New-York tribune., 1896-11-29
18th st., 18th st. and Sixth Avenue.
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
THE AIRSHIP HOAX-JUST1CE DEFEATED
"A SOUTH SEA EXPEDITION.
rnv rE1EcRAPH 10 THE TRIBUNE.J

THE AIRSHIP HOAA-JOOlASi~ AA%N A~--->
"A SOUTH SEA EXPEDITION.
rBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE1
San Francisco, Nov. 2S.-One Of tho strangest
boaxes ever perpetrated In this country Is tho
airship fake" which has excited discussion IN
San Francisco and several other California cit-
4es for more than q week 1t began with cir
cumstantial details Of the appearance OF ny
ing machine at night over Sacramento 'he
State capital Many residents OF that city de-
clared that they saw the colored lights OF tho
airship and few asserted that tney hearo VI
ders issued by those who were navigating It
Immediately on the appearance OF this story the
airship was seen in various cities. In San
Francisco it was seen by many who actually de-
scrbed its colored lights and Its peculiar shape.
In many cases these delusions were due to mis-
taking planets or stars near the horizon for the
lights of the airships. AS far as can be learned
several local inventors have been perfectng
Avins machines recently and 1t Is thought that
the original hoax was devised to excite interest
in one Of these schemes and thus secure capt.
tai. Acknowledgement Hart has come out with
interviews in which he says that one OF MS
clients has perfected machine that can Do
controlled at will and yet makes from thirty 10
forty miles an hour. Hart promises some reve-
lations about the new machine next week. but
small credence is placed in these. This air
ship craze Is noteworthy as 1t proves that
popular hoax may be f1oated almost as easily IN
these days Of telegraph and telephones as hum
dred years ago.
One of the fercest storms known here In years
prevailed during the early part Of the week.
All the counties north Of the Tehachapi Pass
received a thorough soaking. the rainfall vary
ing from an inch and a half to two inches
<1,o CO.. tn md
San Joaquin valleys as the creeks were low and
the soil too hard for ploughins. In the gale
that prevailed along the coast the steamer COL
lier San Benito was driven ashore near Point
Arena on the dangerous Mendocino shore. Eight
men were drowned and twenty-three hung In
the rigging for thirty hours before they were
rescued No word Of the wreck was sent to the
Federal Life Saving Station in this city. or
crew would have been sent to relieve them AS
is was, the Pacific Improvement Company. to
whom the steamer belonged. delayed sending
tug till midnight. though the news was received
early in the morning. The captain attributes
the wreck to the influence Of currents but care
lessness must be assigned as the cause OF this
disaster. as we'll as OF many others on this
coast during the year.
Mrs. Susie Martin, the woman who shot her
husband and was acquitted last week on the
ground Of insanity. was pronounced OF SOUND
mind this week by jury. Judge wallace. be-
fore whom both cases were tried. refused last
week to release the woman after her acquittai.
but suggested that she be sent to an asylum
Finally n was decided to test her sanity. In
both trials Justice suffered defeat for the woman
had no valid reason for shooting >her husband
Her motives were jealousy and rage over ms
insults when she begged him for money. He
deserted her. She wasn't friendless. however, as
her sister was married to man OF means, ana
had offered her home
The death Of DR.. Bontet this week removed
man who for many years had been identined
with educational affairs in the State. For ten
years he was a prominent Episcopal clergyman
in Sacramento, but since 1881 he had served as
secretary and land agent OF the Board OF Re-
gents OF the State University. He was also lect-
urer on legal ethics in Hastings College OF Laws
A company is being formed to go to the St
Johns or Hermit Islands. near New-Ireland. IN
The South Seas. This company Is made up OF
merchants and laboring men. who expect 70 mar
nv native women and make homes on these ISL
ands which are reported to be without men,
owing to the frequent "blackbirding" expeditions
that have carried of all the able-bodied men 10
Australia These deluded colonists fancy that
they can make a good living with little work on
these remote islands. which are seldom visited
nv snv ships but men who are familiar with the
South Seas declare that the islands can support
oniv a small population. II the expedition sails.
1t promises to repeat the failure OF every COM
munistic scheme attempted on the Coast
Loie Fuller has had large audiences at the four
performances which she has given this week.
though she gave her dances after an amateur
musical concert that was wearisome beyond ex-
preston. She proposes next week. before she
starts for Victoria, to dance at benefit for the
orphan asylums Nat Goodwin and Maxine Ell
iiott have had good houses all the week In AN
American Citizeh." a comedy given for the first
time In this country. Goodwin promises to play
Rob Acres in "The Rivals" 1t has been decided
that Nine Modjeska will appear at the Baldwin
ahout the middle Of January for a season Of two
or three weeks. Her leading man will probably
be Joseph Haworth.
The shipment Of California fruit to the East
from points north of Tehachapi for October
amounted to 41.671 pounds. decrease Of 1900
pounds compared with last year. For the first
ten months the shipments this year show the
large decrease Of $1,000 pounds from last year.
This Is due mainly to the small encouragement
which the fruit-growers received to dry or can
init and the poor demand for green fruit at
Chicago and New-York this season. Many
growers did not realize freight charges on the