Valdez weekly Prospector
Vo,« 7 Valdez, Alaska, December 31,1908.
No. 50
DIE OS RESULT
IN SOUTH PART OF ITALY
Cities, Towns And Villages Are I/aid Waste, Every Heap Of Ruins Is A Tomb
Where Dead And Dying Fester Unattended, And All Of The World
Are Dased By A Disaster Which For Mortality And For Horror
Transcends Any Catastrophy Of Modern Times
Rome, Doc. 30—One hundred thous
and persons dead, twice as many in
jured and mile after milo of human
habitations laid waste is the story in
brief of the work of the earthquake
which yesterday shook southern Italy.
The greatest damago was indicted on
the towns of Messina and of Reggio,
where the death rato will be nearly
one third of the population.
Italy's king is on the way to the
stricken district, heading a relief
corps. The entire country is dazed
by reason of the calamity that has
fallen upon it, and from all parts of
the world have come messages of
commiseration and of promise to aid.
There will never be any scientific
record of the force nor of tlic velocity
of tho earthquake, for all the seismic
apparatus in tho stricken locality
was broken. Of the force there ia,
however, evidence to indelibly stamp
its awfulness into the memory of be
who sees tho effect. City upon city,
town upon town, village upon village,
^orty-eight hours since centers of
commercial activity, scenes of life in
its fullest, homes of contented thous
ands, are now heaps of debris from
out of which has begun to arise the
odor of decaying flesh.
So far the residents of tho blotted
out towns have made practically no
attempt at trying to arrive at the
horror of the situation. Tho dead
sprawl where life loft them, the in
jured moan unattended and those
who aro whole in tho flesh aro broken
in spirit. Nearly every heap of ruins
is a tomb and starvation stares in the
faces of those who aro bereft of all
except the power to move and to
breathe.
It will be many days before the full
horror of the situation is known, but
now it is believed that never in the
world's historv has an earthquake
wrought such loss of life and such
wholesale ruin as is the case in
southern Italy. Lisbon, Portugal's
capital, in 1775 lost ($0,000 lives by
earthquake, hut from tho meagre re
ports received there is little doubt
that the mortality record of yester
day's disaster will exceed that of
Lisbon, and that the first estimate is
not an exaggeration.
ABE RUEF GIVEN
FOURTEEN YEARS
San Francisco, Doc. 30—Abo Ruef
was this morning sentenced to four
toon years in the penitentiary, tho
time imposed being tho maximum
punishment for the crime of which he
was convicted. Ruef was brought to
tho courtroom under a heavy guard
and it was necessary t.o use force in
order to make headway through the
crowd surrounding the building. Tho
coui't room was jammed, tho majority
of those present being lawyers.
Ruef shows the ordeal under which
ho has labored since being found guil
ty, and his lawyers also seemed wor
ried. The sentence was pronounced
immediately after the court had de
nied the motion for a now trial.
Ruof's attorneys immediately gave
notice of appoal, and a stay of exe
cution of sentence was granted upon
Ruof furnishing bond.
CHINESE CAPTURE
BRITISH VESSEL
Hong Kong, Doc. 30—Two Chinoso
cruisers this morning captured and
brought into this port tho British
steamship Taion, which yesterday
afternoon ran down and sunk a Chi
noso Junk, causing the drowning of n
theatrical company. Tho captain of
the junk, and others who woro saved,
unite in declaring that the steamship
was to blame for the acoidont, and
they declaro that no ofTort at rescue
was made.
It la feared horo that the action of
the cruisers will load to International
complications. Tho British amlmssa
dor has cabled IiIb government of tho
affair.
Woman Btarta on J^ong Journey
Mm. E. Campbell set nail by dog
team for tho Koyukuk thin morning,
driving her own team. Who Is a
pioneer Alaskan and can mush over
a trail with most any man. Mrs.
Campbell ran a restaurant in tho
Atlin roglon Boveral yoars, then
landod In Seward, whero sho con
ducted a restaurant and afterward a
lodglnghouse. For two years she
has been In Valdez. ttho owns a
good homo In 8oattlo, but wants a
little more money before she settlos
down, and believes she can get it in
tho Koyukuk.
DEATH ROLL OF EARTHQUAKE
IS ESTIMATED AT 250,000
Messina Is Burning And Soldiers Shoot Those Pin
ned Under Ruins That They May Be Saved
Slow Torture, Stench Of Burning Bodies
Makes Futile Attempts At Rescue.
And Refugees Facc Starvation
Messina, Italy, Dec. 31—It is be
lieved now that the death roll of the'
earthquake of southern Italy will
reach the stupendous total of 250,0001
porsons. Some of thoHe included in
this estimate are as yet alive but aro
without the slightest hopo of escaping
death.
Hundreds of persons are pinned un- ^
dor the ruins of what were their ^
homos, and soldiers are shooting
thorn so that they may bo spared the
slow tort ure of death by the flames
which aro swooping across the des
olato waste that was rocontly a beau
tiful, populous city. Hupporting the
tire as a hindranco to reseuo is tho
overpoworing stench arising from de
caying and burning flosh.
Ho far tho death roll, indifferently
compilod, is as follows:
Messina, 50,000.
Reggio. 40,000.
Monteleono, 1,800.
Santa ISufemia, 1,500.
Bagnacna Gn/.ziri, 1,000.
Seminar!, 400.
Palmi, 600.
Tlio mortality reports from the
country districts now total 24,000, and
there flcem« lit tie doubt that tho 250,
000 estimate is a coiiHervative one. In
this city all attempt to count the
dead has boon abandoned. The dif
ficulties of tho situation have been
added to by tho arrival from outly
ing districts of 00,000 refugees, many
of them naked, and all of them starv
lng.
Relief vessols are arriving hourly,
and a depot of distribution has been
established on the outskirts of what
was tho city,'
GHOULS ROB DEAD AND RAPE THE
LUG IN STRICKEN DISTRICT
Rome, Dec. 31— Hundreds of refu
gee* are arriving from tho onrthquako
district find (bo resources of tho city
aro inadequate to provide for thorn.
Nearly nil of them aro naked, or are
olad only In the most monger gar
ment#, many of thom aro Innane and
all of thom have been without food
since tho day of the oarthquako.
Along tho road between here and
the strlekon district are scattered
thousands who aro staggering along
tho distance In hope of food and oth
er rollof. Many of these are injured.
Word cornea from tho utrlckon di«
trlon that ghouln aro reaping a rich
harvoHt. The 8ol<1 lor* aro ho busy
trying to «avo tliono pin nod beneath
tho ruliiB that tho robbern ply tholr
calling practically unmoloHtod
It 1h not alono tho clond who aro
tnado object# of tho robbof'n floiullnh
noHH, and robbery In not tholr only
crlmo; holploBfl, half/naked women
and glrln aro holng m ode tho victim*
of aHRault, with noncj to respond to
tholr orloB for protection.
I
VftLDEZ TO NOME
ROAD IS PLANNED
Alaskans And Seattleites
Join Interests In Behalf Of
Gigantic Scheme
CONGRESS TO FEEL PRESSURE
Committee Is Appointed To Im
mediately Carry Out Prelimin
ary Arrangements
Seattle, Dec. 29—Concerted action
to the purpose that congress may !>e
induced to appropriate $1,OOO,000 for
a trunk road system from Valdoz to
Nome by the way of Fairbanks was
arranged for last night at a mceing
of the Alaska Club in this city. May
or Miller of Seattle, himself an old
time Alaskan, addressed the meeting
and urged action boosting the road
scheme and also the Alaska Day
scheme launched by Dan S. Kaiu of
Valdez.
The committee named to arrange
plans and to take entire charge of all
preliminaries consists of the follow
ing: Dan S. Kain, Mayor Fred M.
Brown, (Jol. B. P. Millard, George
Baldwin, all of Valdez, and Tom
Larsen, Tom Dunn, Charles Kerron,
William Leake, Sam Silverman, Milo
Kelly and J. F. Cryder, representing
other towns in Alaska.
In addition to the trunk road, the
plan is to work for aids to navigation
along t he-'const of Alaska, and a part
of the scheme is to at once begin a
campaign whereby every Alaskan
and every Seattleite shall use his in
fluence in whatever part of the United
States that influonco may carry, urg
ing upon friends the necessity of
bringing pressure to hoar on congres
that the rights of Alaska may be giv
011 attention.
JEFF REFUSES TO
FIGHT JOHNSON
Los Angeles, Dec. 29—AH hope of
tight followers that they might see
Jim Jeffries and Jack Johnson meet,
in the ring has been sot at naught by
the declaration of Jeffries that ho
will not meet the black man, no mat
ter what tho sum offered. Jeff's dec
laration ooinns as the result of the
offor mado by Hugh Mcintosh, the
Sydney fight promoter, who guaran
teed tho former heavyweight cham
pion #>0,000 to meet Johnson.
Jeff has always refused to fight a
negro, and ho says that this is the
only reason that he will not sign to
fight Johnson.
POSSE IS AFTER
TRIPLE MURDERER
Seattle, Deo. HI—Jose Santos, his
boy 4 years old, nnd IiIh baby 1 year
old aro dead, George Brown is badly
wounded, and .Toso Nicolas, n Fili
pino is a fugitive pursued by n posse
t.hftt threatens lynching, ftll ns the re
Hult of ft qnnrrol botweon Nicolas nnd
Brown. The shooting took plneo this
morning in fort Blnkeloy, and It Ih
in the woods near thftt town that
Nicolas Ih believed to bo In hiding.
Hanton, yesterday aftornoon, ord
ered Nicolas from the Hftntos homo,
and tho mftn departed vowing
vengenco. This morning Nicolas re
turned to tho Snntos home and nfter
ft few words begnn to shoot. Brown
wns lnjnre<l in trying to capture
Nicolas.
RICH COPPER ORE
FOUND ON SOUNO
Assessment Work On Stand
ard Claims Of R-A-D Com
pany Locates Vein
LEAD IS FIVE FEET WIDE
Samples From Eighteen Inch Strip
Indicate That Rock Will Assay
Eighteen Per Cent
Oro that according to experienced
miners will assay 18 per cent to the
ton lias been encountered on the
Standard groupo of claims owned at
Landlock by the Reynolds Alaska
Development Company. Samples of
the ore were brought to town this
morning by Henry Charhonneau and
W. J. Westerling, the men who
have been doing the assessment work
for the receiver.
The work done has established the
fact that the mineralized vein extends
in for a distance of at least fifteen
feet and that it in live feet wide the
men following it that distance, stop
ping when the assessment work was
completed. The vein carrying the
rich ore is eighteen inches wide and
is ehalcopyrite ore. The samples are
as line appearing as any of this class
of ore ever brought to Valdez. The
samples are 011 exhibition in the
receivers oillcc.
Charhonneau and Wcsterling speak
highly of the prospect, and declare
that in their opinion there is little
doubt that the ore is present in large
quantities. They say that in the
dump they have made doing the
asses*i'uent work there is a quantity
of ore that can be shipped at a good
prolll.
POPPY PLANTERS
DIE FOR DEFIANCE
Amoy, China, Dec. 20—One army
ollieer and ten civilians were killed
this morning as the result of China's
attempt to stamp out the opium evil
within its borders. The direct cause
of the killing was a violation of tin*
recently issued edict against cultivat
ing the poppy, the plant from which
opium is obtained.
Troops have been sent into the
country districts, and no effort is to
be left undone that the edict may he
enforced. The native* are in a stnte
of revolt and serious trouble is
feared.
CHILD DIES NEATH
FEET DF SHOPPERS
Chicago, Dec. 2fl—Elmer IlirdHcyo,
7 yearn old, wan cruehed to doath this
morning In n rush of ChrlHtman nhop
pern In the Hoflton Department Htore.
Tho Ind'a mother dragged him Into
the crowd of women Htruggling to en
ter the elevator In the Htore, and he
was knocked down and trampled upon
before who eoldd Have him. It was
necessary for Heveral men omployos
of the Htore to uho great force In or
dor to rescue the body from beneath
the feet of the bargain erased women.
Mr»». Hirdaeyo is a resident of He
attle. Hheand her son were vintting
In Chicago,
"And what has the colonel done
since local option came In?" "Mot
It valiantly. Claim* now to be a good
Judge of ginger pop."
LABOR TO MAKE
; IMPOSING PROTEST
Gompers Sentence Is To Be
Opposed By 200,000 Men
Marching In Line
PRESIDENT NOT TO INTERFERE
Roosevelt Preparing Answer To
Request That He Take Action
In Noted Case
Now York, Doc. 29-Organized labor
in planning 0110 of the greatest demon
strations of its history, to tlie pur
pose that public sentiment may aid
them in keeping from prison cells,
President Gompers, Secretary Frank
Morrison and Vice-President John
Mitchell of the American Federation.
The present plan of (lie labor organi
zations is to have in parade in this
city 200,000 men who by their public
expression of sympathy with thei
leaders will set the entire country to
work in condemnation of the prison
sentence imposed the ollleers by
Supreme Justice Wright of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Washington, Dec. 29—President
Roosevelt has announced that he *
will take no action in the Gompers
case so long as the case is in the
courts. The president is preparing a
reply to the labor leaders who have
requested him to interfere in behalf
of the men sentenced.
VENEZUELA OUSTS
CASTRO MINISTRY
Port of Spain, Dec. 2ft—Vice-Presi
dent Gomez of Venezuela, this morn
ing completed the establishment of a
new government, removing the old
ministry and replacing it with men
who are acceptable to the anti-Castro
faction. It is not announced whether
Gome/, will become president.
Washington, Dec. 2ft—The destina
tion of the battleship Maine, sailing
yesterday under scaled orders, is as
yet a mystery. No authentic infor
mation is obtainable but* there pre
vails a well grounded rumor that sin*
is on the way to Venezuela.
DYING MAN SAYS
POLICE BEAT HIM
Soatjlc, Doe. :it—Accused by B. P.
M muting while on bin deathbed, the
police department of the city stand#
charged with being the cause of the
death of the accuser. Manning died
from the result of a heating which
among other Ihingn fractured his
skull, and before he died this morning
he declared that while a prisoner in
the city prison lie had been beaten
by a policeman.
Manning was arrested several days
ago and booked without any charge.
Yesterday he was taken from the
prison to a hoHpital. From the first
the physician ssid that there was lit
tle chance for Manning to recover,
and he grew constantly worse, bab
ling in Ids delirium of the treatment
ho had received Ills cotffcHslon was
made during a lucid interval.
While this is the (lrHt time the He
attlo police department has been
charged with causing the death of a
prisoner, It is not. the And time It has
been charged with cruelty to prison
ers. An Investigation will be started.