Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-06-24
Scraps aud fafts.

The Cape to Cairo railroad is
now complete from Cape Town to Vic
toria Falls, distance of 1858 miles
The first train for Victoria Falls left
Cape Town on Thursday.
-Lumberton, N. c.. Argus: While
tuner was at work on Mr.. d. c. Sim
clairs piano Tuesday, he was sur
prised, not to say frightened, by the
discovery of a snake. 1t was chicken
snake and measured over three feet in
length. He had probably been making
his living on mice. 1t is thought that
his snakeship has dwelt there since he
was a snakling, and it is doubtful If he
could have got out alone.
Charlotte Observer: For having
declined to sit at meat with Judson W.
Lyon, colored, and for having praised
Governor Aycock in the recent Republi-
can state convention, Judge w. S. OBJ
Robinson has gotten his reward. AT
the caucus Of the Republican state del
egation at Chicago, Tuesday. he was
defeated for reelection as national
committeeman for North Carolina by
Carl Duncan, or rather, seeing that ne
was to be defeated, withdrew.
Says a Washington dispatch OF
June %: It was officially determined
by the navy department. today that the
battleship Oregon was entitled to the
trophy for excellence in gunnery In the
last annual target practice, for which
the ships Of the navy have been IN
competition, and the award was order
ed made accordingly. For the gunboat
class It was determined that the Dol
phin is entitled to the trophy. while the
trophy for the destroyer class goes to
the John Paul Jones, of the Pacific
squadron. The Wisconsin was second
in the race to the Oregon, while the
Samar, on the Asiatic station, was sec
ond to the Dolphin in her class, ana
the Truxton second to the John Paul
Jones.
The search for the bodies of VIC
tins Of the Slocum disaster continues
and is still being rewarded by addition
al finds. Up to the present time about
$50 bodies have been recovered. Many
of these have come to the surface with
in the past few days, and they are be-
coming more and more difficult To
recognize. There are still about 25O
people missing. The Investigations OF
the coroner have developed that the
regulations for preservation Of life
against fire or drowning were all but
ignored by the owners Of the General
Slocum. The fire hose on the steamer
was old, rotten and useless, and the
life preservers would not have served
their purpose even had they been
available. 49,. ...
Owing to various bitches in the
negotiations It has not yet been prac-
ticable to secure the release Of Perdf-
caris and varley from the hands Of the
Moorish bandit Raisuli. The neces-
sary cash was forthcoming without
difficulty; but then arose question as
to whether Or not Raisuli would keep
faith. The people in charge Of the ne
gotiations in behalf of the prisoners
finally decided to ask that the prison
ers be surrendered before the payment
of the money. Raisuli refused to do any
thing of the kind, and since then Con-
sui Gummere. the United States repre-
sentative at Tangier has been trying
to find somebody who would act as a
satisfactory intermediary; but as yet
has not been successful.
= MI. J. Taylor Ellyson Of Richmond
declares that the Battle Abbey matter
is coming on we'll and that the litiga-
ton Of Mr.. Underwood of New York
against Mr.. Rouss's last bequest is SIM
ply delaying progress. They have over
100000 in bank and the city of Rich
mond has appropriated $4,000. Mr.
the Battle Abbey built in two years
from now and expresses the hope that
it will contain the largest assembly
hall in Virginia. Mr.. Underwood
claimed that he was entitled to COM
mission on Mr.. Rouss's gift and from
this the Battle Abbey committee dis
sented, hence the suit. Mr.. Ellyson
says as soon as the injunction is re-
moved they will commence building
operations.
Raleigh, n. c., Post, June IS: Thos
A. Edison, despite his appeal to the
president. has been refused patent on
his new storage battery, and President
Roosevelt at the cabinet meeting to-
day approved the report upon the case
made by Assistant Commissioner OF
Patents Moore. Mr.. Edison, when the
patent office turned down his applica-
tion, appealed to the president, and
among other things alleged incompe-
tency on the part Of the examiners Of
flee. The president directed the re-
opening of the case-an unusual pro-
ceeding-and the assistant commits
sioner of patents made an investiga-
tion. His report was concurred in by
the assistant attorney general for the
interior department and was turned
over to Secretary Hitchcock. The Sc
cretary today laid the report before the
president. who approved it.
Results obtained from the expert
ments made by the department Of agri-
culture with view to ascertaining the
effects of boric acid and borax as pre-
servatives in the human system are an
nounced in report issued by the de-
partment. The report embodies data
obtained from the prolonged tests made
with volunteer employees. who consti-