Mesa free press., 1898-03-25
PACIFIC COAST NEWS
Important Information Gathered
Around the Coast.
ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEREST.
A Summary OF Late Events That Are
Boiled Down to Suit our Busy
Readers.

The Oregon Railway has gotten into
the rate war.
The grain crop around Bakersfield
will prove failure unless rain falls
within ten days.
Mounted custom inspectors have
been appointed in the Puget Sound
customs district.
A bold but unsuccessful attempt to
frob the s. +. station at rCaliente was
made by an unknown man last week.
The sale of 240,OO0 gallons Of wine
at from 8 to 8 cents per gallon to the
California Wine Association has been
| reported.
The first of the carriages for the bat
terry of heavy rified mortars for the de-
tense of the mouth of Columbia River
has arrived.
Teredos are getting in thir hungry
work on the piles of the wharves at
San Francisco to such an extent that
their safety IS questioned.
Theodore A. Figel, the sporting
! Dook-keeper, accused of the murder of
isaac Hoffman, his employer, was ac-
Quilted in San Francisco.
The battleship Oregon is to receive
at once 1000 tons of ammunition. This
quantity will provide full complement
Tor the forty-two magazines Of the
ship.
| Owing to the strike of the steel
molders at the Pacific Rolling mill in
San Francisco work on the battleship
wisconsin, which was recently ordered
rushed, has been DELAYED
California is turning wistful eyes to-
ward Par1s. The State Board OF Trade
is taking the initial steps in collecting
an exhibit that shall do credit to the
Golden State in 1900, and each county
Is to be called on for financial assist
ance.~
The National Guardsmen are liable
to be called out any moment, says Cal.
Wright of Fresno, and indications point
that way from preparations now going
on. New guns and new equipments in
general are to be supplied them in
few days.
/ dispatch to the Press from Ottawa,
Ont, says: Sir Julian Pauncefote, the
British Ambassador, has informed the
Canadian ministry officially that he
has arranged a convention with the
United States, whereby the Alaskan
boundary dispute has been settled.
The purchase of 10000 acres of land
near Gilroy by Claus Spreckels means
that the cultivation Of the sugar Meet
in that vicinity will be, carried on OK
tensively. That will be good thing
for GilrOy, and it may lead eventually
To the Establishment of large fac
tory at that place.
!. Skaguay has been suffering from
congestion of mail At times during
the past week the postoffice has been
closed for two days at a stretch while
the inadequate force of clerks vainly
tried to distribute the thousands of
letters which arrived on the different
boats from the south.
Prince Poniatowski is at the head of
company which proposes, within
year, to bring at least 10000 horse
power from the waters now running
to waste on the western slope of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains in Alpine,
Amador and Calaveras counties. by
means OF an electrical line ITO miles
In length to San Francisco
Capt. G. E. D. Dimond, who Will be
1O2 years old May 1, is about to start
on pedestrial trip from San Francisco
to New York. He helped tO build the
Erie Canal, and was formerly United
States quartermaster at st. Louis. He
has never married because his intended
bride died in his arms at a ball given
in honor of President Polk.
The Canadian government has de-
cided to permit Canadian goods to be
shipped from Vancouver and Victoria
I'M American vessels free of duty by
ST. Michaels to the Yukon for the com
Ling season. An order to that effect has
been sent to the customs officers on the
coast. The order applies to the Yu-
kon route by st. Michaels, and does
not include Skaguay or Taiya.
The postoffice matter has again
f1oated to the front in San Francisco.
According to the Bulletin: "It is now
said that there is, after all, no luick-
sand beneath the site of the proposed
new postoffice. 1t is to be hoped that
the structure will now be pushed for
ward with all speed before another
of1ciaP report to the contrary is made.
and the long-pending dispute again
reOpened'' a
The first steamers for use I'm Lake
Bennett and the waters of the unner
Yukon were shipped to Skaguav on the
steamer Dirigo sailing from San Fran
cisco last week. They are 80 feet long.
10 feet broad and feet s inches deep'
They have been built in sections and
Will be taken over Chilcoot Pass to
their destination. Twelve men went
up with the boats to put them together
at Lake Bennett.
The steamer Humboldt arrived last
week from Skaguay and reported the
steamer Whitelaw burning on the
Deach at Skaguay. She will probably
prove total loss. The Humboldt car
rled eleven men from Dawson with
$zoo,oOo IN gold between them. Pas.
sengers on the Whitelaw lost all of
their outfits. Cause of fire is be1iaved
to have been spontaneous combustion
OF coal in the steamers bunkers.
If ia rannrfnd fhot