International

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 1, 1899

International.—M. Felix Faure, president of France, died suddenly at his home in Paris, on February 16. Apoplexy was the cause of his death, induced, it is supposed, by the great strain upon the president's mind on account of the Dreyfus case and the threatened revolution. His successor, M. Emil Loubet, was elected by the General Assembly on the 18th. It is stated that the suddenness of the presidential crisis saved France from a revolution. The disorderly elements did not have time to organize. The anti-revisionists and many anti-Dreyfus papers are heaping insults upon the new president, who they fear will favor Dreyfus.....A five-foot seam of coal of a superior quality has been discovered within nine miles of Dawson.....President Zelaya, of Nicaragua, has declared that republic in a state of siege. He is sending troops to the seat of the rebellion as fast as possible.....The British Government has appointed a commission to arbitrate the Chile-Argentine frontier dispute.....M. Threaud, a French inventor, has perfected a bullet-proof coat of mail to be worn by soldiers. The coat is constructed of a secret combination of metal and cloth, and, tho light in weight, has proved its ability to stop a bullet from a modern rifle.....One hundred rioters were arrested in Paris on Sunday, February 19, while participating in demonstrations against the newly-elected president,.....A report from Stockholm states that King Oscar has again taken up the reins of government which ill health had compelled him to lay down for a time.....A serious conflict has taken place between Russians and Chinese at Talien-wan, in which 300 Chinese were killed. Talien-wan is a port which has been occupied by the Russians, who are administering its civil affairs; and the battle is supposed to have occurred over a question of taxes. .....The government forces of Ecuador have defeated the rebels, and the country is said to be again pacified......The United States and Mexico have agreed upon a new extradition treaty to take the place of the one which lapsed a few weeks ago. The new treaty is to be retroactive, so as to cover crimes committed since the expiration of the former treaty.....The rule of the Belgian king Leopold over the Kongo Free State, which is now being nullified by the natives, is said to have been for the past few years a veritable reign of terror. The country has been ruled for the purpose of making money out of the 42,000,000 ignorant blacks who inhabit it.....The governor of the State of Guarico, Venezuela, has started a revolution against President Andrade.....The Joint High Commission of Canada and the United States, whose sessions have been held in Washington, has adjourned until August 2, to meet in Quebec. The points of greatest friction were the Alaska boundary and the duty on lumber. Agreement was easily secured between the commissioners over many minor questions.

Domestic.—An amendment to the constitution of North Carolina has been adopted by both members of the General Assembly, which is designed to eliminate the ignorant negro vote of that State. It is to be submitted to a vote of the people in 1901......The government has under consideration the sending of a detachment of troops to the Alaskan boundary, where trouble is expected on account of the indefiniteness of the line.....The Central Pacific Railroad Company has finally been compelled to deposit with the government notes covering its debt of $58,812,715. The notes are twenty in number, each one calling for nearly three million dollars. Four of these notes are to be paid within one month, and the others in sixteen semiannual payments. In case of failure to make any of these payments on time, the whole amount becomes due at once, and as the government has a lien on the Central Pacific and all its branches, the security is regarded as ample.....The preparations of the Navy Department for the transportation of additional troops to the Philippines continue. Three additional transports have been chartered on the Atlantic Coast and three on the Pacific, and will be fitted up at once for carrying troops.....The chief of police of Chicago is preparing to provide the police of that city with bullet-proof vests. The cost of the vests will be $25 each, and they are supposed to be able to stop a forty-two caliber bullet.....Memorial services for the sailors who lost their lives in the sinking of the Maine at Havana were held in that city February 15, the anniversary of the destruction of that ship.....A separate bill appropriating $20,000,000 for payment to Spain under the provision of the treaty of Paris, was passed by the House under a suspension of the rules. Vigorous efforts were put forth to secure an amendment to the measure declaring the policy of the government in the Philippines; but none were successful.....The court of inquiry appointed to inquire into the charges made by General Miles in reference to the meat furnished the army during the late war, met at Washington and began its work on February 20, General Miles being the first witness examined.....The House has refused to attach the Nicaragua Canal Bill as a rider to the Sundry Civil Bill, thus taking a position directly opposed to the Senate, and rendering it extremely improbable that there will be any legislation during this session authorizing the construction of the canal.

The Philippines.—Every day brings reports of fighting of a more or less desultory character between the Americans and Filipinos around Manila. The Filipinos use smokeless powder and are hidden in the brush while trying to pick off the Americans. They are said to be gathering in force before some of the American outposts, with the evident intention of making another attack.....The United States transport Sheridan sailed from New York for Manila, via the Suez Canal, on February 19, carrying 1,835 regulars. Two other transports are already on their way with a similar number of regulars. It is said to be the plan to push the fighting vigorously as soon as these men arrive.....An engagement took place on February 21 between General King's division and the Filipinos who were massing on his front. The Filipinos were driven back two miles, leaving fifteen dead and four wounded on the field.

Scientific.—A plant for seasoning wood by electricity is now said to be in successful operation in Charlton, England, the process being of Franco-German invention. It is demonstrated that the results of five years' natural seasoning can be obtained in a fortnight by the new process. The timber is immersed in a solution of borax, resin, and carbonate of soda, and the electric current driven through the timber thus arranged, forces the sap out of the wood and fills the veins with the artificial substitute. A fortnight in the open air completes the work.....Walter Nernst, of Germany, has invented an electric light which requires no glass bulb to protect its filament, gives a light much brighter than the incandescent light, and requires about one-half as much power to operate.

Fires.—The Wisconsin Chair Factory, at Fort Washington, Wisconsin, was reduced to ashes on the night of February 20. The loss to the factory and adjoining property is placed at $360,000.....Fire destroyed three six-story business blocks on Market Street, Philadelphia, on February 16. The loss is placed at nearly $400,000.....Over a million dollars worth of government property was destroyed by fire at New York on February 15. The fire started in the machine shop of the Brooklyn Navy-yard, and destroyed many models, parts and plans of battleships, and practically wiped out the steam engineering department of the navy-yard.

Casualties and Calamities.—An express train at Forest, Belgium, telescoped a loaded passenger train, on February 18, killing twenty persons outright, and injuring more than one hundred. The locomotive of the express leaped upon the roof of the passenger coaches, crashed through them, and ground the passengers to death beneath its revolving wheels.....A great proportion of the Florida orange trees have been killed or almost hopelessly damaged by the recent severe cold wave that swept over the East and South.

New Trusts.—Arrangements are being perfected for the formation of a gigantic glassware trust, comprising all the principal glassware manufacturers of the country. Some of the largest firms have already joined the combination.....The Pipe Manufacturing and Machine Company, of Pittsburg, Pa., is the latest trust in the iron and steel line. Thirty-two manufactories throughout the United States were represented in the deal which was consummated February 16.