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DtlUm %rali>. ' 1 . ESTABLISHED IN 1805. DILLON, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY MORNING, AUGUST 10, 1911. Vol. 17. No. 27. NEWS OF JE COUNTY NEWSY LETTERS FROM DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE COUNTY COMING AND GOING OF PEOPLE News Items of Interest to Herald Headers. Ebb and Flow of the Human Tide. Kemper Dots. The farmers of this section are i looking as happy as a king. They: are about through work for this' year. \ The Kemper Sunday School is r improving very fast. We trust it will improve still more in the fu-i ture. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Peritt, oi Fork, were the guests of Mr. J. A.1 Church last Sunday. \ Mr. A. W. Smith, of Pages Mill, was a pleasant visitor in this sec-. tion Sunday. Hurrah for Mr. Smith in Kemper. Misses Maude and Lester Mears spent Saturday in town with friends. Miss Nina Wilson spent Sunday with Miss Emma Brewer. Miss Nina Wilson has been very ill for about a week. We are glad to say that sh'e is improving very fast now . Miss Emma Brewer went to Charleston last Thursday .where she received a treatment for her eyes. She has been having lots of , trouble with them, but we trust: that they will soon be better. Look out girls, you are going to have a sport now. Mr. Elbert Wilson is going to quit working at j the mill, and sport around a while before he returns to school. You all must put on your best looks A for Mr. Wilson. ldtt'.e Miss Geneva Robbi-is was l>leasant)> entertained Sunday hy Misses Vera Brewer and Virgie Wilson. Blue Eyes. Red Bluff Items. Mrs. Wm. Myers entertained a number of friends last Wednesday afternoon. Glad to report that Mrs. D. C. j Quick, who has been very sick, is able to be up a little now. Misses Ethel lvey, of L.atta, and Gertrude Quick, of Brightsville, spent a few days last week as the j guests of Misses Atlanta and Anna i Belle Gibson. Mrs. D. P. Patterson, of Hope Mills, is visiting her sister, Mrs. D. j C. Quick. Messrs. N. L. and T. A. Gibson with Misses Ethel lvey, Atlanta and Anna Belle Gibson, and Gertrude and Hattie Quick, spent Thursday at Gibson and Hamlet enjoying their auto ride in the rain. Mr. Gibson seemed all smiles when he arrived at home without any bad I luck. The R. B. U A. S. met at the i home of Mrs. N. L. Gibson Wednesday with 21 present. Next meeting will be at Miss Alice Stan' tan's. M. T. Bboth, of Pages Mill, was a pleasant visitor in this section a | few days ago. Willie Quick has returned from! a pleasure trip to Robeson county. Mrs. .Neal Stanton is visiting in this section. Miss Attie West, of Lumberton, spent a few days in this vicinity. Misses Atlanta and Anna Belle ; Gibson entertained a house party last week. N. L. Gibson and family visited F. H. Ivey Sunday afternoon. Miss Gertrude Quick returned to her home in Brightsville, after spending a few weeks in this sec- i tion. Master Evans Quick, who has been suffering with rheumatism, is slowly improving. ; i Many from this section seem to j ] be enjoying the water at Jackson ( Springs. With best wishes to The Herald i and its constant readers. BROWN EYES. ' ! Reedy ('reek I)ntx. ' The crops In this section are looking fine and some ot the corn would be hard to beat. I 'Mrs. Townsend and two little daughters, of Climax, Ga., are here ] on an extended visit to her daugh-i, ter, Mrs. H. N. Cousar. Mr. and Mrs. A. M. McGregor left j Wednesday for Jackson Springs to . spend several weeks. 1 j <mr Mr. l^eslie McLucas is visiting , relatives and friends in the upper ( part of the state. ; I Mrs. T. G. McLeod and children, t of Bishopville, are visiting at the , home of her mother, Mrs. W. McD. ( Airord. Mrs Magie McLaughlin, we are! glad to report is able to be up, after a long Illness with typhoid fever. Miss Anna McGolI, after spend-, iug some time with relatives and; friends in Rowland, has returned home. Mrs. C. J. Hunter, of Florence, is viBiting her sister, Mrs. E. M. Fennegan. ' Mr. T. J. Mcl^eod, of Bishopville spent Sunday in this section. Mr. Eugent McCormac, of Maxton, F- is spending some time with his motner, Mrs. Elisabeth McCormac. Mr. Rod McLucas spent last week In McColl. Misses Nancy and Sallle McLeod returned last week from a visit to friends at Hamer. | TO REMAIN IN JAIL AWHIliK Nursing MtrtJicr Will llegin Serving Life Sentence letter. Columbia, Aug. 5. ? Special :At the urgent request of the trial Judge, the Hdn. R. C. Watts, Governor Blease has commuted to ten years the life sentence imposed at Spartanburg last month on a negro youth, John Henry lArummond, who killed his stepfather, it is alleged, at the command of his mother, Anna Drummbond was also convicted and given a life sentence, but in her case the Governor, acting on The recommendation of Judge Watts, has ordered that the woman be kept in the Sparttanburg j county jail for some months be- i fore being committed to the Peni- j tentiary, because she has a young baby, which requires her care. Judge Watts wrote the Governor on July 31: Anna Drummond and John Henry Drummond were con-1 victed before me to-day of murder with a recommendation to mercy. They were charged with killing the husband of Anna Drummond. Anna Drummond has a nursing infant in her arms, about two months old, and I think it would be in the in- j terest of humanity that she be allowed to stay in jail here until the child is several months older. John Henry Drummond is only about 12 years old and whatever he did in the homicide case was evidently under the influence and direction of his mother. 1 think that his sen-) tence should immediately be com-; muted to ten years. I think it j wouici be better to let him stay in the Penitentiary until that time; at the ' Xpiration of that titme heshould be freed. I desire to act on this matter at once by reason of the fact that in ten years' time from now there is no telling whether 1 will be living or not and no telling what the Governor at that time would do. I have already sentenced him to the Penitentiary for life. With kind regards and best j wishes." etc. BOUND OVER TO (Xll KT. Arcli MeCoi'iuac Chained With K? - . i/.'li *g Hound Ovv.y by Magis- j tmtc McRae. Arch McCormac, colored, charged w?th selling whiskey, was given a hearing in Judge McRae's court Saturday and will be held for trial at the September term. McCormac was captured near the State line by Sheriff Dane. The Sheriff was on ( the trail of the parties who broke j into a store at Hamer several j weeks ago when he came upon Mc- j Cor mac. At the time of his ar- ! rest McCormac intimated that he was a member of a gang that had been operating on the state line for several months and gave the names of Daniel McCollum, Poss Fox, Dun Murphy, Dock Bethea, Jno. McNair and J. W. Moore as his accomplices. These negroes were arrbsted, but there was no evidence to connect them with the store robbery or any whiskey selling and they were dismissed. Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Elliott are I at Hendersonville, N. C., for a few ; weeks. MANY EVADE INCOME TAN. ?? ? * 1 - . -I" ,? - uunv ur lW|lf!ll JJ?H| Says Jones. Columbus, August 4. ? Special: The chances are that Comptroller i General Jones will repeat the recommendation that he made last year with reference to the income tax law. Last year Mr. Jones reported; "Unless provision is made to secure impartial enforcement of the law in common justice to those who are now making true returns, the whole law should be repealed." The law appears to operate in spurts. While there can be no doubt that the incomes in this State are larger than they have been, the record shows that during the year 1910 the income tax received by the State was less than in previous years. The whole fact of the matter is that there is a disposition to ignore the law Practically half of the entire amount paid now oomes from Richland and Charleston counties. In Greenville county the total amount paid on account of the income tax is less than $400, while in 1906 it was almost twice this amount. Powerless Under Present System Mr. Jones admits that he is powerless to secure a better enforcement of the law unless he has more direct control over the county auditors, and this seems to ' he impracticable. As Mr. Jones points out, it is found that the auditors in some counties are dis- ] posed to be careful in the en- ( 'orcement of the law, while in ather counties they are entirely ' indifferent. There are eight ooun:ies in the State that make no ' returns whatever, indicating that ' :here are no business men in hose counties havinsr an income of >ver <2,500. The Supreme Court has indicated that the law is constitutional, sut the court is powerless to sug- j' <est a method by which it can be!" more generally enforced, and all 1 .hat it can say is that the prin-1 < eiple is right, but it has no meth- J1 id of enforceing the law. Of course ;( the whole situation resolves back |1 into the efficiency of the county iuditors. 1 The revenue from the income tax law, which has been on the statute books since 1898, is now <14,000; last year it was fid,000. If Mr. Jones could stir up the 1 iuditors in the counties the in- j come would probably be four-fold, but it has been a vain fight for more than ten years. jj CHARGED WITH MURDER AIKEN COUNTY TRAGEDY CAUSES GREAT EXCITEMENT WOMAN DIESTROM THE SHOCK Occasioned by Beating of Husband and Nephew by Parties Seeking to Prevent Marriage Ceremony. Aiken, August 4. ? Special: Rural Policemen Busbee and Samuels brought in late to-night A. L., Holstein, Sidney Holstein, G. C. Holstein, G. C. Holstein and Dock Cockrell, charged with the death of Mrs. Ben Spradley, and the severe beating of Ben Sradley. The cause of the unfortunate affair was the planned marriage of Plum Spradley to a daughter of A. L. Holstein, which the parents of the girl could not prevent, and the Holsteins visited the home of Ben Spradley with the intention of whinninc Plum Spradley. They had taken him out and were mercilessly beating him when Ben Spradley interferred, and he also suffered a severe beating. The excitement was so intense that Mrs. Spradley died from the shock. She leaves a baby of five weeks. Ben Spradley is now in an unconscious condition and little hope is held for his recovery. This affair happened on Wednesday night, and the community is greatly wrought up over it. Mr. Ben Spradley lives within about two miles of Marietta in the Bethel Church section. Probable Cause of Trouble. The cause of the unfortunate occurrance dates back to a harness cutting scrape, which took place in a church in Wards Township, about a month ago in which young Spradley was accused of having participated. A number of young men went to the church at the time, and during the services went out among the vehicles and cut up several sets of harness. Mr. Spradley and two others were accused of the offence, and were tried for it. The first trial result cu in it uiiatricii, uui me second trial all three parties were acquitted. But some of the people of the community seem to think that he was guilty, even though the evidence brought out at the trial was insufficient to prove this guilt, and dissatisfaction prevailed over the outcome of the final trial, and, foy this reason, it is thought that ffTe affair of last night sprang from this. The report which reached the city this morning has created quite a sensation, and other details of the affair are awaited with intense interest. Augusta, Aug. 5. ? Columbus Spradley, one of the victims of the Holstein "night cap" affair in Ward Township, Aiken county, is in Augusta, and to-night went into details, telling of his own flogging, but was mistlfied when told that Ben Spradley had been flogged and Mrs. Spradley frightened to death. He was seated on the porch of Ben Spradley's home, he said, waiting until 9:30 the hour fixed for his elopement with Gussie Mae Holstein, when the were going to Saluda to be married. He was called to the gate by at unknown man, whom he recognized later as a cousin of the girl. Covered with a shotuun he was ordered to p-et in to a buggy and driven 100 yards from the house where a party of six other members of the Holstein family joined them. Say? Lynching Threatened. He says they held a connference to decide what to do with him, and A. L. Holstein, the girl's father, wanted to lynch him to a near-by t*-ee. Finally he suggested that he be allowed to leave tne community, but they insisted that he be punished, whereupon he was stripped, thrown to the ground and held by some members of the Holstein mob, while L. Holstein belabored him with a buggy trace. He was left in a dnzen condition and told to get out of the community, the mob going back in the direction of Ben Spradley's home. He walked fifteen miles to Johnston, arriving there about daylight, and came to Augusta. determined to Get Married According to Columbus Spradley, Ben Spradley was evidently flogged inside or in front of his own home, and not on the same spot where the young man was flogged, l'oung Spradley still has the marriage license, procured the day before the flogging, and declares he is going back to Monetta and carry out the plan he and Miss Holstein had made to run away and get married. Attention Hoys! I have just received a oommuncaion from Col Bond, Superintendent of the Citadel,saying there Is a meant scholarship from Dillon :ounty to that institution. As is well known, this scholarship covers a period of four years and is; worth about $1,200.00. The examination will be held In :he court house next Friday, Aug. | 11, beginning at 9 o'clock. R. S. Rogers, County Supt. of Education. 1*. 8. I shall not be in the sup- j perlntendent'8 office Saturday the 12th. Rev. A. N. Brunson is spending! i short while at Hendersonville. I TWO DROWN AT COM Mill A. Boat Springs Leak unci Drowns Two Voung Men at Park l-ako. I Keene Brown and Clarence triggers, well known young men of Columbia, were drowned 'n Ridgewood lake yesterday a few minutes before noon. The lake is about 200 yards from the end of the car line and is a summer amusement park. The two young men who lost ; their lives and J. W. Parrent and J. B. Lewis, all employed on the, Seaboard Air Line, were taking a boat ride on the lake. Brown. I Driggers and Parrent were in one I boat and Lewis in another with a boy whose name is not known. I ! They had been down to the dam j about half mile from the pavilion and were on their way back to surrender the boat when the accident occurred. Lewis and I the little boy were possibly 100 I yards ahead of the other youngi men. Parrent, the young man who \V:ik ill tlio lino* Urmun niul Driggers, hut was saved, said that the i?oat they used. No. 3. had water in when they took it. It was 'dipped out. John Fause, the negro, i who rented them the boats, said ! the water had been splashed in by! I the people who last used the boat. : Lewis verified this statement by 1 Parrent. j Parrent said the water contiued I to come in as they went down the lake and back. ile thought the boat leaked. They continued to dip lit out, the best they could, but ! the boat went down about 200 | yards west, of the pavilion and about 75 yards from the shore. Parrent 'clung onto the boat, and Brown and Drigp.ers made an effort to swim to the bank. A little boy came to Parrent and gave what assistance ihe could. Boat. Kxnmined. Several hours after the accident ! the boat was brought up to the l pavilion and examined, but no leaks I were found. It is the theory that 1 the occupants of the boat were sitting too much on one side and the water gradualy came over in the boat. The place where the accident occurred is about seven or eight feet deep,if they went down in the channel of the creek, the water in this j part of the lake is only four or five feet deep. It is not known whether or not Brown and Driggers i could swim. The young men, with the exception of Driggers, had worked Sun Iuay nignt. Keene Hrown was night watchman; .1. W. Parrent is night hostler: J. 15. Low is is night 'clerk in the yard office, and Clarence Driggers was employed as fireman. He had not worked for the past few days, owing to the engine on which he fired being "cutt off." They went out yesterday morning for a little recreation, rowing on the lake. Driggers joined the party on the corner of Main and Taylor streets. ? 9 i MAINE WRKCK Ol'T OF W'ATKK ' Removal of Mud tlie Task Xow Lying Hefore Engineers. Havana, July 21. ? All the water in the cofferdam surrounding the Maine has been removed, showing the wreck embedded in the mud from the estimated depth of thirtyseven feet around the after part of the vessel to an indeterminable depth. Part of the lower deck of vessel has completely disappeared. The engineers intend to begin the | work of drawing out the soft mud suction. Simultaneously they will begin the work of dissecting the great confused mass of.metal. The bow section now stands upward of twenty feet high. A curious feature resulting from the removal of the water is that amidship the main deck and cen- i tral superstructure, remaining practically level, constitute in effect a great cantilever sustaining their own weight without any direct under support. The structural parts of the ship beneath this section have been destroyed. The aft midship section of the berth deck in which were the ward rooms, is fully exposed and almost entirely filled with mud, the removal of which will be slow and difficult. Hopes are entertained that in this section may be found the body of Assistant Engineer Merritt, who is believed to have been in his state i room at the time of the disaster. Some bones were discovered near i lie uvcimnifu coiining lower, where the remains of prohabiy four bodies were previously found. Prom present indications three or four months will elapse before the mud surrounding the wreck is removed, and all portions of the ship made visible. Miss Bryant Wins Piano. The popularity contest that the l^atta Observer has been running for the past few months closed Monday night with Miss Hattie Bryant the successful candidate. The grand upright piano was awarded to her Tuesday morning, along with our congratulations and those of her many friends. Miss Bryant did not lead the race until last week. Among the contestants were two other young ladies. We wish to thank her and the other contestants for the help they have given the paper by increasing the subscription list. Miss Bryant's total vote was 326,225. The next i nearest was the Epworth League wfch 172,725 votes. ? Lattn Observer. Mrs. Jno. T. Walsh, of Lyles ville. N. C., is visitting Mrs. J. A. i Nettles. 4 DEATH OF YOUNG WOMAN FATAL ACCIDENT AT ANDERSON CODNTY HOSPITAL FEARFUL LAMP_ EXPLOSION, j mi ss Moffett, Nurse, find Hospital Orderly Also Severely Kiinuil, butj Will Recover. Anderson, Aug. 7. ? Special: As the result of an explosion at the ! Anderson County Hospital this afternoon, Miss Mabel Carpenter Thompson, the superintendent of the institution, is dead, Miss Josie Moffett, a trained nurse, of Due West, is badly burned, and Charles Barnes, the hospital's negro orderly, who held the kerosene lamp when it exploded, is suffering with an ugly gasli in the head and painful burns on the arms, hands and face. Miss Moffett and the negro orderly are painfully injured and are confined to their beds, but are expected to be back at their work within the next week or ten days. Miss Moffett's injuries are on her hand and arms. How Kxplosion Occurred. The explosion occurred when the orderly was pointing out to the plumber a defect in the primer kesosene lamp, that is used to heat the sterlizing machine. The negro pumped air into the lamp, to show where it was leaking. Some screw al>out the lamp must have been loose, for the explosion followed, hurling the top of the lamp toward Miss Thompson, who was looking on. Practically all of the kerosene was thrown on Miss Thompson, and in a second's time she was one mass of flames. Her face, head, arms j and chest were saturated with oil and before assistance could reach her, she was burned horribly. She very probably swallowed some of the gas and flames. Miss Moffett was attracted from the adjoining room and she had presence of mind enough to gath ! vri 111? liiu carpet on me uuor anu I throw it around Miss Thompson, who was thrown to the floor and j rolled over and over. The chemical fire extinguishers were brought into use and in a few : moments the blaze was extinguished. In the fight against the fire, 1 Miss Moffett received her wounds. The negro orderly received his ; wounds when the explosion occurred, a flying part of the lamp hitting him on the head, and the j flames leaping to his face. Native of Ohio. | Miss Thompson came to Anderson from Dayton, Ohio, last November. ; Her home is in Damascus, Ohio, and her sister, at Salem, Mass.. has j been notified. She has a brother in New York, but his address is j unknown. Both of her parents are dead. Since coming to Anderson she endeared herself to all the people with whom she has come in connection. She made an ideal superintendent, and under her supervision the hospital was getting along very nicely. Her fatal accident has cast a gloom over the city, i She was about 30 years of age. No funeral arrangements have yet been made, but it is presumed I that her liody will be sent to her home at Damascus, Ohio, for burial. This horrible accident and sad sequel is a terrible blow to the hospital and to the people of the city and county. Miss Thompson yesterday received an offer of the superintendency of a large Northern hospital, carrying a much larger salary than she received here, but because she was contented with her work here and because of the fact that her work was highly satisfactory and appreciated bv the people generally, she declined the offer last night. AITOMOB11 jK TURNS TUKTl.K Three Injured Near Aslieville, One Perhaps Fatally. Hendersonville, N? C., Aug. 5.? Special: Within plain sight of helpless passengers 011 the passing "Carolina Special," an automobile with five occupants turned turtle on the level Asheville highway, near here this morning. Three of them prominent people of Charlotte and Columbia, were caught underneath the car with possible fatal inujries to one of them. The cause of the accident is still unex-, plained. Mrs. Fred. H. White, of Charlotte, sustained a broken arm and serious internal inujries. She may reeov-, er. Mrs. J. B. Whitford, of Charlotte, has her collar bone and arm broken. Although serious!^ injured she will recover. The car was driven by its owner, Fred H. White, of Charlotte, who was t rhtly injured. The other occupants, both of whom jumped and escaped in-1 jury, were J. B. Vhitted, and Mrs. j S. H. Norcombe, of Columbia. The part;- were guests of Kanuga | Club en route to Asheville. The first aid was rendered by the chauffeur of a passing car, who made record time in getting the party back to Kanuga Club, where' the injured are now receiving medical attention. Mr. W. M. Hamer, of Dillon, was in the city last Friday. He and j Capt. B. F. Hamer went to Laurin- j burg to see Dr. Alfred Hamer, who , has been quite ill. Mr. Hamer said j that he had never seen better crops than those around Dillon and Little Rock. He said that Marlboro crops were far below an average.?^ Pee Dee Advocate. i THK I'KIZK ACKK OF <X)TT<>N. < lit ton Stanton Has Afiv TluU. Clallenxcx Attention. Mr. Editor: ? We have heard of many boys in this section competing for prizes in the oorn contest, but little has beens aid of prize acres of cotton, us the corn stents to take the day, but if some of the men in this section who are interested in farming will call atound to see a prize acre of cotton that Mr. Clifton C. Stanton has on the D. McLiaurin plantation, uj3t above liittle Rock, we believe they would open their eyes. It was with some difficulty that Mr. Stanton succeeded in gettting a good stand, and because somewhat discouraged at first, and did not wish it known that he expected any unusual or remarkable yield from this acre, but he does not now seem to be ashamed to confess that he did plant and fertilize with the intention of gathering as much cotton as any farmer in this community from one acre of ground, tfareadwell's double jointed is the variety that he nlanted aiul we are constrained to believe that more will be beard of it later. Respectfully. 1). A. Johnson. M M FIXEKBK HAS) FINK TKIF Returns From River Inspection Tour. Mrs. Flh?rlH?'? Poem. Washington, August ?. ? Special: Representative J Edwin Ellerbe, of the <?th South Carolina district, got buck to Washington last night, afier what he declared was a most enjoyable and instructive trip with the Rivers and Harbors committee, of which he is a member, along the Ohio and other rivers, as the guests of the city of Pittsburg, which is interested in the various channel improvement projects affecting these streams. Mrs. and Miss Ellerbe, who accompanied the Representative will return to Marion immediately. While on lite trip Mrs. Ellerbe I wrote a poem wh'Ch was widely | published in the Western press, and of which 50,000 copies will be printed for distribution by its admirers in that section. WOMAN SHOOTS (iltKKN WOOD .MAX. JiOwery Muse Not K.\|?ectetl to Itecover?Assailant Escapes. Greenwood, Aug. 5. ? Special: Howery Muse, a young planter of the Verdery section of the county, was shot and perhaps fatj?iiy wounded last night by a negro woman named 1-eila Fisher. The shooting took place near the home of Mr. Muse atniut 11 o'clock lastnight. Mr. Muse is a son of the Ry. J. 15. Muse, of Due West. His fimier moved to Due West the first of the year, and since that time the young man has been living on the farm near Verderv, and it was near the old home that the shooting occurred. The negro woman made her escape. The officers aire still searching for her, hut it is believed that she managed to catch one of the late Seaboard trains ait Cana, a small station near, and has left the State. Young Muse wais carried to one of the Augusta hospitals early morning. Atttending physicians at Verdery do not hold out any hope of his recovery. The abdomen was pierced by the bullet from a 3 2callibre pistol. Prominent Citizen Dead. Mr. I). D. McDuffie, one of the most prominent citizens of the Fork secaion, died on the 3rd. Mr. McDuffie wais 8 8 years of age amd leaves : wife and three daughters. Misses Kate and Penny McDuffie, who hold prominent positions in New York, and Miss Lizzie McDuffie, who lives at the home place. Mr McDuffie had been in declining health for some time, but his death was unexpected. He was a man of sterling qualities of mind and heart, a leader among his fellow men, and. his death is a distinct It00 'a his community. He was buried at the family plot near his home. Does advertising pay? Ask Dr Davis of the Dillon Insurance Agency Two weeks ago The Herald carried a page ad. for Dr. Davis describing one of the policies he writes. The ad. brought two enquiries from another county Dr Davis went up to explain the merits of the policy and wrote each of the parties $10,(too. TOIll'KIUI civ uni > ? , * .1 i \ Mil/ \ * ri IVOTi. Small <ijrosc(?|M' Utwxl For Steering l'urpo??t by American Navy Washington, Aug. 7. ? Though the reports of the experts who have been watching the operations of battleships, torpedo destroyers, and sub-marines near Provincetown, Mass., have not yet reached the Navy I>epartment, officials of the division of material declare there is not the slightest probability of abandonment of the use of dirigible torpedoes in naval warfare because of their alleged inaccuracy. They insist that the torpedo has been greatly improved in recent years, not only on the matter of spwd and range but in accuracy and direction. It is true that in rare instances the automatic steering gear of the torpedo has blocked itself causing the weapon to take an erratic course but through the use of a small gyroscope withthe shell it is generally possible to hold the torpedo on a very accurate course. Jk