'Frisco Mail Items

Feilding Star, Volume X, Issue 91, 7 February 1889, Page 3

'Frisco Mail Items

| ♦ (Per R.M.S. Zealandia.) Auckland. February 5. The British steamship Aiinira, Captain Smith, bound from England to New York, via Halifax, was burned on the night of December 14th, about 85 miles off the port last named. The captain's wife, two children, and twelve sailors were burned with, the vessel. \ The captain first mate, and second mate took a email boat aud landed at Buckland, Maine. The town of Marblehead, Massachusetts, was in a great part reduced to ashes on Christmas night. The fire consumed the Bail way Department, all the boot and shoe factories, and many other buildings, burning over seven acres of ground. It was the most disastrous conflagration in the history of tbe city. The loss is estimated at 1,500,000 dollars. Recent hurricanes in the West Indies were the worst in history. Three hundred houses in Turksland were destroyed, and all the rest damaged. Over 400,000 bushels of salt were spoiled, and 21 lives lost. Three large vessels, names not known, went down with all on board in Cailos cluster of islands, north of San Domingo. The flood swept away all provisions, leaving the people starving. Natives. are dying every day from injuries received while the hurricane prevailed. Advices frjomßussia of January 4 say 1175 pejrsons were frozen to death iu Chaterinburg on December 27. Bailway disasters are reported at Baku; and other places. A train on the Trans Caucasian railroad was blocked in by snow early in January near Tiflis. Fourteen passengers perished and twenty were injured. The relief party lost their way and were also all frozen, to death. The Sheffield Independent is an authority for saying that an English syndicate proposes to secure all the salt works on* the American continent. The crofter population of the Island of Lewis, Scotland, is suffering for lack of food ; potatoes and other crops are exhausted, and the people are on the brink of starvation, John Henniker Heaton, M.P. has accepted an invitation to visit the United States this year, aud will appear before "Congress in advocacy of an ocean penny postage. It now turns out that, the famous Murchison letter, which cost Sackville West bis position as British Minister at Washington, was written by an Englishman named George Osgoodby, of Pomona, California, who is a member of the 6t George's Society. He had no apolitical design whatever in doing so. 1 The Buffalo Courier on January 13th prints a doubtful story concerning The Times being hoaxed by n mechanic of that city named Blackrock. He wrote to the publishers saying that he had access to document tary evidence which would be. of service in the Parnell investigation. Ji^ bent out a trusted agent to inter♦few the correspondent, only to find his story a fable. It leaked out in New York on December 23rd that tte Marquis of who had just left that aity for England, has been following, the Loudon Gaiety Burlesque Com* pany around the world' on a wild devofiou to Marion Hood, the prima donna. -GWles Gleck, a U-year-bld boy, etrttred a dynamite magazine at Mount Pleasant, Ohio, on December 24, smoking a cigar. The magazine contained 210 kegs of powder and ten cases of dynamite. Gleck was bliwn to atoms. Several men were badly hurt, and nearly every house within a mile of the scene was torn to pieces. Less than 30yds from the magazine were 30 tons of dynamite, which did not explode. j. Mr Gladstone has recently written a letter to the Bome correspondent of the Tablet denying that he has at «ny time recommended the restoration of the Pope's temporal power to be made the subject of international arbitration. The Pope has consented to the introduction of the Bussian luu-ruage in all the Catholic Churches, except in the liturgy, an innovation not appreciated by the Polish element. Strong effects are beiug made by the National Woolgrowers' Association before the United States Senate Committee for an increase of duties on all grades oi wool, particularly on carpet and washed, wools. There is no probability, . however; that the Committee will increase the rates over those contained in the proposed Bevised Tariff Bill. The American hotelkeepers are to haveatrurt called the Hotel Mutual Association, which will be almost world- wide iu its scope. The scheme orginated in England, and is thoroughly organised for that country, and it is nearly ready for work on the Continent. According to the prost>ectus of the Association the capital stock is placed at £150,000 for the presents ' ■ ' t •••• The United §$ates warships Mohican and Vanda^at -have, been put in commission and ordered to Samoa - with all speed to reinforce the Adonia viand Nipsic, now at. Apia. ' "3^s&she Freeman's Journal (DubUn) 'Asserts that The Times sent a man to r pueblo, Colorado, to induce Sheridan to testify before the Parnell Com* mission, promising if it proved satisfactory be would be paid £10,000 an hour for hiß testimony after the examination was coiioluded. Shendan declined, saying.he, did. not desire to share the fate at Jamea Carey.^hendan is president ijfe San Inns Valley, It a point 140 oftifea south-wept of Puebk!, on the^be^side^o! the fountain. He « regarded as a typical tfi* BoyaL Irish Constabulary were elected members of the National League °n January im Tbe J say-tfaejr aotion » a pro. fcltf&isioet th© "iemployment of the in making evietfopß /. "renumber flf policemen to^de. Jfcd i to ptoieer^crotaryßalfour w* Su^on tb« 7th T in con^ene^o that tha Tatiowblea w*«