17 May 1902
Page 1
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Newspaper
Weekly Call
Location
Troy, Illinois, United States of America
Date
May 17, 1902
Page
1
Uncle Sam has built 850 school houses in Porto Rico and the Porto Ricans will soon be turning out salutatorians and valedictorians in wholesale fashion. The piece notes the broad educational push and hints at broader postwar recovery expectations.
Dispatches from the anthracite region say the obstinacy of one operator blocked peace and potentially shifts blame to the employers. Miners tried to arbitrate but operators would not agree to this settlement method.
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle cites Mark Twain as duty bound to attempt humor at General MacArthur's expense. It mocks Twain's limited army knowledge, recalling his quitting the service after the first march and a rain shower soaked his clothes, calling a self-marring humorist a solemn spectacle.
Canada debates a large migration of American farmers to the western regions drawn by cheap lands. Some fear the newcomers may influence Canadians and fuel annexation sentiment, while others see potential benefits from settlement and growth.
The young King Alfonso XII receives global good wishes and a cordial U S reception. The United States sent a representation to his coronation and aided in his early reign, reflecting unusually harmonious relations between the two nations.
Gen FE Bragg, nominated by the president for consul general at Havana, was a striking figure at the 1896 Democratic National Convention where Bryan first received his presidential nomination. At 75 he remains vigorous and has long been a positive force in all his undertakings.
The president and congress acted with promptness and intelligence in sending aid to West Indian volcano victims. These calamities are among the most extensive in history and appeal to all people, especially Americans nearby. Aid must be furnished at once to be effective, and the United States is rising to the emergency.
The killing of Paul Leicester Ford by his brother removes a versatile and prolific writer known for Honorable Peter Stirling and Janice Merideth among many stories. His death is a serious loss to American letters and marks a poignant point in contemporary literature.
The piece damns Mark Twain for satirical flippancy about Gen. Funston, arguing such mockery is in poor taste and unbecoming of an American. It notes Funston’s service and says Twain’s ridicule risks disgust and tiresome repetition.
Advices from St Vincent report 700 deaths on the island as Soufriere volcano erupts. Danish cruiser Valkyrien shelters 500 refugees, Suchet rescues 2,000 from Martinique, and Power-Quer tier saves many more. Rescued to Fort de France as stench from St Pierre’s unburned corpses lingers. Notable survivors include Margaret Stokes, gravely ill, and Miss Clara King detailing the Roraima disaster.
Advises from St Vincent, B. W. I., report that 1,600 people have perished since the Soufriere volcano began erupting. The casualty figure is said to reach Castries on the island of St. Lucia by May 14.
Reports from Fort de France describe the St Pierre catastrophe with 100000 people needing provisions and a shipload of lime for sanitary needs. Mont Pelee continues to erupt while survivors reach Dominica. Amye the United States Consul is praised for tireless aid. several survivors and victims are named among the castaways and burned remains.
In New York on May 14 the effort to load the Dixie with clothing, rations, and medicines for Martinique disaster relief nears completion. The ship is to sail Wednesday night after the army building closes, with Maj Brainard awarding 400,000 rations from bids from merchants.
Francis M Anthony of McLean County celebrated his 102nd birthday and is believed to be Illinois oldest man. Born May 8 18 in Tyrone Ireland he came to the U S at 20 and married Mary Stewart in 1826 with 11 children seven living. A volunteer in 1837 he became a captain and moved to Illinois permanently in 1873. He attributes his health to abstinence and Bible study.
A Keens railroad station in Wayne County was broken into. Citizens seized whisky from an express shipment and smashed bottles. Noah Reynolds received a warning notice on his door and later received more intoxicants at his platform named and addressed to him. He removed them home while threatening action if disturbed. The village remains greatly excited.
The Potter Palmer will was filed with the probate clerk. The widow Mrs Palmer is left controlling the estate with broad discretion over income. The estate is valued at about 8 million, with 1.6 million in personal property, reflecting gifts made during Potter Palmer’s lifetime.
Mrs Thomas C Kerrick of Bloom ington, 52, dies suddenly after a surgical operation. Other obituaries note J F Wiseman, pioneer of Jackson county, 80, at Carbondall. Mrs Christian Pfeiffer, 64, at Lebanon. Will I Dill, 61, of Vienna. J W Godfrey, former mayor of Mowenqua, at that town. W F Shaw, 58, farmer at Gossett.
Antonio Michi was shot and killed in a pistol duel with Joseph Deandre in Chicago. The duel was witnessed by the wives of both, Deandre may Mie. Clarence C. Hanks, a farmer four miles west of White Hall, was run over and killed by a Chicago and Alton train.
A fire gutted the northeast cell block at Pontiac reformatory causing about 200000 dollars in damage. Inmates fled in panic as guards struggled to evacuate the burning building and the blaze is widely blamed on the prisoners.
Eli Newsome of Jonesboro died at 65 from hydrophobia after a dog bite five weeks earlier. The wound healed, leading to a mistaken sense of safety. Newsome was a Civil War veteran.
John Poieet of Grafton confessed to the Granite City murder of Charles Isaksson during a rigid Springfield jailhouse examination that proved overpowering for him.
The Gibson Asphaltum Co. plant in Madison was totally destroyed by fire. Building and contents valued at $100,000 with partial insurance coverage.
A St Vincent dispatch reports ominous tremors near Soufriere two weeks before May 5, with the old crater lake disturbed. On May 5 the mountain erupted in a sequence of powerful detonations and steam columns. By noon multiple craters opened, lava streams surged down the slopes, and violent activity continued with fire and explosions across the crater rims.
Royal Mail Steamer Wear sails with food and water to the leeward coast while windward vessels join the relief effort. Doctors and nurses rush to the scene of distress as corpses, largely covered in ashes, are found in graves of thirty.
Telegraph from Sir Robert Llewellyn from St Vincent describes east coast destruction around Robin Rock and Georgetown likened to St Pierre. About 1,500 dead feared, 1,600 in hospital with few recoveries. 2,200 receiving relief. medical officers sought from Trinidad and Grenada.
Eyewitness accounts detail a violent eruption with eight mile high cloud, darkness, dust, and rain of ash. Numerous lightning flashes and lava flows decimate plantations, with 1620 deaths reported and 167 hospital cases in Georgetown. Indefatigable crew bury victims at Owin estate. another crater forms near Richmond estate. Kingstown remains safe, though dust clouds loom.
Neighboring British colonies are assisting generously. Every effort is being made to grapple with the awful calamity.
Destructive eruption of Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent continues with loud cannonades, smoke columns rising miles high, fiery bursts from the crater and fierce lightning. Northern island burned by traveling flames while land and sea access are blocked. Kingstown remains safe as ashes and pebbles fall.
A Naples dispatch reports Vesuvius showing renewed activity. Lava flows from the crater on the Pompeii side and hot cinders are ejected at intervals, signaling ongoing volcanic activity.
A mild quake felt at about 4 30 Tuesday afternoon in St Thomas D W I caused public excitement as residents reported the tremor in the town.
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