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THE WEATHER REPORT

pKosiMiurry talk

Tfic Ifrt posiih'o pvlfjenf of th

pro-perity nf Oklahoma hi ei'iirrnl It

th fnrt tlin( tlif fvii'iiotdiiinry ipi

Rion of thf IfBihliituri' ronhiiiicd in

fti'ssion. despite the will nf thu peo

ple. And tiny nil K-t paid, too.

FORECAST fiktaliomn : Thursday

ftiir, i-oldrr in m portion ; Friday

fair. coil-r In emit portion.

TCI .SA. Kelt. Jff. Tht triiitraturef

Maximum 71, minimum 29,

1 io '.looS o.lttl

VOL. XI, NO. 131

TULSA, OKLAHOMA, T II I-l s l A V . I'KI'.lil'ARY 17. 1 !M i

TEN PAGES

PRICE FIVE CENTS

:: ::

Si "?A5

Futj

25 KNOWN DEAD

IN MEXIA, TEX.,

FIRE MANY HURT

A Natural Gas Explosion

Starts Fire and More

Than Score Perish.

DEATH LIST MAY

REACH TO HUNDRED

Many Children l?epovted to

Be Buried in Ruins of

Buiklins.

MF.XIA. Icxns, Feb. Hi. Twenty

five people were killed hero at

8 o'clock tonight when natural gas

explosion occurred In the old opera

house building. Many others are be

lieved to be dead. The known dead

tire:

A. 1!. WKISXFll, superintendent of

the Mexla schoois, and IiIh wife.

OSCAR JuHAXSF.X and CLAl'DF.

JlH A XS F.X. lrot hers.

RAY t'll.V.

P.U'L YKl.DKr.l.

A. C. BRCTOX, principal Mexiu

schools.

ToLLY WOMACK. cdored.

The. known injured are:

Mrs. John Davis. Wcisner girl (aged

M), Ml. J. W. Kincheloc, Kail llitt.

Walter Revill, Mrs. G. A. Lycll, Mrs.

J toy Bass.

The fire teemed to. start Immedi

ately which hindered thousands of

citizens who formed themselves into

parties helping rescue. It will he

' hours before the death and Injured

list is completed. The fire Is about

under control with tlOO.oon property

loss. The cutiie citizenship of Mexla

Is In mourning. All drug stores and

other establishments were turned Into

places to take (are of the dead and

injured. The Mother's club was giv

ing an art exhibit in the building and

had It been half hour later no doubt

hundreds would have perished. There

Is n rumor thnt a number of school

children are in the ruins, but this

could not be confirmed until after a

search of the ruins.

.may in: maih: .miiss.ioii

I'o'mer (.owrnor or .Missouri May

Represent I'm In Russia

WASHING!' X, Feb. 16- David

K. Francis of St. I.ouis, former sec

retary of -the interior and former gov

ernor of Missouri, Is understood to

night o be under serious considera

tion for appointment as ambassador

to Russia to succeed George T. Marye,

It Is not known whether he will ac

cept the post if It Is offered to him.

Mr. Maryc's resignation has not yet

been accepted but it was said today

that It undoubtedly would be. Ill

health is said to be the reason for his

decision to give up his post.

IMilr Guilty of Minder.

Pl'RVIS, .Miss, r'nh. pi.- Di. Sam

uel K. Itecs, editor of a weekly news

paper here, todav was found guilty of

the murder of Wiley A. Blackburn,

editor of a competing pa er, last Oct -hi

r. lioctor Itecs was sentenced to

imprisonment for Ifie.

The shooting nccurrrd In the court

house here after a dispute between

tl.c men over bids for printing.

Dvnamltc Attorney's Home.

FLORKNCK, Ala., Feb. 16. Tho

home of George I'. Jones, a prom

inent attorney here, was dynamited

todav and partly demolished. Tho

family escaped injury. Windows

wire shattered In nearby residences

by the shock of the explosion, which

was so severe as to shake houses In

all sections of the city. There is no

clue to the culprits.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

DELAY SETTLEMENT

Germany's Latest Declara

tion Adds New Danger

to Negotiations.

WASHINGTON. Feb. 16. The

submarine controversy with

Germany cannot be closed until the

1'nlted States has fully considered the

possible effect of the declared Inten

tion of the Germanic powers to sink

all armed merchant ships of their ene

mies without warning after Februury

29.

This announcement was made by

Secretary Lansing today Instead of

the long expected announcement of a

satisfactory settlement of the Lusl

tania negotiations.

Perfected by months of patient ana

at times perilous negotiations the

Lusltanta agreement was presented

today by Count von Bernstorff, the

German ambassador. In a form which

would have been acceptable to the

I'nited States had not the Germanic

powers announced their determination

to regard armed merchant ships of

their enemies as warships.

Tho Lusltanla agreement now will

not be accepted as finally satisfactory

to- the United States until President

Wilson and Secretary Lansing have

decided whether any of its terms

would be nullified by the principles

of the new submarine campaign.

If Republicans Are Not Going to Run

a City Ticket, Then Let's Have

a Business Man's Ticket.

Tho bedraggled remnants of the Democratic party In the city of Tulsa,

after having proven their utter unwnrthincss of the confidence and support

of un Intelligent electorate by their own double dealing, are trying to patch

up the wreckage and go before the people again asking that they be given

another chance to prove their crookedness. In our mind's eye we see "the

old hag with a tattered shawl about her- shoulders, out at the elbows,

brass Jewelry in her ears, with a drunken leer of silly invitation upon her

countenance inviting tho youth of the land to do business with her again

upon the purity of her principles and platform pledges." Pure rot and

drivel. The same identical pledges by the same Identical backers have

b'.-en made by the Democratic party ever since the first tie was laid by the

FMsco railroad within the city limits of Tulsa. They stand convicted upon

every count in the bill of particulars and their effrontery is not exceeded

by the cheek of a government mule. Any man who would accept a nom

ination at the hands of such a band of political double-crossers and double

dealers is convicted of duplicity or imbecility beyond tho peradveiituro of

a doubt. What's the use of arguing a fact so patent that all who run may

read and understand. "We've reformed, we've turned out and kicked out

those men who deceived us and misrepresented us In the past," cries the

yellow dog Democrat as he goes yelping down the street looking for an

alley In which to escape from an accusing conscience and a well Informed

public.

The reformers have quit the field and are going to ho extended tho

right hand of fellowship by the wrecking crew who have taken charge of

the decrepit old machine. The time for candidates to file Is less than a

month away and yet the old Democratic shrews are the only outfit offer

ing to put up a ticket. Republicans, knowing the situation and under

standing the conditions, are refusing to put forward party candidates

against the opposition. They hesitate to go up against the combination.

(Continued on

SUBCOMMITTEE IS

TO PROBE OSAGE

Resolution Provides for

Renewal to Most of the

Oil Sublessees.

A NEW RESOLUTION

Barnsdall People (let Year

to Year Renewal Pend

ing Investigation.

(P.y JOHX W. FLF.NNKR.)

WASHINGTON, Feb. IB. Another

chapter Mrts today added to the

I'.-age oil and gas releasing contro

versy when the senate Indian com

mittee reconsidered I-nFollette's reso

lution ordered reported to the senate

inst week, preventing the secretary nf

the interior from executing oil lease

renewals In the usage nation pending

further action by congress but per

il, it ting the extension of present oil

leases from year to year for a period

imt exceeding live years on a one

sixth royalty basis for ail wells pro

ducing less than twenty-live barrob:

of oil daily and one-fifth on wells pro

ducing In excess of that amount.

That the senate Indian committed

is at sea over tile Osage situation Is

evidenced by the fact that during the

past week two resolutions deling with

the Osage leasing question have been

(Continued on Pnge Five.)

THE SISAL COMBINE

DECISION RESERVED

Attorney. General Withholds Decision

on I legality of Selling Agency

for Sisal Trust.

WASHINGTON. Feb. lfi. Attorney-General

Gregory, after listen

ing today to an explanation of the

plans of the American selling agency,

handling the sisal producing in V not

ion, Mexico, reserved de-'ision on the

question whether the agency is in

violation of tho Sherman anti-trust

act.

According to the story told depart

ment officials todays the sisal produc

ers of Yucatan have combined with

the approval of the slate government

to secure fair pi ices for their product

and to prevent the International

Harvester company, the principal pur

chaser, from controlling the price.

AMERICANS TELL OF

DELAYS IN MEXICO

WASHINGTON, ,Feb. 16. A dis

patch today to the state department

from the Mexican border told of the

difficulties encountered by eight

Americans and a number of other

foreigners in getting from Chihuahua

to El Paso. The train on which they

traveled was held at Chihuahua four

days because of a strike of railroad

men and reports that Villa's men

were operating along the line between

Chlhuuhua and the border.

The strike was reported duo to a

demand of the men that they be paid

In silver instead of depreciated paper

money. It ended with an agreement

with the men to accept one-half of

their wuges In silver and one half in

paper.

Tho train was escorted by three

hundred and fifty soldiers. From

this number seventy-five were

dropped at various stations.

Assurances were given by tho Car

ranza foreign office at Guadalajara

that the acting governor of Vera

Cms had reported that he had given

"appropriate orders" for the protec

tion of the oil properties In tho Chap

apote and Potrero districts near Tux

pan. Rebels recently have been ac

tive In that region.

Page Two.)"

TWO STATES SWEPT

BY FLOOD WATERS

Seventy - five Thousand

Acres of Mississippi

Lands Inundated.

MANY ARE IN DANGER

Another Levee Break Im

perils Lives of a Thou

sand Persons.

NATCH F.Z, Miss., Feb. Hi. Ap

proximately 75, 0U0 acres of

farm land are inundated, three per

sons are kmwn to have been drowned

and several thousand refugees aro

marooned in the overflowed area to

night as a result of breaks yesterday

in the Mississippi river levee near

Newellton, La.

All of the dead arc negroes.

A telephone message from Newell

ton tonight slated that the gap in the

embankment had widened to morn

than a thousand feet. Newellton is

flooded to a depth of from six In

ches to six feet and the water is

houiiv mounting to higher levels and

spreading over a wider area.

M. Jacoliy, a merchant at Newell

ton, in a telephone message late to

day, made an urgent appeal for boats

to rescue persons cut off from escape

In Isolated wit ions in the vicinity of

the crevasse.

"We are In a deplorable condition,"

Mr. Jacoliy said. "Water ranges

(Continued on Page Two.)

RIVERS HARBORS

BILL PERFECTED

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16. The an

nual river and harbor appropriation

bill as finally perfected in committee

today carries t :tl,0S,4 1 0, of which

all but 70'l,000 is for continuing

work on existing Improvement proj

ects. The committee agreed to only

two exceptions to the administration

policy of adding no new projects, vot

ing ITnO.OHO for improvement of the

Fast river at New York and $3,0U0

for work on the Colorado river at

Yuma, Arizona, where floods recently

caused great damage.

The Fast river authorization was

put Into the bill after President Wil

son had written the committee that

he considered it necessary to assure a

proper approach at all times to the

Brooklyn nivy yard.

The largest single Item In the bill

is SS. 000,001) for work along the Mis

sissippi river south of Ohio. Through

a typographical error this amount ap

peared in the printed document us

15,000,000, but was corrected toduy

by the committee.

GIRL IS CAUSE OF

A NEAR-KILLING

Spc.iil to The World.

Ml'SKOGKE, Feb. 16. When Ed

ward Wright, 26 years old, attacked

William Osborn, 19, after an argu

ment today, May Osborn, 17, sister

of the youth, threw herself between

the couplo. Wright seized the girl

and attempted to choke her.- This

respite gave Osborn time to find a

knife with which he stabbed Wright

in the back just above the heart, so

deeply that physicians believe the man

will die.

Osborn Is held by the pollen with

out bond on charges of fighting and

cutting but will be turned over to

county authorities Thursday morning,

Ho admits the act. "I cut him be

cause he was choking my sister," the

prisoner exclaimed, "I would have

fought him with my fists if he had let

her alone," Both combatant art

joung men without famine,

ERZEM FALLS

TO RUSS AFTER

SEVERE ATTACK

Turkey's Chief City in Ar

menia Occupied ly llie

Czar's Troops.

POURED SHELLS ON

CITY FOR 5 DAYS

Capture Opens Way for

Russians to Aid Allied

Armies.

EltXF.IH'M. Turkey's chief city in

Armenia, is in the hands or the

Ituvsians. Heavy assaults by the Rus

sians agaiusl the long line of detached

forts protecting Hie city, lasting over

a period of live davs and ihsriihcd

liy Grand Duke Nicholas, the itussian

commander-in-chief, as "unpreced

ented." have resulted in the capture of

the fortress.

I'nofflcial reports early in the pres

ent month saiil the Oeirimn field

niurshal, von Der Collie, wilh eighty

thousand men were besieged In the

city with provisions fur only u fort

night. The capture of Fr.crum Is consid

ered of great strategic importance.

Fn in it railiiile roads leading in all

directions, over those to the south

east and south it will he possible for

the Itussians to fight their way to

ward their compatriots operating

against the Persians and Turks in

northwest anil west Persia or proceed

south toward I'agdad to the relief of

the liritish honied up at Kut-FI-Amara

on the Tigris southeast of

Hagdad.

Ilig lak Heroic Thrm

The immediate effect of the Itus

slan victory on the situation in Per

sia and Mesopotamia is problematical,

however, for despire the roads the

country is mountainous and there

still is much ground to be covered

something over two hundred miles

before the Ijike I'ruiuiah district of

Persia Is reached and over six hun

dred miles before a Junction with the

liritish at kut-KI-Aiuura could he

formed.

With the advent of stormy weather

ot, the western battle line the heavy

lighting of the past lew days seem

ingly has simmered down again to

artillery bombardments and mining

operations. Iteriin reports, however,

that th, liritish ami French have en

deavored to recapture trench positions

taken from them by the Germans re

spectively southeast ol Yprcs and in

contrary that near Tahure the French

attacks' failed. Paris reports on tho

contrary that near Tahiic the French

have retaken portions of their former

trenches.

The liritish aiul Cermann are still

at deadly grips for possession of too

trenches cupluivd from the British

southeast ol Ypres, nriillcrv and hand

gri mules being employed In the fight

ing. London reports that in the at

tack in which he liritish lost six hun

dred yards of a front line trench the

Cii'iuans attacked over a iront of lour

thousand jeards but were everywhere

ri pulsed with consldei able losses ex

cept at the point the trench was

captured.

On the Russian front a driving

snowstorm along the entire line his

almost stopped operations. Hie uraial

bombardment interspersed with in

lintrv attacks continues on ilu

Austin Kalian line.

In Albania the Austriius and liul

garians are raid to have formed a

juncture and are battling for the cap

ture of the Important seaport of

I i.razci. which is being ilelended b

llssad Pasha's forces consisting nf

Albanians, Serbians and Monte

negrins. Strumttsa, Bulgaria. has been

raided by thirteen French aeroplanes

which dropped l.lti bombs and re

turned to their base unscathed. Sev

eral fires were started by these bombs.

The ministers of the entente powers

have Informed the Belgian govern

ment thnt hostilities against the Teu

tons and their allies will not be per

mitted to end without Belgium having

re-established its political and eco

nomical Independence. They added

that the Belgian government also

would be called upon to take part In

the peace negotiations.

The question of submarine warfare

still remains an open one by reason

of Germany's announced intention to

treat as warshipB all armed merchant

men after February 29. Secretary of

State Lansing is making a careful

study of Germany's latest reply with

reference to the l.usitnnia question to

ascertain If there is anything In the

Germun memorandum concerning

armed merchantmen which conflicts

with the assurnnces given by Ger

many In the Lusltanla negotiations

regarding the sinking of liners and the

safety of their passengers.

EVIDENCE!

OF THE Pt'l.MXG lOW litl

OV WORLD WANT ADS

TMs Man DiJn 't Have Enough

Houses to Supply the Demand

He claims that he could have

rented his house 23 times over

and It all came about from the

more than necessary results of

inserting the above ad one time

in Tho Tulsa Dully World:

FOR KKNT Out ronm lioutf, mod

ern. Phon SOL

Professional Diver Tries to Rescue

4

$150 Girl Prize Winner Lost in Bay

X

1 Jl

f

7

'

NF.W YORK, l-'ob. 111. A silk handbag belonging to Miss Madge

Magennlss. a pretty Bronx girl, will likely repose for some time at the

bottom of Xew York bay. where she dropped It while coming from a "hop"

on Governor's Island, despite the efforts of George G. Garinony. n pro

fessional diver, to recover it. in the handbag Is flfii) and a check for

ftiO more.

Miss Magenniss bad attended the weekly military hop at the army post

on the island, and dropped the hand hag overboard as she stepped from

the ferry at the battery slip. She had Just won Ihe first prize for tho

oest costume ut the dance.

COMMITTEE BILLS

TO BE READY SOON

an Increase to Uetween

KiO.000 and 200,000 of

Standing Army.

WILL PASS IN SENATE

I'adget and Hay, to Lead

Military Fight in the

Lower House.

WASHINGTON, Feb. Pi. Com

mittee bills to Increase the reg

ular army to between one hundred

and sixty thousand ami two hundred

thousand men and proposing a defin

ite scheme for federalization of the

national guard under u mi'ilia pay

act, probably will be before bolh

houses of congress within I lu ce weeks.

A building program for the nay,

however, will not be ready before

May. although t'hairioan I'adgett of

Ihe house commit tee urged the mem

bers today to speed up cNaminalion

of witnesses.

The house military committee will

begin work tomorrow on the militia

federalization hill and if a strong

measure Is produced, influential mem

bers of the senate committee say It

will be accepted by the senate. The

senate committee conlinud work to-

(Contlnued on Page Ten.)

NEGRO MURDERER

GETS LIFE TERM

Special to The World.

LAW TON. Okla.. Feb. Hi. Toin

Coley, self-confessed negro murderer

id A. T. Hopkins, was today senteii"cl

by Judge Cham Jones In the district

court to life imprisonment in the state

penitentiary. Coley had nothing to

say to the court. Judgo Jones In

formed Coley thut he should realize

that no hope could be hg'd out to

him. Tne court spoke at some length

regarding the enormity of the crime

committed and said he has been un

certain as to whether or not tho pun

ishment should not be death hut in

view of the fact that Coley hail dem

onstrated a willingness to assist in

unearthing the crime, he thought he

was entitled to some leniency ami he

would spare his life.

WOUNDED STUDENT

SUDDENLY WORSE

Sfpial to Tin. World.

WAGONF.lt. Okla.. Feb. 16. The

condition of Clark Moss. 18 year old

son of Attorney W, B. Moss, the boy

who was wounded In the affray in

the basement of the Wagoner high

school In which Kdgar Watts was

killed and for whose murder Prof. J.

K. McDurmett, a teacher, is now held

in Jail at Muskogee, took a sudden

turn for the worse today and the pre

liminary has been postponed . until a

week from next Saturday,

It Is declared thut physicians have

not yet succeeded In removing a bul

let from the boy's head but It also Is

nald thut the boy's condition Is not yet

critical. Should Moss die the only

fyewltnoss to the shooting other thanund also personally knew muny ot the

me teacner win nave oecn siicncca.

SWWFWMMWMj

T i n

4

a.

N. Y. REPUBLICANS

GO UNIHSTRUCTED

I' Convention Is Upheld

Delegate Will (Jo With

out Directions.

ROOT BOOM DEFEATED

Preparedness and TariK

IM'orm Will !5e the

L'riiicipal Issues.

Ni:V YORK, Feb. Hi. -Republican

national campaign will be

fought on demands for adequate mili

tary preparedness and tariff reform,

opposition to granting early indepen

dence to l lie Philippines, and Insis

tent on a vigorous stand for American

rights both in Mexico ami in rela

tion to the Kuropcan war, according

to the "keynote" platform adopted

today by the Republican stale con

vention. The outlines of the platform which

was approved unanimously were pre

sented last night n Hie speech of

former Kiihu Root. There was no

difference ol opinion apparent among

Ihe s;U delegates to the convention in

regard to the platform, but a bitter

fight was precipitated by the attempt

of the supporters of Governor Whit

man to secure an unipialif led in-

(Continued on Pago Ten.)

AMERICAN KILLED

WANTED IN U. S.

F.I i PAHO, Texas, Feb. 16. Guy

Johnson, an American, who was re

ported to have killed five bandits be

fore he himself was slain December

26. 1 9 1 5, near Tejoloeachl, Chihuahua,

was in reality Guy Hartman, a

wealthy distiller, sought by the Amer.

lean government in connection with

revenue frauds discovered at Fort

Smith, Ark., according to informa

tion disclosed here today. Govern

ment officials, however, refused con

firmation, referring ipicstinners to In

ternal revenue officers at Washington.

Hartman or Johnson fled to Mexico

last year, it was said, and became a

ranch hand Just prior to the disclosure

of tho fraud which Involved distil

lers and I'nited States revenue officers

in several states and which is said to

have cost the government several hun

dred thousand dollars. Agents of the

revenuo service went to Chihuahua

last October to Induce Hartman to re

turn but failed to see him. The man

is said to have been trying to mako

bis way from Chihuahua to Sonora

when he was set upon by the bandits,

five of whom were killed before they

succeeded In slaying him.

Daniel- Funeral in Khiixis.

Sprrial to The World.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb. 16. The

body of Percy Daniels, once lieutenant-governor

of Kansas, who died at

Bethany, a suburb of this city last

night, was sent to Girard, Knn., today

for burial. Mr. Daniels was 75 years

old and a veteran of tho war between

the states. He had a large acuiialnl

ut.ee both in Kansas and Oklahoma.

puunc men oi outer states.

SENATE PASSES

THE USURY BILL;

KILL MINE ACT

Kxorhitnnt Money Hate Hill

XoW (Joes to House

for Approval.

PLAN ADJOURNMENT

ON NEXT SATURDAY

Senator Thomas Takes Hot

Shot at "Uecord" of

Special Session.

(By Staff Corronnndent.)

OKLAHOMA CITY, Fel. Hi. With

the usury bill passing in the sen

ate, the house killing the penitentiary

coal mine bill and also tho poll tax

hill, tho legislature today paced the

way for possible adjournment on Sat

urday of this week, if there Is any

light made on the usury bill and the

two election laws la the house, how

ever, them Is no chance for adjourn

ment before the first of next week.

The passage of the usury bill In the

senate is considered an accomplish

ment, as the subject had been consid

ered for tho past two weeks and

numerous hills and substitutes und

amendments had been offered before

they finally agreed on a bill thut will

not contain more than eight hundred

words.

The subject matter of the bill Is

cumulative to the usury laws now in

force. One section Is new matter. It

provides that when u note is due, the

borrower may tender the principal

with Interest at the contract rate o(

10 per cent and if the lender refuses

to accept this then the obligation Is

automatically cancelled. It also Is

provided that w hen a state bank

charges usurious interest With the

knowledge and acquiescence of the

bank officials and directors, that the

governor may direct the banking

commissioner to cancel the bank's

charter and liquidate it.

Mine Bill killed.

The killing of the hill to establish

a convict coal mine at the peniten

tiary came in an unfavorable recom

mendation of the committee nf the

whole in the house. Tho establish

ment of a coal mine at tho peniten

tiary was one of the pet subjects of

the governor and the board ot affairs.

They claiimd that such a scheme

would save the state much money on

the coal hill. The proposition was

Htrcnuously opposed by tho laboring

Interests of the state. An attempt to

establish a twine factory at tho prison

was killed some days ago.

Representative Sains. Republican,

made an unsuccessful attempt to

bring from the committee on priv

ileges and elections some report con

cerning the numerous petitions that

have been received during the session

from all parts of the state urging

that no election laws he passed thut

would further disfranchise voters, as

Ihe petitions were received they were

referred, many of them without being

read, to the committee on privileges

and elections. They were never acted

on nor reported back In nny way.

Sam's resolution offered this after

noon asked the committee for Infor

mation as to how many petitions had

been received ami the number of

names they contained. This Informa

tion, ho thought, should be before the

bouse as they would within tho next

day, perhaps, he called on to pass the

election laws that had been intro

duced and passed and in the senate.

Different of the majority members

(Continued on i'age Six.)

CAUSE OF NEW YORK

FIRE IS NOT KNOWN

Four Million Dollar Con

flagration Destroys

Steamships.

NKW York, Fh. HI. Xo evidence

oi' incendiarism has been found, It

was announced tonight, in connection

with the tire on the Brooklyn wntoc

front early today which caused tha

destruction ot three British steam

ships, IIT lighters and barges, a neir

iiiuj-foot pier belonging to the Xew

York Dock company and Jl.U00.0Oi)

worth of merchandise consigned to the

entente allies. The total loss Is esti

mated at between three million ami

lour million dollars.

Although nearly three hundred per

sons were Imperilled by the flames,

which raged fiercely for several hours,

only one man, a member of the crew

oi one of the steamers, was unac

counted for tonight. Several persona

were injured, however, and there wer

many sensational rescues.

There were reports throughout the

day that the fire was started by an

Incendlury but they probably wer

based on the fact that the immense

quantity of merchandise on board the

vessels and on the pier was destined

for Kuropcan governments now on

gaged in war. A rigid. Investigation

conduetod by officials of the tire de

partment has convinced them that de

fective tlcctlrc wiring waa responsible

lor the flumes.