Newport weekly independent., 1903-01-02
News of the World

' died December B.
 President Roosevelt will leave Washington about the middle of March on a tour of the west.
 The powers have agreed to sub init the Venezuelan question to the Hague tribunal for arbitration.
 President Castro has agreed to submit the Venezuelan situation to the Hague tribunal for arbitration. Countess Castellane, formerly Anna Gould, arrived in New York December 21 to spend the holidays with relatives.
 The war department has issued an order to the effect that in the future persons under the age of 21 years will not be enlisted, and ex- trcmc caution must be exercised in the cases of young men applying for enlistment who claim to be 21 years of age or few months over that age. The unsupported statements of such applicants must not be ac- cepted, but to, be eligible for enlist ment they must furnish competent proof to remove any doubt regard ing age.
 Fire at Knoxville, Tenn. which destroyed half d million dollars worth of property, started in the building occupied by the Knoxville Pants Company. The buildings ad- joining it on Commerce avenue, oc- cupied by Broyles, McClollen & Lackey, agricultural implement dealers; the l.. Davis Commission Company, the establishment of the George Brown Hardware Company on Gay street; the Shanklin Grain Company and the R. Y. Cate & Co., building on the same street, were completely gutted.
 Recently published estimates of the production of pig iron in the United States during the calendar year 1902 put the total production at 1',5O0,OOO tons. This is an in- crease of nearly 2,000,000 tons over last year. and is more than double the production of 1896, three times that of 1886, four times that of 1881, six times that of 1879, eight times that of 1875, ten times that of 1872, and twenty times that of 1865. The steel production of the year is estimated at 15,0O0,000 tons. which Is practically 50 per cent more than that of 1900, nearly three times as much as that of 1896, ten times as much as that of 1884. and twenty times the production of 1878.
 The annual report of Porto Rico's commissioner of education shows that an American free public school HOW exists in every municipality in Porto Rico. The school year closed last June, with S,4 schools open. 4O,993 pupils enrolled and 923 teachers employed, an increase of 19 per cent in the number of schools. i2l per cent in enrolment and 20 per cent in number of teachers over the previous year. The high-watcr mark during the year in the enroll n.ent was, in the ordinary public schools, 59,096, to which should be added ?,16f pupils enrolled in the high, normal and special schools. giving grand total of 6l.S63. or l9 per cent of the total population of school age, and over 6 per cent of the total population of the island. The report says that these figures show that, under American civil government, the educational ad- vantages offered free to the masses of the people, as compared with the maximum facilities provided by the Spanish government, have nearly doubled.
 Seven men froze to death at diff. ferent points in Pennsylvania De- cember 2;.
 1t is reported Secretary of War Root will shortly resign and that he will be succeeded by Secretary of the Treasury Shaw.
 Oliver Wideman and his wife, col ored, were hanged by a mob near Greenwood, $. C. They were ac- cused of murderinr W. K. .Jav