The Topeka state journal., 1900-08-25
COAL FAMINE.
Great Britain Is Confronted
With a New Trouble.
4 Little Railway Strike Cuts Off
the Supply.
SHIPS CAN'T MOVE.
May Be Forced to Rely Up0u
American Mines.
Card Sharpers Work Passengers
on the Campania.

ECopyright. 1900, by Associated Press.1
London, Aug. 25.-Forgetting the Chi
nese cryptogram and the unending war
in South Africa and the reconstruction of
that country, a strike on a little 100 mile
Welsh railway stirs up more serious in
terest than anything else in England
this week, because it is closely related to
the coal supply and the manufacturing
vitality of the kingdom. The Taft Vale
railroad carries the product of $4,000 coal
miners into Cardiff The fifth day OF
this strike sees small quantities of the
best coal commanding 80 shillings. All
the Cardiff factories are shut down; and
the merchant fleet is unable to leave the
harbOr because it has not been supplied
with coal. Most of the miners are still
pilIng up coal at the pit mouths All
will probably be idle in another week
The cause of the dispute is that 2,0O0
railway servants want half penny an
hour more and are upheld in that de-
mand by the Union of Railway men OF
the United Kingdom, with 9250, 600 in
the treasury and a strike income Of &3,-
GOO week interviewer with the discus
sion anent the coal scarcity trouble is
brewing elsewhere in the railway world
The Great Eastern men have handed in
an ultimatum demanding increased
wages and threatening to strike if. this
is refused. The probabilities are that
American coal will be imported
day evening of the British steamer
Queenswood with 1000 tons of coal and
the sailing of the British steamer Arms
tor from Norfolk, Va, on Wednesday
for the British navy, afforded text on
which to hang abundant speculation.
English Writer'S seem to take a melan-
choly satisfaction in pointing out Amer
ica'S exhaustlesS coal supplies and the
ultimate certainty that large exports
have been made from that country.
WORKED BY SHARPERS.
Passengers are requested to beware
posted in the Campania's smoking room
when she arrived a week ago. Several
Americans who had lost rather heavily
at poker after the game compared notes
/ ing convinced that they had been play
| ing against card sharps- The principal
was a South American ranchman whose
paper debts amounted to over Ell 600
| The winners were two New Yorkers who
were apparently unacQuainted with each
other when the Campania left New
York. The South American alleged that
/ he had been cheated He paid E1O and
notified the winners that he would pay
the balance of his losses when they pro-
duced satisfactory references. He also
telegraphed from Queenstown for a de-
tect1ve to meet the steamer at Liver
pool One did SO, but beyond telling the
victim that the winners were well known
sharpers he could do nothing.
the exchequer bonds seems to impress
the Shah of Persia immensely The ST.
James Gazette has some curious infor-
nation from Paris on the subject 1t
says:
THE shah is convinced that financial
reasons render the alliance between
France and Russia less important every
day, because France is tired of giving
money to Russia The only nation that
can give money to Russia is the United
States The shah has brilliant idea
that by cultivating friendship with
America he may secure himself against
Russia, whose relations with America
are likely to become very close before
long,
MIGHT HAVE SAID SISTER
Mary Anderson Mrs Antonio Ma
yarro) admits that she is not as young
as when play goers knew her, but she
has confessed to having received a shock
at a bazaar held in Broadway, Worces-
tershire. the other day when the rector
OF a religious community told her she
was mother to them. She made lit
tie speech in which she remarked: Il
am somewhat overwhelmed by the cIeri-
cal compliment. but he might have said
sister "
Mr. Charles Stewart Smith. a member
of the New York rapid transit commits
sion, who has gone to Scotland to visit
Mr.. and Mrs Andrew Carnegie, has de-
voted considerable time to studying both
the Paris and London underground cleo
trio railways
nave Deen anOrQeQ every Opportun-
ity to study the workings of both sys-
tems," said Mr.. Smith to a representa-
tive of the Associated Press, especially
in London. where I have ridden during
almost every hour of the day and I am
prepared to make a complete report to
| the commission on my return to New
York The London electric railway is
certainly a great improvement over
anything London has ever had But,
after all, it is not rapid transit in the
sense we understand it in the United
| States. The distance from the Bank of
| England to Shepard Bush is 400 yards
| short of six miles. This is covered in
/ Is minutes including thirteen stops. This
! is done by means of two single track
| tubes which, of course, prevents the
running of express trains. The New
| York line will contain four tracks and
/ express trains will run from the City
/ hall to the northernmost end of the is
| land in from IS to 19 minutes
The engineering work in London is
/ admirable and the rolling stock is an i'm
/ provement even on that of the New
/ York elevated railway as the cars are
better lighted and better furnished
EXODUS OF TOURISTS
The middle of August finds London in
odus of returning tourists is limited only
| to the carrying capacity of the outgoing
| steamers Mr. c. A GiIlig who is an
| expert at calculating American travel
i in Europe, said to a representative of
/ the Associated Press.
1T is nonsense to talk about $50, 600
| Americans crossing the Atlantic this
| season Their numbers are always ex-
| aggerated- There Is only certain num-
/ Der of Transatlantic lines, each limited
/ to a number of ships OF well known ca
| pacity-
..Going over the question with a care
/ fuI estimate there viii be about So 600
Americans in Europe during the season.