AMERICAN MAIL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12457, 30 December 1903, Page 6

AMERICAN MAIL NEWS.

San Fbancisco, December 10. CRUISER RUNS ASHORE.

A despatch from Victoria (8.C.), dated December 3, gives an account of an accident to the British warship Flora, which occurred on the second anniversary of the disaster to the Condor. The Flora was piled up on the rooks near Village Point, Denman Island, at seven in the morning in a dense fog. Her speed was such that her nose was shoved clean out of the water many feet. Her forefoot was badly torn and twisted, holes being punched in it which permitted the waters of the rising tide, to enter the forward compartments. It was at first expected the vessel would float on tho rising tide, but long before the tide was at flood it became evident that the full peril of the vessel had not been understood. The officers watched anxiously as the tide rose, but the stern of the Flora did not show any sign of buoyancy. The hull did not budge an inch, and finally the water reached such a height on the steeply-inclined decks that it commenced to flow steadily into the companionways and through such openings as it could | find.

Admiral Bickford, of the Pacific station, hurried to the wreck, and on returning to Victoria stated that the Flora was hard and fast, dry from mainmast forward at low water, with afterparts about submerged to the deck, and with her funnels aft 10ft below water at high tide, the vessel remaining in that position since she struck. He hopes to be able to save the vessel, but says salvage will be difficult, as the cruiser was well up on the rocks, having obviously run ashore at high speed. Some officers had narrow escapes. Captain Salisbury was in bed when the crash came. A few seconds later the water flooded into the cabin through the open scuppers, and he was nearly drowned before he could scramble out and to the deck. Several other omcers had to hurry from their quarters in night clothes. The forward quarters • did not suffer. After she has been pumped dry there will be an effort to pull the ship off the rocks, which are those on which the collicr Williamette hung nine months before she was salvaged. LOSS OF A FRENCH BARQUE.

The French barque Francois Coppeo, from Newcastle, September 4, for San Francisco with a load of coal, was lost off To males Bay on Saturday, November 21. Thirteen officers and seamen are accounted for out of 24, and it is believed the remaining 11 will never be heard of more. The missing are Captain Irnye; Janeau, carpenter; Olivier, boatswain; Souson, cook; Nicoles, steward ; Oarr, seaman; Clements, seaman; Frederickson, seaman; Gray, seaman; livarts, seaman; Biliian, cabin boy. Anderson, Taylor, Convinils, Reyes, Berkin, 01sen, Webb, Larbet and Gausien, seamen, were saved by the Scotia; and Molines, mate; Augusta Victor, donkeyman; Adolphe Victor, seaman; and Daniel O'Neal j were saved at Tomales. The story of the disaster is a wretched one, and the survivors endured terrible sufferings. A fierce' storm was raging on Friday night, when the ship plunged into the rocky island off the coast. The nine members tho crew picked up by -tho steam schooner Scotia escaped from the wreck in a lifeboat, and were rescued after battling with tho sea for a day and a night. The other four rescued were picked up on the beach at Tomales, and the nine lost are believed to have been drowned while attempting to swim toward the rocky island. Tho Francois Coppee, when the {disaster overtook her, had been hovering two days along the coast endeavouring to get her bearings, but was prevented by a thick mantle of fog . which hung along the coast. It was half-past eleven at night when the watchman gave the alarm of land ahead. Captain Irnye endeavoured to navigate the ship out of danger, but the elements were against him. The barque was driven mercilessly against , tho rocks of Bird Island. A panic ensued. One -boat, heavily provisioned, was lowered before the vessel struck. Into it nine seamen, according •*< to the story of four survivors who reached Tomales, climbed greedily, the captain being powerless to control them. He commanded them to stay by the ship, but they pushed away, saying they would wait astern. -Later, when the Francois Coppee was pounding on the sharp rocks, a lifeboat, stocked with wine, canned goods,, biscuits and extra clothing, was nowhere to be seen. A second boat to be launched was crushed by a wave, and two lashed to the roof of the forecastle were out of reach when the vessel shattered' her bow on the rocks. The vessel pounded terribly, and went to pieces rapidly. Fifteen men clung to the wreck till dawn, when the captain decided that their only chanoe of life was to plunge into the breakers and swim for the rocks. The men realised their desperate chance. Most of them stripped, and they plunged overboard one by one. They seized such wreckage as they could, but some were dashed furiously against tho rocks., and sank, stunned and bleeding, into the deep. Four clung to the rocks and managed to reach a place of safety. _ On this barren island, without food or clothing, they remained from Saturday evening. They construoted a rude raft, and with it managed to reach the mainland, where they found help. They were terribly prostrated by their sufferings, but woro sent to San Francisco as soon as possible. Investigation showed the Francois Coppee to be but a mass of tangled wreckage strewn along the beach, and mixed with torn pieces of bunting, the French tri-eolor, of sailors' clothing, and of other more tragic remains. Four or five, hundred feet off the shore could be seen protruding the white bow of the barque —a broken triangle of white-painted sheetiron Bft high and 15ft across the base. TRADES UNION TYRANNY.

The unions in the United States have hecome so tyrannical in their methods as to incite organised resistance to their demands. A Citizens' Alliance has been organised, and although the proceedngs in San Francisco have been managed secretly, the time is at hand for movements in the open. The object of the association is "protection against the boycott, coercion, persecution of nonunion labour, and other usurpations and oppressive acts of labour unions." The movement has been placed on a national basis as an adjunct to the Parry organisation originally composed of employing manufacturers. Many prominent merohants and employers of San Francisco are at work in this new organisation, and it is positively stated there was already a membership of 5000 in this city, and that it is expected to completo a total enrolment of 25,009 by January 1. The objects of the alliance as set forth in the constitution are: —1. To promote the stability of business and steady employment of labour, whether organised or unorganised, by encouraging friendly relations _ between employer. 1- and employees, and to discourage lockouts, strikes, boycotts" and all kindred movements which savour of persecution. 2. To protect its member;- and the community at large,' and all persons who desire to work from unlawful interference and the evil effects of strikes, boycotts and lockouts, and , all similar movements unnecessarily and unreasonably interfering with trade and busi- ' ness. 3. To protect its members in their inalienable rights to manage their business in such lawful manner as they deem proper, without - domination or coercion by > any organised movements against such rights. 4. To consider any other matters which may pertain to the welfare of the city and country. The membership is to comprise persons, firms, associations or corporations owning property, engaged in business, or employees who' are not members of any labour organisation which resorts to boycott or other coercive measures. That the alliance intends to be a positive power in dealing with unions is evident from the following specification:—"lf any employer shall settle a difference or strike involving a question of general interest to the alliance without first obtaining the approval and consent of the Executive Committee, he shall forfeit membership in the alliance and any right, title or interest therein. And in the event that the alliance has paid out any moneys in his particular difference or strike, the said employer member snail pay back to the alliance such amount of money so spent, and the alliance shall be relieved of all' responsibility in the premises." Employers expect much "benefit from the alliance, but of course the unions will do the utmost in their power to nullify any actions the new organisations may undertake. ATTACK ON AN AMERICAN SHIP. Washington, December 7 Rear-Admiral Roblev D. Evans, Comman-der-in-Ohief of the Asia.+k fleet, has despatched the gunboat Annapolis to Tamsui, Formosa, to make a thorough investigation into the attack upon the crew of the American ship Benjamin Sewell, which was abandoned on October 5 about 40 miles south-east of the island of Bo to I Tabago. Upon the result of the mission of the Annapolis will depend the decision of the State Department as to whether an inquiry of the Tokio Government will be necessary Official details of the search for the missing boat's crew from the wreck of the Benjamin Sewell, made by the Don Juan dc Austria and the Wilmington. are contained in reports received at the Navy Department. On the arrival of these gunboats at South Cape, Formosa, the Don Juan de Austria was ordered to pro-

ceed to Bote! -Tobago, where it was learned three shipwrecked sailors from the Benjamin Sewell were to be found On. of these told the story 0 their experience U C Lieutenant-Commander Denfield, command, ing the Don Juan de Austria, briefly to thi« effect: The Benjamin Sewell sailed from Singapore for Shanghai with a cargo of teak When three days out she was struck by a typhoon and lost all three maets. The can. tain gave the order for all hands to abandon * the ship. Aoki, who tells the story went in a boat in charge of the chief officer,' toother with febe third ma<e and his wife, two Japan-• 630 seamen two Manila seamen, an American negro, a Chinese oook, a Chinese carpenter aad a Russian seaman. Shortiv set on October 10, when five mil„ north shore of the island, they were IttTcSd by four canoes, each manned by about ]? savages, armed with knives. "At this ti™ » says Aolci "we were rowing with ThreeTaW and also had a sail made by piecing together blankets, etc. l'O. provisions we had three cans of pineapples one two or three of milk . ane i some salt niy<it 3nd sliip's biscuit TKa' savages ran alongside of us, and as many as could clambered. on board and stripped us to our skins, not even sparing the woman We all had some money, and the chief mate the cook, and one of the seamen had watches' They pned off all the brass work, tool- out the bow plug, and capsized the coat, After this they made off, having been with us about an hour. It, was now quite dark and we could not see where they went." A.oki says that the negro and the Chinese cook drowned 10 minutes after the boat capsized and later the chief . mate, who was an old man. All of the remainder made for theshore, except the third mate, who w»._ aa American, and the Japanese woman, whom as she could not swim to the shore, the third mato refused to leave. When 'the three Japanese reached the snore they hid anion? the mountains, fearing another attack from the savages. After remaining in hiding five days tbey were rescued by a parly of natives and brought to the' police station. The Japanese Government has ordered a thorough search to be made for,the five missing nersoria on Botel Tabago island. ° 13 -

CANADA AND TBE UNITED STATES. A despatch from Hambourg on December 1 says: The hostility on the part of the : United States is assigned by Canadian immigration agents on the .Continent as the reason why Canada intends to embark on a scheme for stimulating immigration from Northern France and Great Britain. Mr. Jame3 A Smart, Deputy-Minister foi the Interior, i 3, coming to Europe to start a movement which ' it is supposed, implies a general relaxation of efforts to obtain Continental immigrants aside from Frenchmen. The theory appears to be that French and English citizens are readily assimilated by*their respective countrymen in Canada, and augment the elements opposed to all consideration of union with the United States, and prepared to take a strong stand against Americanism in all forms. It is said that while Germanic immigrants are highlsf valuable, thev ca-nuot' be.relied on steadily and permanently to reject the view that Canada's best interests would be conserved by annexation with its" big brother neighbour. i It seems to be feared under conceivable instances that Ger-man-Canadians might .be attracted bj the magnet of numerous kinsmen in the United States. Gorman observers say Canada just now is actuated by a vague and apparently unfounded feeling thaw America is plotting against the independence of the Dominion. '

OTTAWA UNIVERSITY BURNED. A despatch from Ottawa on December 2 says:—Ottawa University, in this city, wa* totally destroyed by fire! early to-day. ' All that remains of the magnificent stone building, which was one ot I tho sights of theeastern part of the city, are portions of the. walls. The loss is estimated at 500.000 dollars, the insurance being 200,000 dollars. It will be two years before the building can be replaced, and meantime there is no place suitable for carrying on tlie work of the university. There were 450 students at the institution, which is Roman' Catholic. Many of the students were' from New England. The fire started at seven o'clock, while most, of the students were at breakfast. A number who were still abed tad to take to the fire-escapes in their night clothes, or iump into blankets held below.) The fire-escapes were all on one side offthe building, and those on the other side hid. to jump four or; five storeys. Many students were injured but none seriously. Twb priests were seriously, perhaps fatally, injured. The fire .9; supposed to have started trom a burning cigarette A library of 30,000 volumes was destroyed. I