Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1899 — HAPPENINGS OP 1899. [ARTICLE]

HAPPENINGS OP 1899.

SUMMARY OF A YEAR'S IMPORTANT EVENTS. War in Philippine Islands and South Africa, the Dreyfus Trial, Political Difficulties in Samoa, Death and Destruction by Fire, Wind and FlSod. Many causes have combined to make the year 1899 a rather remarkable one. Its opening was signalized by Spain’s surrender of the last vestige of her sovereignty in the Western hemisphere; its progress brought forth the declaration of war between England and the Transvaal Republic, and its close leaves these nations still engaged in a bloody contest, that may result in important political changes in South Africa. During the year the fighting between the nativea and United States troops in the Philippines has continued and the war is yet on. Other events, aside from Warfare, that have occupied public attention to a greater or less extent have been: Signing of the treaty of peace with Spain; settlement of difficulties in the Samoan Islands; trial, conviction and pardon of Captain Alfred Dreyfus in France; numerous large fires that have destroyed many lives and much property; tornadoes that caused disaster and death at Kirksville, Mo., in April, and at New Richmond, Wis., in June; several fatal shipwrecks; deaths of prominent men, among |hem President Felix Faure of France, Garret A. Hobart, Vice-President of the United States, and Robert G. Ingersoll; great street car strike at Cleveland and labor riots at Pana and Carterville, 111. A brief chronological transcript of the year’s events is given below: January. I—Spain resigns sovereignty over Cuba. 4—Train helu up and robbed at Macomb, M 0... .Peace treaty with Spain introduced in the Senate. ft—Fourteen persons killed and forty-eight Injured in a collision near Dunellen, N. J. 10—McCoy defeated by Sharkey in New York... .Severe storm in California. 13— Fire at Memphis, Tenn., destroys wholesale dry goods house of J. S. Menkin & Co., and causes $500,000 1055.... Death of Congressman Dingley of Maine. 14— British bark Andelina sinks at Tacoma with her entire crew of nineteen men. 17— Death of John Russell Young, librarian of Congress, 18— Disastrous flood at Cleveland. .German consul at Apia, Samoa, ejected from Supreme Court Building by American and British consuls. 20— Bank at Arthur, 111., robbed of $3,000. 21— Earthquake shakes Peloponnesan peninsula of Greece... .Massacre of Spanish officers by natives at Balabac, in the Philippines. 25—One hundred thousand dollars damage done by fire at Johnstown, Pa... .Adelina Patti and Baron Cederstrom married at Brecon, Wales. * 20—Ex-Attorney General A. H. Garland dies suddenly in Washington... .Court martial finds Gen. Chas. P. Eagan guilty under two charges. ’ 20—Cold wave over the West; 13 degrees below zero at Chicago. 30—Two hundred thousand dollar lqmber yard fire in Chicago. February. 1— Seven persons perish In snowsllde in Rogers Pass, B. C. 2 $750,000 fire In Columbus, Ohio, in which many tire injured... .Burning of the Buckingham Theater, Louisville, Ky. 3 SBOO,OOO fire at Philadelphia. 4 Battle between Filipinos and Americans at Manila Mrs. Botkin receives life sentence for murder... .James A. Sexton, Com-mander-in-chief G. A. R,, dies in Washington. 6—Last detachment of Spanish 4rmy leaves Cuba... .Death of Gen. Count von Caprivt, former Chancellor German Empire... .Peace treaty ratified by United States Senate. Hotel at Winnipeg burns; loss $400,000. .i. .Eleven business bouses burn in Prairie du Chien, Wis. 9—Twenty-one degrees below zero at Chicago; coldest day in twenty-six years.... f OOO,000 fire In Front street, New York.... ’ive business houses at Herington, Kan., burn. 10—Explosion in Baxter Sjtove Works, Mansfield, Ohio, causes a SIOO,OOO fire.... Kelly Block in Cleveland burns; loss $150,000... .$200,000 fire in Toronto, 0nt.... American troops capture Caloocan. 11—Troops under Gen. Miller take Iloilo .... Engagement outside Manila, in which Filipinos are driven back. 12—Twenty-four Italian miners and families perish in snowsllde at Silver Plume, C 010... .McClurg'B book store In Chicago burns; ..loss $502,000... .Seventeen Insane women burned to death at Yankton, S. D. ....Report of War Investigating Board made public in Washington... .Great fires in New York City and Albany, N. Y. 13—Dlgby, N. 8., almost wiped out by fire .... Blizzard in the East and South. 14—5500,000 fire in manufacturing district of Cincinnati... .Burning of manufacturers’ warehouse in Chicago; loss $1,000,000. 15—Machine shops in Brooklyn navy yard burned. 16—Death of M. Felix Faure, President of France. 18—Emile Loubet chosen President of France... .Riots in Paris. 20—Fire causes $500,000 loss at Port Washington, Wis. 22-—City of Manila fired by Filipinos. March. I—Death of Lord Herschell In Washington. ...Sagasta ministry resigns at Madrid. 3—George Dewey made an Admiral by President McKinley. f 4—Congress adjourns. 6—Storm destroys life and property in East Tennessee.... New ministry takes office at Madrid.... Terrific powder explosion at La Goubran, France, kills sixty persons. ft—Rev. T. DeWltt Talmage resigns his Washington pastorate... .Battle between Americans and Canadians on Porcupine River, B. C. 11—Gen; Maximo Gomez deposed from command by Cuban Assembly. 13—Pasig captured by American troops.... Understanding reached on Samoan affairs ....Herbert Putnam, of Boston, appointed Congressional librarian. 16—Mob shoots nine negroes at Palmetto, Ga.... Death of Editor Joseph Medill..'.. Five killed In street riot at Hot Springs, Ark.... Election riot in St. Louis results in death of two men.... 8. P. Hutchinson, wheat operator, dies at Lake, Geneva, 1 Wis. 17—Peace treaty signed by the Queen Regent of Spain... .Windsor Hotel burns in New York, with great loss of life. 18—Fatal riot In Havana. 2ft—Mrs. Martha Place electrocuted at Sing Sing. 21-24—Race war In Little River County, Ark., where many negroes are lynched. 23—Malietoa Tanas crowned King of Bamoa. 25—Opening of ship canal at Port Arthur, Texas. i 27—Burning of Armour's felt works in Chicago. 20— American and British warships bombard native towns in Samoa... .Sinking of the steamer Rowena Lee in the Mississippi below CarnthersTtlle, Mo. sft—One hundred and twenty lives lost by shipwreck of passenger steadier Stella in the English channel. 31—Fall of Malolos... .$500,000 fire in San Francisco. April. 7—Eleven lives lost in burning of Wallace Andrews’ residence In New York. ft-Death of Justice 8. J. Field, retired.... Seventeen lives lost by breaking of an ice gorge on Yellowstone River at Glendive, Montana. ‘ 10—Seven persons killed In riot at Pana, Illinois. 11—Exchange of peace treaties with Spain ends the state of war... .Greek coaster Maria sunk off Tripoli with loss of forty-five Uvea. 14—Twenty-three Crow Indians drowned tn floods near Sheridan, Wyo. 15—Great fire In Cleveland; loss almost $1,000,000. w 18—Fishing schooner Eliza lost off NanJ C Ogtesby of Iliinote... .Thirty persons drowned in wreck of

fit- Tornado at Kirksville and NewtoWn, Mo., and in Soldier River vaUey, lowa. Scores killed and injured. 2ft—Earthquake shakes Southern Illinois and Indiana and Northern Kentucky... .Fatal mine riots at Wardner. Idaho. May. I—Destructive fore.- t fires In South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado. 3 Resignation of Italian cabinet, 4 Opening of Ute reservation in Colorado. 6 Five killed by tornado in Chiekasaw nation, O. T Death of Mrs. W. C. Whitney. 7 Report of Wade Court of Inquiry given out 8— Russell & Co.’s thresher works at Massillon, Ohio, burned: loss $500,000. 12—Death of ex-Gov. R. P. Flower of New York... .Twenty-five persons killed in railway collision at Exeter, Pa. 15— Death of Francisqne Sareey, noted French critic.... Hint at Princeton between students and Pawnee Bill’s Wild West. 16— Cyclone In Ohio and Michigan. 17— Insurgent stronghold at San Isidro, P. 1., taken by Americans. 20— Aguingldo sends envoys to sue ’for peace. 21— American liner Paris goes ashore on the Manacles, off Cornwall, England. 22 Buffalo grain shovelers’ strike ends ....Tornado in Erath County, Texas. 25 Death of Don Emilio Castelar, Spanish statesman... .Great fire at St. John, N. 8., which rendered 1,000 persons homeless. .. .Death of Rosa Bonneur, French artist. 28—Tornado devastates parts of South Dakota, lowa and Nebraska.... Seven persons killed in train wreck near Waterloo, lowa. Jane. o—Railway wreck at Grandview, M 0.... Jeffries defeats Fitzsimmons at Coney Island, New York. 12— New Richmond, Wis., wiped out by tornado, 150 persons being killed... .Dupuy ministry resigns at Paris. 13— Herman, Neb., destroyed by storm. 16—Thirteen persons drowned In steamboat accident near Stettin, Germany.... Twelve miners killed by mine explosion at Glace Bay, C. B. 22 New French cabinet organized at Paris. 23- of H. B. Plant. 2ft—Nine lives lost in wreck of steamer Margaret Olwill in Lake Erie. 30—Dreyfus lands in France... .Walkout at Homestead mills, Pittsburg. 28—Disastrous floods in Texas. July. 5 Death of Bishop J. P. Newman. 6 Death of Robert Bonner... .Order issued for enlistment of ten regiments for the Philippines. 7 Death of George W. Julian, Indiana anti-Blavery leader....Llndell Hotel, Lincoln, Neb., burns. 16— Street car strike Inaugurated In 'Brooklyn, N. Y. 19— Resignation of R. A. Alger, Secretary of War. 21— Death of Robert G. Ingersoll. 22 Elihu Root named as Secretary of War ’....Telegraph messengers strike at Cincinnati. 23 $1,000,000 loss by burning of C., H. ft D. elevator at East Toledo, Ohio. 26 Assassination of President Ulysses Heureaux of San Domingo. 27 Death of A. L. Luetgert in Joliet, 111., prison. 30—Tupper Lake, N. Y., wiped out by fire. August. I— Elihu Root, of New York, sworn in ah Secretary of War. 6 Thirty-five killed and twelve Injured in trolley car accident near Bridgeport, Conn. ....Collapse of a ferry slip at Bar Harbor, Me., kills twenty persons and injures forty others. 7 Dreyfus trial begins at Rennes, France. 13—M. Laborl, counsel for Capt. Dreyfus, shot at Rennes. 20— Great riot in Paris. 21— Business portion of Victor, Colo., destroyed by fire. 28— Chicago Coliseum framework collapses killing nine men and injuring as many more. ' September. 5 Extremely hot yreather in Chicago; thermometer registers 98 degrees. 6 Fifty persons injured in collision on the B. & O. Railway at Connellsvllle, Pa. o—Capt. Alfred Dreyfus convicted at Rennes, France. 12— Death of Cornelius Vanderbilt. 13— Trust conference begins in Chicago. 17— Seven negroes killed in coal mine riot at Carterville, 111.... Death of Chas. A. Pillsbury of Minneapolis. lft—Capt. Dreyfus pardoned. 21—Fire in Chicago stockyards; loss $300,000. Dewey’s flagship, the Olympia, arrives in New York. 29 Dewey naval parade in New York. 30— $1,000,000 fire in Big Four depot and warehouse at Cincinnati. October. 7 Fall festival In Chicago. ll War Is began in South Africa.... Formal declaration of war made by Boers. 12—Four thousand persons killed by earthquake In Ceram, Molucca Islands. 16r-Columbia wins first race for America’s cup. 17—Columbia wins second race, Shamrock being disabled by breaking of topmast. 20 — Columbia wins third race... .Boers defeated at Glencoe. 21— English defeat Boers at Elandslaagte. 23 Battle at Glencoe, South Africa. 24 Boers repulsed at Ladysmith. 26 Death of Gen. Guy V. Henry. 27 Death of Florence Marryat, English novelist. 30—British badly defeated in desperate battle at Ladysmith....Ferryboat sank in North River, New York, and ten lives lost. November. 3 Jeffries defeats Sharkey In New York. 4 American Steel and Wire Company’s plant at Wankegan, 111., burns. 7—Cruiser Charleston goes ashore off northwest coast of Luzon. o—Admiral Dewey and Mrs. Mildred Hasen wedded In Washington... .Joubert begins bombardment of Ladysmith. 12—Major John A. Logan killed is battle In Philippines. 21—Death of Vice President Garret A. Hobart. 23—British defeat Boers In hard battle at Belmont. 25 Death of George R. Davis, of Chicago, Director-General of World’s Fair of 1893. 27 Death of Charles Coghian, the actor. 28— Boers defeated in severe engagement on banks of Modder River. , 29 Block of Philadelphia business houses burned; loss $3,000,000. December. 4 Fifty-sixth Congress opens. 5 Death of Senator Hayward of Nebraska. 6 Dick Coleman, negro murderer, burned at the stake at Maysville, Ky. ft—British meet decisive defeat at Stormberg... .Thirty-two miners killed by gas explosion in mine at Carbonado, Wash. 11—British suffer great losses In engagement with Boers at Magersfonteln. 14— Gen. Buller badly defeated by Boers in attempting to cross Tugela River. 17— Death of Thos. M. Brumby, flag lieutenant of U. 8. warship Olympia. 18— Currency bill passed by lower house of Congress... .Excitement on Wall street causes two big failures. lft—Gen. Henry W. Lawton killed before San Mateo, P. I. «