Connecticut western news., 1881-01-12
NEWS OF THE DAY
GENERAL ITEMS.


 discovery the flames had made consid erable headway, and many rooms were nlled with smoke. One hundred and slxty-nine persons were in the building at the time, and great difficulty was ex- perlenced ln getting them out, some oi them having to be dragged to place ot safety. Thirteen persons lost their lives.
 A frightful boiler explosion took place at the Allentown, Pa., Iron Works, Thursday night. Nine persons were killed and three others were so seriously injured that they cannot live.
 By boiler explosion in the smelt- ing works of Balbach X Sons, Newark, N. J., on Friday morning, five men were killed.
 On Tuesday last, in CoalviIle, Kan. the dress of 8 young lady named Davis caught fire at an open fire place and she rushed into the yard, where she died at her mothers feet. The mothers cloth ing also caught fire, and she died twen- ty-four hours later.
 The President has nominated and the Senate has confirmed Gen. Nathan Golf, Jr., of West Virginia, to be Secre- tary of the Navy.
 Mn. O. D. Conger has been elected U. 5; Senator from Michigan by the Republicans.
 Patrick Hayes, for the murder of h1s wife, and Daniel F. Sullivan, for the murder of his mistress, were hanged simultaneously in the corridor of the county prison in Philadelphia on Thurs day.
 Mrs. Margaret Meierhofer and Frank Lammens were hanged for the murder of John Meierhofer, at Newark, N. J., on Thursday. The woman was hanged first. There was dull thud as the weight within the enclosure beside the scafold was released, and the body ot the woman shot upward with a con- vulslve jerk. It spun around several times and at last hung an inert mass. The body was drawn up at thirty-two minutes past ten o'clock. She uttered no word or cry. Lammens was hanged from the same gallows shortly after. No confession was made by either of the two.
 Although the data is very incom- plete, 1t has been ascertained that the Indian wars between 1865 and 1879 cost something near $23, ,OOO,COO, and that forty officers, 526 privates and thirteen citizens with the army were killed.
 Six men were instantly killed and one wounded by being caught by pas senger train near Bancroft, Iowa. The court martial for the trial of Cadet Whitaker is directed to meet in New York (Army Building) Thursday, January 20, instead of at West Point. | January IS, as first announced.
 Governor Wallace, of New Mexico, | desires Congress to modify the posse | conttotus clause in the Army bill so | that he my call on the troops to main tain order in the Territory.
 A fatal fire took place in tenement | house, No. 35 Madison street, New York, on Tuesday. The building was full of | women and children at the time. These l were imprisoned amid flame and smoke, 1 and as the fire escapes were useless nine | people, one woman and eight children, perished in the flames.
 The decrease in the public debt since June 30 last amounts to $42.99O.- 559. 39. During December the decrease was S, ,699, ,43O.7O.
 There were 344 failures reported in New York city during the year 1880, in which the aggregate liabilities were SIS, 291 ,582, and the assets only $8,- l46, ,291. The gross liabilities are, in round numbers, g, 300, 900 greater than m the preceding year the number of failures is twenty-five per cent. less.
 The record of marine disasters during the year 1880, especially of losses of steamships, is startling. No less than l47 steamships of 8 total tonnage of III, 1862 tons were lost. A very small percentage of them has been raised again, repaired and put back into ocean service, and the great majority was a total loss. Of the whole number, 1O7 were British with total tonnaee of 116, ,994 tons; 10 French, 19,318 tons 9 American, II ,386 tons German l2,438 tons; 3 Spanish, 3,O21 tons; , Danish, 1869 tons; 3 Norweieian ,4O1 tons; 2 Russian, 2,2OO tons: i Italian, 906 tons; Swedish. 1 0O0 tons; Greek, 1929 tons 1 Austrian, 1000 tons. Seven of them were built of wood and 140 of iron.
 A band of skillful forgers, whose operations have been carried on suc- cessfully 1n this country and in Europe by means of forged letters of credit pre-. sented by criminals travelling as Ameri- can tourists, has been broken up by the efforts of the police in Florence, Italy, and of the detectives in New York, Bos- ton and Baltimore, -Messrs. Hanlan an Ross, the oars- men, have issued challenge to any two men in the world for @ double-scuil race for 95OO or 91, ,0O0 side. = William Perry, alias "The Tipton Slasher," formerly 8 well-known pugi- list, died in England on Christmas Eve from the effects of drink. All prisoners for debt in Scotland were released at midnight in pursuance 0I an act passed at the last session of Parliament.
 The population of the United States as shown approximately by the Census Office IS about 50, 152, 559. |. -Ihe summer residence of James R. Keene, at Newport, R. l., has been burned. Loss about $1OO,OOO |. Simeon McKew, an old colored man, of Seguin, Texas, drank three plnts of whisky on wager and died.
 FOREIGN. The English steamer Harelda. from Palermo bound to London, struck the spanish steamer Leon, from Liverpool to Manila, twelve miles from Cape Koca. Both vessels sank. Nine Eng !ishmen and fourteen Spaniards have been landed at Lisbon. Forty-five of the passengers and crew are missing.
 There was brush between the police and the peasantry at Claremorris, County Mayo, Ireland, Wednesday night, in which one of the people was killed, and three probably fatally