OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6392, 8 August 1882, Page 3

OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

San Francisco, July Ist, HARVEST OUTLOOK.

The crop of the season looks promising everywhere, although some sections will be short. Rocent rainstorms have injured the corn'crop West. There is not a very large surplus of old wheat in stock, and California has been the largest exporting point since the beginning of the year. But our crop of 1881 was short, and our surplus was largely made up from the held-over grain of 1880, owing to low prices in that harvest year. The consequence of a shortage of wheat and flour oxports has been to change the balance of trade somewhat, although America is still a creditor country. If the indications of the present har vest do not change considerably, this country will have an enormous surplus of breadstutfs for export. California will have over a million tons of wheat for export from to-day, which is the beginning of our harvest year, the season's exports of breadstutfs being usually reckoned from July to the June following, inclusive. Our fruit crop will be very valuable. From October we shall export wheat direct, via New Orleans.

STORMS, WBECKS, CASUALTIES, ETC. Nature has been especially disagreeable in the West. A cyclone passed over part of the State of lowa about the middle of June, which destroyed everything in its track. The killed are estimated at 100, and the wounded at about 500; the property destroyed is valued at from two to three million dollars. It passed over 10 counties, and left a clean trade 50 miles long and half a mile wide. lowa College and the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad Company are large losers. An appeal for assistance has been issued by the Mayor of Gtfinnell, which has been greatly wrecked. The loss in property alone in that town exceeds 400,000d01. The following is an extract from this appeal:— " The fury and power of this calamity are indescribable. Of the houses of many pcrple there was not a splinter as large as a linger, not a shred of furniture as large as a skein of silk, and' hundreds have no clothing .left except the nightclothes they had on. Cases of exceptional horror and exceptional pathos add to the piteous whole. Women in pregnancy were killed outright, others forced to premature delivery, and little children had both parents killed, or left maimed and wounded themselves. Every condition of woo exists that most tenderly appeals to the human heart. The wounds inflicted by the debris that filled the air like chaos, or electric balls of fire that seemed to traverse every inch of space, and that exploded with fearfully fatal effect, will many of them defy all the skill and nursing, even with the tenderest care. The fury of the storm, which was clearly of electric origin, and which, indeed, may be described as having been electricity itself, precipitated in chaos, may be understood from the statement that in various places it took up in its great spirals or funnels houses a thousand feet high, and took up and carried large flocks of cattle through the air for thousands of feet and dashed them down dead in heaps. Many thousands of cattle, horses, hogs, and other animals now lie in the track of the tornado."

The style of the appeal is a little exaggerated, and a simple recital of the facts would have been far more effective; but I give it in preference to any version of my own, as it comes from those who witnessed this storm. Human resources are alike unavailing in the presence of natural forces like those which are annually precipitated upon the great Western prairies of America. A week subsequent to this tornado, the same district was visited by a rainstorm of terrific violence, accompanied by lightning and wind, which in many cases completed the work of ruin loft unfinished by the cyclone. In other sections hailstorms are reported which reconcile the Bible narrative of an army destroyed by similar missiles with natural occurrences. Hailstones 10 inches in circumference, delivered with sufficient force, would dispose of an army, "horse, foot, and dragoons, in a very short time; and this is the average size of Texan or Illinois hailstones of recent date. A tidal wave, "two miles wide and 11 feet higher than the surface of the lake," wrecked vessels on Lake Erie, and cast ashore thousands of fish, on the 23rd of June. The wave " came in the wake of an angry black cloud," according to the telegram. Another terrific cyclone has travelled from Nebraska to New Jersey, doing great damage. On the evening of the 19th June, a fire occurred at Oakland wharf, which burned the collier Great Western to the water's edge, destroyed a large railroad shed and its contents, also several car-loads of wheat, besides partially burning the iron barque Norna, laden with railroad iron.

The British steamer Escambia, belonging to the Escambia Steamship Company of Liverpool, foundered between the inner and outer bars at San Francisco, on the evening of the 19th June, on her outward voyage, wheatladen, for Capo de Verde Islands. She had upwards of 2300 tons of wheat on board. This fine vessel was built in 1879, and classed Al at Lloyd's. She was admirably found in every respect. The Escambia brought coolies from Hongkong to Victoria, 8.C., from whence she brought coal to San Francisco, and loaded wheat. Before leaving it was noticed that she had a heavy list to port, and it is supposed that the cargo had not baen properly 6towed. .This did not appear at the court of inquiry held before Consul Booker and two nautical assessors, themselves commanders of English steamships now in harbour. It is believed, however, that the water-ballast was only partially pumped out of the tanks in the hold, and that wheat was stowed in all available space, coal being stacked on deck 10 feet high. The pilot waa dismissed by the captain before the usual point of departure was reached, and ho had not been gone many minutes when the steamer went down. Twenty-fivo men, including the first officer, and first and second engineers, were drowned;

the captain, third engineer, cook, and one of the stewards managed to get ashore near Cliff House, in a very exhausted condition, during the night. The sea was not unusually high, but a strong trade wind was blowing, and the small boat to which the captain swam from the sinking ship, was swamped a mile off shore. The tide runs very strong at this place, and by reason of the undortow it is difficult to land even in calm weather on the sand below Cliff House, As I have said, all but four perished. A coasting schooner which passed out in the wake of the steamer, kept tacking about for hours, but did not save anyone. Three small schooners crossed the bar without inconvenience. The foundering of the vessel was telephoned to the city, when a steamtug was despatched to make search for any boat that might be seen ; but the search was fruitless. At low water the masts are visible. The hull lies in the fairway of ships, and is dangerous. A nun-buoy has been placed over it, and a tug stationed to warn off vessels approaching. The wreck was put up at auction in the Merchants' Exchange on Saturday Jast, and sold for 75Cd01, and the cargo for 30dpi. The idea is to lift the ship. Being in the fairway, Jf js dangerous to navigation, and must be removed. T-fo Consular Court found that tho vessel sank thpnigl) perils of tho sea, which is contrary to oyidenco, T|)e Bscambia had not got to sea, and was in no danger if properly trimmed. A new inquiry will probably "be ordered by the Board of Trade. According to Captain Purvis' testimony, something must have gono wrong with tho machinery, although he did not know it, because the vessel refused to answer to her helm. Seas were breaking over her as she lay upon her side, and a heavy roller came before she could recover from a lurch to port, and she went down. The chief officer " lost his head," and rushed to the lifeboat, which was stove in by the sea, and tho poor fellow's head, which had been "lost" before, was crushed between the b.oat and ship. These are all the facts that ft.re told by the survivors ; but thoy do not account for the swamping of a f}ne qcean - going steamship leaving port under a full head of steam, in a sea which was no inconvenience to coasting schooners and a steam-tug. I fancy that the water-ballast being only in part pumped out, tha e'argo and coal were stowed too high above the watopJino, and that the vessel was not in trim to starjt upon her voyage. Tho evidenca taken before the Consular Court will be transmitted to the President gf tlje Board of Trade,

Tho iron ship Laminermoor, with 2300 tons of ooal, from Sydney to San Francisco, was lost on Bodega reef, about 40 miles north of this harbour, Juno 25th. A court of inquiry is being held, and the ovidenco points to culpable negligence on tho part of the captain. No lives were lost. The hull and tho cargo have been sold for less than £200. There is great risk in approaching tho place oven in boats, and a wrecking-vessel cannot be got to the wreck. Should exceptionally calm weather prevail, something may be saved. It will no seen that this has been an unfortunate month for British shipping.

GUJTEAU HANGED. On the 30th Juno Charles .T. Guil/ui was executed in Washington Gaol for tin; m irdor of President Garfiold. This was e>vi.:tly two days short of tho anniversary of tiio assassination. As I oncloso a deHcri;.--ion of tin) execution and narrative- of tin; r '.mo, and subsequent events, from this Kvi-ni. b ' Post of this city, which covers the wholn j:.<>imd, extended reforonco is unnecessary in V..'h place, hvery legal device was tried to procure a new trial or a reprieve-, but the Supreme Court sustained Judge Cox, and refused to disturb the proceedings in tho lower Court. A momonal was presented to the President praying for a respito and the appointment of a commission of oxperts to inquire into Guiteau's sanity. The memorial, together with accompanying arguments, were presented to Attornoy-goneral Browster, who reported adversely, and the Cabinet unanimously endorsed his action. Personal appbals were mado to the President, but ho refused to interfere with the process of law. Guiteau. who had been very abusive when the toils began to close around him, became more subdued and penitent towards his latter end than he had been sinco tho commission of his crime, and he died with more courage than many people gave him the credit of possessing. It is a good thing, however, that tho country is rid of him. ODDS AND ENDS.

Tho Chinoso invasion continual without diminution, but the local authorities, by enforcing the law against the " ocean tramp," aa British merchant steamers are called, haye checkod it somewhat. Tho British steamship Altonowor was quarantined six weeks, at a coat of over £3000 to her owners in expenses. The captain of tho Strathairly was fined over 11,000 dollars on his own admission of carrying 222 coolies in excess of tho legal number—lie had really carried 320; and charges for making a false declaration and illegally berthing his passongeru are pending. Tho captains of two other steamships engaged in tho eoolio trade are likewise in trouble at this port, and two wore heavily fined at Portland, Oregon, for breaches of tho United States shipping laws. The truth appears to be that these steamship commanders thought they might pack their ships full of cooliei at 40 dollars a head, dump them ashore at San Francisco, Oregon, or British Columbia, and return for more. ; Tho Chinese manstealors were willing to pay any charter asked, to secure labour slayes before the prohibitive law went into operation. The Bolgie has arrived with 500 odd coolies, many having smallpox, and one very bad case of leprosy. This is the kind of peoplo who aro coming at the rate of a thousand a week. The Canopus alone brought 1009 coolies. The export value of wheat from San Francisco for the year ended June 30th was 36,905,317d01; of flour, 4,480,682d01; and of barley, by sea, 742,609. The overland shipment of barley to the East was very large.

Mr John Kerr, of Nelson, takes down some fine trotting stock, selected in this State, consisting of stallions and mare 3. Eight of them go to Sydnoy ; also four horses shipped by other parties for Australia. The City of New York takes down a full cargo of merchandise, including salmon and hops. Mr Creighton. has shipped 600 ci-anberry plants for acclimatisation in New Zealand to Mr Firth, of Auckland, who will take care to propagate them. Mr Creighton has requested him to communicate with Mr Farr, secretary of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, and forward a supply for propagation, if that Society is prepared to receive them. Cranberries are shipped to England, and find ready salethore. Theyare in demand here. Thosesont are the best variety obtainable, and have been acclimatised in California. Cranberries should be a profitable crop anywhere in New Zealand. They are expensive in preparing the ground and cultivating during the first two seasons. Mr Gamble, agent1 for the Pacific Mail Company at Auckland, also receives 200 plants by this steamer.

Several shipments of breadstuffs have been made to Sydney, and two vessels are on the berth. A barque has sailed with an assorted cargo of lumber for the same place. The Colonial trade appears to bo. increasing. Jacob Terry.