The times and democrat. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, August 29, 1911, Image 1
PUBLISHED TRI-WEEKLx
STORM
Sweeps tie C>?*?> ** <?"8tli 0*
k nm Effeo^
CUTS COMMUNICATIONS
All Wires V ithin Storm Swept Dis
trict Bio* n Down by the Gale
Sweeping 9Jong, at Sixty Miles an
Hour.?Cl nrleston, Beaufort, and
Georgetoff d. Isolated. .
Sv/jeping in from the South At
lantic ocean ft gale of semi-tropic or
igin Sunday roared up the coast of
?Georgia and South Carolina, isolating
South Carol: na seaports* aud causing
damage the extent of which can no
be known ui r.il communication is re
stored. Tl ,e 'gale, reported to be
blowing 60 miles an hour at Savan
nah, comp!? tely cut off Charleston
and Eeaufo t and isolated George
town, at les ?t so far as communica
tion with tl Is section is concerned.
The dami ge so'far reported 4s of
a minor ch iracter but the true ex
tent of the I), jury caused by the storm
has not yt t been determined. On
Sullivan's sland and the Isle of
Palms, subi rbs of Charleston, the
waves came up unusually high, caus
ing a genen 1 exodus of summer visi
tors.
A dispatt ti from Savannah says
suddenly ar pearing off the coast of
South Carol na and Georgia Sunday
morning, a -torm that had reached a
mile a min (te velocity at Savannah
venting its ,'orce on plate glass win
dows, signs street, lamps,' and trees
put all win s between Savannah and
Charleston >ut of commission and at
an early he ar Isolated that city and
Beaufort, S C.
Very higl tides are reported from
Tybee Islanl and early before the
wires were tost from Beaufort, S. <?.
Efforts to get into communication
by wireless with Charleston also
failed and lothing is known of the
extent of th } damage there. There is
a very larg< number of Savannahians
who formerly resided at Charleston
and there vas considerable uneasi
ness apparent there Sunday night on
account of the failure to hear from
that city.
Blazing : ockets were sent far into
the murky $ky above Savannah Sun
day night warning inhabitants of ex
posed Islam's along the Georgia coast.
No "%"b%e .unication was to be had
with Cnarl? ston yesterday. No train
on the Sou hern road had been able
to leave th s city up to last night. It
was said t lat the union depot and
some mile; of trestle had been de
stroyed by the storm at Charleston.
The last b tat leaving Sullivan's Is
land S?turc ay night was crowded and
left people on the Island . Since
then no firther news has been re
ceived. Tl e trains that should run
from Charleston come from Summer
ville instea d.
RACI. CLASH AVERTED.
I Negro Bel Boys Ambush a Hotel
S ghtseeing Party.
An alt< rcation between a hotel
clerk at ti e Elder House, in Indian
Springs, n< ar Jackson^ Ga., and two
negro (bell boys indirectly led to the
killing of esse Shingley and the ser
ious woun ling of Robert Connor, by
shots fired from ambush, supposedly
by the tw< bell boys from the hotel,
about darl Saturday evening.
Two ni groes were arrested by
Sheriff Criwford and taken to At
lanta, but all indications are that
they 'had nothing to do with the
crime, the r names being similar to
the two be 11 boys in question. Among
a certain element there was some
talk of lynching and race trouble^
but later I heriff Crawford made the
statement that there was nothing to
fear.
In Jack: on groups of men are talk
ing of the tragedy, but as well as can
be learnec no one has contemplated
violence. One of the bell boys has
made a c ean get-away. In Indian
Springs o: e would hardly know that
there had been, a killing, except that
outside of the hotel servants there is
not a ne$ ro to be seen in a public
place. ' 'hey are also sticking to
to their I omes in Jackson until pos
sibility of trouble blows over.
The tw.) men who were shot were
not connoted with the sheriff's of
fice. Thej were a party of six from
Jackson, .ho were driving to Indian
Springs. The two fugitives wanted
for threat sning the life of the hotel
clerk earlier in the day, hid in the
thicket to watch for the coming of
the sherif' from Jackson, and proba
bly misto >k the civilians for the of
ficers, i
Shingley fell at the first shot and
was deser :ed by his freightened com
panions. He bled to death in the
road. Co inor fell \rounded from his
buggy, s< veral yards up the road.
The othei s hid In the woods. They
were not ound until Deputy Knowles
heard of the shooting and found
them in he road. As the two bell
boys had evidently left the county
and othe. negroes are not blamed
for their action, feeling has died
down coir pletely.
Sab ons for Birmingham.
Jeffers' n county, Ala, of which
Birmingh .m is a large part Thurs
day voted to return to the legal sale
of liquor by licensed saloons by a
majority which may go to 2,000
votes.
GREAT DROUGHTS
THAT HAVE VISITED THE WORLD
IN YEARS GONE BY.
Some of the More Notable Ones
Mentioned and the Harm Some of
Them Did.
Frederick J. Haskins tellB of the
great droughts that have'visited the
world and the harm they did. He
says the causes of droughts, like vari
ous other phenomena of nature have
never been explained. They have
happened from time to time since
the beginning of the world, a&d in
former years have ibrought a far
greater suffering to mankind than
they are ever likely to cause again.
When the crops of a nation ?ail a
famine ensues, unless some provis
ion has been made to prevent it ' j
The first great drought on record
in the United StateB took place in
New England in 1749. Histories re
cord especially the suffering pt the
cattle-which could not find food inj
the dried up .pastures.
In some places the ground dried
up and cracked open in deep fissures.
The fish died in the dried up streams
and ponds.
. This drought also extended as far
south as Pennsylvania, for colonists
in that state imported hay from Eng
land to feed thei:- cattle at a cost of
three shillings per hundred-weight.
. Owing to the difficulty of obtain
ing food many farmers that year
slaughtered their cattle and subsist
ed during the winter upon the meat
thus secured, often having to eat it
without bread of any kind, since the
grain crop was almost a tota l fail
ure. .( ;
A second drought in New Sagland
took place In 1762 which caused
even greater Buffering than the first
It is claimed that at this time there
was .absolutely no rainfall frooa May
7 to July 30. Public fasts we^e pro
claimed and in most of the cburches
in Boston.
At Falmouth and other towns al
most continuous services were held
for a week in the different churches
to pray for rain. It is said that in
this drought thousands of cattle per
ished and that the loss to the colon
ists felt even up to the time of the
Revolutionary war.
Previous to the drought of this
year, the full extent of which cannot
yet be estimated the greatest brought
in he United States in the century
culminated in . the Mississippi a.~*
Missouri valleys in 1894 and in the
Great Lake regions and along the At
lantic coast in 1895. This drought
of 1894 was a culmination of diffi
dent'rainfalls for 1893.
The average difficieccy of the rafln
I fall during the drought throughout
the country amounted to 5 inches of
the annual precipitation. Notwith
standing this dry weather, there was
a normal yield in the wheat crop
throughout the country, and almost
normal in corn In 1894, although
both crops -fell a little short in 1895.
The average yield for corn in the
latter year stood at 19.4 butiaels per
acre instead of 23.5 which was nor
mal and the shortage in wheat that
year amounted to about 10 .yer cent.
In 1881 there wa3 a great drought
in the Missouri valley from July to
September which extended to various
other parts of tne country. In In
dianapolis, that year, the rainfall
from June 22 to August 30, a period
of 70 days, was less than 11-2 inches
while from May 15 to June 4, pre
ceeding, a period of 21 days, it was
less than 1-2 inch. During this
drought vegetables and the staple
crops suffered severely.
There was also a great loss of life
among cattle, which were often turn
ed loose to find food anc! water.
Springs and wells, which had always
run freely ran dry that year and in
many parts of the country the water
famine took a very serious aspect.
Services to pray for rain were held
in different churches in a large num
ber of cities. In many towns the
water supply was only available for
a few hours each day and its use was
greatly restricted.
Aside from its effects upon the
crops a great drought throughout
a country with as large manufac
turing interests as the United States
has a very appreciable effect upon
many branchs of trade. During the
droughts of 1S95, 1S94> and 1S91,
many factories were shut down for
months because of the failure of the
water supply.
In some of the Southern States
the manufacturing interests are be
ing materially affected by the
drought. At Charlotte, N. C, scores
of factories were shut down for sev
eral days until a means of supple
menting the water supply could be
devised.
Charged With Murder.
Charged with connection with the
death of Hattie Purcell, the 15-year
old daughter of William Furcell, H.
C. Cox was held to the Criminal
Court at Miami, Fla. wi'.hout bail
Thursday, after a preliminary hear
ing before Justice McCall. The girl's
father, Wiliam Purcell, will have a
hearing in a few days.
Postal Bank at Greenville.
Postmaster General Hitchcock Sat
urday at Washington designated 50
more postoffice of the first class as
postal savings depositories among
them being: Montgoiery, Ala., Ath
ens, Ga., Greensboro, N. C. Green
ville S. C. ? ';
; ORANGEBU
NEW DEVELOPMENT
MORE ABOUT THE ADOPTION OP
THE SCHOOL BOOKS.
Exchange Price Must be Fixed..Flor
ence County Trustees Denounce
New Adoption.
While official confirmation is
lacking, it is said' that members of
the State board of education will face
an interesting situation at its next
meeting, with reference to several
publishing-houBes which It is said
may refuse to accept the ruling of
board on the matter of the exchange
prices.
It is said that representatives of
several book companies will " appear
beiore the board asking that the
adopted exchange price schedule be
put in. To put in the first exchange
price would cause the board to re
scind its last action, which eliminat
ed the B. F. Johnson company.
The State board of education will
ask the D. C. Heath Publishing com
pany to change a statement in one
of the "Heart of Oak" readers that
have been adopted. This action will
be taken following the pretest by the
Confederate Veterans.
At Florence a feature of the meet
ing of the Florence County School
Trustees' association, held at Howe's
grove Saturday was the passage of
a resolution denouncing the recent
school book adoption. The resolu
tions, besides criticising the board
for making the changes, goes on to
"inform our State Superintendent of
Education that we can not and will
not require the patrons of our schools
to conform to the change."
J. E. Swearingen, State superin
tendent of education, who was pres
ent, said that he fully appreciated
the spirit of the members of the
association, as his feelings were the
same. "
NEW NAVAL TEST.
Will Supplementary Armor Decapi
tate Point of Projectile?
Delivery is expected at Indian
Head, Md.,, in the course of a few
weeks of a target, which has been
under'construction for some time at
the Norfolk Navy yard for the pur
pose of testing what is called the de
capping theory of armor for battle
ships.
This theory is that if a supplemen
tary sheet of armor about an inch
thich attached outside of the regu
lar armor, the outside sheet will
have the effect of destroying the soft
nose or cap of the siivll, which, thus
deprived of a greal portion of its
penetrating power will flatten Itself
out upon the second impact and do
no harm.
The cap which Is placed upon
shells includes certain. greasy mater
ial which protects the sharp end of
the projectile from being broken by
b> contact with the steel plates
which it is intended to pierce.
If the decapping theory proves suc
cessful in the tests, which are to be
held at Indian Head, it is believed
that the result will be a considerable
saving in armor, as well as a great
gain in the defensive power of bat
tleships. Should the outside decap
ping sheath do what its inventors ex
pect of it, only a few inches of armor
will suffice to resist the shell on the
blunted second impact.
Some of those who are skeptical
about the new device lay emphasis
upon its unwIeldllnesB and its ugli
ness( but Admiral Twining and the
bureau of ordnance are of the opin
ion that accomplishment of results
in actual warfare ? is the principal
purpose of battleships, and that if
the decapping theory turns out to be
well founded, the necessary sacrifice
of gracefulness should be cheer**sl
ly made.
LANDMARK OF WASHINGTON.
Jefferson Davis' Home While Secre
tary of War.
The old home of Jefferson Davis
while he was secretary of War was
relinguished Saturday by the militia
division of the war department,
which had occupied the historical
structure since the division was cre
ated several years ago. The Davis
home is one of the landmarks of the
capitol; standing on the corner of
18th and G streets.
The new home of the militia di
vision, located at the intersection of
'Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th
streets, diagonally apross from the
war department proper is also a no
table old building. When the citi
zens of the District of Columbia ex
ercised the franchise and were ruled
by a governor, this structure was the
municipal palace, containing all the,
executive offices of the local govern
ment. It is a little yellow brick
brick structure, and today makes a
sorry comparison beside the magnif
cent marble edifice containing the of
fice of the District commissioners.
Royalists to Invade Portugal.
Gen. Bastos, commander-in-chlef of
the Portugese forces on the north
ern frontier Friday informed the
minister of war, according to the
newspapers at Lisbon, the capital
that well equipped royalists in Gali
cia are about to invade Portugal. A
steady enlistment they say is going
on in the north of Portugal where the
whole population are monarchists
owing to the attitude of the repub
lic against the church.
>RG, S. C. TUESDAY, AUGU
DEATH ON TRAIN
Tuirly-Stvtn Killed and Six?; hjcred at
Manchester, N. Y.
COACHES LEAVE TRACK
While Speeding Over Trestle Six Cars
of Train Carrying G? A. R. Vet
erans From Bochester Encamp
ment Fall From Trestle to River
Forty Feet Below.
At least 37 person's are believed to
have been killed and more than 60
? Injured as e result of the wrecking
Friday of Lehigh Valley passenger
train No. 4. Speeding eastward be
hind time the train ran into a spread
rail on a trestle near Manchester, N.
Y. and two day coaches from the rear
section plunged crashing downward
striking the east embankmeni
40 feet below like a pair of projec
tiles.
The wreck was one of the most dis
' astrous ever recorded on the system,
j Crowded with pasengers, many of
whom were war veterans and excur
sionists from the G. A. R. encamp
ment at Rochester, the train, made
up of fourteen coaches, drawn by two
mogul engines, was 40 minutes late
when It reached Rochester Junction
and from there sped eastward to
make up time before reaching Ge
neva.
Following is the list of the dead at
the Shortsvdlle morgue:
T. C. iMadden, Trenton, N. J.;'E.
Pangbun, veteran, Brooklyn; A. M.
Hunsucker, Vineland, Ont.; Charles
Hicks, Newark 1N. J.; R. S. Uncle,
Southfield, N. 'j.; Mrs. A. E. Sud
Southfleld, N. J.; Mrs. A. E. E. Sud
leek, Buffalo, N. Y. Helen Pownell,
addess unknown; C. P. Johnson or
Dr. Johnson, Philadelphia or Cleve
land; Mrs. -C. P. Johnson; Joseph
Hickey, address unknown. The re
mainder of the dead were unidenti
fied.
The dead at Rochester: D. M. Beltt
veteran, Los Angeles, Cal.; Henry
Becker, brakeman. The other dead
at the Manchester morgue are seven
women two girls, four men and a
boy. ' On some are trinklets with
initials, but in many cases there is
little to work upon.
The engine and two day coaches
had just prosed C?e centre of a'400
foot trestle over Canaldaigua outlot,
150 yards east of the station at Man
chester, at 12:35 o'clock when the
Pullman car Austin, the third of a
long train, left the rails. It dragged
the dining car with it and the two
day coaches and two Pullmans, in
this order, followed. All bumped ov
er the ties a short distance before the
coupling btween day coach No. 237
and the rear end of the diner broke.
The forward end of the train dragged
the derailed Pullman Austin and the
diner over safely, after which both
plunge down the embankment and
rolled over.
The free end of an ill-fated Lehigh
Valley day coach, in which most of
the victims were riding, with a grand
Trunk day coach, stripped the rear
guard of the south side of the trestle
and plunged to the shallow river bed
more than forty feet below.
The end of the first day coach that
went over struck the east embank
ment of solid masonry, and with the
other sixty-foot car behind it, both
shot against tie wall with terrm
force.
Both cars were filled with passen
gers. In a few moments the cars
lay a mass of battered wood, metal
and glass under which a hundred
men women, and chllren, many of
whom were killed instantly, were
buried. The greatest destruction oc
currrd in day coach No. 237. A doz
en persons lafer were taken dead
from the second day coach, which af
ter following the first car over
snapped its rear coupling and thus
saved the rest of the train from be
ing dragged along.
This second day coach struck on
the bottom and stood end up, the
rear end projecting a few feet above
the top of the trestle. All of the pas
sengers in this car were piled in a
tangled mass of broken seats at the
bottom of the car.
Indescribable pandemonium fol
lowed. The Pullman car Emelyn,
which remained on the bridge with
one end projecting over the gulch,
and several cars behind it derailed
and in serious danger of going over
the mass of wreckage below, were
soon emptied of their passengers, who
aided by gangs of railroad employes
from the big freight yards at (Man
chester, rushed to help the injured.
It was several minutes, however, be
fore anybody reached tho cars at the
bottom to help the victims.
The cars did not catch fire. Axes
were secured and body after body
was reached and carried by rescuers
knee deep in the river bed to the
bank on the west side of the trestle.
There the dead and ?njured were
laid out ontheground and a field
hospital was established.
It was more than an hour before
many of the injured could be re
moved and special trains from both
Geneva and Rochester brought phy
sicians, nurses and medical supplies.
Hundreds awaited treatment and the
railroad station af Manchester, a ci
der mill and an ice house were used
to give temporary shelter and treat
ment to the suffering.
It was necessary to chop through
the sides and bottom of the day
coach at the bottom and the work of
ST 29, 1911.
CONFESSES MURDER
KILLED FATHER, MOTHER AND
HIS BROTHER.
At First He Stoutly Denied Any
Knowledge of the Crime but La
er He Confesses.
After having been pressed by con
tinuous questioning for almost 30
hours in the jail at Boonevll.le, Ind.,
William Lee late Friday made a
?Titten statement in which he said
he had killed his father, Richard Lee
in self-deefnse, after fhe father had
murdered his wife and younger son,
Clarence.
The bodies of Lee's father, mother
and brother were found in their burn
ing home early Thursday and Lee
was charged with the murder. Af
ter young Lee's statement Friday,
Sheriff Scales, fearing the prisoner
would be lynched secretly took him
to Evaneville.
Lee, who is twenty-two years old,
calmly reiterated his story that he
knew nothing of the circumstances
of the killing of his family until late
Friday afternoon, when he suddenly
said: "I have something preying on
my mind." Calling for paper and
pencil he wrote as follows:
"I was awakened by a noise and
went into the bedroom where my
father mother and brother slept. As
I opned the door I saw that my fath
er had murdered my mother and
brother. My father sprang at me,
axe in hand, exclaiming, "I will get
you too." I grabbed the axe away
from him and in.it him over the head
with it. I could smell kersoine and I
found oil had already been poured
over the bed. Ju?t because matches
were handy and I did not know what
else to do, I set fire to the bed cloth
ing and then gave alarm of fire."
After he had completed the state
ment he said: "1 didn't know what
else bo do when I set the place on
fire. I didn't know how the thing
would look." The streets about the
jail were crowded all day with town
people and farmers. ,;
The county officials said they plac
ed no faith in his statement. The
mo?ivo ascribed by the officials in
charging Lee with murder is that
he wished to obtain money with
which to be married to Mina Taylor.
?Cash amounting to $100 said to have
been in the Lee. house Wednesday
has not been found. The lives of
Richard and Clarence Lee were in
sured for $700. William Lee is
known to have quarreled with his
parents because they opposed his
marriage.
William Lee, of Evansville. Ind.
22 years of age, confessed late Sat
urday night that he murdered his
father, Richard Lee, his mother and
younger brother Clarence and then
set fire to the house in the hope of
concealing the crime, at Booneville,
Ind. early Thursday morning. In
verbal and written statements to
Sheriff Davis in the jail. Lee said
his motive was anger because his pa
rents would not consent to his mar
riage with Mina Taylor, of Newburgj
which he had planned for Thursday
evening and would not give him mon
ey with which to begin housekeep
ing.
When the tonfession was made
public officers started with Lee in an
automobile for the State reformatory
at Jeffersonville to prevent possible
mob violence. Lee had made a state
ment tt at he had killed his father in
self-defence with an axe after his
father had murdered his wife and
younger son, but Sheriff Davis press
ed the restless prisoner, for "the true
story" and Saturday afternoon he
wrote a haltingly worded confession.
removing the victims moved with
painful slowness. Death had come
swiftly to many, a large number of
the dead had their skulls crushed in
when they were thrown against the
car seats and projections. The mor
tality was .high among the older pas
sengers most of whom were veterans
of the War between the Sections and
their wives.
The wrecked train was in charge of
Conductor James Hilloc, of Geneva,
with Engineers Bowman and Callan
on the engines. Conductor Hillock
had just stepped from the dining car
to the next car in front when the
dining car left the track. He pulled
the signal for brakes and both engi
neers resjionded instantly. Engineer
Bowman of the second engine
was leaning from his cab window and
as he turned on the brakes he look
ed backward to learn the cause of
the trouble and saw the cars toppling
off the bridge.
Passengers in the cars which re
mained on the track gave prompt
assistance. Appeals for doctors and
nurses wore sent to the nearby
j places and special relief trains were
run from l>oth east and west. So
great was the number of injured that
there was work for all.
Will Pool Tobacco Crop.
Representatives of GO,000 farmers
of the bright belt of Virginia and
North Carolina, allied with the far
mers' Educational and Cooperative
union, in executive session at Greens
boro, N. C. Friday entered into an
agreement to pool the 1911 tobacco
crop until a price of not less than 15
cents per pound is obtained in any
section; the "bright" grade of tobac
co will be held for twenty cents. Del
egates to the meeting will, upon re
turning to their respective counties
work to have all the fanners join the
pool. u ;
DEATH AT RACES
TWO DEAD AND ABOUT THIRTY
SLIGHTLY HURT.
While .Automobile .Races .Are .in
Progress Granstand CoUapses, In
juring Spectators.
The 305-mile road race at Elgin,
111., won by Lon Zengel in a National
with Harry Grant second and Hugh
Hughes third, was not accomplished
without its toll of death and injuries.
Dave Boick, the veteran Chicago
automobile racer, and his mechanic
ian were killed as the result of an
accident to his Pope-Hartford. Buck
had his back broken but lived until
Saturday night. Sam' Jacobs, his
mechanician, died instantly, his neck
being broken. Buck wa.s within 11
laps of the finish, going 64 miles an
hour when his right forward wheel
threw a tire. The machine turned a
complete somersaul-.
Another accident in which thirty
persons were hurt, mostly slightly,
occurred after 11 o'clock, while the
first lap of the race was on, several
sections of the recently 'built circus
seats giving away. A thousand or
more- persons were precipitated to
the ground.
When the stringers by which the
seats were supported give way the
boards spread out like a pack of
cards and the spectators were shunt
ed in a huddle at the bottom. Four
sustained broken legs, among them a
daughter of Senator Lorimer, but
the others escaped with cuts and
bruises. From time to time during
the remainder of the day warnings
were shouted through megaphones
to the remaining spectators not to
jump to their feet in moments,of ex
citement. Many'left the grounds af
ter the accident.
The cars oh the course at the time
of the accident were stopped as soon
as they reached the repaid pits, but a
new start was soon made.
ENDS LONGEST FLIG3T.
Atwood Alight? in New Yorlc After
Flying from St. Louis.
Sailing serenely over New York's
water crafts, ocean liners and fer
ries, Harry N. Atwood, the Boston
aviator arrived in New York on
his aeroplane Friday, the first man
in history to. travel as far as from.
St. Louis to New York by way of
Chicago, in a heavier than air ma
chine.
Atwoods safe landing on Govern
or's Island, after flying down from
Nyack, N. Y., above the Hudson riv
er through a fog which made him
only dimly visible to the million
eyes that watched him, was a nota
ble incident in the annals of aero
nautics. He not only broke the re
cord for the world, covering 1 265
miles in an air line, or perhaps'lOO
more miles with his detours, but he
flew all the way in the same biplane
and with no important mishaps. At
wood s flight Is comparable only to
that made by fast trains, for he I
covered the distance in an actual fly
ing time of 28 hours and 31 min
utes.
Atwood's final lap In his journey
ney was a glide 25 miles from Nyack
N. Y., where he had stopped over
night. He landed, dapper and smil
ing, hatless and hungry, in the arms
of a handful of United States army
officers and men wno hailed him as
America's greatest aviator. "Well,
I'm glad its ended," said Atwood, as
he slopped from his nv.i<mine.
GREENVILLE COMPLAINS.
Suys Railroad Discriminates Against
Her Interests.
Unjust discrimination against
Greenville in favor oif Atlanta and
other points in the South were alleg
ed in complaints filed Saturday with
the interstate commerce commission
against the Southern railway and the
Old Dominion Steamship company.
The Lipscomb-Russell company of
Greenville says it is compelled to pay
a rate of 60 cents per 100 pounds on
roasted coffee shipped from New
York while Atlanta enjoys a rate of
56 cents a hundred, although it is
the more distant point.
Tho Gilreath-Durham company of
Greenville alleges that the same de
fendants exact a rate of $1.1-1 a hun
dred pounds on lamp goods from
New York to Greenville, while the
rate to Atlanta is only $1.05. Both
petitioners ask that Greenville be ac
corded the same rates that are ac
corded to Atlanta. The matter will
be considered at an early date.
Saw Mill Destroyed.
The large saw mill plant oi Mc
Iver brothers, near Irmo, was com
pletely destroyed by fire at about 10
o'clock Saturday night, entailing a
total loss of $5,000. A shingle mill
nearby was also completely destroy
ed. Tiie fire is thought to have orig
inated from the boiler. This was one
of the largest saw mill plants in Lex
ington county and the loss os com
plete as no insurance was carried.
Unfortunate Captain Paroled.
Capt. William M. Vanschaik, who
was -commander of the excursion
steamer General Slocum when it
burned at Hell Gate on-June 25, 1904
with a loss of a thousand lives was
paroled by the United States Govern
ment Saturday and returned to his
home in New York that night from
Sing Sing prison. ?'
0
TWO CENTS PER COPY.
DEATH IN RUSH
Meiiflg Piclnre Film Explodes Teniiyia
Aidieicf.
WILD RUN FOR DOOR
In Fierce Rush for Doorway Men,.
Women and Children Are Piled
Ten Feet High In Exit?Operator
Succeeds in Checking the Raging
Flames. j
Twenty-five persons were killed
and over 60p injured Saturday night
when a moving picture film exploded
in the Canonsburg, Pa., opera house.
Immediately following the flash of
the film some one shouted, "Fire!"
There was a rush for the exit and in
a moment there was a writhing,
screaming mass of humanity 10 feet
high in the narrow stairway' leading
to the entrance of the theatre. Most
of the dead were smothered. A ma
jority of the audience was composed
of women and children. In the fierce
rush for the exit, they were thrown
from their feet and trampled upon.
Others were thrown upon them and
those at the bottom of the human
pile were suffocated.
When two volunteer fire depart
ments reached the theatre the sight
staggered them. Thoso of the audi
ence who had escaped from the
building and other spectators drawn
to the soene were rushing about the
front of the building. ? No one it
seemed, was making. any effort to
aid the struggling mass within the
theatre.
The firemen pushed into the build
ing and practically threw persona in
to the streets. The dsad were laid
in a row along the sidewalk. Rela
tives fought and struggled to break
past the guards and reach the vic
tims.
Within a few moments after the
film flashed and the panic started
the fire whistles were blown. Prac
tically the entire population of "the
town responded and packed in nar
row Pike street from which the fatal
theatre entrance led. All of them
were apparently terror-stricken and
could give little aid. The only cool
persons were the fireman and sever
al members of the police force.
For several minutes after the ex
plosion the audience, numbering
about 1,500, was unaware of the ac
cident. The operator heroically
fought down the flames and suc
ceeded in extinguishing them.
Then, almost suffocated; he open
ed the door of the little box and
staggered out. With the opening of
the door, a dense cloud of smoke
poured into the auditorium.
At this moment some person yelled
"Fire!" Then started the rush for
the lone doorway leading to the nar
row eight-foot stairway. At the stair
way they collided and jammed Into
probably two hundred persons who
were awaiting the end of the perfor
mance to take the places of those
who had seen the show* Immediate
ly the narrow stairway was packed
and jammed ten feet high with the
dead' and dying.
WANTS RECOGNITION.
Issue Between Harrliaian Lines and
Blacksmith's Union.
A conference between Julius
Kruttschnltt, of the Union and
Southern Pacific railroads, and J.'W.
Kline, international president of the
Blacksmith's Union, was held at Chi
cago, Thursday without any steps be
ing taken toward v. settlement of
difficulties involving 25,000 shopmen
employed by the Harrlman lines.
The representatives of the railroad
interests and the labor organizations
were in conference several hours.
Both Vice President Kruttschnltt and
President Kline declined to discuss
what was done at the conference,
but it is said that the entire subject
of the railroad's refusal to recognize
the union's federation instead of in
dividual unions was considered at
lnegth. It is said VicerPresident
Kruttschnitt is following instructions
of the directors of the lines in refus
ing recognition of the federation.
The roads involved in the pres
ent discussion are: The Union Pa
cific, Southern Pacific, Central Pacif
ic, Oregon Short Line, Houston and
Texas Central, Oregon Railroad, and.
Navigation company, Los Angelen
and Salt Lake Railroad. Shop work
ers of the Illinois Central railroad
have a similar grievnnce. "
Many Cars Jump the Track.
Train No. ~G through freight from
Jacksonville to Columbia was* wreck
ed at Whaley, several miles north o'.
Ulackville early Saturday. Seventeen
freiglit cars were thrown from tho
track. Several cars mere completely
demolished. No one was hurt. Tho
train was in charge of W. H. Heins,
conductor who resides in Columbia,
The cause of the wreck has not yet.
been determined.
Uncle Sain Not Consulted.
Torpedo practicet by the German
cruiser Bremern in Buzzard's Bay,
without permission from this Govern
ment, is regarded by officers of tho
navy at Washington, as a breach of
international etiquette and a fit sub
ject for a protest to Germany. The
matter, howevar, they declared is
largely a "Statt department affair.'*