ASSOCIATED PRESS DISPATCHES, VOLUME XXVI 16M.V KILLED HHHHS HiTIBHOSIDI Furnace No. 2 of Wood ward Iron Company at Birmingham Wrecked i by the Explosion. MOLTEN^METAL SPREAD FAST Top of Furnace Lifted, Al lowing Metal to Spread! Over Area of Several Hundred Feet.' -Birmingham, Ain.. March 20. —OP) —Sjx men were 'instantly killed, and seventeen others injured this morning when No. 2 furnace of the Woodward Irin Company exploded. It was be lieved that a number of the injured were badly hurf The top of the furnace was lifted, nnd molten metnl spread over an area of several hundred feet. The twenty «uen who caught the force of the flaming cloud had no chance to es cape. Scores of other employees were working just outside the area covered by scattered metal. The furnace was an iron maker, |iig iron being produced after ore had been melted. Hundreds of tons of ore in the receptacle was a liquid mass. The .cause of the accident L>as not been determined. First Reports Ccnfllrtiug. Birmingham. Marfa 20.—(/P)—Ala 's bama's mine field today recorded nn- major disaster when sixteen iiten Were killed and seventeen others injured in an explosion which wrecked furnace No. 2 of the Woodward Iron Ooianany, ten miles of , Bir mingham. First reports were con - Dieting as to the number of dead, owing to confusibn incident to re moval of the bodies from the debris. Two workers had not been ac counted for. and it was feared they were buried beneath the debris. The statement of the coroner as to the number of dead was confirmed at the offices of the company by A. P. Woodward, chairman of the board of directors. Several of tbe bodies were buried under the wrecked plant and it Was they were sighted. It workers about the furnaee escaped, but'search revealud a doxen bodies hidden in the debris. SCHAEFFER WILL BE LENOIR-RHYNfe HEAD Notifies Trustees He WiU Accent the Presidency.— Dempsey Goolsby Kill ed in Factory. Hickory, March 10.—Rev. H. B. Schaffer, of Charleston, S. C., notified members of tbe board of trustees of Lenoir-Rhyne college this afternoon that he would accept the presidency of the institution. The matter has been pending for a long time and the final decision was announced this af ternoon from the office of Dr. P. E. Monroe, acting president since the resignation last year of Dr. J. C. Peery. Mr. Schaffer has been pastor of St. Matthews Lutheran Church of Char leston. Dempsey Goolsby, a 15 year old boy was instantly killed this afternoon, when he was accidentally caught in a belt in the woodworking department of the Southern Desk company where he has been employed for several months. The boy is a son of I. C. Goolsby, of West Hickory. Monroe Thinks Census Does Her M Injustice. • Washington. March 19.—The city of Monroe thinks that the 1920 cen sus figures do her an injustice, nnd ia asking for a special enumeration. From 1910 to 1920 Monroe, ac cording to the census report, increased but two. » In a letter to Representative Ham p nier, J. H. Boyte, clerk and treas urer of Monroe, said that the board of aldermen want the special count made. Davidson Collegians Evolve "Dream Girl.” Davidson, March 19. —Her name must be Margaret; eyjs brown; nat ural complexion; her hair a rich brown; height five feet five inches; age 18 ; weight 120, and a brunette. Plue that ahe must be a college grad uate to qualify as Davidson College’s "dream girl,” according to a ballot by the students. 200000000000000000000000 IST. JAMES | Lutheran Church Rev. D. Burt Smith, D. D. \ will speak tomorrow in [ Sunday School Hear Him at 11 A. M. ! ! Vespers 7:30, Subject: “HONESTY” Lenten Services \ Wednesday 8 and Friday 4 This Church Welcomes '< . ■ . * Yo*'V <■ ■ ! The Concord Daily Tribune . North Carolina’s Leading Small City Daily VNK v » I'-- i v i" Ukrysd ■-/ * 1 naaliL For thirty-six years MaJ. E. A. Burk, lived In Honduras, In exile. Now h. is returning to his home In New Or leans at the age of 85, He was state treasurer of Louisiana in the late *Bo’B, was indicted on a charge of re issuing cancelled state bonds to tha extent of $200,000, and fled to Hon duras in 1890. Now the charges against Mm have Mss drqpi>*4- M DELLS STILL TLKTLLLttDfBS This State Continues to Hold Supremacy Over Other States in the Cot ton Mill Business. Raleigh, N. C\, March 20.—OP)— North Carolina continued to hold su premacy in the cotton mill business during February, it is shown by the monthly report of the l - . S. Depart ment of Commerce just reoeivtsl here. Although Massachusetts has a big lead in the number of active spindles. North Carolina leads that State in the number of active spindle hours bv nearly 150,000,000 hours. With 8.001.080 active spindles, Massachusetts cotton mills had a to tal of 1,018,029,421. North Carolina with only 5,815.274 active spindles, ran up a total of 1.7C6.043.0G7 spindle hours during the month of February, thus holding her lead over the. Bay IRgt'e established for the first time n few months ago. RELIGIOFB ttOW GETS FL'RIOrS IN HOLLAND Expulsion of “Heretical" Minister Finds Churches Bitterly Divided. Amsterdam, Holland, March 19. The expulsion of the Rev. J. H. Geel kerken from the Reformed Churches, ordered yesterday by the general syn od of that body for his refusal to con form to the synod's demand that he recant "heretical views,” has produc ed a situation hardly paralleled in (he church history of Holland. The majority of the councils and congregations of Park Kerk and Schinkel Kerk, with churches in South Amsterdam, Mr. Geelkerken's district, have taken a stand solidly behind the expelled pastor and are jointly defy ing tile-synod's edict deposing the eld ers and deacons who have declared their adhesion to the Geelkerken cause. The Rev. Mr- Geelkerken’s expul sion was the consequence of a ser mon in which he cast doubt upon the story of Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He refused to sign a declaration to the effect that the Genesis story of Eden was to be in terpreted literally. Both the South Amsterdam church es are being guarded eaeh night by shifts of volunteer church workers. The Rev. Mr. Geelkerken himself is being protected by n special bodyguard. Last JSunday when he preached at the Schin kel Kerk fully a score of foot and mounted police armed with revolvers Surrounded the church to maintain or der while police and detectives were scattered among the congregation. The fact that the Rev. Mr. Keel kerkeen insisted on preaching on Sun day in spite of the synod having sus pended him for three months brought matters to a climnx and the synod solemnly expelled him from the min istry. With Our Advertisers. Today is the last day of the special Sale of Ruud tank heaters by the Con cord and Kannapolis Gas Co., at $22.75 installed with 75 cents down and $2 a month. Polish your floors by electricity by using Johnson’s wax electric floor pol isher. Get it at the Ritchie Hardware Co. Phone 117. "Hands Up" nt the Star Theatre Monday and Tuesday. It’s a rip-1 roaring comedy drama. Conn Instruments are sold here by the Kidd-Frix Co, Newest Easter Models in footwear I at the Marksen Shoe Store. See the new ad. todpy of the Con cord Plumbing Co., 174 Kerr Street. Phone 576. Better havfe that automobile insur ed ndw by Fetter ft Yorke while tour ing's good. The birthday dinner of Jno. M. Sea ford, of No. 3 township wlil be given at the home of E. P. Seaford on Saturday, April the 3rd. Every body is invited to come and enjoy the day. Automobile drivers in the Mohave Desert come to a full stop outside the road limits to allow others to pass. American Government | Has No Objection To | Nations’ Conference ! AGRICULTURAL CLUB WORK I Farm Boys and Girls Urged to Enroll Before April. Raleigh, March 20.—(A*) —Club en rollment in the agricultural club work being conducted by (Tie agricultural extension' service of State College will end on April Ist, according to L. R Harrill, club specialist in charge of this work. The only exceptions are in the case of some special pro jects. says Mr. Harrili. Farm boys nnd girls in the State, therefore, are being urged to enroll in the club work prior to April Ist. They may enroll with the county heme nnd farm ngents, Mr. Harrill points out. Mr. Harrill has been constantly in tile field since the first of February, working with the home nnd farm agents and helping with the organisa tion of clubs in n number of different counties. This year five counties will be used in placing model organi zations. to make demonstrations of how club work ought to be handled, says the club s;>ecialist. “Work has been completed in these counties," he states,- “and I am glad to state that we have, some excellent organizations in {he different com munities all of which are headed up in one county-wide club. We are trying to teach in this work, the most economical and practical methods of conducting progressive farm work. 11l every community where there are ten or more club members, we hope to form a junior community organiza tion. Through such an organization we shall try to teach the boys nnd girls how to hold nnd cmduct public meetings, organized plays, games, songs and to develop community lead ership.” Local civic clubs, commercial or ganizations, banks -and individuals are co-operating in this work, says Mr. Harrill. by offering valuable prizes to members making the best records. .MARSHALL DENIES HE KILLED MISS DIETRICH Claims He Was Tricked Into Signing Alleged Confession of tha Crime. Philadelphia. March 19.—David L. Marshall, fighting for his life at his trial on a charge of killing Anna May Dietrich, today flatly denied he had I slain lier. He asserted in direct ex amination that she died from A dead ly poison used in mistake for a salt solution. On cross examination when District Attorney H5,905 Bttlfj j Total Does Not Inchtl&J Linters.—Crop 2,000,6®®. Bales Larger Than tinl: j One of 1924. » GINNERIES SHOW gl SOME INCREAgH Average Weight of iCj®|i| Was 499.5 Pounds P«;,: Bale.—This State Him) 1,146,569 Bales. .' -jH Washington, March 20.—OP)—The 1925 cotton crop was officially placed at 10.085.905 equivalent 500 -pound bales exclusive of linters by the cen sus bureau today in its final ginning report of the season. The crop, the size of which had | been the subject of much controversy, was estimated by the department of agriculture last December at 15j6Q3,- (XX) equivalent 500-pound ables. The department's forecast during the gwwir* ing season brought numerous oetigi. plaints from southern members of Congress and qthers. ' H The 1924 crop totalled 13,267,186 equivalent 500-pound bales. The 1925 production includes 80,882 bales wilicQ gi nners estimated would bye turned ■ out after the March canvass, as com pared with 18,838 bales a year aye. The number of running bales in the 1925 crop was placed at 16.103,58% j including 351,119 round bales counted as salf bales, compared with 13,-639,- 399 running bales including 314,325 round bales in the 1924 crop. The average gross weight of bales for the crop, counting round ag half bales, and excluding linters was 499.5 pounds, compared with 499 6 pounds for 1924, and 498.5 pounds for 1923. , The number of ginneries operated for the 1925 crop was 15,482, com pared with 15,478 for 1924. Ameriean-Egyptian cotton included in the total for the 1925 crop was 20.053 bales, compared with 4,319 for 1924, and 22,426 for 1923. • The crop by states, in running bales includes: North Carolina 1,148,569 ; South Carolina 928,589. ' ,7-si| CONGRESS MEMBERS ON % - VISIT TO FORT.. BRA (iG c Senators Simmons and Overman lit Party Sent to Inspect Army Post. Fayetteville, March 20.—(A*>—A party of thirteen comprising members- j of the House and Senate military af fairs committee, a governor and army, officers, arrived in Fayetteville today for an inspection of Fort Bragg nesr here. The party came at the re quest of Fayetteville citizens who Wanted them to obtain first-hand knowledge of the condition of tempo rary wartime buildings constructed at the army post. After breakfast they were taken to the fort by Brigadier General A. X. Bowle.v. commander. This afternoon a barbecue will be tendered the visi tor* here, and the committee returned to the capital tonight. Included in the party are: Sena tors Simmons. Overman and Tyson; Representatives Barbour. Clagne, Harrison, Sandlin, Lyon, Bulwinkle, Ryrns and Meßeynolds; Governor Howard, of Nebraska; General Fox Conner, assistant chief of staff, and Major E. P. King. Wjfe Sold for Hen Bottles of Vodka; Husband Creap. j Moscow. March 20.—The market price of husbands, computed in bottles of vodka, is consideraly less than for wives as fixed by two transactions recorded before proper authorities of the village of Pervoma Evasbint. '-M One Ukraine peasant woman sold and delivered her husband to another peasant woman who desired a capable helper on her farm and the price paid was one bottle of vodka. An other peasant in the same village sold his wife to a neighbor and the price was ten bottles of vodka. The lat ter was obliged to call and escort his new helpmate to his home. The four principals, as well as of ficials who sanctioned the transac tions by recording them, now await disciplining. Dowager Queen Louise Critically IH. Copenhagen, March 20.— UP) — IThe condition of Dowager Queen Louise of Denmark, who is suffering from pnen inon’a, is now considered critical, and her children have been summoned to her bedside. She is 74 years old. Large growers just across the Mex ican line from Nogales, Arizona, have contracted with two airplanes to dust their tomsto fields with insect powder 1 I (o combat bugs and worms. BATB BEAR SAYS I , ■- Showers tonight, Sunday partly cloudy. Slightly cooler Sunday. Fresh southwest shifting to northwest ,fV; • .