Woodruff County news., 1902-11-27
News of the World,

Iron Mountain switchmen have been granted an increase in wages of four cents per hour.
 Many tinplate mills in this coun- try which were idle during the sum- mer have been started up, giving employment to large number of men.
 The British government is en- forcing the collection of 15 pence on each pound income of Americans in that country to aid in paying the Transvaal war debt.
 Gen. Toral, the man in command of the Spanish troops at Santiago and who surrendered to the Ameri- cans in the late Spanish-American war, has become a raving maniac, and Is now confined in an asylum. In his mad rawlings Toral declares the success of American troops due to Sagasta, former premier of Spain.
 The Pennsylvania mine workers, through their representatives, have agreed with the mine owners to at tempt to adjust the differences ex- isting between them outside the anthracite coal commission. The proposition was made on a con- promise basis and negotiations, it is said, will be entered upon at once, with reasonable hope of settlement with the aid of the arbitrators. The rough proposition which is to form the basis of negotiations is a 10 per cent increase in wages, nine-hour day and trade agreements between the miners and the company by which they are employed.
 The annual report of A. R. Ser ven, chief examiner of the civil ser vice commission, shows that during the last fiscal year there were 60,- 55S people examined in and for the classified service, of whom 40,509 passed and 13,29S were appointed, promoted or transferred. In addi- tion 1,174 persons were examined for the Philippine service, of whom 480 passed and 694 failed. The great complexity of the work done under the direction of Chief Exam iner Serven is shown by the large number of examinations which in- clude the subjects of special, pro- fessional, scientific or technical char acter. Of these there were POS examinations in which 8,257 per sons took part. We'll nigh every field of professional or scientific in quiry and research is represented in the variety of the examinations.
 W. J. Campbell, who has arrived at San Francisco from Guatemala, brings additional details of the damage caused by the recent vol canic disturbances. In an interview MT. Campbell said: 'There is no clear idea yet of the loss of life re- sulting from the volcano's eruption, 
 but from what I could gather be- fore leaving the country, I believe that 5000 natives have been killed There was some talk at San Jose, too, of some of the refugees having been waylaid by robbers, but I saw no instance of this. In fact, I both cred very little about anything ex- cept the fact that 1 had been i'm poverished, and 1 took the first means of getting back to this coun- try. l heard at San Jose that Presi dent Cabrera was trying to suppress the news, but he could not reason ably have expected to do anything like that, for the evidence of ruin was apparent to everybody. Some of the coffee fincas that have been nearly ruined were worth more than $1,000,000. The plantation of AL bert James, which was wiped out of existence, had machinery upon it worth $30O,0O0, all of which is de- stroyed. Some months ago James refused an offer of $1,500,000 for the fnca. Adolpho Myers fnca, worth $75O,ooO in gold, was entire ly ruined. Both of these fine places lay from 20 to 40 miles west of the volcano. The town of Quezaltenan- go is practically ruined, for the houses are cracked and broken down. the people are moving out