The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-01-08
PENINSULA NEWS.
Items Of Interest Taken From
Our Exchanges and
Condensed.
INSANE PATIENTS SUFFER.
Asylums Are OvercrOwded, and
the Need of a New One
is Apparent.

A Houghton dispatch says there
are now ten insane persons in the
county jail there with no proper fa
cilities rattendants for their care.
1t is announced semi-officially that
the opening of several new cottages
at the upper peninsula asylum in
Newberry this month will provide
room for the care of the insane for
several years, but the fallacy of this
expectation will be revealed before
spring. The insane asylum at
Traverse City is terribly ovefcrowd-
ed and with the opening of the new
cottages at Newberry "a large mum.
Der Of patients from the lower pen
insula will be brought north of the
straits. Nearly every upper penin-
sula county has insane persons de-
tained in the jails and their transfer
to Newberry in connection with the
influx of patients from Traverse City
will fill the new cottages to their ut
most capacity within few weeks
after they are opened. 1t was
promised when the first cottage was
opened at Newberry two years ago,
that there should be ample accomo-
dations for the insane of Michigan
for all time thereafter, but the
promise was not kept and the pres
ent promise of like tenor will be
similarly broken. The asylum at
Newberry is a model, being excel
lent in construction, appointments
and maintenance, but it is far too
small and will prove inadequate with
the doubling of its present accomo-
dations.
The following dispatch from Dol
lar Bay is taken from the Detroit
papers: "The fire at the coal shed
of the Tamarack- -Osceola docks here,
now under control and which will be
entirely extinguished in few days
more, has been one of the most stub
born ever known 1t was discovered
nearly one month ago. There were
As, 600 tons of bituminous coal in the
big steel shed. and the water which
was thrown on top of the pile seemed
to but add fuel to the flames. One
hundred men were employed on
eight-hour shifts, the work never
ceasing night or day. The poison
Gus gasses overcame the men in
many cases. The smoke and gas
from the burning coal was visible,
hanging over the shed in dense
mass nearly q mile high, from all
parts OF the county, until the wind
drove the smoke towards Houghton
and Hancock, four miles distant,
where the people were nearly
choked. The gas was plainly
smelled in Calumet, thirteen miles
distant. Business here was carried
on under great difficulties. This is
the second fire in the coal shed since
it was completed 18 months ago, and
both are ascribed to the inferior
quality of coal. All the other big
mining companies of the county buy
the very highest grade of bituminous
coal, deeming it cheaper. The an
nual consumption of soft coal in
Houghton county is about 300, 900
tons, and as it is necessary to store
it in enormous quantities, spontane-
Gus combustion renders the use of
the cheaper grades highly dan
gerous.
A company with strong financial
backing is being organized at Hough
ton to explore the copper belt be-
tween Houghton and Ontonagon.
Along '40-mile stretch copper is
known to be distributed. The de-
veloped portion of the belt, from the
Kearsarge mine on the north to the
Baltic on the south, is now but a
trifle over 20 miles in length, and
there is much unexplored land. The
story that the copper found in the
Baltic is only chimney" or
pocket, is denied by experts. DR..
l.. l.. Hubbard says the Baltic lode
is continuation of the Mabbs vein,
which was partially developed in the
Isle Royale mine % years ago.
Marquette $ $lOO,OOO opera house
was reopened Tuesday evening un-
der the new management. The
house k A. been handsomely re dec
Grated M.Na splendid acolian organ
added to its equipment. The cost
of the alterations is nearly
$1,000. H. Gruendler, late of Du-
luth and formerly of the 500, is
manager Of the house.
The Sault Ste. Marie News has
just entered upon its twenty-first
year and is "old enough to vote. "
The News has the distinction of be-
ing one of the best and most pros
porous weekly papers in the state.
Long may it live.