Mesa free press., 1898-12-23
COAST NEWS
Important Information Gathered
Around the Coast.
ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEREST.
A Summary Of Late Events That Are
Rolled Down To Suit our Busy
Readers.

IN cell now.
An earthquake shock was felt at
Oakland last week, which swayed
buildings and broke some glassware
but no real damage is reported.
The number of suicides that are talk
ing place in San Francisco these days
indicates in some measure the despon-
dency which results in living in that
wicked city.
The hotel at Del Mar was burned to
the ground last week. The fire is be-
Hcved to have been of incendiary orr
gin, and a committee of citizens will
hunt firebugs.
The Farmers Union of Los Gatos
has been greatly damaged by fire. The
loss is placed at from $4,000 to $4,000,
fully covered by insurance. The origin
is not known.
A financial report presented to the
San Francisco Grand Jury shows a
shortage of $271, 843 in the school fund
OF the city and county. 1t is alleged
that further Investigations will in
crease the deficit.
The State convention of County
Boards of Supervisors will meet in
Sacramento in January. There will be
addresses, reception, banquet and
excursions, and there will probably be
formulated many measures for pre-
sentation to the Legislature.
The explosion of four tons of nitro
gelatine at the works of the Judson
Powder Company at Pinole resulted in
the death of Superintendent Chas.
Kennedy and four Chinaman, the only
workmen in the building at the time.
The building was demolished.
Congressman Barham of California
is a member CT the subcommittee and
is author of a bill which provides for
the government to buy out the Mari
time Canal Company, issue bonds and
proceed as with a simple river and
harbor Improvement, which would
give government ownership.
The preliminary hearing of w. A.
Brandes of Oakland, accused of mur-
dering his daughter, has brought out
much circumstantial evidence, on
which the case must be decided.
James S. Hardy, regarded as witness
friendly to Brandes, has testified to
the belief that the child was mur-
dered.
Sacramento has denied motions for
the discharge of Jacob Oppenheimer,
the convict who killed another convict
at Folsom. Oppenheimer was serving a
term of fifty years, and his counsel
tried to secure release on the ground
that he could not be tried for murder
until that time expired. Trial is set
for December 21st.
Siberia has boundless forests, but
none of them are available to supply
the timber for the construction of the
Russian railroad through Manchuria
1t comes from Oregon and is shipped
across the Pacific to Vladivostock,
thence transported by rail to tribu-
tary of the Amur, and by the latter
routes to the line of the road.
The California Navigation and I'M
provement Company of. San Francisco
has filed petition for the limitation
of Inability in the case of the steamer
J. D. Peters. The appraisers, having
examined the steamer as she now lies,
fix the value at $4,000, raised and towed
to Stockton, less the cost Of raising.
The only money collected was passen-
ger fares of $1,000.
Capital has been offered and prelim-
mary steps taken for new fast
steamship line from San Francisco to
Manila and Chinese and Japanese
ports. The vessels will be built under
plans which will make them naval
auxiliaries and entitled to receive
mail contracts. The only thing that
remains is the enactment Of navigation
laws covering the new Philippine pos
sessions.
The long dry spell is commencing to
show it's effects upon the Vallejo and
Suisun water works, and another dry
year will surely bring a water famine
to both these cities. The Vallejo stor-
age reservoir contains but twelve feet
of water and the Suisun storage reser-
voir is completely dry and the dis
tributing reservoir contains but ten
feet, equal to about four hundred thou-,
sand gallons. Springs are running very
low.
The editor Off the Santa Ynez Ar
gus makes leading editorial to an
account of journey which he made
to "The Hidden Land" He got as far
as the right shore of the river Styx,
but the ferryman would not take him
over because he had no pass. 1t is
probably the first time a newspaper
man was ever caught in that fix. So
the editor came back and nobody
knows whether he was booked for
heaven or the other place.
The Socialistic community, which
started a cooperative society near
Hastings, B. c., three years ago, has
been recorded a dismal failure. Two
hundred visionaries left comfortable
homes with capital of $500 each,
those who did not provide money be-
ing allowed to pay into the common
treasury time checks for labor on pub
lie buildings. Mills. and shops were
opened but the work was so poor that
the goods were not salable. Herding
together of families led to quarrels,
and the entire scheme has failed.
AS soon as there are offers from San
Francisco for the transportation of