The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, July 18, 1907, Image 3
*t i
DEADLY EXPLOSION]
Occurs on Battleship Georgia
From Loose Powder.
I
!
EIGHT MEN ARE KILLED
Fourteen Were More or Less Seriously l
Injured ? Accident Happened in
One of the Turrets During
Target Practice. ,1
i
With eight of her officers and crew
dead, and fourteen others dying or suffering
from terrible burns received in
an explosion of powder in the afcersuperimposed
turret, the battleship
Georgia steamed slowly up Boston
harbor, from the target practice j
grounds, in Cape Cod bay, la:e Monday
afternoon, and landed the dead and In- I
jured men at the Charlestown navy J
yard. With the arrival of the Georgia j
there became known the details of the j
most terrible naval catastrophe that
has ever taken place along the coast
of New England.
The accident occurred shortly before
noon, while the Georgia's crew were
at target practice off Provincetown, in
Cape Cod bay. In some manner, as yet
unexplained, two bags of powder oe- |
came ignited, and in the terrific flash J
that followed the entire turret crew,
consisting of three officers and eighteen
men, were enveloped in fire, and
received horrible burns, one officer and
five men dying before the ship reached
port.
Four other men received minor injuries,
whose names were not given
out, and who were not taken off the
ship.
Those kHled were: Caspar Goodrich,
lieutenant, died at hospital after
being removed from ship; William F.
Pair, ordinary seaman, also died at the
naval hospital; William J. Thatcher,
chief turret captain; Faulkner Goldthwaite,
midshipman; W. J. Burke, G.
G. Hamilton; W. H. Thomas, George E.
Miller, ordinary seamen.
The explosion occurred in the after
turret, where the men, under command
of Lieutenant Caspar Goodrich,
son of Rear Admiral Goodrich, com- ,
mandant of the New York navy yard,
and Midshipmen Goldthwaite and John
/ T. Cruse were operating the eight-inch
' guns.
The guns in the forward turrets had
finished eight rounds of practice, and
the guns of the after turret had fired
one round, two cases, as me oig impound
bags of powder are called, had (
just been sent through the ammunition
hoist, and were in the arms of the
loader, whose name was withheld by ,
, the ship's officers.
The loader stood at the breach of ,
Tone of the eight-inch guns, ready to
insert the charge. At this instant the .
turret was seen to be smoky and two .
men. who stood near the loader, saw
V 9 % J
a black spot on the bag, indicating
that the- charge iad Ignited and was
smouldering. The loader discovered the .
spot at the same instant, and threw
himself forward on his face, at the .
same time shouting a warning to his (
turret mates. The other men, who
had seen the shot, were Erich and
Hansen, and they also threw them- .
selves on the floor of the turret. Before :
the other men in the turret could un- j
derstand what caused the loader's cry .
v ? of warning, there was a blinding flash, ]
as the burnine nowder exnloded .
Flames, smoke and nauseous gases fill- <
ed the little superstructure in which j
more than a score of men were con- .
fined. As the powder was not confin- <
ed, there was no report, nor did the <
vessel suffer any injury, but every ncok
and cranny of the turret was filled
with flames.
The leader, who was, of course, near- |
est the powder, was terribly burned,
as was every other man in the turret,
with the exception of Elrich and Han- i
sen, who, although scorchsd, escaped ]
with injuries much less severe that the t
, others. ]
When the smoke of the burning powder
had cleared away the shpmates
cf the unfortunate men rushed to their
assistance, and the suffering sailors l
were lifted out of the fire-blackened
turret, and were quickly conveyed to
the ship's hospital, where their burns i
were dressed by the surgeons.
In the meantime Lieutenant Good
rich and Seaman Maleeck had been '
rescued hv a lannrh that wjij return, t
ing from ail inspection of the target, i
The surgical staff of the Georgia ]
was soon reinforced by the surgeons 1
of the other vessels in the fleet, who 1
had been informed of the accident and I
summoned to the scene. ]
?
THOMPSON GETS PROMOTION.
K
tr>
r "
Popular Railroad Man Now Assistant
to President Finley.
j. S. B. Thompson, for many years
1
general agent of the executive department
of the Southern railway, and !
one of the best known and most pop- J
ular railroad men, has been promoted 1
by President W. W. Finley to the po- :
sition of assistant to the president. '
BACKS UP ORCHARD.
Witness Dewey, in Haywoccr Trial,
Makes a Confession "to Help Along
Justice"?Two Arrests for Perjury.
_.
Sensation followed sensation quickly
In the Haywood trial at Boise, when
the state commenced its rebuttal evidence.
Shortly after court adjourned
for the day information was sworn
to and a warrant for perjury issued
In a magistrate's court against Dr. I.
L. McGee, a physician of Wallace,
Idaho, who was one of the witnesses
for the defense.
The crowded court room, somewhat
bored by legal commonplace, sprang
to strained attention at the close of
the afternoon session, when William
Dewey, a witness for the state in rebuttal,
confessed to active, armed participation
in the destruction of the
Bunker Hill and Sullivan mills at
Wardner on April 29, 1899, when two
men were killed and a mob of a thousand
men participated in the riot.
Hary Orchard commenced his series
of crimes at Wardner. He confessed to
lighting one of the fuses that started
the explosion, and he swore that William
F. Davis, known among his fellows
as "Big Bill," led the mob.
Dewey swore that not only did "Big
Bill" accompany the mob to Wardner,
but that he served out guns and ammunition
to the union men gathered in
the union hall at Burke before they
went to Wardner, and was cne of the j
leaders of the column that advanced j
on the concentrator before the work
of destruction commenced.
Eight year; have now elapsed since
that day of rioting. From that time, no
eye-witness except Orchard has been
found to tell the story or incriminate
himself until Dewey, now a resident
of Goldfield, Col., made his confession.
With eyes downcast and fingers nervously
picking the braiding around the
rim of a gray sombrero, Dewey told
it all. Repeatedly, he was requested
to raise his voice, and with a quick
glance at counsel, he replied only to
sink back into a most inaudible tone.
Under the provocation of a sneering
cross-examination by E. F. Richardson,
he rallied, and even became combative,
but throughout the recital he gave
evidence of a certain remorse.
Under the same cross-examination
he told why he had come to Boise to
confess at this time after eight years
of silence.
"What promise of immunity from
punishment was given you before you
decided to make the confession of
*
crime?"
"What induced you to make thi3
jtatfmpnt nnw after all these years?"
Were some of Richardson's questions.
"None," was the laconic reply to the
first two questions, but to the last the
witness said: "I read Orchard's confession."
"You saw how well he was treated
here, and decided to get a little of it?"
sneered Richardson.
"It was nothing of that kind," responded
Dewey quickly. "I though; I
ought to help along with the doing of
justice."
Another warrant charging perjury
against a witnefes, who has testified for
the defense, was issued Monday morning.
C. W. Aller, formerly a telegraph
operator and ticket agent at the
Florence and Cripple Creek railroad,
at Cripple Creek, is charged with the
offense. Both Aller and McGee will be
given an opportunity to furbish bonds
and the preliminary hearing will be
set to take place within the next ^fsw
lays.
BISHOP NINETY YEARS OLD.
Is Patriarch Prelate of Methodist Episcopal
Denomination.
The Right Rev. Dr. Thomas Bownan,
senior bishop of the Methodist
Episcopal denomination, of Orange, N.
f., celebrated his ninetieth birthday |
Monday.
FOUR DAGOES ON TRIAL.
Members of "Black Hand" Arraigned :
for Kidnaping and Murder.
The jury which' will try three men j
and a woman for the murder of little i
Walter Lamana was completed at i
Hahnville, Louisiana, Monday. Many '
talesmen were excused because they |
objected to bringing a verdict which |
might mean the hanging of the woman !
prisoner. Owing to the fact that this j
trial is expected to furnish an example j
which will check Italian blackmailing, i
great care was exercised to secure the j
most intelligent class of jurymen. _ j
MAYOR DEFIES UNCLE SAM.
Squabble Over Control of Highways In
Suburbs of Washington.
Uncle Sam and the authorities of
the Maryland suburb. Glen Echo, are
fighting over the control of the village's
roads. The question is whether
the town authorities can hold up auto- i
mobiles speeded by diplomats. Mayor
Garrett has defied the government.
DNBOHHnaHBHfliHBHHMMMBMMnHHHHI
BY BIG MAJORITY
Georgia Senate Passes State
Prohibition Measure.
VOTE WAS 34 TO SEVEN
Several Amendments Were Adopted
Before Final Action ? Bill Was
Immediately Ordered Sent
t? the Hone*
The Georgia state senate by a vote
of 34 to 7 passed the Hardman prohibition.
bill Saturday morning and
whatever doubt of immediate state prohibition
that may have existed was
dispelled and the opponents of the bill j
gave up the last vestige of the hope
of defeating it.
That the house is overwhelmingly
in favor of the bill as passed by the
senate is admitted as freely by the
opponents of prohibition as by its advocates.
Never since the assembling
of the legislature has there been a
miootinn .-if tKq oontimfnt nf the State.
UU^OtlVU VI tuv w* v? vr ? , |
and. even if there were enough representatives
personally opposed to the
bill to muster up a respectable opposition
the hundred and twenty-odd dry
counties of Georgia furnish a choice
between supporting the bill and political
suicide which leaves little room
for debate.
Governor Hoke Smith, though an
advocate of local option, as brought
out in his inaugural address, still
stands pledged to sign a state prohibition
bill should such a measure be
sent to him by this legislature. This
pledge was made to the people of
Georgia at numerous times during the
last campaign and was specifically renewed
in the inaugural address.
There can be no thought of a veto
from the governor and one house having
voted nearly five to one for prohibition
and the other being declared
against the sale of liquor by a majority
almost as large, those who would
defeat the pending bill are left with
precious little ground on which to
fight.
The advocates of prohibition, on the
other hand, were never more active
and enthusiastic. They have whipped
the state into a frenzy or proniDitioc
fervor. They see victory, long sought,
in sight and declare that no stone will
be left unturned to make their conquest
immediate and complete.
When the vote was taken the galleries
were crowded with interested
spectators, and it was with difficulty
that President Akin prevented cheering
and order was preserved only by
threats of the president to clear the
galleries in case of applause.
Those who composed the minority
vote were Senators Brock of the fortyfourth,
Felder of the twenty-second,
Gordy of the twenty-fourth, Griffin of
the twenty-first, Johnson of the
twenty-third, Mattox of the fourth and
Stephens of the first.
Senators Flynt of the twenty-sixth
and Weaver of the forty-first were absent
and it was not necessary for
President Akin to cast his ballot.
Senator Felder made an effort soon
after the opening of the senate to
postpone the consideration of the bill
until Tuesday, but his motion was lost
by a vote of 30 to 11.
several amendments to tne Dili were
adopted. The first makes it prohibitory
for whiskey or intoxicating liquors
of any description to be kept
for sale in dispensaries.
The second merely adds strength
to the requirement that before whiskey
cap be secured for patients, that
the attending physician must be reputable
and actually in charge of the
patient.
The third amendment provides that
grain alcohol may be sold to bacteriologists
who are actually engaged
in that class of work for scientific purposes.
When the senator from the twentysecond
saw that it was inevitable that
the bill was to be considered, he moved
immediately after its third reading
that the previous question be now
put, which motion was carried and
the possibility of all debate was precluded.
Senator Hardman made an effort to
speak in order to explain some features
of the bill, but the senators decided
that the question needed no discussion,
so decided to have the vote
taken at once.
After the bill was declared passed
oy me president, senator Knignt
moved that it be immediately sent to
the house. The motion was carried.
HEAVY FINE IS IMPOSED.
Lumber Company Assessed $10,000 for
Infraction of Peonage Law.
The William Ritter Lumber company,
charged with peonage and conspir- I
acy to avoid the alien labor law, on
trial in the United States court at
Charleston, W. Vat> pleaded guilty to
10 of 22 counts in the indictment.
The minimum fine of $1,000 on each
count was imposed by Judge Dayton,
v. *-, la 7-.- .*'1
NEW LAWS OF TEXAS
Passed by Last Legislature Now Effective?Revolution
in Statutes is
Practically Created.
With midnight Thursday night a
j large number of state laws passed by
the last legislature went into effect
i I
in the state of Texas. The operation
of these new laws practically creates
I a revolution in the laws of the state,
I
and the number of new ones is far
greater than that passed by any legislature
in the state's history. Laws are
now in effect, some very curious ones,
providing the following:
Permitting medical colleges to deal
in human bodies; prohibiting insolvent
corporations from doing business ;
prohibiting cock fighting; making it
| a misdemeanor to drink liquor on
j trains; prohibiting issuing of free
I passes or franks of any sort; against
lobbying; compelling a man to support
his family; creating an eight-hour day
for telegraphers and full train crews;
abolishing negro school trustees; providing
for licensing of barbers and
requiring insurance companies to invest
75 per cent of their earnings in
this state. This last has practically
driven the companies from Texas.
All who sell pistols are taxed 50 per
cent of the gross earnings on all their
business. Brokerage houses, exchanges j
and bucket shops are closed, as the !
law does not permit wire service, and
railroads are required to furnish sufficien:
equipment. The list shows but
a few of several hundred laws passed.
Under the new laws a condition is j
created without parallel. Provisions for
liquor license application makes ten
days' notice required while the law is
now in effect, thereby annulling all li
quor licenses and making saloons sell
at their own risk for the next ten
days.
The habitual writing of liquor prescriptions
by physicians is also made
punishable.
SAVED BY "UNWRITTEN LAW."
Mother and Son Acquitted for Killing
Betrayer of Daughter and Sister.
The jury at LaPlata, Md. in the
cases of Mrs. Bowie and her son, Henry,
charged with the murder of Hubert
Posey, who had ruined the young
daughter of Mrs. Bowie, under the
promise of marriage, returned a verdict
of acquittal Friday afternoon after
being out less than five minutes.
Congressman Sydney E. Mudd, of
counsel for the defense, in his address
to the jury, disclaimed belief in the
insanity cf Mrs. Bowie or her son, j
but he declared that, under the circumstances,
they should not be held
!i-i. 11 ? 1 ~ 11?
rtsponsiuie meuuuiy vn lcsanjr iui
their part in the tragedy. Touching
the unwritten law, Congressman Mudd
said:
"The family in this land of ours i
is the nucleus and the nursery of the j
commonwealth. The protection of the
sanctity of the family ties, the chastity
of our women, the development
and maintenance of a salutory and exalted
respect for the honor of meaner, j
the sister and the daughter becomes, j
therefore, a natural and essential feature
of the law of this land, fti nearly
every state of this country there will
be found an exemplification and rec- j
ognition of this fact and an adoption |
of this doctrine. It is in this sense
that I confidently claim the protection
of what I have called the 'unwritten
law' as an adequate defense for these j
defendants."
AUTOS TO THE WOODS.
Alabama Legislator Would Bar Them j
from Public Roads.
In the Alabama house of representa- j
+'1\Tf Qon/loro o I
Ci V Co JL' I iua> , *Ui. uauu^io, a. m^44ivv/i I
from one of the coun:ry counties, in- ,
troduced a bill to prevent automobiles
running on the public roads in the ;
state. As there are several thousand !
machines in the state, it is wondered
where they would run.
A METHODIST CATHEDRAL.
I
Southern Church Plans Great Struc- '
ture at Washington.
The Methodist Episcopal Church., i
South, has undertaken to build in ,
Washington a national church which |
shall be in effect a cathedral of the
denomination. It is said that a commodious
site has already been purchased
by. the Methodists. The building is tc i
cost $275,000, of which amount the local
Mount Vernon church is to raise
$75,000 and the denomination at large !
i
the remainder. |
MONEY OF STATE DIVERTED.
Serious Charges Against Insane Asy- j
lum Officials in Alabama. j
Following the sensational charges j
preferred against the Bryce insane
hospital at Tuscaloosa, Ala., Hugh M. i
Harton of Birmingham, has additional ;
adidavits, .charging that the state ap- <
propriation of $300,000 annually is '<
wasted or misapplied. <
Harton was one of those making af- !
fdavits to the effect that the patients s
of the hospital are inhumanly treated, i
. * - ' 4 --737 * ' \"'Tjt '
WfmfhMM
Fourteen Greek Joints in
Roanoke, Va, Smashed.
FIVE CENTS STARTED ROW
While Riot Was in Progress Mayor
and Other City Officials Were
Stoned?Greeks Will Appeal
to Their Government.
Roanoke, Va., was quiet Sunday, after
four hours' of rioting Saturday
night, when a mob wrecked nine Greek
restaurants, three Greek shoe shine
parlors, and two Syrian shops. The
riot was caused by a dispute about
5 cents between a Greek employed in
the Belmont Greek restaurant, on Salem
avenue, and an American, who
went there to buy a sandwich.
Nine places were wrecked on Salem
avenue, three on Jefferson street,
one on Nelson street and one on Rail- ?
road avenue. Five men have been arJ
1/\/4npA/4 i "5 O 51 nnA A f
IC&ICU ililU luuguu 1 u jaii ouu vuc vfc
them has been released on $250 bail
for his appearance at the hearing of
the case in the police court next Thursday.
None of the Greeks are under arrest.
At all of the wrecked places the
proprietors set to work Sunday morning
cleaning out the debris so as to
be ready to resume business. The
Greeks have employed counsel to look
after their interests, and have called
the attention of the Greek consulate
in this country to the affair.
While the disturbance was in progress
Mayor Joel H. Cutcliin, who was
in the street begging the crowds to
disperse, was struck on the legs and
severely bruised by rocks thrown by
unknown parties. Flying stones also
struck Police Justice J. R. Bryan, Police
Sergeant Overstreet and Policeman
Manning, King and Evans, and
Chief Engineer John Waggoner of the
Central fire department. Waggoner is
now on crutches. The fire department
was out to throw water on the
crowd, and when the hose was unwound
there were cries of "cut the
hose" and "shoot him."
The mayor ordered the police to
guard the hardware stores to prevent
the mob from raiding those places in
search of firearms. The larger restaurants,
which were elaborately furnished
with mirrors, had their interiors
demolished. The only Greek places not
wrecked were two large confectionery
stores run by men not identified tfith
the restauranti business.
United States District Attorney
Thomas L. Moore, when asked if he
would take any action in the matter
of the rioting, said that the case is
not covered by the federal s:atutes,
as no conspiracy is charged. The procedure
would be for the benefit-of the
offended Greeks to appeal to their government,
which would then apply to
the United States for proper protection,
and the Washing;on government
would refer the matter to the government
of Virginia. James D. Johnston,
counsel for the Greeks, made the following
statement:
"The Greeks nave connaence m me
sense of fairness and justice of the
people of Roanoke and believe they
will be reimbursed for the damage
they have sustained."
In an official statement Mayor Joel
H. Cutchin says the "regretable occasion
of Saturday night, when nine
Greek restaurants and three Greek
shoe shine parlors, and one or two
Syrian ?hops were attacked and wrecked
by a mob of several hundred people,
has brought the blush of shame
to every good citizen of Roanoke."
The mayor says the riot occurred
soon after midnight, when the city
was in semi-darkness, the police force
of seven men scattered over the city
without any facility for concentrating
them at the scene and that the three
officers nearest the point of attack
were unable to cope with the crowd."
SENATOR BACON HARD HIT
In Failure of Exchange Bank at Macon,
Ga.?Loses $20,0C0.
United States Senator A. 0. Bacon
was a heavy loser by the failure of the
Exchange bank at Macon, Ga.
It is said that Senator Bacon had
$20,000 worth of stock in this institution,
upon which he will probably
never realize a cent. It is said, as a
matter of fact, that the stockholders
will be assessed on their stock in order
to pay obligations of the defunct
institution.
TRIAL OF LYNCHERS BEGUN.
Seventeen Men Arraigned in Court at
Monroe, North Carolina.
The trial of John Jones for lynching
John W. Johnston in Anson county
i year ago, was begun in the superior
30urt at Monroe, N. C., Monday. There
ire seventen persons indicted for the
irime, but the case cf Jones was seec;ed
by the solicitor, as it is understood
to be the plan to try each of the
prisoners separately. _ n
rTWO-CENT RATE TANGLE. &
Judge Pritchard Ties Up State of Virw
ginia?Officials Are Warned and ^
Newspapers Are Muzzled.
A Richmond, Va., special says: The *
corporation commission and any or all s
its members, agents or employees
were notified Thursday by United
States Marshal Treat of the injunction -T^|
issued by Judge Pritchard of the fede;al
circuit court, against any further
attempt to enforce the two-cent rate
law upon the railroads engaged in contes:ing
it, and were forbidden to pub- ,
lish orders placing it into effect.
The newspapers of Rcihmond are
forbidden by injunction to publish the
general order of the corporation com- M
mission of April 2, promulgating the v|||
twcKient rate.
Judge McPherson of the federal j
court a: DesMoines, Iowa, Thursday denied
the application of the two stock-, ^
holders of the Iowa Central and the
Minneapolis and St. Louis for a re- *
straining order against the directors
of these roads to prevent them from ^
putting into effect the 2-cent passesger
rate law. The judge based his ac- as
tlon on the ground that no injury by ^
the roads was shown; that the com- ,
plaint that the new rate would cut *
down dividends was not proven; that ^
increased passenger travel might increase
receipts, and that under rule M
No. 94 of the supreme court the case ' '%
was not properly brought, as no charge
of bad faith on the part of the directors
was alleged.
At Omaha, Nebr., Judge Munger, in "M
the federal court, refused the applica- tion
of the Adams, Wells-Fargo, American,
United States and Pacific Ex- ' 'M
press companies for a restraining or- ?3
der preventing the Nebraska railroad; |I?
nr*/l XTAKroolro cfMnnnv -Sjm
^uiiiuiiaoiuu a;iu buc avvva uv/. . TKfl
general from putting in effect the neir -l
laws reducing express rates in thfr v-Jj
state 25 per cent.
In an opinion handed down at Washington
Thursday for the interstate /
commerce commission by Commissioner
Harlan, the ruling as laid down,
that while a rate fixed by state stat- ,';J
ufes or a state commission is natural, ;|a
and properly entitled to respectful
consideration, it has not greater sano* tity,
as applied to interstate traffic?* |i
than a rate established by a railroad ' t
company, and this commission wculd^-g
not hesitate, upon proper evidence ?.
that a rate so established would be
unjust, either to a carrier or to a shipper
to refuse to accept it as a basis
for fixing an interstate rate." '
The opinion in which the foregoing |||
announcement was made was in the rgH
case of Hope Cotton Oil company V|S
against the Texas and Pacific railroad' >j|j
company, and the St. Louis, Iron Mountain
and Southern railway com- |
pany. The complaint alleged that a
point through rate of 67 cents per J!s|
huudred pounds on cotton seed in -caploads,
charged by defendants from
points north of Shreveport via Texar- "jaB
kana to Hope, Ark., was unreasonable
and discriminatory, and that seven- $
teen and five-tenths cents per hundred
pounds would be a fair rate. After the ; ;j|
complaint was filed the defendants put
into effect a joint through rate of 30 M
cents per hundred pounds. The commission
holds that the 30-cent rate is
unreasonable, and it should not ex- >
ceed 17 5-10, which is the sum of the ;J|
local rates. The carriers are ordered
co put the reduced rate in force on I
before August 6.
UP TO REV. AINESWORTH. M
Savannah Mayor Anxious to Locate AL ' vl
leged Blind Tiger. v
Mayor George W. Tiedeman of Sa- - ^
vannah will take official cognizance of
the statement made by Rev. W. N.
Ainesworth before the senate temper- M
ance committee, that he secured a ,'J|
concoction of liquor from a Savannah
blind tiger which showed that they ex
ist. Mayor Tiedeman has written a
letter to Mr. Ainesworth asking for Information
about the place.
PROBING REPORT ISSUED. -4
Harriman and His Operations Projected
Into the Limlight.
A repor: was made public at Wash- ^
ington Saturday by the interstate com- |
merce commission of its inquiry into \
the railroad operations of Edward H.
Harriman and ^ of the operations of,
the so-called Harriman lines of railway
which has been in progress for several
months.
No recommendations are made by
the commission that either criminal or A
civil proceedings be instituted a3 a
result of Its inquiry. , J|
THREE CHILDREN CREMATED.
' -41
Burgalrs Set Fire to Looted Store and
Holocaust Resuts.
Fire started by burglars who looted
a small grocery store in Houston early
Tuesday caused the death of three
children of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Prages,
who conducted the store and
whose family occupied the upper floor