El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-29
The Spectator.

The coal famine now being expert
enced by FL Paso is not confined to this
city or Immediate vicinity; but extends
as far north at Kansas. A dispatch
saws: Kansas is experiencing coal
famine which is the worst ever known
in the state. Hundreds of the
smaller towns are without coal and the
dealers are imploring their shippers
and mine owners to ship them small
lots. Missouri and Illinois coal is
being shipped into the state, but this,
with the Kansas supply, does not meet
the emergency. The railroads are
charged with being responsible for this
condition. The managers admit that
they confiscste coal and apply 1t to
engine use, later paying the mine
owner therefor. The railroads argue
that they are justified in Selling the
coal and submit the fact that unless
their trains run the dealers cannot Sc
cure coal in support of their position.
There is no recourse for the local dea-
lers and the same is true OF the man
who is shipping coal from the mines to
the customers. They are compelled
to submit. The shortage of coal among
the railroads Is due to the unprecedent-
ed rush of stock and grain through
Kansas. They cannot supply cars
for this business. to say moth
ing of the demand for coal cars, There
promises to be no change in the present
condition until the roads have falling
off in business. While they are busy
with stock and grain and an engine
runs short, they take possession of the
first coal which they can reach, beth
err it be the property of the company or
in transit from mine to dealers.
General Woods, military governor of
Santiago, issued an order November
"a, forbidding gambling in any form
in any part of the city or province.
The order will become operative so
soon as it is issued. There will be no
loophole or technicality which will en-
able the clubs, which are the chief Of
tenders, to evade the order. 1t is ex-
pected that the publication of the order
will create a profound sensation as
eamb bling Is part OF the Cuban ma
tionsl life. Games of baccarat, monte,
faro and roulette have been conducted
openly in the clubs and saloons for
many years. Gen. Wood might have
been willing to overlook the gam bling.
so long as it was conducted quietly, but
the situation was becoming worse daily
and the order of the city was threaten
ed. Many professional gamblers and all
round bad men" have come from the
United States recently and started gam
bling places. They declared today wheI
they heard that Gen. Wood intended
to stop the games and close up their
places that they would resist. If they
do, there will be trouble for them.
Gen. Wood says that he is determined
| that there shall no longer be cause fol
| the complaints he has been receiving
! lately. Under the order the penalty
| imposed for conducting any game OF
chance is 81, 900 and 30 days imprison
meht. A second offense will be more
severely published.
When war with Spain became an act
ual fact loud boastings were heard tina
the Spanish navy would be destroye,
by the Holland torpedo boat withOu
loss of time. Notwithstanding this, af
ter hostilities began little was heard O
the Holland and it dropped out o
sight. Now that the war is end
ed and the Spanish fleets are a
the bottom of the sea the tor
pedo boat again claims the atteu ton O
the public. The New York Tribune
says: The Holland torpedo boat wa
tested yesterday off Bay Ridge, in tn
presence of it's inventor and numbe
of friends. The boat left the Fifty
ffth-st. pier, in Brooklyn, at / 3
o clock, and was accompanied down tn
bay by tug carrying q number of en-
gineers and invited guests. At Seven
ty-fourth-st. q torpedo was fred from
the tube by compressed air pressure
and the test was satisfactory to Mr.
Holland and his associates Ate
making the first test the boat went t
Princes Bay, States Island wher'
further tests were made. Mr.. Hollau
said last night that the torpedo ha
been fired about four hundred yards
and that the test was the most sue
cessful of any yet undertaken.
ii
| More than S25 900 has already bee