "you evidently don't
read our advertising pa er, yes, I've
thought so. too, at times'" Cincinnati
Times-Star.
Hard to Kxtermlnnta.
The captain of n well-known Aus
tralian clipper, the Caduceus, wishing
to clear his ship of rats, offered bis
crew a glass of grog for every rodent
killed or captured. The result was
speedily apparent In the diminished
number of rats, yet, somehow or other,
there were always a few, the crew,
anxious for supplies of grog, having
devised a menus of manufacturing
them out of onkum. The captain's cu
riosity was aroused one day by notic
ing a supposed rodent floating very
"light" on the port quarter. lie waited
his chance, and when the next man ap
peared with a rat the captain re
marked: "Throw It to windward." The
result was dead against the sailor, for
the oakum rodent was blown back onto
the poop. Thenceforth there were no
more rats and no more extra grog-
Shipping World.
A Quaint People.
The heart of Brittany never changes,
but Its face Is rupldly losing many ot
It I prominent characteristics with the
leveling influence of the French repub
lic. It is only far out of the beaten
track, now, or on special occasions like
fetes, that you see unlversully the cos
tumes aud customs of the old Armor
lean peninsula. Only on hour's Jour
ney from Qulmper. the modernized
chief town of Fiulstere, and you are
among the Blgoudlnes, u people whose
dress suggests the Eskimos and Chin
ese, whose fuces ure strongly Mongo
lian in type, aud who in language, eus,
toms, and beliefs seem to have no rt
latlou with the rest of France. More
aud more the picturesque problem they
present Is coming to attract attentlou.
Artists, students, and tourists alike
are fascinated by it. From Andte Sag
?io's "The Blgoudlnes," In the Century,