New-York tribune., 1901-02-03
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
THE ALLEGED EXISTENCE OF BUBONIC
PLAGUE-A COFFEE CLUB ASSOCIA-
TION-DEFECTIVE AUSTRIA
LIAM BALLOTS.
LBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE ]


San Francisco. Feb. 2-For nine months Cali
fornia has been seriously injured by persistent
reports by the Federal Quarantine officer. Dr.
kinyoun, that bubonic plague exists in the
Chinatown Of the city. Twice DR. KinyOun
succeeded in quarantining local Chinatown, and
his reports induced Texas to establish quaran-
tine against California. and thus forced every
San Francisco passenger going over the South
ern Pacific Railroad to procure a medical certif-
cate here. The issuing of this certificate is a
mere farce but it has been continued all these
months, though several OF the ablest experts of
the country testified that plague existed here.
Now the Treasury Department has sent out
three experts to determine whether the plague
really exists here These men are to carry on
their investigation secretly and State or city,
authorities are not permitted to take part in
this inquiry meet any prejudiced testimony
submitted. In other words California is utterly
ignored in the inquiry. although the decision
reached by the Commission will vitality affect
all the industries Of the State. Governor Gage
appealed to the Secretary of the Treasury TO
give the State some representation on this Com
mission, but in vain. Hence he addressed a
strong message to the Legislature, asking that
body to take some action for the preservation
of the State against such loss occurred last
fall through DR.. Knyoun's quarantine. At that
time all fruit trains tied up, and the entire
crop OF the State would have been lost IL Presi-
dent Mckinley had not ordered the quarantine
dissolved. repetition OF this performance is
what Californians desire to guard against. as no
one except cranks believes that bubonic plague
could have existed in the crowded local China
town for eleven months and only twenty-five
deaths occur in all that time These are all the
victims that DR.. Kinyoun has been able TO pro-
duce, and in every case the patient was dead
before the health officers able to make an
examination. 1t was from these dead bodies
that the bacteriologists who had never seen a
case Of genuine plague. made their studies.
The Pacific Mail Company, owing to the severe
competition by rival lines has laid up the steam
ers San Jose. San Juan, San Bias and City OF
Para, and will lay up also the steamers Costa
Rica and Barracuda One reason for this is
the warfare with the Panama Railroad and an
other the fierce competition Of the Kosmos Line.
from Hamburg, and OF the South American Line
The shipbuilding plant OF the Risdon
works which will soon be in operation. is badly
needed here as the demand for new steamers
for the Pacific lines far outruns the capacity Of
the present shipbuilding yards. In fact. steam
ers ordered now Of the local Eastern yards
cannot be delivered in less than two years.
Robert Curr. late acting manager Of the Globe
! Shpbuilding Company. arrived here this week
10 take charge OF the Risdon shpbuilding yards.
The Coffee Club Association was incorporated
here this week its object being to establish
| places OF refreshment and amusement where no
! intoxicating liquors tobacco will be sold.
| The profits to be reinvested in other houses.
so as to spread this movement against liquor
saloons, Counting corner groceries where beer
is sold. San Francisco has over seven thousand
| saloons, and the number is constantly increas-
| ing The directors of the new association are
/
establish resorts that will appeal to sober young
| men.
Ex-Judge Dangerfeld has abandoned his
| test for the Superior Judgeshp held by Judge
| Graham. Only nineteen precincts remained to
/ be canVassed, and these all precincts
| which had given him big majorities he saw no
| hope of overcoming Graham's lead. although
| this amounted only to fifty. During the contest
| no less than thrty-fve hundred votes were
| thrown out because of faulty markings on the
Australian ballot sheet. This result is accepted
/ as a Weighty argument against the Australian
| ballot system the percentages of voters were
| as large in districts composed of the business
| class in tenement districts.
Captain Gerard Debney. who had been a mas
| ter OF vessels on this coast for forty-two years
/ and who had been in the employ Of the Pacific
Coast Steamship Company for thirty-six years.
| widely known. and so careful was he that in his
| long experience he never lost ship
Another we'll known man who died this week
was Charles c. Wallace. for years political man
ager for the Central Pacific Railroad In Nevada.
Wallace was the founder of the Silver party In
Nevada and was a strong partisan of and
manager for United States Senator Stewart
The telegraph wires were kept warm early this
week by the father of the Duchess of Man
chester who greatly alarmed over the sud
den attack OF Illness which the young bride
suffered at the Palace Hotel The doctor called
in diagnosed the case diphtheria. but this
proved a mistake. as she was suffering merely
from throat.
Miss Caro- Crockett this week won the speclal
prize given by the women of the san FranclsCo
Golf Club. the champion Of the club, Mrs Gill
man Brown. coming in third This victory
places Miss Crockett In the championship class
Mrs Fiske in Becky Sharp has continued
TO crowd the California Theatre this week. Her
success has been greater than that of any COM
rany since Henry Miller appeared In THE only
Way" at the Columbia Next week she begins
a fortnight's engagement in Tess" and the
advance sale is large as to assure the sue
cess of her engagement. At the Columbia Thea
tire Louis James and Kathryn Kidder have
scored a success in the beautiful spectacle "A
Midsummer Nights Dream
Another large building is TO be erected in
Mssion-st This will be a six story structure.
built by Hartland Law. at the west corner or
Mission and Annie SITS. II adds more TO
the handsome buildings that are going UP in this
street which promises TO stand next 10 Market
81 as a business thoroughfare. The f. " Hun
lot 1FO feet IN Market-st, southwest or Seventh
st and running through 160 feet to stevenson
ST was sold this week for over Sl2oOoO the
name OF the buyer not being given