MAIL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1352, 12 January 1905, Page 2

MAIL NEWS.

L (Per Ventura at Auckland.) San Francisco, Deo 23.

A despatch from Chicago of December 15th says :—Mr fcj. H. Harris, president of the Chicago House-wrecking Company, drew a cheque for 500,000 dollars to-day V in iavor of toe Louisiana Purchase Expositiou Company, and thereby became the owner ef the famous Ivory City (Exposition at St. Louis}, with buildings and contents. Oae thousand laborers will he ~ at work moat of next year tearing down and taking apart and shipping stuff to buyers. There will be 300 master mechanics to do the fine labor and 100 furniture handlere to transfer innumerable pieoes of magnificent household - equipments, not to speak of 450 mountecLij* police, to stand guard day and night. Harris was optimistic cf turning large " sums to his company’s account. Among items of purohaso in the fair are 100,000,000 ft of lumber, 200,000 square feet of window sash, 1,550,000 square* feet of skylights, 1000 flags, 650,000 dollars worth of copper wire, two complete hospitals, Are department, street railway plant (including tracks, cars and powerhouses), ten steam rollers, 25,000 dollars’ worth of surveyors’ instruments, and of several complete steel buildings. A despatch from Washington of 2nd. December Bays that the annual report of - the directors of the mini shows that the output of coinage of the mints of San Eraoolsco, Philadelphia and New Orleans, which were in operation throughout She " fisoal year, was the largest on re cord. IS is estimated that the gold stock of the world in use as money on Decamber 31, 1903, was approximately 5,600,000,000 dollars, of which about one-haif is visible in banks and publio treasuries. The estimate for the stock of the United States at that time was 1,300,000,000 dollars, of which 859,000,000 dollars was in the treasury and national banks. The total domestic coinage of the mintß at Philadelphia, San Francisco and New Orleans amounted in value to 228,202,151 dollars. A despatch from New York, dated i December 17tb, says that by the burning , of the steamer Glen Island in Long Island Sound to-day, nine lives were lost and property roughly estimated at a quarter of a million dollars was destroyed. That more lives were not sacrificed was due to the courage of the officers and crew, and the excellent discipline maintained when a horrible death for all seemed almost er certainty. When the steamer was abandoned she was fire swept from stem .to stern ; yet the only persons loss were those whose escape was entirety cub off by firo before the alarm reached them. The Gian' Island left the dock at New York in sha evening for New Haven. At inidmJßi there was a rush of Btifling smoke the hold, and every electric light was* extinguished. The oaptain sent the alarm for fire drill, and the men came trembling out of their bunks. The steering gear. was blocked. The pilots assisted in saving lives, which was accomplished by means of boats. Oae woman on the way to a boat rußhed back into the blazing cabin, 9 presumably for valuables, and was lost, j Tugs soon came to the rescue, picking up I persons m boats, but being unable to resoue nine persons kcown tj be aboard the burning vessel. It is believed that the fire originated in a dynamo near tho centre of the vessel. A despatch from London, dated December 10, says that in an official memorandum issued to-day, dealing with the future distribution and mobilisation of the British fleet, Lord Selborne makes jsome interesting remarks on causes necassitating a revision of strategical principles, wmch up to the present time have governed the distribution of the fleet from the period when the electric telegraph did not exist, and 1, wind was the motive power. The development of foreign navies throughout the world constitutes in Lord Selborna’s views a new and definite stage of navalaffairs in the western hemisphere. Ht says “The United States is farming a navy power, and the sizs of which will be limited only by the amount of money the American people choose to spend on it. Irv the eastern hemisphere a smuller but modem navy, that of Japan, has been put tßat of war > an< * aot foind wanting, lhe Russian navy has been greatly increased, and, with the exception of the Blaok Sea fleet, has been wholly transferred, or is in course of being transferred, to the Pacific. The Navies of Italy and u Ua^!vr a ava Maintained their position in the Mediterranean, but the expenditure, thereon has not been increased as in the oase of other powers. The French navy etauds, as always, in the forefront, and a new German navy has oomc into q»*Henoe. It is a navy of a most type, and so fortunately ciroumstaaceJT that it is .able to concentrate almost she whole of its fleet at home ports.” Dwelling op the improvement of the British fleet, Lord Selborne remarks that all old battleships have been replaced by modem ships. Great Britain will have witblfl this year 26 modern cruisers, built within tour years, of great speed, with armaments as pov?erful as that of battleships, and altogether a great advanoe on anything Whioh has proceeded them. In studying the questions of distribution of warships and arrangement of stations, the Admiralty, Lord Selborne continues, has been guided by the experiences of Japs& Bussia in the present war. Tho Admiralty’s ideas were that the peaoe distribution of war and mobilised ships should always be in as perfect a condition of ptness for war as the commissioned ships. Lord Selborne then detailed the fleets ohanges. The Home fleet will henceforth be called the Channel fleet, vvith headquarters at home. It will‘coffi sist of twelve battleships and a suffioent number of cruisera. Affiliated to the Chan-~te nel fleet and Atlantic fleets will be squadrons, each of six armoured cPfSSZ. commanded by rear-admirals, and detach? able at any time for speoial service. South Atlantia squadron undor arrangement will remain as now -pahniilliiiH

tuted, and will not disappear believed would be the case. Th®'^r ß H- 8 terranean fioet will co* lßl ®. of e .-„.*• battleships and a** cruisers. TOi .‘? Qa base at the ielmw gC?**lßß- - 'hat it has been decided to withdraw efi g&igQ ship a 0 £ j. (le North American and Wes£ l23iel^tatibn.