North Carolina Newspapers

' ST T - - t '1 ' . J"" ' i y f-i THE I WEATHER FORECAST North Carolina Fair tonight and Saturday, except raiji or snow Sat urday in west portion; warmer Saturday. OL. XXIII, NO. 331. Bent Toward Reliev Injured and Feeding the Hungry inc: the HEAVY SNOW STORM AIDS FIRE FIGHTING F lames Still Rage in Many Sec tions of City Disaster Caused by Explosion of 4, 000 Tons Trinitrotuluol. (T'.r Apsooiatpd Press) Halifax. X. S., Dec. 7. Stunned by, t!h niasniture of the disaster which ' h-, iivpi whclmed the "Garrison City- ' liy thc Sea." tlie people of Halifax to- , day nenr all their energies to reliev : z r 1 :;irr(!, feedinr: the sry, ' -!:: !t(":ntc the homeless and gathc.'-. iht-r idad. A heavy snowstorm set in early to day ard while this in a measure im- rl tb.p work of relief and rescue, it i erv-d to aid the firemen m fighting: the Hames which still burned fiercely in many places among the ruins in the devastated district. Reports from the improvised liicrrues and hospitals, church, nnH nrivntp rpsidpnrps sppm- -d t.. bear out last night's estimate Tint at least 000 lives were lost uh r the Belgian steamship Imo V.'ed with the French munitions steamer Monte Blanc, causing the de - tonation of 4.000 tons of trinitrotul-1 nol. one of the most powerful explo- iv-- manufftrtured. Help from out n wn ale began to ach the stricken cit1- ( i , . 7 , nn-ooci mffiPQl OTlf food supplies arrived" on special trains from Truro and Windsow, N. S., and from Monton N B Other' trains were reported on th - wav and were expected to reach, he-e darinv the dav. The special train sent from Boston by direction of Gov ernor MoCa'1. of Massachusetts, will arrive this r vning. All business is suspended and the schools are closed while the inhabi tants enerallv are turning their at- reTv e-i to relief work. Soldiers and J sailors, including seamen from an Americ?". warship, w-hich rushed to the t.ovt who nit. received word of the rlisa-rer. are patrolling the stricken j district and aiding in the rescue work. Su oulderin? ruins, and piles of de Vris v' demolished houses continue o rivn ;:n their dead victims of yester day's explosion aboard the French Line munitions laden steamship -UnnK Bl:nc, following a collision in the Narrows of Halifax harbor with The Belgian steamer Imo in such numbers as to surpass any disaster on t'ni- continent in recent years. Es-ir.io.tos of the number of dead at -,f,iM) or more appeared to be borne ;:r by rhe rapidly filling morgues and inrif',!-:n:f numbers of deaths report ed tio!, hospitals, private homes, 'linrch. . rnd schools where hundreds tie I' :"' ' d inn ?'"o bein? cared for by 'heir more fortunate townsmen and TCcmhei-s of relief parties from near by c:t;.-. The exact number of dead, it :!j.p-r.rrd certain today, might nev (ontinuoQ or". Page? Six). HEARTS BEAT FAST BILE HARR1 RICH PERFORMS IN AIR J '-:!. ; Turned Away as Daring Mar: Literally Flirted With Death SECOND PERFORMANCE TO -EE GEVEN TONIGHT Aci; on Roof of Trust Building Proved One 01 rhrilHng Ever Seen in r ny 'i ' ' v -mis of several hundred peo hrr taster last, night as they .h i llirry Rich in his acrobatic '' :'''.: r-,vr oji the trapeze erected ;i" 1 or the- Trust Building. It ' i! j-ii-i:'. rnd majority c ' t '-onr waited from half 1 to ;. few minutes after 1 to witr. the performance, and :i ci'.i'.linrc wait in the cold .wind ' hlow nj) the street from across ri"r. But the cola and impa v.imp wiped away in forgetful s R-u'r. daring acts sent the ' -.ii!Min!i through the veins of onlookers. ( :- r.(l u doubt it was the most i!i:n.T performance that has been the WlLMING AUSTTRO-eEfiMAKS Operations in Northern Italy Similar to Those Six Weeks Ago ASIAGO BATTLE MAY BE ITALY$ VERDUN Italians Are Making a Most Gallant Resistance to the Z ' vperior Enemy Austric Releases Russians (By Associated Press.) Italian Headquarters in Northern Italy, Thursday, Dec. 6. The big op eration which the enemy is attempt- in in th North is virtually a repe- LlLluIi Ul lIlti luiuius uiuiemem uc ca- fTTEMPT ANOTHER FUI MOVEMENT col-iecutetl S1X weels a- in the Sreat ot" j tensive above Gorizia. At that time !ne broke through the upper end of the line and thus endangered the low-. yi U"J- 1UI' 1& Lue. SRUdUUii; lich is being repeated today The Austro-German attack on Mel-j LW iU i. XJlllt UiiCLlO JiUCB iA tLlO.Lt i A 1 -- J3P j.1 1" XI A. T region, but if the 'enemy could pierce j I through and drive his way southwards 'onto the plains, it might place him; on the left flank of the Piave lines I :jnuch as the Duke of Aosta had his1 i:i:iu .iuv cuc"'. on his left flank. It. is this quite as much as the fron- 4 tal attack that is receiving considera- J tion. The line east of Asiago prob- v ably is "stronger today than before the iJ retirement yesterday, as it is now a straight line. Formerly it was like a long inver- ed letter U with the Italians on the ' inside of the U and the enemy on the outside. It has been established that while Field Marshal Conrad von Hetzendorf 5 HirortinfT tht rtinvpniPTit Gpnpral von Krobatin's forces also are co - oper - ating. In addition to the superiority, in numbers, the Austro-Germcns are; 4 takins advantage of the backward 4 season and are striking before the, mniitii n in isnnws imnplp onerations ' The weather this year happens to be favorable to the enemy. The snow is only a few inches deep, whereas in December, the snow usually reaches ' a depth of from four to 10 feet. One such snow fall now would be worth di-1 visions. Gray skies today indicated snow, but the fall was light. Austrian prisoners taken in the last few days say that the release of Rus- 10 days ago. Austria took the initia tive in this without waiting for Russia to release Austrian prisoners. Each Continued on Page Three). -1 3 witnessed in Wilmington. With strong searchlight playing full upon trains. his green clad figure every movement From Boston, a medical base hos of Rich was distinctly visible and hag been ordered t0 Halifax with many throats were choked by fastly beating hearts as he literally flirted a full corps, of surgeons and nurses with death. A trapeze act is a trapeze whose work will be supplemented by act, and usually that tells the whole that of an organized body of social story. Wilmington people have seen workers The train from New York thUeVShr oanTass td will not arrive there before midday to circus. But this last night was dif- morrow. ferent. 1 The report received by the Navy The framework supporting the apartment that perhaps 5,000 had trapeze on which Rich performed ris- ,ren killed, also was received by the es about 35 feet above the roof of the Rtri Cross from its representatives in building. Erected just on the edge Bo. ton, who had received it from the of the building facing Front street, mililary commandant there, braced bv poles to the rear and guy wires on the sides, from the se.et .i r,nt thr whole that adds to the apparent' dangerousness of the per-, , fnrmance Thentherearenonets.no (By Associated Press). , ' safety devices of any sort, just noth- Berlin Dec. 7 (via Lonaon).-Four in but blank space from the high thousan ! more 'Italians have been ton to the ha'rdness of the asphalt captured in the new Austro-German ravine below in ca,?e a miscalcula- offensive , on the Northern front, tinn or a false move should .send the bringing the total up to 15,000, ac daring man hurtling through the -air cording to t-any's official- communt for a drop of 140 feet. cation, . The act itself was better than usu- Monte Sisemol was captured by. " ' (Continued on Page Five). . storm, the statement says. . WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, The Man'l ! 1 111 Seek With 1 "j111 life P on top of Trust Building. pi 4 f '4 4 ! ! ! ! l RUMANIA JOINS RUSSIANS. (By Associated Press). Jassy, Rumania. Thursday, Dec. 6. It has been decided that Rumanian troops shall associate themselves with the Russians in the proposed armistice, though 1 ! v the Rumanians have rejected ev- v ery attempt at iraternizaiion, says an official announcement 4 made here today. 4' Hostilities were suspended to- day on the whole tront. j v 4 .4. 4. 4. 4. ; - -t '"apeP EUTH LIST 5 R j C Rushes Special Re- lief Trains to Scene of Disaster 1 Press.) ! I (By Associated I Washington. Dec. 7. Arrangements ifor despatching a third relief train at 11 n m tnrtav from New York to car-! vy supplies and a&sistance to Halifax, Were made by the Red Cross. - Rail way officials are assisting and will J push the train through as fast as pos sible. i John F. Moore will be in charge of the Red Cross relief work in Halifax. Surgeons and nurses are being rushed to the scene of devastation in three TEUTONS CAPTURE MORE ITALIANS TIED mm REACH vim TONi FULL LEASED WIRE SERVICE FRIDAY, AFTERN OON, G0LD5B0RQ I THE CONFERENCE 1 wo Invitations Lxtended, the T7avn Cam'tal Rn Dnlv " j i - Selected SUMMER SCHOOL FOR PREACHERS North Carolina Conference Concurs in Suggestion of Western Conference and Suggests Trinity College (Special to the Dispatch) Greenville, N. C, Dec. 7 -The j North Carolina Conference of the I Methodist church in session here, this morning selected Goldsboro as the place for the 1918 meeting, that city's invitation securing more support than the invitation of Benson,. The third day of the conference was opened by singing the old hymn, "Come Ye Who Love the lord," which Bishop Chandler himself raised. He then read the seventeenth chapter of Matthew. Rev. L. E. Thompson led the prayer. In the Bishop's remarks he spoke of the danger of being over anxious for our own rights. "If we always get what we think our rights are, we are apt to infringe upon the rights of others. The Master surren dered all His rights, even the right to live, and admonished the preachers to have higher ideals than their rights. The salvation of men is of more im portance than the rights of any man." By order of yesterday's session, 10 o'clock was the hour for the selection of a place of meeting next year. At that time Rev. A. D. Wilcox gave the Conference a very cordial invitation to meet in St. Paul's chGrch in Goldsboro, Rev. J. T. Stanford put Benson in nom ination. Goldsboro was selected. The following resolution was pass ed: "In keeping with the action of the Western. North Carolina Confer Continued on Page Eight). OF 1 i , u, , i ISPATCE DECEMBER, 1917 4- v 4- 4" EXPLOSIVES INSPECTOR. 4' (By George Manning). Washington, D. C, Dec 7 4' Daniel A. McDonald, of Carthage, 4f 41 was nominated by President Wil- 4" son today to be explosives in- 4 spector for North Carolina. He 4 will have charge of the issuance of all licenses for handling ex- ! plosives which must be obtained 41 by all desiring to handle explos- ives in any way. 4 441444444 S TO BE ARMED MO READY j Last Week's Experience Has - Brought Steps to Prevent a 1 Repetition (By Associated Press. 1 With the American Army in France, Dec 7. Engineer organizations in the American army hereafter, it was rec oifimehded today, shall be armed and ready for battle on all occasions when they are anywhere near the fighting line. The recommendation, which is certain to be adopted, was made as a result of the predicament in which en gineers found themselves when they became involved in a German attack on the British ff ont last week. That time they were forced to take up .weapons abandoned by dead and wounded soldiers. . Jt is felt certain that a number of the 18 railway engineers reported missing in the casualty list, fell dur ing the engagement with 'the Germans but there is no way of ascertaining how many. AMERICAN AIRMEN WOUND , ED. (By Associated Press). Washington, Dec. 7. American J airmen fighting the German i planes on the Western front have 41 v suffered their first casualty. Two 4 men, a corporal and a private' were today reported wounded. 4? , No report of the engagement in 4' which the Americans were wound- 4 ed was forwarded. They are: ENGINEER Corporal Walter A. Warren, "fr.'and made more, capable of strong dv sister, Mrs iaa imin, ,juj smitn street, Dublin, Ga. ' Private Edward F. Ebsen, fath- er, George H. Ebsen, Buffalo, Mo. .. j. I EXAMINATION OF GASTON B. MEANS STILL PROCEEDING Defendant , Begins Second Day's Testimony in Concord Murder Trial VALIDITY OF NEW WILL BROUGHT UP Alleged Second Will Likely to Prolong the Trial Letters Read Means Admitted Speculating t . . , , i cast his vote. ' v (By Associated Press.) : . Concord, N. C, Dec. 7. Gaston. B. j Meanwrhile there was every indica-. Means on the stand in his own de- tion that the resolution would Tss In-. . Zense in his trial on charge of the mur- the House with only one dissenting 1er of Mrs. Maude A. King, continued vote Representative London, Social on direct examination today to ex- ist. Members were so sure of it thati v. ?lain letters which he had written to they deserted the chamber in droves his wife, to Afton Means and others to escape the speech-making and. .'reV last July, and which the State had pre ' turn later for the voting. ' 1 rented as evidence of duplicity on the, After the House acts, the two reso 1 defendant's part in dealing with Mrs. lutiohs will be reconciled or one sub King. These letters were written stituted for the other. , oon after the arrival of Mrs. King, ' The declaration of war on $ Austria - ' '4rs Robinsov-hpmthiand- Mrs-s vlacrv C JNfelvini at Ash evil 1g. from (Chicago. j letters and telegrams referring to a the Foreign Affairs committee, came party on Chesapeake Bay, Maude up for debate and passage, which was 'flying the track," etc., had reference expected before nightfall. . . j to a joke which he and Mrs. Means I In the Senate, the Foreign Relations - j had with Mrs. King about a certain committee's report of its own War res- foreigner she had seen in New York, olution came up with a request for ' J Washington and Asheville and in unanimous consent for immediate con- : "f whom she was deeply interested. jsideration. He explained that his caution' The two resolutions must be con- ' against his wife, and baby riding in the jsolidate; or one must displace the 5 V Fiat car around Asheville was based j other 4n the final action of Congress., solely on the ground that it was a cariHow this would be accomplished had J I not adopted to mountain roads and j not fully developed .when both Houses 0 .; ' that the chauffeur had never driven a began working. ' ' 1 car 'except in very level country. Thej -Debate on the Austrian War resolu- '. witness told this morning of having at Mrs. King's direction employed ex-: pensive handwriting experts and law- yers to endeavor to secure the proba- tion. ' tion of "last will" of James C. King,! Chairman Stone, of the Senate For- knownf the "second will." This ev- eign Relations committee, today pre idence was presented, counsel explain-j sented the Senate War resolution : ed, to account for certain expenditures against the Austria-Hungary and mov of Mrs. King's money made by Means, ed its immediate adoption. Clashes over admission of various J Besides the reasons that Austria' is papers, finding of certain papers want-.Germany's active ally and as such has ed and the reading of letters, etc., ' committed warlike acts against the made progress this morning slow. United States, Senator Stone declared ; there was the further reason that In- r Armistice Agreement. lasmuch as Italy, France and Belgium. ' Petrograd, Dec. 6. The text of the comprised one battle front, American' ' armistice agreement between the Six-'troops might at any time be facing Y ty-seventh Russian Infantry Division AHistrians. ('( and the Thirty-first German Division , Senator Stone "made no reference to N is printed by The Pravda. It does not Turkish or Bulgarian relations. - - J . contain a word concerning the non-; Senator ' Lodge, of Massachusetts, -transference of German troops to oth- ranking Republican on the Foreign Re er. fronts. 1 (Continued on Page . Three) BRITISH EVACUATE CERTAIN EXPOSED (ZAMBRA1 Retirement Was Carried Out Without Knowledge of the uermans CONTINUED SEVERE FIGHTING IN ITALY Austro-Germans; Make Vio lent Assaults But as Yet Have Not Broken Through the Italian Line . German wedges driven into the sa lient before rCambrai have compelled the British to evacuate exposed points and flie'y have given up to the Ger mans . several villages west of Cam: brai'as well as the Bourlon wood. The retirement . was carried out so quietly that the Germans continued to shell th3 empty positions tor several hours. The British Mne has been shortened ifense by, the retirement. . l Berlin, in its latest report, claims the 1 pecupation ot Marcoing, about four jiles southwest of Cambrai. Minor German attacks south of Bourlon w6od ,and near La -Vacauerie have been re- i mwm PRICE FIVE CENTS; ! The Vote Was 74 to 0 Sen I ' ator LaFollette Was Not : Present HOUSE EXPECTED TO DO NEARLY AS WELL Only Representative Gordon; Socialist, is Counted in Op- ' position Senate Used Lit- tie Time in Debate V (Try Associated Press.) -. (By Associated Press.) " - a ' Washington, Dec. 7. With less than -an hour's debate, the Senate today passed the resolution declaring war. on Austria-Hungary. J- f. The resolution was adopted bjr the. Senate unanimously, 74 to 0. Sena tors Gronna, of Dakota, Norris, Of Ne- -.i; -braska, and Varda'man, of Mississippi, y. who voted against the German. war declaration, supported the resolution.--Senator LaFollette, of Wisconsin, left during the speech-making and. did not V ' es of Coneress In. the House ' of Representatives tion began shortly after the Senate convened, unanimous consent being secured for its immediate considera ? 1 1 11 ::; ,pulsed by the British. , Violent fighting continues on the Northern Italian , front between Asiago -and the Brenta river where, the Austro .Germans made gains Wednesday,, but r have, not yet been able to break the Italian, line. The Italians, inflicting gradually to prepared ' positions, ' and gave up MontevFeor and , Monte Cas : elgomberto. . ' On the western end -of the line, the Austro-German attempts to encircle the Meietta position and cut it off were y defeated. Along the' Brents,? east of Morite Badenecche and Monte Tondar-' ' ecar, lost Wednesday to the enemy, the - ,; Italians repulsed with heavy loss i a determined effort to break through.","' While German airmen were, attempt- i -a raid on London, British aviator . penetrated "the enemy aerial defense on the Western Front and dropped any bombs on towns and factories in , Germany, and airdromes in Belgium. ,. -Jn. the raid over East England, the . Germany , lost two machines and .the 1 botobs they dropped caused slight cas- - ualtiss-seyen killed ; and' 21 injured. (Calais JFrance, was raided the same nightrbut there were no casualties .While the. Russian 'soldiers oa a,-' j-reat section of the. Eastern front havo POINTS 1 J ,ahd near La Vacquerie have been re-; , ' Continued on Page Eight). '' ' -C-4 'r-c- t -fitvgfYs'-k&;' -