News and Miscellany

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jun 24, 1875

News and Miscellany.

—Mr. Hammond's first meeting at Portland (Or.) on the 10th, was very largely attended.

PORTLAND, June 12.—The bark Forward arrived yesterday from Hongkong with 302 Chinese passengers.

—The fires which last week were raging in the woods, a few miles west of Healdsburg (Cal.), were supposed on Saturday last to be under control; but the high winds started them afresh, and for three or four days they have swept over the country more fiercely than ever. The people living along lower Dry Creek and across the country to Norton's mill turned out en masse and fought the flames day and night. The course of the fire has been southwest. At the present writing, June 18, the district burned over is about ten miles long and two miles wide.

WILKESBARRE, June 15.—The miners who have been working at Paine's shaft were met by a large gang this morning and ordered to stay out. A posse was raised and they opened a way through the mob, and those who wished entered the shaft. There was great excitement.

—The long strike is ended. The miners of Lehigh and Wilkesbarre made unconditional surrender through their delegates.

—The Captain of a ship which arrived from Manila reports that on June 4, in latitude 19.16 north, longitude 72.52, he felt the shock and heard the noise of an earthquake, which lasted about ten minutes. It began in smooth water and the ship pitched bows under during the disturbances.

PANAMA, June 12.—The following particulars of the recent terrible earthquake are received by letter from Salazar, dated May 19: “Yesterday a severe earthquake visited this city and region. In this city a large part of the church, public hall, and several houses were destroyed and some people were killed. The city of Cercuita is entirely destroyed, only a few families being saved. The Botica Allemania, a German drug store, was set on fire by a ball of fire which was thrown out of a volcano, which is constantly throwing out lava. This volcano has opened itself in front of Santiago. San Cayetana was destroyed and also Santiago: In the larger part of Gramlatia there was great destruction. Arboletes, Cucutilla and San Cristobal are nearly destroyed. Although the movement lasted less than a minute, from sixteen to twenty thousand lives were lost.

OMAHA, June 15.—Probably not another such an immense army of grasshoppers, covering an area extending in breadth from one end of this State to the other, and crossing the Union Pacific in a northerly direction, has ever before been seen. A large number came to the ground all along from Omaha to Columbus, bringing destruction to many beautiful fields of grain. Between Millard and Elkhorn great damage has been done to wheat and barley. Near Valley many farmers lost their entire crop in half an hour's time, while others in the same vicinity suffered little. Just north of Fremont great damage was done to the barley. None of this immense swarm lit west of Columbus, and farmers in central Nebraska are to-day jubilant over their escape. The “hoppers” stopped flying during the latter part of the afternoon, and those which lit along the Union Pacific Railroad have taken wing and gone, north, today. It is a peculiar fact that the migratory “hoppers” have drawn away with them nearly all of the homebred ones, which are reported as being scarce to-day. Reports from various parts of Douglas county show considerable damage done yesterday. Farms near Florence are stripped of everything, and farmers from there were in Omaha to-day procuring seed fall wheat with which to renew their wasted fields. Great damage is also reportd in Sarpy county, south of here. In Washington county the hoppers are reported having lit in a body and are devouring everything green.

The following is a dispatch just received from Elm Creek, 200 miles west from here: “The small worm in the body of the grasshopper is killing them off very fast in this locality they appear to be too sickly and weak to go east, and some that are half eaten up by the worm attempt to fly but fall to the ground and die immediately. Farmers are in good spirits—and anticipate large crops.”

As an illustration of the speed at which the electric current travels, a message sent from the observatory of Harvard College direct to San Francisco and back by way of Canada, over thirteen railways, occupied only two-thirds of a second.