Generalities

Chestnnt street, above Broad, I'hiladelphia, was visited by one of tho liercest iires the city has known for y&ars. The big seven-story building of II. llaseltine, 14KÍ and 1418 Chestnut street, and the adjoining ii restory strueture of the American Baptist l'ublication society and tho American Baptist llistorical society, ïio. 1420, were totally destroyed. The buildings damaged by tire and water and falling walls were the four-story dry fjoods house of Homer, Lebontillies & ( .. Nos. 1412 and 1414; a dwelling housd at 1422, and the Hotel Lafayette, at Uroad and Sansom streets. On both sides of main éntranceto the Haseltino building were the piano warerooias of lhillott & Davis, at 1416, and of Steinway & Ck)., at 1418. The two Haptist soeieties lost large end valuable collections of paintings, books and curios. A conservative estímate places the aggn-gate loss close to 82,OUü,0l)0. It is thought that this is almost fully covered by insurance. Germmiy to Doublé llrr Nuvy, Berlín: A high official of the colonial society Bays that Emperor William is ürmly determined to carry out the project of doubling the size of the Uerman navy. II is majesty is coavinced that tliis is absolutely necessary in orrler to secure to Gerinany permanently her position as a great power, and especial ly as a colonial power. Ilence, all the emperors energy will be bent to that end. Prince lii.smarck has expressed totlie emperor his belief in the neeessity of creating . a strong Germán nnv-y. The fact that Prinoe Hohcnlohe, the imperial chancellor, and Borne oí the othar members of the cabinet - Dr. von Boetticher, secretary of stat.' for tlie interior, and ; Admiraf von llollman, naval seeretary of state - do not acuiesce in those views, has, it is asserted, cauaed his maiesty to seriously consider the ! visabiUty of making a chango in the ' ministry. Artnniii!V Repulso Turks at Zeltouo London: A dispatch from ' tinopli; to the Daily News says that I reporta from Turkisb sources, believed ' to be fairly aeruiaU'. state that it is believed that Zeitounlia are s.till holding out. Thfl Turks have madu seven different att.icks upon the town, but all have faileu, and their losses are reported to amount to 10,000. It ( is alleged that 50,000 troops will be . needed to capture Zeitoun. It is ! lieved that the Zeitounlis numberfroni 15,000 to 20,000, well armed and provisioned for a year. There is a report that 4,000 Ku.ssiaii Armetiians crossed the I'evsian frontier and defeated the Turks at Siz, 18 hours from Zeitoun, aDd have now joioed the Zeitounlis. Three Men Blown to I'lecpfl at Freeport, O The boiler in the stave mili on Wm. Morrisoa's farm, near Freeport, O., ploded, killing three persons and two others. The dead are: Win. '■ Laport, englnear, of Tippecanoe; Wm. Kiefer, of Leavittsburg; Roy Vesey, of Warren. The. bodies were thrown 100 feet and were frightfully mangled. Issac Morrison and his young son, of Londonderry, 0., who was sitting on a log outside the mili, were struck by a flying buz, saw and severely cut. The clothing of the three dead men was Stripped from their bodies and lodged j in the neighboring bushes and trees. ' Vesey had 3500 upon his person and it was fonnd scattered upon the ground and in the tree tops. Foraker and MoKlnley Force.- L':iito. Strong political friends of McKinley and Koraker got tog-ether at Cleveland and the result of the pow-wow is that, so far as tliis preliminar; conference can settle it. M. A. Jlamui and James H. Bolt, of Cleveland, and Scnatorelect Foraker and (lov. Bushnell will be the delegates-at-large. There is no doubt ttiat Uhio will be united for McKin ley, and the purpose now is to próvide against future friction and conflicts between the two elementa of the Republican party in Ohio. Arbltratlon Tribunal Now Susrset-1. London: The text of a declaration is published here, urging the establishment of a permanent tribunal of arbitration for all the Englisli-speakiiig nations, and suggesting that the governments give effect to the resolutions on this subject of congress in lS'.i2 and houss of eommons in ISO.'I. The declaration is signed by many prominent peoplt: in religiims circles ana will now be sent throughout Great liritain and the United States for signatures. Is .1. Huil Threntening Is? Dispatches reeeived from Kingston, Jamaica, say that four British war vessels have anchored in the harbor. As the island is a liritish possessioa and only about S00 miles from Caracas with a clear stretch of the Carribean sea between, this move, if true, may be sig-nficant of üritain's intentions as to "Venezuela and the possible trouble with the United States.