The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, June 23, 1904, Image 1
W VOL XIII
i Six Hundre
Lr OiV, Fire ;
J ^
L On Burning 'Steamer
K at New York They
Perished. #
I MANY CHILDREN VICTIMS
Although the Steamer Was Not
Far From Shore, Fire and
in Few Minutes
W Claimed Many.
of the most appalling disasters
W the history of Now York, tragic
Bn its Immensity, dramatic In^ls
|B episodes and deeply pathetic In the
B tender age of most of the victims,
took place Wednesday in the East
I river at the entrance to Long Island
sound, within a short distance of the
A New York shore and within sight of
thousands of persons, the majority of
B whom were powerless to minimize the
B extent of Die catastrophe.
B lly the burning to the water's edge
Bof the Gen. Slooum, three-decked exB^cursion
steamer, the largest in these
B waters, more than <>oo persons, the
B majority of whom were women and
I children, were burned to death or
B drowned by jumping overboard or by
B boing thrown into the whirlpool by
B the lurching of the vessel and the
of the panic-stricken
mgers.
lis the season of Sunday school
'alone in New York bay and Long
id Rnmub t.hn imp nf t.hn
Kst picturesque bodies of water in
the country. Great preparations had
Vheen made for the 17th annual excurW
Bion of the Sunday school of St. Mark's
German Lutheran church the congre
V nation of which is drawn from the
dense pollution of the lower east and
west sides, and the Gen. Slocum had
been chartered to carry the excursionH
Ists to Locust Grove one of the many
^^^ Mtf^^Kong Island
He NUMIIKIt ON HO A HI).
^^^Bpi^variously estimated that there
^^ere between 1,600 and 2,600 persons
(n board the Gen. Slocum when she
left the pier at Third street, East
river, though the Kiuckerbocker
Steamship company, which owns the
Slocum, otllclally states that the number
of persons was HT.'l, that being
only one-third of the vessel's capacity.
rit is thought however, that there
Mp* several hundred children in arms,
for whom fares are not usually charged
on these trips, on board.
Tho scene on the decks of the
steamer as she proceeded up the East
river was one of merrymaking, customary
on such occasions. The mass of
flags fluttered in the June breez?, the
bands were nlavlni? and the children
were singing, dancing and waving
handkerchiefs and Mags in answer to
the salutations of those on shore or
from passing steamers. On the extreme
eastern end of Randalls islaqfl,
off 135th street, there is a stretch "of
water known as the sunken meadowy.
At this point, Just as crowds were
watching the gaily decorated steamer
^ _ from shore, the Gen. Slocum took lire
; Ad as the age of the vessel she was
Bilt In 1891?had resulted In the well
HKisonlng of the wood with which she
was almost entirely built, she was
soon a mass of llame. The llame is
said to have broken out in a lunch
room on the forward deck by the
overturning of a pot of grease. The
wind was high and all efforts to ex^
tlngulsli the blaze were futile.
FOK NOIITII HUOTIIKK ISLAND.
At 134th street there are several
lumber yards and oil tanks a^ as
Capt'. William Van Schaick, in ^jmmand
of the Gen. Slocum, started U
turn Ills vessel towards the shore there
he was warned that it would set tire
to the lumber and oil and so he chang
ed his course for North brother island,
one of the twin Islands near the en
trance to the sound some half a mile
kaway, where the boat partially burnec
was beached. She sank near that
place at 12.15 o'clock Wednesday
k afternoon, two hours and 25 minutei
| after the tire was disexivered.
In the meantime the passenger.*
had become panic stricken and those
who were not caught up by the llame!
rushed to the rear of the vessel anc
hundreds Jumped overboard into the
swiftly running waters. It isauigee
that the life preservers woq^fAse
cureiy rastenen 10 uieir noiamgs 10 tj<
available and stories are told of fran
; tic efforts made by strong men to cul
tbem loose but even if they could hav<
f|?been torn down they were too high uj
^pS-l^tbe children to reach. It is als<
^^^Vported that no attempt was made t<
jP?Mret out the tire apparatus at the IIrs
Ig^Vcry of "tire" though Capt. Vai
Schalck says that he immediately rani
the bells for getting out the appa
W ratus. According to several state
f ments no attempt was made to lowc
boats or life rafts. Capt. Van Sohaicl
and his two pilots, named Kiwart
Van Wart and E. M. Weaver, hav
been arrested.
An Old Hinner.
Meyer Guggenheim, 77 year, old, i
multi-millionaire and a great grand
father, has been made defendant in
breach of promise suit, in New Yorll
Damages are fixed at $100,000. Th
possessor of $50,000,000 Is a very at
tractive person.
f
By the way, what right men wh
have been persistent bolters whe
things did not go to suit them to d<
^h^mand that there be no bolters whe
do go to suit them?
r \
td Die
and Wreck.
THE 8T0RY IN DETAIL.
Scenes oft ho FiiHpcakahlo AK^nt on
the Doomed Ship.
The three-decked excursion steamerGeneral
Slocum, of the Knickerbocker
Steamboat company, burned to the
water's edge Wednesday oil North
Hrother island, East river, at the enI
trance to Long Island sound, resulting
in the death through burning or
drowning of at least 0U0 persons, mostly
women and children. Four hundred
and forty-sevi n bodies had been recovered
Wednesday night and divers were
at work taking bodies from the hold
of the steamer. The remains of many
persons who leaped into the river have
not yet been found, and. it will be
many hours before the list of dead Is
anywhere near complete.
The Gen. Slocum, one of the largest
excursion steamers in these waters,
left Third street, East river, at 9.30
o'clock Wednesday morning, having on
board the annual Sunday school excursion
of St. Maik's German Lutherchurch,
located in Sixth street. Her
destination was Locust Grove, one of
the many resorts on Long Island
!sound. The excursion was in charge of
Kev. George C. F. Haas, pastor of the
church. The vessel was commanded by
i (Japt. Wm. Van Sohalk, one of the
best known excursion boat captains in
New York harl>or. lie has commanded
I the t?cn. Sloeum for almost the entire |
time since she was built in 1891. The
! number of excursionists on board
Wednesday is variously estimated at
i from 1,500 to 2,500, but according to
i an olllciul statement issued by the
Knickerbocker Steamboat company,
owners of the Slocum, the number of
passengers was 878, that being onethird
of the vessel's licensed capacity.
(.'HOWI)KI) WITH MKKKYMAKKKS.
The steamer, after leaving her dock
Wednesday morning proceeded up the i
Kast river, all three of her decks being
| crowded witli merrymakers. Hands
played and the great sidewhecler was
decorated with Hags frcm stem to
stern.
The Slocum had reached a point
near the sunken meadows olT 135th
street, Manhattan, which is at the extreme
eastern end of Lunsdalls island,
when tire broke out in a lunch room on
the forward deck. The bla/.e was
caused by the overturning of a pot of
grease. The headway of the vessel and
a high wind almost instantly fanned
the Insigniticant liame Into jury. Effoits
were at once directed to subduing
the lire but they were futile. The bla/.e j
spread after with almost lightning rapidity.
Capt. Van Schaik, in the pilot
house, had been informed of tho outbreak
of the tire, and realizing the danger
to the hundreds of excursionists,
decided to send his vessel to shore at
134th street. At this point there arc
lumber yards and several huge oil
tanks and the captain was warned that
to attempt to land at this point would
endanger the property and perhaps
further Imperil the scores of people
who had already l?een frightened into
a state of almost uncontrollable excitement.
CHANOKI) COUK8K.
Changing the big steamer's course
slightly he headed for north Brother
island, half a mile away. by this time
the llames were rushing hy leaps and
bounds fiom the forward part of the
ship aft.
The great open decks, built for the
excursionists, with little obstruction
from bow to stern, ottered a clear
sweep for the tire. As the Sloe urn
dashed forward the llames caught
, stanchion and cabin woodwork eating
and tearing their way across the ves,
sel.
( The excurslonits, but a few moi
ments before in the full enjoyment of
i an Ideal summer's day on Long Island
i .sound, were driven to the after part
. of the steamer to escape the heat,
. llames and smoke that were constantly
increasing. Policemen and deckhands
aboard the boat struggled hard to
quiet the panic, but the efforts were
1 in vain. The wild dis< rder inc reased as
1 frantic mothers sought to tind their
children, who had been at play about
' the decks.
The steamer's whistle was blowing
! for assistance and tugs and other near'
by craft answered the call, before any
1 of the boats could reach the burning
' steamer, however, the frantic women
' anrl nhtldron tuioon
j * ??? vtinvti VII UI.^UII UV juiup UTCi ITUAIlli I
' The current was strong and there are
' many whirlpools In the channel. The
' boats that alwajs bound in the viclni*
ty picked many persons from the
water, but these were only a small
| number o'f those that were seen strug5
gllng in the current.
J On the Slocum the lust swe?p of
' the ilames cut oil escape from the
3 hurricane deck, where a great many
1 of the women and children were
crowded together, and soon burned
3 away the light wood of the uprights
which came down with a crash on
^ Chose below. It Is thought that most
of those on the hurricane deck were
3 burned'.
* CROWDED THE RAIL.
t As the tire increased the struggle to
i gain a point of vantage at the stern
< became frightful. Women and child
ren crowded against the after rail
* until it gave way and hundreds were
r pushed off into the river. After this
t there was a steady stream of persons
3 who jumped or were thorwn into the
[continued on page 4. J
Horso Claim Allowed.
a A dispatch from Spartanburg says
. Congressman Johnson has received
a notice through the war department
. that a Confederate horse claim has
e been allowed to J. A. Gallamore of
r Greenville county under act of congress
of Feb. 27, 1902. - After the surrender
of Lee, Mr. Gallamore had a
o horse stolen from him by the union
n soldiers. The money "Will be forwarded
5- by the department in a week or two
n Congressman Johnson has many similar
claims pending.; *
rKf
<
WORLDS NOTABLE DISASTERS.
The Iltiriiiiiicof' the Slocuui Oncol'the
Most llfartrcmliiiK.
The burning of the steamer General
Slocum, on la^>t Wednesday morning,
with u l(?-s of probably more than 500
lives, is one of the most heartrending
disasters of recent times. Ttie guests
of the big steamer were nearly all
children and women, going upon tiieir
annual Sunday school picnic.
Such a catastrophe cannot fail to
recall the recent holocaust in Chicago,
when at a matinee on the last day of
lOO.'t, the Iroquois theatre, just c mpleted,
was sei/.ed by the lire tiend and
in less than thirty minutes more than
000 people, largely women and clill
dren, were burned to death, and mure
than 400 others were maimed for life.
Such disasters call to mind the
theatre tire of Richmond, Va., in
1811; the burning of the Conwaysbrook
playhouse in 187(3, and the tlery
destruction of the Paris theatre a few
years ago, In which the leading actress
and many others lost their livis.
While such catastrophes are horrible
to contemplate they do not approach
the horror of other disasters by tire,
tlood and volcanic eruptl ?n.
All will recall the eruption of Vesuvius
in A. I). 70, which buried in sand
and lava Pompeii, Ilcrculaneum and
Stabiae. The lotsof life was 160,000,
and the cities have never been rebuilt.
Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, suffered
an earthquake in 1755, which
left the city in ruins, and took (10,000
lives.
Caracas, the capital of Venezuela,
lost 12,000 lives from an earthquake
in 1812.
Manila, Philippine Islands, was visited
by an earthquake in June, 1803,
causing a loss of nearly 10,000 lives.
Certainly the mcst distruct! vc tire
in the history of this country, if not
in tire world, was the Chicago lire of
Octi bbr, 1871. Beginning in a barn
in DeKoven street, it spread with
lightning rapidity, and raged for two
days and nights. It swept over 2,100
acres, destroying 17,450 buildings
The exact number of the deaths has
never been ascertained, but it went
Into the hundreds; 70,000 people?
one-llfth of the entire population?
were left homeless, and property
worth $100,000,000?one-third of the
value of the entire city was destroyed
by tills tire.
llostr n had a tire in 1872, which destroyed
;>0 acres v.f the business section
at a 1< ss of 875,000 000.
Tuc Johnstown, Pa., Mood in May,
1880, was a frightful disaster. The
dam across South Pork, a branch of
the Coneraaugh river, 12 m'les east of
Johnstown, br< ke, releasing Cone
maugh Lake, whose waters thundered
down the valley, crtgu'fed Johnstown
and neighboring villages, causing a
loss of 2,235 lives and $10,000,000.
On September 8, 1000, Galveston,
Tex., was the scene of a great Mo id.
a wesi Indian hurricane, with a
\elooity if 185 milts an hour, swept
over the lity and Hooded the {-treels,
and in less tl an live hours destroyed
(1,000 lives and property valued at
$18,000,000.
More recent still was the eruption
of Mont Pclee on the Island of M ir
Unique, French West Indies. On
May the 8th, 1902, the mountains
belched forth and overwhelmed the
town of St. Pierre at its base w th
sand and lava which overran the surrounding
country, and destroyed 30,000
people.
On August 8th, 1002, Mt. Pelee
erupted again and 2,500 lives were
lost.
Everyone recalls the recent cyclone
of Gainesville, Ga., and the burning
of the Park Avenue Hotel in New
York, each dh aster causing so much
suffering and the loss of life, in the
latter 157.
Well Worth Seeing.
One of the most interesting exhibits
among the many of all kinds
at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
in St. Louis Is that of the Winchester
Repeating Arms Company, of New
Haven, Conn., manufacturers of repeating
ritles and shotguns and all
kinds of ammunition. The exhibit
was in readiness and was opened on
the first day of the fair, a fact that
clearly illustrates the enterprise and
up-to-date methods of the company
behind it. It is the aim of the Winchester
Repeating Arms Company to
show at their exhibit the high development
which they have reached in Live
making of guns and ammunition, and
one needs only to see the exhibit to
realize how near to perfection that
development has come. There can
be seen the new automatic repeating
rille all kinds of shotguns, the modern
smokeless powder shotgun shells and
we liaiuuugcaj in iacii everytmng
that can interest the devoteesof hunting
and trap and tra and target shooting.
Don't fail to rco ttie exhibit
at the Manufacturers and Fish" and
Game Buildings. It's well worth
your while.
Killed a Tyrant.
Gen. BobrikotT, governor general of
Finland, was shot and mortally
wounded at 11 o'clock Thursday morning
at the entrance to the Finnish
senate at Helsingfors. The assassin,
a man named Schaumann, a son ot
Senator Schaumann, immediately
committed suicide. BobrikotT was
shot in the stomach and neck, threeshots
being tired, one of which inflicted
a serious wound. The attack is
ascribed to Finnish patriotism. The
last recorded act of Gen. BobrikotT
was in March of this year, when he
issued a proclamation forbidding the
people to darken their windows at
"unusual hours." People who chose
to go to bed before 10 o'clock at night
were subject to heavy tines. This
step was due to the ueglect of the
Finns to illuminate their houses in
honor of the beginning of the war
with Japan.
Iilfd Crushed Out.
At New York one of the big automobiles
used to take sight seers about
the oity, ran over and killed an elderly
unknown man in Broadway Thursday
night while members of the merry
party were laughing and singing.
Before the body of the victim could
be taken from under the car several
of the women passengers became hysterical
and had to be lifted to the
ground, while others Jumped djwn
and ran way from the scene.
j
mn
JON WAY, S_ C., T1J
FATHER KILLS SON.
The Youth Plans to Frighten the
Ilder Man by Playing Bandit
WAYLAID HIM IN LONELY SPOT
Ami Ih Killed Before lie Can Cry
Out. Father I'luiiKeu a
Knife Into the Doy'a
Heart.
At Itlverslde, N. J., Frank Reineckc,
a boy of sixteen, played that he
was a highwayman Wednesday night
and did it so realistically that his
father, whom he held up, plunged a
knife into ids heart, killing him.
Intercepting his parent in a lonely
spot upon the banks of UancocasCreek
tie suddenly stepped from behind a
bush, telling lielneeke, Sr., to hold up
his hands. The next instant he was
lifeless.
Thursday the father is raving in
dellrum, and it is feared that he may
never recover from the shock. The
mother and sisters are prostrated, and
the little community mourns the
death of a popular youth.
Half a dozen holdups have occurred
at Riverside and the adjoining villages
within a month or so, and the residents
have been generally arming
themselves. The place Is on the Amboy
division of the Pennsylvania Railr<
ad, but twelve miles from Camden,
and large numbers of tramps pass
along on their way to and from Philadelphia
and New York. The recent
crimes have been attributed to these
wanderers.
Frank Keinccke conceived the idea
that it would be a tine thing to masquerade
as a highwayman and f lighten
Ills neighbors. He carried out his
Idea and succeeded in making half a
dozen staid residents jump fences and
scuttle for home within a week.
Thursday night he tried the experiment,
upon Ills father, Walter lleinecke,
a well-to-do insurance agent of
that place, whose home is on the outskirts
of the village, above the hanks
of the creek, in a lonely spot.
Father and son started out early in
the evening, the older to transact, some
business at the village tire company's
house, of which oigani/.ation he is a
member, and the boy to visit his
young friends, Willie and Laura
Kcllock, who live near the itcinecke
home. On the way the youth regaled
his fabber with storiess of recent
holdu ps.
When 10:30 p. m. came Mr. Reinecke
started for home. He was ap
prehensive, remembering that he had
recently had words with a negro, who
had threatened him. He also remembered
what his boy had told him about
highwaymen. So he drew a large
knife from ids pocket, op?ned the
blade and walked on with senses on
the alert. Young ltelnecke had been
watching for his fattier. He was
peeping out from behind a bush that
stood beside the path in the loneliest
part of the roadway. The trees grow
thick there, and the black water of
the creek is just below, making it as
loneley and dangerous a spot as can
be imagined.
.lust as the elder Ke'necke reached
the shadow a dark ligtire stepped into,
the half gloom and a hoarse voice
cried: "Hold up your hands. Now
I've got you."
At the same instant the figure laid
fast hold upon the frightened man's
coal sleeve. With a cry of terror the
father lunged forward and buried his
knife in the breast of the supposed
highwayman, who sank to the ground
gasping, ''()!)! Father!"
The voicr of tire boy recall d the
anguished father to a realization of the
awful thing that he had done. With
a cry that was heard far olT by neighbors
the distracted man fell on his
knees beside the body of his boy and
besought him to speak. He raised tire
head of the boy only to find that he
was already dead.
Huatain Heavy tots.
A dispa'ch fr m St. Petersburg says
Emperor Nicholas Ins received thefollowering
telegram from Lieu. (Jen.
Iiaron Stakelberg. "A battle began
at noon an und the Russian position
four and a half miles south c f the station
of Wafanhoon (Vafangow), the
enemy making repeated attempts to
dislodge our left Hank. The attak was
repelled and we retained cur position.
The first regiment occupying tbe left
Hank of our position sustained severe
losses, its commander, Col. Khavas
toun< tT, and Adjut. Sub-Lieu. l'ragoslaff
Nadochinsy were killed. Gen.
Gerngross was wounded, a sharpnel
bu'let shattering the right side of the
lower jaw, hut tie temained On the
Held."
/V Woman Itynohed.
At Lebanon Junction, Ky., Maria
Thompson, co'ored, who Wednesday
night killed John Irwin, a wealthy
white farmer, was taken from the jail
Thursday and hanged to a tree in the
jail yard. She weighed 255 pounds
and the rope broke. As she ran away
the mob fired a fusilade after her un
til she fell and was left for dead. The
U? ? > -? *
uiuieis, nuwBvqr, iuuiiu signs or ine
and removed the women to a phisician'suffice,
where it was found that
she had heen shot in several places
and could not recover, irwln had reproved
Maria Thompson's boy whe
worked for htm. Afterward Maria
came into Irwin's melon patch and
clashed Irwin until he was dead.
Three Killed in Duel.
At hryan'sville, Ind., three men
arc dead and two wounded, one fatally,
as the result of a pistol light on the
streets of that village Tuesday. The
dead are James and Charles Itout and
Milton Tow. *Jamcs Tow is fatal!)
wounded and Krank Two is badl)
hurt. The fight was the culmination
of a feud between the Kout and Tow
families. ' *
Deadly Hot Supper.
Tuesday night at a hot supper and
dance given by the colored people ol
Waltcrboro, Ous Green, bcc iming Jealous
of William Ilaynes, deliberate^
pulled his pistol and shot him dead,
Green was captured and lodged in jai
at 2 o'clock next morning and this fact
onabled the officials to discover sc
early that Adams and Stephens hac
escaped. #
IU IIS DAY, JUNE 2 i
BREAKS JAIL.
]
Adams, Murderer, and Another Prisoner,
Filed Their Way Out.
AN APPEAL HAD BEEN DENIED 1
Ami Adami* Whh A wail lnj< a lie-wen- ,
tenco. Tin* SlicrifT and a 1
I'ohmc Are l'urMiiltiK .
tlie EacaiteH. f
A dispatch from Walterboro to ,
The State under date of June 14 says j
quite a sensation was caused in
Walteib >ro Tuesday morning when it ,
was known that It. A. Adams had (
eseaj; :1 from Jail. Adams was con- |
vlcted for the murder of llenry Jaques >
and sentenced last June tube handed, <
His sentenced was stayed pending an ,
appeal to the supreme court, which |
appeal was dismissed. Adams was to
have been resentenced at the next i
term- of court, which meets the tirst \
Monday in August. t
At 2 o'clock Tuesday morning when ,
Gus Green was brought to Jail by \
Policeman Johnson a rope of blankets ,
was discovered han^in^ from the win- ,
dow above the Dortlon on t.hn ?tMo of!
the jail. Upon investigation it vs;u
found that Adams and a negro, .Jasper
Stephens, incarcerated for larceny,
had tiled through one of the iron bars
and escaped.
Deputy SherilT Henderson immediately
started in pursuit,, but so far
no traces of the escaped prisoners has
been found.
Adams is about f> feet 10 inches
high, weighs about 145 pounds, daik
skin, dark hair and eyes, with moustache
and a long, sharp face with very
heavy jaw and large neck; fast talking
and winks eyes rapidly whilo talking,
nervous and quick movement. *
A GHOST STORY.
A White Ilobctl Figure Brings Warning
of Danger to n Man.
A dispatch to The State sayz there
is one family in Aiken that is really
glad that time does tly and the 15th
of June has passed. This excellent
family is composed of enlightened people
and there is not a particle of ignorant
superstition in their make up,
but one night last week a "something"
occurred that is calculated to
make tire most sturdy of us uneasy,
just a little bit.
On the night (or rather in the wee,
small hours of the morning) in question,
Mr. II. F. Warneke was awakened
by a noise in his back yard. He
waited a while and as he again heard
something he went In the yard to look
around. Not seeing anything he
started back to the house. He says
that while he was going to the house
he felt an almost irresistible force
pulling him back. Nothing touched
him and he saw nothing. He cute red
his back door and closed it. The door
Hew open. He slammed it shut and
it again Mew open. And then Mr.
Warneke went to see what the matter
was, and there "it" stood, a tall ligure
with a sheet wrapped around It and
with a very white face.
"What do you want, and who or
what are you?" asked *'(r. Warneke.
"Come out here at. I il tell you,"
replied His Chalkiness.
"Go away, 1 don't want anything
to do with you," said Mr. Warneke,
and tried to elose the door, but the
ligure pushed its foot between the
door and the (oor frame and shoving
its white face up to Mr. Warneke's
said, "Come out here and I'll show
you something that is going to happen
to one of vour children on .lime ir.en "
Mr. Warnekeasked which child and what
was to happen to it. The figure I
always replied, "Come out here and
I'll show you." (
Finally, the figure finding that Mr.
Warneke would notcome outside said, 1
"Remember, 1 tried to warn you," 1
and vanished. Mr. Warneke did not
get at all frightened until he got upstairs
and got to thinking over the
matter, and it seemed so curious and
unexplainable that it has worried the
whole family a little. Hut the fatal
loth has pasted and they are all as
healthy as ever.
Whether the whole thing was a
practlcil joke or not Mr. Warneke
cannot of course say. He does not believe
in ghosts and is just a little bit
mystified at the affair. However, If
it was a joke, as it must have been,
the joker, If found out, will certainly
l>e induced to stop such antics.
l>ixic (Quieted Tliem.
At Amerlcus, (Ja., a catastrophe
that might have been terrible In its
results was narrowly averted late Friday
night. The Amerlcus theatre
was packed beyond its capacity.
Twelve hundred people, principally
ladies and children, tilled the building
when an ii'ar.n of fire was given from
without. Hundreds rushed for the
single entrance which Is 20 feet above
tnc pavement and readied by a single
wooden stairway. F.ffnrt.u nf noiino
and teachers upon the stage were an,
availing until the orchestra, with
, wonderful inspiration, struck up
"Dixie." This served to restore quiet.
, In the stampede cm the outer stalr;
way, several women fainted.
Jumped from Train.
A dispatch to The State from
[ Greenville says: Deputy Sheriff Mallenger
returned Saturday night from
Salisbury, bringing with him Itobt.
iiird, wanted at Fountain Inn for the
Fowler murder. The trip was with'
out incident until after lUackshurg
[ was passed, when the negro jumped
| from a window while the train was
j making .'10 miles an hour. Ilallenger
r rushed to the platform and leaped.
r The negTo was found on an dmbankment
badly crippled. Ilallenger's only
f injury was a sprained ankle. The
deputy held his priloner until the train
backed to the point where the negro
jumped and took them on board.
| Negro Child Killed.
At Simp8onvllle Tuesday afternoon
r .Hm Thompson, a 6 year-old negro
. boy, while playing with a pistol shot
1 and Instantly killed a 6-months old
t, Infant in the arms of his young sis)
ter. The ball entered the infant's
1 head and grazed the breast of the
young negro holding the child. *
%
i, 1904.
WILL BE A CHANGE.
Mr. Frnl Wamiaiiiakor Will Appoint
New Civil Service Hoard.
The Columbia State says: Upon
Lhe retirement of Mr. A. P. Wilson
from the postolilce to seek health on
[lis farm near the city a negro named
Nix was appointed to succeed Mr. Wlllon
as secretary of the local board of
jlvil service examiners. The appointment
has been the subject of complaint,
and Congressman Lover has
uicceded in having him removed.
The objection to this colored man
may be be^t stated by an example,
liecently a young lady Informed l)r.
Lnscr that she wished to stand the
ixamlnation for stenographer in the
government service. She was referred
t-o the secretary and with indignation
die refused to stand the examination
vhen she found that the person to
ivhom she applied and to whom her
papers should lie. submitted is a negro.
This incident, among others, was
irought to t he attention of Mr. Lever.
It was also brought to his attention
hat white men as well as women
rvere refusing to go before an examlnng
board the secretary of which is a
legro, and as a result the postotllce
vas being tilled up with negro clerks
md carriers.
When Mr. Lever took the matter
jp with civil service commission, he
vas told that the commission had deeded
to create a southern department
vith headquarters in Atlanta and
vilhMr. Fred Wannamaker in charge.
Friday Mr. Wannamaker was in the
>lty for a short while and promised
VIr. Lever to give the relief asked for.
It is not knovyn who will be members
>t the new board, but they will be
mployes of the federal government,
>f course.
The appointment of the local
'xaminiliis board has Upon mnrln In/
/tic commission in Washington upon
ce mimendatlons from Columbia, and
t is understoul tliat I)r. Ensor did
lot recommend the negro's appointnent,
but in a way approved tlie proposed
appointment wlicn Ids opinion
nas asked. Mr. Lever says tliat tlie
ihauge will not cause l)r. K isor any
vorry as tlie itlloiency of tlie postal
lervice in tlie city may be promoted
/hereby. The postmaster employs
lis clerks and cairlers from a list of
digibles and this list is made up with
he exact standing of every applicant
itandlng examination. If nom but
legroes apply, none but negroes will
ie appointed.
Mr. Fred Wannamakcr, who is to
a) be secretary in charge of the tifth
>r southern dlvison of the civil servic
:ommission, is a native of Orangeburg,
ind conducted a newspaper before gong
to Wasliington wiiere lie wasglven
m appintment in the otllce of the
ilvil service commission. His promo/ion
lias been rapid, and this last
ecognltion from tlie department is a
natter of gratitication to his friends
n South Carolina.
Udeer the new plan, the local boards
if examiners will be abolished In every
/own in the State in the district.
The mayager of the division, in this
;ase the tiftli division, will have under
dm a force of examiners. These
examiners will lie sent to every town
)r city wiiere examinations are to be
leld, and at tlie conclusion of the ex-,
iminatiotis, the papers will be sent to
\tlanta, instead of Washington as
ias heretofore been the rule. Under
die new rule, the work of holding tlie
ixamina.lon will be greatly simplitied.
Instead of each place having its local
joard of xaminers. an examiner will
je sent from the division headquarters
and the examination papers from
til the S ates in the division will be
sent to Atlanta instead of Washington,
thus doing away with the contusion.
peri men ted with it in the water.
Upon ceasing all motion he would at
once sink. The worth leanness of the
preservers is further proved by the
discovery at the bottom of the river
of a number of bodies with preservers
fastened to them."
TIIK RUSSIAN KKl'OKT.
Emprr r Nicholas has received the
following dispatches dated dune 19,
from Vice Admial SkrydloiT:
"On June 15th our cruiser division
encountered In the strait of Corea a
Japanese transport steaming from the
south in the direction of the Japanese
coast which was visible on the horizon.
The vessel proved to bo the I/.umi
with troops on board. On the expiration
of the time given those on board
to lower boats and leave the ship,
permission to do which was taken advantage
of by part of the crew, the
transport was sunk by our guns.
Shortly afterwards two more transports
were sighted to the southeast.
The ships proved to be the Hitachi
and the Sado, the former with troops
and the latter carrying coolies, horses
and a railway plant. The transports
refused to surrender and at the end of
the period granted those on board to
take to the boats the two ve.'sels were
sunk by torpcdocw and shells. The
losses of the three transports, the
tonnage of which aggregated 1?,000
tons, consisted of a portion of the
troops and crews, a large quantity of
war material and the railway plant.
On June 10th our squadron met the
British steamer Allenton, which was
proceeding south with a cargo of coal
from the port of Mourorun, Island of
Hokkaido (the admiirstratlve name
of the Japanes island of Yezzo). The
lack of clearances in her papers and
the irregularity of her Ion# excited
suspicion concerning the neutrality of
her cargo. The steamer therefore
was sent to Vladivostok in charge of
a detachment of soldiers command by
Lieut. Pitrolf. She has arrived at
Vladivostok where a prize court will
consider her ca.ke."
Criminal.CarelCHnettH.
Rev. Decatur Edwards, pastor of
the Falmouth Baptist church, while
shooting at cats in his backyard at
Fredericksburg, Va., Saturday, accidentally
shot and mortally wounded
Mrs. Lucy Mann, who was standing
on her back porch In an adjoining premises.
Little by Little.
Over a billion tive-cent fares were
paid last year to the transit companies
of New York city. Fifty million dollars!
Paid in tive cents at a time! A
veritable confirmation of the "little
drops of water, little grains of sand"
teaching.
\
Japs Claim
Sweepii
JAP8 LOSE THESE SHIPS.
Tlio IjOnh In IjIvom In limited at |
One ThouMand.
A dispatch from Toklo, Japan, Rays
all doubt as to the sinking of the
transports Hitachi and Sado by the
Russians has been removed. Three
hundred and ninety-seven survivors of
the Hitachi have arrived at Nloji and
153 survivorsof the Sado have arrived
at Kokura. Details of the destruc
tlon of the two transports and the
full extent of the casualties are not
obtainable. ,
A later dispatch says details obtain- '
able from the survivors of the ill-fated
Japanese transports show that the
Hitachi and the Sado met three Russian
warship uear lkl island at 10
o'clock Wednesday morning. The
Russians tired on the Japanese ships
and stopped them, and soon afterward
they torpedoed and sank the helpless
transports. The captain of the Sado '
and several other men were captured. !
More than 100 men escaped in the t
boats and landed at Kikura. A message <
has been received here from Iiagi saying
that the survivors of the Hitachi
had drifted north to Sbimonosekl and i
been saved. The transport I/.um is !
still missing.
It is reported that the transports j
Hitachi atul Sado carried only 1,100 i
men. If this Is true, the loss in lives i
is probably less than 1,000. The <
transports, however, had many horses
and large quantities of supplies on i
board.
The steamer lvatsuno was sunk oil :
Mojl Friday night as a result of collld- i
Ing with the steamer Yamatokan. I
Both vessels were on their way to 1
Tlescu to rescue the survivors of the I
transports Hatachl and Sado.
IN V KSTIG ATI NO Til K DISA8TKH.
Investigation into the cause of the
disaster on the (Jen. Slocum seems to
have evolved unmistakable evidence of
a total lack of preparedness and eiliclency
in the fated steamer's crew.
The public is aroused and the invest.!- (
gabion promises to lie thorough and
searching. The facts already revealed
are enough bo show that the loss of
life was unnecessarily large, the ordinary
and simplest methods of life-saving
being ineffectual because or an unt
rained crew and antiquated apparai us ,
for tire fighting. Mast of these facts
have been educed at the coroner's inquest.,
which has been of a most un- ,
compromising nature. Coroner Berry ,
had before him six members of the ,
crew and exam nation seems to have !
established four main facts. These are
ei u me rated by the coroner as follows:
1. The fire started in the forward
hold of the steamer, in a compartment
known as the lamproom in which were
stored at the time one barrel of kerosene
oil, a vessel or vessels containing
heavy machinery oil, a barrel of ben
/.ine, some inflammable rubbish and
two barrels of glassware, packed in 1
hay.
2. The fire was discovered when the (
steamer was oil' Black well's Island
light, which is opposite Bttt Slghtjr- |
sixth street.. Therefore the Slocum ran
nearly three miles before she was .
beached.
The water was never turned into
the fire hose after the lire was discovered,
because the valve In the stand ^
pipe to which the hose was attached f
could not he thrown open.
4. The possible cause of the lire was ,
the explosion of a kerosene lamp which
was used to light the oil room. The '
lamp, one witness said, was lighted j
just before the fire was discovered.
The State savs "these four counts
evince the existence of an inelllcicncy ,
and carelessness wh'ch may indeed
he characterized as criminal. As the
evidence shows, the lire started in the
forward hold, a compartment in which
were stored various materials of a i
highly inflammable nature. At the
explosion of the kerosene lamp these
caug it fire and burned liercely; and at
this juncture it is alleged Capt. Van
Schalck was responsible for the continued
ringing of the alarm bell which
precipitated the panic and contributed
to the immense less of life. As indicative
of the confusion and loss of
presence of mind by the crew, it has i
teen shown further that in the beginning
of the tire an attempt was made
to smother the flames with? of all
tilings on the ship sacks of charcoal!
Here was a literal adding of fuel to
the flames.
The testimony In the coroner's
court as to the attempts to extinguish
the fire are conflicting. Chief Engineer
Conklin, who is 111 at his home
in Catsklll, gave a statement to the
press saying that, <n less than a 1
minute water was being poured on the 1
flames." Concerning the charge that
the fire hose was rotten and burst 1
under the pressure of the water, tie
merely replied that he "knew nothing |
of It, for the pumps worked regularly."
On the other hand a member of the
crew testified before the coroner that 1
when the hose was unrolled It was
found impossible to turn the valve of
the stand pipe which furnished water
for the streams. His evidence was
corroborated In so far as one of the
two stand pi pes is concerned, it having
been recovered by the divers at work
on the wreckage of the steamer and <
the valve beinK found closed fast. The
recovery of the other standpipe will
at least settle the question as to
whether any streams were turned on
the tire, though it will not tend to
clear the charge of rotten hose.
"One of the most serious accusations
against the owners of theSlocum
is that the life-preservers supplied on
the ship were so old as to be worthless
The preservers were of granulated
cork composition and it Is charged
that an examination of those taken
from the sunken vessel showed that
the cork had in the course of time
been reduced to a sort of dust, which
rapidly became saturated with water
and incapable of supporltng a person in
the water. Tests of oue of these preservers
taken from the steamer were
made in New York harbor on Friday
and it was conclusively shown that It
would not support the man who ex
NO. 11
a
ng Victory.
Left Five Hundred Russians
Dead on the
Battlefield.
LOST FOURTEEN GUNS.
Russians Wanted to Attack Jap
ancsc Left, But Was Porestalled,
Forced Into a
Defile and Routed.
A db patch from Tokio, Japan, says
the Russian hope of relieving the pressure
on Fort Artlnir by threatening
the rear of Gen. Oku, the commander
jf the Japanese forces Investing tl o
Russian stronghold, came to an ei d
Wednesday at Teilssu, a point on the
railroad f?0 miles north of Kinchou and
25 miles north of Vafangow, when the
Russians were out-manoeuvred, enveloped
and sweeplngly defeated. They
left more than 500 dead on the Held
and the Japanese oaptured .100 pr(sonars
and 14 quick firing Held guns. rnie
Russians retreated hastily to the
northward.
The Japanese charge that the Rus-' v
Hans violated the Japanese Hag. Certain
otliecrs aver that during the
lighting a body of Russian soldiers appeared
carrying a Japanese Hag and
that the Japanese artillery, decived
Hy this Hag, ceased tiring on that particular
body of Russians. Otllcial dispatches
from the Japanese commanders
made specific charges of this Hag
violation. Marly estimates of the Japanese
losses at Teilssu say that 1,000
men were killed or wounded.
The Japanese attacking force was
divided into right, and left columsand
began the advance on Tuesday along
i>oth sides of the railroad. They encountered
the Russians cast of Vafandicn
and drove them back. At a late
hour In the afternoon the Russians
held a line between Lung Wang Tiao '
Mid Ta Fang Shen. The Japanese artillery
opened on this line and the
Russians responded. The shelling continued
12 hours and it was followed
by the advance of the Japanese lino to
a position extending from Lung Cilia
Tung to Yu llotun. Darkness put an
end to the lighting. The Japanese dispatched
a column to the westward toward
Fu Chau for the purpose of covering
the Russian right wing and to
protect their left and rear.
During the night It became appearent
that the Russians were being
re-en forced and so decided to make a ^
general attack in the morning and
force the Russians into a delile back of
Teilssu. When morning came it was
discovered that that the Russians held
i line extending from Ta Fang Shen
j6 Cheng 'i?u Shan, with a force estimated
at more than two divisions.
The Japanese planned to envelop tlio
Russians near Tallssu and they succeeded
admirably.
While the main Japanese force was
moving north along the railroad colims
were swung to the left and to the
right and linally converged at noon on
the main Russian position. The Russians
in this position were at a disadvantage,
but they held it with determination
until J o'clock In the
afternoon. At this hour they were
rouieu. i ue .Japanese cavairy continued
to pursue the enemy and probably
Indicted severe punishment. J
KUSSIANS ADMIT DKKKAT.
A dispatch from St. Petersburg
nays Kmperor Nicholas has received
the following telegram, dated June
10, from Gen. Kuropatkin: ?
"I bave received the following dls- ; . ,:S
patch from Lieut. Qen. Baron Stakel- J?i||jjl|
berg, dated June 10, 12.20 a. m.: ?|||||$
" 'Yesterday I had Intended to attack
the enemy's right llank but just
as our troops had been assigned for
the purpose and were beginning to
successfully envelop the enemy's right jP||||?|
dank, the Japanese in their turn attacked
my right llank with superior ?Mp||
forces and 1 was compelled to retreat
by three roads to the north.
" 'Our losses are heavy, but they
are not yet completely known. 9
" 'During the engagement the third J|
and fourth batteries of the tlrst artlllery
brigade were literally cut to
pieces by the Japanese shells.
" 'Of 1(1 guns, 13 were rendered
completely unseless and were aban- Jflp
doned. ..'s^
"'The conduct of the troops was S|||
excellent, a large proportion of them
refusing to retire until after they had ^B|||
been repeatedly ordered to do so.'"
The Russians deny that there was w
anyimng in uic nature or a rout. tub
enemy had over four divisions In Jffl
action.
4?
^' > l.ynohcd l>y Negroni*. ""
'News has reached La Grange, Ga.,
that an old nergro by the name of ^B|||||?
Jonah Woods, who lived in the
try near Texas court grounds In Hear^^^^^^^
county about 25 miles from
Grange,' was lynched by other netrrocs.^MBpBHBl
Wood was a deacon in his church and^^Brajig
a pious old negro. It is said he disi^^^^m^
covered a number of negroes pin y liiaBTr^MM
"craps" and threatened that he ^uI'i^HShS
report them to the grand jury. After- wmSH
wards the church was burned down
and two days later, while plowing In
the fields, he was seized and strung
up to a tree nearby.
In A Cow'a Mew. flHHH
At Aiken while slaughtering a bee^HSjuB
on Saturday, Messrs. Lamer
Thorpe's butcher found a lady's gwHBB
clasp bracelet In the animal's mafBSBuluH
The bracelet is of 18 karat gold an^^HH^Hj
is a handsome piece of jewelry. tiMH R
cow was purchased with a bunch /ft
cattle from a Tennessee market. ^k)w ^H|H
the animal happened to absorb iiich ^HEflR
valuable food is of course hatd to jHbhm
guess.
fii'