SECULAR | AdventAI

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 5, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 22.

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SECULAR.

—A fire in Portland, Or., May 29, destroyed property to the amount of $50,000.

—The salary of the sub-treasurer at San Francisco has been fixed at $4,500.

—Immigrants have been arriving at Quebec, Canada, lately, at the rate of 3,000 a week.

—Two hundred colored laborers left Chattanooga, recently, to work on farms in California.

—Decoration Day was quite generally observed by the principal cities and towns of this State.

—The French Government is proposing to try the experiment of taxing imported cattle and cereals.

—Oregon and Washington Territory have been visited by generous rains, and good crops are considered certain.

—The Massachusetts Legislature is investigating grave charges of bribery of some of its members by the gas companies.

—A cloud-burst near the Nebraska and Colorado line, May 31, destroyed a large cattle camp, and drowned eleven men.

—Advices from Brazos, Texas, state that the floods are destroying crops, and carrying off farm improvements at an alarming rate.

—A large warehouse, known as the Cooper Building, in Baltimore, suddenly fell on the 30th ult., and eight men were crushed to death.

—A university will be opened in Iceland next year. Heretofore Icelandic students have received college instruction in Copenhagen.

—Silk operators from China will be allowed to land at New Orleans to attend the Exposition. There will probably be a large representation.

—Enormous quantities of goods are said to be smuggled from this country into Mexico. A correspondent of the Boston Herald says that some New York firms make a specialty of this contraband business.

—The Court House of Wilson County, Texas, was burned by incendiaries on the night of May 28. All the court records, together with all the records of deeds, mortgages, etc., were consumed. There was a large number of criminal cases pending.

—In licensing a saloon at Watseka, Ill., recently, the authorities provided that there should be no screens or curtains to obstruct the view from the street.

—The National Greenback Convention, held at Indianapolis last week, nominated General Butler for president, and Gen. A. M. West, of Mississippi, for vice-president.

—The fellow arrested for burning the Clarendon Hotel, Portland, Or., is said to be willing to confess the crime and tell who hired him to do it, for a money consideration.

—Hanly, one of the parties in a prize fight in Nebraska, a short time ago, has been sentenced to three years in the penitentiary, after a trial at Omaha. His case will be appealed.

—The river Nile is rising rapidly, and it is now hoped that General Gordon will be able to escape from Khartoum in armed boats, and open communication with Berber and Cairo.

—The Judiciary Committee of the Senate has reported a proposed Constitutional amendment increasing the presidential term to six years, and limiting the incumbency to one term.

—Another victory for Satan is assured in the legal decision against the Government and in favor of the Louisiana Lottery Co. The Norristown Herald says that members of churches addicted to periodical fairs will be pleased to learn the fact.

—The corner of the London detective office at Scotland Yard was blown off to a height of thirty feet, May 30, and several policemen were injured. Sixteen pockets of dynamite, with fuse attached, were also found under the Nelson monument in Trafalgar square.

—The New York State Board of Health report a revolting state of affairs in the cow stables at Blissville, near New York City. Pleuro-pneumonia exists to an alarming extent; the diseased cattle are milked, until nearly dying, when they are killed and the carcasses smuggled into the New York market and sold for food.

—Chas. A. Dana, being asked his opinion as to the leading issue in the coming presidential campaign, gives his opinion thus: “The form of the leading issue remains to be determined, but the real question will be an effort on the part of the Democrats to turn out the Republicans, and an effort on the part of the Republicans to keep the power they have possessed for a quarter of a century.”

—Renewed activity on the part of Russian Nihilists is reported from Moscow. A new manifesto has been issued, threatening the life of the Czar. He is reminded that in 1881 he was warned that a constitutional form of Government must be formed, and a parliament of representatives of the people. But the revolutionists have waited in vain until this time for action toward that end; consequently he may expect to be dealt with as his father was. Many arrests have been made of both men and women.

—Regarding the improved accommodations for third-class passengers on the Union Pacific Railroad, the San Francisco Chronicle says: “The company has just discarded those old rattle-traps for a new style of emigrant sleeping-car, neat in appearance, and although not finished in the elegant style of first-class sleepers, have upper and lower berths constructed upon the same principle. The lower berths afford two seats, facing each other, which at night are pushed together to form beds. In the upper berths their surplus bedding can be stowed during the day-time. Passengers are expected to furnish their own mattresses, and, as a general thing, include a few cents’ worth of cloth curtains, which are hung around the berths to complete their privacy. Each passenger on presenting his emigrant ticket at Ogden or Omaha is handed a berth check, showing the location of his berth, and this establishes his title, as is the case on the Central Pacific emigrant cars. In distributing checks, those who are similar in appearance are given berths in the same car and others who would prefer to do with their own class or nationality are also placed in cars by themselves. All berths are free. Emigrant passengers are carried to and from Kansas City or Omaha on the regular express trains instead of on the slow freight as heretofore, thus saving over two days’ travel. There is but one change of cars from Chicago to Ogden, and third-class passengers from this city for Chicago leave Ogden at 9:30 A. M., and arrive at Chicago at 7 A. M. on the third day. A Union Pacific ticket agent told a Chronicle reporter that, under the new system, third-class travel had greatly increased, and would doubtless assume unwonted proportions during the next few months.”