The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-31
Develops a Case of BubOniC
Plague on the Voyage.
LANDS AT PLYMOUTH.
The Case is Mild and Has Been
Isolated
While All the Rats on the Ship
Have Been Burned.


ly recovering from the Christmas fes-
tivities which have been made to last
as long as possible, many business
houses closing from Friday, Dec, %, un-
til Wednesday last.
The discordant note of the festive
season was struck in the announcement
that the bubOnic plague had arrived in
England through a passenger landed at
Plymouth from the mail steamer Col
conda, the case having developed on
her homeward voyage from India and
by the arrival in the Thames of an
other suspicious case landed at Grave
send. This startling news caused a
stir. But the Lancet now announces
that the man landed at Plymouth was
only suffering from a mild type of the
disease, while the suspicious case at
Gravesend proves to have been sick
ness due to some other cause than the
plague Both patients, however, have
been isolated and the Golconda has
been disinfected. The rats on board the
steamer, which are accused of spread
ing the plague in India have been ut
terly exterminated by burning.
Christmas day saw the Inauguration
of the imperial penny postage. About
S6.7OO letters benefited by it during the
first three days. The majority was
composed of letters destined for Can
ada over 5000 letters paid the old
rates, through their senders' ignorance.
Europe Still Arming.
The czar's disarmament scheme re-
ceives almost daily a hit below the
belt in the shape of announcements
of the extension of the military and
naval forces of the various powers in
one form or other. -s-fter the news that
the German field artillery will be defi-
n1tely armed with the new quick -flrers
at the beginning of the new year comes
the announcements that the French
field artillery before the spring will be
fully equipped with the new rs cent?
meter quick firers, rivalling the Ger
man arm.
Great Britain to these important chan
geS, Which one authority decribes as
being the most portentOus military
advance in armament since the intro
duction of magazine rifles, or perhaps
since the Germans used breech-IoadfnE
needle guns in the Austrian war of
1866
Experts estimate that batteries of
the new guns will be at least three
times as powerful as the present bat
teries. Each new French battery costs
$6OOO0. The rearming thus costs France
$2S, 100000 in guns alone, while the i'm
proved gun will also necessitate the re-
organization of the ammunition trans
port which will bring the total expend-
artinerists point out that against these
new guns the British artillery would
be swept off the field and they urge
that the British field gun be brought fo
the level of the foreign arm. Great
Britain must thus be prepared for an
early expenditure of $12, 500, 600
France viii have nine warships build
ing in 1899.
Interesting details have been publish
ed regarding the French submarine
poat GustaVe Zede, which it is claimed
mas Just emerged from some successful
tests at ToulOn- She is said to have
torpedoed the French ironclad Magenta
twice, once when the latter was an
chored and the second time when she
was moving. The only drawback it is
pointed out, is that the eddy caused by
the boat betrayed her movements at
1,5OO yards in broad daylight The
principle of the invention is that fbe
boat is no longer blind, two Iieutenants
having invented an eye which faciIi-
tates submarine progress. Another
French submarine boat, the Gymnote.
IS now armed with torpedOes and a
third, to be named the Morse. will be
ready in March.
An American Remedy.
The government inquiry into the
causes Of the terrible mortality among
railroad men, which during the past
ten years reached 4.764 persons killed
while 80 ,271 were injured, shows the ac-
cidents to have occurred chiefly among
the switchmen. In consequence of this
showing the hoard OF trade sent an eX-
pert to study the systems in use in
America. This expert has just return
ed here and brought with him speci-
mems of the American automatic coup
lings. which he reports have reduced
the number of accidents in America by
80 per cent. 1t is understood that the
president of the board of trade, Mr.
Thomson Ritchie will Introduce a bill
to make automatic couplings compuI-
sorry in Great Britain. Considerable
opposition is developing against the bill
as the change will cost $35, 900, 900.
A singular occurrence is reported
from the Semmering mountains near
Vienna. Two youths and young wo-
man ascended the Rax on Monday and
when they reached a height of 900 feet
to shelter house, where she gave birth
to son. Her two companions made a
fire and wrapped her in all their spare
clothing, the cold being intense. Then
one of the young men descended the
mountain and fetched a doctor who at
first declined to go, thinking the whole
affair was a hoax. The woman, how
ever, cannot be removed for some time
while a serious snow fall will compel
her to remain in the shelter house with
her new born babe for a long time.
The news of uprisings in the Congo
Free state and of massacres of Congo
forces has again brought into promi-
nence the iniquitous system of the rub
ber trade to which three-fOurths of the
native uprisings can be traced.
Rich Present for the Pope.
The bright, cold weather of Christ
mastide has given the pope'S health a