The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-01
FISHER FOLK N PERIL
Awful Destitution Along New
foundIand'S Coast
ICE FLOES HINDER RELIEF
Fearful Heat Prevails All Over
Australia.

New York, Jan. 31.-The Red Cross line
steamship Portia arrived today, four days
overdue, from ST. Johns, n. F.. and Hall
fax, after desperate encounter with
pack ice off the Newfoundland coast, and
with a narrowing tale of billiards and
restitution in the coast section of that
country.
Hundreds of men, women and children
dead OF dying from exposure and starva-
ton, with abundance close by, and hum
dreds more threatened with like fate,
are the brief details of the condition OF
affairs brought by the Portia.
Four days the Portia was penned in
among huge Arctic foes in plain sight
Of st. Johns unable to move. Many other
craft, several of them relief vessels sent
by the Canadian government to succor
destitute fishermen, had to abandon their
errands of mercy and return to st. Johns,
where they were still in the ice when the
Portia struggled into clear water.
Close to where the Portia lay the big
steamship Virginia was locked tight. She
had been sent north by the Canadian gov
eminent with food for the starving fish
ermen, but a short distance up the coast
she found the route securely blocked and
was forced to return to port to prevent
being ice bound all winter. Before her
departure news had reached st. Johns
that unless assistance was promptly dis
patched the unfortunate inhabitants
would soon be beyond relief.
Among the detained feet at st. John
were a dozen or more sailing vessels,
loaded with Goldfish for England and Bra
I'll.
The city of ST. Johns was in a terrible
condition on account of the blizzard. The
streets were rendered impossible, the
railroads suspended work and the poor
were suffering through hunger and cold.
Prices of food had advanced until they
were beyond the reach of the poor.
When the Portia was working her way
out to the sea she was closely followed by
the bark Flora, and these two vessels
were the only ones that succeeded in Ieav-
ing ST. Johns.
Several miles off shore the Portia
passed the steamer Grand Lake, fast in
the ice and in a perilous condition.
The steamer Virginia was released from
her perilous position after the departure
of the Portia from st. Jonhs, and the
position of the rest of the distressed fleet
has been reported by telegraph to be re-
lieved.
AWFUL HEAT IN AUSTRALIA.
Van Couver, B. c., Jan. 31.-The steamer
Warimoo. just arrived from Australia,
brings news of appalling climatic condl-
lions which have been prevailing in many
sections of Australia. The prostrations
from heat were so numerous that the
condition of affairs in large cities was
alarming. In a great many instances
work is out of the question and sleep i'm
possible. while in the evening. the inhab-
itants gather on the streets and sit on
curbstones, drinking in the comparatively
cool night air. kilograms show that the
same conditions prevail all over the colo.
MES. The thermometer during the heat
of the day averages about 124 in the shade
and in long list of towns the lowest
figure found WAS 10. In the sun it is 160.
so that it is Impossible to work at mid
day. The heat has caused numerous fires
from spontaneous combustion and the
houses are so baked during the day that
in the worst stations the residents sleep
in gardens and on roofs. The damage
from fires is very great. News comes
from all parts of Australia of destruction
by flames. It wuold appear from the press
reports that the total damage will amount
to millions of pounds. In Victoria colony
600 acres have been swept clean and
an enormous acreage of crops destroyed.
In other colonies houses and barns were
burned.
FATAL SEWER ACCIDENT.
The Warimoo brings news of a sewer
accident in Melbourne, in which many
city board of works and a gang of men
went down to investigate. a tardy work
man who followed them came back say
ing that Mossop and all the gang were
overcome by sewer gas. Hundreds of cit
liens crowded around the vent hole but
they knew the men were dying beneath
their feet. The sewer region where the
men are was flooded by the fire depart
ment but the pressure was so strong that
it was impossible TO unfasten the vent
holes, and the gas was left off by means
who finally brought all the men 10 the
surface. Many of them had families and
all were young men.