New-York tribune., 1899-12-24
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
LARGE HOLIDAY TRADE-ANoTHER MOh-
DERER ACQUITTED BY SYMPArhf-
TO SHORTEN SOUTHERN PACIFIC.
fRY rrIfGEArH TO THE TRIDUNE.l

Ipy TEIfGEAPH THE TRIDUNE.I
San Francisco Dec. 23.-This week mas see"
the largest holiday trade for years All the
stores have been crowded, and the weathei'
which was excessively rainy last week, mas pee"
clear and cold, with sharp north winu. Inc
nrosnecs for all crops are excellent. and the as
surance Of a good year has released iarse
amount OF money that has been lying idle, and
Il Is now going into city and country rear eS-
tate and into new enterprises and manufactur-
a.. THO snsnish and Philippine wars have
done much TO add to the prosperity OF san Frai-
,,soo q. the Commssary Department alone
too Nav 1905 has spent S1OoOOW In this city.
c,,ca tho war broke out the purchasing COM
r,issarv Department here has become one OF the
,orges, ARMY supply depots in the country. IL
is estinated that Colonel Baldwin the local head
of the Commissary Department. is now feedhg
c6 600 men Of whom 81 900 are in the PhlhP-
pines. .or,
Though no Santa Claus transport was sent
~ Manila this year every vessei whlch H"o
sailed recently has carried number OF CHRIST
mas presents for the soldier boys VINO are o""'-
Ing Aguinaldo
Con Francisco fury this week acquitted
Joseph p Frenna Of the murder OF James F
rrrner n land agent Frenna is a barber VINO
r,ad. considerable money by speculation. he
,oerod readv money to Turner for several years
.xoctinp usurious interest. but Turner Hhah!
s,,,rdlad him in a land deal by means OF toreeu
documents Frenna tried vanly to make Iur-
oor dieqoree and finally shot him down Ihere
,vere no witnesses to the shooting, whlch Freh-
ma asserted was done in self-defence put "i'S
theory was weak as Turner was shot III 'ne
hack and was unarmed. At the trial frei'ila
pleaded temporary insanity. due to worry anu
rare over his losses His case was Hlaue
stronger bv the excessively bad business record
Of Turner. but the evidence did not sho" III
sanity or any real cause for shooting except ie-
venge yet the jury promptly brought III Nei
dict Of not guilty. AS in the Rosser case VhlS
Is generally looked upon as a defeat Oh justice
and an announcement to men TO take 'he Ia"
into their own hands.
The death Of Robert Duncan Milne, who was
run down by cable car removed well known
local character Milne was a Scotchmah'
graduate OF Edinburgh and oxford, ana ne con-
trhuted short stories and editorials to the week
lv press for years. He had a genius Tor the CON
struction OF intricate plots. and many OF MS
short stories resemble those Of the Enghshnah
Wells in their ingenious application OF some
nrincinle Of science Milne was recognized as
one Of the best Latin scholars on the coast ou'
he threw away all the advantages by excessive
dripkinr Though he was man OF unusual
raantaI canactv Mines brain was small ana
weighed only forty ounces and Two scrupies;;
hut the convoutions were remarkably ueep anu
well defined. O.,,ox1
nioneer. died this week. He had been prominent
for forty years in the cattle business
Frederick Warde finished this week a success
,,,l two weeks engagement at the Columbla
Theatre, playing q round OF iesltnIlale 80
Next week "The Christian" will be seen at TINS
house The sale of seats for three Ie0i'o'' ~
De Pachmann next week is large
L. r. stockwen, the comedian. filed petition
in bankruptcy this tWeek giving llabhlues Oh
sIO535 and assets little household furnltu1e,
Which is exempt. TIE htpviest creditor: "a are
Frank Sanger and Hoyt Mckee for royaiteS'
The Southern Pacific company will soon begin
work on a cut Of on the ogden line wnich VIII VIII
shorten the route by seVen'yenne 0gden and
san Francisco by several hours the chle1 say
ing will be made hyg teng trestle across M tne
upper end Of the Great Salt Lake: This trestie
T;iI be over water from 3 to 10 feet deep, and
viii cost several million dollars but 1t VIII save
n long detour and will avoid heavy mountain
grades on Promontory, Kelton. Ombry and Ter
race hills. This would have been the orlslha sI
route when the road was built. but the rlVary
between the Central and Union Paclnc was 50
keen TO reach ogden that all other cohsluer-
atoms were sacrificed to speed Of construction.
The shpbuilding yards Of San Francisco and
puget Sound are so crowded with work thdt
many owners have been forced 10 send orders Tor
vessels TO England. No local yard will take
contract TO build a vessel before next Septem-
her From the number Of vessels on the ways
IN coast wards and those known 10 be building
on the clyde and In the East, San Francisco 8
shipping fleet should he increased within SIX
months by at least two dozen large new vessels.
The rush TO Cape Nome next spring promises
10 be as heavy was the first stampede 10 the
Klondke. Though much Of the good ground IS
taken up beach claims offer great inducements
10 poor miners. and II is probable that paying
claims will be found all along the beach 10 cape
York Despite the losses suffered in Nondike
TRANSPORTATION, many vessels are being Char-
tered and several new companies have been
started One Of the first vessels TO sail from
here is the Johns Kimball. a new steamer.
which carries 500 passengers and loo tons OF
freight
The most marked feature OF the local stock
market for the last six months is the decline In
Hawaiian Sugar stock The shrinkage In some
stocks has been as great as 60 per cent, and the
leading stock has declined 80 per cent from the
highest quotation last summer. Then Hawaiian
Commercial reached $12S 30 a share: now Il is
selling arour5 500 Quotations Of other stocks
last summer and follows; Onomea
Sal S27: Paauhaau, SAP 80. 500; Hama, $22
Sc %: Makaweli $40 so $40 30; Kilauea, $32
S21. This decline is due largely to overspecula-
tlon and the prospect that the Cuban sugar
crop next year will reduce the price so material
ly that dividends cannot be paid. The Boer wal
has also played part in the decline. for Eng
Ish investors are unloading stocks instead OF
buying American securities.