North Carolina Newspapers

f 1P.LI||*IP UP. I fJ! ISlip ^nted. For ?^ale, For Rent, Lost and Founds Bciri BosHtlers, Rooms or Roomers-Page Eight latest Edition thiT ^ twelve pages. Latest Edition TWELVE PAGES. VOL. 45. NO. 8107 CHARLOTTE N. C., SA7URQAY EVENING, DECEMBER 9, 191 1 and Sunrtay.^ Disastrous Mine Explosion This Morning At BrycevBJe, Tennessee feaifill Disaster Oc- cu rred Two Undet 7 he Miles Ground jy;oUindr.dMen Were En- tombed in the Mine oj 2 he Knoxville Iron Company as Result Of Dust Explosion. Rescje Crews Rush to 7 he Spot Scenes at Mouth of Mine htggar Description’— tiumber of Dead Not Known •' m;; Press. I '. T nn., Dec. 9.—Between i -L are entombed and • 1 ill the CT088 Mountain Knoxville Iron Company, , ru ar here, as the result li'Tli- to have been a dust iiiuierground at 7:30 ■ their rescue is thwart- n encountered by a party lied into the mine a dis- ir .>no mile. . Trnn., Dec. 9.—A “dust” , r. i fhe main mine of the s ioi n ain system near Brio«- ■ toaav. entombed a large « oi k'Ts /no had just enter- fr u.i toil. The mine Is ns- ti ' 200 men but whether .1 tlie mine shaft prior I" 3 bl:?s* had not been deter- V'!. lUs if* rations were Immedl- r jI ’- =: =!>• and at 10 o’clock . nprp from other works In ' ; had gone into the main : 'u- ain eh*ft by three en- i.'t hour none of the res- ■!jnu. ; shaft by three ne- ^ liai^ r’lorted. n !r o neii and operated by ” - i Comi-'any and ii from Knoxville. lo‘ it : :>d almost been iiueU that at least 100 (i . « had entered the mine bla^i. Mine officials were ri'uina: the majority of t 5 -he minutes drag- (1 no report came from any “ -no parties, doubt grew 'hronsr that had congregat- I nine entrance. FIrmes Check Rescue. (> o’oloi k flames began to Is- the openings of the 111 fated "his ■^••ctually checked the ■ ; ir the parties that had r, red the mine being i rk. Such fire fighting appar- ■ ■ e : ll.ibie was put into play ■ • nln f*. ial Main conveying the offl- t't ‘inoxville Iron Company i> : :1 reBCu«-rs is scheduled to r aoout 1 o'clock. Other Mines Close Down. ' T- uu., Dec. 9.—As soon 1 -no known throughout the 'I* ii-rinn that the Cross of the Knoxville Iron >n 'he scene of an rin ihi= luorning, other mines i.’tion and dispatched : !■ - n to Briceville, Sever al 1»« were organized and ' i;.. n were sent to each of !■:. •‘Tifrances to the mine. On > of the 'ndefinite distance of ‘ f the explosion from the iii: r entrance it was diffl- ' • ‘in the exact point at (11‘ -ter occurred. Conse nt Druachofi were undertaken entr.'. At 10 o’clock noth- ■'f'on hoard from the rescuers ’ industriouRly working to men. Scene at Mouth of Mine. ti nuH’th of the mine • '*1; ion. Men. women and “ ' ■ i»‘intives and friends ■ k’lMwn t'! have entered the ■ >r:,in were congregated, »}ilipv:ly pnd earnestly li'i' vorci that would tell ’’ ' Ueuorts vary as '* I f'l- of men and boys who '■ "k thonsh it is certain : ■ ill i .vceiiE of 100. ' " f-'' 'l:e Fratervilie disas- v..;ro instantly recalled by morning, and m e (Jeaih and suffering preclp- ,and I believe that tte cave In, ll [ there was one, had been upon the fan.” Another suction fan was taken to the Briceville mine with the mine rescue apparatus. A Similar Catastrophe. A similar death dealing 'tastro- phe occurred at Fratervillf.^ .ne ot the Coal Creek Coal Cor^ y, also located near Briceville le morn ing of May 19, 1902.vln .5^ i accident 164 miners and helr^ lost their I lives and it was sev'^ days before j the mine channel ^ cleared and Itated by that accident intensified the possible jmove all the dead. This disa*^ ^ was attributed to a dust explos’ xnd it came with out warning. The explosion occured in the main Cross-Monntain mine, which is re corded in the state mine inspectors’ report as a “class B., drifted mine." It is 1,006 feet above the level ot the sea, and in the Cumberland mountain range four miles from Coal Creek, which is on the main line or the Southern and the Louisville & Nashville Railroads. The Coal Creek Coal seam, having an average width of forty-six inches, is worked in this mine. The roof is of slate and the bottom is of fire clay. It is de veloped on the entry and airway double room and pillar system. The ventilation is produced by electric fans with 300 revolutions and. diam eter of seven feet, and is distributed bj’ the “split” system. Haulage of coal mined is conducted from roms to the side tracks, a distance or 2200 feet by mules, and from side tracks to outaide, a | distance of (J,- 600 feet, the haulage is by electric motors. The mine is operated by the Knox ville Iron Company, of which T. 1. Stephenson, of Knoxville, is presi dent; Otis A. Brown, of Knoxville, secretary; T. P. Lynch, of Briceville, superintendent; George Bulmer, of Closing Session OJ The State fears and anxieties of the impatient watchers at the entries. Officials of the company minimized the extent of the disaster and express ed confidence that it would not be as serious as was feared by many. They declared that they believed many if not all the men in the mine would be res cued alive. They stated that nothing would be left undone to bring about the mens’ rescue as speedily as pos sible. A train with officials of the company, physicians and mine rescue workers of the Federal government was expect ed to arrive from Knoxville about noon. Knoxville, Tenn., Dec. 9.—A dust explosion Imprisoned about two hun dred men in the coal mine of the Knoxville Iron Company at Bryce- ville, 34 miles north of Knoxville this morning at 7:30 o’clock. The explo sion is about two miles from the en trance to the mines. The Federal mine rescue crew has been summon ed. It is not yet possible to ascertain the number killed but it is feared the loss of life will be very heavy. Great Crowds Attracted. The rumble of the explosion brought great crowds of townspeople to the mine opening. ^ Company ot- flcials made immediatfe preparations to organize rescue operations but Briceville, inside foreman, and J. 1?'. at 8:30 o’clock the mine had not been entered. Briceville is in the grip of con fusion and it is expected another half hour or even more will pass before a crew will be able to at tempt the rescue of the entombed miners. President to Scene. Hatmaker, of Briceville, gas boss. Location of Briceville. Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 9.—Brice ville, the scene of this morning’s explosion became a place of note in Tenessee during the mining trou bles in the early nineties when the miners generally rebelled on account of the convict lease system and T, I. Stephenson, president of the troops were sent to that vicinity Knoxville Iron Company, which owns and operates the Cross Moun tain mines at Briceville, In one ot which the explosions occurred early this morning, left Knoxville tor Briceville at 10:30 aboard a special train openited over the Sontttem Railway for the scene of the explo sion. Accompanying President Ste phenson were George W. Chandler and W. H. Stores and E. B. Sutton, The town is located in Anderson county near Coal Creek, which was the scene of the terrible Fratervllle explosion May 19, 1902, when some thing like 20io men lost their lives. ,According to the Tennessee mUie in^ specfors' bffice there are six mi^ies in BrtcevUle. "Brticeville, Tenn., Dec. 9.—Shortly before noon rescuing parties who had entered the Cross Mountain Ke fi Iri - r. E? if in charge of the local mine rescue mine earlier in the day emerged station; and E. M. Owens, helmet;fj.om two entrances and reported that operator. The party expected to ^ ^jjey had gone in a distance of about reach the scene of the explosion, mile. They were unable to pro- about noon. The rescue workers further on account of having have four helmets, a resuscitating ap- j encountered a cave in each of the paratus, three oxygen bottles, lamps i *phe cave in was of such a and other apparatus. This is Mr. ^ character, according to the returning Sutton’s first call to an explosion rescuers as to indicate that the ex- since he has been in charge of the plosion was caused by dust ignition, local station. ! It is stated that the mine has always President Talks. ! been free from gas and was also Concerning the explosion of this and this leads to the belief that morning President Stephenson said accident must have originated just before leaving: “I know little from a dust explosion, about the explosion. I received a tel-j Three men were in one of the ephone message this morning about ^ j^tgral shafts at the. time of the ex- 8 o’clock to the effect that there J plosion escaped safely and without was a slight explosion of the Cross injury. These men were John Lang, Mountain mine. I have not the ^ sam Farmer and Bert Hatmaker. slightest idea of the cause of the They came out almost simultaneously explosion as everything was in first the concussion that was felt class conditio.''. from the explosion. They report “My foreman stated In his tele- that no untoward conditions were phone message that the explosion discovered by them In the interior occurred back in the mines some 1 ^gfore they left the works this distance but how far he did not j morning. know. The first that any one knew | ^he exact location of the explosion of the explosion he said w’as from a j ig thought toh ave been about two slight concussion and smoke was ^ miles in the interior and about 80U seen coming out of an air shaft. 1 feet beneath the forest of the moun- think there were very few men in the mine at the time of the ex- mi TALE By Associated Presa. Los Angeles, Cal., Dec. 9.—The Mc Namara brothers probably never will testify before the federal grand jury. It was anfloun^ed to day that the grand jury which is inquiring Into the dynamite conspiracies would not convene again until next Tuesday and it was said to be certain that by that time James B. and John J. McNamara will have begun at the San Quentin state prison tljeii* sentences of life imprisonment and 15 years respective ly for the crimes to which they con fessed a week ago. The emphatic declaration that they would not divulge what they knew of the alleged conspiracy is said to have resulted In'a plan to take the McNa maras to the staie penitentiary either today or tomorrow. Scores of witnesses appeared in town today in response to sunjmonses, of which there were 128 issuedjwithin the last few days. It is known that most of the San Francisco labor lead ers will be asked to appear before the grand jury here. The names of those summoned have not been given out, but It is under stood that among them are Olaf Tveit- moe, organizer of the same organiza tion T«?ith headquarters in San Fran cisco; 'Andrew Gallagher, secretary of the Central Labor Council of San Francisco; J. B. Munsey, business ag ent of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers at Salt Lake City; H. S. Hockin, a mem ber of the executive board of the same organization, and H. J. Smith, business agent of the same union at Cleveland. Though Ortie E. McManigal for two days has been before the grand jury, the probabilities are that he has not finished his testimony. With the trial of A. B. Maple, Bert Connerfe %»4 P^ Ira Bender, charged witli %^mj4iing to>blow up the Hall of Recof^ ■ 1^07 l)!iQfBtp6.ned~ii&- til Jatmary^lEi, the oifly“'tWng reiftiain- ing here pertaining to the McNamara case besides the grand jury investiga tion, is the case of Bert H. Franklin, charged with having bribed a prospec tive juror for the McNamara trial. Both District Attorney Fredericks and Assistant District Attorney Ford today declared that EYanklin probably would plead guilty. The preliminary ex amination of Franklin will be continu ed on Monday. —Savannah automobile races and Dubuque motor boat races at the Princess today. Good pictures—see them. tain. The number of men in the mine plosion A large number of the em- j jg variously estimated at from 125 to ployes.'who totalled about 200, come; 268. One of the miners who is be- from other sections around Brice-1 jigved to have a knowledge of the ville and I understand that several of number of men who entered the mine this morning gave it as- his opinion that the number would not exceed the work trains tliat bring them in were late this morning. I don’t be lieve the explosion was serious from; 140. the fact that there was no dis-| Hopes were entertained that the turbance whatever at the mouth of men will escape alise, or at least the mine Had the explosion been many of them, as the rescuers plan- verv serious the mouth of the mine ned to enter the mine as soon as would have been shaken up. About possible and push the rescue work. ^00 miners are employed in the mine 1 This, it was thought, would be pos- and I think that the reports to the j gibfe when the mine rescue helmets effect that from 150 to 200 men were ^ and other Federal ressucitating ap- pntombed in the mine are exaggera-! paratus arrived soon after noon, tinns The foreman who talked to. On account of the cave in and the this morning did not know ex- smoke and heat it was Imposible actlv how many men were in the ^ for the rescuing party to proceed mine at the time of the explosion. further without the aid of the res- but he seemed to think there were;cue apparatus. The mine extends about VG1*V two miles back into Cross Moun tain. I understand that ^be suction fan in the mine was not working Wdey Mat, Be Still Further Unfetteted In His Woik F01 Pwe Food Mining Engineer Hears News. Pittsburg, Dec. 9.—J. J. Rutledge, mining engineer attached to the ar senal station of the bureau of mines here, received word of the ex plosion at Briceville, Tenn., soon af ter it happened, with an order that he leave by the first train to take charge of rescue operations at the mine. Rutledge is familiar with the Brice ville region and the mine in which the explosion occurred. Federal res cue car No. .7 in charge of William •Burke is in eastern Kentucky and ■n. i)pp The Wiley- •!'lruvf>r-;y in the d'3part- • which furniiiUed last summer, will ‘ th.- front again in a " ' n Mu* lioiise committee I in tile acricultural 1^; '^;^ i'- report. >= 'I'ait lias exon- ■■■itii a Wil. y, the pure has been removed from his position it was also ordered in Briceville on the pure food board which he was j 1 ahnr UnlonB Act said to dominate, it is expected that. Labor Unions Act. the committee will recommend other changes that will further unfetter Dr. Wiley in his administration of the pure food law. It has been intimated that the com mittee will ask for the „ the Remsen referee board, blocked Dr. Wiley’s activities along certain lines, notably in Miami, Fla., Dec. 9.—At a meeting today of the Miami union No, 993. United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, the following resolution was adopted: “We repudiate the McNamara broth ers as traitors to organized labor and enemies to society, and we also con- BEEF MEN ON TRIAL. BATON ROUGE IS FOOTBALL MAP. By Associated Press. Baton Rouge, La., Dec. 9.—^Baton Rouge is footbalL mad today and has several thousand visitors who arrived on four special trains this morning for the game between Tulane and the Louisiana State University. Because of the intense feeling between the students an imported set of referees —one of the most notable ever to han dle a game in this section—will have charge. Masker, of Northwestern Uni versity, will referee, Streit, of Auburn, will umpire and Tichenor of Auburn, is to be field judge. Selecting Jury To Tiy Meat Packets By Associated Press. ^ Chicago, 111., Dec. 9.—A short session today of thei United States district cort in which a jury is being sought to try the indicted Chicago packers on charges of violating the Sherman anti trust law was expected to see the pan el nearly filled and the case well along toward the presentation of-its wit nesses by the government. Attorneys for the packers have an nounced they would require nearly a day and a half to present their open ing statement and the government’s statement will be nearly as long as this. Ten veniremen were tentatively ac- cepted by the defense when court open ed and of this six have been passed by the government attorneys. Valued Citizen of SevetsviUe Dead Mr. L. 1a Todd, a prominent n-nd highly esteemed resident of Seversville died suddenly yesterday afternoon at 4 o’clock at his home in Seversville. Mr. Todd was employed at Mr. Will Sever’s store in Seversville. He went to the store yesterday morning as us ual, op^ed up the ftpre^ ^d a]56ut Ws ’Qth^r dsiiSy ^tiea^ when he was suddenly taken ill. That was about 8 o’clock. He went home, and physicians were summoned. He grew rapidly worse and died at 4 o’clock. Mr. Todd was subject to attacks with his kidneys, which now and then caus ed him to be absent a day or two from business. He had not had an attack in some time, and was in his usual health when he went to work yesterday morn ing. lie was taken with an acute attack about 8 o’clock and never rallied. Deceased was a native of Paw Creek township, this county. He was 32 years of age. He was a man of irreproachable honor—as all the Todds are; a man of sterling worth and exemplary life. He was a member of the Presbyt^ rian church at Seversville, and an ear nest consecrated Christian. He gave liberally to the cause of the church. The entire community esteemed him. Surviving him are his wife and two children; his mother, Mrs. A. E. Todd; four brothers, Messrs. E. 0., and G. W. of Maxton, Cecil and Ralph Todd of Charlotte, and three sisters, Mrs. H .W. Severs, of Charlotte, Mrs. J. E. Red man, of Tampa, Fla., and Miss Bessie Todd, of Charlotte. Funeral. The funeral services will be cond- ducted tomorrow morning at 1 o’clock at the residence by Rev. Mr. West, pas tor, of More’s Chapel. imTioi Solicitor McCabe benzouta of sodA. the case orjdemn the court for not inflicting the penalty.* Fronn top to bottom are some of the beef packers who are on trial in Chicago before the federal court to answer a criminal charge of a vio lation of the ^erhrian arftl-trust law: J. Ogden Armour, president of the Armour Company; Charles H. Swift, director Swift A Compa ny; and Louis F. Swift, president of Swift A. Company. At the conclusion of the sessions of criminal court today at noon Judge W. J. Adams announced to the attorneys for the city school board and the Belmont-North Char lotte school patrons that he was ready to hear the prayer for an in junction by the school patrons nam ed, who, it will be remembered, some time started proceedings to restrain the school board from erecting a $2,000 school building upon a site donated by the Pegram-Wadsworth Land Company. Messrs. Heriot Clarkson, E. K. Preston and Col. W. C. Maxwell rep resent the school patrons, while Judge Lurwell, City Attorney Bre- nizer and Mr. C. W. Tillett repre sent the school board. • The hearing began shortly after IJJ o’clock. At the hour of going to press the case is being argued. The presence of several members of the school board Belmont school patrons and others who are interested jnreatly in the outcome. The complaint and answers occu pied almost an hour in the readiil^. Both contained the allegations and denials, with some additions to the complaints, that have previously been published. THE WEATHER Rain late tonight or on Sun- v day; warmer tonight. Moder- ’ ate northeast and east winds. Whereabouts OJ Reyes Lnknown By Associated Press. San Antonio, Tex., Dec. 9.—Whether General Bernardo Reyes is in Mexico or in Washington, D. C., was not defi* Bitely known here early today. His family said that they believed he would arrive at Washington todaj' and offered a telegram bearing a St. Louis date and reqeived several days ago as proof that he is in the United States and on his way East. A telegram from Camargo yesterday was offered’ in sup port of the contention that General Reyes has crossed the Mexican bor der. Both telegrams bear General Reyes’ signature. A tireless search is being made for the alleged leader of the in surrection which daily threatens to de velop. Mexican troops are scouring the bor der. Since his disappearance almost a week ago rumors have given his where abouts as San Antonio, Laredo, Brown- vllle, St. Louis and Carargo, Mexico. An automobile declared to be his was found in Kansas City several days ago. Interest of Baptist Young Peo~ pie's Union Omsidered—Re-. poitofVommHtu on Tenh perance Coasideted and Ad- opted at Afternoon Session. FIIIBUSTERS By Associated Press. ' New Orleans, Dec. 9.—The revenue cutter Davey was hurriedly despatch ed from New Orleans last night to eeftfClf ft ^IBtiSfelffiag expedjtTcSa along the gulf coast, concerning which well defined rumors are said to have reached secret agents of the govern ment. « The supposed expedition is said to be aimed at the Mexican government. TODAY IN CONGRESS. ♦ By Associated Press. ♦ ♦ Washington, D. C., Dec. 9. ♦ ♦ SENATE. 4 ^ Not ih session, ^eets 2 p. m. ^ ♦ Monday. ♦ ’ More witnesses for the de ♦ | ♦ fense heard at Lorimer inquiry, ^ ^ HOUSE. Met at noon. Controller Bay charges final- ly dismissed by investigating «> committee. ♦ | Sugar ‘Trust” inquiry contin- ued with evidence that the ^ “Trust” is disposing of some beet and cane factory holdings. Raw material doctrine at- ^ tacked in speech by Representa- tive Burgess, of Texas. Urgies Abolition of Social Chibs And Enforcement of Will of The Peoph as Ex pressed by Itemendous Ma jority on Liquor Question. Si)€cial to The News. Winston-Salem, Dec. 8.—The closing session of the Baptist state convention was held last evening and considered the interest of the Baptist young per- ple’s union. ^ Announcement was made at the session that the Winston-Salem Jour nal will not carr>' ^(rhiskey advertise ments in the future. The report of the committee on tem perance was .^considered and adopted at the afternoon session. The latter part of the report wm expressed as tollows: “We recommend our faithful preach ers, our press and Sunday school work ers for their work in temi)erance reform and we feel assured that they will continue the wholesome educa tion of our people in practical tem perance. “We commend these newspapers in NortJi Carolina that refuse to carry liquor advertisements. We favor a strong national law pro tecting prohibition territory from the interstae commerce in liquor. We must emphatically disapprove the policy of our national government in granting liquor license in prohibi tion territory and declare it to be an unholy alliance with anarchy and bold disregard of the plain rights of a sov ereign people. 1 “We commend the North Carolina] anti-saloon league as worthy of our; continued moral and financial support.' “We commend to our people co-oper ative work, local and general, to securoi the best enforcement of the prohibi*; tion laws of the state. , “Aad tb^^ maiM: be -no let ting up of the agitation and educationj on the individual, social and financial! ruin caused by intoxicating liquoi*a to the end that upon our good founda tion we may go one to the final over throw of this arch enemy of the hu man race.” 'Amendment to Report. S. F. Conrad offered the following resolution as an amendment to the re port on temperance and with this amendment the report was adopted. “Resolved that it is a sense of this convention that the will of the people of North Carolina by more than 44,000 majority against the sale of liquor be carried out; that the opposition through the near-beer saloon defined the will of the people and our last leg islature to their great credit passed a law which eliminated this from the state. There was another bill in the last legislature to destroy the system of clubs now being run under cover and in opposition, as we believe, to the law and the spirit of the law andi the will of the people expressed at the ^ ballot box. “’This convention hereby calls upon, all lovers of home and their native land to use their utmost endeavor to see to it that these clubs be put out of existence when Vun illegally, and we have not law sufficient to destroy this evil, that we appeal to the conscience and hearts of the people of North Carolina to see that our next legisla ture destroys this menacing evil.’* Must be Always Alert. N. B. Broughton, of Raleigh, said that the prohibition forces of North Continued on Page Nine. Big Plans for South Atlantic States Com Exposition Jo Be Held At Columbia, S. C, By Associated Press. Columbia, S. C., Dec. 9.—One hun dred thousand farmers and business men of North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina were yesterday inform ed by telephone of the coming South Atlantic State Com Exposition which is to be held here December 11 to 15, when $10,000 In prizes will be given for the best com exhibit. This, it is expected, will be the largest agrlcaltur- !al exposition to be held in the Sootli I and will be distinctly educational In its [nature. A com jud^ng school will be conducted in connection with the show. Several hundred members of the Bay’s Com Club of tlie states will attend on Friday of next week, when an address will be delivered by Biadford Knapp, head of the United States farm demon stration work. Public Schools Of Chicago May Be Thiown 6pen To Gentle Ait ofDanang By Associated Press. Chicago, Dec. 9.—The public .schools of Chicago may be thrown open to dancing is a plan profiosed at the meeting of the building and ground committee of the bo'ard of educa tion yesterday is carried into effect. The idea is a paift of a battle against the dance hall evil. The dances will be conducted without charge and without restriction in so as there is no confiict with state laws and city ordinances. Eleven schools will be opened next week as “social centers.” In these the boys and girls of the city, if the plan is carried out, will be allowed to hold dances whether they are in school or out.