The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, December 25, 1907, Image 1
VUMTKR WATCHMAN,
C#CMilldated Au?. 3.1881.
Cbt flMitrbman aub Southron.
?BY?
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HORROlt IN PENNSYL?
VANIA COAL ip.NE.
Two Hundrol Men Are Entomb
ed a* Jnoob's Creek. Pa.?Detotlou
To Csmren Dntv Saved Many.
Jacob? Creek. Pi.. Dec. I*.?An ex?
plosion of gna In the Darr mine of
\h? PIttabur? Coal Company, located
here, today entombed between 200
end StO miners and there Is scarcely
n my of hope that a single one of
them will be taken from the mine*
olive. Portia'../ wrecked buildings In
the vicinity of the mines and the con
dttion of the few bodies found early
*ln the rescue work indicate an ek
plosion of such terrific force that it
neon si impossible thst sny one eould
survive*? it. All of the IS bodies
l^out up to this time are terribly
igdsted and three of them sre
Hees. This Is the third mine dis
sincv tho first of the moatn in
of bituminous coal underly
Pennsylvania and Wed
the Naomi mine. near
and the two mlntes St
W. Vs.. In which ths
Motions happened, sre in
belt set ths local workings.
swell* the <num
dejaVr mine gas for
sa af^wean 550 and 6G0.
t today's disaster does not equal
surpass in loss of life and at
?sniant horrors of the one in West
i Virginia Is dne to the devotion to
I Church duties of a considerable num?
ber of the miners. In observance of
Use church festival many of the 440
or more men regularly employed -1
the mine did not go to work this
morning. Those who escaped
through thin reason are members of
the Greek Catholic church and they
eaopended work to colebrste 8t. Nich?
olas* dny. /
As was the case at Monongah tne
explosion followed n brief shutdown,
ans Darr mine hsvlng been closed
Tuesday and Wednesday. It wss 11:SO
o'clock when ths tst.th trip of loaded
had been brought out to the tlp
and ths re came an awful rum
sound, followed fmmedlately by
a load report end a concussion ths?
shook nearby buildings end was felt
wrtsnn a radius of several miles.
Ons mmnrksble feature "of this dis?
aster Is the slmost complete absence
ef narrowing scenes usually enacted
%W women friends and relatives of the
victims Condition* preventing of
essry s#csss to the mouth of the mine
are partly rosponslble for this snd
those In charge o<? the work Are doing
svrythtng possible to keop the women
and children sway. ,
All who approach are turned bsck
to their homes, ufler being assured
Ejfcat they can do absolutely nothing
to sgswat their lovsd ones, and tnst
tho corripany will do everything possl
ble to bring out the men, dead or
eltve.
The backssnlth shop hss been fitted
ap as n tsmportry morgue snd a
number of physician* sre In waiting.
? ^ - #
Appenr* to he no Hop* For Entomb?
ed Miners?Onl) Sis iimlle* so Par
Recovered
Jacobs Ot* k. Ps.. Dec. 20?From
the Dorr mine of the Ptttsburg Coal
?mpeny, where a t^rrlno^ explosion
?rdsy Imprisoned and almost be
doubt killed every one of the 200
more men who had entered th$
for the day. only ?lx bodies had
tn bruoght to the surface up to 10
'clock tonight. Others have 3e?n lo
Itod and s propitious time Is awatt
| for their removal to the temporary
of the men, however, are still
imed In by heoVy falls of slate
id other ro >f formation, a mile and
half snd more beyond the point to
the rescuers have penetrated
to this time. There is still a flick
hope that some of them may yet
ring, but the disclosures of the
so far atede loner lit
that* I
ihed April, 1850.
'Be Just ai
SUM!
Is little 'probability of more bodies be?
l?g found tonight.
Here and there one or more max.
be found who had fallen during a
vain attempt to reach the exits, but
the almost universal belief Is thai
nearly all will be round In the leads
three miles from the mouth of the
mine, where they were working when
the explosion happened. C
Rescue work hfls been halted. A
vast amount of brattlcing must be
done before it can proceed. The res
cueing parties 7,500 feet from th4
main entrance have found conditions
such ihnt to avert an additional dis?
aster precautionary work must b?
done. The )>oisonou8 gases must be
forced to sections beyond and addi?
tional air and ventilation must be
provided for that section. It is not
believed that the great man* of bodies
will be reached before late tomorrow
nftcrnoon. ?
Conditions arcund about the mine
and In the lltlc mining town are great?
ly Improved. The men who yesterday
began a holiday by drinking and fus?
sing have sobered up and ceased their
carousing. x
Probably more potent than all else
In this improved condition was the ar?
rival from Klttanlrg of Rev. Father
l.awrenv.- A. Carroll, former rector of
St. Timothy's Catliollc church here, of
which a majority of the victims were
members. During the day he guve
*r;rllual consolation to the widows
und orphans and talked to the men
ulonr lines to make them aooer and
r?ll?ctive.
Aa to the number of victims, esti?
mate** vary from ITS to 2C-0. Coroner
A. C. Wlnn of Westmoreland county
said tonight after a careful investiga?
tion he was satisfied the number
would be between 180 and 19?.
Conrad Schuth, 48 year.* old, erased
by the death In the mine of his son
and other relatives, ended his own life
today by dro\lnlng la the river near
the mine.' He was a widower and
leaves four small children.
Mrs. Carrino Delano was with great
difficulty restrained from committing
suicide tv*ia>-, ?a? lee* her husband
and two sons in the disaster and in
quest of the bodies was crossing the
river In the ? *ky ferry," a basket car
suspended from a cable, when she
tried to leap into the stream. The ef?
forts of three men were required to
re?tro'n her.
President John Mitchell of the Uni?
ted Mine Workers of America tele
?rraphed from Indianapolis authoriz?
ing district officials to draw' on the na?
tional trcaadry for' $1,000 for families
of victims.
1 IK FUSES TO INDORSE HUGHES.
Republican Committee of New York
Leye Over Resolution.
New York, Doc. 19.?By an almost
unanimous vote the Republican com?
mittee of New York county tonight
refused to adopt a resolution Indors?
ing Governor Hughes for the Republi?
can presidential nomination.
When the resolut.on was offered a
motion was immediately introduced
providing that tho resolution go over
for^conelderation at the next meeting
of the committee In January.
This motion was adopted with a
shout that could be heard ouUide the
committee room.
FARM CROP ESTIMATES.
Acreage,. Production and Value of
Wlf at, Corn and Outs. '
Washington. Dec. 20.?The depart?
ment of agrtcuUure today issued a re?
port giving final estimates of acreage,
production and value of farm crops,
showing winter wheat acreage to be
2S.IS2.000- production 409,442,000
bushels, value per bushel of 8S.2
cents. Spring wheat acreage 17,079,
000; production 224,646.000; value 86
cents.
Corn, acreage 99,931,000; produc?
tion 2.592.320,000; value 51.7 cents.
Oats, acreage 31,837,000; produc?
tion 74.443.000; value 44.3 cent*.
The averages weight per bushel Is
shown by reports received by tne de?
partment to be 6?.9 pounds for spring
wheat, f.8.9 pounds for winter wheat
und 29.4 pounds for oats.
WOULD ELEVATE THE BAR.
Milwaukee, Wis., Dec. 19.?Wiscon?
sin brewers have declared themselves
ready to do all In their power to ele?
vate the saloon business of this State.
The State association already Is on
record as favoring the closing of
"dive" saloons, and the local associa?
tions now have.m passed resolutions
taking a similar stand and offering
to cooperate with public officials in
an endeavor to elevate the morals of
thAKy, as well as of saloons.
Seal brewera also declared them
selvee In favor of closing the saloons
from 1 o'clock to 5 or 6 o'clock a. m.
rid Fear not?Let all the ends Thou Aln
'ER. 0 . WtbNESl
FICHT IN CONGRESS.
WILLIAMS AND De AHMOXD MAKE
BLOOD FLOW.
Parsing of the Lie Cause of Encount?
er?Committee Appointment Was
Beginning or Trouble.
) Washington. Den. 19.?The spirit of
rivalry that for ilve years has alter?
nately smouldered and blazed be?
tween John Sharp Williams of Mis?
sissippi, leader of the minoritV, and
David At DeArmond of Missouri, lead?
er of the minority opposition, culmin?
ated In a fist fight today on the floor
I of the house of representatives. The
blows of Representative DeArmond
caused blood to flow down the face
I of Representative Williams and only
] the forcible intervention of friends
I cut the combat short. Mr. DeArmond
I bore away a scuffed nose.
The immediate cause* of the fight
I was the pausing of the lie by Mr. De?
Armond to Mr. Williams, resultant of
a complaint by the former that the
minority leader had broken faith in
"burying" Representative P?ooher of
Missouri by recommending his assign
I ment by Speaker Cannon to the com?
mittee on Coinage, weights and meas?
ures. According to the statements of
I the principals Mr. Williams defended
his action by delclarlng he had been
told by Mr. Pooher's colleague, Rep?
resentative Lloyd of Missouri, that the
I commlt? assignments would be sat
I lsfactory to Mr. Boo.ier. Mr. De
I Armond bluntly questioned the truth
[of the statement and after the failure
I of an effort on his part to transfer the
I scene of impending battle Mr. .Wil?
liams struck Mr. DeArmond in the
face with closed flst.
I The exciting Incident will not be
I set down in the official record of the
sixtieth congress. For the house had
been some minutes adjourned when
1 the Bret blow was'struck. But there
I was no lack of witnesses,
e The organization of the house had
been completed by the announcement
I of the speaker's assignments of mem
rtnm trt committee^," the Republican"
I comrr.itteemon hnving been selected
I by the speaker and the Democrats by
Mr. Williams. Groups of representa
I three we:e scattered over the floor,
I discussing the appointments, the
causes perhaps behind them, and the
effects maybe to follow. In the over
I looking galleries loitered a score 01
1 so of women and four times that
many men, viewing the aftermalh of
an interesting session., *
j Mr. Williams, relaxed from the long
strain of allotting preferment among
I the 167 fellow Democrats, whose mi
fnority strength he officially lead3,
was seated at east at the desk of Rep
I resentative Wallace of Arkansas, on
I the centre aisle on the Democratic
I side of the house. Mr. DeArmond
j approached, greeted him, and took
I the adjoining seat. At once they en?
gaged each other in earnest talk; but
I pitched their voices so low that after
I .vaid only one or two members who
I were very close to them could recall
anything they had said. They had
I been thus in conversation no longsr
J than a few minutes, when both men
I sprang to tnelr feet, shoving their
I chairs back, and the gentleman from
Mississippi struck the gen|}eman from
I Missouri a glancing blow on the' nose.
Some representative cried out:
"Look! Look at the fight!" Everbody
I looked; but so startled were they by
I what they saw that no one seemed for
J the moment to think of rushing for?
ward and stopping it. M antime Mr.
Williams and Mr. DeArmond wedged
I between two rows of desks, were still
exchanging blows. Blood was flowing
I iown the face of the leader of the mi?
nority, while Mr. DeArmond was en?
deavoring to grasp his opponent by
I the throat at the same time receiving
j and vigorously returning blow for
blow.
Then everybody awoke to the Un?
seemliness of the scene and crowded
In and made an end of It. Mr. De?
Armond was seized and his arms pin?
ioned. Mr. Williams was pushed back
against a desk and laced about with
deterrent arms. Thus restrained he
Irelaxed hll aggresive attitude; but
his adversary struggled in the em
I brace of hrs friendly captors and
Itried to lash out. Whan Mr. De Ar?
j momi Interrogated Mr. Williame as to
what he wns excited about. Mr.
Williams smilingly, though tears of
mortltleatlon stood In ids ryes. de?
nied that he was excited and took out
a handkerchief to staunch thr flow of
blood from a cut In his cheek. Pres?
ently Mr. Williams was led away In
one direction, and both men were re?
leased.
Both Belligerent* Think Thoy are
Bight?Friends Trying to Make
Peace and Talk of Duel la mi in I.
Waschlngton, Dec. 20.?Yesterday's
physical encounter between Mr. John
ls't at be thy Country'3, Thy God's ai
DAY. DECEMBER 2i
Sharp Williams of Mississippi and Mr.
DeArmond of Missouri, on the iloor 01
the house of representatives, hed no
aftermath today so far as the princi?
pals themselves were concerned, but
friends of each traveled tack and
forth between the camps of the min?
ority leader and the leader of the
minority opposition, waving boughs
of peace. It is understood, however,
that they acted out of iheir own
friendliness and of their own volition,
not by authorization of the combabt
ants. e
Rumors of the likelihood of a chal?
lenge to a duel floated about the cor?
ridors of the capitol today, but proved
purely fanciful. Mr. DeArmond's at?
titude is stated to be this: He has no
mind either to persist in the quarrel
or to make the overtures toward a re?
conciliation. He feels that Mr. Williams
was the agressor in having intimated
that he was a falsifier and in having
struck 'the first blow and therefore that
peace overtures, '.f any there are to
be, should originate on Mr. Williams'
side of the line.
Mr. Williams Is understood to be?
lieve himself to be In?the right. It Is
contended In his behalf that he suf?
fered Mr. DeArmond to question iff*
truthfulness and sought to turn his
wrath ' aside; then suggested a less
public plaice to pursue the dlscussioin
and when this was ignored held him?
self In check until Mr. DeArmond had
a second time cast at him the He. For
the sake of many things he does not
desire to continue the unpleasantness,
neither does he feel that an amend is
due from him until the firvt plank to
bridge the breach has been laid down
by the gentleman from Missuori.
Notwithstanding the exact opposite
ness of these two views it is predicted
by common friends that the two dis?
tinguished Democrats will yet clasp
Viands and covenant to forgive it not
to forget. %
In Mr. Williams' behalf 11 is ex?
plained today that his real reason for
resigning from the 'ways and means
committee was to make a place for
his ^co^engue, Mr. Bowers,, on the
""committee on appropriations; as, in
view of the fact that Mississippi's del?
egation numbers only eight rcpresn
tatives he felt that to have two Mis
:-issinians on the two chief committees
of the house would be bestowing too
much preferment on his own State.
Though the house was not In ses?
sion Mr. DeArmond visited the floor
today and sat for a while at his desk
at work. He discouraged any invita?
tion to discuss his encounter with Mr.
Willlaims. The latter spent most of
the day at his home.
AGREEMENT WITH RAILWAYS
MAY BETTLE TROUBLES IN THE
SOUTH.
Conference Ileld In Washington?
Lower Rate's ami Mileage Books
Inehided in Agreement?Two
Roads Oppose.
Washington, Dec. 19.?An agree?
ment was reached at the Southern
railway offices here today that bids
fair to settle the whole controversy
between the railroads and Southern
states over passenger rates. The rail?
road was represented by President
Finley, Vice President Andrews and
General Counsel Thorn; the other side
by Gov. Glenn and ex-Gov. Aycock of
North Carolina.
The tentative agreement reached
on Dec. 11 was ratified and will bV
come operative upon the approval of
the legislatures of North and oSuth
Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Ala?
bama. It will afford a lower rate for
passenger traffic than now charged in
most of these states and Gov. Glenn
expects that there will be no difficulty
In securing the ratification in the dif?
ferent legislatures.
The rates fixed are, for ordinary
tickets, 2 1-2 cents a mile; t,000-mile
books, for 'he use of firms and their
employes to the number of five per?
sons, at 2 cents, interstate and inter?
changeable; 2,000-mile books for
family use, number limited, at 2
cents; HOO-mile books at 2 1-4.
President Plnley declined to discuss
the matter this evening. Qov. Glenn
and Gov. Aycock stated that the
Southern and Seaboard roads had
agreed to the compromise, but that
the Atlantic Coast Line and the
Louisville & Nashville will not prob?
ably do so until forced to. They be?
lieve that tho agreement is a decided
victory for the states concerned and
that it will be an advantage to all the
people of the South, as well as to the
railroads. The Southern has agreed
to pay all costs incurred during the
recent litigation. The amount will
reach neatly $LM).uOO.
Ten men, composing the crew of
the schooner Augustus Welt, which
fountlerei;; off Cape Lookout, ?cfM
picked up by the Clyde steamer Mo?
hican and carried to Charleston.
ill Truth's."
TILE T1UJ
5 H C7 Seit St
SHOT BROKER IN OFFICE.
BEAUFORT MAN KILLS NEW
YORK BROKER,
Then Kills Himself?Refusal of Credit
Said to Bo Cause of Double Trag?
edy.
New York, Dec. 20.?Jas. H. Oli
phant, .en'r^r member of the stock ex?
change firm of Jas. H. Oliphant & Co.,
is dying tonight from a bullet wound
inflicted at his olfice this afternoon
by Chas. A. Geiger a customer from
Beaufort, S. C who after firing upon
Oliphant killed himself.
The men were closeted in Oli
phant's private office at the time and
all that is known of what immediate?
ly preceded the shooting was learned
from the lips of the ?lyin^ broker.
Oliphant said that his refusal to ex
I tend further credit to Geiger caused
I the tragedy. There is reason to be
j lieve however, Geiger had become
I mentally irresponsible. A note book
I found upon his person contained com
I putations by which the writer appar?
ently had figured that he would be
[worth $3,000.000 by Jan. 1, 190S. He
I actually possessed, so far as his per
Jsoral effects showed, less than $11.
Geiger owed the Oliphantfirm $5,000
I and had been asked for a settlement.
I He called at their office today and af
Iter explaining that he c?uld not meet
I his obligation asked that the firm ad
I vanec him sufficient credit to carry
I 5,000 shares of a certain stock until
I a rise in the price should yield him
la profit. His prpositlon was refused
I and the shooting lollowcd.
I The offices of Jas. H. Oliphant *:
I Co., are at 20 Broad street in the ccm
I tre of the financial district and the
I shooting caused a .sensation in the
I street and temporarily interrupted the
I business of the curb traders, the
I scene of whose activiltles are over
I looked from the big office tniilding.
I Clerks who pushed their way into
I Oliphant's office when they heard
I shots fired, s|^mbled over Ge'ger's
I dead bo^y. He had shot himself in
the mouth and again in the right
I temple. A revolver was clutched in
I the right hand. Oliphant had slipped
I from his% chair and lay half concealed
I under his desk. A bullet had entered
I the stomach. The broker was still
I conscious. At the hospital where the
I operation of laparotomy was perform?
ed, it WOfl found that the Lullet had
I grazed the kidneys and lodged In the
I baek. It was not removed.
Oiiphant's ante-mortem wassupple
I mented by a statement from the bro
Iker's partners,, who included Oli
I phant's son, J. Norris Oliphant.
STILL ANOTHER NEW COUNTY.
Lake City Now Ambitious to Become
A County Seat.
Lake City, Dec. 20.?The citizens of
Lake City met in mass meeting Wed?
nesday In the auditorium of the new
school building and organized an ef?
fort to establish a new county, with
Lake City as the county seat. After
being duly organized, with Hon. J.
H. Blackwell, ex-representative of
Williamsburg county, and mayor of
Lake City, as permanent chairman,
and Dr. M. D. Nesmith, st^retary,
various committees were elected. A
committee was appointed to canvass
the house and see if there could be
enough funds raised to build the
court house and jail, without asking
the new county to build them, and it
was soon learned that the money
could be raised by private subscrip?
tion, In Lake City to put up these
buildings, and ere the next 60 days
roll around It Is expected a new coun?
ty will be assured, and those that sub?
scribed to this found will be called on
to put up the cash to erect these
buildings. It has been said that there
was only one thing that could get the
people of Lake iCty to work together
and that was fire, but it can be said
that there Is something else than can
get them together and that Is to go
OOWn in their pockets and shell out
the cash If necessary.
Cantata at (lie (ion. Suniter Memorial
Academy.
There wl!l be a cantata, at the Gen.
Bjimter Memorial Academy, as a part
of the Christmas celebration ot this
school, commencing nt 6 o'clock p.
m.i on Thursday, the 26th day of De
cember.
It promises to be one of the finest
pieces of work that has ever been
done by this academy In the line of
celebrations and all who attend may
b<? sure of delightful entertainment.
Besides the music and recitations
that will furnish a feast of soul from
the platform, there will be* "refresh?
ments for the physical mat*,'* served
by the pupils of the academy.
Admission for adults, 25 cents;
children, 15 cents.
E SOUTHRON, Established Juno, J
ries-Vol. XXVII. So
'LEVER ON NATIONAL FORES
JOINT AUTHOR Ol* BILL TO PI
TECT APPALACHIAN RIVERS
Measure Introduced in the Hoi
I'rovidcd for the Acquisition by t
Government of 1*1 mis in this a
Other Southern States ami in Mai
and New Hampshire.
Washington, Dec. 22.?A a mea
of protecting the navigab.e conditi
of the rivers rising in the Southe
Appalachian and White Mountaii
and incidentally of saving from d
struction by fire and wastt lul exploi
ation the rich forests of the two r
gions, Representatives Lever of Sou
Carolina and Currier, of New Ham.
shire, have introduced bills in tl
house authorizing the secretary <
agricultue^ to acquire lands for n
tional forest purposes in Marylan
Virginia, West Virginia. North Car
Una, South Carolina, Georgia, Alab
ma. Kentucky and Tennessee, m tl
South, and in New Hampshire ai
Maine in the North. It is understoi
that a similar bill will be introduce
in the senate at once.
The bill provides that the land* I
more valuable'for the regulation
stream flow than for other purpose
and that they be situated on the ii
portant watersheds in the Appal
chain Mountains in the South, and
White Mountains in New E#glan
The land is to be required by pu
chase or gift, and the sum of $5,00(
000 is asked to carry out the pr<
visions of the Act. Small areas i
land'chiefly valuable for agricultur
which may of necessity or by inadve.
tence be Included in th s tracts- a*
quired under the proposed Act. aft;
examination may be occupied f<
agricultural purposes. Sieh atricu
tural lands within the peogoeod M
tional forests would be ottered U
sale by the secretary ot agricultui
as homesteads, at their true value, 1
tracts not exceeding eighty acres. Th
la-nd may be purchased subj. ct to th
reservation by the owner of the min
eralf |r the timber which is mei
chantJble at the time of purchase.
It is further provided in the br
that the civil and criminal jurisdic
tlon of the several States over person
upon lands acquireel in the Act sha^
fiot be affected or changed by thei
permanent reservation ami admini^
tratlon as national forest lands, ex
cept so far as the punishment of ol
fences against the United states i
concerned. In this way, th*- state wi
not lose their jurisdiction in any wa;
Ten per cent of the gross receipt
of the proposed national forests wi
go to the States and to the ce unties t
which the forests are situated for th
benefit of the public schools and in
provement of roads, providing th
sum, distributed to any one county i
which there is a forest does ne>t
ceed forty per cent of the total i:
come of th? county. According I
the Act, the secretary- cf agricultu
may, for the further protection of tl
watersheds of navigable stiearns, at
minister and protect for a defip.%
term of years as private fereet lam
where the owner will cut and remoi
the timber thereon only an i ules d<
vised for the protection of the fore:
thereon. By this cooperation mar
thousands of acres of privately owne
forest will be preserved through wh
use without the government pcing t
the expense of purchasing it.
The government has a little mo:
than a fifth of the country's foresti
area In nati ^nal forests at presen
and all of this land is in the Wef
The remainder is in the hindc of pr
vate owners, and. for the most par
is under no s\stem of iore*t manag?
ment but is being logged oK as fa*
as the saw* can work. The w* t 1
depended upon now for conifer
While the remaining mippl) of hare
woods is largely In the Eavt in th
mountains of the Appala? hian rang<
In his report,/whii h wa* submitted t
congress last week, Secretary Wll
son recommended the purr hare of ne
more than T),000,000 acres ol land I)
the South and 600.000 acree in Nev
England for national force!*, in or
der to protect the flow of the import
ant streams, on which COUlttleea in
dustries of the E.*st aval <eu!h dc
pend for navigation and w.ovr power
and incidentally to conserve the re
maining hardwood Umbel supply.
Th^ dlapenaatv trouble yt Nortl
Augusta Is still en. Attorney Genera
Lyon holds that the town counci
cannot say where the A ikon count,
board shall locate the jug. The Nortl
Augusta town council tried to blorl
the establishment of a dispensary li
their town by passing a a ordinanc
preventing the location of the Ju
within five hundred feet e.r the tw?
business streets but the atte?rney gen
eral calls a halt on that.