Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-01-17
Scraps and facts.

information which mas peen recelNeu III
New Orleans. 1t is stated on good au-
thority that the company is building
several steel barges to put into the
trade. They will soon be placed on the
river to carry steel rails from Pitts
burg to this point for distribution. II
enough interest can be awakened in
the northern trade, the navigation or
the two great streams, the Ohio and
the Mississippi, will be re-established.
With the California Atlantic steamship
line already in operation from San
Francisco to this point, the opening OF
the Panama canal would mean an un-
broken water route from Pittsburg,
Pa. to San Francisco, with the barges
in operation.
The rebuilding of Messina in dur
able masonry was inaugurated Monday
when the cornerstone of the group OF
public buildings to be erected by the
municipality was laid by Signor Sac
chi. minister of public works; Signor
Cluffelli, minister of posts and tele-
graphs and other members of the gov
ernment. The ceremony was witnessed
by a great assemblage and aroused
much enthusiasm and new hope Tor
the future. The temperature was
spring-like, the sun was bright and
the city was more gay than 1t had been
since it was devastated by the earth
quake of December, 1908. The minis
ters visited the temporary wooden
structures that were put up for the
housing of the homeless thousands fol-
lowing the calamity and were espe-
cially pleased to note how well the
buildings erected by subscriptions from
America were preserved. The new
city will be built of stone and con-
crete. The ministers go from Messina
to Reggie, where there will be similar
ceremony formally opening the work
of reconstruction.
-Aggregating almost $500, ,OOOOOO'
the total value Of the foreign trade OF
the United States during the year
which ended December 81, 1910, was
greater than that Of any year ever be-
fore, and left a balance in favor OF the
country of over $300,000,000. They eX-
ceeded the former high record OF 1907
by about $S0,OO0,000. This great total
Is the value Of the combined exports
and imports of the country as COM
puted by the bureau of statistics OF the
department of commerce and LABOR.
Resides this new record, another rec
ord was broken during 1910 in the
value of imports from abroad. They
amounted to s1,562,SO7,622. The eX-
ports during the year were larger than
in any year except those of 1907, the
total being $1,S64,411,270, compared
with s1,923,426,S92 in 1907. The bal
ance of trade in favor of the United
States in it's dealings with foreign ma
tions increased almost s50,000,OOO over
the 1909 balance. The excess of eX-
ports over imports for the year was
1901, ,sOS, ,64S, compared with $252,677,921
in 1909.
A
parcels post on rural free delivery
routes was reported favorably to the
senate from the committee on postot-
fees and post roads last Friday. The
report was presented by Senator Bur-
rows, and was the unanimous action
of the committee. The measure was
that recommended by Postmaster Cen
eral Hitchcock, after he had made an
exhaustive study of the parcels post
problem as applied to rural free deliv-
cry routes. It provides, in substance
that for one year, beginning April l,
1911, the postmaster general may au-
thorize postmasters and carriers on
such rural routes as he shall select
to accept for delivery by carrier, at
such rates of postage as he shall de-
termine, packages not to exceed eleven
pounds in weight, containing no mail
matter of the first class, and no matter
that Is declared by law to be unmall-
able. The results of this experiment
the postmaster general is directed to
report to congress at its next session.
Postmaster General Hitchcock and the
experts of the postoffice department
who have investigated the subject,
earnestly favor the establishment OF
the parcels post system on rural free
delivery routes. In a discussion of the
subject Friday, Mr.. Hitchcock pointed
of a
vice to business interests and to the
people of the country, particularly
those who reside in rural districts.
-Pekin, January 16: Reports from
Harbin say Chinese there are Vigor-
ously opposing the summary DISPOSE
ton of the bodies OF those who have
died from the bubonic plague. The
authorities do not dare to burn the
bodies, the people desiring that they
remain intact so that their ancestors
may recognize them in the future life.
They also oppose the burning of houses
though some of them contain the bod
les of entire families. Some OF the
corpses have remained in the city for
days, but they are now being taken TO
the open country, where trenches for
their burial have been prepared. 1t
is reported tnal lne huSSldIS III MAJ DiIi
are not concerning themselves with the
Chinese section, although they are
dealing drastically with the Chinese
within the Russian city. The Chinese
newspapers are raising an outcry and
bringing forward serious charges OF
persecution and burial alive. Members
of the legations, who constantly rec
commended measures to the government,
are suggesting a censorship of the
press. The plague is of very virulent
type. Deaths usually occur within AZ
hours and not more than one per cent
of the cases have ended in recovery.
DR.. G.. E. Mesney, a French physician
who gave himself up to the work of
combating the disease, died heroically.
When he realized he was attacked by
the plague, he isolated himself in his
room in a hotel, drafted his will and
wrote farewell letters. He begged his
friends not to notify his wife of his
illness, and died alone. All the doctors
recognized the hopelessness of attend
ing to those stricken, and they are de-
voting their energies TO fighting the
spread of the contamination.
- Millions of pounds of butter, eggs,
cheese and poultry held in the cold