Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-10-14

- Rear Admiral Schley's flagship,
the cruiser Chicago, will start from
New York to Cape Town, South Africa,
as soon as possible after October 25,
when Admiral Schley will raise his
pennant. The mission of the Chicago
will be to observe as much as she can
at the remote distance from the Trans
vaal, the operations between the Brit
ish and the Beers if war should occur.
- Speaking of Neill's latest cotton
crop estimate of 100000 bales,
New York cotton man says: ut may
be of interest to know that on October
Is, 1892, Neill estimated that crop at
S,25O,OOO, and by January 10th had
gotten his estimate down to 6,OOO,O 600.
Europe lost heavily by following his
first estimates, and when she came in
finally prices shot up IT to u cents.
Neill's estimates, however, have aver
aged so correctly as to the tendency OF
the crop that he carries considerable
weight in Europe"
- The Transvaal government sent
an ultimatum to Great Britain last
Monday and demanded reply by 5
o'clock p. m. Wednesday. The ulti-
matum sets forth the unlawful inter-
ference of Great Britain in the affairs
of the Transvaal, called attention to
the warlike preparations on the part
of the British, offered to submit all
matters in dispute to fair and just ar
bitration, and stated that unless the
British troops were withdrawn from
South Africa instantly, the Trasnvaal
government would not be willing to
hold itself responsible for consequences.
- Probably one of most remarkable
weddings ever known will take place
next Wednesday at the home of MIR.
George Deweese, No. 26 Vine street,
Cleveland, o. Deweese is the secreta-
ry of the Blind Peoples association.
He is sightless. Deweese has thrown
open his house for the wedding festivi-
ties. The groom is W. M. Moore, S3
years of age, and is blind. The bride
is Miss Lizzie Brown. She is blind.
The knot will be tied by Justice of the
Peace Dwight Palmer. He is blind.
The best man will be William Wander
wist. He is blind. Fifty guests have
been invited. All are blind. An or
chestra of blind men will play the wed.
ding march. After the ceremony
literary and musical programme will
be carried out by blind people.
- An ingenious Chinese military
man has recently invented a weapon
which the mandarins at Peking think
will cause terror in the hearts of the
invaders, and an order has heen issued
for the manufacture of large supply
to be distributed throughout the army.
According to description that appears
in the Chinese papers this terrible
weapon is combination of spear and
shovel. At one end of pole there is
large, sharp pike, such as knights of
medieval times used to carry. At
the other end there is a shovel or
spade, with blade about eight inches
wide, which can be used both as an
intrenching tool and as weapon. 1t
is especially handy in beheading pris-
oners and all the Chinese soldier has
to do is to stick the pike at one end Of
his pole through the body of his enemy
and then turn around and cut off his
head with the shovel.
- The October report of the statis-
tician of the department of agriculture,
issued last Tuesday; shows the aver
age condition of cotton on October l,
to have been 62.4 as compared with
6S.5 last month, 75.4 in October l,
1898; 70 at the corresponding date in
1897, and 1875, the mean of the Octo-
Der average for the last ten years.
The decline during September affected
almost the entire cotton producing
region, being 7 points in North Caro-
lima, five in Georgia and Texas, ten in
Tennessee and eleven in Virginia and
Missouri. In Oklahoma the crop held
its own and in Florida there was an
improvement of two points. The av-
erages for the states are as follows:
Virginia. 76; North Carolina and Ten
nessee, &C; South Carolina, 81; Geor-
gia, Ga; Florida, 70; Alabama, 70;
Mississippi 50; Louisiana, 6S; Texas,
Sc; Arkansas, So; Missouri, "a; Ok
lahoma, 60; Indian Territory, 46.
- The United States representatives
in the Transvaal and also in the Brit
ish colony Of Natal and Cape Colony,
as we'll as the consuls in the Free
State, says Washington dispatch,
will be very busy men in the event of
an outbreak of hostilities, for in addi-
tion to the British interests which will
be confined to their care, their first at.
tention must be directed to those of
American citizens. These are by no
means inconsiderable in extent and
value. The best information the state
department has been able to gather
tends to show that there are no less
than 1000 American citizens in the
Transvaal and Free State alone, and
these Americans are, as rule, men of
standing, representing in many cases
great American manufacturing and
exporting concerns as we'll as being
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