St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-01-23
GENERAL NEWS.
Trouble VITA Venezuela.

Trouble With Venezuela.
Relations bttween the United States
and Venezuela have been considerably
strained Tor some time over the dispute
betwt en- that government and an Amerl-
can syndicate which has forseveral years
controlled the famous asphalt lakes OF
Venezuela. The New York and Bermu
DEE Co., said to be a part of the asphalt
trust, received concessions from the gov
eminent giving it the sole right to work
the famous Bermhdez lake. Later an
other American company known as the
Ouinlan, Sullivan and Warner syndicate,
of Syracuse, were granted privileges
that. it is claimed, conflict with the
rights of the other company. The men
employed by the New York and Bermu.
DEE Co, have been fully armed, as is Gus.
tomary with large foreign concerns ope-
rating in South American countries.
The company states that the govern
ment of Ven, zuela made an effort to
secure the arms under pretext that they
were me- ded to suppress a rebellion
ag inst the government. The govern
ment of Vene zueIa threatens to use force
in displacing the Bermudez company,
duO dS lUC dLC EAhiNAi
cans, the United States has made siren.
uous efforts to avert bloodshed, and
Minister F. B. LOOMS has had strug-
gle to prevent violence. This government
claims that the matter is one that
comes under the jurisdiction OF the
Venezuelan courts. Venezuela, however,
has shown a disposition to settle the
matter as she chooses. The Hartford,
Buffalo and Scorpion have been sent to
Venezuelan ports to care for American
interests. The United States apparently
has no desire to take hand in the mat
ter other than to prevent violence
against American subjects. The action
of Venezuela is probably purely for fnan-
cial gain, although it is limited that there
is desire on the part of Pan-Amercan
countries to test the al til de of the Uni
ted States in protecting her citizens in
those countries.
A Whited SepuIchre.
Aside from the great fight against vice
which is being carried on in New York
city, the metropolis is in the midst of a
hospit al scandal that is engaging wide
spread attention. The action of the
grand jury in holding several nurses
charged with manslaughter by causing
the death of insane patients by
brutal treatment is significant
The state board Of charities
have investigated the workings of the
institution. The report OF the investiga
ton says that in general the whole tone
OF the institution has been very low
The investigation has shown that the
whole system has been radically wrong
The service has been of the cheapest
character, and the hospital has beer
what one OF the ext cutive committee o.
the medical board called it in the confer
ence with Commissioner Keler-"a
whited sepulchre" Nothing save com
plete change throughout the staff Of EN-
pIoyes will be salts actory, for, with E
few notable exceptions, ineficiency, cal
lousuess and idleness characterize those
who are employed to do the work OF the
hospital.
Academy Burned.
Proctor Academy, in Andover owned
and conducted by the Unitarian Associa
ton OF New Hampshire. has been des
: troyed by fire. The blaze originated
/ from a defective chimney. The building
: destroyed was built more than so year!
! ago, and was used first as a church by
the Christian demon nation. So rapiC
e was the spread OF he flames that it was
impossible TO save the school property
, and but few books were removed from
{ the town library which was in the build
ing. The loss on the academy is eStima
ted at So 600 on which there is an in
! surauce OF $4,000.
Oil Lake in the Gulf of Mexico.
The excitem' mt in southt astern Texa
and sout hern Louisiana over the discov
I cry of the oil gusher near Beaumont
Tex, is such that the belief is genera
! that a stream of oil underies the surfac,
of the earth from Corscana, Tex, to tn
{ Gulf OF Mexico with an outlet into tn,
= ocean some 20 to 80 miles from the shores
t of Louisiana and Texas, at the famous
oil lake known to all mariners on tn
9 guilt coast. No matter how severe TIL
storm there is always a calm there. TIL
oil lake is always sought by masters o
small craft on the appearance Of gul
hurricane.
} A Deer that Barks.
! Adjutant General Corbin has received
= word from the commanding officer a
S Dapidan, Mindanao, P. l., that he ha
t in his possession a male black Ceer of
i species native to that island who's
popularity it is to bark and bay like
-, hound. Authority is requested tor tn
:. transportation of the strange animal tt
e the United States with view to its be
c ing placed in the geological park a
e Washington. The necessary authorit
!. will be given, but it is not believed tina
the deer will be able to survive the lon
i ocean journey from its home, and tn
!, great climatic changes.
The result oil thorough investigation
= into the property loss resulting from tn
:, disaster at Galveston, Texas, during tn
, storm OF September 8 is embodied in tn
; following statement: The property los
= aggregates SIT 058, 275, divided as 70
lows: Residence property and content
!. destroyed, Sc 1876 600; damages to 9th
er residences and contents. So, 25O,OO
church property, $500 00C; municips
v property, 1886 600; wharves and sh1
g ping facilities, $3.50 900; manufacturing
plants. $579,175; county property
$242 500; public institutions, $15S OOC
o mercantile buildings, 1897 200; mel
= chandise in stock. 1891, $50; stat
property, $110,600: United States go,
{ eminent property, So, 1855 900; rairo ad
telegraph, telephone, etc, S670 OOO