Saturday Evening Mail, Volume 26, Number 50, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 6 June 1896 — Page 4

THE MAIL. s,

A PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE.

C. OITDDLESTOX. F. J. PI EPEN BRINK.

DUDDLBSTOK & PIEPEMBRIHK,

PROPRIETOR^,

PUBLICATION OFFICE,

Nos. 20 and 22 South Fifth Street, Priming House Square. The Mail is sold in the city by newsboys and all newsdealers, or will be delivered to any address, by mail, at the rate offS a year, $1 for six months, or 50 cents for three months. Entered at the Postofllce at Terre Haute, Ind., as second-class matter.

SATITKDAY. JUNE fi, 1806.

THIS year gives promise of being the banner one in the national game of base ball. The Decoration day games attracted an attendance of over one hundred thousand people.

THE United States army officer, Lieut. Totten, whose prophecies ani interpretations of the Bible have won him a certain distinction, thinks the end of the world is at hand, and that the St. Louis tornado is an indication that his judgment is correct

AFTER reading President Cleveland's message accompanying his veto of the river and harbor bill one can readily believe that he lies awake o' nights, wondering turn this government was able to run before he was discovered, and worrying as to what will become of it when it passes out of his watchful care.

IT is close to three years since the World's Fair closed and the awards were made in the numerous departments, and the medals for these have not yet been given out. This week it was announced that many of the names on the medals were incorrectly spelled, and this will still further postpone the final presentation to their owners.

THF. city council of Indianapolis ha adopted a resolution which gives the members of that body the right to wear badge,, to distinguish them when their august presences appear in public places. It is said that the boards of trustees of Haw Patch and Mulberry Center, not to be outdone in this assumption of metropolitan airs, will adopt similar regulations.

CONGRESS, by an overwhelming vote in both branches, passed the rivets-and harbor bill over the president's veto. The president's lecture on "How to Be Truly Good," which accompanied the veto, apparently had no effect on the members of congress, and the criticisms made on his use of the veto power were probably more severe than any yet indulged in. But five senators voted against passing the bill over the veto.

One lesson taught by the St. Louis tornado is that all electHc wires should be placed underground. When the cyclone struck St. Louis broken wires became instantly a source of special danger. The flames were so many incendiaries setting (Ire to buildings all over the city and threatening unlimited destruction of life and property. And while they thus lighted fires everywhere, they refused to give the alarms, obstructed the path of the firemen, and left the city in darkness for thieves to plunder.

ON the first day of June, 1796, George Washington approved the act which made Tennessee the sixteenth state of the union, apd the one hundredth anniversary of that event was appropriately observed on Monday at the opening of the Centennial exposition at Nashville. The people are taking much interest in the affair, and they can well feel proud of their state, for Tennessesse showed a larger percentage of increase of population after 1870 than any of the Middle or New England states, except Rhode Island and New Jersey. The state in 1890 hat! more citlsens who had been United States soldiers than any New England state, except Massachusetts. It had fewer mortgages than thirty-two other states and territories. The capacity of its iron furnaces was 600,000 tons, a third more than the entire production of the United States in I860, It had 5,000 square miles of coal and 2,700 miles of navagable rivers. ^^_____

TiiR single tax people of Illinois hare made a combination with the free silver people who are in control of the Democratic machine whereby a plank will be inserted In the state platform endorsing the single tax theory. This is what they are going to ask for In the platform: The complete divorcement of state from local taxation the raiding of all revenues for state purposes by a tax on corporations holding franchises coextensive with the state a constitutional amendment permitting home rule in taxation by allowing each county or lesser political division to ft* and determine, by majority vote, the clam or classes of property upon which taxe« for local purposes shall be levied. A number of counties in the state have declared In favor of these resolutions, and It is practically assumed that the convention at Peoria will adopt them, but It Is likely that it will be many year* before the people of Illinois will be called upon to test the doubtful theories advocated by Henry George...

Bicrct.W are cheaper this year than ever before, but those who are in a position to know prophecy that the prices are sure to come down materially next year, Mid possibly this year before the close of the season. A few year* ago one invested in a bicycle as he would in a horse or a bufflty He had no Intention of selling or trtStt* it at the epA of six months. A bicycle of any f1 rtder became more attached to It each year. Wh^T™*and

modl^f fT

ve*r to year, to ride one machine five JTrfx vears was not at all uncommon. may be saM. a wheel must be

the occasion. This desire for new

wheel* Ut(8t pattern has done much! t3T Sold by Druggists, 75c.

to benefit manufacturers young in the wheel-making business. Cyclists feel that while a wheel may not have great endurance, it will suffice for a season or two. when they will want a new one any way It has been rumored that a consignment of bicycles is likely soon to arrive in this country from Japan, and that they will sell at a surprisingly low figure. Whatever may be the truth of this report, it is generally believed that bicycles should be cheaper than they now are, and that bright prospects await the concern which will furnish a rich man's wheel at a poor man's price. ________

THERE are a few things that we can learn from the effete countries of the old world, especially in the way of municipal government. The question of municipal government is of direct interest to the average citizen, and his representatives should be alive to everything that can in any way reduce the cost of such government. In that respect we are wofully behind the large municipalities of the old world. For instance, the city of Paris grants franchises to omnibuses and street car companies for limited terms—from thirty to fifty years. It requires them to provide a seat for every passenger, and to stop the vehicle whenever passengers want to get on or off, at certain fixed stopping places. It limits them to a reasonable rate of fare. It extracts from them a license fee of $400 a year for each omnibus and $300 a year for each car. It makes them divide equally with the city all surplus profits above certain fixed dividends. And, finally, it strictly enforces all these regulations and requirements.

THE United States enjoys the distinction of being about the only republic which has no orders of chivalry or knighthood, although if General Lew Wallace had had his way we would have something similar to these in his proposed Chamber of Immortals. France has at the present moment no less than four orders—namely, the Legion of Honor, the order of Agricultural Merit, the order of the Academy, and the so-called "Medaille Militaire." The Italian republic of San Marino has likewise a long list of decorations which it scatters broadcast in the most lavish manner, and now the African republic of Liberia has followed suit and has instituted the order of African Redemption, its diplomatic representative at Paris, having recently solemnly invested the papal nuncio with the grand cross thereof. Several of the Central and South American republics have orders of the same kind, Honduras having its order of Santa Rosa, Nicaraugua its order of San Juan, Venezuela its otder of Bolivar and Bolivia its order of the Legion of Honor.

THE ruling question of the hour seems to be, what is to become of Thomas B. Reed if he fails of nomination for president in St. Louis, which seems certain, and^refuses to accept the nomination for vicepresident, which he can have if he will say the word. The Washington politicians are almost unanimous in the opinion-that he must retire from publicjlife if he declines to be vice-president, and there are frequent signs of an intention on his part to do1 so. During the last two or three weeks he fyas received much encouragement from influential men in New York to open a law office in that city. They tell him that he will have no difficulty in securing plenty of business, and that several corporations are ready to offer him retainers. Some of Mr. Reed's friends think he would be wise to yield to these inducements, betf&tise they believe he could not be elected speaker of the house of representatives again. He has antagonized so many members during the present session that they would fight him bitterly, and the geographical question is going to be prominent in the selection of the next speaker. It would be a shame if a man of the strength and force of character of Mr. Reed should be driven from public life by his failure to receive a presidential nomination. We need more men of his caliber, but if his heart is "sot" on the presidential nomination or nothing, the chances are that he will get nothing.

AMUSEMENTS.

To-night will be the last appearance of Miss Ida Fuller In her bewildering prismatic dances, with the Harrison Park "Casino" company at the Opera House. Prices to-night, 15c, 25c, 35c, 50c and 75c. To-morrow (Sunday) afternoon the Pickaninny Band will appear at Harrison Park, presenting an excellent musical programme, and Sunday evening at the new "Casino" the entire company will be seen in a select programme. It will be the grand opening of the Harrison Park (new) Casino for the summer and Miss Ida Fuller, Billy Van, Zelmo Rawlston, Zaselle and Vernon, the Lundgreens, Marie Godoy and the Columbia Quartette, with the popular Pickaninny band, will appear. The opening of the new Casino, the most perfect summer palace in this country, should be an event of such importance as to attract the largest crowd ever seen at any entertainment given In this city. The admission Is 15 cents which Includes the round trip street car fare. If choice seats are desired they can be secured by the payment of 90 or 85 cents, also inclusive of the street car fare, the original 15 cent coupon being presented at the gate with the additional 5 or 10 cents.

Onnot be Cared,

by local applications, as they cannot reach the diseased portion of the ear. There is only one way to cure Deafness, and that is by constitutional remedies. Deafness is eaused by an inflamed condition of the mucous lining of the Eustachian Tube. When this tube gets Inflamed yon have a rumbling sound or imperfect hearing, and when it to entirely closed Deafness to* the result, and unless the inflammation can be taken out and this tube restored to its normal condition, hearing will be destroyed forever nine cases out of ten are eaiuwd by catarrh, which is nothing bat an inflamed condition of the mucous surfaces.

We will give One Hundred Dollars for any cam of Deafness (caused by catarrh) that cannot be oared by Hall's Catarrh Cnrs. Send for circulars, free.

F. JT. CHENEY A Oa, Toledo O.

DANDY TRICKSTERS.

"GRAFTEftS" WHO MAKE THEIR ING AT DICE THROWING.

Bfany

LfV*

Them Are Great Swells, Wear

Fine Clothes, lire Like Kicta Men and

Want to Be Gentlemen—An Ex-Detect

ive Explains Their Little Game.

Twaning against the bar in one of the fashionable cafes np town the other night was a man who until recently was one of the brightest detectives in the police department. He had covered himwftlf with glory on more than one oocasion under the administration of Superintendent Thomas F. Byrnes, but when the shake np in the department came and he was obliged to go he did so without the least feeling of regret.

He did not look like a detective as he stood idly puffing at his cigar. He appeared like a man of the world who bad just left a theater or dinner party. Not until he was greeted by a Press reporter did he arouse from a reverie he seemed to be in. "In every city on the face of the earth," said the ex-sleuth, "that has any pretensions to being oosmopoljt^p' there is to be found a certain class of men who live by their wits, and in living by their wits they do it in a manner that does not place them within the reach of the law, although their methods are far from being honorable. They area nasty, vicious class of men, beside whom a highway robber or a petty sneak thief is the embodiment of all that is good and decent. Bight here in New York that peculiar class of men flourish as they do in Go other city in the world, and they go on unhindered from one year's end to another. Most of them are imbued with a desire to become rich and be gentlemen. That may strike you as being peculiar, but it is nevertheless a fact These men arr known to the police as grafters, and they give a good deal more trouble, to the authorities than ten times as mmxtf' hardened criminals. "See that well dressed, nice looking fellow who is sitting over there in an attitude of studied carelessness, eying the elderly man standing at the cigar lighter? That fellow is a grafter. He dresses like, looks like and talks and acts like a gentleman, and yet it seenu to me not more than ten years ago that he was a $6 clerk in a real estate office. His people are very poor and never were able to provide him with any of the luxuries in which he indulges himself nowadays. Yet he can now go into a fashionable restaurant and order a splendid meal from a bill of fare that is printed in French. He is not well up in literature and avoids the subject very cleverly if it is introduced. Still he is a hard student, devotes himself to a few selected books for several hours a day and in other ways tries to improve his m|nd and his manners." 'But how does he get his money?" "He shakes dice. He is cleverest dice shakers in In fa^t, I dofl't believed he The iflhn he Is going to

Not only that* bat he defies detection in the doing of it. He would be caught by one of his own class, of ooorae, but the ordinary man would have no reason for suspecting that everything was not right

The dice box having been produced, they for drinks, and finally it to proposed that they shake for money. Perhaps the old man will not want to bet If he doesn't and oan't be persuaded to, well and good. The grafter has been affable and courteous all the time and continnessa Before they part company, however, it is a pretty rare thing that the grafter has borrowed of the old fellow about what he had spent for drinks, promising of coarse to pay it back. "The chances are about even that the old man will bet something, and if be does he lose* it, of course, in which case be is jollied enough to make bim tate the thing good natoredly. "The clever grafter is not a metau fellow. If the old fellow went broke and the amount of the loan asked was reasonable, the shark would give it to him."—New York Prcsa.

EARTHQUAKES IN SAMOA.

Singular Phenomena Caused by a Con vulsion of Nature in the South Seas. The schooner Viking. Captain Luttrell, from Puget sound, was at Apia, Samoa, on January 10 last. From Captain Luttrell and others we received information that nearly all the islands of the Samoa group were visited by severe shocks of earthquake on the days of December 25 and 26. At Tuitulla the shock was the severest ever experienced in th history of the Island. At first the report was spread that twenty lives had been lost among the natives there, but subsequent news proved this report to be false. However, a great deal of damage was done, and at Amalina Bay, a town on Leona bay, heavy shower of volcanic ashes fell which covered the houses to the depth of several inches. The natives were panic-stricken, many leaving the island in their boats and proceeded to Apia, where they spread the report that a number of lives had been sacrificed. At Fagaloa bay a remarkable submarine phenomenon occurred. On Christmas day two heavy shocks of earthquake were felt. Shortly afterward a great body of water was lifted from the bay, shaped like a geyser, and carried to an immense height. A volume of steam, smoke and ashes escaped with it. The water fell in the form of a shower, and volcanic dust filled the air.

For three days after the eruption the water of the bay were hot and boiled around the spot where the waterspout had occurred. Fishes were killed by thousands and a reign of terror existed among the natives. The western part of the island of Tultuila is the -most thickly populated, and the report that no lives had been lost came from this district only. It Is said that there is a possibility that some of the natives who make tlieir homes in the mountains might have met death, as a great Yolume of ashes fell on the northern slope of the Island.

Tuituila lies southwest of Apia. It is high and voleanic. The island is' 17 miles In length and 5 miles wide. Pago Pago harbor is on Its south side. Matafoa, a peak 2,300 feet high, is situated nearly in the center of the island and Is an extinct vjjleano. It is said to have smoked and emitted ashes, but this report could not be confirmed.

At Tau, another island of the Samoa group, the earthquake shocks were felt severely. No material damage was done on shore, but submarine convulsions killed millions of fish and slightly changed the topography of the outlying reefs.' The formation of Tau had not been disturbed since 1866, when a marine disturbance, similar to that which occurred at Fagaloa. changed the outlines of the place. Smoke, ashes and steam arose from the sea. The sea bottom shoaled in several places.

At Mauna the quakes shook down a number of native huts.—San Francisco Call.

BABIES NO INCONVENIENCE.

A husband and wife attended a ball at the Elysee, leaving two young children at home in charge of three domestics. The lady felt ill at ease, and about 11 o'clock insisted on returning home. On reaching there not a trace of children QV servants did the place contain. What __ .become of the nurse? In two sec after Junf»toy,e young husband had mounted The groom hi^eryants' ttHfrms in the attic, bui eld 5P#fl:so were empty. Then, in great

this,* provided he sucoeedsb^ide hmtfm, the concierge was interviewed, the acquaintance of the elderTymaiiT'rand fr They will enter upon a general conversation, in which he holds his own. They have several drinks. Drinking becomes monotonous, and they drift out in the street together. Does he tell the old man that he is a stranger in New York? Not at all. He says he has been here all his life. He had an engagement to meet some friends at the hotel, but they disappointed him. He oomes to another fashionable cafe and asks the old man to have a drink. He drinks whisky, but the drinks are usually small. Perhaps if he gets too many he will lose one on the floor. As they go from one place to another the places will deteriorate, and finally, the old man having had a sufficient number of drinks to make him woozy, the last place will be one in which Mr. Grafter has a dice box planted." "What do you mean by planted?"? "By that I mean that the barkeeper is a friend of the grafter and keeps be-, hind the bar special dioe and a special dioe box to be used on special occasions. This is one of the special occasions. Perhaps I should explain to you that in order to manipulate a dice box, or rather the dioe, the inside of the box must be perfectly smooth. That is because the grafter holds one or more of the dice in his fingers and places it in the box in such away that it will slide out of the box right side up when the proper time comes. j, "Some of the dice shakers have oelluloid boxes planted, and this, wj,th a square set of dice, makes the sliding process an easy matter. But celluloid is likely to excite suspicion, so the leather boxes are most oommonly in use among dioe shakers who are clever at their business. A man who is clever at his business can shake oat four aces in poker dioe as easily as he can eat his din-

nn him they learned that this.wa» the usual custom when madame and monsieur went out for the evening. The cook, the housemaid and the nurse wculd take the obildren and depart for a certain dance hall,the address of winch he the nreluctantly gave to the distressed parents. Into a carriage they flew, in full ball costume, and drove with all speed to the establishment where the servants were dancing. The manager met these elegant strangers with profuse apologies. "Be assured," he said, "ani follow me all is well," and, leading the way, he opened a door into a spacious room, lighted and warmed, where eight* een babies were reposing on the benches, sound asleep, under the guardianship of an old woman, a la nursery! Sure enough Eighteen babies "in high life" transferred from their own downy nests to a dance hall "creche" hlle the servants tripped,it in the adjoining hall! The parents of two of this interesting collection picked out their own darlings and neglects to add what happened to the domestics for having proved recreant to their trust. In marked contrast to such un trust worthiness, President Faure, during his reoent tour in the south of France had presented to him at Lyons a faithful woman who had served one family with aboslute devotion for sixty-nine years. To the immense satisfaction of everyone M. Faure decorated this good soul with the Legion of Honor. And surely never was that bit of red ribbon more honorably placed than on her honest breast. They do some things very well, indeed, in France.—Paris Figaro.

HOW ESKIMOS TRAP WOLVES. Field and Stream tells of a curious way by which Eskimos catch wolves. They plant a stake in the Ice, with a sharp piece of flint on the aid, which is wrapped with seal or other blubber. Along come the wolvr and go to licking th« frozen blubber. After a while they get down to the flint and cut their tongues on it. Being ravenously hungry, when they taste the warm blood they fail to and chew the life oat of one another. The familiar trick of putting a bent piece of sharpened whalelone into a ball of blubber, which Is released by the heat of the animal's stomach and results in the death of the animal. Is much less effective than the flint stake,because nearly whole packs of wolves are killed by the latter device.

N. D. El ting tells a curious story about a pigeon that has the instincts of the batcher bird. One of his friends living in

ronton, O., owns a large male pigeon which takes delight in killing chickens. The friend found chickens two or three weeks old dead on the ground with their necks broken, bat couldn't account for It, till one day he saw the pigeon alight near a chicker and, pouncing on it, break its neck. The pigeon flew away without eating its victim. Why this wa« done, If It was not for fun, is not known

AH Are Invited

To make their headquartere next Week at Dohlea's Marie Stone, No. 002 Main street.

Have Strawberries, Raspberries,

Nothing is More Serious

Ribbons, Lacea, EuiMoidHries, Parasols, Gloves, Muslins, Prints, Ginghams. Dress Goods, Linings, Linens, Canton Flannels, Cassimeres for men's and bo) 's suits, in fact everything in our large and complete stocks is being sold and sold fast at such greatly reduced prices that many bright silver dollars are being hoarded up by conservative buyers.

You will also find it yery profitable to have a Muslin Underwear talk with us.

In the

Home Grown Beans, Home Grown Beets, Spring Chickens,

Cucumbers.

Lamps at Cost.

To make room for my new stock of Fine Lamps I am closing my present stock out at cost. This includes Solid Gold Plated Banquet Lamps, Sliver Plated Lamps, Glass Banquet Lamps, Stand and Kitchen Lamps. 760 of them to be closed out absolutely at cost.

GEORGE J. HAMMER8TEIN, 807 Main stteet.

The Vandalia line will run one more cheap excursion to St. Louis—round trip $8.00. Train will leave Union Station 1:40 a. in., Sunday June 7th, tickets good to return on all trains of Sunday, June 7th, 1896.

•^Tharf the simple truths expressed iW plain pords and clcarctypes in our Great Re: moval Sale news every day. Every worcf is important to many people who can not afford, at these depressed times, to pay handsome profits on the necessaries uf iife.^

PARK

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

BY THE PICKANINNY BAND.

Sunday Night, June 7th,

Orand Opening of the (New) CASINO, Harrison Park.

Ida Fuller, Billy Van, Zelma Rawlston. Marie Godoy, i? „:V Pickaninny Band, Zazelle Vernon, Columbia Quartette, The Lnndgreens.

Prices, 15c, 20c, 28c. including round trip tickets on the electric railway. For sale by conductor* of cars and at Bontln 8 drag store.

OTICE OF MEETING OF COUNTY BOARD OF REVIEW. Notice Is hereby given that the county board of review will meet at the room of the county commissioners In the court house of Vigo county. Indiana, on Monday. Jane IS, MM, tor the purpose of reviewing the assessments and the equalisation of the val nation erf the property In said county. Said board will continue in session not to exceed twenty days. All persons having grievances to lay before said board may present the same for adjustment.

Witness my band aad seal this 9th day of MAY IMS.

JAMES SOCLES,

Auditor of Vigo County.

*3^

1 a:0!0 24Z -A. 23" STEEE TV

The coming week the last ot the special Shirt Waist purchase, which we so luckily made, will be offered at, to you, great saving price**.

We also inaugurate our June Ribbon Sale. The cream of the year's Ribbon elegance. A col lection of all the wanted sorts of all Silk Ribbons at prices that cannot continue. l?our chance for these goods will end with this sale. 5,000 yards of fine Dresden Ribbons, A regular 35c value for 21c

IMPORTERS AND RETAILERS.

8. Iy. FBNNER,

Builders' Hardware/Furnaces,

and First-class Tin Work,

REDUCTION

E. R. Wrigfii & So.

Grocers

IN THE COST OF WATER CONN EOT IONS.

The Water Works Co. titinounces that beginning May 15, ltiflti, and continuing until June 15. 18911. tlicy will muke connections to parties

agreeing

to make Immediate use of

the water, for $tt. This rate applies only to parties residing on unp&ved streets. Con» nectlons pn street paved with brick or asphalt will bo made at a corresponding reduction.

For full particulars as to rates, etc., call on or address the Water Works Co., 513 Ohio Street. Mi. K. LEASE. SEE.

L. L. WILLIAMSON, Supt.

STIMSON, STIMSON & CONDIT, Attorneys ^DMlNISTltATOR'S APPOINTMENT.

Notice Is hereby given that the undersigned. John G. Mlnnick, has been appointed administrator of Thomas Jackson, late of Vigo county, deceased. The estate Is solvent.

IFof

JOHN G. MINNIOK, Administrator.

WANTED.

the wholesalers, rectifiers, compounders drink and the murderous adulterators of food think the fight against their law-In-dorsed system of poisoning the people Is not to continue, they will discover their mistake when it is too late. I iflm In the fight now and backed by the knowledge that the crusade Is a righteous one and for the safety of my fellow man. I will go to the finish. It Is a battle against a system of lingering death which Is making life miserable—filling the world with sorrow and the cemetery with tombstones for the sole purpose of enriching an army of mercenary murderers. It Is a fact that has never been disputed, that the liquor and the food, in passing through the hands of the unscrupulous wholesaler and rectifier is so adulterated that nothing but delcrlum tremens and lingering death can result from their continuous use. The health and life of the people who are now at at the mercy of these multi-murderers demands that the deception must be stopped and although it may be a long and a bitter fight, the right will eventually win. Backed by their millions, the murderers are prepared and will make a desperate reslstence, but a righteous God will see to it that the right shajl win. The public and the ministers of the gospel are with me In this warfare In defense of human life, and will remain to the end. There will be no let up until all the wholesalers, rectifiers and cunning compounders are

laced before the public In their proper light, is my Intention to show Just how they win the confidence of their victims and like murderous bloodsuckers, never release them until they are "broke" or dead. The fight Is, first to expose the murders and the murderers and the next move will be to establish law that will prevent it or land the murde ers in the prison dungeon, where they shouh have been years ago. "Old Cobweb Hall.' Peter N. Staff, proprietor.

FOK SALE.

FOR

SALE—The floe residence on the corner of Eighth and Buckeye? fruit and flowers in abundance. Absolutely no dust or smoke. For particulars apply on premises.

F°

SALE OR RENT very cheap, a nine

JL' room house: newly papered Ias and water 1108 south Hlxth-and-a-half street key at 11®.

FOR SALE-CHEAP

Splendid building lots on uorth Fourth. Sixth, Center. Ninth also on south Seventh. Center, Fourth and Fifth streets. For parUcnlanicall on

f»

R. IMHLEN. 90S Wabash ave.

FOR SALE.

Improved and unimproved property in all parts ut the city. For particulars call on R. DA IILEN, Real Estate, Loan and Insurance agent. AOS Wabash avenue.

FOR SALE OR EXCHANGE.!

US acres of farming land will trade for "xsr*' "n not, Wabash ave.. Terre Haute.

Teh

A. M. BIGGINS. 1 Lawyer. Opera House Block