The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-12-30
NEWS OF THE WEEK
From all Parts of the New
and Old World.
RRIEF AND INTERESTING ITEMS
Commemorative Review of the Import
ant Happenings of the Cur
rent Week.


No appointments will be made by
III. president during the recess Of con-
cress except in case of emergency. De
snjte the announcement of this fact,
the number of visitors at the White
House are unusually large.
The long-continued cold and heavy
SNOW of the past month are beginning
~ have serious effect upon sheep in
WYOMING, and it is feared that, unless
tbere is a break in the weather soon,
the losses will be heavy. Sheepmen
report that number have alrea ly
u lerished.
The controller of the currency has
s. received information of the failure Of
81 me First National bank, of Pe,nbina,
81 \. D. The bank has capital of $780,
81 C)0 and, according to its last state
meut, had deposits aggregating $95, .
OJ0 Bank Examiner Anheiser has
been placed in charge.
Mr.. Coffin, the acting controller of
the currency has called attention to the
fact that the retirement Of national bank
Der reached the sum of $4,000, 900
This is said to be the first time during
the last 10 years that the voluntary re-
d tirement has reached this amount in
& any one month.
After week of conference in Bos-
ton, Justices Putnam and King, the
commissioners for the United States
and Canada, respectively. in the arbi-
traton of the Behring sea claims, have
Y completed their work for the present,
and it is understood will soon begin
3 the preparation of their reports to their
respective governments.
The first meeting of the National
Building Trades Council was held at
s.. Louis, aid was marked by scath-
ing denunciation of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor for having passed a
resolution at Nashville opposing the
formation of the national council. The
Federation of Labor opposed the new
organization as tending to create fur
Their division in the ranks of labor.
Fireman Martin J. Oakley was killed
at fire in a five story tenement on
East Fo ty-fourth street, New York
city, Oakley was sutfocatel by smoke
8 and esca ing gas. Assistant Fireman
Thomas Head, James Davis and Peter
8 Connolly, of the same company, were
rendered unconscious by inhaling
smoke and gas, and were with diff
Guilty revived. They are in hospitals,
and their condition is serious.
While skating on the ice near Gard
s ner, Miss, three young people sudden
q ly broke through, and before assistance
q could reach them were drowned.
At Tonawanda, N. Y, while party
were skating, the ice gave way and
precipitated four young people into the
water. Three of them were drowned.
China approves of the Russian fleet
4 wintering at Port Arthur, being per
u suaded that this action is taken In the
q interest of China, and necessitated by
the German occupation of Kiao Chou.
A rate war is on between the various
river transportation lines running to
8 The Dalles. A reduction of fare from
The Dalles to Portland is the result.
This cut in rates has been looked for
s by the public since the opposition line
was put on, some two months ago.
F. NJ. Gideon, the clerk of the gen.
eral land office, who was referred to
by Thomas Reddington in the testi-
mony before the senate Pacific railroad
committee, Saturday, as having
81 changed the land-office records so as to
throw 100000 acres of government
land to the Southern Pacific, has made
q clear denial of the charge.
A dispatch from Chrstiania, Nor
way, to the London Chronicle, says the
political situation, since the failure of
4 the united committee on foreign affairs,
las become critical, and it is feared
8 that Sweden will seek an occasion for
armed Intervention in Norway. The
8 dispatch adds that the Swedish press
hopes for assistance from Emperor
n William.
4 The committee appointed at the
house civil service conference 10 days
8 ago to draft notifications of the civil
service law have met and gone over
Il tie various bills pending before the
Il house. The committee expects to have
ameasure framed by the time congress
s feconvenes. Its members are opposed
10 the present law as including too
many Offices within its scope.
A freight train of 81 loaded cars,
travelling down the mountain to Al
y '0ona, Pa, became unmanageable IN
s consequence of the slippery condition
OF the tracks, making the IL miles
from Galltiz into Altoona i'll as many
minutes and crashing into freight
train directly i'll front of the passenger
station. About so cars were COM
fletely broken up, and the Holidays
burg passenger train, which was stand
Ing on the track near the passenger
sled, was thrown over on its side.
ihree of the train crew were fatally In
Jured.
Secretary Alger has cabled to Will
liam Akellman, chief government rein-
aeer herder, who is now in Norway, to
INFORM the war department Immediate
3 how soon 600 reindeer can be shipped
10 this country. These are wanted for
use as draft animals in getting supplies
10 10 the miners in the Klondike region.
ihey must be transferred at New York
W railroads, and in that manner car
lied across the continent, and again by
sea from the Pacific coast up to Dyea,
VI some other point that may be select
" as a base Of operations.
S