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[ 16 PAGES THIS WEEK. JKUmt Sjeralih. MIDDLING COTTON 9.S0. ^ j^lCTABUgHKD ? 1895. PILLOW, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY MORKIWQ, OCTOBER 5, 1911. Vo1 17 No ^ 'tree Score D I By Bre vns Swept Away by Rc ly a Hund L ||fl| ||)IRE FOLLOWS FLOO f GREAT DAM BREAKS AND VOL 1 CATCHING UNSUSPECTING I f I A T * ,W AuBtin, Pa., Sept. 30. ? With a . roar that could be heard for miles, the great dam of the Bayless Pulp and Paper Company, at Austin, fourteen miles from here, went out at 2.30 o'clock thia afternoon. [p Forty bodies had been recovered from the ruins when darkness came this evening and it is estimated that fully 105 more are unaccounted for and are believed to be dead. . The dam, which was five hundred and thirty feet long and forty-nine feet high, was thirty-two feet thick j at the base and held back more . than five hundred million gallons I of water. For the first time since | its construction, two years ago, the water was running over the top to-! day, and many persons went out from Austin, a mile and a half away to see the unusual sight. [ I'am isivaks Without Warning. They were horrified when a sec-' . tion about twenty feet wide gave i way on the west side. A great vol- i unie of water poured through the j hole and the alarm was quickly sounded. People ran for their! lives to the hills nearby but some' were caught in the flood and ( whirled down the vtuley. A moment later another break occurred,; this time on the east side. It was much greater than the first and permitted the bulk of the water behind it to rush in a mighty volume to-ward the lowlands. Harry Davis, a locomotive engineer, of this place, reached a telephone and . notified the operator at; , the exchange. She called as many | persons as possible,but the time was j short and the raging flood tore down the little valley, carrying death on its debris-covered crest. No Ohiuice for Safety. So sudden was the onslaught of water that many persona had no time to flee to the hills, but others received the warning and hearing the fire bell, hastened to thai center of the to win, only to be caught in the flood and swept away The flood passed quickly, leaving desolatiolt in its wake. Houses had been crushed and tossed about like toys, while hundreds of bodies had been carried down on the crest of the surging torrent . \ With the passing of the water, those who had fled to the hills hastened to return to their ruined homes in search of relatives and friends. Here and there bodies had been cast up along the path of the torrent and about forty bodies were recovered in a abort time. , Some of them had been so badly j . battered by the tossing debris that j t they were beyond recognition, while j others had been carried along with ; no apparent injury. Many were j caught in burning buildings, and it will be days before the real ex- ( tent of the calamity will be known. ? ja*. It is believed no less than 200 per- ( $1. sons perished, and some estimates j are higher. < In describing the flood Engineer < K Davis said: Kye-Wititess's Graphic Story. "There was nothing to indicate . that the dam was about to give away iwtth a sharp report a hole * appeared in the west end. In a * moment water poured through, and * V} It was immediately seen that the hole was getting larger. In a mln- ? ute it was twenty feet wide and J 4 extended almost the entire height : of the dam. Then there was another report, and the whole struc- jture seemed giving away. 1 K . "I fled to the nearest high ground, and persons scattered in . every direction. It was apparent * that the great body of water be- . a? hind the dam was going out. Some were caught and before I could tell what was happening the water was ^ I ** tearing down Freeman Run, a wall fifty feet feet high, and sweeping everything before it. . "The sound was deafening. I . rushed to a telephone and called _ 'central' in Austin. She did not . have much time to telephone the alarm, but I think she did her best. I guess she is dead. I have not heard anything about her since. , Fire Follows Hood. "When I entered Austin what I . saw was an awful sight. The wa- . ter had torn through the place, tak? ?? At.- 1 U..t1A?n?n ntiil V IUg au me praii*;i|mi uunuiu{n im??i. ;Iv crushing houses like egg shells.1' ? Then the fire broke out. The timbers and sides were soon in L, jgSP.' flames. How many I cannot say, ||but there was no way to help them. ? They were probably burned to ( 5 death. I have not seen any of them ft l&j "I don't know how the fire start- 1 ed, but it seemed as though it be- t B, gan in a score of places at once. 1 & ft looked for the Bank of Austin, but ^ | it was gone, swept away I guess, be cause I did not see it burning. "But the worst of all were the . S cries of the women and children. , Hk Most of the men were at work and _ K they were at home alone. Many rowned aking of Dam iging Torrent and Neari red Dead D, MANY BURNED L'MES OP WATER RUSH DOWN, VHABITANTS LIKE RATS IN RAP. lad heard the warning sent out by : :he telephone girl. The fire bell was sounded and many thought it was a fire. <'audit. ill Sunrinir T>iii>ni "Some of them rushed to the business section and were caught in the water, Those not drowned were crushed iu the crumbling buildings and others were caught in '.he flames. It was frightful. I cannot begin to tell it all. "Little children playing in yards it home were caught up by the water and tossed about on the flood like playthings. Cattle and horse6 were swept off, ,and even a sidewalk was torn up. And over and ibove it all were shrieks of of the hundreds of poor people who could not escape. "Many were caught in burning ouildings and it will be days before the extent of the calamity will he known." Tlufusaml Buildings lH'stioyed It is estimated to-night that a I thousand . buildings have been torn from their foundations and crushed in the flood or have been destroyed by fire. The water^made its way through the business section of the town and left only four buildings, standing. The valley of Freeman's Hun is narrow and the town was built ilong its hanks. All the buildings were swept clear off their fournlaIn the lower part of the valley Lions by the torrent and many of those which remained quickly fell prey to the flames. There was no one to attempt to stop the fire and it was allowed to burn itself out, the survivors of the flood standing idly on the hillsides, stunned beyond the power to act. Ap&lling Kcene Presented. The scene in the village to-night be seen the light oe some torch or is appalling. Heree and there can can be seen the light of some torch or lantern, as a distracted father searches along the bank for some evidence of his family and home. There is no leader and the few who are trying to bring some order out of chao6 are handicapped by the cries of the bereaved. The extent of the disaster will not be known for hours. Scenes of indescribable sadness marked the village during the early hours of the night, many wo- j men, who had lost their children, | wandering in the darkness crying their names in vain hope they would inswer. Many were burned in the lire and others ground to pieces J t>y the masses of timbers ind stone swept down by the flood. The terrible force of the water s shown by the story of one man.l standing in the street to-night de-1 slare he had seen a two-story brick milding crumble like a house of :ards. Residences suffered because >f their construction. Many Caught in Slioj>e. Railroad shops, where debris piled ligh and which resisted for a time he force of the water, will probably )rove to be the death chamber of he majority of the men who were smployed there. A rescuing party Lttempted to reach the inerlor of the ruins, but were Iriven back by the smell of burning lesh. Until help comes from the tutside little can be done to the njured. Those so fortunate to live above he line of flood were called to lelp the survivors from the valley md the food supply was soon ex-j tausted, as every grocery store rlth the exception of one small tftabllshment on Costello street ras swept away. Many are without food. Numerous incidents are being told o-night of miraculous escapes and errible deaths. Every bouse on 'urner street was destroyed by the lood and the debris plied high .long the little valley. Engineer's family Saved. An Incident of the flood came to ' Ight when Harry Davis, the aged \ ngineer, who was standing near he dam when It broke, found that lis family had been saved. He fas flrat to give details of the caastrophe to the American Press Among the victims of the flood fere Mrs. Elliott and her daughter, 'hey were walking on the street rhen they heard the roar of the pproaching avalafnche. They ran ato the nearest building and had carcely entered the doorway when he roar was upon them. The 'he house crumbled and persons on he hillside saw it lifted in the air. Ira. Elliott was seen to reach for er daughter and with arms clasped bout each other they were swept rom view. With them went a oarder at the house they entered, le made a vain endeavor t? ?#vp (Continued on page 4.) NEWS OF THE COUNTY NEWSY LETTERS FROM DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE COUNTY COMING AND 601N6 OF PEOPLE News Items of Interest to Herald Readers. Ebb and Flow of the Human Tide. Olive Branch. Our people are buBy picking cotton. The fields are white and pickers are scarce. Howe'' our farmers are blue over tho . . We have Sunday School every Sunday morning. We are improving. Mr. C. P. Hodges, who had his engine shed and engine destroyed by fire several nights ago, is about ready to begin grinding again, with a bran new mill. C. H. Godbolt and J. C. Crowley have been apointed delegates to the Baptist Missionary Association which meets at Buck Swamp on October 10th. A fine sermon was preached at the Methodist church Sunday morning by Rev. J. L. Meggs, of Marion. A Friend. Reedy Creek. Farmers in this section are very busy getting out their cotton. Mr. and Mrs. N. H. Cousur were Billon visitors one day last week. Miss Maggie Evans left some time ago to enter Red Springs College. Mrs. J. V. Currie is on a visit to her niece, Mrs. G. A. McKay, at Red Springs. Miss Effie McLrticas, of McCoil, spent several days last week in this section with relatives. Mrs. Walker Evans spent one day hist weok in Dillon with her sister, Mrs. W. Staokhouse. "\ t ? 1 A .ui. j. i. i- nocior and itimily spent Sunday with relatives at Bingham Mr. Rod Mcl-ucas spent several days last week in McColl. t'Alvarjr. This seetion was shocked Sunday morning when the news was spread that Mr. Duncan E. McDaniel shot and most seriously wounded Mr. Pete R. Herring. Both parties are of the Keutyre section. The writer does not know who witnessed the shooting, but there was only two or three present during the time of the shooting. Duncan McDaniel is farming for his uncle, Robt. R. McDaniel, of Kentyre section. Reports are that Mr. Herring went over to Mr. McDaniel' s Saturday afternoon and all began drinking wine together and at an early part of the night Mr. Herring became vexed at McDaniel and ventured 011 him with hts knife. When McDaniel had backed as far as he could to keep from hurting his assailant it seems that his only refuge was his gun, so putting his gun up he stopped Mr. Herring by throwing a bullet through his shoulder. Mr. McDaniel is a nephew of Mr. Herring. Mr. C. D. Moody, of this section. "cm. uuwu iu minima oaiuraay aiternooa. Mrs. Celia Bowens, of the Carmichael section., spent Saturday night and Sunday in this section. Miss Elizabeth Neil Biggs, of Pates, N. C., is visiting her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Campbell, at McQueen's cross roads. Rev. Joel L Allen, of Dillon, preached the closing sermon of the second series of meetings at this place Sunday afternoon. Sub. ROBHKlt ENTERS RESIDENCE. Mr. E. Walitins Awakes Friday Morning and Finds Evidence of Attempted Itobhery. The residence of Mr. Frank Watson was entered by a burglar Thursday night. Evidently the man was looking for something to eat as the only thing missing next morning was a plate of bread which had been left of the dining room table after the evening meal. It was some tune between midnight and the early morning hour when when Mr. Watkin's little son awoke and told his father that some one was in the house. Not dreaming that a robber had entered hie house Mr. Watklns passed the matter over lightly, thinking probably that It was a cat prowling around. The next morning when the family went to the dining room they found one of the blinds open and the Bash raised. Investigation Bhowed that the robtoer had entered by cutting away the slats fron the blind until he had made an opening large enough to reach tb latch. Raising the window he entered the dining room, using parts of the blind for a torch to light his way thru the house. No articles of value were missing, but there were evidences of the midnight prowler in the dining room. It k proDaDie that the robber thought the family was away, and being hungry, entered the house for the purpose of getting something to eat. Another attempt at robbery whs made at the residence of Mr. Freisland the following night, but the person was frightened away before he entered the house. Communion at Pee Dee church next Sunday. Preaching by Rev. Dr. Reed, of Columbia. Preparatory service Saturday. i JHL' .?5S THE Ml WAS BLOWN UP EXPERT SAYS SU6ARMILL BOILER WAS USED AS MINE THE SEA GIVES' UP SECRET ? j Clearing Away of Mud and Water Plainly Iteveala Oauae of IMaaafcer. Keel Ftorced Inward. ! Havanna Opt 9 Tho v<.. v . - ??? ???.? ?? I, was destroyed by an external ex-1 plosion. There no longer remains any ; doubt as to the manner in which the United States battleship was sunk in this harbor on the night of February 15, 1898. The cofferdam about the wreck has been pumped out and the mud i cleared away to a greater extent1 | than ever before. The clearing ' away of the wreckage reveals the ' double bottom of the ship with part I of the keel standing in a perpendicular position some twenty-eight J feet higher than the natural posi; tion. This perfectly confirms the report and testimony which Ensign i Powelson gave before investigating board after the disaster and which was based upon the reports made to | him by divers just after the explosion. The Sun correspondent saw the bottom of the vessel this afternoon as it stands supported by a perpendicular position by stanchions. The lowest or platform deck is in the position described; it is in an upheaved mass above the submerged bow. The position of this part of the bottom indicates that what is now the highest point originally and structurally occupied a position at about frame IS. This suggests that there was an explosion of a mine> under that part of the ship, say about midway between the stem and the midship section. The explosion there broke the shio illtn two narts tlinnurln" section, including a conning tower, toward the stern, the conning tower falling on the superstructure on the starboard side. From this position, in cutting away the wreckage, it lias been allowed to settle i to the main deck slightly forward of the after turret, which is on the; port side. Thus the tower is on the opposite side to that on which! the explosion took place. Other portions of the superstruc- I turo were thrown forward, falling j upon the forward deck. The double bottom, as stated, is' standing in a perpendicular posi-1 ! tion above frame 10. It is a confirmed belief that such a tearing of the ship's bottom i oould not have been produced by an interior explosion. It is furthI er said that no regulation military mine could have wrought such ter-1 rifle havoc. It must have been a ; huge mine, as Capt. Sigsbee and j others suggested at the time, perI haps a sugar mill boiler or a cask i loaded with explosives. | Members of the Maine board, including Rear Admiral Cappe. are reticent in regard to the discovery and will not confess that the rev elj ation is an important one, but any ! one with eyes can see the upheaved j bottom and guess its meaning. It i destroys all reasonable doubt as to I the blowing up of the Maine by a , mine. THOMAS HAYKS KII-IJ.D. i Was Fireman on Railroad in Tennessee.?So%? of F. H. Hayes. News was received in Dillon Tuesday to the effect that Thomas : Hayes, a son of Mr. Franklin H. J Hayes, of Caddys Mill, was kill i by a switch engine in the railroad yards at Nashville Term The nur.l j ticulars of the accident could not I be learned. Utatil a few months ago j Mr. Hayes was farming near Gad! dys Mill. He moved to Nashville and secured a position as fireman on the railroad. The message bear- j ing the sad news did not state how j Mr. Hayes came to his "death, but j lit is presumed he fell underneath or | was struck by another engine on I the railroad yards. Mr. Hayes I leaves a wife and one small child Several years ago he was married to a daughter of Mr. W. H. Miller near Campbell's Bridge. He was 28 years of age. Mr. N. B. ! Hargrove, Esq., has been retained to investigate the cause of Mr. | Hayes' death and Mr. Hargrove left for Nashville Tuesday night, and . after making Investigation, will j return with Mr. Hayes* body. The' interment will take place at Piney i Grove church. Sunday School Institute. There will be a Siunday School 1 institute at the Methodist chuirch at Little Rock on Thursday, Oct. 12. All the members of the Little Rock circuit, who are Interested in , their churches and wish to better equip themselves for Sunday school work, are requested to be present aavd bring dinner. The morning session will begin at 10 1 o'clock. Dinner will be served on i | the grounds. An afternoon session 1 ' will be held. i Mr. J. M. Way, Field Secretary ( of the Methodist Sunday School ] work; Rev. R E. Stackhouse, D. D., I : the Presiding Elder of this dfs- ] trlct, and others are expected to j \ take part in the services. Let all j who will, come and bring their din- ;^ uer hiiu iuhRc uiis a grea* eveui, ( enjoyable aa well as profitable day. i W. C. Owen, Paator. i Man May Fly V Wings Wrights Claim to Have ? Of Navigati AVIATORS 1NTERES NOTKl> H1KDMKN RETURN TO OL NORTH CAROLINA M>R TJ EXPERI * Kitty Hawk, N. C., Sept. 29. ? Wi!bur and Orville Wright are preparing to conduct a series of aeroplane experiments at this place which are expected to be as revolutionary in effect as the historic trials they made here almost ten years ago. While they are keeping secret the exact nature of the experiments' they will make, it is known they | believe they have arrived at a so-1 lution of the problem how to fly with a minimum of artificial power. In other words they have elaborated upon the work they originally started here and believe that Miey can approximately achieve fligh with the soaring wing motion of' the bird. This has been the dream of aeroplane inventors ever since artificial flight, first became a scientificstudy. Lilienthal l-nngley and others knew for years that it was possible to fly with enormous propulsive power. Real Secivt Sought Ity All. The real secret that they sought was to fly with very little power. To achieve the soaring power of birds practically means that man can skim through the air for hours like a gull and make the flight from coast to coast with very few 3tcp8. l Iiu ? I UclVt? Utr IT II oiuvijnifc, this problem ever since they began to work on aeroplanes. Their Oevelopment of the machine they are now producing was simply a step in the evolution of the craft they hope now to perfect. Eorin Wright, one of the four Wright brothers, who seldom appears in the news is now here erecting a new building on the site where they carried on their experiments years ago. This structure at the foot of the Killdevil Hills, will be ready next week. Wilbur and Orville Wright, accompanied by several English friends, have arranged for accommodations in the village, aud will take up their residence here next week. Development of Tip WarpingWhat the Wrights will attempt to do is the sole topic of conversation about the town. At present an aeroplane flies principally be-j cause it is a kite. Even the Wright i biplane is nothing but a gigantic kite such as any boy flies. It consists of cloth stretched tightly over a framework which is driven by a mour at great spee<l instead of being dragged through the air on a cord. It defends entirely upon the speed of the motor for its ability to stay in the air. The Wright biplane, its advocates assert, is superior to others on account of its balancing device, Wh<ch consists of a warping 01* vhe ends of the plane. When the angle of the plane-extremities is changed. it impedes the progress of the craft | or causes it to turn. Herein lies the further developments the Wrights will commence to test here next week. Will Emulate Soaring Birds. It is believed from hints that have been dropped here that they have discovered a way in which to imitate the gull and the buzzard. These huge birds fly practically without moving their wings. They can soar to tremendous heights and sweep around for hours without apparent motion of their bodies. It is known that they are able to d this by reoason of their ability t< \ change the position of their wings as a whole as well as parts of their wings, even the feathers. They also have a way of shifting their balance that has seemed almost uncanny. Most illuminating of all is that they fly, but in strong winds. Naturally they fly against the wind. The method of their locomotion is very much like the way in which a sailing ship travels. They tack back and forth. It is the purpose of the Wrights to fly their new craft after this fashion in order to minimize the artificial power needed. IIKIAMIST FIRST, NOW Ml'KDKHER. Young Doctor Admits Killing (if Wife Number Two. Chicago, October 1. ?Dr. Harry Elgin Webster, a Rmsh Medical College graduate, student and Interne at the Polyclinc Hospital, in a remarkable confession to the police Lo-day, admitted that ne had rauriered one of his two young wives, Bessie Kent Webster, of Chicago, in the woods ten miles from Dixon, 111., September 16. The police say the motive for the crime was Webitpr'a Huaira tn lilila ? - ?< v w nvui ii in uiai wife, Zoe Vamey Webater, of Celar Ra.ptds, Iowa, the fact that he was a bigamist. He had married the two women within one week last i Vith ; Like The Birds a New and Better Way ng The Air TED IN INVENTION ,1) PLACE AT KITTV HAWK. IE COMPLETION OF THEIR EENTS. January. The accidental discovery of Bessie Kent's body Friday, almost two weeks after she had been killed, was followed by identification Sat urday and the arrest this morning: of Webster. With the arrival of Wife No 1 at the Chicago avenue police station tlie structure of evasion and deceit that Webster had been erecting for months began to topple and twelve hours after the doctor's arrest, the police had stripped from him the story of the murder Webster said that he was married first to Zoe Varney at. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, January 4. He said he was greatly in love with his bride and expected to return to Cedar Rapids to practice medicine. "I married Bessie Kent under her promise that she would divorce me immediately after the wedding," said Webster She then refused to get a divorce and that was the beginning of all the trouble." Following this unsuccessful attempt to divorce his second wife, Webster related be met her on September 14, and he spent that night with her at a North Side rooming house. The next afternoon he started for Dixon. Wife No. ? Turns t"p. Webster insisted that lie believed until he reached Dixon that he was making the trip alone. Then, his confession relates, he discovered that Bessie Kent had made the trip on the same train. He declares that she refused to return tc Chicago and the two went to the Dixon Inn that night.. The next morning Webster hired a horse and buggy and, with Mrs Wohst f*r Nn ? flrnvo twvrth i\f cn. On this drive the two quarrelled and the physician alleges that hie wife struck him and then jumped from the buggy crying that she would see his parents and expose hi3 lite with her. "When my wife jumped from tie buggy," said Webster, "1 threw a suit case at her and then jumped from the buggy and gave chase. I ran after f'or several hundred yards, wheu she stumbled near a ravine and teli. Stabs Fallen Woman. "i pulled oui my pocket knife and stabbed tier four or five times {n the back of the neck as she lay on the ground. "She died immediately after I had severed the jugular vein ' then rolled her body several yards into the ravine and covered it with leaves "I don't remember whether I disrobbed her or not 1 was so excited that 1 almost lost my mind. But I know that 1 covered the body so carefully that no one passing would see it." After returning the horse and buggy, Webster went to Chicago without going to see his parents. He continued his work, at the hospital, and three or four days afterwards reported to the police that his wife was missing. During the next ten days he made frequent inquiries of the police and took up the matter of his wife's disappearance with her relatives. Throughout this period he remained unruffled and the police did not suspect him until after the body had been identified at Dixon. INJURED IN AUTO ACCIDENT. AuVi Party (V>uies to CJrief While Speeding Car. Running at a lively clip on the Dillon-Marian road near Mr. las. a. nerrjr 8 Sunday, the large ( ? Xillac touring car belonging to Mr. EH. Hamer plunged into a ditch and badly injured Mr. D. H Hyatt, one the occupants The other occupants, though badly shaken up, were not Injured. Mr. Hyatt waa thrown violently from the machine ami bis collar bone was broken. In the car were Mr. Hyatt and Messrs. Otis Page and G. C. Johnson, while Mr. James Hamer was al the wheel. At the point where the accident occurred Is a pretty stretch of road and unable to resist the temptation to speed a little Mr. Hamer opened the throttle and the big machine shot down the highway. While near a deep ditch the machine skidded and before the occupants were aware of wtiat had happened the machine had plunged into the ditch. Mr Hyatt's injuries are very painful and it will be several days before he will be able to cave iub ueu. 1 ne macnin? won not Injured and came back to town Sunday afternoon under Its own power. "Opportunity knocks at every man's door." "Impunity, however, knocks oftener. Here comes another book agent.