MAIL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 313, 14 January 1902, Page 3

MAIL NEWS.

[DSOME CHRISTMAS GIFTS.

| (Per R.M.S. Sonoma, at Auckland.) I San Francisco, Dec. ‘26. I Christmas in Wall street, New York, jvas well celebrated. More than a million M (dollars was aistributed by Santa Claus, /the largest single gift being fifty thousand eJ' /dollars given by the directors of the Conllaitral Trust Company to Frederick I’olcott, Pesident for many years. Each emjyeo of this company received a present to 50 per cent, of his salary. principal clerks in the oilico of J. Pierpont Morgan received a crisp five t'f thousand dollar gold cortilicato, and every tS one else down to the ofliec boys got an y amount equal to half his yearly salary. i Mr Morgan’s gifts to employees in the / street amount to one hundred and forty L dollars.- Tho First National Bank presented its employees with one hundred V and ton thousand dollars. Chase’s National’s presents amounted to seventy thousand dollars, and the City National gave away u hundred thousand. Kuhn, Loeb, and Co.’s presents, on a profitsharing basis, amounted to seventy-live thousand dollars. All brokerage, commission, and financial institutions made handsome gifts. Tho Stock Exchange Christmas-box for employees was over ten thousand dollars. SAMPSON-SCHLEY SCANDAL.

Tho contest involving Admirals Sampson and Schley has ovolved into a scandal of consequenco, and is tho topic of general intorost. The findings of tho Naval Court of Inquiry which wont over all tho testimony as to the part taken by Admiral (then Commodore) Schley wero hardly --i’-ploasinf'to oither claimant for honors. Tho Court was dividod. Rear-Admirals Ramsay and Bonham submitted a majo--1 rity report, which finds that Schley’s con- * duct in tho campaign off Santiago and elsewhere was charactorised by vacillaI' tioo, dilatoriuess, and lack of enterprise, but in a half-hearted way gives him credit 7 being “ solf-possessed ” off Santiago, ays ho “ encouraged in his own per--8 subordinate officers and men.” A 'ty report was made by Admiral He is unstinted in bis pruiso of ow officer, justifies his concern - coal equipment of his fleet, comrim for having made reasonable o ascertain whether the Spanish i . at Santiago, and for proceeding duwn tho Cuban coast so as to preserve tho unity of the fleet, pronounces blockade at both Cienfuegos and Santiago by him as effective, and gives him ontiro credit as senior officer in charge of tho squadron off Santiago when the Spaniards attempted to escape for the glorious victory thon attained. Thus the decision of tho Court called in hope of putting an ond to the controversy involving charges of lack of courage on tho part of an American naval officer of high rank settled nothing, and opened tho doors for goneral bitterness. Secretary of Navy Long approved of tho findings of the Full Court of Enquiry, and administered a tacit rebuke to Admiral Dewey for introducing into his dissenting opinion tho question of command at tho battlo, testimony regarding that point having boon rigidly excluded during the trial.

Immediately following tho publication of tho findings of tho Court Lieut.-Goneral Nelson or Miles, commanding the United States Army, expressed his opinion freely in an interview published in a Cincinnatti newspaper. Liout.-Genoral Milos’ opinion has no bearing upon the main issues, but he expressed disapproval of tho action of tho Court, and scored tho maligners of Admiral Schley. Secretary of War Root, after a conference with President Roosevelt, asked Lieut.-General Milos for an explanation, and finally administered to him a stinging rebuko. Another phase of the trouble is that which has broken about the cars of historian Edward Stanton Maclay, in whose history of tho Spanish-Amorican war Commodore Schley was unmercifully fllaycd. Following tho findings of tho Court, Secretary of Navy Long, acting under the [tractions of President Roosevelt, requested tho resignation of Maclay from his post of spociul laborer at New York navy yard. Maclay declined to oiler his resignation, oponly defying the President, and declaring that under the Civil Service laws tho President had no right to romovo him, oxcopt for cause. Following receipt of Maclay’s letter declaring ho could not bo removed without definite charges having been filed against him, nor without being given opportunity to answer thoso charges, Secretary for Navy Long sent a despatch to tho Commandant at the Now York lavy Yard, ordering the discharge of taclay. It is presumed tho whole matter thus officially disposed of, and in goneral e President is warmly supported for tting his firm hand to the-wheel in uhe ease.

Schley and Dewoy have many supporters, however, and a resolution extending to Schley and the officers under his command the thanks of the United States is likely to como up in Congress, and is likely to prove a great embarrassment to tho members, who, though belonging to tho Sampson faction, would not like to be instrumental in withholding honors from tho American defender of his country. ' . MUNIFICENT GIFT.

At San Francisco Mrs Jane Lathrop Stanford, widow of tho late Senator Leland ? Stanford, on December 9th convoyed outright by deed to Stanford University thirty million dollars. This was said to be three times over the largost siugle gut over made by one person. Eighteen million dollars was in gilt-edged income, bearing first mortgage bonds and securities, and twelve million was in the aggregate of nearly one hundred thousand acres of real estate in twenty-six counties of the State of California. Stanford University now has the largest endowment of any college in the wood, as well as the largest campus, magnificent buildings, libraries, and other equipment. There are two or three millionaires living still who have avowed their intention of giving their money to this University by will. -there is no charge for tuition now at this great University, and it is felt to bo a grea itor in the cause of higher education. MARCONI’S SUCCESS.

At St. John’s, Newfoundland, Signor arconi announced on December 14th at he had received electric signals across „ Atlantic from his station at Cornwall, upland. Ho explained that beforo leavme'England he made a plan for accomplishing this result, for while his primary object was to communicate between ocean liners he hoped also to succeed in obtaining the wonderful scientific aehiovement of wireless telegraphy across the Atlantic. Marconi’s station at Cornwall is ve y powerful. Ho possesses electric force generated there several hundred tunes greater than his ordinary stations. Ho arranged with the electrician m charge of that station that signals should bo sent dailv after a certain date, which Marconi would cable after making his arrangements on his side of the ocean at ot. John’s. Marconi selected a signal hill at the entrance to the harbor as an experiment station, and moved his equipment there. Ho cabled the station at loldhn to begin sending signals at d p m. daily, and to continue sending them until 6 p.ui. at corresponding hours on this side. Marconi had an elevated Into with aerial wire, by means of winch sicmals arc sent or received. Ho remained •°tho recorder attached to this receiving apparatus, and to his profound satisfaction signals were received by him at intervals according to the progress - rr in«ed. These signals consisted of leuc4n" at intervals the letter “ S,” which m Marconi’s code is made by three dots. Tins signal is repeated so frequently, and -a accordance witn a detailed plan irr-inbed to provide safeguards against ire' possibility of mistake that -signor Marconi was Satisfied it was a genuine transmission from Englan . o Thursday during the same ho sent up and signals This made the assurance so complete tha, Marco cabled to his principals in a a also informed the Governor of Nowfouna land Sir Cavendish Boyle, who informed the British Cabinet of- the success of t Ci Mar“oni t , though satisfied the genuineness of the signals, aud that he has succeeded in his attempt, emphasises the

fact that the system is yet only m the embryonic stage, and that the possibility of its ultimate development is demonstrated by the success of the present experiments with incomplete and imperfect apparatus, as signals eau only be received by most sensitively-adjusted apparatus, and Marconi is working under great difficulties owing to the piovailing conditions. Tho Cornwall coast is 1700 miles from St. John’s. Marconi has returned to

England. For the present, he will disregard the matter of communication between Tran 3 Atlantic steamers, and will himself conduct experiments from Poldhn. He explained that the greater electric power there would enable him to send to send more effective signals. Sir Robert Bond, Premier of Newfoundland, offers Marconi every facility for carrying out his plans. A large experimental station will bo built St. John’s, besides Lloyd’s’station at Capo Race. The former will have tho same equipment as tho Poldhn station, and will play the same part this side of tho Atlantic as Poldhn does on the other. St. John’s station will- communicate with New York on tho one side and Poldhn on the other, being midway between the two. The establishment will probably cost 60,000 dollars, and perform the same work as tho cable station. ,

Signor Marconi announces that ho will remain in England until the coronation of King Edward next summer, and hopes to be able to send the news of that event across tho Atlantic by the wireless method, so as to prove the capabilities of the system for such purposes. Ho will probably in tho meantimo equip all vessels of tho leading lines of steamers with his apparatus.