408 



IOWA. 



received amounted to $2,476,556.17; the losses 

 incurred, to $716,307.75; the losses paid, to 

 $686,444.75. The percentage of losses incurred 

 to premiums received was 28'9. 



Mining. Reports of the State mine inspec- 

 tors for the two years ending June 30, 1893, give 

 the following figures: Total tons produced the 

 first year, 4,047,479, and the second year, 4,614,- 

 875 ; number of miners the first year, 6,996 ; 

 the second year, 7,766; value of product the 

 first year, $5,848,651 ; the second year, $7,042,- 

 654. At the end of 1892 the number of mines 

 was 298, in 1893 it was 337. 



A State convention of coal miners held at 

 Oskaloosa in October adopted resolutions asking 

 that " the Secretary of the State Mine Inspectors 

 Board be a practical miner," and that a bill be 

 enacted to provide for the pay of " the coal 

 miners and laborers of Iowa every two weeks, 

 and that not more than one week's pay be kept 

 back at any one time." 



Butter. Some idea of the butter product of 

 Iowa may be gathered from the fact that it 

 nearly equals the gross earnings of the railroads 

 in the State each year. For the year ending 

 June 30, 1892, the 10,000 miles of Iowa railroad 

 earned $37,405,171, while the butter produced 

 during the same months was worth $32,922,986. 

 If the value of the milk and cheese sold be added, 

 it will surpass the earnings of the railroads. 



Education. The report of the State super- 

 intendent for the biennial period ending Sept. 

 30, 1893, gives the total enumeration of persons 

 of school age as 687,150, of whom 513.614 are en- 

 rolled in the public schools, with an average at- 

 tendance of 324,217. There are 13,433 school- 

 houses, valued at $15,110,494, with apparatus 

 valued at $461,094, and libraries aggregating 

 122,728 volumes. Male teachers to the number 

 of 4,837 were employed at an average salary bf 

 $38.73 per month, and 23,464 female teachers- at 

 an average of $30.81. The total of teachers' 

 salaries was $4,789,323. There were 4,328 graded 

 and 12,387 ungraded schools, taught on an aver- 

 age seven months and sixteen days in the year. 

 The average cost of tuition per month was $1.89. 

 The cost of schoolhouses, grounds, libraries, and 

 apparatus during the period was $1,303,970; 

 fuel and other contingent expenses came to $1,- 

 722,248 ; and the total expenditures, including 

 salaries, amounted to $7,815,541. The annual 

 interest of the permanent fund amounted to 

 $229,508 ; the total equalized assessment of the 

 entire State to $565,857,799. 



The State Normal School has 17 instructors 

 and professors, and 811 students; has graduated 

 587 since its establishment, of whom 108 were 

 in the classes of 1892-'93; and has an income 

 for the year of $27,955, exclusive of charges for 

 board and lodging. 



The report gives statistics of 13 colleges and 

 universities in the State, with a total of 350 in- 

 structors and professors and 6,083 students. 

 Three hundred and three baccalaureate degrees 

 were conferred in course 1892-'93. The total in- 

 come for the year, excepting 3 institutions not 

 reported, was $316,538, exclusive of charges for 

 board and lodging. The benefactions reported 

 amounted to $120,438. This does not include 

 Drake University, which had about $100,000 

 added to its endowment fund. 



The permanent school fund was $4,663,770.42 

 at the beginning of the year, having been in- 

 creased $65,502.71 in 1892 from the sale of 

 school lands, nearly all of which are now dis- 

 posed of. When the direct-war-tax refund was 

 made in 1892 the State paid $234,948.01 of its in- 

 debtedness to the school fund, and now it owes 

 only $10,937.18. 



Charities. The expense of taking care of 

 the insane of the State at the State hospitals for 

 the quarter ending June 30 was $95,956. It was 

 divided among the 3 hospitals as follows: Inde- 

 pendence, $35,448; Clarinda, $26,320; and 

 Mount Pleasant, $34,188. A large part of this 

 is paid back to the State by the several counties 

 who have patients in the hospitals. Very few of 

 the incurables are kept at the State hospitals. 



The commissioners of the Soldiers' Home at 

 Marshalltown decided not to recommend an ap- 

 propriation for more cottages. " The expense of 

 Keeping these families is considerable. Although 

 in the matter of clothing them there has been 

 the utmost economy in the buying, yet it costs a 

 good deal, as the soldiers' wives were almost 

 destitute of comfortable wearing apparel." Dur- 

 ing the past two years 566 men have been cared 

 for, and 46 have died, at an average age of 

 fifty-eight. The average cost per man for two 

 years is $150. 



Prisons. The January report of the reform 

 schools showed that there were 393 boys at El- 

 dora, and 137 girls at Mitchellville. The Auditor 

 issued warrants for their support amounting to 

 $4.651 $3,144 to Eldora and $1,507 to Mitcheil- 

 ville. 



The report from the State Penitentiary at An a- 

 mosa for March showed an average of 304 in- 

 mates. Warrants were drawn for $3,045.65 for 

 support, $639.67 for improvements, and $2,525 

 for salaries of officers and guards. 



The Port Madison Penitentiary showed in 

 March an average of 420 convicts. The Auditor 

 issued a warrant to this institution for $2,556.67 

 for salaries of officers and guards. Investigation 

 was made of the affairs of both prisons, which 

 resulted in the suspending of the warden at Port 

 Madison, the committee finding that the surplus 

 fund arising from loss of time by guards was not 

 satisfactorily accounted for. 



Destructive Cyclone. Dreadful havoc was 

 caused by a cyclone that swept over northwestern 

 Iowa July 6. The greatest destruction was at 

 Pomeroy, a town of 900 inhabitants, where only 

 9 houses were left standing unmarred. A relief 

 committee was immediately appointed, and help 

 for the suffering was sent from all parts of the 

 State. The report of the committee, rendered 

 in October, showed a total of 71 deaths from the 

 cyclone. In all $69.761 in cash was contributed, 

 besides lumber, brick, etc. The committee re- 

 stored 100 homes, and furnished complete relief 

 to 150 homeless families. The total property 

 loss is finally placed at $250,000. 



Outrage in Mnscatine. A monstrous crime 

 was committed in Muscatine in May. A large 

 can of powder was exploded in the cellar of each 

 of the houses of Hon. John Mahin, editor of the 

 Muscatine " Journal " ; E. M. Kessinger, retired 

 capitalist: and N. Rosenberger, attorney. The 

 interiors of all the dwellings were completely 

 wrecked and the escape of their 15 sleeping occu- 



