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TELEGR 1 MS. ST. CROIX STATION. Qan Juan, P. R. Sept. 12th—")amage vaporfed from island so far Schooner ‘“Tadia’’ sank at Naguado at anchor and the cook was drowned. At Humacao olaven barges valuzad at fifteen thousand dnilars sank and four large sail boats wvore lost. Between Naguabo and Hum- acao a lot of wreckage has come ashore in Ceiba. two people were drowned. At Yabueoa a large launch sank and one of the crew was drowned. At Arroya the sex was high and moved 7 small houses into the middle of the principal street. At Ponce three barges sank. The wind did some damage to houses on the sea shore and blew down the electric light vires, telephone and telegraph wires. The coffee district ras suffered some damage a~d many trees were blown down. London, Sept. 10th —Mr. Lloyd George’s invitatioo to Mr. De Valera ard his col- leagues to confer as tc the basis for a settlement of the Irish controversy qawaits accion by the Irish republican parliament. That bedy will meet in se- cret session next Wednesday, at which time it is assumed that the Premier’s latest note to Dublin will be submitted and a decision reached regarding the ac- ceptance or rejection of the invitation. Grand Turk, Turk and Caicos Islands, Sept. 12th,—The tropical storm which originated near Trinidad is now raging over these Isiands. The barometer which foll daring the night to 29.40, is now baginning to rise, but the wind is still strong and torrential rains are falling. The bpeach presents a picture of wreck- age and debris. All vessels in the road- stead bave been piled upon the main street of the town, and vesselsin the hawksnest have become total wrecks. while in the riding ground a two-masted schooner has been driven high and dry on the beach. San Antonio, Texas, Sept 10th—3ix persons are Known (0 be dead and pro- perty in the central portion of the city has been damaged to the extent of sev- eral millions of doilars by floods which swepr through San Antonio last night. Sasantonio Texas, Sept. 11th—The list i sued of the known dead from *he flood 2acly on Saturday totalled forty seven, but late teday the dead and miss- ing were estimated at approximately two hundred and fifty by the officials engaged in recovering the bodies, while the police commissioner estimated that the number tnight reach three hundred. Manv of the residents. however, con- sider these figures high. The property loss is placed at over five million dollars by some business men and those in charge of the reclamation works. Halifax, Novaseotia, Sept. 12th.-Great- er Halifax and its surroundings were rocked this morning shortly after three o’clock by several distinct explosions at intervals, which threw gigantic sheets of flame high into the air, lighting the heavens with lurid effect. It was later 51TURERU 1 X ANVI> ascertained that at the oil works six pressure stills, of a hattery of twelve, had blown up one after the other. The loss is estimated at fone million dollars one man is missing and tw> were in- jured. HAND WORK DROPS OFF WITH WAIST OVERSUPPLY Thousands of Women and Girls Idle While Drawn-Work Blouses Se.k in New York Below Cost FIRST OVER-PRADUCTION . Until a few Months ago the Demand was Alwavs Greater Than the Sup- ply; Spring Models Ready Although model waists for next spring’s stvles are now in the hands of manufacturers and agents here the e is little recovery exvected in the blouse in- dustry in the island until October or November, For practically the ifirst time since Porto Rico hand-made waists commenc- ed to gain popularity in the United States there has been during the past two months or so an oversupply of the cheaper grades of those garments whizh have been selling at retail in the Uniied States at less than the cosi of produe- tion. ; As a result of this oversupply thou- sands of girls and women throughout the island who in the past three or four years have turned to handwork at pres- ent are idle and payrolls that ran into many thousands of dollars monthiy have largely been shut off. There is still a demand for the more elaborate and more expensive handwork waist but even the demand for these more expensive garments has Dbeen checked because of the over supply of the cheaper grade and a geperal slump in buying. Up to three months ago it is said that the island was producing at least 50,000 blruses a week of which 40,000 or more were of the less expensive grade. The demand for this type was of waists temporarily. is stopped and as a result workers normally earning a ‘*otal of $25,000 to $30,000 a week are lidle. Until comparatively recently the de- mand for Porto Rican hand-made waists has exceeded the supply and this has resulted in many ageats and mapufac- turers starting in the business in the last year or two. some of them on a very large scale. One company alone, it is estimated, was shipping 20,000 waists a week to New York. In all more than a dozen companies or agents have helped the spreading of waists-making through- out the island and so active was the demand for skilled needle workers that some “of the companies had instructors to teach women and girls the funda- mental of handwork. In Barranquitas and other interior towns where there was practically no other employment it was found that even men and boys were turning to needle work as a means of earning a hivelihood. - While the waist business is dull there is stilla demand for hand-made hand- kerchiefs. This is keeping a good many hundred handworkers busy daring v hat would otherwise be a very dull period of the year. Until the large stocks of waists which have accumulated in the United States have been disposed of, it is not expected that there will be®a renewed activity here for the making of the cheaper grade of waists. Preparations tor the business of next spring and summer normally will commence the latter part of October er Noveniher. Recently hand-made waists were re- ported as selling in New York at $1.50 and $2.00. The minimum pay to the worker for making even a simple waist 18 said to be in the ne'¢ghbourhaod of 70 cents. I'o make this type of waist re- quires about a day. For some of the more elaborate waist the worker is paid $5.00 or $6.00 each. Not miore than twe of these garments a week can be turned cat by a single worker.—/orto Rico Pro- gress. Sept. 2nd. CHINESE BRIDES. The Chinese have many superstitions with regard to weddings. A gir! who is partaking of the last meal in her fath- er’s house previous {o her marriage sits at the table with her parents and the members of the family, but she must eat no :more than half the bewl of rice set btefore her, else depsarture will be followcd by continual scarcity in the house sne is leaving. 1f the bride breaks the heel of her shoe in going from her father’s house to her huskand’s house it is a sign of unhappiness. A bride while putting on her wedding garments stands in a round, shailow, basket. This conduces her to lead a placid well-round- ed life in her future home. A piece of beacon and a parcel of sugar are hang on the back of the bride’s sedan chair as a sop to the demons who might mo- lest her while on her journey. After the departure from the parental roof her mother puts the basket in which the bride stood while dressing ovar the mouth of the oxen to stop the mouths ot all who would make adverse comment on her daughter, and then goes in the hcuse and sits down before the kitehen fire, that her leisure may be duplicated in her daughter’s life. A bride may be broughs home while a coffin is in ber husband’s house but not within one hundrea days after a coffin is carried out. A bride must not for four months after her mar- riage enter any house in which there has been a death or abirth, for if she does there will surely be a quarrel be- tween her and the groom. If a young mother goes to see a bride the visitor is looked upon as the cause of the eca- lamity that may follow the newlv weds. Everyday Life.