Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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p Ittammaimm t.\m u THE PRINCIPAL EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE 3CARD OF ENQUIRY BASED ITS Verdict lathe E lowing l p of the Battleship 21aice In the Hattor of Havaca,?nd About WhJch There Has Bten so Mcch Said. The following are the principal portions of the testimony upon which the Board of Enquiry appointed to investigate tbe destruction of the Battleship Maine based its verdict: It is a story intensely interesting to the American people. These who read it can have little doubt as to whether there was an- internal or external explosion. Perhaps the most significant testimony is that showing the bottom plates on the port side of the ill-fated Maine to be bent inward and upward, a result thai hardly could have followed anything save an explosion from the outside. A mass of testimony is submitted showing the care exercised on board the ship by Capt. Sigsbee and his officers ana the apparent impossibility of the accident occurring by any internal cause, such as the heating1 of the bunkers, spontaneous combustion, or from ether causes upon which so many theories were based. The testimony of Capt. Sigsbea is of the greatest importance and perhaps is of more general interest than that of any other man called before the board. With great care and minute ness he gives an account of ;he management o? the ship, how she was handled, what was dor e from day to day on board, how she sailed into Havana, her anchorage and what he knew about, and, in fact, every point upon which the government and the country desires to be informed. Nothing in Capt. Sigsbee's testimony shows that the anchorage was changed or that it was considered dangerous by any one. Secona to the importarca of the testimony of Cdpt. Sigsbee is that of Ensign Powelson, who had charge of the divers and knew from day to day what these divers found. Kis testimony was to a certain extent technical, bearing upon ihe construction of :;he ship, her plates, etc., but it was :.'rom these plates, and this technical !know!edpe. that he was able to dis dose that the explosion took place from the outside. The divers, Morgan, Olsen and 3mith, all contributed important evidence. They testified that the plates were bent inward, on the bottom port side, and cutward on the starboard side. The story of the explosions is told by different witnesses and adds little to what Capl Sigsbee and Commander Wainright related. Nothing in the testimony fixes responsibility no conspiracy is apparent, no knowledge of the planting of a mine is shown. A witness whose name is suppressed, tells of overhearing a conversation among Spanish officers and a citizsn indicating a foreknowledge of the destruction of the Maine by intention to blow her up. An official of the American consulate tells of information received anonymously tending to show that a conspiracy existed. But nothing is definitely stated which fixes any responsibility upon Spain or her subjects. - Capt. Sigsbee started his testimony by describing the arrival of the Maine in Havana harbor and her anchorage to what he understood to be one of the regular buoys of the place. He could not state whether the Maine was placed in the usual berth for menof-war, but said that he had heard re Tnarffs since ine expiosiou,u^iug v_/ay.. Stevens, temporarily in command of the Ward line steamer City of Washington, as authority for the statement, that he had never known, in all his experience, which covered visits to Havana for five or six years, a manof-war to be anchored at that buoy; that he had rarely known merchant vessels to be anchored there and that it was the least used buoy in the harbor. In describing the surroundings at the time of the explosion Cact. Sigsbee stated that the Alphonso XII was at her usual berth, about 250 yards to the northward, and westward of the Maine, 'ine Maine coaled at Kay West, taking on about 150 tons, the coal being regularly inspected and taken from the government coal pile. No report was received from the engineer that any coal had been too .* long in the bunkers, and the fire alarms in the bunkers were sensitive. In so far as the regulations regarding infiamables and paints on board, Capt. o:?i j.?4.1 /. oigsoee w&kuieu uiafa ioio xcgu.iaw.uAia were strictly carried out in regard to the storage, and that the waste also was subject to the same careful disposition. Regarding the electric plant of the Maine, Capt Sigsbee stated that . there was no serious grounding nor sudden flaring up of the lights before the explosion, but a sudden total eclipse. Capt Sigsbse said he examined the temperature of the magazine himself and conversed with the ordnance officer as to the various temper atures and the contents of the magazines and, according to the opinion of this officer, as well as Capt Sigsbee, the temperatures were never at the danger point At the time of the dis aster the two after boilers in the after fira room were in use bscause the hydraulic system was leaking. Speaking generally of his relations witn the Spanish authorities, Capt. Sigsbee stated that with the officials they were outwardly cordial When asked whether there was any demonstration of animosity by the people afloat, Captain Sigsbee said that there never was on shores, as he was lniormea, dui tnera was anoai. He then repeated that, oj. the first * Sunday after the Maine's arrival, a ferryboat crowded densely with people, civil and military, returning from a bull fight in Regla, passed the Maine and about 40 people on board indulged in yells, whistles and derisive calls. During the stay in Havana Captain Sigsbee took more than ordinary precautions for the protection of the Maine. The Maine, at the time of the explosion, was heading approximately northwest He was writing at his port cabin table at the time of the ex . plosion and was dressed. He then went into a description of the explosion when he felt the crash. He characterized it as a bursting, rending and crashing sound, or roaring of immense volume, largely metallic in its character. It was succeeded by a metallic sound, probably of falling debris, a trembling and lurching motion of the vessel, then an impression of subsidence, attended by an eclipse of electric lights and intense darkness within the cabin. He knew immediately that the Maine had blown up and that sne was sinking. As soon ashe arrived on deck sentries were ordered placed about the sh.p .^nd the forward magazine flooded, if practica- j ble. Then came faint cries aid he saw dimly white floating bodies in the water. Boats were at once ordered j lowered, but only two were found available, the gig and whale boai. They were lowered and manned by officers and men and, by the captain's direction, they left the ship acd assisted in saving the wounded, jointly with other boats that had arrived on the * or.e. Fire a midship by this time j COC I?EM ?i? irgrrnn^l MB " 8 W&ffSPBOXtOBS* was burning fiercely and the spare ammunition in the pilot house was exploding. At this time Lieutenant Commander zine, which contained little powder, about 390 pounds. The 10-inch magazine was in the same general region, but on the starboard side. Over the 10 inch magazine is the loading rcom of the turret and in the adjoining passage a number of 10 inch shells were permanently pkcsd. According to Captain Sigbse, it would be difficult to conceive the explosion in volvea the 10-inch. magazine. bscaus? of the location of the explosion, and that no reports show that any 10 inch shells were hurled into the air because of the explosion. | He said the discipline of the ship was excellent. In the engineer's department, the vessel was always ready and always responsive. Hepaidatri bute to the crew and said that a quieter, better natured lot of men he had never kaown onboard any vessel in which he had served. On his examination by the court, Captain Sigsbee said that the highest temperature he could remember was 112, but that was in tbe after msgszine, the temperature in the forward magazine being considerably lower. There was no loose pow der kept in the magazine. The coal bunkers were ventilated through air tubes, examined weekly by the chief engineer, and were connected, electrically, to the annunciator near his cabin door. The forward coal bunker, on the port side, was full. The forward coal bunker, on the starboard tt?qc Kainor I I waa JUfiiL lbui) OUU * W n uw j used at the time of the ex-Wainwright whispered to the captain that he thought the 10-inch magazine forward had been thrown up into the burning mass ard might explode in time. Everybody was then directed to get into the boats over the stern which was done, the captain getting into the gig and then proceeding to the "City of Washington," where he found the wounded in'^he dining salon being carefully attended by the officers and crew of the vessel. Various Spanish officials came on board and expressed sympathy and sorrow for the accident. The representatives, of General Blanco and ih: admiral of the state were among the Spanish officials who tendered their respect Eighty-four or 85 men were found that night who survived. In reply to the direct question of whether any of the magazines or shell rooms I were blown up. the captain said it j was extremely difficult to come to any conclusion. The centre of the explosion was beneath and a little forward of the coming tower, on the port side. In the region of the centre or axis of the explosion, wa? the 6 inch reserve magazine. Captain Sigab'e gave, as his opinion, that if coal bunker "A 16" had been so hot as to be dangerous to the 6-inch reserve magazine that this condition would have been shown on three sides where the bunker was exposed and that men constantly passing to and fro by it would have necessarily noticed the undue heat. Captain Sigsbee was examined as to [ the ammunition on board the Maine. He stated that there were no high explosives, gun cotton, detonators or other material in the magazines or shell room which the regulations pro hibited. He testified that no war heads had been placed on torpedoes since he had command of the ship. Consul General Fitzhugh Lee appeared before the court on March 8. His testimony related to the official formalities preceding the Maine's arrival. On January 24 he received a message from the state department, saying that ths Maine would be sent to" Havana on a friecdly visit to resume the regular status of naval relations between the two countries, and he was ordered to make arrangements &L kLLO paicIW3 iUi bUC lUkUl^UCUigO Ui official courtesies. After a call at the paiae9 he sent the state department a cipher message, saying: "Authorities profess to think the United States has ulterior purpose in sending the ship. Say it will obstruct autonomy and produce excitement and most pro bably a demonstration. Ask that it not be done till they get instructions from Madrid. Say that if for friendly purpose, as claimed, the delay is unimportant " It was too late, however, the Maine had already sailed. She arrived next j day and Lee reported her arri^l to the state department. Ensign W? V. N. Powelson was called the third day of the court. He testified that he had been present 02 the Maine every day from the arrival nt +V10 ffam Q n <"? rl 11 vi r> or a o>y?oq + erf the diving. In reply to a question to tell the court all about the condition of the wreck he said the forward part of the ship forward of the after smokestack, had been to all appearances completely, destroyed. The fixtures were completely wrecked, while fixtures in the same position on the starboard side were in some cases almost intact. The port bulkhead between the main and berth decks at the conning tower support had been blown aft on both sides, but a great deal more on the port than on the starboard, side. The protective deck, under the conning tower, supports was bent in two directions, the plates on the starboard side being bent up and on the port side bent down. Just forward of the coiining tower, underneath the main deck, two beams met at right angles; one "beam was broken and pushed from port to star board. A grating was found on the poop awning just forward of the after search light A piece of the side plating just abaft of the starboard turret was visible. This olate was bent outward and then the forwa rd end bent upward and folded backward upon itself. "This plate was sheared from the rest of the plating below." Referring to his notes made of things on the Maine, Ensign Powelson stated that the arc of the engine room telegraph and the shaft of the steericg gear coming down through the armortube (turret) was bent from port to starboard. The port side of the pro tective deck was covered with a greasy deposit; the starboard side being comparatively free from it The forward smoke pipe hatch be tween the main and sup9rstructure decks did not show signs of the internal pressure of gases. On the main deck forward of the conning lower, were the fore and after angle bulb beam was located, the planking was blown off on the only remaining plate of the main deck on the port side, while the wood was still attached to that part of the starboard side between the conning tower base and the turrets. What witness saw would indicate that the pressure lifted the protective deck on the starboard side held fast and bent the deck downward. . Witness thought the ship on the portside was entirely ?one opposite a point indicated on a diagram handed the court. It was entirely blown out. Ensign Pcweison was recalled on February 25, and showed the plans to have been the same hole in the mud nrr QmifS "MVircrftn Hid not vj kj i?_?k.? ! estimate the side of the hole beyond i saying the side sloped and it was i "ever waist deep." | Private William Anthony, of the I United States marine corps, whose I calmness at the time of the explosion | in reporting to Captain Sigsbee has * arr-i "ii.1. csaaaatasxasa ma ?aaoeaa a became- ttic theme of admiration throughout the world, was the nest witness. He testified that he had the first watch from S to 12 o'clock on the night of the explosion. There was drill that day and it was not necessary to open the rougszines. In response to questions Private Antnony toiQ ms i story. "I was standing on the main deck, just outside of the door on the starboard side. I first noticed a trembling and buckling' of the decks and then this prolor/ed roar?not a snort report, but a prolonged roar. I look ea out and saw an immense sheet of Same and then I started in to warn the captain." ''Did you notice any perceptible lift to the ship at the first sbock?" ''At the first shock, tbe ship instantly?that is the quarter deck where I was standing?dipped and to port just like that (indicating.) It apparently broke in the middle like that (indicating) and surged forward and then went over to port." Henry Drain, a clerk in tie United States consulate, Havana, was examined as to the.receipt of an anonymous letter received by the consul general, in regard to the explosion of the Maine. Witness produced the letter, the date of which was February 18, of this year. There was no signature, it being signed ''An Admirer." Drain said it seemed to be the document of a fairly well educated man. It was written in Spanish. The translation was produced and was handed to the judge advocate and read by him. The ip.rtPT" was was referred to in the record as being marked "F," but it was not appended. Ia response to tie question ss to whether anything had been done to ascertain the truth of the statements contained in the letter, witness said he had asked General L?e to look into the mater and he did not appear to kaow what to do, stating he had no secret service money. A man by the name of Peps Taco was mentioned in the letter. Witness said he had tried to discover the whereabouts of the man and the one to whom he spoke said the name was a mistake, that the man mentioned had died a few days before the explosion of the Maine and that the letter referred to a Pepe Barquin, that he also died suddenly, about two or three days after the explosion of the Maine. Wilness declared his informant was Mr. Charles Carbonnell, an American citi;;en. , A witness was introduced whose "name was suppressed by agreement between him and the court. He had to talk through an interpreter. This witness was crossing about 7:30 o'clock on the morning of Feb. 15th, from Havana to Reglas on a ferryboat. He was sitting near three Spanish officers, two of the army, one of the navy, and a citizen. They were talking about the Maine. One of the army officers ?:J i.mL.i : i_ j stuu mat is xzcturi^ ariaiigcu. xut citizen asked if making explosions in the bay would not endanger Havana. The officer said, 4iNo." It was arranged so that it would simply ex. plode, open the vessel and she would 'sink immediately. The other man joyously exclaimed: "I will take plenty of beer on that occasion." Some one came up and they suddenly stopped the conversation. They had said it was a shame she (the Maine) should b9 in the bay and tuey would blow her up any how. THE MAINE DISASTER. Spain Responsible for the Great Against Civilization. The findings of the Board of Inquiry appointed to investigate the cause of of the destruction of the battleship Maine -was laid before Congress last Monday, by President McKinley, accompanied with a message. The report states as a fact that the Maine was met cn her arrival at Havana by the regular government pilot?a Spanish official?and by him conducted to her mooring at buoy 4. It is customary in the case of a vessel of war visiting the port of a friendly foreign power for the officials of that port to designate its place of anchorage, and i". was perfectly natural and proper for Captain Sigsbee to accept without question or demur the mooring point assigned him by the Spanish pilot. "But," as the Columbia Register says, "it certainly was not either customary or natural or proper to designnate as the mooring place of a vessel belonging to a nation at peace with Spain, a point in the harbor beneath which lay a submarine mine liable, as the event showed, to be esploced without warnine. Such an action would, even assuming the absence of any malicious motives of destruction, be styled in any court of law negligence to a criminal degree. It will not?it cannot be pretended that the pilot was ignorant of the existence of the mini). Indeed even that pretence would in no wise tend to exculpate the Havana authorities, for the Maine lay at anchor over that terrible engine of death for a period of twenty-one days?from January 25 to February 15?certainly long enough for those authorities to become aware of her danger and remove her from its proximity. Nor is this all. Having wilfully and knowingly, if no: malicious ly, placed the vessel and her crew in a position of extreme jeopardy, the officials of Morro Castle permitted? there can be no other description of -their action?the mine to be explodeded. Submarine mines of modern type do not explode spontaneously. Their machinery is too perfect; anrt necessaryily so, for no nation could ^ -3 ' ~ J _ an or a to sow ice ueu ui ius uwn ua: bor with lethal engines as menacing I to its own shipping as to the vessels of an enemy. So far as it affects their legal and moral responsibility for the destruction of the Maine, itdoe3 not matter whether the Spanish authorities themselves turned the switch that exploded the mine, or allowed unofficial and evil disposed persons to have access to the room where the switchboard is. Whether it was fiendish malice or criminal carelessness their liability and responsibility are fixed by every rule that obtains in any system of jurisprudence, and Spain must be held for the acts of her agents." Yet President McKinley is disposed to pass by the blowing up of the Maine as a matter of very little importins3. Focd *jr Cutoa. Food enough to feed 200.000 for a month has been sent to Havana, but still the supply is inadequate. The re,conse to the appeals of the Cuban relief committees has been beyond exvifl/?ro4TAr? rn /-** ? orf auu JJLLV/UVJ T vxv/kju?Mg provisions have poured 211 from aJl over the country, showing how deeply the American people are stirred. Rich and poor alike have contributed to ralieve the starving on tbe hapless island. Even the big corporations have freely aided, railrosds&nd steamship lines carrying: all provisions free of charge. Miss Clara Barton and the Red Cross society have been doing noble work among the suffering is landers. It is estimated that in 402 towns on the island there are 205,000 reconcentrados, mostly women, children and old men, dying of starvation. The speeches of senators Proctor, Gallinger and Thurston in the U. S. senate, staling in simple ungarnished language what they saw in tiieir re cent visit to the island, have done more than all the other statements together. as ?sBacaBawBBOMBMMBaambhbbhwwpi theoffIcial report OF THE BOARD OF INQUIRY iN THE MAINE DISASTER. tbe Court Finds That tte Battleship "was Destroyed by the Explosion cf a Submarine Mine, Wblcli Caused be Explosion or Two Mag: zinc?. The following is the full text of the report of the court of irquiry, sub mitted to congress Tuesday: United States Battleship Iowa, Key West, Fla., March 21, 1S98. After full and mature consideration of all the testimony before it. the court finds as follows: 1. That the United States battleship Maine arrived in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, on the 25th day of January, eighteen hundred and ninety eight, and was taken to buoy No. 4, in from five and a half to six fathoms of water, by the regular government pilot. The United States consul general at Havana, had notified the authorities at that place, th3 previous evening, of the intended arrival of the Maine. 2. The state of discipline on board the Maine was excellent, and ail orders and regulations in regard to the care and safety of the ship was strictly carried out." All ammunitions was stowed in accordance with prescribed instructions, and proper care was taken with which ammunition was handled. Nothing was stowed in any one of the magazines or shell rooms which was not permitted to be stowed there. The magazines and shell rooms were always locked after having been opened, and aftei the destruction of the Maine the keys were found in their proper place in the captain's cadm, everyining having bee a. reported secure that evening at 8 o'clock. The temperature of the magazines and shell rooms were taken daily and reported. The only magazine which had an undue amount of heat was the after ten inch magazine, and that did not explode at the time the Maine was destroyed. The torpedo war heads were all stowed in the after part of the ship under the' ward room, and neither caused nor participated in the destruction of the ! Maine. The dry gun cotton primers and detonators weie stowed in the cabin aft, and remote from the scene of the explosion. Waste was carefully looked after on board the Maine to obviate danger. Special orders in regard to this had been given by the commanding officer. Varnishes, dryer, alcohol and other combustibles of this nfATTTflrl A* OVlOTTfll f.VlA lUUU.ro YY-lC oiuntu KJijL \sx mwtv ~ main deck, and could not have had anything to do with the destruction of the Maine. The medical stores were stowed aft under the ward room and remote from the scene of the explosion. No dangerous stores of any kind were stowed below in any of the other storerooms. The coal bunkers were inspected daily. Of those bunkers adjacent to the foward magazines and shell rooms, four were empty, namely: B 3. B 4 B 5. B. 6. "A 15" had been in use that day and "A 16" was full of new river coal. This coal had been carefully inspected before receiving it on board. The bankers in which it was stowed was accessible on three sides at all times and the fourth side at this time on account of bunkers "B 4" and "B 61' being empty. This bunker, "A 16," had been inspected that day by the officer on duty. The fire alarms in the bunkers were in working order, and there had never been a sase of spontaneous combustion of coal on board of the Maine. The two after boilers of the ship were in use at the time of the disaster, but for auxiliary purposes only, with a comparatively low pressure of steam, and being tended by a reliable watch. These boilers could not have caused the explosion of the ship. The four forward boilers have since been found by the divers and are in a fair condition. . On the night of the destruction of the Maine every thing had been reported secure for the night, at 6 p. m., by reliable persons, through the proper authorities to the commanding officer. At the time the Maine was destroyed the ship was quiet, and therefare least liable to accident caused by movement I from thcsa on board. 3. The destruction of the Maine oc curred at 9:40 x>. m., 011 the 15th day of February, 1898, in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, she being at the time moored to the same buoy to which sue had been taken upon her arrival. There were two explosions of a distinctly different character, with a very short but distinct interval between them, and the forward part of the ship was lifted to a marked degree at t^e time of the first explosion. The first explosion was more in the nature of a report, like that of a gun, while the second explosion was more opsn, prolonged, and of greater volume. This soor?nf} ATnlnsinn was in the oninion of the court, caused by the partial explosion of two or more of the forward magazines of the Maine. 4. Tiie evidence bearing upon this, being principally obtained from divtrj, did not enable the court to form a definite conclusion as to the condition of the wreck, although it was established that the after part of the ship was practically intact and sank in that condition in a very few minutes after the destruction of the forward part. The following facts in regard to the forward part of the ship are. however, established by the testimony. That portion of the port side of the protective deck, which extends from about frame 30 to about 41 was blown up, aft and over to the port. The main deck from about frame 30 to about frame 41 were blown up and slightly starboard foidingthe forward part of the middle superstructure over and on top of the after part. This was, in the opinion 01 the court, caused by the partial explosion of two or more of the forward magazines of , the Maine. 5. At frame 17-the outer shell of the ship from a point 11^ feet from the mid- , die line of the ship and six feet above , the keel when in its normal position, ; has been forced up so as to be now i about four feet above the surface of : the water, therefore about 34 feet j above where it would be had it sunk uninjured. The side bottom planting ; is bent into a reverse in the V shape/ . the afterwine of which, about 15 feet , broad and 32 feet in length (from ; frame 17 to 25), is doubled back up on itself against the continuation j of the plate extending forward. At frame 18 the vertical keel is broken j in two, and the flat keel bent into an , angle similai to the angle formed by 1 the outside bottom plating. The break ' is now about six feet below the surface \ of the water, and about 30 feet above } its normal position. In the opinion | of the court this effect could have i been produced ody by the explosion \ of & mine siluated under the bottom of ^ the ship at about frame 18, and some- < what on the port side of the ship. I 6. The court finds that the loss of i the Maine, on the occasion named, was not in any respect due to fault or negligence on the part of any c2 the 1 officers or members of the craw of < said vessel. . } 7. In the opinion of ihe court the ? Maine was destroyed by the explosion < of a submarine mine, which caused 1 the partial explosion of two or more J of her forward magazines < 8. The court, has been unable to ob- i tain evidence tixiog the responsibility : for the destruction of the Maitie upon any person or persons. (Signed) W. T. Sampson, Captain U. 3. N., President. A. Marix, Lieut. Com. U. 3. N., Jadge Advocate. NORTON FAVOFS ELLtRBE. So Says the Washington Corref pot dent of the Ntws and Courier. The Washington correspondent of The News and Courier says: Mr. Norton, who was one of the party visiting Due West on Bryan day, was asked if it was understood that the Brjan demonstration was the opening of the State campaign in South Carolina. "No. I think not," was his reply. "We have about quit opening campaigns in March down there. Too few of them have been successful since the first one. March is a revolutionary month, and we are not cxpecting any revolution just now. Only two of the six candidates already announced were at Due West. While the political situation in the State wss not uncomidered, no big campaign launching was had or was expected. k'Ihe political situation down there seems to be getting pretty complicated. But with Governor Ellerbe, of Marion; Col. R B. Watson, of Saluda ;CoL George Tillman, of Edgefield; State Senator Archer, of Spartanburg, and Ex-Solicitor Schumpert, of Newi i_ a. ? [jerry, m mo xauc iucic jus uuio uauger of the people making a serious mistake. All of these are gcod men; any one of them could be expected to serve the State creditably. Congressman Lsnlz, of Ohio, has this to say: 4 "I am but voicing the sentiment of every visitor from tne North to Due West last week when I say that aside from the pleasure of the trip, which was most enjoyable, we also found it one of the most instructive trips ever made by any of us. "Those of us who have heard so much about the hospitality of the people of South Carolina had almost begun to believe that hospitalitv was the only capital the State had to feel proud of, but, to the surprise of all, wfl found commercial entemrise in evidence everywhere, great cotton mills in so many places as to prove threatening to the future of New England, unless by her Yankee ingenuity she find3 some new industries to take the place of those she is sure to surrender in the near future to the great and in exhaustible South. Small cities are springing up like blossoms in the cotton fields, and are equipped with the latest that steam and electricity can offer. But most surprising and most promising of all is to see the many colleges for young men and woffian: two at Spartanburcr. three at Greenville, one at Williamston and two at Due West makes a good showing of colleges along ore line of railway, and that in a run of only about ninety miles. The people of the North, who have been wondering whether any good thing can come from South Carolina, will Isarn before many years are gone by that the young manhood and womanhood of that State are destined to add new and greater renown to a State once mighty and influential in the American Re public. At Due West we found Erskine College, presided over by Dr. Grier, a gentleman whose presence and manner at once attest such learning and character as to warrant his fame as one of the greattst educators of the South, and at Due West Female College they have the honor and advantage of the discipline and culture of Dr. Todd, and the best evidence of the merits of that institution lies in the fact that the young ladies in attendance are the equal in appearance and culture to those of any of the best schools I have seen anywhere. "These of us who enjoyed the hos pitality at Due West of Mr. and Mrs. Henery P. McGee, Mr. and Mrs. Rsbert S. Galloway and Mr. and Mrs, John Devlin and Dr. F. Y. Pressly and others will alwajs accord South Carolina the^right to make any claim they choose on hospitality, but we ? 11 am 44- f "U ott h a rrn Q r\ TT QLltkll liiS?3b UJUL lb UU.au VLXUj JUOTV 1 * ' Uu j other advantages. You may safely say for us that what we have seen of the commercial, educational and social life of South Carolina has not only increased our love for our neighbor, but has made us feel that our country ! is greater than we ever dreamed it could be and has made your visitors fiom the North feal that the lime has come when we can rally round the flag boys and in one accord say our America is, and must remain, the land of lh9 fre? and homa of the brave. I wish more of our people cauld see' more of our country, it would increase UUI pabJLlUbiOili* Congressman Norton has this to sayabout some of the Northern members of the visiting party at Due West: Mr. Lentz made such an impression while at Due West that he has been invited to deliver the annual address before the graduating class at Due. West, and has agreed to go. Also j arrangements are on foot to get him to take in Winthrop Colle/e at Rock j Hill, Newberry College atfNewberry, and maybe Clemson College. Dr. J. B. Showalter, of Pennsyl vania, alao went on the trip to South Carolina. He expressed delight and surprise at conditions in South Carolina. He was delighted with the hospitality of Dae West. The Doctor is a good Republican from Pennsylvania. Tne people of Dae West were much pleased with him. HOW TO FISHTVTORPEDO BOATS. The United Statei Prepared for the Spanish Flotilla. After considerable experimenting as to the best means of defence against the modem torpedo boats the Secretary of the Navy of Great Britain says: "Protection from such bouts a ad their attacks must be looked for in the development and increased ac curacy of machine and rapid fire guns, mounted in vessels capable of keeping the sea in rough weather. The admiralty have during the last few years built a considerable number of such vessels, and they believe as a protection they will be superior to any accumulation of torpedo boats and will be useful both as scouts and dispatch vessels." The United States has not thus far constructed any "torJ 1 A 11 1 X 14. \ peao Doai destroyers, out, n uas recently made extensive purchases 011 both sides of the Atlantic of machine and quick firing gun?. The latter are capable of aelivering 6 pound shot at th8 rate of twenty or thirty a minute, rhe former can eject musket balls at the rate or 10 & second. When our revenue, marine and steam jachts lhat have recently been added to the American navy are equipped -with ihis class of ordnance, and are further provided with searchlights, the United 3tates will be admirably prepared for the attack of the Spanish fleet of torr?Pf?n hnats. G-. Thomas Jones, of Danville, Va., was arrested at Henton, W. Va., charged with killing a woman of bad repute at Mecklenburg, Va., in 1893. /'ones requested Sheriff George to accompany him to his place of business before locking him up. On arriving it his saloon he stepped behind the :ounter to the cash drawer, and talijug a revolver placed it to his hpad uid blew his brains out. inn ,i g INTERESTING PARAGRAPHS. I Withered Frcm Oar Exc!1*njt*n of the Pas: Week. American harvesting machinery i? being sold largely in Russia. William J. Bryan is being suggested for governor of Nebraska. General Longstreet thinks he has one more fight in him if war is declared . A dispatch from London says that the Spanish torpedo flatillo has been i ordered to proceed to Cuba. William J. Bryan is spoken of as ' the next governor of Nebraska. The Democrats claim 1 hat he can be elected by 50,000 majority. Wanamaker's turning state's evidence against his old chum, Matthew Stantly Qiay, does not seem to give the Boss much concern. The Michigan congressional delegation called upon President McKinley in a body last Tuesday and begged him to recognize Cuban'independence. The king of Siam has a bodyguard cf female warriors?i. e., 100 girls chosen from among the strongest and handsomest of all the women in the land. St. Louis girls are so prompt at repartes! A young man maie a teasing remark to one of them the other day. and she hit him with a flatiron in the neck. At a mass naesting held in Cleveland, Ohio, on Wednesday, resolutions were adopted calling upon the president to put a stop to Cuban butcheries. The Southern railway, through President Spencer, has just made a handsome contribution of $1,000 to the building fund of the Y. M. C. A. of Macon. Prominent Spaniards throughout Mexico are raising large subscriptions to give to the mother country to enable her to prosecute war with the United States. A Madrid newspaper says nothing could prevent Spain from planting soldiers in Florida. She may plant them there, but they'll never come up till iudf*ment dav. A company of 75 volunteer?, organized in San Francisco, sent in an application to the secretary of war on Tuesday, asking to be enrolled in Case of war with Spain. News comes that Ex-Senator John J. Ingalis may declare for silver and become the candidate of the Populists, Democrats and free silver Republicans for congress in the first district. Dieuxverloo, a Dutch village, has passed an ordinance prohibiting washerwomen from hangiDg out underclothing on the clothes lines in the open air, as detrimental to public morals. Three terrific explosions took place at the Sycamore powder mills at CJarksville, Tenn., on Wednesday, killing four employees. The explosion was felt for a radius of fifty miles. The tributes to Fitzhugh Lse and nominations for high place in the army in the event of hostilities continue to appear in the press of the r?onntr"TT withnut rAffii<an/>o In oenoiig awvavimvv phical lines. On last Thursday the Charleston business men declared against war in a set of resolutions in which President McKinley's administration of affairs in the present threatening crisis was endorsed! Ad jutant General Nalle, of Virginia, is receiving numerous letters from people all over the State desiring to know how they can enter the Virginia volunteers, and desiring to form miii tary companies. "The first patent ever granted in the United States," says the Indiana polis News, "is believed to have been granted to Miss Mary Kies, of South Killingly, Conn., in 1809 for weaving straw with a thread. Captain Paine of the British staamer Bslvidere, from Boston, March 24, f ah Pah? A tita*?ia -tttV?iV\oei omtirrarl iyjx JL vi y vrns^u xioo auir^u there, reports that a Spanish ironclad is ws'ching the Windward passage, about *0 miles off the coast. A Sumter negro who was told the other day that ha would have to go into the army when the war began, replied that he j ust couldn't do it as he was under contract and would be put in jail if he broke it to join the army. French postoffice employes are between the devil and the deep blue sea. They have just received an order forbidding them to read postal cards and next directing them not to allow insulting or libellous postal cards to pass through the mails. The navy department has received a aispatcn saying' mao tuo urmurcu cruisers Infanta Maria Theresa and Chris to bal Colon and the torpedo destroyer Destructor have saikd from Carthagena, Spain. Their destination is supposed to be Cuba. A11 ?et of three Spanish battleships left Cadiz, Spain, on Wednesday for Cuba. The fleet includes the Infanta Maria Taeresa, the Cristobal Colon and .the Destructor. The first two are armored cruisers and tbe last named is a torpedo boat destroyer. Recorder Calhoun.of Atlanta.after imposing a fine on a prisoner before him, paid it himself to keep the fellow from going to the stockade. He had once been kind to Judge Calhoun when the latter broke his leg. The evidence required the judge to find him guilty, out he paid the fine for him. We do not now remember where we heard it, but it is so good we repeat it without authority. It was in an Illinois court: "Have you," asked the j adge of a recently convicted man, 1 "anything to offer the court before sentence is passed?" "No, your honor," replied the prisoner, "my lawyer 1 took my last cent." Mrs. C. Parish, wboss age is 84, who has been shipwrecked three times in three different oceans, recently entertained a party of friends at her home in San Francisco. The age of the youDgest person present was .70 ye3rs. Two geatlmen, one 93, and the other 102 years old, sent regrets W o-r,?o UCUIUOO Ui UUCIUWJ wjuga^iuwuko* A hrakeman on 3 Kansas railroad, disturbed by the loud quacking of a lot of ducks being transported to market, neatly muzzled every one of them by slipping rubber bands over their bills, to the great astonishment of the ducks, and not less of the marketmen, when they received -their hitherto vociferous birds and found them thus fettered. Huron's Iodoform Liniment is the "nee pluultra" of all such preparations in removing soreness, and quickly healing fresh cuts and wounds, no matter how bad. It will promptly heal old sores of long standing. Will kill the pois- | on from "'Poison Ivy" or "Poison Oak" and cure "Dew Poison." "Will counteract the poison from bites of snakes and stings of insects. It is a sure cure for sore throat Will ct:re any case of sore mouth, and is a superior remedy for all pains and aches. Bold by druggists and dealers 25 cents a bottle. AN AWFUL DISASTER " THE JOHNSTOWN HORROR REPEATED IN ILLINOIS T1 v Levee Ab-vo Uio TcwaBrokr, Ltt Id? j in tie Fa'cr. and to tte Tepth ol Tvteity Fee>-Kaiy Feople D:ow: el. About half-past four o'clock Sunday morning: a levee above Shawneeiowd, Illinois, broke and that city was inundated. The water has back ed up for five'iniies and "rushed down upon the city like a tidal wave. It is rumored that over 200 lives were lost, although it is believed this estimate is too high. n i J I_ _ a A i oucuay mgni ma operator in me the iorg distance telephone company's cfficeaiMi. Vernon, Ind., informed the Associated Press that the estimate on Joss of life at 3hawneetown was at that hour, 200. Mt. Vernon is but 30 miles from Shawneetown, and the information on which the estimate is based believed to be reliable. The operator stated that the company's wire to the stricken city failed soon after 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon. At that hour it was known that the dam was giviris way. By 8 o'clock it was known in Mt. Vernon that many people had been drowned, the estimate then being 100. A relief boat bearing food blankets and surgeons was started down the river and was expected to reach Shawneetown before morning. People from Mt. Vernon and thesurpmmdinc coimtrv hesiftorpH fh? t?ln. phone office for tidings from relatives and friends in the flooded town. No attempt at an accurate list of the lest was possible. A spccial from Eyansville, IncL, says that the Shawn?*etown disaster will amount to over 500 dead, and possibly 1,000. The situation of the town was much like Johnstown, though the population was smaller. The town is now under 20 feet of water. A special from Cypress Junction, Ills, says: Two hundred and fifty persons were drowned Sunday by the inundation of Shawneetown, six miles from this place. The north levee broke at 4 o'clock'Sunday afternoon and the Ohio river flowed over the town and many feet deep. Scores of houses are floating about tonight and many persons are clinging to the wreckage. All communication with a f HI U m * liic ivr/jj. uii, xno urah rvpur* that reached here was that the entire population had been drowned, but this is not confirmed. The levee was built by the government and was regarded as impregnable hence the people had taken no precautions against a possible flood. It is reported the flood now extends four miles inland and people are fleeing for their lives from the low land hamlets. WILL PROTECT HER COMMERCE. Great Britain La* Strong fleet ol Warahlp* Off Bermuda*. It is pointed out that the cause of the concentration of the British fleet at Bermuda under the command of an admiral known as "Fighting Jack Fisher," must be sought in the published utterances of the Spanish ambassadors at Vienna and Berlin, who openly declare that as soon as war is declared all the available naval forces of Spain in American waters will be utilized to; blockade the United States coast. Now, 92 per cent of America's commerce is carried under the English flags and in Eaglish bottoms, the entire Standard Oil fleet sailing under the British flag. England does not propose to permit any interference on the part of Spain with vessels flying the . English flag, no matter whether they carry American freight or not, andalthought-Spun alone among foreign nations has abstained from signing the convention accepting the principle that a neutral flag, covers all freight, save contraband of war, no matter whether it be1 ryc:A +n or? sym n/if ^Ln?M?f JLUU^^U an ouuiuj ux Britain proposes to enforce her obedience thereto. That is why the strongest English squadron, ever assembled in the North Atlantic has been assembled at the Bermudas, to at once patrol the entire American coast, in the event of war breaking out, and to resist with force any attempt on the part of Spain's cruisers, destroyers or, torpedo boats to interfere with shipping leaving or entering American porta and carrying American freight With the temper of the Spaniards it is by no means improbable that, through some such outrage of this kind on the part of Spain, England may be dragged into an active participation on the side of the United State3 in the latter's inevitable, though long delayed, war with Spain, The big, hearty, healthy man is a continual irritation to his dyspeptic friend. Constipation is the root of cine-tenths of the sickness ot men, and Q lararA rnwHrfVn ftf siWnMt r\4 women. It can be cured easily, natu rally and quickly. Nature is continually working as hard as she can to tbrow off itr purities, and to force out poisonous refuse matter. When there is an impediment, Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets set tlie wheels working again without any trouble. They assist nature in a gentle, healthful, efficient way. There is nothing violent about their action, and yet it is just as certain as if it were twice as violent. "You do not become a slave to their use." They are different and better than aoy otner pill for the cure of, constipation, headache and kindred derangements. Almost all druggists understand this, and are conscientious enough to tell you so. Tne druggist who tries to sell you a substitute is not a safe man from whom to bay medicine. Send 21 cents in one-ceo t stamps tn World's Disnens&rv Medic il Astm Dr. Pierw'sl008 page "Comm " -J0'7? Medical AdmvfirotSSFStSZS M HILTON'S H B LIFE FOR THE LIVES AND^F;! ? KIDNEYS, as its name imparts, HE J 63 is a stimiiator ana r rulator to^Rj H these organs. Iscuo uest after ^Uf M| meals medicine to aid dig-stion. j 88 Prevents Headaches. Cures My I in Biilioasneis- Acts on tr>- j nss-s.within Thirty minutes ?l er I I t?Mne relieving acues w 9 back from disorder of tb^eo^B H troubles, is gold I I 250, 503 and *1 03 a ?*" hv Tte oy dealers gener^ly, l SB I *nrrifr. Boir, Charleston, II8- ?* 3 old by dealers generally and by THE MURRAY DRUG CO., COLUMBIA. 8. G. /$J>c OSBORNE'S /? f* Anjnuta, da. A?tc*l tatitaaa. Ho tax* W In"- ?kart?d*?. 0?iM9 tx?rd. Swd for hUIum To.Iafad? I Sxas, la the case of Andres Santos, Margarita Cavazos, of Vallecello, and Adolfo Rodigacz, of San Ignscio, Mexico, the three leaders of the proposed Spanish invasion into Texas, now held in oommunicaton in Neuvu Laredo by the federal authorities, the Mexican court has rendered its decision. The men are charged with violation of the neutrality laws of Mexico and the court held that there was suf- * ficient evidence to nold them. Dr. Marti, the principal leader and the other prisoners will be brought to Neuvo Laredo within a few days. a woman s auracuvcnc?>:> m mc vi nan depends largely on her physical appearance. Nature, in order to preserve the race, guides mankind by the instinctive, preference for a mate who is physically sound and wholesome. ' If intellect alone were chiefly sought, the offspring might be a generation of Solomons for wisdom, but they would perish in infancy for want of physical stamina, A weak or unhealthy woman is unfitted fulfil her part in perpetuating the race; she is unequal to the demands of motherhood and wifehood, she is robbed of her natural womanly attractiveness. _ * Many a woman is cheated of life's choicest gifts by a dyspeptic, bile-poisoned condition of the system, which shows itself in a pimply skin, sallow complexion, tainted breath, or thin, ungraceful form. The most perfect remedy for all the mortifying symptoms of mal-nutrition and impure blood is Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery. Through its remarkable effect upon the liver and digestive organs it tion and creates a fresh supply of new, rich, life-giving blood. It gives clearness and bloom to the comSlexion; sweetens the breath; rounds out le face and form, and invigorates the entire constitution with vital energy.. It restores the invincible beauty of wholesomeness and womanly capacity. "I was a complete wreck; appetite gone, nervous system impaired; could not sleep, and was so weak that I could not stand on my feet ten minutes." writes Miss Ella Bartley. of No. 213& South Grant Avenue. Columbus, Ohio: "I only weighed 95# pounds when I commenced taking Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery, After I had taken a half bottle I began to improve; I could sleep soundly the whole night and would awaken with an appetite for breakfast, which was a rare thing as I never had for two years back eaten a. hearty breakfast. I now have an excellent appetite, and my friends say they never saw me looking better or in better spirits since they knew me. I tell them it is all due to Dr.. Pierce's 'Discovery.'" In all cases of obstinate constipation, the " Discovery " should be supplemented with Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets. !l From Maiw Direct to Pntbattr. flj | A Good S Piano j ?HHI wm last? 5H lifetime g m jfl*Iv* K& ? 0 ? SBPBI I A Poor Piano H S wiULtttafew ? MS M| | Natbushck I l? always Good, always Reliable* H H always Satisfactory, always Laxt- M| lng. You take no chance# In buy- W ^ nft costs somewhat mote than a H .. cheap, poor piano, but U mncn we mm ?B cheapest in the end. 91 gjg No other High Grade Piano sold ao 5K SB reasonable. Factory prices to retail H . JSC buyars. Easy payments- Writ* us. MS ?*? LUODEN & BATES, 2 ItTiawk, G?_, sad Sew York (Sty. yB. Addxen: D. A. PRESSLEY, AjffentifT COLUMBIA, a e. - J A Happy Hom& Is increased ten-fold by good Music. Make the most of life, by procuring.* good PIAKO OK ORG All Music has a refining influence, asd keeps jour children at home. REMEMBER Eou only invest omce In a life-time, provid* ed von seleat a rood Instrument: I CHALLENGE ' '4 ^ ' ' ' ' An j hoose is America to beat my pricefe quality and reepoasibilfcy ocnaidered. ( TERMS. To thoM not prepared to pay cash, I will pre reasonable time, at a slight difference Warranty,1 M J fiilly guarantee mj Instrument* sold u represented. DON'T FAIL -"3 To writ? for prioac and terms, and for illoa trated catalogues. YOUES FOR PIANOS* AND OB0 A.NS M. A. MALONE, 1509 MAIN STREET, j COLOMBIA, 8* C, m THOIAS *F lithe most complete <y?teai <st derating handling, cleaning aad packing cotton* Improves staple, saves labor, makes yon money. Write for catalogues, no other equals It I handle the most improved A COTTON GINS, I MUSSES, 1 XLXVATOB3, J EN&INSS \ AND BOHJSKS . A to be found on the market My Sergeant Log Beam Saw Mill ?s, la / } simplicity and efficiency, a wonder. ^ . J OOBN MILLS, i VLANZBS, . -] GANG SDGlBSt J and all wood working machinery. rslDDMLL AND TALBOTT SNG1NSS - v-gss sretbetart. Wilts lo ? store baring. V. CJ. Badham, V IGentxal Agent. : COLrMBIA, S. [C. ,;i\> ' I? ' 4