The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-05
From the Maine State Press of Jan. 4, 1877.
History of Seven Days.
The News for the week ending Wednesday
Might, Jams
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

inc NEWS tof the week ending wednesday
Might. Jan.3.
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
The question as to what disposition will be
m ade of the unexpeuded balance of the Geneva
award, amounting to about $4,000, 900, will not
be considered at this session of Congress on &C.
count of the want of time and the pressure of
other matters.
The Comptroller of Currency has advised the
Secretary of the Treasury that the amount of
national bank circulation issued from Nov. 18th
to Dec 18th inclusive is 81 ,069, S95, 80 per cent
of which amount will be retired in legal tender
notes. The whole amount issued since the pas
sage of the act Jan. IA, 1875, to date, is 49,
93l ,145, of which so per cent. or SIS GA GIG of
legal tender notes have been rendered, leaving
the amount of legal tender notes Jan. 1, 1877.
1886, 055, 0S4.
The commission appointed by the President
to examine the various surveys and most FEAST
BILE route for an inter-oceanic ship canal across
the Isthmus of Darien, have every reason to
believe that work upon this great improvement
connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans will
be commenced within the next two years.
Should foreign powers cooperate with the
United States in the prosecution of this work
the governments participating will become
stockholders in it to the extent Of their outlay
capital and the management of the canal
when completed will be by an international
commission, the members of which will repre-
sent the respective governments having capital
Invested in the work
CONGRESS
The Senate at its sessions on the 10Th of De-
cember and the End of January transacted no
business, no quorum being present.
The House met on the 2Sth and 3oth but
Immediately adjourned.
STRIKE OF GRAND TRUNK ENGINEERS
The difference between the Grand Trunk
Railway Company and the Locomotive Brother
hood of Engineers eliminated at 8 o'clock Fri
day night in the beginning of the threatened
strike. This contingency was one which the
managers had foreseen. Indeed. knowing that
the strike would begin at the hour above men,
toned, they had provided for all the passenger
trains engineers who were pledged to stand by
them, but many of the men, when the time of
trial came, failed to keep their promises while
others, who intended to strike, took their trains
out as usual, without remark, and deliberately
abandoned them between stations, and at con-
siderable distances from points where they
could Obtain relief. These last mentioned are
altogether inexcusable and cannot possibly
meet with either sympathy or countenance.
whatever excuse might be offered for leaving
the engines either before starting or at the sta
ton where they might arrive at the nearest
time to that fixed for the strike. This desertIon
on their part has placed in peril the lives of the
passengers and has very much endangered the
property of the company. As it has turned
out, the company has been grossly deceived and
has been made to perpetrate an imposition
upon the travelling public, than which nothing
was further from their thoughts. They had
the strongest promises of support from the
men who started out that night and more
over, the mere fact of their taking control
of the engines at starting was a tacit en-
gagement to run :the trip; and hence, neil
Their the company nor the travelling public had
any reason to expect what has taken place.
Some of the men also resorted to violence, to
prevent engineers who would not submit to
the Brotherhood from driving their engines
At Straford, driver McKibbon, who had
brought the passenger train from Berlin, was
set upon by number of fellows who threw
him from the cab of the engine, severely iDjur-
ing him. The Mayor, Mr.. DAILY, being
apprsed of the circumstances, interfered and
promised to help the company and protect the
men who worked for them. In Toronto &C.
cording to our dispatches, some fifty men who
wore masks, collected at about ten o'clock in
the neighborhood of the round house and as
it was feared they intended damaging the
property of the company, guard of police
was summoned and placed on duty. At
half past ten the men were still congregaina
but were quiet A train however was
approaching from the west, and an attack was
expected. This was the only one moving along
the whole line. The men of Toronto damaged
two engines seriously, and assaulted some of
the train hands. The Mayor of Toronto in
view of these circumstances, has placed the
whole of the police force at the disposition of
the company. At all other points where the
men have refused to work arrangements have
been made for the aid of the municipal authori-
ties if necessary. 1t is the intention of the
company to prosecute some of the ringleaders
in this lawless course
THE LAKE SHORE DISASTER.
Later dispatches from Ashtabula, the scene
of the Lake Shore disaster a full account of
which is published in our inside pages only
serve to confirm the horrible details there mar
rateo. The dead are nearly all burned beyond
recognition, many of them being reduced COM
pletely to ashes. 1t appears that several
Maine people are among the dead. Mrs Will
liam Marston of Waterville and Mrs. J. D.
Marston, her daughter-in.law and child who
were on their way to Chicago are undoubtedly
lost. Also Frank Hodgkins of Bangor, Mrs.
E. 81. Trueworthy and he daughter, Mrs. EN-
ma Coffin, resident of Oakland, CAL, formerly
of this state, and Mr.. Alfred H. Giley of Gran
berry Isle are among the dead Mr.. True
worthy had four ribs broken. The wounded
are generally doing we'll. An inquest is in
progress at Ashtabala, but little new has been
developed. 1t is probable that the brea king of
the bridge was the result of the effect of the
intense cold upon the iron. Many heart-rend-
ing incidents of the disaster are related Dan
lei MCGUIRE, engineer of the engine Socrates,
which escaped, says the train was running at
tho rate of ten miles an hour at the time The
bridge was considered safe. Passenger train
No. 8, with two engines, had passed safely over
at about o'clock. MoGuire's train struck the
bridge at 1882. He thinks the frost and wealth
er and heavy train snapped the bridge. At
the time of the accident the storm was at its
height; he could not see two car leng tbs ahead
of the engine, and this rendered it next to i'm
possible to give immediate assistance Nc
CURE thinks no one would have escaped from
the doomed train had not his engine been saved
thus enabling him to give the alarm. Even
more terrible would it have been, had the Soc.
rates gone over. In the binding, furious
storm, no one would have known of the disas-
ter, and the next train due at Ashtabula would
perhaps have shared the same fate and been
thrown into the river. He further says 81
was one of the first at the wreck 1 pulled
several out of the ice. and helped to extrcate
several persons from the debris. One woman
was pinned down by her legs in burning car
and her cries for help were biteous. In .des-
pair az last, as the flames circled around her,
she shrieked, take an axe and cut off nv legsp
1t was impossible to reach her and she was con-
sumed. The psint in tie burning cars snan-