Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1897 — DEATH IN A TUNNEL. [ARTICLE]

DEATH IN A TUNNEL.

TWO MEN KILLED BY AN EXPLOSION IN CHICAGO. Cauae of the Terrible Accident Unknown Dynamite Cartridge or Pocket of Natural Gas—Jap Coolies Raise a Riot in Hawaii. Meet Death Instantly. By an explosion in the east end of the northwest land tunnel at Chicago Tuesday morning two men were instantly killed, four were seriously injured and five others received slight wounds. The scene . of the explosion was in the face of the workings 2,400 feet east of the shaft. The dead men were working immediately over the spot where the explosion occurred and they were torn to pieces. The other men. With but one or two exceptions, were working within a few feet of the scene of the explosion. The accident came without warning, and none had a chance to avoid the danger. The men were suddenly lifted from their feet and hurled against the walls of the tunnel. They were blinded by smoke and crushed by falling rock and earth. With the aid of men from the surface the dead and wounded were carried to the shaft and hoisted to the surface. Assistant Engineer H. J. Jackman, who superintends the work for the city, went into the workings after the accident. In the mass of debris he found a stick of giant powder which had failed to explode. This fact leads him to believe unexploded sticks of dynamite caused the explosion, having been iguited by the explosion of one of the electric lights which illuminate the tunnel. Superintendent William Ennis also holds the same theory. Others believe the meu exploded the giant powder by striking it with their pickaxes or shovels while at work. Contractor Connell of the firm of Fitz-Simons & Connell, who is in charge of the work, advances the theory that the explosion was due to natural gas. The shock of the explosion was felt for blocks along the lake front, and caused hundreds to.hurry to the tunnel. As soon as the fatal result of the accident

became known to the workmen in the west tunnel they refused to work longer, and operations on the entire tunnel were at a standstill. JAP COOLIES RIOT IN HAWAII. Interpreter Beaten to Death by Sugar Plantation Laborers. The schooner Transit, arrived from Honolulu, brings the news of a riot among the Japanese coolies employed on the sugar plantation on the island of Maui. Three hundred Jupunese beat one of their number to death and afterward beat his body to a pulp with clubs. Tlie murdered man was an interpreter named Kawata. He was accused of wrong-doing in regard to money intrusted to him and for overcharging them for services rendered as interpreter. A number of white men tried to preserve order and save Kawuta's life, but they were too few to cope with the "d and were obliged to tlee. As soon news of the murder reached Wai■ritt's Scott and Dow. with a minifies, visited the plantation, and -iy threats were made by the ouiy") i _"-ore arClevaland Terminal ruJ **s-. Columbus, Columbus, Banda, ay .. A Juki -mna oqi} nsuufqvj 4 y iqffnTtrfi amin ittioyds b pspaßoq gunrudeaßitorj ;y •biohb / t .Ufunteers, tm jr,ir - j pidiec't the jail. The .Japanese were ordered to return to their plantation immediately, with the alternative of being fired upon within five minutes. They slowly disperses! and went back to their houses, but it is believed had not the strong stand been made the band of coolies would have destroyed the jail and overrun the northern part of Maui.

WIPED OUT THE TOWN. Chandler. O. T., the Scene of n Frightful Calamity. A tornado at Chandler, forty miles east of Guthrie, O. T., at dusk Tuesday night, destroyed three-fourths of the town of 1,500 people, and the report is that 200 are badly hurt and forty-five persons killed. The ruins quickly took fire, and many of the injured people were burned to death. Six persons in one building were pinned down by wreckage and met a slow death by tire. Only one physician in Chandler escaped injury, and he did what he could to relieve the distress of the wounded and dying. It is reported that only two buildings were left standing—the Mitchell Hotel and the Grand Island grocery store. Steaiufitters Strike. A strike of the New York steam fitters, in which between 30,000 and 00,000 men may be involved, was declared Monday, when over 1,100 steam fitters refused to go to work in their shops. The strike is the result of a practical lockout on the part of the bosses. The latter announced Saturday that the agreement hitherto existing between themselves and their employes would no longer he considered, and those who wished to report for work must sign new rules. The men refused to sign and so the strike is on.

Reception to the Press. Apropos of President McKinley’s inviting the newspaper correspondents to call on him the other day, is a report that next winder he will give six instead of but five state receptions, as has been, done heretofore. There will be the receptions to the diplomatic corps, the judiciary, the army and navy, the Congress, the public, and then, by President McKinley's direction, a sixth reception to the press. Europe Is Interested. A. Macchi, the foreign commissioner general of the Tennessee Centennial and Industrial Exposition, has returned from Europe. Mr. Macchi has been abroad since last August, collecting exhibits for the exposition, and says every country in Europe will send exhibits. ' Killed in Thawing Dynamite, The accidental explosion of a box of dynamite which two miners were attempting to thaw out at Dermott & Cunning’s mine, near Oronogo, Mo., caused the death of Ben Brewer and Lou Cunning. ✓ Can’t Recover the Ring. Judge McAdam of the appellate division of the New York Supreme Court has decided that when a man becomes engaged to marry a girl under legal age, and gives bgr an engagement ring, he cannot succeed in a suit to recover the ring, even though she jilted him. Iron Ore Pool Dissolves. The Bessemer Iron Association, known as the iron ore pool, has. been dissolved. The big'lnterests a ud the Minnesota Iron Company were unable to agree. This means lower prices for ore, greater pro ductioo at mines and a reduction in the

break in the concert. Great Britain Will Not Help Blockade Greek Porta. The change in the policy of Great Britain has assumed definite shape. The recent massacre of Armenians at Tokat, the danger of further outbreaks in Anatolia and the action of the porte in semi-official-ly pointing out to the Turkish press and provincial officials that the blockade of the Island of Crete by the fleets of the powers and the support given to the Turkish forces by the foreign fleets was a triumph for the policy of the sultan, have had their effect in showing that the Christians in Armenia are in danger of extermination. Consequently it is semi-offieially stated that the British admiral in Cretan waters has been notified not to send any warships of Great Britain to take part in the proposed blockade of the ports of Greece. At the same time, however, in order, apparently, to avoid an open rupture with the powers, Great Britain will acquiesce in the blockade of the Greek ports. According to reports in Constantinople diplomatic circles the powers have already been notified to this effect, and the withdrawal of Great Britain from the blockade is the one subject discussed in court and other circles. The sultan’s advisers are making the best of the situation by pointing to the fact that Great Britain does not constitute the whole of Europe, and that so long as the sultan has the support of Russia, France, Germany and Austria he has nothing to fear from Great Britain. It is whispered that France will in all probability follow the example of Great Britain. France, it is explained, could readily take this step without disturbing to any appreciable degree her accord with Russia, and it is added that in any case the French Government would not risk taking part in the blockade of Greece, which would be an act of war, without first consulting the chamber of deputies, whose approval of the coercion policy is regarded as being far from certain. It is stated that Great Britain has intimated to the powers that if Greece is blockaded steps should also be taken to blockade the principal Turkish ports. This latest move of Great Britain in the Eastern game has undoubtedly called a halt for the present In the coercive measures, and may, it is said, bring about their abandonment.

PASSING OF MUTILATED COIN. New Law Makes It a Criminal Offense and Provides Penalties. Letters by the bushel have been pouring in on (he Treasury Departnicut asking for information concerning the new law in relation to the passing of mutilated coin, although those seeking the information might, in a majority of eases,' have secured it from the United States district attorneys or secret service officers of their respective localities. In brief it may be explained that the law is in the main an extension of that against counterfeiting. It provides that the passing of mutilated or defaced coins, or the mutilation and defacement of coin for any purpose, shnll be held to be a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment for a period of one to five yenrs and a fine of SIOO to $2,0i4). Under this law the practice of presenting Indies with coins of gold or silver, with the initials of the donor engraved thereon, to be worn as bangles, is a eriminnl offense. The law also drives out of business a number of people who have made a good living by purchasing mutilated coins at a reduction from their face value and plugging up tlie boles so skillfully that the original mutilation could not be discovered Even this kind of tampering with tlie money of the Government will be regarded as an offense under tljo “latute.

COLORADO TO BEET SUGAR Scheme on root for a $5,000,000 Su- . gar Trust Plnnt. ikTiR <l '. dearies, secretary and treas£l fWwrf-ie American Sugar Refining Com--1 I 9ttm.4h Denver. Although he refuses .0 talk in regard to the object of bis visit to Colorado, the Denver Republican says: “It is understood that, in association with David 11. Moffat, the Denver banker and mine owner, the sugar trust is about to inaugurate a gigantic project for manufacturing beet sugar in Colorado. If carried to a successful issue it will involve an outlay of from $2,000,000 to $5,000,000. When approached on the subject recently Mr. Moffnt is quoted ns having said that lie stood ready to invest $1,000,000 in tlie industry, provided proper conditions for carrying it on could be secured.” Passes the Senate. The anti-department store bill passed the Illinois Senate Wednesday. The vote was 30 to 4, with 7 members absent or re fating to vote. The four members openly protesting against the measure were Baxter, Chapman, Hamilton and McCloud. A number who voted for it did so under protest, saying they believed it to be unconstitutional, but were willing to let it go to the courts. Senator Baxter made a speech against the bill. He declared such legislation to be against the spirit of nil advancement. The department store, he said, was the natural product of economical conditions. It was, ho said, an example of the universal tendency toward the concentration of capital and the centralization of distribution. The introduction of machinery, he explained, resulted in doing away with the small shops and smithies, and in sending the spinning wheel and hand loom to the garret, but in the end it increased man’s power of productiveness and made the luxuries and necessaries more plentiful, and gave greater leisure to workmen for recreation und intellectual improvement. “If we are to follow the spirit of this legislation,” said he, “we might as well do away with the railroad, the telegraph, and the telephone. We should go back to the ox teams as a means of transportation and distribution of merchandise. I must vote against this bill.” concluded Senator Baxter, “because it is not in the interest of the great consuming class; because it will impede progress and stop the march of civilization.” Senator Mahoney answered Senator Baxter with a speech in which he defended the bill and ciiticised the department stores. He referred to the alleged fact that there are 22,000 unrented stores in Chicago and argued that the big establishments are responsible for such a. condition. He said he would vote for the bill on the ground of morality alone, and declared that the conditions under which women are employed in department stores in Chicago are a disgrace to the city. Continuing, he assorted that the big’ stores outstrip their smaller competitors, not because of the superior business ability of their managers, but because the latter have the advantages of securing more capital, “furnished in many cases,” said Mahoney, “by retired stockyards magnates.”

Exposition at Callao. To promote the extension of various branches of industry iu Peru, the Government has provided for a permanent exposition of machinery of all kinds, to which foreign exhibits will be admitted duty free. The exposition opens at Callao July 28. Bicycle Plant Burned. At Reading, Pa., the large plant of the Acme bicycle works was destroyed by fire. All the valuable machinery was destroyed, making the total loss about $75,000, covered by insurance. The building contained material for fully 5,000 bicleles. Fears Sbe Is Trapped. St. Petersburg dispatch: In the most important quarters muca annoyffhee is felt at the signs of the vacillating policy shown by the powers at a moment when the greatest firmness is necessary. The

feeling is that the other powers ara trying to place Russia in the undesirable position of shedding Christian blood. The Otgoloskl publishes a very strong article on the subject, and thinks England is going to establish herself irvCreteTand being there, say: “ ‘J’y suis, J’y reste,’ and as Crete is not wbat the Dardanelles is to Russia, the latter would not go to war about it. Crete can only be pacified by shedding Christian blood, but orthodox Russia cannot do so. England has done so before and can do it now.” In diplomatic circles the position is looked upon as very embroiled, and the only solution will be that if the Greeks insist on fighting they shonld be allowed to go on and be beaten. CYCLONE IN TEXAS. Austin and Several Village* Suffer Great Damage. Sunday afternoon Austin, Texas, and the surrounding country was visited by a terrible cyclone. Several large electric light towers were blown down, entailing a loss of several thousand dollars. Quite a number of houses in the residence portion of the city were blown down and in several cases narrow escapes from death are reported. The small town of Clarksville was swept by the wind and many horses were killed by flying debris, while a number of gmall houses were blown down, though fortunately the inmates were not killed, though several were badly maimed. Reports from the surrounding country nre to the effect that the storm was general in this section. The small town of Bu<la near Austin was badly handled by the storm, quite a number of bouses being blown down and one or two persons killed, though their names are not obtainable, owing to the fact that most of the telegraph wires are down and the news is very meager. This is the worst storm that has ever visited that section and it has laid waste everything in its track, though fortunately so far the reports of deaths are few. The storm was over in an hour and the sun came out as bright as if nothing had happened.

WIRES DOWN AT TACOMA. Heaviest Storm of the Winter la Experienced. At Tacoma Thursday the heaviest windstorm of the winter raged, blowing a gale of forty-two miles an hour. Many chimneys were blown down and signs and billboards scattered promiscuously about. A large portion of the cornice of a threestory Pacific avenue building was blown down, bringing with it a tnngle of live electric light and telegraph wires. The draw span of tlie Eleventh street bridge was blown open, temporarily stopping a funeral procession. In the surrounding country trees were blown down by the score. For some time Tacoma was cut off from communication with the outside world. The gnle was felt by all sound steamers, which were more or less delayed. The British ship ltheuddian Castle broke away from her buoy and drifted across the bay. A tree fell across a moving train on the Seattle branch, but It was decayed and broke in two without causing any damage.

Shock Felt for Twenty-five Miles. A terrific explosion oocurred at the works of the Dupont Chemical Company, located on the banks of the Delaware river at Gibbstown, M. J. Three men were blown to atoms. The dead are: James Henderson, Paulsboro, N. J.; Cflrl Wright, Paulsboro, N. J.; Thomas Stiles, Asbury Park, N. J. A gang of workmen who'started to clear away the wreckage immediately after the explosion were able to find only fragments of the remains of the unfortunate men. The explosion occurred in the separating building, and that structure, with four other buildings surrounding it, was blown to splinters. The destroyed factory was devoted to the manufacture of dynamite and powder, and because of the dangerous character of the explosives turned out, was remote from nny habitation. The shock of the explosion was plainly felt at poiuts twenty-five miles uway.

Kentucky Banka Affected. The Court of Appeals at Frankfort, Ky., decided that the banks of the State must be taxed under the ad valorem system, thus reversing a decision rendered something over a year ago. This decision comes as a blow to the banking institutions of the State, who, heretofore, have been taxed under the Hewitt bill, passed in 1880, ami which provided for the payment of 75 cents on each SIOO worth ol capital stock. Germany Followa Britain’s Lead. It Is asserted at Constantinople on what is regarded as reliable authority that in consequence of the refusal of Lord Salisbury to join in a blockade of Greek ports, Germany has given notice to the powers of her intention to withdraw from the concert. It is understood that Turkey gent her squadron through the Dardanelles on the advice of Germany. Children Burned to Death. The dwelling of Frank Penrod, at Laddsdale, lowa, burned Tuesday night. Five children burned to death. The oldest was 12, youngest 2. Origin of fire unknown. Japan for Gold. The bill adopting the gold standard has passed the house of peers of Japan and only awaits the signature of the emperor to become a law.