New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-03
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
RELATIONS WITH SPAIN THE CHIEF SUB
JECT OF INTEREST - THE EARTH
OUAKES DAMAGE-DECREASE IN
KLoNDIKE TRAvFL-A NEW
MAGAZINE STOCKS.
Ia TELEGRAPH TO TIVE TRIRUNr.

me Maine mater mas QWarlcu al VtliSA H'"9
this week 1, even cast into the shade after a
single day the sensational earthquake. the
heaviest san Francisco has known for thirty
years About half tho newspapers here have
kept their balance and have printed the news
with truthful and conservative heads. The
others have ueen famboyant.y sensational. and
havc declared war the slightest prOvocauon.
and displayed IN Job-type ultimatums and other
things evolved from the inner consciousness or
, their correspondents. Great interest has Deen
shown In the bulletins. and popular feeling leans
strongly toward war. probably because Of the
larger opportunities that war would bring. The
big property owners. however are not clamo'-
Ing for war. as they recognize clearly the danger
OF San Francisco IN case Of conflict with
Spain.
Though the heavy 13-nch guns at the Preside
and at Lime Point. on the Marin shore Of the
Golden Gate. would effectually prevent the en-
trance OF any warship. our present defences
would not check q Spanish vessel from lying or
four or five miles south Of the Clif House and
dropping shells into the city. What Is needed
Is a few big 13-.nch guns mounted on the sand
hills overlooking the beach and the ocean with
these In position no foreign enemy could ap-
proach San Francisco near enough TO DO any
damage.
though 1t was exceedingly heavy In this city and
on Mare Island. caused little damage except AT
the Navy Yard. and report OF any loss OF
life has been received Perhaps its best service
20 San Francisco was to demonstrate beyond
any question that the new sAy-scrapers are
Acknowledgment In The Chronicle the
Croker Mills and the Spreckels buildings not
even a pane OF glass broken. The CHEZ
damage was done TO DID, ramshackie buildings
poorly constructed. and allowed to fail into de-
cav. At the Mare Island Navy Yard the
wretched work done by contractors for the Gov
eminent was illustrated by the practical coll
lapse OF many Of the large shops and by tho
ruin OF a number of the officers houses. The
latter were over forty years old and ought TO
have been condemned. The loss Of the machine
shops and warehouses will probably not reach
$3.50 900 as first announced. but it will be
heavy.
When demands for passage TO the Klondike
came pouring into this city and Seattle last
winter the transportation companies figured Out
that they had p bonanza IN sight which would
Justify chartering every available vessel that
they could secure. even at what in ordinary sea-
sons would be called prohibi;ive rates. Now
they find that the volume OF Klordike travel
can be handled by fewer steamers than they
have in service. One company has actually tied
ND at Tacoma the steamer Cleveland, for which
4 is paving $500 a day. The big steamer Aus
fralia which was drawn of the line TO Honolulu
and chartered to the Pacific Mail carried last
THURSDAY night from Tacoma only one hundred
passengers, though she can easily accommodate
seven hundred. she will not pay expenses.
This unexpected result is due to bad news from
eli the trails. Few have got over Chilkoot or
White Pass because OF the poor condition Of the
trails and II warm weather sets in now It VIII
he almost impossible to carry an outfit over
Them The great majority of Klond!ke's are
waiting for the ice TO break UP IN the YUKON so
that they may 60 in without nard work or Dan
per by way OF 81 Nichaers The rush by the
River route will be very heavy, though the
TRANSFORMATION agents declare that the interest
In the Klondike has been seriously hurt by eN-
citing news from Washington. The war fever.
they saw. has deferred many from following
out their original plans. as they prefer 10 stay
a. home and what will be the outcome OF
trouble with spain.
Charles r Lumnls, OF Los Angeles and Of
Sunshine has formed a novei syndicate or West
ern writers 10 assist him in mis- work % produc-
ing en- essentially Western magazine. Each
takes shares in the magazine and agrees 10 con
tribute 20 IL. Among those VINO nave joined tHls
syndicate arc Theodore II. Hittell. Mary Eailock
Foote Margaret Collier Graham. whose stories
Of the Foothills gained so much praise; Ella
TIieginson Ina d Coolbritl John Vance Cheney.
Charles Edwin Markham. Frederic Webb Hodge,
Charles Howard. =. s. Van Dyke. Charles war
others Mr. LumInis is enthusiastic In his work
OF making magazine which will give the very
life and color Of the West
swift Water Bill" Gates. who won fame on
the Yukon by his EXPERIENCES in shooting the
dangerous White Horse Rapids, Is likely to be
involved in the whirlpool % the law through his
hasty marriage He wooed Ike the great Ma
pooon and after six days acquaintance with
Miss Grace Larnoore married her Several
weeks later the couple agreed 70 disagree. ana
the wife left her husband. who later went East
on q business trip. He returned this week. and
his wife sued him for divorce and $1,000 ali
mony. There are reports that Bill" has com
pro nised his matrimonial troubles and Will soon
start for tho klonGike.
The exhibition OF paintings and sketches by
Arthur ?. Mathews has been held this week az
the Hopkins Institute u Art Many canvases
have been loaned by owners. Mathews VIII soon
give up his place as professor In the Art School
and 60 10 Paris
THE Get and the Cher,b' did not take we'll al
the Baldwin. probably because the play and the
srerent. Mr.. Fernald tho author OF the play.
cut out much of the talk that clogged the &C
ton improving the play immensely: but II has
not enough dramatic strength 70 make a stage
impression In a place Ike this. where Chinese
life is thoroughly known. Anna He'd also failed
70 make 4 hit probably because her advance
agent had done too much advertising
1: looks now rs though TIE gap In the Coast
Division Of the Southern Pacific would be closed
b. the end Of this year. Vice-President George
Croker ard General Manager Kruttschnitt re-
Gently inspected the road, and II ~ reported
that rs completion to Santa Barbara viii be
decided or at the approaching annual meeting.
Scni-annual dividends amounting TO Sl,2JO.OoO
were paid Yesterday the bonds Of the
Southern Pacific OF California, the Northern
Railway OF California. the San Joaquin Valley
Road and the Hawaiian Commercial Company.
These bonds are fves and SKIES. The large
amount OF money paid out VIII help the market.
There have been no changes in the number of
savings banks in the city and State IN the last
year. The aggregate resources have increased
IS 200 600 largely represented by city banks.
The individual deposits snow an Increase of
S1325 600 Of which S32J0Oco are credited to