Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

REPORT ON MAINE WRECK. President Transmits the Board's Find. ings to Congress--Blown Up From Outside. Washington, Dec. 14.-President Taft today sent to congress a brief formal message transmitting the full text of the report of the investigating board, which found that the battleship Maine was blown up in Habana har bor by an external explosion. The board was headed by Admiral Vree land of the navy and included Col. William K. Black of the corps of en gineers of the army. It began work on the exposed wreck at Habana No vember 20 and found that the injuries to the bottom of the Maine were caus ed by the explosion of a charge of a low form of explosive exteriar to the ship between frames 28 and 31, port side. This resulted in igniting and ex ploding the contents of the six-inch reserve magazines. The. more or less complete explosion of the contents of the remaining forward magazines fol lowed. Driven Inward. The board in its report emphasized the fact that it found that what is called th-e port starboard strake-a ,continuous line of planking running from stem to stern-was "dished up wards" as much as 24 inches from a straight line;" that another strake, technically called -"c," was displaced 'iupwards and inwards for 100 square feet;" and that part of the inner bot tom plating was "displaced upwards and left approximately six fRet above its original position." The destrucilon wrought by the two explosions of "distinctly different character" was found to be much more extensive than had been antici pated. The report in technical terms describes how plates were crumpled, how some portions of what had once been a great battleship were turned 1 inside out and how pa-ts of the bottom works generally were displaced. Ammunition Scattered. The debris of nine pounders, six pounders, six-inch and ten-inch am munition were found widely scattered through the wreck, said the report. "The location of much of this material bore little relation to its original tow-' age condition. Powder tanks were torn asunder or crushed and flattened." The condition of the vertical keel and flat keel at frame 18 was ascrib ed by the court of inquiry of 1898 (the year of the war with Spain that fol lowed the, blowing up of the Maine) to the direct effect of an explosion -exterior to the ship in that vicinity. * Because of its better opportunity for a detailed examination of this wreckage now fully exposed the pres ent board concluded that the external -explosion which ignited the nmaga zines was not in the vicinity of this frame No. 18. Formed Cartridge Chamber. "The protective deck and hull of the ship," said the report, "formed a closed chamber in .which the gases were generate'd and partially expand *ed before rupture." The 'bow portion of the Maine was. found pointed nose downward in the mud to the port sides and lying on its starboard side. The upper part of - that portion of the ship in the vicini Sty of the forward magazines was en tirely swept away. Only one-half of the bottom was left n position. The Maine explosion occurred al most 14 years ago. In this disaster two officers and 26d 'f her crew per ished. The report perfunctorily was or d-ered printed and referred to the nav al affairs committees of the two bouses. POLICYHOLDERS WASTE MILLIONS ~According to President Day of Equita tie Life Assurance Society. New York, Dec. 14.-One hundred illion dollars is annually wasted in the life insurance business in this country, according to W. A. Day, of New York, president of Equitable Life: Assurance society, before the Associa tion of: Life Insurance presidents in New York today. He declared that the policyholders themselves are re sponsible for a large shiare of the ~ aste, and urged a campaign of edu cation as a remedy. "Now that our people are taking an ~ nterest in the eenservation of ou mwaterial resources," said Mr. Day, "I l'e.lieve they can be interested in the conservation of life insurance, which *is~ universally recognized as an econo mic resource of highest value. There a is no department in which better work can be done in th~e direction of con servation than in the life insurance I eld. A4"If the companiea will unite in ex 1plaining to the public how this can be do'ne, far more can 'be accomplished dual company should undertake the work alone. The average policyhdld ers, while rightfully demanding the highest degree of efficiency and econ omy in the management of his own company, seems to feel that his duty and responsibility end with the pay ment of his premium. Satisfied with the soundness of his company, he puts his policy away, and the subject of life insurance drops from his mind. "As a result of this indifference, and lack of personal attachment and loyalty to their companies, the policy holders themselves are directly res-i ponsible for a large proportion of a waste which aggregates easily $100, 000,000 annually. We want policy holders to know of the waste that re sults from the abuse of the policy loan privileges that by borrowing $435,000,000 on their policies they have reduced their families' protection. and neutralized the very purpos-e of; their insurance to that extent, and that they are expending nearly $23, 000,000 annually for the use of this money. "We want them to know that they are paying over $12,000,000 annually; for taxtls on their premi,ms-a most: unjast penalty upon foresight and prudence, wbich should and cau be re-. duced to a reasonable sum if they will interest themselves in the matter-and that it can be reduced in no other way. "We want them to know htat $50, 000,000 is a reasonable estimate of the annual waste of their funds due to death from causes that are preventa ble or postponable by the application of ordinary and well-known precau tions-and that they alone can .-duce! this waste." * *1 * IS THERE A SANTA CLAUS? * * From the New York Sun. * We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the com-1 munication below, expressing .t thei same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of the Sun: "Dear Editor-I am eight. years old. Some of my little friends say there is' no Santa Claus. Papa says 'If you see it in The Sun it's so.' Please tell! me the truth, is there a Santa Claus'!; ."Virginia O'Hanlon. "115 We.st Ninet.y-fifth street." Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see They think that nothing can' be which is not comprehensible by their minds. All 'minds, Virginia, whether they be; men's or children's, are littlea. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant in his intellect, as corn pared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence1 capabl.e of grasping the whole of' truth and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.' He exists as certainly as love and gen erosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give- -to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world: if there werie no Santa Claus? .It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childi like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolkrale this existence. We' should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light' with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire mnn to watch in all the chimneys on! Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus,' but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what'- would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, that is .no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the! world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see1 fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that1 they are not there. Nobody can con eive or imagine all the wonders there I are unseen and unseea'ble in the world. fri You may tear apart the baby's rat- Sa !Pa: te and see what makes the noise in-be side, but there is a veil covering the - unseen world, which not the strong est man, nor even the united strength1 of all the strongest men that ever liv- ~S ed, could tear apart Only faith, fancy,. poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the' supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia. in all this~ world there is nothing else real and sh4 abiding. g No Santa Claus! Thank God. Hej & lives and He lives forever. A thous and years from now. Virginia-nay,: ten times ten thousand years from now-H, will eontinue to make glad~ 11 the hart *f .hildhood Have You H U Well, i 1 For the Next11 IDay .Awa, AbsuluteU. One 56 piece Dinner Set in our Chi One nice Jardiniere with 1 China One Souvenir Plate with China This Dinner Set is of Er to crack or craze. The Jardinieres cannot U. S. A. for less than $1.5 We limit one dinner sei Jardiniere and Plate prop Each award will be givi Cash Register Tickets for We limit this propositic Don't Forget to Save A Square Deal to Our Public Newberry I The Best Hardb Has Millions of Friends. I ba13 .i.,Agsa83 owould you like to number your Chretn81p.m ind by milions as Bucklen's Arnicam.N.17 aiy fo L oes? Its astounding cures in the itfrty years made- them. Tts the t renile talve in the world for sores, ul-j :0p.m-o16dal,fo C SOUTHEEN RAILWAY. gcaGrevletCai ieles Effective Jecemiber 3, 1911. rv aanh41 .i. Aivals and Departares N ew- ovle8:0a n berry, S. C.Forfrhrifmaonc NE.-These schedule figures arej&G.M,W higo,DC; nas information only and are notL.JkisT..A,Auut,G t.teed.) 1a. m.-No. 15, daily from Co- NTC FAPJCTO O mbia to Greenville. Pullman LS TEiE . sleping car ibetween Charleston Teudrindwl pl d Greenville.Jug fP baeor ew rrc 50 a.m.-No 18, aily,from reen . m -ona, .Iau 1 , .1ily , t yu~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ile to Columbia. AriePullmfrletrsdsisOy a inns eard About It? )ten: s We Are Going to Give SFree, the Following: with every $15.00 purchase na Department. wery $5.00 purchase Jin our Department. every $2.00 purchase in our Department. iglish pattern guaranteed never be purchased anywhere in the. iO each. t to a family. No limit on the losition. en just as soon as you present the requried amount. n until Christmas Eve night Your Cash Register Checks. Friends and Patrons and the Generally. Iardware Co., ware Store in Town. p. mn. of the personal estate of Owen McRai hyhv, h hesi mnBi1 Holmes, deceased.tinhud oberaed lum- Robert McCaughrin Holmes, GIE une myhn,ti k 12-12-4t-1taw. Administrator,. a fDCme,An orn,11. reen-Fan L chm rt ep. STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, P .C ston. COUNTY OF NEWBERRY. . Ar- By Frank M. Schumpert, Esquire, FRSdE Jack- Probate Judge. 36arsIpoe am i U WHEREAS, Isaiah J. Lawman made fo h alod rc 150 1 on~ suit to me to grant him letters of ad- iOars n ieo raePi y. p.* ministration of the estate of and ef-ipredfm,aleer,$,0. r. L. fects of Mrs. Harriet Long, 8 ce mrvdfr,toiil or F. THESE ARE THEREFORE to citeofrkepia$150 and admonish all and singular the 50arsctoe adoda4 - kindred and creditors of the said Mrs. nmredfor ils fAkd FN- Harriet Long, deceased, that they be pi,$,0.Ti salf~arct and appear before me, in the Courttralndonestri. the of Probate, to be held at Newberry, S rnss adCopaY unty C, on the 20th day of Deember, next A ASA INPctAY noO. fte bliaton heeof a io'loc theha, Ark. the N.i Wdilsn.r rata in he frenon, o 5h case, i n shouSld. no be rante d es.