Connecticut western news., 1916-12-28
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ships, giving the warning as previous ly pledged by Germany for unarmed ships. All on board escaped. The United States treated the matter as simply an extension of the naval war zone and notified the allied powers on Oct. 10 that this country would con. tinue to apply existing rules of war fare to submarines.
 British Trade Blacklist.
 Involved with the great problems of neutral rights and illegal measures af- fecting them was the announcement by Great Britain in July of the blacklist of American firms which carried on trade with Germany. Trade with firms so listed, by merchants of the a1- lied powers. was prohibited. This call ed forth protest by the United States, which elicited the reply that the pro- hibitioA is local regulation and not within the purview of International law.
 Vagarfes of weather began In the winter and continued up to autumn. On Jan. 27 the temperature was 66-69, a record, in New York. The same day there was Il blizzard on the Pacific coast and in the Rocky mountains, Aug. II was the coldest for that day known in the east in forty-six years, the thermometer touching 56. The lat est real snowstorm known in New Eng land in fifty years came on April 2s.
 Tn August the United States conclud- cd treaty with Denmark to purchase the Danish West India islands for $25000,000. Tho Panama canal was reopened to traffic in April after being closed for several months by obstruc- tions in the Gaillard cut. In June tha epidemic among children known as in- fantile paralysis broke out In New York city and s.read to neighboring districts. During August the death roll exceeded 2,oOO, and the epidemic began to subside.
 Bigger Army and Navy.
 During the year congress appropri- ated nearly ST00.000,000 for national defense. On July 1 the army reorgani- zation act of June went into effect. It increased tho strength of the regn- lar army and federalized the national guard, placing 1t under the pay and control of the national government The new law authorizes a war strength approximating 100000 regulars and a national guard maximum of 100000. The defense legislation authorizes ear ly construction of four huge battle ships and four big battle cruisers.
 I1tx Abode In, gIr,rfpGa Month ra~p- lima and South Carolina caused n loss of life estimated at fifty and property loss of $15.G00,O00. In August q cloud burst and flood in West Virginia de- stroyed sixty-six lives and property valued at $50O00O0 An explosion of European war munitions in New York harbor caused damage amounting to S15, 5,000,000.
 Among the deaths of notable people during the year were General victorI- ano Huerta, ]. T. Trowbridge. Robert Burns Wilson. Clara Louisa Kellogg, Rev. pr. Timothy Dwight, James ]. Hill. Hetty Green. James Whitcomb Riley, John r. St. John, Horace White, Seth Low, Frank Dempstcr Sherman, Charles Taze Russell. John n. Arch bold and percival Lowell.
 The nomination of Louis D. Brandeis to the supreme court bench caused crit icism. but he was confirmed June 3. Bartholdis statue of Liberty Enlight- ening the World was first iilumined by an electrical flood of light, which is to he permanent, on the I'd or Decem- Der.