Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1898 — EQUIPPING THE NAVY. [ARTICLE]

EQUIPPING THE NAVY.

CHIEF CONSTRUCTOR HICHBORN MAKES A REPORT. He Tells of the Work Done in Recent Months—Ten Vessels' Accepted by the Government from Builders—How Dun Views Trade. Hichborn’s Work in the Navy. A large fiart of the burden of equipping the United States navy for the war with Spain fell upon the construction bureau of the navy, and in his annual report Commodore Hichborn, the chief constructor, furnishes many interesting details as to the extent of this work, .involving the transformation of more than 100 merchant craft into effective naval vessels at short notice. Looking to the future, the chief constructor invites attention to the importance of properly equipping and •maintaining the plants at the minor naval stations along the coast already established, and he submits estimates for the purpose, averaging about $25,000 in each case. To keep the nucleus of the force of men at these, stations, small work should be constantly under way and proper storehouses should be erected to keep sufficeint quantity of material on hand. Besides the long list of vessels purchased by the Government for use as auxiliary cruisers, the report says that ten vessels were accepted by the Government by builders during the last fiscal year. These were the lowa, Helena, Nashville, Wilmington, Annapolis, Marietta, Newport, Vicksburg, Foote and Wheeling. Progress made on the vessels in course of construction has been very satisfactory. The work on the battleships has been held back to a great degree by the impossibility of procuring armor when it was needed. WAR SCARE AFFECTS TRADE. R. G. Dun Tells How Business Has Been Influenced by Rumors. 11. G. Dun & Co.’s weekly review of trade says: “Business has been more affected by foreign affairs than many realize. London’s apprehension of war first caused advance iii wheat and fears of monetary pressure here. Then came confidence in London, with a flight of French money across the channel, and stock markets advanced, while wheat fell. Mobs in Paris did not mean to influence American interests from New York to San Francisco, but electric wires have made the world small. So the wires moved a cargo of wheat from the Pacific coast, started $2,500,000 more gold from Australia to this country on London account, and the selling of American securities one day and buying the next. There has been no domestic change of much importance. Failures for the week have been 226 in the United States, against 219 last year, and 24 in Canada, against 25 last year.”

ONE SOLDIER KILLS ANOTHER. John F. Coyle Fatally Shot by John Derr in St. Louis. John F. Coyle, 34 years old and mar-, ried, a member of the Nineteenth infantry, who had been at his home in St. Louis on a furlough, was shot and mortally wounded by John Derr, years old, a member of the Twenty-first infantry, which took part in the battle of San Juan hill. Derr, who is also home on a furlough, was visiting a Miss Fannie Saal in South St. Louis. Coyle’s wife and Miss Saal, It seems, had some difficulty, and Coyle accused Derr of instigating the trouble. The next morning Derr was playing pool in a saloon when Coyle entered and began threatening Derr, at the same time flourishing a knife. He finally attempted to stab Derr, when the latter drew his revolver and fired two shots, the second bullet penetrating Coyle’s abdomen. He died within a few hours. Drunken Row Ends Fatally. Mike Moore, a bartender, the 23-year-old son of Frank Moore of Newark, Ohio, was arrested for murder. In a drunken brawl at Donaldson’s saloon about midnight Moore shot James Mullen of Geneva, N. Y., and James Ryan of 2208 Third avenue, Npw York. Ryan may recover. Both victims were race track men, being there with horses during Newark’s races. Moore says he did the shooting in self-defense. Captain Alone Saved. The three-masted schooner St. Peter, a Toledo bout, foundered seven miles northwest of Sodus, Lake Ontario, in twenty fathoms of water. She had 700 tons of hard coal for Toledo. Captain John Griffin is her owner. His wife and the crew of seven were drowned, but Griffin himself was saved. The schooner was valued at $4,500.

Shoshone Uprising Is Ended. A special courier from Nye County, Nev., the scene of the recent Indian scare, reports that all dread of ’an uprising among the Shoshones is past. Fifty mounted ]>olioemon are still on duty nnd It is believed these men can quell any disturbance that may arise, but hostilities are highly improbable. New Docks for Gibraltar. The English Government has awarded a contract for the construction of new admiralty docks and harbor works at Gibraltar, to cost £2,300,000. Yellow Fever in Mexico. The Secretary of State of Nova Leon, Mexico, officially announces two cases of yellow fever in Monterey and ten doubtful. Strike Is Declared Off. The general strike of the boot and shoe lusters in southeastern Massachusetts factories has been declared off. Fate of Tcxns Train Hobber. Ninety-nine years was the sentence George Moore got at Fort Worth, Texas, for his connection with the Santa Fe train holdup near there in July last. Moore has five more charges ponding against hint. Two other robbers who were with Moore are in jail awaiting trial. Engine Works Destroyed by Fire. The Tonkin ltiver Boiler and Engine works in Oswego. X. Y., were destroyed by tire. Loss, .$103,000. Otto Snyder, the night watchman, perished iu the building. Will Dig on Intcrorcnnic Cnnnl. Edwin F. t’ragin.,the Chicago engineer and contractor, nnd Edward Eyre and Frank S. Washburn of New York City have made nn agreement with President Zelaya of Nicaragua to construct an interoceanic caunl.

HOG CHOLERA CORE FOUND. Departments of Agriculture's Experiments Crowned with Success. During the past two years the Department: of Agriculture has conducted a series of experiments in the use of a serum as a Remedy for hogs affected 1 by cholera or swine plague. The experiments were conducted by Dr. I). E. Salmon, chief of the bureau of animal industry, and the results were eminently satisfactory, proving the dreaded disease can be successfully treated, easily and inexpensively. The losses suffered by the farmers of the United States annually from hog cholera aggregate an enormous sum. In lowa alone, during 1890, it is estimated the hog raiserk lost through the ravages of the disease $15,000,000. Scores of remedies have been tried, but nothing even approximating a specific for the disease has ever been discovered until the Department of Agriculture began its experiments. Summarizing the results of the experiments, Dr. Salmon said 80 per cent of the hogs treated in droves have been saved, while in the droves affected with cholera and not given the serum treatment quite 80 per cent were lost. ; Last year the experiments were conducted in Page County, lowa, the results showing a loss of only 20 per cent of the affected droves. This year the experiments have been extensive and far-reach-ing. The bureau treated 922 hogs. Of these 17?) died, the number saved being 85 out of every 100. The loss was only 10 per cent. The animals comprised seventeen droves, and of these six droves lost Only one hog each. On the other hand, 1,107 hogs in other droves were served and not subjected to the serum treatment. Of these 879 died, showing a loss of 79.8 hogs out of every 100. Speaking of the treatment, Dr. Salmon said: “There is no question of the effectiveness of the serum treatment. Our operations have been viewed with skepticism, but the serum treatment for hog cholera is no longer an experiment. It is a proved success and undoubtedly will save to the farmers of the United States millions of dollars every year.” The cholera serum is procured by keeping apart for treatment an animal —a horse or cow—and injecting into its blood a small amount of the blood of a cholera-diseased hog. This will sicken the subject, but he will recover, when another dose will be administered, and so on time after time until finally his blood becomes so impregnated as to render him practically cholera proof. Then his blood is let and the clot drawn off, leaving the thin, yellowish portion, which is the serum. This is used toinject into the diseased hogs and operates to render them likewise cholera proof, or even cures them of the disease after it hasdeveloped.