The National tribune., 1883-02-15
THE NEWS OF THE WEEK.
Millions of Property Destroyed by the
Floods in the West.
THE HARVEST OF DEATH.
Events at the Capital and in
the Departments.

The special committee on improvement OF the
Mississippi River has agreed upon report The
committee is divided into three subcommittee;
on jetties, outlets, and general improvement
On jetties, the report viii be unanimously IL
favor; on outlets, there were six against and
three in favor; on general improvement, there
was a unanimous expression in favor Of contln-
uing the works at Plum Point and Providence
Reach, with auxiliary works at Memphis and
Njcksburg. On the question Of levees : as ina
provement TO i0w-water navigation" six voted
against, Messrs. Thomas and Ellis in favor, and
Mr.. Carlisle reserved his vote. The majority
believe that in this matter it will be better to
await the further operation OF the works at
Plum Point and Providence Reach. 1T is I'M
derstood the committee will favor an appropri-
alton for work below Cairo Of S2,50O,OO0.
Mr.. CockrelTs bill to promote the commercial
relations of the United States with Central and
South America, introduced in the Senate, pro-
YideS for the appointment of a special commits
soner. who shall visit Guatemala, Honduras,
Salvador, Nicaragua Costa Rica, Colombia,
Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Buenos
Ayres, Chill, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil,
and collect information useful in extending
trade and in strengthening the relations of this
country with those mentioned; also to ascer-
tain the feelings and inclinations" of the peo-
pie OF those countries with reference to railway
INSTRUMENTATION between themselves and
the United States. The commissioner is to re-
ceive $4,000 year and pay his own bills Mr..
Bedford has offered duplicate of this bill In
the House.
Under date ofthe 10Th inst, the Secretary Of
the Interior decided in the case of julia D.
Graham against the Tasting and Dakota Rail
road Company that a homestead entry made
by a soldier in the service of the United States
pursuant to the provisions of the act of March
81, 1864, of lands within the limits of railroad
\. 80 4l,u
date of the grant, is pTima facie valid although
alleged by the company to be void db iHjtiO,)
and except such lands from the operation of
the railroad grant; and that in the admins
tration of the homestead laws as amended by
the act of June 8, 1872, the soldiers services
should be considered as equivalent to all in
terests and purposes to residence for the same
period upon the tract as entered.
letter from the Secretary of the Interior
has been laid before the House in regard TO GER
tain money due to the Cherokee Indians under
the provisions of the treaties of 1885 and 1916.
According to Secretary Teller's computations
the amounts due. ARE as follows: To the eastern
branch of the Cherokee nation in North Caro-
lima $421, 653, with interest at five per cent.
from September p, 1851; and to the western
branch in the Indian Territory $685., 297, with
interest from July II, 1888.
The President sent the following nominations
TO the Senate on Monday: Emory Speer to be
United States attorney for the northern district
of Georgia Joshua B. Hill TO be United States
marshal for eastern district Of North Carolina
VIM. II. II. Clayton to be United States attor-
ney for western district Of Arkansas; RoDt. g.
Dyrenforth, of Illinois, to be Assistant Commits
soner of Patents; James ii. Teller, Of Ohio,
to be secretary Of the Territory Of Dakota.
The clause of the legislative appropriation
bill requiring the department clerks TO work
eight hours day has been stricken out Mr..
Cannon has introduced a separate bill, requir-
ing the departments to be kept open eight
hours. but it will have to take its place on the
calendar, and there is not much chance that it
viii ever be reached.
The bill introduced in the House by 3Ir Has
kell, of Kansas, relative TO invasion Of the In
dian Territory, proposes an amendment of the
Revised Statutes SO as TO provide for the i'm
prisonment for two years at hard labor of any
person convicted Of invasion, with provision
AGAINST its application to immigrants peaceably
passing through the Territory.
In the House recently. Representative Bliss,
of New York, presented petition of ex- Union
soldiers and sailors, praying for the passage of
a bill TO pension soldiers and sailors Of the late
war who were confined in so-called Confederate
prisons. The petition was referred TO the Com
mittee on Pensions.
f, The Senate Judiciary Committee has practi-
cally agreed TO report bill appr0priating
$4,000 to pay General Lee for the Arlington
property, the Government TO be responsible for
back taxes, and that General Lees counsel
have consented to accept this sum.
GRIMES AND CASUALTIES.
The everfowing of the Ohio River at Cincin-
matt asd other points this week caused millions
OF dollars worth of damage At Cincinnati at
,na fi.na tho 7.iy-nr yrGE ii sax-o,,fr-
high, and submerged all the lower portions OF
the city. Steam ferry and street railway com
munications with the Kentucky side was cut
OIL. The stock yards were submerged and hun
dreds OF head Of cattle drowned. The gas
works were partly under water, cutting of the
supply of gas, and but one engine of the water
works could he run. Immense quantities OF
merchandise stored in cellars Of wholesale
houses have been ruined. Subscriptions are
being raised for the sufferers. At Louisville
great loss was also sustained. It is estimated
that * Shipping Port and Portland $50 peo-
PIE are homeless. IL IS impossible as vet to APP
prCSi.nate the loss. The dam protecting the
lowiancs IN the eastern part Of Louisville
broke early Tuesday morning, letting sixty
feet Of w&ecr upyn twenty blocks Of dwellings.
The scene whic. followed was indescri5able
Il Is reported that thirty lives were lost. The
houses inundated were rs a rule small, and
Ii.aiIIly occupied by poor people. i dispatch
from Cincinnati says hat on Tuesday morning
Tic Insight depot Of the Sou.b bern Railroad be-
can undetermined By TIE water and suddenly
went down. i large crowd o. people were then
at the time looking al the flood. Il is impossi-
bic rs yti 10 ascertain the number drowned,
but The loss OF life il is feared has been very
iasge.
A dispatch from Bawlins, Wyoming Terri
tory. siNs: A coach which left Pacific Springs.
Oh the Swce'water Stage line, recently, was
va, abandoned ana the occupants started back
on fo9t 10 Le station. The driver, ". J. Stew
art, was IJgud frozen to death standing in the
snow, and Thomas scots, superintendent Of the
line, was also iound standing straight up in the
snow, frozen 50 chat he could not move He
will lose his hanus and feet. ". =. Stark.
passenger mas not yet been found. They were
oar three days and nights. Another stage driver
was badly frozen. He reports two feet of snow
on the level and cattle starving This stage
line runs from Green River, on the Union Pa
ciic Railway, 10 Fort Washallie Wyoming,
through the south pass Of the Rocky Noun
tains.
Ia a tenement house in st. Louis, on the Sth
inst, Henry Dreer, a German teamster, cut his
wife's throat with a razor and then his own
The two corpses were discovered next morning
in the middle of the three rooms which the
family occupied. The body of the wife lay on
the bed, the covering ri which was soaked with
blood. The mans body was on the floor. Five
little children slept in the rooms, one in the
bed with the couple. One Of the children got
up, took the baby out Of the bloody bed in