Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-17

OI the present SNOWFALL, anu tlt sweeping
account will be replenished by the issue of
short-term bonds.
The storm was bad enough, but by some
! strange combination of circumstances, dur
ing the billiards. reign, the city has been
constantly threatened with serious fires.
Never in all it's long history has the fire de-
partment come so near being overworked
as during the present cold spell. Its brave
men We're called out $50 times between
Thursday and Monday, and the fire gong is
still ringing. According to Chief Bonner
the average number of alarms at this sea-
son, always the busiest for firemen, has
been about ten day. On Thursday there
were twenty-five fires, Friday, thirty-eight;
Saturday, thirty-seven, and on Sunday,
thirtyfour.
Famine Threatens the City.
Unless conditions improve rapidly there
promises to be a serious aftermath to the
great storm. Not since the blizzard of 1888
has New York been so near a famine in
food and fuel as it is today The breaking
of the backbone of the storm has removed
| the immediate danger, but the weather will
have to moderate many degrees before
dealers can replenish their stock to the
normal The decrease in the visible supply
| of nearly every kind of food has sent prices
up with a rush, and dealers unanimous
| in the opinion that the situation is grave
enough warrant them dealing out their
stock sparingly, and then only to regular
customers. The advance in prices approx
mates 20 per cent, though for some articles
| 1t is much greater. Milk has gone up from
to l. cents a quart. while eggs, which
sold last week at % cents, now bring :}S
cents. Sea food is extremely scarce. The
fishing fleet has not touched line or net
since the storm began, and the sea foods
| in which Greater New York usually in
dulges have been brought from other places
and bring fancy prices. Oyster dealers
have rneager supply on hand. Dealers in
| vegetables say their stocks made up of
ordinary qualities and that the market is
practically stripped of fancy" vegetables
and groceries.
The freezing up of the sound caught
many barges, having on board at least 250,-
| 600 tons ofxcoal. This welcome addition to
| the stock is held up just at the City'S gates.
| From the large dealers it is learned there
| is always, counting the coal in the locks
| and the coal 'af1oat" all ready for delivery
| at the various coal piers in the city, about
enough coal to supply the city for week.
| There is another condition which may
| bring the famine even quicker, and that
! would be lower temperature and colder
| weather. This would close the Kills of
| Staten Island with ice and render it i'm
possible for barges to reach the city from
| Perth and South Amboy. thus throwing the
| city on the WeehaWken locks, already par
TALLY depleted, for its entire coal supply.
The retail yards In the city, however have
a supply of coal on hand, which is of little
value, however, as delivery at present is
! next to impossible. With but very few ex-
| ceptions the large office buildings have
| small coal bunkerage not exceeding two
| or three days supply, and depend upon a
| delivery two or three times week. Sew
| eral of the very largest depend upon a
| daily and night delivery.
| Press Clubs Annual Dinner
The twenty-sixth annual dinner of the
Press Club will be held at the Hotel Savoy
on Saturday night, and the advance sale of
| tickets as well as the acceptance by guests,
| indicates that the members will have an
| enjoyable function. This is the first dinner
| of the Press Club since the organization
was founded that Chauncey NJ. Depew will
| miss. The senator-elect has an imperative
| engagement at Chicago on Friday evening.
| The trustees of the club, by q. unanimous
| vote, asked Senator-elect Depew to be the
| special guest of honor and to accept a re-
| ception in the hour before the dinner This
| was accorded him because of his yalua BILE
| services to the club, his unfailing courtesy
| to individual members and also in recogni-
| ton of his election to the< Senate,
| An official of the club, not authorized by
| the board of trustees, obtained Mr.. De-
| pew's acceptance to attend a Press Club
| dinner at Delmonico's on February %. A
| circular was issued to the club members
| without the knowledge of the trustees that
| the annual dinner would be held at Del
| monico's on February IS. This was prompt
| ly reDudiated by the trustees, whose COM
| mlttee of arrangements, in order not to
| conflict with other public functions, had
set the date for February IS. The fact that
| Mr. DepeW cannot attend on that evening
| mas been made use of by a disgruntled ele-
| ment to make it appear that the trustees
| really intend to snub Mr.. Depew and a.
| statement has been published that Thomas
| f. Smith, a well-known newsDaper man
now Richard Cookers private secretary
| mad, with other trustees, sought to inject
| politics into the dinner. 1t was Mr. Smith
| who. as trustee, moved to adopt the sug-
| eestioh that reception be rendered the
| sehator-eiect. The trustees. who represent
| the entire membership of the club had to
| take hold of the dinner to make sure of its
| success, and 1T Is their intention to offer
| senator-eiect Depew an opportunity to ac-
cept special dinner that will be represen-
| tatve of the clubs best membership They
| recognize that the effort to unjustly give a
| political cast to the unfortunate change in
| date Is being made use of to prevent the
| attendance of guests and members
New Factor in Golf Contests.
! new factor has appeared in the dispo-
| slhon of this years golf championships
| Eastern players have rather taken for
granted that the events would be awarded
| 10 their own clubs, but word is received
from Chicago to the effect that Hobart
Chatheld-Taylor, president of the Ontwent-
STA Golf Club, will make a strenuous effort
to secure the women's championshin for tba
! west, and that he will present his claims
to the delegates at the annual meeting of
the United States Golf Association next
| Thursday. February %. The Ontwentsia
Goi1 Club conducted the amateur champion
snip IN 1897. but it has never had the wo-
mems championship. and the western clubs
are how working to obtain recognition at
| the hands of the delegates, urging that as
| their section of the country has supported
| the contest so continuously, they should be
| rewarded by being given the event next
fall. 1t is doubtful If any large number of
PLAYERS could be prevailed upon 10 take the
journey to Chicago, and while the west