ITEMS OF NEWS | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 22, 1881

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 7, No. 36.

Read the full edition

ITEMS OF NEWS.

-Dean Stanley left property to the amount of $400,000.

-Sixteen persons were drowned recently off Frankfort, Lake Michigan.

-Mexico celebrated the seventy-first anniversary of her independence on the 16th.

-Sept. 15, most of the principal business houses of Austin, Nevada, were destroyed by fire.

-There are now 400 American schools in Turkey, which are attended by about 15,000 scholars.

-On the 13th a fire destroyed the Union Factory at Battle Creek, Mich., causing a loss of about $80,000.

The schooner Regina, laden with salt, went down in a recent storm on Lake Michigan, with all on board.

-The M. E. Church in California, have 121 church buildings, 159 Sunday-schools, and 8,185 church members.

-Stockton opium smokers defy the law by going into the tules in boats, and smoking outside the city limits.

-A new temperance colony has been organized in New Zealand. It occupies lands about seventy miles from Auckland.

-General Ambrose E. Burnside died Sept. 13, of neuralgia of the heart, at his home in Bristol, R. I. He was 57 years of age.

-In a recent battle, the Arabs gained a decided victory over the French, and nearly cut off the water supply of the city of Tunis.

-The ship Olympus, bound from San Francisco to Seabeck, with a cargo of hay, oakum, and oil, was burned to the water's edge, on the 14th.

-A Dental College has been organized in connection with the medical department of California University, and the professors have been appointed.

-Mr. Spurgeon's statement in regard to the Revision Committee is that "they are strong in Greek, but weak in English." He thinks the New Revision needs revising.

-Beatty's large organ factory, at Washington, N. J., was burned the night of the 18th. The loss is estimated at $200,000. Four hundred men were thrown out of employment.

-In Ontario, cattle are reported to be dying in great numbers, on account of the drought. A million dollars' worth of lumber has been burned in Parry Sound district.

-A riot, in New Orleans, on the 13th, started by some longshore-men who had struck, necessitated the calling out of the militia, and putting the city under military protection.

-The Prefect of Constantine, Algeria, has received a despatch that sixty-one people were burned to death in one day in the recent forest fires, and many wounded. There were 682 dwellings burned.

-A thousand dollars has been given by a friend of temperance in Holland to aid in placing Dr. Richardson's "Temperance Lesson Book" in the schools of that country. This is practical temperance work that cannot fail of good results.

-The State Liquor Dealers' Association of Illinois have decided to organize in each Assembly District of the State, to defeat the candidates of either party who would not allow their business a fair and equal chance with all other business interests.

-Sept. 14, a fire broke out in the fair-ground at Kansas City, Mo., and destroyed several buildings, among which was the grand stand, in which 12,000 persons were seated. Many persons were trampled upon and mutilated in the panic which ensued.

-A land-slip occurred recently near the village of Elm, Canton Glarus, Switzerland. Two hundred persons were killed and thirty houses destroyed. A few hours later, a second one occurred, burying quite a large party who had come to the rescue after the first slip.

-While some parts of the country are suffering with heat, other parts are having very cold weather. Quite an amount of snow fell on the 16th along the line of the Rock Island Road in Iowa. Between Stuart and Avoca the snow was from four to six inches deep.

-Rev. Campbells, Canon of St. Peter's Cathedral, Rome, recently abjured Catholicism in the chapel of the Methodists, after notifying Cardinal Borromea, Prefect of the Congregation, of his decision. He says his action was caused by the continued hostility of the Pope.

-Reports from the west coast of Africa, state that the King of Dahomey with his army of Amazons, has raided and destroyed the towns of Ignano and Okepo, which contained many thousands of inhabitants. All who were unable to escape were brought to Abomey, the capitol of Dahomey, for sacrifice at the great annual feasts.

-Last week a farmer living in San Rafael, Marin Co., started a fire to burn some brush near his house. The fire immediately spread, and soon a large tract of country was in flames. About twelve square miles of territory were burned over, and several houses were destroyed. Pixly, the man who started the fire, lost his life.

-A typhoon recently visited Shanghai, driving over 200 vessels of all nationalities on shore, uprooting trees and leveling to the ground whole lines of houses. During the storm, which lasted barely an hour, over ten inches of rain fell, 100 of the native sampans sank with their occupants, and about $3,000,000 worth of tea stored for shipment was washed away and lost.

-Paper barrels are among the recent inventions. They are made of straw pulp, and run into a mold shaped like a half-barrel, and then subjected to powerful hydraulic pressure. The ends are of paper protected by wood. They are lighter, cheaper and more durable than wood. For transit of flour they possess the advantage of preventing the sifting which is so much of a loss in transit by wooden barrels.

-Several months ago a majority of the Baptist churches in California withdrew from the Baptist State Convention, on account of their unwillingness to affiliate with Kalloch. Since then others have withdrawn, leaving the pastor of the Metropolitan Temple nearly alone. And now Kalloch finally announces his withdrawal from that body, and his unwillingness to fellowship the Baptist churches on the coast. In view of the preceding facts, the last step seems somewhat like a farce.

-The Russian journals publish terrible details of the ravages of diphtheria, which is now epidemic in Russia. It is reported that in certain communities and parishes all the children under 15 years old have died. The origin of the attack dates from 1872, when the disease first appeared in Bessarabia. Since then it has spread far and wide over the south of the empire, whence it lately began to make rapid progress toward the east and northwest. In Pultowa province, of considerably less than 2,000,000 inhabitants, there have been 45,543 cases, of which 18,765 proved fatal.

-The excitement that prevailed throughout Europe, upon the mutiny of the Egyptian troops, shows how easily the whole country might be plunged into war. The Khedive was unable to control the troops, and none of the powers dared attempt to put them down. England would not unite with France, and neither power was willing that the other should do it alone. Indeed, France has more on her hands now than she can well attend to. It was feared that if Turkey attempted it, it would lead to a revival of the Turkish claims of supremacy; and Italy claimed that if any interference were made, she should be allowed to regain the ground which she lost. The situation is very critical, and no one can foretell what may result.

-The following appeal has been issued by the Citizens' Relief Committee of Detroit: To the people of the United States: The counties of Huron and Sanilac and parts of the counties of Tuscola and Lapeer, in Michigan, have been visited by dreadful calamities. Forest fires driven by high winds swept over more than 1,500 square miles of this region. In portions of it the destruction is only partial, but in the greater part of it the ruin is complete. More than 200 people were burned to death in the flames or suffocated in the smoke. Many others who escaped were severely burned and yet survive in great suffering. More than 15,000 people were made shelterless. The greater part of these lost all they possessed—their houses, barns, fences, crops, agricultural implements, furniture, clothing—entirely consumed, and they are absolutely destitute and dependent on the generosity of the humane for the necessaries of life. Detroit and Michigan will give liberally, but the wants of the sufferers are beyond their capacity to relieve. We therefore appeal to the generous throughout the United States to assist us in discharging this duty of humanity to the destitute sufferers. They need food, clothing, bedding, furniture, shelter, cattle, seed for crops, agricultural implements, table-ware, kitchen utensils, medicines, and a multitude of other necessaries. All individuals, societies, corporations, committees, and organizations are earnestly invited to send their contributions, whether of money or supplies, promptly, directed to Hon. William G. Thompson, Chairman of the Relief Committee, Detroit, Mich. All contributions will be acknowledged in the Detroit daily papers.