The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, December 12, 1917, Image 2
A TERRIBLE OISASTER.
TWO TllOlsANI) I'KIUSH IN
HALIFAX FAPMWttOX.
Onv of M??*t fearful IHsasler* in Hiv
?? ? of Viiii Hum t online in KenultM
ti t ut (rid Number of Deaths and
W klmnimil instruction After Omh
.e.n IwMuceu i'vnih Munllioii
vhlp iumI Iu Ik Ian lUllef VfMl?
^irtekcn Cii) filled Wllh I'cmpor
n> HoapitnU Where Many More
Mill We,
Halifax, Pec. 7.?With the toll Of
th steadily mounting it wti betlev
???I early thisj^ornlng that more titan
J.fOO pereona perished In the explo
el.>ri and firs Which followed the col
Melon yesterday morning in Halifax
harbor between a munition laden
ei encji ship and another vessel
hd with supplies for the Del
glan relief ?esmatsaton.
The disaster which has plunged the
loa Into mourn Ins probably
will rank aa the most fearful that ev
? r <>< eiirred on American continent.
i;e- !' n'? of Malifax and thousandu
< volunteer relief workers who have
come Into the city have been almos.
dased at the extent of the horror.
Temporary n orguew have been es?
tablished in inuny buildings In which
a steady procession of vehicles of all
kin Is have lieen carrying for hodVt
the bodies of tuen, women and chil?
dren. Mesa* dt them were so tlhtllSlI
that they were unrecognisable. Thou
I sands of persons seeking traces of rel?
atives und friends have passed by the
long, silent rows, attempting, by the
flickering light of lamps and lanterns,
to Identify the on en they sought.
Virtually every building in the city
which could b? converted into a hos?
pital is tilled ? s it Ii wounded, many of
theo? SO desperately Injured that ther;?
Is no hope of their recovery. Hcores
w
already have died In these temporary
itala An ever Increasing num
I i???lng taken from the SOW
pletsly devastated Richmond district
to the relief stations. An army of
rescue workers Is searching among
H ? rains for bodies and for those
mY.o have su v.<?d amidst the wreck
aj:?? left by the explosion and fire.
city waa In darkness tonight
SXceSf for the flames from the fires
soil burning In the wrecked build
In the north end. The electri
I and gas plants have been vir
Iv destroyed.
0 Miere, sailors and police patrolt
h > streets tonight and upon them
the ma.'or portion of the burden
ef searching for the dead and wound
. I. >
The flames swept area covers ap
xlmately two and a half square
i .lies. It begins at what is known as
UN North stteet bridge extending
rorth to Pier S on the Richmond we
t front and bfjgH to a point running
I trallel with M?llingen Street. Noth
li a has been left standing In this sec
Urn of ths city Only a pile of
ouldering ruins marks the sped
where the great building of the Amer
l< an Sugar Henning Company stool.
? dry dock and all the buildings
)<b surrounded it were destroyed.
Richmond school that housed
undreds of children was demolished
' it Is reported only three escaped,
sdian oMc? rs who have seen long
log in Prance characterizes th ?
xlrophe a-4 the "most fearful
< h has befallen any city In the
? Id."
fj iief of Police Hanrahan late last
" i ? t estimated the number of killed
at 2.Ott and other city officials ex
l UM belief that ItWOOjId exceed
number.
The coIIIhIoii which resulted In
Ihn v ??ist dlauster in the h u
g| the dominion occurred near
I i In the narrows leading froir
1 hnrbor |g Redford Hasin. The
(Wot si ip Mont Rlanc waw bound
. New York for Redford Rasiti.
? the i '.i f ship lino, hound for
i - rashed Into her.
Mon J ine a*ns pierced on the
-1 to the engine room.
Tl ? ethos ship, which was only slight?
damot.i I, backed away when
I' 11 .? h bo,-st out on tie- muni!] on *
I ip - l m i a ib.irnloncd by the crew
The captain of the Mont .Rhuu- also
H lere I hin crew to the boats as ho
' d an ? plosion was inevitable
1 H.on ? I ? d h e ? efore the tie
Mtndoua blast 17 minutes l iter which
.v the cu|i to pieces and wricked
? !t ? |mI| nf ; he eity.
. Th* a^aShsSgS life of the city had
*i >?? . i ??? the d i.v w'u-a the town
lSS shaken In Its foundation kg th
:d? on PsrSSfMI in the Streets wore
t ked up btdily and hurled to th ?
ground.
Mouses In the Richmond sectloi:
? Mini ple<| op and collapsed, bury In <t
their tenants.
n the ii aie part of the city ttlji ? i
M.r> buildings are chiefly of slone or
SSJOrOtO tlie damage was confined tt
i he shattering of windows and most
I the ggggggjltftgg in this section w< I ?
tSJgjgd by flying glass,
in iiie g gf and northwest ends the
unage was more extensive* It was
in Richmond, however, opposite the
I SM of th explosion, that the havo0
wan greatest. Whole blocks of dWelb
logs. MtiU) of frame construction,
w??e levelled Street after Street is in
i huh .mil tni Structural left Stand
log b> the explosion were destroy* I
l?> tire w hi* h broke out m ma I tu neon M?
!.\ in i score of places ami which it
was impossible to che? K until they
ha<l tanned themselves ??ut. It Is be ?
lm>r<l scores of persons who had DM ? a
.n aied b> the collapse ol their horn - s
perished in the (lames. The Area in
this district still arc smouhleriiiK to?
night.
Kl\e minutes after the explosion
the streets in all parts of Halifax
I r filled with frenzied, panic strick
en throngs striving to reach the out
*.iits i?) escape what they believed
was a rani by a German lleet. Hun?
dreds of them hail been cut by shat
Itffd glass.
In the Kichmond section the seem-;
d deiied description. Seriously!
Injured men and women crawled j
from the wreckage of their homes and
?f in the streets until they were re
I
moved to hospitals. Those less se?
riously hurt aided those more grave-1
Iv injured. In the streets were found
the shattered bodies of many women
anil children. Several children were
< rushed to death when they were
hurled against telegraph poles by tht
lores of the explosion.
In scores of cases occupants ol
hon-, s who had escaped without in
jurv were baffled by the flames In
their h for members of thei ,
families and were forced to stand by j
Impotently while what once had been
i
their homos beeeme funeral pyres for
!o\ ed ones. j
A government employee who made
all speed to Pencil his home after the
explosion found that his wife and fou--!
lb lid i n had perished. His two year
Old daughter had been killed while
playing In the yard of her home.
Among those killed were the chic!
of the tire department and his depu?
ty, v he were hQfled tO death when a
engine exploded.
Stores- of those who lost their lives!
were children in the public schools
In the north end. Many others suf?
fered broken limbs and were rescued
with difficulty.
l*e Itaron Co'eman. manager of tin
Canadian Express Company, was kill?
ed when the reef of the Werth sta?
tion collapsed.
The work of relief was promptly
organized. The Academy of Mas
and many other public buildings wer?
thrown open to house the homeless
Every nook In available buildings
was made ready within an hour to re?
ceive the wounded. A steady stream
of ambulances and automobiles ar?
rived at hospitals which soon were
filled to capacity with Injured. Doc?
tors, nurses and volunteers toi'.ed
ceaselessly In the work of succor
Their ranks were soon swelled by
others who arrived in constantly in?
creasing numbers from nearby towns.
It was before nlghtfull that 250 of
the injured had died. Those who were
only slightly Injured wero sent to
their own homes or to those of
friends. There were hundreds of
cases of serious injury, however, and
It is expected the death list will be
I atlv increased.
Assistance is asked from outside
points.
The supplies most needed are glass
?ar paper, heaver board, putty, bed?
ding Btttd blankets. Tne mayors of all
I towns In the province have been ask
' ad to rush supplies to Halifax.
The force of the explosion was felt
It Ti uro. 7 5 miles away, where win?
dows were shattered. All telegranh
and telephone wires were torn down
and for wevral hours Halifax was
completely leolated from the outside
world
The concussion shattered the big
gas tanks of the city. All power
I ' mts are out of commission and
newspaper Offices have been so bad
I) wrecked that publication Is Impos?
slbto.
Prank Maekle, pilot of the Mont
Rln i . declared the oolHelon resulted
from n confusion of whistles sounded
b) Ilm Ii io. Ho believer the fire
which cj used the explosion was due
to the foot that the munitions ship
< I ri Is I a deck load of benzine.
\ IMMTICE HELD UP.
".i Mr i'm Inimnneea That Negotla?
t on- 111 - Been Sn-pcnd d.
London, !??<? I, Tin- Ruoslan gov*
ernment, in ? dispatch dated Th?rs
lay, < tlved here by wireless, an?
neuneea thai Ins Bolehevlkl foreign
- i. Lson Trolaky, has sent to
all aim 1 smbaaslei and legations in
Perograd 0 note intimating that ar
n I ? cs negotiations with the central
powera bnvs been suspended for a
?took,
< IAn ii \s r>( \ it.d.
i ncitnliimed llenoffl Comes from
American Consul.
Washington. De?. |,? The Amcii
csn conrul of TlfUi today reported
that i ranee was current that tin
former czar of ftnSSSSl h: ?I . s .ip. !
though no coniirmatlon w..s report*
Od No ether news was i".eivcd
from Kuiisiu.
M VI I III \l Til <'ONIHTIONH.
Some I'aict- til veil in Preliminary lie*
poH Of the HOUlh Carolina Hoard uf
Hon Ith.
Columbia, Doc, f .-?Im proved
health condition! in South Carolina,
due primarily to educative work along
Itnee of proper sanitation and die
east Pr?vention? arc noted in tin* ad-j
vnnct sin i ts of tin* State Board of
Health's reporl to the Qeneral As
st mbly, roleaaed today.
Although it Ktiii holds priority in
mortality records, deaths from tu?
berculosis this year were 1,304
agalnat 1,377 lael year, and 1.7;:.*. in
1116, Pellagra, which two years ago
was second in the causes of death,
this year shows a total mortality of
o ily r. |4, Last year there were I?1
deaths reported from measles. Thi?
increase, says the report, is due to the 1
influx of laborers building the can?
tonments and the mobilization of sol?
diers In the military camps. Las'
year there were Iii'.* cases of infan?
tile paralysis; this year there Were
only 13 cases, from which S death
resulted. The distribution of anti?
toxin hai reduced the death rate from
diphtheria, there being only 47 dur?
ing the past ten months.
M AY INCOME TAXES.
l/ggfiarrled Men Pay Two Per Cent
Above $1.000: Married Men $2,000.
-
Columbia. Doc. 8.? All single per-,
sons receiving salaries of $20 a week
or more come within the new war ta
and all married persons drawing
Weekly wans Of |3I or more are als .
Included.
Prom statistics regarding the tax a
single person having an annual in
OOms of $1,000 or more is- required to
pay a tax of - per cent, on all over
11,000 a year he receives and a mar?
ried man on all over $2,000. That It
the unmarried man Who gets $30 ever)
Saturday night actually/ receives an
annual income of $1,040. He will
have to pay the 2 per cent, tax on the
$ H> which will lie 80 cents. The mar- ',
rled man who has no children and re- |
celVCS $40 a week realizes an annual
income of $3,080. His 2 per cent,
tax will be $1.00. It was yesterday
explained at the office of the collector
of Internal revenue that no matter if
1 person's income necessitates a tax of
one cent, that one cent is to be paid,
so that if Mr. Smith, the bachelor,
has a yearly income of $1.001 he is to!
pay 2 per cent on all over the $1,000. \
Many provisions are made in thej
tax for dependents and exemptions
tor many things . arc made. These'
hems are set forth in the blanks which
are to he furnished those who come
within the tax. The tax collector will
endeavor to obtain the names of ever\
pgfSJOn in the State who wdll be in?
cluded in the income tax regulations
and those persons will receive blanks,
but If a person does not receive" a
blank that does not excuse him from
making returns and it is advised that
all persons who feel that they are in?
cluded should apply to the office of
the Collector of Internal revenue the
latter part of this month to lind out
ust how they stand.
Collector Heyward yesterday issued
1 statement in which he urged the
public to acquaint themselves with
the income tax law because ignorance
Of the law's requirements in no way
SSheves the responsibility from the
moulders of the taxpayer. He advised
that the blanks should be obtained,
from his off.ee in a few weeks be
cause returns are to he made between
January 1, lois, and March I, 1318.
The blank should he read over and
OVOr carefully and a statement of*in?
come for 1 'J 17 should be prepared be?
fore it is entered by the taxpayer un?
der the proper headings on the blank.
If the blanks are not received by any
persons coming under the tax law by
Tanuary 10 application to the collec?
tor's Office should he made.
?TOP RMPtiOYEKS PROM OHGAX
IKING.
llurlesou opposed to IHsdolAce Clerks
Combining.
Washington, Dec. 5.?-Postmaster |
General Burleson In his annual re
1 .....
port, submitted to congress today, de?
clares organisations of postal em?
ployees are rapidly becoming a men- 1
teg to public welfare and recom?
mends that congress repeal the law
?hat allows such employee! to main
sin organisations, The law provide!
that the employees may organise and
become affiliated with other bodies
SO long as they do not impose any
i obligation to sngage or assist in a
uike against tin- government.
Guayaquil, Dec 8, Ecuador has
severed diplomatic relations with
Germany, according to an official an?
nouneoment of the government today
Madrid, Dee. s \ revolution has
broken out in Lisbon, the capital Ol
Portugal, according to a dispatch r?
celved here bj wa> of Oporto. Out
breaki are also said to in. 1 occurred
1 in Upurto.
FAMINE IN Uli: < \\ < \si s.
Thousands of Qkl Men, Women nnd
Children Dying Frtnn Hunger In
Ituseia.
N>w York, 8.?Thousands of
old nn ti. women and children who
Bought refuge in the Caucasus from
the barbarities of the Turks in Ar?
menia are dying from hunger as a
direct result of the overthrow of Urn
Kassian provisional government, ac?
cording to ;, cable message receive l
December 2 by Secretary Lansing
from P. Wllloughby smith. Ameri?
can COnSUl at Tillis. Kassian Caucas?
us, and made public here today by
Ihe American committee ,,f Armen?
ian and Syrian relief.
In addition to the sums already
promised by the New York committee
$200,000 monthly will he required to
Continue the relief \vo; k. Consul Smith
sa\ s:
Since the advent of the Maximal?
ist government at retrograd." the
cablegram tea.Is. "the situation of
refugees In the Caucasus is tragic as
no funds are available for the main?
tenance of orphanages.
starvation has begun. Orphanages
and Asylums other than American
have to he closed, leaving 10.000 or?
phans and many old people to die Of
starvation, homeless. The minimum
estimate to keep up these institu?
tions is 500,000 rubles monthly."
A Unique ikvord.
Home testimony for Doan's Kidney
Kills, published In every locality, is of
Itself convincing evidence of merit.
Confirmed testimony forms still
stronger evidence, Years age, a citi?
zen of Bumter gratefully acknowl?
edged the benefit derived from Doan's
Kidney Pills. The statement is now
confirmed?the proof more convinc?
ing* Cases of this kind are plentiful
in the work of Doan's Kidney Pills?
the record is unique.
W. Yeadon, '21 Haynsworth St.,
Bumter, says: "I suffered from dull,
nagging backaches, and my kidneys
acted too freely. I used Doan's Kid?
ney Pills for these ailments, and they
relieved me and toned up my whole
System." (Statement given January
9, 1911.)
Over four years later Mr. Yeadon
said: "The benellt Doan's Kidney
Pills gave me has been permanent."
Price 60c, at all dealers. Don't
simply ask for a kidney remedy?get
Doan's kidney nils?the same that
Mr. Yeadon has twice publicly rec
ommended. Foeter-Mllburn Co..
Props.. Buffalo. N. Y. ? Advt.
TWO AMERICANS KILLED IN AC?
TION.
Washington. Dec. 5.? -den. Persh
Ing today reported to the war depart?
ment the names of two men killed
in action in France, seven men se?
verely wounded and four slightly
wounded.
The casualties occurred between
Dec. 12 and IT. C.en. Pershing's
message gave no details, but the nun
are believed to have been with units
oeeupylng front line trenches in
Prance.
Those killed were:
Corporal Virgil <\. Winebrenner,
infantry, Nov. 12, father. Andrew J
Winebrenner, Marion, lnd.
Private Peter Wojlalewlcz, infant?
ry. Nov. 16; emergency address Mrs.
Sallle Wojtalewlca, 1730 West Eight?
eenth place. Chicago, [11.
Those severely wounded included:
Sergt. Harvey L, Hadhourne, In?
fantry, Nov. 17. father. S. B. F\ Had?
hourne, Jamesvllle, Ya.
Private Benjamin H. Love, Infant?
ry. Nov. IT. mother, Mrs. Ellen Al?
len. Krandensburg, Ky.
Private Andrew J. Henaley, infan?
try. Nov. 13, father, .lohn Henaley,
Raspberry,' Ark.
Auul .
, it
Vj ? ? . W
ft*, -v ? 9
Ufa
MECTIAN1CS
360ArfTlCLE? 360 ILLUSTRATIONS
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THAN 1
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At Your Nowsdoalcr
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Si v.d for cur neiv free cat -
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Popular Mechanics Magazine
6 North Michigan Avenue, Chic???
NKEII PXMt I VUM LOWS.
Lifo Insurance Prealdciil Urged lo Aid
Agriculture?$700,000,4)00 Already
i hn? Employed.
New York. Dec. 7.?Declaring that
the life Insurance companies have be?
come the largest distinguishable fac?
tor in the farm loan business, Her?
ibert Quick of the Federal Farm Loan
I I
Board, before the Eleventh Annual
Convention of the Association of Life j
Insurance Presidents here today, urg?
ed the national need for the appor?
tionment of still more of their funds
for the financing of agricultural pro?
duction. At present, he said, about
$700,000,000 of policyholders1 reserves
are employed in this activity.
"No greater problem ever con?
fronted the American people than
the necessity of increasing productio n
and the maintenance of permanent
soil fertility," said Mr. Quick. "For
the economic pinch is now upon us.
It has come upon us almost with the
suddenness of a thunderbolt.
".lust at the time when the popu?
lation of the United States has reach?
ed the point of absorbing almost to
the danger point our agricultural pro
ducts, there is thrown upon us by the
terrors of an unparalleled war the
task of not only supplying ourselves!
hut for caring as best w e may for th? j
wants of an equal number of people
who are fighting our battles on the
sanguinary fields of Europe and Asia.
Just when production in the other a{S*
ricultural countries of the world has
been reduced to its lowest ebb, just
when the transportation system of the |
world has been requisitioned for the
transport and supply of armies and is
put daily in Jeopardy by the barbar?
ous methods of a powerful and un?
scrupulous enemy, the farms of th?
United States are called upon to In?
crease their production with a de?
creased labor supply.
"Hundreds of thousands, nay mil?
lions of men. are withdrawn from
i
peaceful pursuits and enlisted not onlv
In the army itself, but in that marvel?
ous complex of industrial and trans?
portation activities which constitute
the enginery of war. The farms, short
handed, are called upon for double
duty. After the war millions of men
will be returned to the pursuits of
peace at a time of radical industrial
and financial readjustments. The
world will then have to be recon?
structed and the healing of the
WOUndS of civilization must be very
largely brought about through an
enlightened and radically new and
progressive land and agricultural pol?
icy.
"The world calls upon us for a new
and better agriculture now. After
the war the situation will demand the
most enlightened, far-sighted and
broad-minded statesmanship.
"The requirements Of agriculture
after the war will he only partially
financial problems. They trill he pre?
dominantly land problsois The bring**
Ing of unused land into use; briu;;
inn ?p! partially used lands iuto fall
ud complete us<-; the abolition of our
terrible system of landlordism; the re?
construction of rural life; the build?
ing up of ? new kind of rural school,
the conversion of the business of
farming into ore in which a man of
intellect and enterprise may be pioud
to labor with bis own bands; the so?
lution of our marketing questions; th I
building up of a vast S) dem of co?
operative enterprises among farmer*
by means of which they shall be able
to solve their problems.
"There are financial problems of
the greatest magnitude tfhloh oUgftC
[to be carefully studied to he end that
vigorous and far-reachir>;; measures
may be adopted In orde* to meet tho
needs of American agri ulture aft.i.*
the war. The fact may be noted here
that the life insurance companies of
the United States, con manding asV
they do the largest volv-vne of loan
able funds* in existence h: ve loaned on
real estate about one-tl rd of their
funds. I am advised that 40 per
cent, of these real estfl e loans aro
on farm property. In amount, theso
farm mortgage loans of the life insur?
ance companies total about $700,000,
000. The insurance coi..panics havo
thus recently become th largest dis?
tinguishable factor in the farm loan
business. In entering t lis field, the
insurance companies ha e been true
of the interests of their pollcyhold
ers. I am of the opinb n that mo? 2
and more money of the lfe insurance
companies ought to be oaned to the
farmers in the interests of the compa?
nies themselves, of their poicyholdera
and of the nation.
AMERICAN DESTROYER SFNK.
Torpedoed in War Zon? and Half of
Crew Perish.
Washington, Dec. 8.?The Ameri?
can destroyer Jacob Jones has been
torpedoed in the war ?one. Halt of
the crew perished.
Thirty-seven survivor*, were taken
off in rafts. The sin ing occurred
December 6th at 8 o'cock at night,
: while the ship was on patrol duty.
She was commanded by Lieut. Com
I mander David Worth L&gley, a broth
; er of the wife of Secret -y of the Navy
Daniels. Lieut. Bagle. s brother was
the first American offV r killed in the
Spanish-American war The Jones'
peace time complement was five petty
officers and eighty-seven men. She
eras one of the largest and newest
American destroyers.
Washington, Dec. S ?Dr. A. JTJv
Melvin, chief of the Vtureou of^anl
mal industry and kno vn as a leader
In combatting the foe'; and mouth
disease, died here lasl night of pul?
monary hemorrhage. aged fifty
five.
The national Bank Of South Carolina
Of Sumter
Resources over $1.60( ,000.00.
Tins Bank owes its growth to'the
loyal support and hearty cooperation of
its 2600 patrons.
A bank is a COMMUNITY INTER?
EST. Its mission is SERVICE.
Its life is the Loyalty of il s Patrons.
We appreciate your bnsi; ess and are
better prepared [than Je\ c before to
serve you.
c;g. rovlano.
Pres dent.
f e
HINNANT
Cashier
0+00001 SVtt"
[Kit
1 THE FIRST fiATICNAL BAW
The Bank.
Yon will eventually Bank with
The First National Bank
of Sumter.
CAPITAL $100.300.00J
Surplus and Profit! (ea'ncO)|*150,OOD
NBILL O'DON NELL. President.
O. L. Y.vfES, Cashier.
?
Evei ything in the Building Line
All Kinds of Feed
BOOTH & McLEOD. Inc.
EVERYTHING AT ONE PLACE]
Phonesi 10 ? 631