Newspaper Page Text
. the morning NEWS, I
i FT.hltshed 1850. Imcohporateu 1888. V
•j EsTJ j H. ESTILL, President. |
PACKING house burned.
hestbUJTION wrought by fire
at CHICAGO.
Tanfcs of.Lard and Carcasses of Hoars
F eed the Raging Flames-Flremen
Badly Handicapped— Driven Away
b „“ h9 intense Heat and Fumes of
Burning Chemicals - Loss Very
Heavy.
Chicago. Sept. 28.—Fowler Bros.’ pack
ing house at the stock yards was damaged
fi e this morning to the amount of *090,-
o! ki The fire started at 1:30 o’clock in the
eki:ig room or the engine room adjoin
ing it is not definitely known which, and
no cause is assigned for the fire.
The firemen worked against obstacle from
the start. Water had little effect on grease
faked floors, and the fire soon reached the
iauk room, where thirty-two tanks of lard
were located. These exploded one after
another with loud reports, and the boiling
lard fed the flames more fiercely.
nKMESr AT A DISADVANTAGE.
The heat was so intense that the firemen
were compelled to work at a distance, and
it was seen to be worse than useless to throw
water into the hissing and seething furnace.
The packing room, 50x150 feet in extent,
and the whole interior was blazing when
tbe firemen reached the scene in response to
the alarm. The flames spread to the cool
j groom adjoining and commenced burn
ir,g the carcasses of hogs hanging there.
Ia the room were 6,089 hogs, and they
burned like oil The roof fell in about two
lours after the fire started, and the fire be
came more furious. Scores of firemen were
directing hundreds of streams of water
into tue burning lard and meat, with no
elect.
FEMES FROM CHEMICALS.
About this time the flames reached a lot
siimeber stored above the packing room
mJ the fumes from the burning chemicals
were awful. It stifled the men and made
tbem retreat. It entered nostrils and eyes
and almost made the men wild with pain.
The atmosphere was saturated with it.
At (i o’clock it was Been to be impossible
to extinguish the burning pork and water
was thrown on it to keep the fire down as
much as possible. It will have to burn itself
i ut, and it will probably be two days yet
before it is entirely extinguished.
In the basement of the entire building
was stored an immense amount of salt
meats. This caught fire, and while the
flames were not furious and were prevented
from blazing high, they still kept eating
sides, shoulders and hams that were placed
in solid cords, layer ou layer. The roof
and floors covered the smoldering meats
and kep: the water from reaching them,
and the firemen were busy all day to-day
usiug axes and hammers for removing the
nrns-es of debris that hindered their work.
BUILT OF INFLAMMABLE MATERIAL.
The interior of the buildings were of
wood aud very inflammable. The cooling
room in which freshly slaughtered hogs
were hanging, was lined with a foot of
sawdust, similar to an ice housa This hin
dered the firemen in their work and aided
the smoldering flames.
About 1,200 men and 100 girls were em
ployed by the company.
The loss was entirely covered by insur
ance, mostly in foreign companies. The
plant was insured for *1,500,000. The Lloyd
Company of Manchester, England, had
lour policies of *109,500 oach. The build
rigs wore divided in departments, aud were
dee gnated by letters. Department F was
totally destroyed. It was insured for
Ci;.',eiH) and there was *125,000 on Its con
tents. Building A was insured for *15,000,
*:th *130,000 on its contents. Building E
lad *35,000 insurance on it and *250,000 on
its contents. The packing house in which
the tire started was insured for *32,500,
with its machinery for *22,500, e glues and
boilers *12,500, and contents *13,000.
THE LOSS.
The loss is divided about as follows:
f 12..,000 on machinery; $75,000 on dressed
$500,0000n sides, hams and shoulders
packed iu the cellars,
company that has been conducting
mis business is composed of Englishmen,
-hey have been in business here since 1862,
and have been in the present building
since 1873. Tho firm has been
Known as the Anglo-American Packing
Company for years. Recently anew
cotnnaiiy was formed to be known as Fow
ler Bros, (limited), and subscriptions re
ceived to the stock. It was a regular public
company and the stockholders belonged to
cotj continents. Shares were placed at SSO,
and the capital stock was over *3,500,000.
a prospectus issued was intended prinei
paily for use in England. It
fi,„ l 1". at £751,000, each
,, ar p being .£lO. It was incorporated
England and proposed to acquire the
business of p ow i or Br !R ., limited, of Liver
pool; fowler Bros, of New York, the
Auderson-Powlcr Company of New York,
tm„i- g l < L"‘^ merican Refrigerator Car Com
!' ay ' the . Anglo-American Provision
Lompany of Chicago, and the Omaha Pack
mpan-y of ' hnaha. One-third of the
„.' J J " as tfiken by the old owners as pur
sh^l mo S ey ’, aud tbe remaining 60,000
1 ■ offered for public subscriptions.
S*l° ud have olosed 8e P t - 80. after
will h.?j* u (la y - What effect this fire
coiij.cturei * “* DOW ° ompauy can only be
eight men killed.
freight Trains Crash Together with
Terrible Results.
Pittsbcro, P A ., Sept. 28.—A special
, m Janesville, 0., says: About 1 o’clock
■is morning a most disastrous freight
' JCCUrrod °a the Baltimore and Ohio
'ii .easant Valley, a short distance west
‘ h ß “ lty -, Orders had given east and
freights to pass at Black Hand,
* pe f rator Aeolty at that place failed to
' i tde ° n , 6r t° the oast-bound train.
nn.*? 1 ® bis mistake and telegraphed
>,,, mtor here that there would boa
iwp ,P ro tty soon and left his post. He is a
irv fin y i d< ? tb eu K ln os and a number of
ere nil'll Wlt l oats , coke and merchandise
■-1 ea up m the greatest confusion.
p . eight killed.
J.'mv n en were kil!ed . as follows:
Wli i t( p IN(iIIAM , tho engineer.
IwJi"* iERSTODN, the fireman.
J “- ei - l er, a brakeman.
Tatiot. Gochran aud Smart of
orno’ UAB £°f Zanesville.
life 80 "* W - Stoneburner of Zanes
tK*nilC C RAnY < n °t found), and one un
r anP^ 0mp ’ * be en K' nef> r, had his leg cut
C L ' reman VVU!,on hi * band mashed.
"■een y f unDi . n K l >y wa y of the Pautiaudle
iDWed nn e ,l VlUo anQ - Newa rk. Those not
a - v from Oolumbus. m W6re the,r
Woolen Mills Assign.
28 —The Jackson
Irj ,|jf, , have asl K'ied. Liabilities
“U'egre-^utrf ttscertalned - The
ckso.f tint 1 f h ® reCOUt faiJure ot the
W Morning ffctoS.
ENGLAND NOT ALARMBD.
Her Foreign Commerce Will Not Suf
fer from the McKinley Bill.
Washington. Sept. 28. “We have
watched with intense interest the progress
of the McKinley bill—an interest possibly
quite as keen as that felt on this side of the
Atlantic.” said Robert Nelson, a
wealthy exporter of Huddersfield, England,
in an Interview to-dav. Huddersfield is
the center of the woolen manufacturing
Industry of the mother country. “The pas
sage of your uew tariff law," he continued,
“is going to hurt some of our mills, chiefly
those that manufacture the common grades
of clothes. The faotorie - that turn out the
highest priced goods will not be injured.
The tariff bears heaviest on the low priced
products, aud though it increases the duty
on the finer qualities the advance is not
relatively so great. Huddersfield is largely
engaged in the production of the costliest
cloths, and we are therefore not disturbed.
America will always offer us a market for
the finest fabrics, such as your looms do not
turn out.
AFRAID OF AMERICAN FREE TRADE.
“We should bo very sorry In England if
you should abandon your high protective
system. As long as you keep it up you
five over to us the markets of the world.
hold it to be self-evident that a system of
high import duties and a trade with foreign
countries cannot be maintained at the
same time. If the United States
had free trade or even an approxima
tion thereto, in less than ten years
she would be likely to drive us away from
markets that are now ours absolutely. It
seems strange to me that a people so smart
as the yaukees should not long ago have
seen how they have deprived themselves of
an unfettered commerce and how they
make the masses pay exorbitant prices for
whatever they buy for the benefit of a
favored class.”
Mr. Nelson’s expression will doubtless
arrest the attention of the whole country.
THE WORLD FOR A MARKET.
London, Sept 28. —The News, comment
ing on the McKinley bill, says: "We are
happily old bands in coutests of this kind,
and are not to be driven bv any provocation
to the suicidal policy of resorting to either
reciprocity or retaliation. The en
terprise of our traders will find
In every comer of the globe
in Asia, Africa or on the continent of
America more ttian sufficient to compensate
for this incredibly foolish measura Tho
great loss will be to the United
States. Tho earlier tariff has
already paralyzed their export trade
in manufactures, and the McKinley bill
may kill it. The true danger to England’s
industrial supremacy will Dogin only when
free trade opens to these intelligent and
powerful rivals the markets of the world.”
WILL OUT BOTH WAYS.
The Times predicts that the McKinley
bill will cut both ways, and iu a manner
surprising to its authors. “It will do grave
harm to America and dislocate the general
Industries of the world. America will
be the chief sufferer in the end.
Things elsewhere will adjust them
selves in the course of time
to anew coarse of trade, while America
will be loft permanently paying higher
prices for inferior goods and wasting her
labor and industrial energy in vain and
misdirected efforts in disregard of natural
economic laws.”
BUTTON MAKERS LOCKED OUT.
Vienna, Sept. 28.—One thousand mother
of-pearl button makers have been l icked
oat, owing to the adoption of the McKinley
bill, which manufacturers believe threatens
to stop the entire trade with America.
THE CZiR’3 LIFE ATTEMPTED.
A Train Wrecked on Which He Was
Believed to be Traveling.
St. Petersburg, Sept. 28.— Another at
tempt has been made upon the life of the
ozar. This time tbe oonspirators planned
to wreck the train by which it was believed
the ciar intended to travel from St. Peters
burg to-morrow. Obstructions were placed
upon the track in the shape of five sleepers,
which were lightly wedged in between tbe
rails. The train supposed to bo carrying
the czar crushed into the barricade of
sleepers and was thrown from the track.
No details'of the outrage have been obtained.
It is not known whether any arrests ware
made in connection with the affair.
THE OREGON TRAIN WP.SCK.
Nothing Definite Learned About It
Doubts That it Occurred.
Portland, Ore , Sept. 28.—A dispatch
from Boise City, Idaho, says that nothing
is known from thereabout the wreck on the
Oregon Short Line, and railroad people say
no wreck occurred. It is quite certain,
however, that a wreck occurred somewhere
on the lino, as the Union Pacific flyer, due
here at 6:40 o’clock this morning, had not
arrived up to 11 o’clock to-nlghfc. It is
stated that a train has been made up west
of Shoshone, and will arrive here to-mor
row morning.
Etrike of the Lace Workers.
Calais, Sept 38. Eighty lace factories
here closed in consequence of the strike. At
a meeting of 300 lace workers to-day it was
unanimously resolved to continue the strike
until the manufacturers accept the terms of
the employes.
A PARTIAL FAILURE.
Melbourne, Sept. 28.—The strike of the
shearers is a partial failure. Shearing is
nearly finished, and many men fear they
will lose their wages if they break their con
tracts.
Explosion in An Ice Factory.
Augusta, Ga., Sept. 38. —The explosion
of an ammonia gas retort in the Polar ioe
factory t )-day startled tho people in the
vicinity of tbe factory aud caused about
*2,000 damage to machinery. Tbe mill was
partly disabled and for the present will
manufacture but half tlie usual output.
'there has been a decided fall in the tem
perature and overcoats aud wraps are worn
to-night. The air is decidedly wintry.
Exploded Under the King’s Carriage.
Belgrade, Bept. 28.—While tbe young
King of Servla, aocompanlod by his f ither,
ex-King Milan, was returning from a drive
to-day, a cartridge exploded beneath the
carriage. Tbe authorities allege that the
explosion was purely accidental. As far as
cau be learned no one was injured.
Mallory at Cedar Key.
Cedar Key, Fla., Sept. 28.—Hon.
Stephen 8. Mallory, democratic candidate
for congress from the First district, spoke
here last night to a large audience com
posed of whites and republicans. The peo
ple are highly pleased with the favorite son
of Esoambla county.
Agreement on the Deficiency Bill.
Washington, Sept. 28.—The conferees
on tbe general deficiency appropriation bill
have reached agreement. A report will
probably to made to-morrow. Tbe Senate
has abandoned tbe amendment for the pay
ment of the French spoliating claims.
SAVANNAH, GA., MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1890.
CLOSE OF THE SESSION.
CONGRESS WILL ADJOURN THIS
WEEK.
Only Waiting the Benate's Action on
the Tariff Conference Report—Car
lisle Will Speak on the Bill—The De
ficiency Bill Still Undisposed Of.
Only Minor Measures to be Acted
on by the House.
Washington, Sept. 28.—When the Sen
ate meets to-morrow morning the report of
the conference committee on the tariff bill
will be ready for presentation, and wdl
probably be taken up at once for consider
ation. How muoh time will be consumed
in discussion cannot be' accurately stated,
for the rules of the Senate do
not permit limitation of debate except
by unanimous consent, but leaders
of both sides were confident Saturday that
a vote could be reached by Tuesday at
farthest. If that proves to be the case final
adjournment will follow the next day.
Whatever the result, adjournment will
come the day after the report is disposal
of.
CARLISLE TO SPEAK.
So far as known, Senators Carlisle and
MoPborson (if he be well enough to talk)
are theouly senators ou the democratic side
of the chamber who will make speeches ou
the report. On the republican side Senator
Aldrich, who will submit the report, will prob
ably answer them. Senator Ingalls had not
decided to-night whether or not to make a
speech. Some discussion of the report by
republican senators who are not satisfied
with its recommendations is anticipated,
but how wide the range it will take, or how
extended, cannot be foretold.
In addition to the tariff bill there is only
one other measure—the general deficiency
bill —which is likely to receive the attention
of the Senate prior to adjournment; that
is now ponding in the House, and will to
ready for consideration by the Senate Tues
day.
In the Houae.
With the single exception of the adoption
of the conference report on the general de
ficiency appropriation bill, the House has
completed its labors for the session, and
waits upon the pleasure of the Senate as to
the date of final adjournment. During the
time between to-morrow morning and that
date business transacted will and mbtless be
largely mode up of measures taken irregu
larly from the calend ir, to which there is
no pronounced opposition.
It may be that an effort will be
made to pass the two shipping
bills seat over by the Senate,
but this will be strongly resisted by the
democrats, and unless a special effort is
made for their consideration the effect is
likely to fail. Moreover, as there is littla
prospect of the maintenance of a quorum,
nothing oan be done without unauimous
consent.
The session list of Senate bills enacted
into laws will be considerably increased, as
the House will have an opportunity to dis
pose of a number of others now on the cal
endar, while awaiting the Senate’s passage
of the tariff bill.
WORK OF THE SESSION.
In figures the business of the session is
expressed as follows: Bills and joint reso
lutions introduced in the House, 12,402. In
the Senate 4,570;0r a total of 16.972, against
15,598 in the first session of the last con
gress, which in this matter far excelled
all previous records. Reports made
in the House 3,215, in tho Senate 1,817, (no
accouut being taken in the Senate of other
than written reports). Bills passed by the
House 1,292, of which the Senate has pussed
549. All except a few of these 849 have
become laws or are awaiting the President’s
approval
In the completed work of tho session,
aside from the revision of the tariff and the
internal revenue laws by the McKinley-
Aldrich “tariff bill,” the following meas
ures enacted into laws may be namad as
the most important:
The bill providing for a monthly pur
ohaso of 4,500,000 ounces of silver; the cus
toms administration bill; the dependent
and disability pension bill; the
anti-trust bill; the anti-lottery bill; the
provision for a worlds’ fair in Chicago in
1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of
the discovery of America; tho admission of
Wyoming aud Idaho to statehood; the
meat inspection bill: the land grant forfeit
ure bill; the original package bill;
the bill recommended by the
international maritime conference to pre
vent collision at sea, and the provision (in
the naval appropriation bill) to add to the
new navy three line-of-battle ships, one
protected cruiser, one torpedo cruiser and
one torpedo boat.
By the Senate, 1,100, of whioh 486 has
been sent to tbe President, making a total
number ot about 1,335 acts or laws, against
1,790 for the whole of the last congress. Of
these acts, 806 House and 375 Senate bills
were for pensions to individuals.
IMPORTANT MEASURES ENACTED.
Among other public measures of impor
tance pushed to enactment during the pres
ent session, in addition to tha thirteen
regular annual appropriation bills, are
tho following: Providing for the classi
fication of worsted cloths as woolens;
for the appointment of an addiciodal assist
ant secretary of war and additional assist
ant secretary of the navy; for the establish
ment of a national park on the battlefield of
Chickamauga; for the relief of the Missis
sippi river valley flood sufferers; for the
exportation of fermented liquors in
bond without the payment of an internal
revenue tux; appropriating $1,000,000 for
tbe purchase of nickel for the navy; for
the erection of a hotel on tho government
rservatiou at Fort Monroe; to prevent the
introduction of contagious diseases from
one slate into another.
Seven bills have been vetoed by the Presi
dent.
BILLS PASSED BY THE HOUSE.
Among the bills which passed tho House
but not yet passed by the Senate are the
following: The federal election bill, the
national bankruptcy bill; the bill to create
a court of appeals for the relief of the
supreme court; the Conger compound lard
bill; tbe eight hour back pay bill; to amend
the contract labor law; to prevent the pro
ductions of convict labor being furnished
to or for use in auy department or upon
public buildings or other public works.
PASSED BY THE SENATE.
Among the Senate bills which have not
yet received final action by the House are
tbe following: To enable the Secretary of
tbe Interior to locate Indiana in Florida
upon la: ds in severalty; for the protection
of fcttleru upon Florida phosphate lands;
for the erection of public buildings or addi
tions to existing public buildings at Tarn pa,
Fla, Pensacola, Fla., Fayetteville, N. C.,
Roanoke, Norfolk, Lynchburg, Petersburg
and Newport News, Va, and at Meridian,
Miss.
An English Maneuver.
Paris, Sept. 28.— Le OauloU says that
the English government has purchased a
large building at Port Said and is trans
forming it into a barracks fortress, whioh
will soon be occupied by British troops.
This will give England posse sion of both
ends of the Suez caual
THE BCARITY OF LABOR.
That la What the Far mew Are Com
plaining of Now.
Montezuma, Ga., Sept. 28.—Farmers In
this section are more Interested now in
gathering their cotton than they are in pol
itics. The scarcity of labor has scared
them. The cotton fields have been white
for over a month and many of them have
not been touohed. The storms have
stained most of the ootton and a great deal
of it Is beaten out of the ground.
If the railroads and saw-mills continue to
employ the black labor the agricultural in
dustry in Georgia will undergo a
considerable change. Planters never
experienced so much difficulty in
getting their crops gathered. They
have been annoyed ail the year, but they
feel the scarcity of labor more now than
ever before.
WHY LABOR IS SCARCE.
They have lost control of black labor be
cause they are uuubie to pay the high price*
paid by the railroads aud saw milk Hands
that were formerly employed on the farms
at *lO a month standing wages, get now
from the mills and the railroads *1 and
*l5O a day. The absence of labor was
great last year, but it is more noticeable
this year, as the orop is larger. I asked
several farmers about here what would be
the result of the scarcity of labor, and I
was told that the farmers would lose a part
of their crop. They will be unable to
gather all they made, and what they suo
ceed In gathering.will bo inferior. Com
menting on the present situation of farraors,
au old-time farmer said to-day that there is
but one way to avoid tue same trouble
next year. That is to plant less.
Many of them do not see, either,
how they will be able to do this. It takos
nearly everything they make to pay thorn
out of debt at the end of the year, and they
cannot plant little crops to pay off big
debts. The merchants are always very
careful to see that the crop is large enongh
to insure them against loss on their supplies
before they sell to farmers. If the farmers
don’t plant to suit the merchants the mer
chants withhold credit.
A farmer said there is but one thing’that
will force the farmers to reduce their
acreage, and that is want of labor. If
labor is as scarce next year as it is this, the
ootton crop acreage will be mauy thousand
acres short. This will entail a correspond
ing falling off in the production.
It is estimated that if each planter turns
out his land, reserving only suoh a portion
as he and his family is able to cultivate, the
production in Georgia will not exceed 600.-
000 bales.
The cotton acreage will drop from above
8,000,000 acre* to below 2.000,000.
The 100,000 alllancemen, together with
the other planters in Georgia, will not culti
vate on an average more than fifty acres
each, only a third of which will be in cot
ton.
A REDUCTION OF ACREAGE FAVORED.
Now and then a farmer is found who
favors this manner of farming. He is gen
erally well-to-do, thoy.srh. His laud is un
incumbered and his debt Is very small. Ono
of tnis class said to-day that when farmers
began to plant smaller crops better times
would be seen In Georgia He said northern
farmers do not cultivate more than one-third
as much land as tho majority of farmers iu
Georgia. And they livo a great deal bettor.
Most of the Indiana farmers p ant thirty
and forty-aore fields, and the planter who
has eighty acres under cultivation is a big
farmer. In Georgia, he said, poor farmers
plant 500 and 600 acres. Off of the 500 acres
he gets perhaps 175 bales of cotton. If he
were able to cultivate it as well as he would
fifty acres, he would gat 500 bales off of it.
The best farming in Georgia, is by those
who cultivate what Is called “brag patches.”
These patches consist of five and ten acres,
brought up to a high state of Improvement.
There are a few planters in Georgia now
making two bales of ootton per acre on
these patches. A 10-acre patch which will
produce two bales per acre, is more valua
ble than thirty acres producing one bale on
three acres. It is said that a large percent
age of farmers in Georgia are getting
poorer every year plowing up
the old red hills. They ooutinue to In
crease their acreage in order to pay off
their debt at the end of the year. They are
unable to use fertilizers owing to the large
amount under cultivation, and they have to
plant heavily to get credit.
As they increase their acreage the labor
increases and their expenses become groater.
Every expense grows, while tho land is
wearing out and the farmer is getting
poorer.
Tho farmer savs that this state of affairs
will exist until necessity forces the planter
out.
Within the last ton years many big
farmers have failed in Georgia. Formerly
1,000 acres under ono fence was not an un
usual thing; to-day not many farmers are
able to stock such a plantation. The
farmer said that they have reduced their
acreage gradually from necessity, and they
will reduce it more. Vi hen they begin on
the small farm he predicted better times in
Georgia.
A man must plant at least fifteen acres to
be called a cotton raiser. If ho planted no
more be would be more prosperous. The
old farmer said instead the majority of
farmers in Georgia plant fifty acres and
over.
A REFORM ALLLANCEMEN CAN BRING
ABOUT.
Said he, if the ailiaucemen were to start
out by cultivating twenty-five or tliirty
acres in cotton and as much in corn, the
other farmers would come to it. He said
that labor will continue to be scarce, and
he predicted that in a few years black
labor cannot be had on the farm. He said
that farmers would have to learu that they
must do their own work. Tlie sooner, the
better for them. It would curtail produc
tion temporarily only. Others farmers
wonld bo attracted to tho farms lying out,
and more people would engage in agricultur
al pursuits. Land could be bought cheaper
and a general division, so to speak, would
result. The farmer said that while the
scarcity of labor is hurting farmers now,
it will benefit them in tho end.
It will make them plant less.
It will cause ’horn to save the money ex
pended on labor, and make them enrich
their lands. Z. D. R.
Congressman Ellis Renominated.
Louisville, Sept. 28.— Congi*s*man W.
T. Ellis was renominated in the democratic
primaries in the Second Kentucky district
yesterday. There was no opposition.
Divided the Honors.
From the Alpharetta Free fVej.
The other day, when tho mere, ants had
their gala day in Atlanta, an amusing inci
dent took place. Col. Livingston was riding
in a carriage and was moving along with
tho procession. Directly a donkey came
out of au alley and Joined the procession
just behind CoL Livington’s carriage. The
crowd cheered the donkey, aud tho colonel,
thinking tbe cheers wore meant for him, be
gan to bow and smile. The crowd noticed
him, and gave a tremendous yell, where
upon the colonel redoubled his efforts to
acknowledge tbe compliment. The proces
sion took in tho town with Col. LiviDgst .n
bowing and smiling, tbe crowd yelling, and
the donkey brayg&s
VOTING liY MACHINERY.
A DEVICE TO SXPSDITE VOTING
AND BOLL CALL IN THB HOUSE.
It Will Take But on Instant to Rocord
the Vote of the House—Touoh a But
ton and a Current of Bleo'rlclty Tells
the Story— A Blow at Minorities.
(CoptfrioKt i
Washington, Sept. 37.—A New England
congressman who, for obvious reasons,
wishes his name withheld for the present,
informs ms that he has placed in the hands
of Douglas Dyrenforth, the well known
patent attorney of this city, an invention
which will do mors than all the rules in
Christendom bo prevent fillibusturing in
legislative bodies. lain, of oourso, not
permitted to know how the device works,
but this is what the lnveutor has to say
about it:
“The greatest delays In so-called delibera
tive bodies are occasioned by roll calls,”
says ha “Look at our House of Repre
sentatives, for Instance. It takes the ciork
fifteen minutes to call the roll the first time.
Then it him from eight to ton min
utes to call the names of tnoso who do not
aoswor tho first oalL Then he uses from
two to five minutes announcing the na ties
of th e who are paired. After this he
verifies the record by reading over tho
list of those voting in tho affirmative
and of those voting in the negative.
This takes five minutes more. Then you
may count two or three minutes more for
the delay caused by those members who
come in after their names have been called
and who wish to be recorded. At last the
oierk counts up and the speaker announces
the result. The whole bus taken never less
than thirty minutes, often muoh longer, for
the dork frequently has to call one man’s
name three or four times liofore he can get
his attention, ami oftc i the answers are so
indistinctly given that tho vote is recorded
on the wrong Bide and has to tie changed
afterward. All this, of course, c msuinos
time. But say it take* thirty minutes for
each roll call, As soon as it is done some
body moves to reconsider tho vote and
somebody also moves to lay
that motion on the table. On this
proposition the roll L called again. There
you have an hour utterly thrown away;
and a dozen roll calls In a day is not an
extraordinary thing. I have sat an seen
day after day wasted in this mnnner, until
I wonder that tho people, who are paying
for it all, do not rise against the men who
are r esponsible for It”
"Do you propose to do away with roll
calls!” I asked.
“No; lhat cannot tie done without work
ing injuitioe to the individual member.
Every member has the right to go upon the
record ns be wishes to. Roll calls in some
form are necessary, but In the present form
they area great evil. A mischievous min
ority can prevent the transaction of busi
ness for weeks at a time, and as our country
grows and representation becomes larger
and larger this delay gets to bo worse and
worse. And it seems to bo the growing
policy of minority parties to prevent the
majority from doing anything, bo that ut
the next election the paucity of results may
be pointed to as an argument in favor of u
change of administration.
“What is your invention and how does it
intend to overcome this evil?’’
“It is a inecha ileal device by whioh the
roll is called and reoorded almost in
stantly.”
It is unnecessary to tire the reader with a
long list of questions and answers. As
nearly as I could make out from the vague
description "hichtho inventor was drawn
into giving, tho device consists of a large
table, like that of a hotel annunciator, con
nected with each desk by two wiros.
Inside the desk are two buttons marked
respectively “yes” and “no,” and so
placed that only the person having
access by key to that desk oan touch them.
This is to prevent the wrong person from
turning iu the vote. The annunciator is
provided with disos, each marked plainly
with a member’s name aud bearing the
word “yes” on one side and “no” on the
other. When the member presses the affir
mative button iu his desk the disc bearing
his Dame turns so that the word “yes” is
exposed, or if he presses tbe negative but
ton the reverse silo of the disc is turned
outward. Then, attached to each disc
there seems to be a sort of “niekol
in-tho-slot” arrangement, so that when
the disc is turned it frees a
piece of metal which falls into a hopper
and in its turn is passed through a slot,
where it turns a ratchet whoel ono way or
the other and records on a counting ma
chine either an affirmative or a negative
vote. As soon as these pieces of
metal have fallen Into place the face of the
counting machine shows the sum of the
vote on each sida of tho question.
The inventor claims that the vote of the
entire House of Representatives could be
taken, counted and announced iu a single
minute.
“Have you any reason to believe that
congre* will adopt your device?” I asked.
“I have very little doubt that the voting
in both houses will bo done by this means
early in the next sessionho answered “1
have placed tlie papors and tbe model in
Mr. Dyreuforth’s hands and ho is now look
ing them over with a view of
determining whether it is patent
able that is, whether any part
of it infringes any patents heretofore
granted. I have looked into the subject
inysolf and Ido not believe there will be
any trouble in that direction, and” [here
there was a significant twinkle in his eye]
“I guess the republican caucus will adopt it
all right.”
“You have talked to some of the leaders
about It, then?”
“Well, never mind. I think the House
will bo using It the next session ”
“How about the minority side? What
will they say about it T’
“They will kick against it, of course.
They kick against everything that is calcu
lated to expedite business. No; tins is not
a minority invention. It Is intended to
assure to majorities some of the rights that
ought to bo theirs. We have babied minor
ities in this oouutry and talked a tout their
rights until the rights of majorities have
almost been lost sight of. Tuis device
is intended to revive the good old
Cractice of letting majorities rule,
ut it does not rob the minority of a single
right. It simply saves time which minori
ties now waste. I think it will shorten ses
sions of congress 50 per cent., or permit
congress to do 100 par cent, more business
in the same time; awl whichever way you
put it, it is a consummation devoutly to bo
wished.”
Mr. Dyrenfortb, whom I afterward
called upon, expresses! surprise that his
clieut had spoken of the matter at all, but,
being assured that the cat was out of the
bag, said that in the course of hL practice
ho hod examined a great many voting ma
chines of ono kind and another, and that
until dow ho had never reon one that did
uot fall short in some essential particular.
“I have not looked Into it as fully as I
s all,” he said, “but it seems to me now to
be patentable and practicable. I would
rather, however, make my report to my
client than to tbe public.”
Until this or some other improved method
of taking votes is adopted, however, the
clerks will probably go on with their same
old song, varying it only as new congresses
come in and the list of names is changed.
The roll of the House as it U
at present called has become eo
familiar to those who sit day
after day and hear it called over
and oyer again that many of them can re
peat it from memory. I know a youug page
who oan do this, although be does not know
the names of ail tho members but has
learned them only as the clerks call them.
It is the custom for the clerk calling the
roll to prefix tne word “Mister” to each
name, hut before he has gone far hd begins
to retrench his expense of vocal
powers. This leads to some strange
combinations of sound. In the
beginning he calls "Mr. Abbott,”
“Mr. Adams,” “Mr. Alderson," and la few
more distinctly enough, but by the time he
reaches the C’s he begins to telescope the
title and oalls "M’ster Cannon," “M'ster
Carter,” end so on. When he has gone a
little farther ho drop* off some more and it
becomes “’ster Fitch,” “ '.iter Flower,"
“ ’ter Gear," etc. This holds out pretty
well into the II' <, bat r last the two wont*
become one and “Mr. Hopkins” and "Mr.
Houk" sound like ‘‘Stropkins” and
"Slrouk.” Down in tho M’s it undergoes
another change. The sound of “r”
ie lost, and “Mr. Mason,” “Mr. Mc-
Adoo" and “Mr. Morrow,” become
“Stumason," “Stumacadoo" and "Stumor
row." This goes on through the O's and
the P’s. "Mr. Oates” being “Sioates” and
"Mr. Peel” coming out "Stupheel,” In the
R’s it shifts a litde, aud "Mr. Ray’’ becomes
"Stray,” while "Mr. Rife" is "Strife.”
From this on. more attention is paid to eu
phony than to anything else. The clerks
who oall the roll havo unconsciously adopted
sounds for some of the names which do not
occur in men at all. As some of them are
called they resemble Coniancho whoopsquite
as much as they do the members’ names.
Willth B. Hawkins.
HRIRB TO MILLIONS IN TBXAB.
After a Throe Years’ Search the Lucky
Ones Have Been Discovered.
Washington, Sept 28.—Newspaper read
ers will recall tho publication, some years
ago, of the statement that Taomas Bean
had died in Texas, leaving au estate sup
posed to bo worth something like *10,003,090,
the only heirs thereto being some distant
relatives, thought to be living in Washing
ton aud vicinity. After throe voars ot dili
ent soarching the heirs have boon found in
r ashingtoa aud Virginia, and half of tho
princely estate of 899,030 acres of the finest
lands in the counties of Grayson, Fannin
and vicinity in Eis tern Toxa3, is to be
divided among tho twenty-one prominent
W Astdngtouians, the other half to go to the
V irginia branch of the family.
Mrs. Sallle Dave of this city will inherit
one-eighth of tho estate, or one-fourth of
the Washington heirs’ half; Mrs, Wilkins,
wlfeot Col. John D. Wilkins of the United
States army, now residing here; Miss E.
Middleton, Mrs. William K. Howard, Mrs.
Samuel Bacon and sixieeu members of the
Bean family, all in Washington, more or
loss distantly related to tlie Texan Monte
Cristo, will divide tho remainder among
them. The land is worth from *l6 to *22
per aoro, some in the suburbs of tho town of
Bonham being more valuable.
The story is a romantic one, tho first
obaptor being laid in the year 1813, whou
Col. Collamere Beau of Washington eloped
with Mis* Winfred Murray, the daughter of
an old Virginia family. The parents of the
young lady had disoountouano id the young
ixiarrs attention to the daughter, so lie
boldly oarried her away from the Old
Dominion homestead, and pushing post
haste fir Washington, married her in Christ
Episcopal church, which yet stands on
Capitol hill, the high-backed box paws
being Just as they were then.
The young couple never obtained the pa
rental forgiveness, so they settled down
here and lived a peaceful IPe. Tha result
of that union was four children, one of
them being Thomas Bean. When tills child
attained his manhood ho grow restless under
the cramped surroundings of Washington
and pushed out boldly for the west. JFor
many years he was lost sight of, although
he is now to memory dear in the hearts of
his hopeful heirs. About three years ago
a local paper printed a telegram from Bon
ham relating the demiso of Thomas Bean,
and the rumor that bis ouly supposed heirs
lived in Washington.
Tho supposed heirs, relatives of the miss
ing Thomas Bean, immediately went to
work to ascertain if tbe Texan wo* their
long-lost kinsman. They traced Thomas
Bean first to Virginia, then to Palmyra,
Mo., to Fayetteville, Ark., and finally to
Bonham, Tex., where, through tho medium
of his Masonic connections, his identity was
established with the deceased kinsman. It
seems tho young man, after drifting to
Texas, became a surveyor, and by thrift
and speculation amassed the immense tracts
of laud referred to.
Then followed throe years of harassing
litigation, some pretenders of the legacy in
Tennessee and other places rnaki ig a strong
effort to establish their claims upon the
estate. The Washingtonians had the load
however, and after fighting the case stub
bornly through several courts, nave now by
a receut decision established their case.
Thomas Beau died without children, and
the Texas law provide* that in such a case
tlie ostate shall revert to tho deceased’s re
latives, who are, of oourse, the Beans upon
his father’s side and the Murrays of Vir
ginia upon his mother’s.
The decision rendered in tbe case by
Judge E. L. Agnew, at Bonham, last weak,
places the estate in the hauls of two admin
istrators, Dr. H. P. Howard and Joel Hume,
who will make a division of the *16,000,099
property within a year.
THOMABViLL'S TOPICS.
Work on the Georgia Southern Branch
—Winter Visitors Arriving.
TnoMASViLLE, Ga., Sept. 28, —E. B.
Whiddon, a sub-contractor on the Georgia
Bouthern and Florida branch to Thomas
ville, was interviewed by the News corres
pondent to-day. Mr. Whiddon said: “I
will begin work on Monday, the 2flr,h, with
a force of hands, three mile* south of Moul
trie, in Colquitt county, at a peint thlrty
thr-e miles from Thomasvllle. My camp is
pitched at wbat is known as Han
cock’* mill, and os the road
will be fifty-two miles long, it
will be seen that I am nineteen miles from
Tifton. I will cut out the right of way
and grade the road bed going toward
Thomasvllle. Probably in January a camp
wifi be established nearer Thomasville. A
sufficient force of bands will be put to
work to complete tbe entire line in the
prescribed Umo.
Quite a number of winter visitors have
arrived already. They come mostly from
the west. This is rather earlier than usual
for them to come, and if the arrivals con
tinue the city will be full by Jan. 1. Tbe
Alabama Midland connection will be a very
great advantage to Thomasvllle, as it makes
this city more accessible to a large aud pop
ulous territory than any other of the first
class winter resorts. Besides, ThomasviUe
will receive from that road a great deal of
valuable advertising free.
Suicide at fit Paul's.
London, Sept. 28. —The morning service
at St. Paul'* cathedral was Interrupted by
a horrible ' ragody. During the service a
man named Easton, iu tbe congregation,
committed suicide by shooting himself twice
with a revolver.
1 DAILY, *lO A YEAR 1
•j 5 CENTS A COPY. V
} WEEKLY, *1 35 A YEAR, f
FIRST DAY IN PALESTINE.
REV. TALMAOI DISOOUR3E3 ON
THB HOLY LANU
The Lesson Learned by His Travels,
The House-top In Joppa Where
Peter Was Taught the Democracy
of Religion—The Story of Jonah and
His Disastrous Voyage—Bswars of
Petulance.
Brooklyn, N. Y„ Sept. 28.— 1n the
Brooklyn Academy of Music to-day Dr.
Talmagot began a series of sermons on hie
reoeut journey to the Holy Laud. The sub
ject of to-day’s irmou was: “My Fine
Day in Palestine.” After appropriate pas
sages of scripture were read, tne congrega
tion sang with great spirit:
“We praise thee, O God, for the Sou of tny love.
For Joans who died end is now g me above.”
Th* text was: I Kings x, 7, "The ball}
was not told me.”
This is the first sermon in a course of Sab
bith morning sermons on “ My Recent
Journ *y Through the Holy Land and Neigh
boring Countries—What I Saw and What I
Learned." Out of the sixty-tojr millions
of our present American population and the
millions of our past, only about five thou
sand havo ever visited the Holy Land. Of all
those who oroes to E trope, loss than five
per cent, ever get as far as Rome, and loss
than two per oent. ever get to Athens, and
less than a quarter of cue per oeut. ever got
to Palestine. Of the lea* than a qua ter of
one per cent, who do go to the Holy Land,
some see nothing but the noxious bisects
and the filth of the Oriental cities, and
come back wishing they had never gone. Of
thceo who see muoh of in teres and come
homo, only a small portion can tell what
they have seen, the to igue unable to report*
the eye. The rarity of a successful, intelli
gent and happy journey through tbe Holy
Land is very marked. But tho time au
proaches when a journey to Palestine will
no common. Thousands will gi where now
there are scores. Two locomotive* were
recently emit up from Joppa to Jerusalem
and railroads are about to begin in Pales
tine, ami tho day will come when the cry
will be, “AU out for Jerusalem!" “Twe ity
minutes for breakfast at Tiberias!”
“Change oars for Tyre!” "Grand
Trunk junction for Nineveh I” “AU out
for Dairiasous!” Meanwhile the wetlock*
of the Atlautio ocean aid Adriatic, and
Mediterranean seas are being shorn, aud
not only is the voyage shortened, hut, after
a while, without cro.-wlug the ocean, you or
your children will visit tho Holy Land. A
company of capitalist* have gone up to
Behring straits, where tho American and
Asiatio continents oome within thirty-six
miles of meeting. Those capitalists or
others will build a bridge across those
straits, for midway are three islands
called "The Diomedes,” and the water
is not deep and is never
disturbed with ioebergs, Trains of cars
will run from America across that bridge
aud on dowu through Siberia,bringing under
more immediate observation tho Ru-isian
outrages against exiles, and consequently
abolishing them, and there are persons here
to-day, who, without one qualm of see
sickness, will visit that wonderful land
where the Christiy, Abrahamic, Moslac,
Davidic, Solomon o and Herodio histories
overlap each other with suou power that by
tho time I took ray f-iet out of the stirrup*
at the close of the journey, 1 felt so wrung
out with emotion that it seemed nothing
else could ever abs Tb my feelings again.
The ch ef hindrance for going to Pales
tine with many is the dreadful sea, and
though 1 have oro-sed it tan times, it is more
dreadful every time, and I fully sympathize
with what was said one night wliaa Mr.
Beecher and I went over to up <ak in New
York at the anniversary of the Beamon's
Friend Society, ami tho clergyman milking
the opening prayer quoted from St. John:
"Thera shall be no more son,” and Mr.
Beecher, seated bosido ine, in memory of a
recent ocean voyage, said: “Amen, I am
glad of that.’’ By the partial abolition of the
Atlantic ocean and the putting dowu of
railroad tracks ao rose every o uutry in all
the world, the most snored land on earth
will oome under the observa*ion of so many
people, who will be ready to tell of what
they saw, that infidelity will be pronounced
only another form of insanity, for no
honest man can visit the Holy Land aud
remain au infidel. This Bible from which
I preach has almost fallen apart, for I real
from it t ie most of the events iu it recorded
on the very places where they occurred.
And some of the loaves got wet
os the waves dashed over our boat
on Lake Galilee, and the book was
jostled in tho saddlebags for many weeks,
but it Is anew b<ok t > me, newer than any
book that yesterday came out of any of our
great printing houses. All my life I bad
heard of Palestine and I had re id übout it,
and talked about it, aud preached about it,
and sung about it, aud prayed about it, aud
dreamed about it until my anticipations
were piled up into something like Hima
layan proportions, and yet I hare to cry
out, as did the queou of Bheba when she
first visited the Holy Land: “The half was
not told me.”
In order to make the more accurate and
vivid a book I have b-en writing, a life of
Christ, entitled “Prom Manger to Throne,”
I left home last October, and on the las#
night of November we were walking the
decks of the Heuegal, a Mediterranean
steamer. It was a ship of immense propro
tious. There were but few passengers, for
it is generally rough at that time of year,
and pieasurists are not apt to be voyaging
there and then. The stars wore all out that
night. Those armies of light seemed t>
have had their shields newly burnished.
We walked the polished deck.
Not muoh was said, for in all our
hearts was the dominant word “to
morrow.” Somehow the Acropolis, which a
few days before had thrilled us at Athens,
now in our minds lessened In the hight of
its columns and the glory of its temples.
And the Egyptian pyramids in our memory
lessened their wonders of obsolete masonry,
and the coliseum of Rome was not so vast a
ruin as it a few weeks before had seemed
to be. And all that we had seen and beard
dwindled in importance, for to-morrow,
to morrow, wo shall see the Holy Land.
“Captain, what time will we come In sight
of Palestine !" “Well,” he said, “if tha
wind and sea remain us they
are, about daybreak.” Never was 1
impatient for a night to pass. I could
not see much use for that night, anyhow
I pulled aside the ourtain from the port
hole of my stateroom, so that the first hint
of dawn would waken me. But it was a
useless precaution. Sleep was among too
impossibilities. Who could be so stupid as
to dumber when any moment there might
start out within sight of the ship, the land
where the most stupendous scenes of ail time
and all eternity were enacted, land of ruic
and redemption, laud where was fought the
battle that made our heaven possible, land ol
Godfrey and Saladin, of Joshua and Jesua
Will the night ever bo gone? Yes, it u
growing lighter, and along the botizon then
Is something like a bank of clouds, and ai
a watchman paces the deck, I say to him
“What is that out yonder?" “That is land
sir,” said the sailer. “The land!" 1 cried
and soon all our friends were aroused frort
sleep and the shore began more cleariy
to revoal itself. With roar, and rattle, and
bang, the anchor dropped in the roadstead