The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, December 03, 1908, Image 5
SCORES PERISH
Two Hundred^ Lives Lost in Awful
Sea Disaster.
t
DEAD MOSTLY ARABS
1
English Steamer Hunted Oft* the
Coast of Malta?Fire Apparatus
AVrtvS I'seless?Passengers Trapped
ami Were Forced to Jump Into
the Ken and Drown.
Valetta, Islam^of Malta, Nov. 2S
-?A terrible disaster, in which inor-j
than a hundred persons lost their
lives, occurred at the entrance to
this port Wednesday morning. The
Hritish steamer Sardinia, of the
Ellerman Line, hailing from Live.
pool und bound for Alexandria, with
a crew of 44 Englishmen, 11 first
and 6 second cabin English passengers
and nearly 200 Arab pilgrims
aboard, caught lire and within a few
minutes was a roaring furnace, thy
flames bursting uj^ard to a height
of 2 00 feet from ^quent explosions
in the hold.
So rapidly did the fire spread that
tho frantic efforts of the crew tj
operate the fire apparatus proved
useless, for it seemed but a moment
before the upper works aud masts
crashed down upon the deck while
the ship'6 boats were crushed by
the falling debris or set fire and
quickly burned.
Safety lay in the sea, for no ono
could save himself except by jumping
overloard and taking chances
of being picked up. Assistance was
hurried to tlie burning vessel from
all the war ships in the harbor and
from the shore, but the work of res
cue was greatly impeded by tho
strong tide that was running. Even
the naval launches were unable to
go alongside. Among the Arabs
there was a panic that could not be
controlled. Many of them were too
frightened to jump and they were
burned to death. Others, casting
themselves into the waves, were
drowned.
The crew hehnved with admirable
courage, serving out life preservers
to the last and working the pumps.
When the pumps became useless,
Capt. Charles Little, commander of
the Sardinia, took the helm and
directed his ship towards the shore
? it could be navigated. He
f>er!shev'. JfJ- his post.
First Olllcer Frank Watson, all
three engineers, Seagraves, Hislop
and Neill, thirteen of the ship's
company and two first class passeng-1
ors, one of tliem a boy named Gran.,'
are missing. Fifty or more bodies]
have been recovered and seventy persons
were rescued. It is impossible
at present to say just how many were
drowned or burned to death, but
the number will doubtless far exceed
a hundred.
i ne vessel uriiiod around tnroe
times, and finally was beached broadside
on the rocks at the mouth of
the harbor. She is still burning and
will be a total loss.
The Uritish vice admiral, Sir
Asheton, and Curzon-Howe and Admiral
Fisher directed the rescuing
boats, which did gallant work in
saving those who were yet alive,
and bringing the bodies of the dead
ashore.
Capt. Little's body, which was
terribly mangled, was landed this
afternoon. The other bodies were
also mutilated and burned. Fiftysix
of the injured are being cared
for in the hospitals. Oiivr of the
rescued passengers gave a graphic
r J5T Ifcaccount of the disaster.
& \ "The Sardinia," he said, "loft
Valetta at 8:45 this morning. , We
were just outside the harbor and the
crew securing the anchor when the
cry of 'fire' was heard. Flames
could be seen issuing from a ventilator
on the port side. A hose was
promptly brought up and a stream
poured down the ventilator, but this
did no good. In less than ten minutes
flames were streaming out of
the other ventilators. The whola
vessel admidships was wrapped in
flames. The Arab passengers were
told to leave the hatch, in which
they clung desperately, but they refused
to move. All who remained
forward perished, except some of
those who leaped into the water.
"In the meantime naval pinnaces
hurried to the scene. They could
not approach closely on account o*!
the high seas and falling spars. The
great majority of the European passengers
succeeded in reaching shore.
The Arabs, among whom were
many lomen and children, clung
together shrieking, and but few of
them would jump overboard, although
urged to do so.
"The ship's boats were rendered
useless by the flames and no atten pt
was made to get them over the side
*
sm
%
HANGED AT SALUDA
j SLAV Kit OF KMAMill- CAllVKlt I
PAYS PENALTY
On the (Jiillows for His Crime.
Shot His Victim While He was |
Picking Cotton.
Saluda, Nov. 2 8.?A special to The .
News and Courier says at 12 o'clock
on Friday Will Iierrin paid with his
life the penalty of the law for the
murder of Emanuel Carver in September.
The execution was without a hitch.
Only a very few minutes were consumed
in preparing the prisoner for c
the drop. After ascending the scaf- t
fold, Sheriff Sample asked Iierrin t
if he desired to say anything. He s
merely mumbled a word or two to s
the effect that he had nothing to \
say. i
At no time did he seem to realize i
what was awaiting him, and he met t
his fate without the least emotion.
He was pronounced dead in ten minutes
fater the trap was sprung, an 1 '
his body was laid in a cheap colli'), 5
furnished by the county, and carried '
to the poor house for burial. *
The Rev. 1). H. Crossland went to
Merrill's cell this morning and con- J
ducted a little service. The con- '
flnnillfwl m o n ?? I f.xr.4 - * 1 4 ' - v
in n &i i mi ii 11 ?."ts i f (i ansonueiy
no interest in it. While an effort 1
was made to shield the execution 1
from the public, scores from positions '
of vantage witnessed it. 1
Will Ilerrin was tried before (
Special Judge C. C. Featherstone at
a special term of the Sessions Court ''
in October for the murder of Mr. 1
iOmanuel Carver at his home in Sep- (
tember. The testimony at the trial '
show that ilerrin, without any ap- :
parent cause whatever, shot Mr. Car- (
ver iu the back while the latter was 1
picking cotton and failing to kill ^
him ran upon him, knock"? him
down and beat him over the hea i s
with liis gun and loft him dead. (
Mrs. Carver was a witness to a pait ,li
of the awful deed, she being in the f
house when the shot was fired, and 11
running to the door was horrilb d (
to see her husband down and Ilerrin *
standing over him, boating his head '
I into a pulp with a gun. |
As soon as the news of the crime '
was made known some of Carver's 1
neighbors went t$ the scone and '
soon found ilerrin a little distance (
away, and upon advancing on him c
to take him into custody, was met (
with a volley of curses and fired up- f
on with a stockloss gun, he having f
broken the weapon while beating '
fil rvni' Olln r\F II, '
? wi iiiu 11cii i%v was
sprinkled with shot, and the crowd ^
in turn fired at Ilerln and effected
liis capture. For a while a lynching f
was imminent, but eooler counsel 1
prevailed and the culprit was turned 1
over to the sheriff and brought to '
Saluda and lodged in jail. '
There was a tremendous crowd 1
present to witness Merrill's trial, hut !
.the best of order prevailed. The de- 1
fondant was the only imgro in tin* f
I Court Mouse during the trial, except. 1
the porter, and to all appearances '
| was the least disturbed by what wu3 '
taking place. '
The only defence that could pos- 1
sdbly have been made in Morrin s 1
behalf was insanity, and this quosI
tion was fairly submitted to the 1
jury, and under the testimony no '
other verdict than that reached could
have been returned.
Morrin was, however, a man of .a 1
very low order of intelligence. * (
I
WAITING FOR DIXXKH TICKKTS. 1
Victims of Republican Prosperity
Fall Into a Pit.
New York, Nov. 28.?One hundred
needy persons waiting patiently in <
drizzling rain on Wednesday evening
in front of a mission house in West <
Thirty-second street to receive tick- i
ets for a Thanksgiving dinner, :
! r?rn olt n/1 t h i?/\n <rli t 5 ** o * '
??niiv.u tin WII^II tllV/ llll II VW Vi:| 111 ^ '
over a part of the new Pennsylvania i
tunnel system and disappeared in
the darkness below. Shouts and
cries arose from the pit and a crowd i
which collected gazed down upon v. ;
tangled heap of arms and legs.
When they clambered out it was
found that only two or three had
been injured, and these only slightly.
When calm had been restored the
hungry ones lined up and received
their precious tickets and disperse 1.
rubbing their bruises. *
Soon the hatches were blown off
with loud explosions, throwing i to
Arabs into the air and killing and
injuring many of them. After a
few minutes had been spent in trying
j to put out the fire nothing remained
but to jump overboard."
I Unquestionably explosions occurrI
ed, although the eause of the T o
I is not known, and It was first believed
| that the rapid spread of the flam-n?
was due largely to the flowing naphtha.
BSCRIBE I
GOES DOWN
"
>feamer Finance is Rammed by
the Steamer Georgic and
SINKS OFF NEW YORK
Collision Occurs in Dense Fog in
Main Channel?Three of tiie
Kiglity-flve Passengers on the Finance,
One Member of Her Crew
ami Much Mail Ia?st.
New York, Nov. 2 8.?In the thick
>f a fog off Sandy Hook Thursday
he stout steel freighter, Georgic, cf
he White Star Line, rammed and
tank the lightly laden Panama
iteamer, Finance, outward hound
vith 85 passengers, the Finance gong
down within ten minutes, carrying
to their death three of her pnstengcrs
and one of the crew. The
est of the passengers, who included
19 women and 14 children, as well
is others of the crew were rescued
>y the boats of the Georgic. The
relghter was not damaged.
Miss Irene "Campbell, of Panama,
i passenger who was lost, clung
'rantioallv to Mm mil ?? >??
fc, W v.. V ?? ? V? L VIIV Ol I1I\ ui^;
ressel and could not bo persuaded to
elease her hold, nor wero the men
vho manned the small boats able
o remove her. She was seen dining
determinedly as the vessel was
mgulfcd. Wm. H. Todd, third as
dstant engineer, jumped overboard
md was lost. When a roll call of
he passengers of the Finance was
ailed, it was found that Charles 11.
5chweinler, a policeman of Panama,
md Henry Muller, a railroad conluctor
of Panama, had disappeared
md there is little doubt that they
vere drowned.
The disaster occurred In the main
ihlp channel off Sandy Ilook at 8
)'clock this morning, and as both ves;els
were groping their way through
t fog. The Finance had weighed
mchor and was picking her way
lown the Swash Channel, when
Captain Mofbray, who was on the
)ridge, heard the whistle of an apiroaching
liner. The Finance was
mmediately started astern, and was
dowly backing when the (leorgic,
n bound from Liverpool, loomed out
>f the fog and a moment later crashed
into the port side, and just, abaft
no beam of tlio Finance. The prow
>f tho freighter penetrated the side
>f the Finance nearly ten feet, tearnK
away an unoccupied state room
md leaving a ragged hole, through
vhioh the water rushed in.
The Panama keeled far over to
darhoard, while men and women,
nany of whom had been awakened
from a sound sleep, were thrown
Tom their berths. Hastily covering
hemselves with bed clothing, they
ushed in a panic to the main deck,
vhich was fast sinking to the surface
of the water. Many of the passengers
jumped overboard, not stopdug
even to provide themselves with
ife preservers. That more were not
lost was due to the discipline of the
jrew of the Panama, and the prompt
md intelligent work of the sailors
from the (Jeorgic.
Immediately after the accident,
the freighter backed off and anchored,
her commander, Capt. Clark, in
the meantime having ordered tin.
life boats lowered. The boats of
the Panama were also cut away as
Illicitly as possible, though with difficulty
because of the heavy list ,of
the sinking steamer.
A score or more of those who
jumped overboard were picked up
by the small boats. Meantime the
Finance was settling steadily. To
add to the confusion a moment after
the impact there was an explosion
r>f an ammonia tank in the forward
hold of the Finance and the fumes
drove the engineers and firemen to
the deck. Wm. Tnrla
distant engineer, was partially overcome
by tho fumes, he, staggering
to the rail, threw himself overboard,
lie was not seen ngain. Probablj
half of the passengers with tin; crew
stood by the ship, awaiting rescue,
and these were gotten off with remarkable
expedition.
Captain Mowbray and several of
the crew remained in a life boat near
the sunken ship. Only the masts,
stacks and part of the superstructure
of the Panama remained above
the surface.
The shipwrecked passengers an l
crew were brought to this city tonight
and placed aboard the Panama
steamer. Alliance, where the women
and children were provided with
clothes. The passengers will depart
on the next outgoing bound steamer
for Panama.
Captain Clark, of tho Oeorgic
states that he was feeling his way
into port slowly, and hearing u
whistle on his port blow, tried to
veer off and thought he would clear
the Panama steamer, which unfortunately
began to go astern, with,
NOW TO
SERVED HIIVTRIGHT
YOl.Mi NKGHO MAN WKOTK IXDKCKXT
LKTTKK
To a Young White l.ady and Is
Taken From Jail aud is Operated
I'pon.
A special dispatch from Spartanburg
to the Charleston Evening
Post says Will Dickson, a young negro
man of Madison, Oconee county
was arrested on the charge of writing
au offensive and indecent letter
to a young lady, the daughter of a
well known banker of Westminister,
was made away with by a party of
men Friday night.
The negro has been taken from
the guard house, where ho was conlined
at Westminister by unknown
parties, who with the negro then
immediately dtsappearced, and there
is much speculation as to what was
done with tho flench. Everything
about the affair was douo decently
and in order, says the dispatch, but
with great secrecy.
It was reported at first that the
scoundrel had been lynched, and
t nen it was reported that after being
taken out of the guard house and
carried to a place of secrecy a delicate
operation was performed on
him, after which ho was told to leave
the town, which he lost no time in
doing. Where he went or what has
become of the rascal no one knows,
or if they know they won't tell.
The only thing certain about the?
affair is that the negro who wrote
the letter was caught and that he
was taken out of the guard house
by force and that his whereabouts
is unknown except to those who
took him out of the guard house.
It seems that they tlrst thought of
lynching the scoundrel, hut finally
decided that tin operation would b<*
more effective, and that modo of
punishment was adopted aud carried
out.
OVKH TWKI.VK MILLION' HACKS'!
Commissioner Watson Kstimatcs Cotton
Crop of
The cotton crop of 1908 will
amount to 12,551,086 bales, accord
ing to the estimate made by Commissioner
Watson, of South Carolina,
as chairman of tho cotton committee
of the Southern States Assocla
(Ion of Commissioners of Agriculture
and Other Agt icultiiral Workers, hi
announcing the estimate, Mr. Watson
says:
"Our estimates, which is based on
telegraphic reports received from all
the Stall's save Georgia, whoso commissioner
is absent from the State,
dated November 19, and on the gin
ners' reports of November 14, is 1
551,086 running hales, excluding
linters. This conclusion is reached
after due allowance for the weathei
and other crop conditions for 1 908.
Were the estimate based entirely on
amount of cotton ginned to November
14, in years when same sinners
results were shown, the 1 908 croj
would be 1 3,498,879 bales. Hut con
dit ions have not been the same in
t he various years.
"Were we to take the averagamount
of cotton for the past fotr
seasons to be ginned after Novembet
14, we would have to told 3,704,1 f? 1
bales, to the 9,630,563 bales alread\
ginne... and get a total crop of 13,3
3 4,157 bales. If we add to thf
amount already ginned in 1908 the
amount ginned after November h
in 1905, to which year 1908 con
dit ions closely correspond-, we wH
have a total crnn ftw Miic
12,632,025 bales which, it is seen
closely approximates the estimate 01
12,552,086 bales that the Assoeia
t ion's committee considers a fail
one." *
nuxnmcibs dkowxki).
Steamer Kinks in Philippines It)
Striking on Itoeks.
Manila, Nov. 2 8.?The coast in)
steamer Pontine, carrying a large
number of laborers from Narvacai
to the rice fields In Pangasinon prov
lnce, struck a rock and sank las
night, during a storm off the towi
of San Fernando, in Union Province
It is estimated that a hundred of th<
passengers and crew of the Pontini
were drowned. The steamer Vlgcayi
rescued 55.
A patrol of constabulary, whicl
was established Immediately afte
the accident, picked tip fifteen bodic
otwl m o n t/ o/on/v i
niitii.i ncm < i J 1111 f- nauurvi i
is not known whether any American
or Europeans were aboard the wreck
ed steamer.
the result that the two steamer
collided. The Finance had ove
seven hundred bags of mail aboard
Four elephants in the fJeorgie's hoi
were undisturbed by the collision.
THE
i BURIED ALIVE. I
No Hope for One Hundred Men
Entombed in Mine
NEAR PITTSBURG, PA.
One Shaft Wreckcil und Oilier Not
Completed?Ciikc lllown JtOO l-Nn't
From .Mouth, One Man's llen<l lle?
ing Taken Off?Women (Quickly
(anther, Their (Vies IU-ing Pitiful.
Pittsburg, Nov. 28.?A largo number
of miners are imperiled in <\
mine of the Pittsburg-HufTalo Coil
Company at \I aria una, near h.*rc,
which caught lire following an explosion
at 11:30 this morning.
President Jones, of the company
says that one hundred men, constituting
nlmowt the entire force,
were in the mine, which had j ist
been examined by the State inspectors
and was found in perfect Condi
t ion.
A ClWW>iol en l?? n 1 ? ? -
. uu tiniii iNiiying a reciting
party, equipped with all the
latest appliances, left Monongahola
at 12:30 for M aria una.
There ar? said to he many IOnglish
miners anions the imperiled force.
A dense cloud of imouk is coining
from the mine's two shafts. Groat
excitement prevails there.
Marianna i.~ in Washington county,
which was uuiit a few months
ago by ihe company, and is considered
the inort model mining town
in the world.
It is believed mai.y men lost their
lives. The heavy iron cage which
carried the men from the surface
to the workings was blown three
hundred feet from the mouth of the
shaft. Two men on the o,\ge wero
killed, one of them having his head
blown off.
Little hope is entertained for the
entombed men, as the fan house
^ was partly demolished and the fans
stopped for over an hour. The explosion
occurred in shaft No. 2, No.
1 not being completed.
Some company officials believe It
necessary to dig through eight hundred
feet of solid coal before they
can reach the workings. At 1:30
this afternoon the finoke oeaued issuing
from the mine. Wives, mothers
and relatives of the miners gathered
about the mine mnntS ii.......
- MM y# (4 V II , 111 r 1 I
cries being pitiful.
It is said that there in n largo
gas well in the vicinity, but whether
the gas front this was coxnniwnicut-d
to tin- initio and becaiiio ignited or
whether the powder and dynamite
for blasting exploded can not no ascertained.
According to State Mine Inspector
Louitt, there were between ISO
, and 200 men in t lie ntine. It is
not likely that any will he recovered
alive. The rescue party succeeded
in entering the mine th s
afternoon. *
i
The last ray of hope for the res.
cue of any one of the miners was
( dispelled at. 8:0 o'clock tonight
when t lu first rescuing party reached
the workings and found the dead
bodies scattered about the floor of
the mine.
Few if any of the bodies are mutilated
and the men were undoubtedly
p smothered hv the deadly vapors
, which followed the explosion. The
bodies have not yet been counted,
hut it is known that there are ;>t
, least 125 and the number may ho
I larger. All but two of the bodies
, in the mine, it is said, are th )so
I of foreigners.
p No effort has yet been made to remove
tltf- bodies from the mine.
f Instead the rescuers and the mining
experts are making a complete exploration
of all of the workings to
> see if they are now safe. This work
is exjM cted to occupy several hours.*
SHOCKING TRAGKRY.
i
Five Persons Humeri up in n House
iu Alabama.
\ ITartsell, Ala., Nov. 23.?The
i home of Torn Richardson, at Wood
land Mills, seventeen miles east of
1 here, was burned to the ground
Wednesday night, and Richardson s
5 wife, mother and three children wore
r burned to death. The remains of
x the children were found in the burnO/l
1 V O ???"* ?? " V* ^ ,1 i ^ I - J At
W. ....Ill n ii u; 11 (HljOIIlHl mo nOUSC.
1 Several theories have been advanced,
all of which Is robbery. Richardson
3 is missing, but his body was not
t found in the ruins. *
8
Commits Suicide.
New York, Nov. 28.?George
. Schuester, 62 year old, a veteran of
s the German army, shot himself with
r the old army pistol that he carried
I. through the campaigns of the
.1 Franco-Prussian war. He had been
* out of work for two months. *
HORRY I
*
VOTED FOR TAFT
IH T TIIKIIt W \(.i:s WHKK NOT
k.aisfd.
According to l*romis<? ami Then
Shot Down by Deputy Sheriffs Itecailse
They Struck About It.
Perth Ami)oy, N. J., Nov. 27.?
Following a pitched battle between
700 strikers and twelve deputy sheriffs
Wednesday at (he factory f
the National FP'ep:ooflng Company
at Keasbey. neat h? re In which si.v
of the strikers were shot down,
Governor J. Franklin Fort dispatched
four companies of the State
National Guard at Trenton to tho
scene to make the men behave themselves.
A feeling of Intense excitement
prevails, as the strikers declare the
deputy sheriffs were not Justified in
firing upon them. Two of tho wounded
men are dying here, and the four
others wounded are painfully hurt.
Tho citizens fear for the
morrow, when the striker? threaten
an attack on the plant of the National
Fire proof!! ng Company.
For two days there has heen rioting
at Keashey, and a number of
manufacturing towns along ho
Harltan river. Two weeks ago tho
men emnlovod )?v ttn> it ? r i t <? n uin.?
Clay Company wont on strike for
higher wages. Thov marched to the
plant of the Perth Amboy Fir?
Brick Company and induced the men
there to go out.
Then each succeeding day the
strikers constantly increased In
number, marched to other towns to
induce employees to leave their
work. The strikers say that they
woro given to understand before the
election that if Taft was elected then
pay would be restored to $1.50 a day.
It now is $1.35. The ofllcials of 'ha
factories deny that such a pron is?
was made.
When Chief of Police Burke s >nt
a man to bring lunch to the deputies
the latter was met with a shower of
stones, compelling him to retreat.
The man succeeded later In leaving
the factory unobserved and secured
the food. As lie was returning ono
of the strikers caught sight of him
and immediately there was a general
attack. 'Idle man was not injured
Then began a bombardment of
stones, during which nearly every
window in the factory was smashed.
Chief Burke says that two of his
men were struck by missiles and
slightly injured. He restrained his
j men from opening fire until the !??* *
[ minute, lie declares. Matters had
become so serious that the deputies
were compelled to open fire to protect
themselves, he further says.
At least ?a dozen of the shots wero
fired point black at the strikers and
six men fell. The strikers did not
return the fire. The workmen turned
and fled, leaving the wounded on
the ground. There was only a temporary
lull in the rioting. Tho
strikers soon returned to the factory.
They kept at a distance, hut it was
evident they were angered hy the
shooting down of their comrades. *
GKOKGI.V COMMiMTY MXriTKI).
(Tti/.oiis Looking for Negro Who
Tlireatened White Woman.
Kliaville, Oa., Nov. 27.?Great excitement.
prevails here this evening
on account of an attempted assault
committed this morning near here.
While alone in her home with her
bahe, Mrs. Andrew Tellars, wife of
a farmer, was confronted by an unknown
negro, who threatened death
if she screamed.
Instead of screaming, tho frightened
lady seized her child and dashed
from the dwelling leaving the
black invader in full possession.
Hushing to the field where Mr. Tellars
was engaged she gave the alarm.
The negro escaped bt fore assistance
arrived.
One negro has since been captured
by tho pursuers and held for mora
iHjinpieie loenuncation. Two liundred
armed men ??re searching the
woods of Schley county this afternoon
In a determined hunt for the
negro, probably not feeling certain
of the guilt of the prisoner already
in custody,
Both Will l>ie.
Rome, Oa., Nov. 2 8.?After hunting
together all day Bert Montaino
and John Accomasey, each about
fourteen years of age, engaged in
a duel, caused, it is said, by the
former daring Accomassy to crosa
the road, and as a result both of
the boys may die.
Shoots Vp Train.
Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 29.?While
a passenger on a Southern Railway
train near Greenville, John Barker,
of Washington county, became violently
insane. Bulling a pistol he began
firing promiscuously, a young
man named Bowery being wounded
in the left leg.
IERALD