Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-11-05


The friends of Jan Pouren, the Rus
sian revolutionist who has been hello at
New York for some time by the federal
authorities upon the demand Of Russia
for his extradition as a criminal, are
rejoicing over the news that Secretary
of State Root has requested rehearing
on the strength of affidavits tending to
show that Pouren was sought for po-
litical rather than criminal offenses.
An appeal made by friends of the Rus
sian had brought these affidaTits before
Root. In letter to Jacob Schiff OF
New York, Secretary Root said: ''Of
course, this government does not con-
template sending Peuren or any one
else back to Russia or any other coun-
try to be tried for a political offense."
In this connection it comes out tSat
Root has asked the Russian government
for complete revision of the treaty
of 1882, under which naturaliZed Rus
slams IN America are still regarded as
criminals if they return to their native
land. Notwithstanding this reopening
Of the case. the Pouren defense confer
ence was informed by William English
| Walling that president Roosevelt had re-
| fused to accept the petitions of citizens
urging the government not to allow the
| department Of the refugee.
| An aggregate loss of 100000 a day
| during the months when forest fires
have been prevailing in various parts
of the United States is estimated by
w. J. MCGEE, the erosion expert of the
| Department of Agriculture. The forest
ry bureau in a statement says that
probably in every instance the devas-
| tating forest fires might have been pre-
vented if the several States had pro-
vided an adequate number Of men to
| patrol the woods and arrest the fires in
their incipiency, and if lumbermen and
other users of the forests had been
careful to dispose of brush after log
| ging so as to prevent the spread of
| fires. Exclusive of salaries of forestry
officers, the work in putting down fires
|
ear cost the government $4,000,
witch means protecting approximately
16S,G0O,000 acres. The statement says
the loss from timber destroyed in 1908
will be larger than last year, but that
it is doubtful if the exact losses will
| ever be known.
| Flat 2-cent postage rates went into
effect between the United States and
Great Britain on Oct. i. The post
age rate applicable to letters mailed
| in the United States, addressed for de-
| livery at any place in the United King
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, then
will be cents an ounce or fraction
Of an ounce. Letters unpaid or short
paid will be dispatched to destination,
but double the deficit postage calcu-
lated at the 2-cent rate will be col
leced ON delivery to the addressee. This
notable reduction in the postage rates
effected under a recent convention be-
tween the two and promulgated in an
order of the Postmaster General some
time ago.
The Navy Department has asked per-
mission to use the Washington monu-
ment as a telegraph-pole-not q c,m-
mon or street-disfguring variety of
pole for stringing wires on, but as
station for temporary experiments
with wireless telegraphy. 1t is believed
that from it's top, 500 feet in the air,
messages can be sent to warships three
thousand miles away. If this is found
possible, an iron tower of the same
height will be erected in Washington
for permanent wireless station. The
| French government is using the Eiffel
| Tower in this way, and from it has
sent wireless messages to Algeria and
| Morocco.
The cruiser Colorado. which went on
the rocks at Double Bluff. Puget Sound,
was more seriously damaged than at
first was supposed. An examination 1T
the Bremerton navy yard showed that
her forward plates were badly dented
4 in several places, and that the plates
were sprung. 1t will be necessary to
put the vessel in dry dock for perhaps
thirty days to make repairs
The board of immigration inspectors
held a special session at Boston and in
vestigated the causes of about 100 Nor
|
board the steamship Republic AS a
result of the examination forty girls
were held for further inquiry, and two
| Hrill be sent back to Liverpool, England
The chief engineer of the Panama
| Sanal reports the total excavation for
| sSetpemher as 3,15S.SS6 cubic yards,
'Saking the total excavation since the
5G,506,317 cubic yards. This leaves
81, 493, 6S3 yards to be dug to complete
the canal at the S5-foot level
The Octomer issue of the Army and
| Navy Life tells of letter written to
the Navy Department by Commander
A. L. Key, of the Fore River ship
| yards several months ago, which was
the moving cause in the summoning of
the war college at Newport Speaking
| of the Dakota. now building in that
| yard, Key said that ships of that type
could not stand up against the fire of
Pinch guns for thirty minutes. owing
| to the position of the 5-inch armor.
He also charged that all the vessels of