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About The Ashburn advance. (Ashburn, Ga.) 18??-19?? | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 1898)
THE ASHBDRN ADVANCE. VOL. V II. A BRIDGE COLLAPSES, CARRY¬ ING DOWN SIXTY MEN. THE LIST OF DEATHS APPALLING. Disaster Came Without Warning—Eigh¬ teen Bodies Recovered, But Many Are Missing. A special from Hogansburg, N. Y., says: About noon Tuesday two south spans of the international bridge of the New York and Ottawa railroad, now under construction across tho St. Lawrence river, about three miles above St. Regis Iudiau village, fell without warning with sixty workmen, all being thrown into tho river, some sixty feet below. Over- thirty were picked up and taken to the Cornwall hospital and twenty-seven were missing, The bridge consists of three spans, of which two were completed and the third was nearly completed when the south pior gnve way at its foundation, causing both spans to fall into sixty feet of water, taking its load of hu¬ man freight with it. „ The bridge was being built across the St. Lawrence river at the foot of Long Saulte rapids, near Reinhardt’s island. The water at this point is known to bo nB swift as in any part of the river. The immediate cause of the disaster and tho giving way of the span of the bridge seems’ to have been from the washing away of one of the large piers. The pier in question was begun last fall and work was continued all winter and finished this summer. The con¬ tract work was in charge of Messrs. Sooy, Smith & Co., who are well known as extensive and careful con¬ tractors in their line and known to have had instructions from the rail¬ road company to build for “perma¬ nency.” The pier had been accepted as perfectly reliable and safe. It would seem from this that the swift¬ ness of the current was underesti¬ mated. Late reports from Cornwall hospital says thirty-three men have been taken out of the river and transferred to the hospital. Eighteen of them have since died. The latest information makes it probable that the death list will reach thirty. As far as can be learned, eighty- seven men were on the pay roll, of whom eighty-two reported for work Tuesday morning. Of this list, only thirty-eight have been accounted for. An eye-witness of the fall of the bridge says that he was sitting on the bank of the river watching th‘e work¬ men above him when, without warn¬ ing, there came n fearful crash. Two spans of the bridge col¬ lapsed, the immense mass of timber and iron dropped and the agonizing shrieks of the men who were bein I crushed in the wreck were drowne by the rushing waters. Then he saw bodies coming to tho surface,and the work of rescue began. This was helplessly inadequate, there being only a few boats in the vicinity and very few men who would under¬ take to swim out into the turbulent waters. Many who might have been saved were drowned before help could reach them. Piteous appealing faces sank beneath the waters before the eyes of helpless onlookers. Mangled bodies came to the surface for a moment, and then passed out of sight. It was a terrible and heart-rending scene. Even those who were got to land alive were in such condition that many died on the way to the hospitals. Some had their backs broken, others both legs, while others were crushed by the heavy irons. About fifty of the men employed on the span were Americans, who were working for the Phoenix Bridge Com¬ pany. The remainder were mostly Indians, who acted as assistants. Every man on the division went down with the wreck. Many of those whe escaped climbed up the iron work which still rested on piers at either end. The scene around the Hotp} I)ieu, where tfie wounded and dying were taken, was heartrending. The wives and relatives of ntissing men were anxiously inquiring after their loved ones, . WILL RANSOM PRISONERS. Money Sent From Madrid to Manila For Relief of Spanish Troops. A Madrid cable dispatch says: The cabinet has authorized the foreign minister, Duke Almodovar de Rio, to negotiate with the Philippine insur¬ gents to ransom the 5,000 Spanish prisoners now in their hands, and it has been decided to transmit money to Manila for that purpose and for the relief urgently of the Spanish troops, which are in need of fqnds. The government has also cabled tp Captain General Macias at San Juan de Porto Rico requesting him to fur¬ nish fuller details of the American economic regime in Porto Rico. ASH BURN. WORTH CO..GA.. FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER !). 1898. SCHLEY AT SAN JUAN. Admiral Kerri veil KntliUNlasflr Welcomo On Board tlio Now Orieana. The United States transport Seneca, carrying Rear Admiral W. S. Schley and Brigadier General W. W. Gordon, of the Porto Rieo military commission, arrived off tho harbor at San Juan de Porto Rico Monday night, but did not 6nter until Tuesday morning. The United States protected cruiser New Orleans, which was lying in the har¬ bor, fired an admiral's salute of thir¬ teen guns. The Spanish gunboat Isabel Segun- do responded with thirteen guns, Spanish whereupon the New Orleans set the flag at the peak and saluted it with thirteen guns. A boat immediately put off from the New Orleans to the Seneca and took Admiral Schley aboard. As he went over the steamer’s sido the passengers, among whom he had • become exceed¬ ingly popular, gave three cneers and a tiger. One man in his enthusiasm yelled: “Hurrah for the next president!" Admiral Schley was given an enthu¬ siastic reception on board the New Orleans. MUSSULMANS FIGlif BRITISH. Caiulia In a State of Anarchy—Mtich Blood Ir Spilled. Advices from Conoa, Island of Crete, state that Candia is in a state of anarchy. A collision between the Mussulmans, xvho were demonstrating against European control, and the British authorities, who have been in¬ stalling Christians as revenue officials, culminated Tuesday in bloody light¬ ing between the Mussulmans and the British troops. Riots occurred in various parts of the city and many were killed. When the outbreak was fiercest a warship stationed in the harbor began firing shells with the result that a portion of the city was set on fire. The British soldiers fired and wound¬ ed several. The Mussulmans ran to their arms and returning, attacked the soldiers. Other Mussulmans spread rapidly through the Christian quarter shooting into windows and setting many bowsers and shops on fire. It is reported that the British consul has been killed. FAVORABLE REPORT From General Lawton as to Health of Troops In Cuba. The most encouraging report that has come from the sick soldiers in Cuba since the appearance of the dread¬ ed fever, iu the judgment of Adjutant General Corbin, reached Wnsliington Tuesday afternoon in shape of the fol¬ lowing telegram from Major General Lawton, commanding at Santiago: “One hundred aud fifty convales¬ cents and others leave today on the Vigilancia. Not to exceed fifty sick of the Fifth army corps now remain. Ample transportation for them.” The officials are encouraged by the statement and hope that at least the tide has turned, and that from this point on the diseases of the camp will be diminished rapidly at Santiago. DEWEY’S SHIPS IN SHAPE. Remainder of the Spanish Vessels Sunk at Manila Cannot Be Raised. A report from Constructor Capps, at Manila, just received at Washington, states that aside from tho small gun- bonts which have been raised and pnt into the service of Admiral Dewey, none of the Spanish ships of war en¬ gaged in the battle of Manila bay likely to be raised. the Asiatic Mr. Capps was sent to station especially to assist in putting the squadron in first-class condition for any emergency. He reports Dewey's squadron in excellent shape. Already the flagship Olympia and docked the gunboat Raleigh have been and cleaned at Hong Kong and the Boston is now there for the same pur¬ pose. _ MARTIAL LAW IN I’ANA. Stops Are Taken To I’revent trash Be¬ tween Miners an<l Negroes. Pana, III., was placed under martial law Tuesday. The sheriff took this step iu order to prevent a clash be¬ tween the striking coal miners and negro laborers who have taken their o having far places, Governor Tanner sq failed to send troops. The negroes have been kept closely guarded at Springside colliery until Tuesday when half a dozen of them marched into town and through the principal streets. They were not mo¬ lested by the strikers. HOSPITAL DOORS CLOSED. Action Was Taken on Account of Severe Criticism and Abuse. The following telegram was received at the war department Tuesday: “Chattanooga, Tenn,, September 6.—General H. C. Corbin, Washing¬ ton: Second division Third corps hos¬ pital closed yesterday This is the one that was most generally and se¬ verely criticised. Following is its re¬ cord since established, June 10th Total number of patients, 2,402; total deaths, Of these eases 270 were typhoid and of the total deaths twenty- eight were from typhoid. “H. V. Boynton, “Brigadier General." MIDDLE - OF • THE - ROADERS NAME BARKER AND DONNELLY. PREPARED FOR CAMPAIGN OF 1900 Convention Split Into Two Factions. Senator Butler Designated as a Traitor By One Faction. A Cincinnati special says: The middle-of-the-road populists at their session Tuesday reorganized the peo¬ ple’s party, renewed its former declar¬ ation of principles and nominated its national ticket two yoars and two months in advance of the date of the election. The object of this early ao- tion was to head off any such fusion as that of 1896. While the radicals controlled the convention, they could not havo car¬ ried out their programme without a .bolt from the northern delegates. The western and southern delegates nominated Wharton Barker and Igna¬ tius Donnelly and declared the princi¬ ples of the reorgnnizyed party. The eastern states were not repre¬ sented. It was the smallest national convention on record, and it adopted the longest platform on record, one of over 7,900 words. Most of the usual rules of conventions were ignored, ns most of tho delegates eamo with self- constituted credentials, owing to the confusion over tho call. A letter was read from ex-Governor David Waite, of Colorado, during the early bonrs of the session, in which he denounced Senator Butler as a treach¬ erous chairman aud false leader, and advocated the nomination of straight populist tickets for president and other offices. An elaborate address to the people of the United States was adopted. It reaffirms the previous platform of the populists and covers many questions, and in referring to the present situa¬ tion, it says: “The people's party vote in 1894 and 1895 rose to nearly two millions, and everything indicated its speedy national triumph. In this emergency the democratic party saw that it had no recourse but to steal one of the principles of the despised populists. In the Chicago convention of 1806, in a prearranged theatrical scene of great uproar and enthusiasm, moved to the front ns the devoted and life-long champion of that which it had nlwnys opposed. “Senator Butler,who is chairman of our national committoe, preached dis¬ integration and demoralization just as Benedict Arnold stipulated for the scattering of the American forces, that the British might the more readily overthrow the young republic. “Mr. Butler taught our forces that the first duty of a soldier was to break ranks and go over to^the enemy. All efforts to chain the boundless subtlety of this cunning man have been in vain. Onr chief battle is not against the de¬ monetization of one metal for the ben¬ efit of another, but against the chain¬ ing of the world’s progress to the car wheels of a prehistoric superstition in the shape of both metals. The whole world today is held in check by a sys¬ tem of gold barter, while enterprise languishes, industry suffers and tho cemeteries are populous with the bod¬ ies of bankrupts and suicides. We will end the tricks of the office seekers by putting our national ticket in the field at once. “We believe tho soul is bigger than the pocketbook. We have nothing but kind words for republicans and democrats individually. Our hearts go out to the wretched and oppressed of the whole world. While we demand that if either gold or silver is to be used as money, both shall be so used; we insist that the best currency this country ever possessed was the full legal tender greenback of the civil war. And we look forward with hope to the day when gold shall be relegat¬ ed and the human family possess, free of tribute to bankers, a governmental full legal tender measure of values, made qf paper that will expand side by side with the growth of wealth and population,” followed A bitter discussion on a motion to proceed with nominations for president and vice president. The But¬ ler faction moved to amend by refer¬ ring the whole matter to their national committee. This caused great disturb¬ ance and the Butler faction, led by Mr. Palmer, of Illinois, left the hail and the other faction proceeded with nominations. Barker and Donnelly Nominated. After numerous nominating and sec¬ onding speeches in presenting two names for presidential candidates a ballot was taken, resulting as follows: Wharton Barker, of Pennsylvania, 128 4-5; Ignatius Donnelly, of Minqe- nesota, 99 1-5, On motion of Mr. Donnelly the nomination of Mr. Barker was made unanimous. Ignatius Donnelly was then nominated by acclamation for vice president. OPPOSED TO A REVISION OF THE DREYFUS CASE. DISAGREED WITH HIS COLLEAGUES Story of the Imprisoned Artillerist and the Revelations Which Followed His Trial and Conviction. A cable dispatch from Paris states that M. Cavaignac, minister for war, has resigned. Tho resignation was due to a disagreement with his col¬ leagues who desire n revision of tho Dreyfus case, thus a revision of tho case seems assured. Story of llroyfiiH CaM. Albert Dreyfus is an Alsatiau Jew. Ho was a captain in tho Fourteenth regiment of artillery in tho French army. Ho was detailed for service at the information bureau of tho minis¬ ter of war. He was arrested on Octo¬ ber 15, 1894, ou the charge of having sold military secrets to a foreign power. Here is the letter which was said to have been found at the German embassy by a French detective, writ¬ ten, it was claimed, in tho hand of Dreyfus: “Having no news from you I <Jo not know what to do. I send yun In the meantime tlu^ condition of the forts. I also baud you tho principal instructions as to tiring. If vou desire the rest precious. I shall havethem copied. The document is The instructions have lic<>n given only to officers of the gen¬ eral staff. I leave for the manoevres." Some time before the arrest of Drey¬ fus, who was charged with being the author of this letter, M. Drumont, ed¬ itor of the Libre Farole, had been rav¬ ing about the Jews in general. He declared Dreyfus guilty, but affirmed that there was danger of his being ac¬ quitted, through the Juverie, “the cosmopolitan syndicate which exploits France." Public opinion in Pnris was thus poisoned against Dreyfjts. ne was under these circumstances brought to trial before a secret court martial, de¬ clared guilty, degraded from his mili¬ tary rank and imprisoned for life ou Devil's Island off'the coast of French Guiana. The sentence was executed with the greatest severity. It is stated that Dreyfus is living in a mis¬ erable hut shut in by an iron eage on the island. He is allowed to send and receive letters only which have been transcribed by one of his guardians. He and his family have always stoutly asserted his iunocenoe. It appeared from he the convicted indictment of Dreyfus that was on an unsigned memorandum indicating that its author had sold military secrets to a foreign government. It nppenred also that of the five experts in handwriting who testified at tho trial only three had affirmed that Dreyfus had written the memorandum. Mutthiou Dreyfus, a brother of tho captain, declared that Major-Estorhazy was the guilty man. Esterhazy was arrested, his lodgings and papers ransacked and two letters were found in which lie expressed a wish that the Gormans would conquer France. -He was tried, us Dreyfus had been, before a military court and behind closed doors. So fur as can be judged by the meagre accounts made public, the evidence that Esterhazy wrote the memorandum was quite as strong as that which had already con¬ victed Dreyfus of that act. Esterhazy was not only acquitted, but also publicly congratulated and complimented by tho president of the court. Then it was that Emile Zola, the novelist, took a hand in the affair. He addressed an open letter to the presi¬ dent of the republic entitled “I ac¬ cuse,” which was published in the “L’Aurora.” He charged that the officers of the courtmartial freed Es¬ terhazy upon the order of their chiefs in the ministry of war, in their anxie¬ ty to show that French military just¬ ice could net possibly make an error. Thereupon Zola was indicted, as was ulso tho responsible representative of the paper “L’Aurora.” They were adjudged gnilty of tho libel against French officers. By the assize oourt of Versailles Zola was sentenced to pay a fine of 3,000 francs and serve a year in prison. Colonel It'was in the Zola trial that Ilonri first figured in tho case, ARKANSAS STATE ELECTION. Joncg, Democrat* For Governor, Wins By Deceive Majority. Monday Arkansas elected a full corps of state officers, 100 members of the lower house of the legislature, six¬ teen state senators, local officers in each of the seventy-five counties and voted on t^e adoption of two import¬ ant constitutional amendments as well as the question of tho liquor license iu the different counties. The democratic state ticket, headed by Dan W. Jones, is undoubtedly elected, the only question of doubt being the size of the democratic plu¬ rality. The vote on the two constitu¬ tional amendments is in doubt. SWIFT TRAIN SMASHES A TROL¬ LEY CAR TO SPLINTERS. EIGHTEEN PASSENGERS KILLED. Men and Women On the Tr >lley Mangled Jtoyninl Identification—Ten Badly Wounded and May Ole. Shortly before 8 o'clock Monday night a trolley car of tho Troy City Railway company was struck by tho night boat special of the Delaware and Hudson railroad, at a crossing at tho west end of the Hudson river bridge, which connects Cohoes, N. Y., with Lansiughurg. Eighteen of the thirty-five passen¬ gers were killed outright and it is stated that at least ten of tho remain¬ der will die. The cars entering the city for Lnns- ingburg woro crowded with passengers returning from a Labor Day picnic at Rensolaer park, a pleasure resort near Troy. Car No. 192 of the Troy City railway wns the victim of the disaster. It came over the bridge about 7225 o’clock, laden with a merry party of j>eople. Tho crossing where the accident oc¬ curred is at a grade. Four tracks of tho Delaware and Hudson road, which runs north and south at this point, cross the two tracks of the trolley road. It was the hour when the night boat special, a train which runs south and connects with tho New York city boat at Albany, was duo to pass that point. The tracks of the street lino run tft a grade from the bridge to the point where tho disaster occurred. In consequence of this fact and of the frequent passage of tho trains, it has been tho rule for each motor car conductor to stop his car and go for¬ ward to observe tho railroad tracks and signal his car to proceed if no trains were in sight. It cannot be ascertained whether that rule was complied with on this occasion, for all events prior to the crash are forgotten by those who wero involved. Tho motor car was struck directly in tho center by the engine of tho train, which was going at a high speed. The ear was upon the tracks before the train loomed in sight and no power on earth could have saved it. Tho motor- man evidently saw tho train approach¬ ing as he reached the track and open¬ ed his controller, but in vain. With a crash that was heard for blocks, the engine dashed into the lighter vehicle. The motor car parted in two, both (motions being hurled in¬ to the air in splinters. The mass of humanity, for tho car was crowded to overflowing, was torn and mangled. Those in the front of the car met with the worst fate. The force of the col¬ lision was there experienced to the greatest degree, and every human be¬ ing in that section of the car was killed. Bodies wero hurled into tho air and thoir headless and limbless trunks wero found in some cases fifty feet from tho crossing. The pilot of the engine was smashed and amid its wreckage woro the maimed corpses of two women. The passengers of the train suffered no injury in addition to a violent shook. Tho majority of tho passengers of the trolley car were young people. They included many women. Tho injured wero taken to the Cohoes city hospital and to the Con¬ tinental knitting mill, tho former not having sufficient ambulance service to care for them all. Tho dead were placed in boxes and taken to a neigh¬ boring mill shed. Many were unrecognizable. The crash was frightful in its results— headless women with gay summer dresses, bathed in their own and the blood of others; limbs without trunks or means of identifying to whom they belonged; women aud men’s heads with crushed and distorted features; bodies crushed and flattened. The train of the Delaware and Hud¬ son road, immediately after the acci¬ dent, proceeded to Troy. The engin¬ eer stated that he did not see the car until he was upon it. Ho tried to prevent his train from striking the car, but his efforts wore fruitless. REGULARS AND VOLUNTEERS May He Separated In Order That Better Dlxelpllne May Prevail. A Washington dispatch says: Sec¬ retary Alger is seriously considering the proposition to separate the regu¬ lars from tfie volunteer troops. The suggestion has been made that it might be wise to send tho regulars back to the permanent military encampments. It is argued that there are numerous forts arid military stations all along the New England coast where the reg¬ ulars might be conveniently and profit¬ ably stationed, and be much better cared for than they are in the emer¬ gency camps. At the war department the question is discussed from various standpoints. NO. FIRST WORK OF THE BODY WAS TO ( LEAR THE GALLERIES. SECRET SESSION WAS THE ORDER. Saffnstn Starts tho Ball l*ross Censorship Was 1 >Ih« , uhmo <1—Sensational Scones Presented. The Spanish chambers assembled ni Madrid Monday. At tho opening of the senate tho sec¬ retary read a letter from Honor Hod- riguee, senator from Porto Rico, re¬ fusing to obey tho summons to attend. The premier, Senor Hagnsta, aseoud- od the tribune and read a decree au¬ thorizing the government to present to tho chamber a draft of a law em¬ powering tho ministers to renounco sovereignty over tho colonies in con¬ formity with tho stipulations of tho peace preliminaries between Spain and the United States. Tho president of the senate proposed a seorot discussion of the decree and despite tho protests of some senators ordered that the gal¬ leries Ihi cloarod, which was done amid loud murmurs of disapproval. Tho chamber soon liecumo involved in n discussion of pross censorship and a deputy inquired the motive underly¬ ing a circular which General Chinchil¬ la, captain genornl of Madrid, lias ad¬ dressed to newspapers regulating thoir reports of the sessions of tho cortos. lie declared that the censorship was inconsistently applied and that tho effect of the circular was to punish possible errors in advance. At tho close of tho censorship dis¬ cussion, in which deputies who are journalists protested emphatically against the attitude of the govern¬ ment, Senor Romero y Robledo ac¬ cused tho government of illegality in continuing stitutional tho suspension of tho con¬ guarantees after tho reopen- .ing of tho cortos. Ho demanded im¬ mediate decrees revoking tho suspen¬ sion. Senor Capdepon, the minister of the interior, replied that the time was not opportune to revoke tho suspension and reminded Honor Romero y Robledo that a former government of which Senor Romero y Robledo was a mem¬ ber lmd acted in the same way in 1875. Tho chambers then adjourned. General Jaudenez, ad interim gov¬ ernor of tho Philippines, replying to the government’s request for informa¬ tion as to the true situation of affairs in the archipelago, reports that to as¬ sure the re-establishment of Spanish sovereignty over the islands would re- qniro a permanent army of 60,000 men, a fleet and endless quantities of mate¬ rials. The conservatives have decided to continue to support the government. DONNELLY DENOUNCED FUSION. Mlddlfi-of-tho-Koiul ]*n|HillHtM In Convention At Cinefnimtl. The national convention of the rrfid- dle of the road populists was called to order at Cincinnati Monday noon. During tho morning tho middle-of-the readers were in informal conference and exchanged opinions enough to in¬ dicate much difference in their views as to whether they should hold a nom¬ inative convention or merely a general conference. In calling tho convention to order Joseph Parker, of Louisville, secretary of the Reform Press Association, strongly advocated independent action by the populists, whether it is done at this convention or at some future time. Ignatius Donnelly was chosen tem¬ porary chairman and made u red-hot speech denouncing General Wheeler and all other lenders who had co-oper¬ ated with fusion with the democrats. He referred to Grover Cleveland as a traitor to tho democratic party, and Senator Butler us a traitor to tho pop¬ ulist party. He was especially severe in denouncing Senator Butler as a man who reached an exalted position by conniving with tho republicans for his election to the senate and now un¬ der instructions from W. J. Bryan lie is conniving with the democrats. Mr. Donnelly advocated u reorgani¬ zation of the populist party on tho line of the middle-of-the-roaders, as indicated in their conference at Omaha last June and again at Nashville last July. Tho usual committees wero ap¬ pointed. DERVISHES WERE ROUTED. Anglo-Kgyptlan Force. Capture Khartoum With Heavy Slaughter. A report reached London Saturday evening, which was later confirmed, that the Anglo-Egyptian forces have captured Khartoum. Sir Herbert The sirdar, General Kitchener, with tho khalifa’s black standard, captured during the battle, entered Omdurman, the capital ol Mahdism, at 4 o’clock Sunday after¬ noon at tlie head of the Anglo-Egyp^ tian column, after completely routing tho dervishes and dealing a death blow t > Mahdism. Roughly, tho Anglo-Egyptian losses were 200, while thousands of the der¬ vishes were killed or wounded.