The Alaska citizen., 1914-06-01
JOHNSON OPENS CAMPAIGN.

JOHNSON OPENS CAMPAIGN.
 REDLANDS, Cal. May 2S-The Progressive campaign was opened here today by Governor Johnson who announces that he will stump the entire state in the interest of the Bull Moosers who are seeking honors in the fall election. The gov ernor was warmly received here.
 FlREMeN OVERCOME. DETROIT. Mich. May 2S- Sixty firemen were nearly suffocated to- day in a fire which for a time threatened the destruction of the biz Union depot The men were over come while fighting the flames in side the building. and were rescued with difficulty. The depot was dam aged to the extent of S40.000
 MRS. T. B. REED DIES.
 PORTLAND. Me, May 2S.-Mrs. Thomas B. Reed. widow of the for. mer speaker of the house of repre- sentatiyes. died here today after brief illness,
 PRISONER BURNS SELF.
 SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, May 2S.- Death by burning was the fate SC lected by George Brown, an inmate of San Quentin prison, who was serving a term of three years for burglary Having decided to die in that manner. Brown deliberately saturated his uniform with oil and then set fire to himself, choosing a time midway between visits of the nightwatch as precaution against Interruption
 When the fire was discovered Browns cell was a mass of flames, and for a time the entire building eXtingushed, however. without seri- ,us damage beyond the death of the unfortunate prisoner, whose body. wien taken from the cell was burned almost to crisp.
 WOULD SELL BATTLESHlPS.
 WASHINGTON. D. C.. May 2S.- Secretary of the Navy Daniels has sent a communication to the sen lte committee on naval affairs re- questing permission 10 sell the bat tleships Idaho and Mississippi. IL is understood that Greece is anN- ious to buy the vessels.
 The keels of the Idaho and the Mississippi Were laid in 1904 and the two ships are similar in all re spects. The main batteries are the same and there is only a slight diff ference in the secondary batteries. The difference in the cost of con struetion was about $l00,000.
 CANAL SHAKEN.
 PANAMA, May 2S.-The most se were earthquake shock of the year was felt here late last night, the disturbance lasting fully thirty sec onds A careful examination of the canal today showed that no dam age had been done The shock was felt the entire length of the canal.
 BECKER SENTENCED.
 NEW YORK, May 29. - Former Police Lieutenant Charles F. Beck CT. who was convicted last week Of causing the death of Herman Rosen- thai, the gambler, was sentenced today to die in the electric chair at Sing Sing. The execution is set for the week of July 6.
 ..RIs FUNERAL PRIVATE.
 BARRE, Mass, May 29.-The flu neral of Jacob Riis, the author and reformer, who died here this week, will be private.
 STEAMER MISSING.
 NEW YORK, May 29.-Much con- cern is felt for the safety of the steamship Luckenbach, enroute from Tampa to Baltimore. The vessel was caught in a severe storm, and her failure to report has given rise to the belief that she has founder ed The crew of the Luckenbach numbers 20
 THOUSAND PEOPLE DROWN.
 RIMOUSKI Quebec, May 29.-The most appalling marine disaster of modern times, with the single eXcep- tion of the sinking of the Titanic two years ago, occurred in the Gulf of St. Lawrence at an early hour this morning, when more than thousand lives were lost as the re- suit of a collision between the pala tial Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Ireland and the Danish collier Storsdadt Of the 1400 passengers and crew of the Empress of Ireland, less than four hundred have been rescued thus far, and it is considered extremely doubtful if more than that number escaped.
 The collision occurred at 2:3O this morning, the gulf being enveloped in a dense fog The Empress was out ward bound for Liverpool and the collier was enroute to Quebec, and both vessels, it is stated, were going at top speed when the collision oc- cured, the collier crashing into the Empress amidships and ripping a great hole in the liner half the lenght of the hull. The Empress keeled over and sank as if made of lead, the passengers having scarce ly more than fourteen minutes in which to make their escape.
 Those who were not drowned in their staterooms rushed frantically to the stanchion deck, practically all of them in their night-clothes. The greatest confusion prevailed. Many leaped from the upper decks and were drowned, while others were for tunate enough to grasp pieces of wreckage and were afterwards res cued by the lifeboats. Many of the survivors have broken arms and legs and are otherwise injured.
 The government boat Lady Evelyn and the tug Eureka responded to the wireless calls for assistance, and were on the scene of the disaster in very short time after the first distress signals were heard. The