The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, February 03, 1921, Image 1
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$2.00 Per Year in Advance BAMBERG, S. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1921. Established in 1891 '.J
OIL TANK EXPLOSION
SAVES BURNING SHIP
flames snuffed out when
fuel containers burst.
Vessel on Fire 24 Hours
Several Members of Crew Badly
Burned While Fighting Desperately
Against Odds.
Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 30.?The
Italian setamer Nettuno, Capt. G.
Bersini, en route from Port Arthur,
Texas, to Brinisdi, was towed into
this port today by the coast guard
cutter Yamacraw after being afire at
aea_
Captain Bersini attributes the salvation
of his ship to a miracle?the
explosion of her fuel oil tanks, which
literally snuffed out the fire after it
had raged unchecked for. 24 hours.
The blaze originated in the engine
room from a bursting feed pipe when
the Nettuno was four days out from
Port Arthur from which she cleared
on January 21 with a cargo of gasoline
and fuel oil. At that time she
was off the Florida coast in the vicinity
of Bermuda.
In a few moments the Nettuno was
a seething inferno amidships and
Captain Bersini stated that it did
not seem possible for her to remain
afloat but a short time.
Seated in his badly damaged cabin
this afternoon while the Nettuno
swung easily at anchor in the river,
Captain Bersini painted a vivid picture
of the horror through which he
and the ship's personnel lived during
the .24 hours the fire raged unchecked
in the ship wallowing helplessly
in heavy seas.
Fight Courageously.
It was also a story of courage and
devotion of duty such as men are
seldom called upon to perform. The
crew fought with desperation to keep
the fires from the gasoline stored in
the hold of the vessel. The fight,
however, appeared hopeless, according
to Captain Bersini, and momentarily
he expected the flames to reach
.the gasoline and blow the ship to
atoms. ,
Practically ^very lifeboat aboard
the Nettuno had either been carried
away or smashed by the terrible buffeting
the tanker sustained during
the. hours the fire twisted and
wrecked her engine room and warped
and cracked her steel decks and side
plates. The fact that the crew had
no lifeboats in which to leave the
burning vessel added to the horror
* of the situation.
Captain Bersini spoke in the highest
terms of the behavior of his officers
and crew, speaking freely of the
heroic work of the two chief engineers,
Betteno and Cross, as well as
of the heroism of Engineer Jandi
Joanna, who volunteered to go below
at the time the feed pipe burst to
shut off the flow of oil and rescue
the firemen trapped in the fire room.
Joanna was so severely burned
that Captain Bersini stated he did
not think the engineer could survive.
His clothing was burned from his
body and his fleSh in many places
literally cooked. Joanna and the two
firemen, Brancalaone and Losito,
transferred to the Belgian steamer
* Kremlin on January 26, the day after
the fire aboard the Nettuno had been
extinguished and sent to Newport
News.
* The Yamacraw, which had been advised
to look out for the Nettuno,
picked up the ship on January 28 and
headed for Jacksonville. The Nettuno
is owned by the Italian state
railways, her home port being Palmera,
Italy.
The ship is so badly damaged that
*x 9 ? x? J ? V* r, 4- -J-f ttrill Ka WfioTrc
II IS eSLlilittltJU tuac 11. TTXix
before she is again ready for sea.
A representative of the owners is
expected here tomorrow from New
York.
The Nettuno is a 6,0-00 ton ship,
400 feet in length with a breadth of
60 feet.
Captain Bersini stated he had had
four years of war, had two ships
torpedoed under him by submarines,
was badly wounded in one of the explosions,
but these experiences -were
nothing compared to the horror
through which he had just emerged.
For four days the crew of the Nettuno
was without food or sleep.
Vienna.?Prices of the state opera
and the state theater again have
been increased, until a box at the
opera now costs 2,880 crowns for
200 performances, as against 1,250
crowns in the old days.
JOINT ASSEMBLY
HOLDS ELECTIONS
COLONEL SANDERS PENITENTIARY
SUPERINTENDENT.
Game Warden Named
A. A. Richardson Selected for Position
By Members of General
Assembly.
Columbia, Jan. 28.?The election
of the superintendent of the state
penitentiary, the chief state game
: warden and four circuit judges and
j the filling of three vacancies on board
! of directors of the state penitentiary
j constitute the business transacted at'
! yesterday's twTo hour session of the \
joint assembly of the senate and
house of representatives.
Col. A. K. Sanders was reelected
superintendent of the state peniten!
tiarv for another term of two years
! by the general assembly, winning
over his three contestants on the first
; ballot. Superintendent Sanders was
: first elected head of the state peni|
tentiary four years ago and during
| his administration has proved himself i
| one of the state's most efficient and!
capable officials. Especially significant
during these four years under j
! Colonel Sanders has been the gradual
; inauguration with no small success
j of the honor system at the stat? pris;
on. The systematic abandonment of
the antiquated, methods of prison
management will continue throughout
his coming term, Colonel Sanders
announces, th? innovations being,
made as rapidly as possible.
Electedl on First Ballot.
The first and only ballot showed I
the following result: Col. A. K. Sanders,
115 votes; P. H. Lesesne, of Columbia,
37 votes; R. E. Craig, of Columbia,
2 votes, and J. Lawrence McGee,
of Anderson, 9 votes. Eightytwo
votes were necessary for election.
A. A. Richardson, of Columbia, was
elected chief game warden of the
state on the second ballot over a
field of six nominees, R. H. Mc
Adams, of Due Yest? standing second
in bo^h ballots. Mr. Richardson, who
was formerly chief state game warden,
will succeed W. H. Gibbes, who
has asked to be relieved of the duties
of the office.
;With 162 senators and representatives
voting, the first ballot stood:
W. H. Hames, of Union, 17 votes; R.
,,TJ[. McAdams, of Due West, 33 votes;
A. A. Richardson, of Columbia, 72
votes; P. W. DeVore, of Greenwood,
10 votes; E. A. Early, of Darlington,
21 votes and J. W. Folk, of Newberry,
9 votes.
Mr. Devore's name was withdrawn
*
from the race and the second ballot
taken: Hames, 16 votes; McAdams,
35 votes; Richardson, 84 votes; Early
14 votes, and Folk 3 votes. On? hundred
and fifty-two members voted on
the second roll call, 77 votes being
necessary to declare a choice.
Circuit Judges Reelected.
Four circuit jurges, whose terms
expired this year, were unanimously
reelected by the joint assembly on
viva voce ballots as follows: Judge
W. H. Townsend for the Fifth judicial
circuit, Judge T. S. Sease for
the seventh circuit, Judge R. W.
Memminger for the ninth corcuit and
Judge George E. Prince for the tenth
circuit.
O. C. Scarborough, of Summertcn,
and J. M. Smith, of Smoaks, were reelected
members of the board of directors
of the state penitentiary
while G. A. Mosely, of Camden, was
also named s director of the in
stitution, defeating J. A. McDermott,
of Conway, the incumbent. Only one
ballot was required, th? vote standing:
Mosely, 125 "^tes; Smith, 116
votes; Scarborough, 142 votes, and
McDermott, 109 votes.
The joint assembly adjourned to
reconvenea t noon today, the election
of four members of the board of
trustees of the state medical college
being the only business scheduled
for consideration. Members of the
board, whose terms expire this year,
'are: Dr. H. H. Wyman, of Aiken; Dr.
W. W. Fennell, of Rock Hill; Dr. R.
E. Hughes, of Laurens, and Dr. W. S.
Lynch, of- Scranton.
? <eii
Frost Bitten Congers.
London.?The prolonged frost has
had a curious effect upon the fish in
the channel, and at Deal a number
of dead fish were discovered by
boatsmen on the beach. They comprised
large congers, cod, whiting,
sprats and others. Most of the fish
were frost bitten, especially the congers
which are susceptible to frost, j
E. D. B1GHAM CHARG- I
ED WITH SLAYING 5
CORONER'S JURY HOLDS HIM I
FOR TERRIBLE DEED.
Land Deed In Question
Clerk of Court Says That it Shows ]
Evidences of Having Been Changed
Relative to Grantees.
Florence. Jan. 27.?That E. D.
Bigham was the perpetrator of the|<
crime which cost the lives of three ]
members of the Bigham family and (
the two adopted children of the late <
Mrs. Black is the opinion of the jury 1
of inquest which rendered its ver- ]
diet tonight. j
After hearing at Pamplico the tes- <
timony of thirty witnesses, including
the reexamination of Mrs. Bigham, p
the wife of Edmund Bigham, and his j ]
oldest daughter, the jury found that; i
Mrs. A. M. Bigham, Mrs. Margie! 1
Black, the two McCracken children, h
aged three and six, and L. S. Bigham j I
had come to their deaths at the hands i
of E. D. Bigham.
Coroner Smith will issue a warrant
charging E. D. Bigham with the mur- 1
ders. Bingham is now being held at i
the county jail on a warrant sworn i i
out by John McCracken, the father of |
the two murdered children. This <
warranty was served and Bingham
arrested on January 20, five days :
after the tragedy at the Bingham :
home, two miles from Pamplico.
?
It was at first believed that L. S. :
Bigham in a fit of despondency over
alleged financial troubles had com- '
mitted the murders and then killed i
himself, but following the strong
sentiment in the community that such 1
could not have been the case, Coroner
Smith continued his investigation i
and has built up a case the circi^m- :
stances of which, based on the evidence
adduced, are believed by the
jury of inquest to be suificiently i
strong to warrant the accusing of
Edmund Bigham. 1
Phillip H. Arrowsmith conducted .
the investigation for the coroner at
the hearing. He dug deep into the :
case.
The two Singletary negroes,? who
have been in jail bore fur several days
as material witnesses and the wile "
of Andrew Singletary, were import- '
anjt witnesses. Andrew Singletary:;
testified that after the wood cutters :
#
had been paid off Saturday, January
15, E. D. Bigham and L. S. Bigham
remained in the woods. Later, he '
passed the house with his wife and
son going to Pamplico and saw E. D. 1
Bigham emerge from tli9 woods 1
alone, after looking up and down
the road, proceed to the house. This
was after Mrs. Bigham had sent a
vest out to him by one of the McCracken
children. Bigham went tc- 1
j* j_i i ?*i.i. l i rn"U ^
wara me iiuuse wim ue cuuu. j hc
time was about 3 o'clock. His testimony
was corroborated by his wife 1
and son.
Has Hurried Conference.
Ribert Foxworth testified that Edmund
Bigham, with his family in his
car, had swept up to his house, which
was only a short distance from the
Bigham home, and had a hurried
conversation with him, so hurried
in fact, that the witness did not remember
much about it. Bigham then
turned his car in the direction of the
Bigham home.
The testimony of Mrs. Bigham and k
of th? oldest daughter is said to have
varied considerably from that giver
at the hearing Sunday, January 10,
and although the two were together
in the car on the trip to and from
Foxworth's their stories, of what had
occurred conflicted at several points.
It was stated today that the deed
which Mrs. Bigham prejented to
Clerk of Court Singletary for record- ,
ing and which was later withdrawn .
by her for the reason that she did ,
?-?/-? + Tiotrn nnffloionf mftnor T I. r?QV
uul uarc ouiuv<iuui uivuwj v.?v ^v<
the revenue stamps, amounting to ,
$42, has not yet been recovered. Mrs. (
Bigham is said to have stated that'
she delivered the deed to her bus-',
band at the jail.
This deed, according to Mr. Single- (
tary, who read it closely while it w^s in
his possession, was signed bv Mrs. 1
M. M. Bigham, Mrs. Margie Black
and L. S. Bigham, and conveyed the !
entire Bigham property to Ed. Bigham
for a consideration of $42,000. 1
Mr. Singletary declares that the deed
bears every appearance of having
been tampered with and that i: is evident
that the names of the original
grantees had been erased and the 1
name of Edmund Bigham written
%
CARTER SECOND IN
JUSTICE BALLOTING
jOcal man develops strength
IN JOINT SESSION.
T. P. Cothran Elected
Local Attorney Ran Ahead of Three
Circuit Judges in Contest For
Associate Justice.
Columbia, Jan. 27.?Thomas P.
Dothran, of Greenville, speaker of the
louse of representatives, was yesteriay
elected a member of the supreme
:ourt of South Carolina to fill the
vacancy caused by the death of D. E.
Hydrick, who passed away recently in
iri crf^ri offor Vi a vir> cr ronHororl
T? Ui.LV/i UUf I iiiQ A VJU\AVA WM
listinguished service to his state.
The election of Speaker Cothran,
which had been freely predicted by
bis numerous friends and admirers
in the general assembly, came on the
third ballot, other men voted for on
the third ballot being Thomas_ S.
3ease, of Spartanburg, judge of the
seventh circuit, who received 27
votes, and Jesse F. Carter, of Bamberg,
who received 33 votes. Speaker
\
Cothran received 105 vote3 on the
third ballot, 84 being necessary to an
election.
Afttfr the joint assembly had been
called to order at noon, Senator
Proctor A. Bonham, of Greenville,
uominated Thomas P. Cothran; Senator
Arthur A. Young, of Charleston,
nominated R. Withers Memminger;
Representative S. T. D. Lancaster
of Spartanburg nominated
Thomas S. Sease; Senator J. B. Black,
of Bamberg, nominated Jesse F. Carter;
Senator G. E. Laney, of Chesterfield,
nominated Edward Mclver. After
these names had been submitted,
the nominations were closed and
th? balloting began.
After the first two ballots had been
taken with no election resulting, Senator
Young, of Charleston, withdrew
the name of Judge Memminger, and
Senator Laney withdrew the name oi
Judge Mclver.
Following was the ballot:
9 9 ? ~ ?
s s. ? ? s
E d* 3 < ?
3 3 8 ?
3 s
crc
?
First ballot .. .. 28 75 15 16 32
Second ballot.. .. 27 82 13 15 30
Third ballot .. ..[ 33)106 ? ? 27
Lieut. Gov. Wilson G. Harvey, whc
was presiding over the joint session
of the assembly, announced that Mr,
Jothran had been duly elected to the
supreme court and dissolved the joint
session.
, Carter Shows Strength.
One of the interesting features oi
the election and one commented
upon by many members was the
strength shown by Jesse F. Carter,
of Bamberg, a man not very widelj
known, yet who managed to make a
strong showing. His friends were
greatly pleased at the strength he
mustered.
It had been predicted for some days
that Mr. Cothran would be the choice
of the assembly for the high post and
the fact that he was an easy leader
on every ballot demonstrated the accuracy
of the forecasts as to his popularity
with members of the assembly,
The tellers for the election yesterday
were Senators W. F. Lightsey
of Hampton, S. H. McGhee, of Greenwood,
and H. L. Smith, Jr., of Georgetown;
Representatives M. C. Foster,
of Spartanburg, T. S. McMillan, oi
Charleston, and W. L. Riley, of Bamberg.
No other office other than that for
the position on the supreme bench
was balloted for yesterday, though
several elections are yet to be held.
The fine January weather has given
the farmers an excellent opportunity
to get their farming operations under
way. A great deal of land has
' 1 1 - 11. tv?nr?xr "i r? _
Deen oroKen, aiiiiuugii m mauj instances
the farmers are yet undecided
on their various crop acreages for
the next season. It appears to be
a certainty, though, that the acreage
in cotton will be the smallest on record
for recent years.
therein. It was executed at Charleston
originally and was probated by
Sam Rittenberg, notary public.
According to Mr. Singletary the
consideration also appeared to have
been changed eliminating reference
to the mortgage covering the bond
for Cleveland Bigham. Mrs. E. D.
Bigham took this deed to the clerk
of court last week, but did not leave
it with him for purposes of record.
POWERS OF ALLIES j
FIND UNITED FRONT
SUPREME COUNCIL REACHES
REPARATION AGREEMENT.
226,000,000,000 Gold Marks
Payment to Cover Period of Forty
Years.?Conference Results
in Satisfaction to All.
Paris, Jan. 29.?Full argeement on
reparations, German disarmament
and all other important questions before
it was reached by the supreme
council of the allies when it adjourned
at 5:40 o'clock this evening to
meet in London February 21.
The greatest result obtained was,
as M. Briand, the French premier,
expressed after the closing session,
"maintenance by the allies of a front
as united in making peace as it was
, in making war." Count Sforza, the
Italian foreign minister, and Mr. Briand
said the conference had result,
ed to the satisfaction of everybody
concerned.
A proctocol was signed approving
, the reparations scheme as agreed by
, the special committee appointed by
the council to consider the subject
and also the report on the disarmament
of Germany as presented by
. the military committee. Under these
arrangements Germany must disarm
by July 1, disbanding all her civic
guards not provided for in the Versailles
treaty.
Germany will be called upon to
pay in 42 annuities on a sliding scale
226,000,000,000 gold marks. Her
exports will in addition bear an ex
. port duty of 12 per cent, and tnat
. will go to the alltes. On the basis
. of last year's exports, this would give
the allies 1,250,000,000 gold marks
or 12 per cent, of whatever money
with which the exports are paid for.
. Thus, it is estimated, the first pay.
ment made by Germany will be 3,i
250,000,000 gold marks, the export
? tax being entirely in cash.
Means Protective Tariff.
It is pointed out that besides be:
ing a sure method of collection of
the reparation, it will act as a protective
tariff in countries that are
neighbors of Germany, which are
likely to be flooded with goods made
: in Germany at very low cost of proi
duction because of the relatively low
value of the mark and which con|
sequently can be oyered in foreign
L markets at very low prices in foreign
money. The penalties agreed
k upon by the.council for violations by
. Germany will apply to all the agreements
alike ? reparations, disarmament
and coal deliveries. A strong
f feature of the reperations plan from
^ the French point of view is that it
nllinn in hnnnfito
k ctSSUCia, ICS LUC CllllCO 1U luu uvuv^bu
of Germany's prosperity.
'r Seizure of German customs was
L added as fourth on the list of pen;
alties adopted by the council. The
( other three are: Extension of the
area of occupation; occupation of
t the Ruhr district; refusal to admit
k Germany to the league of nations.
J The proposal to apply penalties to
. the reparations and other agreements
was presented by Premier Lloyd
George.
According to the terms of the
" agreements the annuities and export
taxes are payable semi-annually.
' Discount for advance payment will
be 8 per cent, for the first two years,
6 per cent, the third and fourth
- years, and 5 per cent, thereafter.
: Germany is forbidden to establish
' foreign credits without the approval
of tbe repearations commission.
The supreme council's decisions
l u-opo prvmTrmTnr.ated to Mjermany to
1 night.
To Aid Austria.
In the attempt to aid Austria it
r was agreed that the allies should
apply foreign reparations, the cost of
the army of occupation and certain
other debts to the allies in order that
Austria might more easily obtain outside
aid. It was also decided to convene
in the neighborhood of Trieste
| a conference of Austria and adjoining
countries for the purpose of endeavoring
to improce economic, commercial,
financial and political rela
tions between the central European
' states.
Approval was given to M. Louvs
heur's proposal for a 200,000,000
11 franc corporation to assist Austria in11
dustrially, in which the different gov.
ernments may participate. A commis,
sion will be "appointed to inquire into
: the conduct of the Austrian adminisi
tration with a vew to suggesting economies
and improving the various eer
ELECT ATKINSON
SPEAKER OF HOUSE
. A > A
SPARTANBURG MAN SUCCEEDS
THOS. P. COTHRAN.
*
On First Ballot
Thomas S. McMillan, of Charleston,
Made Speaker Pro Tem.?Base
Ball Star Favorite.
Columbia, Feb. 1.?Election of J.
B. Atkinson, of Spartanburg, as
speaker and Thos. S. McMillan, of
Charleston, as speaker pro tempore,
the clearing of the calendar nf third
reading bills and the advancement
of a number of second reading meas- 1
ures occupied the morning session of
the house of representatives today before
it adjourned at 1 o'clock to reconvene
in the morning at 11 o'clock. '
> V
The house and its committees have
kept well abreast of their work and
fjrVv "TlXfe
the calendar will be very small, a$r:
there were only three committee re- v
ports during the session. The new
bills introduced were about an average
in number, but most of them were
of local nature. / :
John Buford Atkinson was elected
speaker of the house to succeed
Associate Justice Thos. P. Cothran,
who was elected to the state supreme f
bench last Wednesday, this afternoon
on the first ballot, his only opponents
being CTaude N. Sapp, of Co-,
lumbia, and J. K. Owens, of BenneUtfville.
The new speaker, who has ad- -s
. - ? ^ 91
vancea irorn speaKer pro tempore, is
succeeded by Thos. S. McMillan, of v Charleston,
who likewise was elected
on the first ballot over two oppop- "^r 1
x- ''-V; '
nents, J. K. Owens, of Bennettsville, ' '
and George S. Mower, 'of Newberry,
Mr. McMillan receiving 63 votes, Mr.
Owens 26, and Mr. Mower 14. The
new speaker, a lawyer by profession,
was born at Chester January 13,
1872, was graduated from Furman .
with an A. B. degree 1894, and from
the University of South Carolina,
then the South Carolina College, with "
the degree of doctor of laws in 1897.
He moved to Spartanburg in 1904
and in the same year married Miss
Corinne Searson, of ^.llendale. He V
served as United States commission- \
er at Spartanburg from 1905 to 1917,
during the latter year entering the.
house of representatives where #he
is now serving his second term. At '' .
? "* r '
the beginning of the legislature he
was elected speaker pro tempore.
Thos. S. McMillan; of Charleston,
was born at Ulmers, Barnwell county,
November 27, 1888, and was graduated
from the University of South
Carolina in, 1912 with the A. B. de-?
gree and in 1912 with the bachelor
of law degree. Upon completion of
his law course he went to Charlesy
j
ton and entered the practice of his
profession. He married Miss Clara
Gooding, of Hampton, in 1916. During
his college career he was a well
known athlete. He began serving in
the house in 1917, and is now on his *
second term. ' {
r--. * ;
?^?- I
Awakening of Soil.
|
The cause of the spring awakening
of the soil, with the rapid germination
of seeds, is not yet clearly understood.
The old view that it is' 'due
.
to rise in temperature has been disproven
by the activity of microbe
life quite independent of tempera-\
ture, and the suggestion of a preference
for a given season is found unsatisfactory.
Another possible cause
is discovered by A. Lumiere, a French
botanist. He points out that the toxic
products secreted by the roots of
plants and by the death and decay of
vegetation in autumn may have a - .
temporary retarding effect on growth
and experiments seem to support this
view. Soil collected in November was
throughly washed to remove soluble
toxic products. At the laboratory
temperature, the washed soil produced
vegetation very rapidly, but
the unwashed gave little growth, and
the concentrated washings prevented
growtn.
vices.
The British prime minister expressed
lively satisfaction over the fact
that the allies had maintained their
solid front. In taking leave of his
colleagues he said:
"We shall be glad to try to give
you in London as cordial-, a reception
as we received here and w? hope
that you will be able to confront the
London fog all the more courageously
since the fog of the conference
has been dissipated."
\ -'vji