MAIL NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11950, 25 January 1901, Page 7

MAIL NEWS

(Per Alameda at Auckland.)

SEVERE SNOWSTORMS.

The closing days of last year were marked by storms which will be long remembered by ■ the seafaring folk of many and widely-sepa- ■ rated lands. Reports ffbin,'Port Townsend are to the effect that the. full return with re- •" gard to disasters will show, the storm of last i December to. have infiioted the greatest loss in the history of the ■Pacific Coast shipping. . Many vessels, as in the case of the German . ship Carl; Wheatland) from Tacomtl'' for . ..Europe, were able to return to port though in • waterlogged and disabled conditions, and ow- • ing to the succession of severe gale 3 encountered cargoes were jettisoned everywhere, and .' those who escaped the fury of the elements and brought their ships to harbour considered •themselves lucky. the losses was that of tl/e steamer Alpha, driven ashore in Baines Sound, in the vicinity of Vancouver. A plucky seaman volunteered to swim ashore with' lines, and by this means 25 members of the crew were saved. The captain, engineers, and others decided to stay with the vessel and '■ try to save her from being a total wreck, By this means nine lives were lost, as fearful seas . swept oyer.-the ship and destroyed her. The British ship Rathdown, a fine three-masted vessel, 91 days out from Yokohama, in ballast ' for.Portland, is believed to have gone down. The steamer City of Topeka, of San Francisco, is a total wreck in Lynn Canal, 40 miles from Juneau. The Alaska's passengers and crew, numbering 100, were saved by a fortunate chance. She left Skagway. on December 9 for Seattle. Captain Olson, one of the oldest ■ pilots on the ran, was in command. The, ; • wind was blowing a gale from the north. As the hours passed the storm became more ' intense, and blinding snow began to fall. The ■ captain and two pilots were on the bridge, but it was decided to put back to Haines Mission. At half-past 5, in the darkness, and with the ■ wind enveloping the vessel in clouds of snow and spray, the_ Topeka struck the rocks on ■ the port broadside, tearing two jagged holes— one 10ft and one 25ft long—below the water line. The ship listed badly, but the shock was not sovere, and the passengers retained • their calm. All hands were piped to the lower boats. The ropes were covered with ice, and a • delay of 30 minutes ensued before launching. ' The passengers and crew behaved with the' : greatest fortitude, and cheered when the Bhip's searchlight disclosed the shore not more than ' 100 yards distant. Blankets'were stripped from the beds, provisions hastily collected, and • fires built; The terrible storm raged steadily, - and it was not until December 13 that tlie last ■ of the passengers were rescued and taken to ■• Juneau on the steamer Rustler. The British ship Cromartyshire narrowly escaped destruction in the gale on the Pacific. She managed ■to creep into,harbour badly disabled, her • bulwarks were lashed up with wire, the ■ crow working up to their necks in tho water. . The ship Challenger, from Ladysmith (8.C.) . for Kabului, is another vessel which managed to get into San FranciEcb dismasted and dis- '. *b'led by battle with (he storm. On January 2 tho worst snowstorm in 11 ■ years swept over Southern Oregon and North- • ern California, burying the railway tracks • under 7ft of snow on the level afcsome points, and piling up from 14ft to 20ft cuts and drifts. . Modern snow ploughs were at work.every- ( where, and the railways generally managed to keep traffic open, though with the greatest ■ difficulty. STORMS IN ENGLAND. Tlie Spanish steamer Enecuri was driven ashore at Portland breakwater. The Weymouth lifeboat attempted to rescue her crew, ' but the fearful seas running prevented thorn. It is believed they can be saved. ' The British steamer Penopol, from Sulma' ' (November 23) for Dublin, went ashore on ■ the sands between Allravon and Briton, near • Taunton. The breakwater at Watchet Harbour yielded to the force of the gale, and became ■ a wreck, permitting the tremendous sea to ' have full play against the shipping in the . ' harbour. Several vessels broke adrift, two foundered, and five others were driven into a hopeless tangle in a corner between the pier ' and the wharf, where they lay grinding ■ against each other. Their masts and bulwarks speedily went, and the hulls were greatly 'battered. The- damage will reach many thousands of pounds. The Austrian barque Capricorn was driven ' ashore near Bude, Cornwall. Nine of the • crew wer,e drowned and one saved. Four are still on board, with little likelihood of teing.rescued! The barque Pagna was wrecked near Cardiff.'' Threeof 'the' crew' wire "drfiwned, and ' nine rescued byrocket lines; ■ , , \ Fifty barges and sailing craft broke from • their moorings in the Thames', alone. • The steamer Ycsro cpllided with another steamer near Cliveden, in the British Channel. A lifeboat rescued nine of her crew. -Tho ' Pegasus grounded off Lavernock Point, but was subsequently floated and towed to a s 'place of shelter. When she grounded her boats were made ready for lowering, and the ' falls of one of them carried away, precipitating five men into tho water. They were all ' drowned with the exception of a sailor, who ' was picked up by the tug. : A GERMAN FRIGATE FOUNDERS. The German training frigate Gneisenau . foundered at the entrance to the port of Malaga, where she was about to take refuge from ,'» terrible storm that was prevailing. She became a total loss. It is thought that there •were no less than 100 men aboard. Some despatches say 140. Forty of those who were saved are badly hurt! The crew threw themselves into the sea, and clung to the wreckage, but the majority quickly disappeared. Captain' Cressman died at his post. The Malaga lifeboat made three efforts and rescued ■15, but their weight capsized the boat, and 12 . were drowned. The other three were saved, - by means of ropes thrown to them. The port authorities saved many of the sailors. The survivors have been received at the hospital, -the Hotel de Ville, and private houses. THE NICARAGUA CANAL. j After spending the greater part of. the week considering the Hay-Pauncoforte treaty the United States Senate finally, on December 20, passed that convention in an amended form. The first amendment adds the words " which is hereby superseded " after tlie words "Clayton-Bulwer treaty" in the original. The seconds amendment struck out the article . of the treaty which is as follows; "The high \ contracting parties will, upon exchange of t ratifications of this convention, bring it to I the notice of the other Powers, and ask them | to adhere to it" ■It is yet unknown whether j England will accept the treaty in its amended I form, hence the fate of the measure authoris- j ing the canal is still very much in doubt. The j paragraph declaring for the abrogation of the j Clayton-Bulwer treaty has been rather ill-re- j ceived by the English press, and a declaration J . has been heard in several quarters to.the effect I that the United States appear to be most un- S grateful. ' General news. It is reported from Spain that the resignation of Rear-admira) Ramos, Minister of Ma- I rine, may be expected, owing to the rejection by the Chamber of Deputies of the Government's scheme for,rebuilding the navy. J It is reported from Vienna that the-Bucha- I rest press states that at the suggestion of Count von Bulow an offensive and defensive J alliance has been concluded between Turkey and Roumania, which is direotcd against any , Power which might try to disturb peace in j the Balkins. This-is said to be perhaps only j designed to distract Russia's intention to some I degree from the situation in China. With a view to, paralysing this alliance, an entente has been.arrived at between Servia and Bui- i garia, under the patronage of Russia. j The Papal Bull announcing the extension of j the Holy Year caused considerable surprise j at Rome, where it had been understood the past year had more than fulfilled expectations as to the number of pilgrims received at Rome and the amount of Petor'B Pence which had poirred into the coffers of the Vatican. It appears the Pope, in view of the approaching demise which he is saki to bear always in mind, despite his jocular declaration that he- intends to live to be 100 yeara, i 3 anxious to have the affairs in a prosperous condition. During December alone, according to a report from Rome to the Associated Press, the enormous sum of 2,400,000 lire was paid in in Peter's Pence'alone. Nothing like this has ever been received in asingle month since the Pope ceased to be a temporal Sovereign. The latest report from the Far East is to the effect that England feels that Russia is attempting to secure a special advantage, and there is a strong belief that America may j support Russia. It is hinted in- . spired the unfounded charges of German bar- j ..barity. ■' . The new year was ushered mat aan Francisco and other great cities of the Union with unusual noise and ceremony, owing to its importance in ushering; in a new. century. The •press gave extended accounts of tho formalities at Sydney, and the details were read with marked interest, because of the belief that the development of the Commonwealth concerns America in general, • and the United Slates in particular. In New York Mr, Alfred Harmsworth, of the London Daily Express, took charge of the New York Herald for one day. An enormous edition of the paper was arranged according to the Englishman's idea of what a modern newspaper ought to be. The edition .'was soon exhausted. The publishers of the : World will not, however, continuo to print .their paper' according to .Mr" Harmsworth's '

idea\of what the newspaper of the twentieth century is to become. The edition'appeared in 32-page form—about one-half its normal size—and lacked some of the usual illustrations. The news was given in a condensed form, arranged with only four columns to the page. The paper was found to be convenient to handle, and this.-is one advantage urged by Mr Harmsworth on newspapers generally. Proprietors, on the other hand, are unable to endorse this innovation, declaring that the appearance of the paper was top magazinelike. In the special issue Mr Harmsworth said editorially:— "Briefly, some of my claims for success of the future newspaper of this kind are based on the following points : The saving of the readers' time; the advantage to advertisers, and the convenient shapo of the, paper for car and chair reading; neatness for carrying iii one's pocket. Nor would I confine the scheme to news alone, although _ I hold that!' news is of the first importance to the newspaper. The chief items of news should be given with considerable fulness." In an interview on the subject Mr Harmsworth said: "With the newspapers of the wholo world before me each week I look in vain for an impressive stroke of originality and daring. We still cling to the clumsy and awkward shapo in which our papers are issued, and any man who has attempted to manipulate one of them on a wisdy day will best appreciate the- force of my remarks. Without new machinery it would be impossible to issue the newspapers of the future in what is obviously its proper shapo—viz., a small, portable, and neatly indexed publication. Among the newspapers that are now (according to my opinion) making progresssetting aside the entire lack of commercial morality—are some French journals. They have always been noted for their high literary excellence. The anonymous editorial has never bean a strong feature of the French papers, but pure literature, in the shape of fiction or criticism, has always been the feature." The power of the.press is not what it used to be, in Mr Harmsworth's opinion. This, he declares, is especially true of England, where tho " leader," which was formerly read and quoted by all men of intelligence, is now scarcely glanced at. Tho great cry is for news, news. But even in the dissemination of news the press have lost their reputation. Mr Harmsworth pays a high tribute to the press of the United Slates as being, in some respects, in advance of his own country. It is asserted that the:new Secretary of the United States Navy (Mr Long) has purchased the island of San Luis Dapri, in the harbour of Guam, from the natives for 900dol. The island will be used as a coaling station, for which, it is said to bo admirably adapted. The Americans are just now much interested in the approaching struggle in the Federal Supreme Court for a decision as to whether the United States may lawfully hold and govern dependencies, provinces, or colonies under the American flag.' It is understood that the future policy, not only of President M'Kinley's-Administration, but of the .Republican party, will be established by the Supreme Court decision. It is admitted that if it is decided that Congress and "the President have no power to impoEe duties on merchandise coming into the United States from Porto Rico or the Philippine 'Islands, the protective tariff of the c6uutry will receive its death-blow. The Government will contend that the reserved sovereignty of tho nation lies not in the whole people, but in the people of the United States proper. They will assert tho right of the United States Government to assume unrestricted sovereign powers, outside of the boundaries of what are known as the United States; also that new ■ territories are owned by and not incorporated within the United States. position will bo taken up against that pleaded by Mr J. G. Carlislo and other great legal lights of the country to the effect that Porto Rico is part of the United States in the sense that the term was employed by Chief Justice Marshall when he desoribed the United States as

" consisting of States and Territories," and that-Congress is limited in its powers, regardless of tho status of tho country in which its acts are to be applied. It will take the Supremo Court several/months, in the ordinary course of events, to reach a decision. There is no possible chance of a decision being reached before Congress adjourns on March 4. If an adverse decision should be come to early in. the summer, and the Government find themselves suddenly stripped of power, it is not impossible that the President may feel compelled to call an extra session of Congress, as many million dollars would have to be refunded out of the Public Treasury. It is even said that tho President is uneasy. on the'subject; though he andothor officials have declared their confidence that the policy of the Administration is correct, and will bo upheld..

The Secretary of War (Mr Boot) communicated to Congress a cablegram from the Philippine Commission indicating a grave crisis in the monetary affairs of the Archipelago. The stock of silver in the islands is rapidly diminishing, and it appears to be impossible to continue the ratio of 12 to 1 established and maintained arbitrarily. Mexican money is being drained away to India, thus making it difficult for the disbursing officers to transact business. The Philippines Commission have prepared a Municipal. Government Bill similar in many respects to General Macarthur's order relative to municipal governments, and authorising the holding of elections. The most notable new featuro is the. establishment of land taxations and the doing away of the head tax and taxation on people's occupations. Another feature new to the Philippines is the provision that the land tax is to be expended, where it is actually collected.

The condition of affairs in Porto Rico is very bad. Small-bands of the people have been taken to Hawaii by private parties to work on the plantations there, and a second party of 400 emigrants are en route. While New York, San Francisco, and other cities greeted the New Year with the.tooting of horns, the ringing of chimes and bells, tho singing of a monster chorus, and watch meetings of the Red Cross and other organisations, Chicago experienced her first "dry night." An ordinance had been passed ordering tho midnight closing of all saloons and all .places .where liquor is sold, and, despite the holiday, the police had the strictest orders- to enforce the ordinance. The mayor has been much criticised for the firm stand he took in the matterj' but ho has noi permitted himself to bo shaken in his determination that there shall be no discrimination in favour of any class in this matter. . The patrons of grand opera are not to be permitted their glass of wine after the performance, while the working man is refused his drink.

Cables from Rome declare that tho new century was ushered in there with religious ceremonies of unusual solemnity. Most of the churches were open until midnight, when their bells and tho"se of the capital pealed forth a greeting to the new century. The most imposing ceremonial was held in the ancient catacombs of Domitilla. The function was splendid in f the extreme, and tho subterranean basilica was beautifully decorated in honour of tho dead. The midnight mass at St. Peter's was larjely attended, in spite of the rain. The Pope celebrated mass privately in his own chapel! A solute of 101 guns was fired from the Castle of San Angelo.

Telegrams from all the European capitals tell of illuminations and fetes of all kinds in. honour, of the New Year. At Berlin the celebration was comparatively quiet, offing to the bitter cold, though some of the streets were filled with the usual rioting and hatsmashing crowds. The Emperor and Empress had a family and children's party at Potsdam, with a magnificent tree filled with gifts. Tho Germans having officially regarded the century as having commenced on January 1, 1900, the celebration this year was not especially brilliant.

England appears to be in the midst of her winter of discontent. The fogs have been of tho pea-soup variety, and tl°e worst for several years. In the country districts tho floods were most distressing. At Bath the water.was 14ft deep, with the tops of the cottages just appearing above tho waste of waters. Boats were kept busy rescuing those whose homes were inundated. Pour deaths from drowning were reported. Thousands have been rendered idle through the flooding/ of works, and in Feveral instances trains were stuck up all night, out of reach of assistance. The bad news from the scat of war added to the general depression.

Additional details of tho reverse at Helvetia are coming in. The declared fact that the Boers invariably release their prisoners does not make such incidents any tho less humiliating to British pride.