THE WORST IS OVER
Great Danger from Waters
in Paris is Passed.
EXPLANATION OF THE FLOODS
Little Fear ol' Predicted Disaster to
the Great City—Conditions Are
Improving Everywhere.
Paris, By Cable.—Slowly, very
■lowly, the swollen waters of the
Seine, which reached the high mark
at 2 o'clock last Saturday morning,
are subsiding and at midnight the fall
measured about four and a half in
ches.
The danger of some great calamity,
such as has been predicted now seems
over, although the situation contin
ues to be critical at many points
within the oity.
The effect of the removal of the
Toiler pressure has been to weaken
foundations generally and this causes
the greatest anxiety.
It is generally believed that the
breaking of the dam at Gonnevilliers
appreciably hastened the climax by
releasing art immense amount of wa
ter, but the consequences below are
appaling. Oonn«villicrs and Colom
bes, having 30,000 inhabitants, arc
completely submerged, the water
reached the tops of the houses in the
lower sections While the flood is
backing up into tho very center of
Asnieres.
Certainly 40,000 have been driven
from their home* by the flood in the
valley of the Seine to the hospitals
and other buildings which have been
placed at th«i disposition of the re
fugees.
The local government authorities
are displaying great devotion and
aeal in the work of 1 salvage and
rescue. Nevertheless the conditions,
especially in the country districts,
are pitiful. The houses of farmers
are submerged to their roofs, and
in many cases the inhabitants liave
lost everything including their live
stock.
A number of deplorable incidents
have been reported. Several shop
keepers, who attempted to charge
quadruple prices have been mobbed,
while a grocery who was driven to
the upper story of his house by an
angry crowd fired a revolver, wound
ing a woman. Rowdies have at
tempted to pillage many of the
lxyises and at several of the towns
the.v have been driven off by the
military.
The explanations of the floods
given by French scientists are of
especial interest. Ktier.r.J Statislas
Mouniere, the eminent geologist,
considers the phenomenon fo be more
of a geological than a meterological
nature. After explaining the action
and reaction of the water in the
strata below the surface, he declares
that the soil of the entire basin of
the Sejnc and the other big rivers
of France had become imperceptibly
filled to the point of complete satur
ation during the preceding three
months of gentile rains with moder
ate temperatures which retarded
When the heavy rains
came last -reek the ground was su
persaturateu and the water ran off
as if from a cement floor.
Busy Week Anticipated.
Washington, Special.—Committees
of both branches of Congress antici
pate a busy week. , Several impor
tant hearings will be continued in the
lloiise. They include that in rela
tion to the postofflce deficit, interstate
commerce bills, including the admin
istration bill, which, by the way, will
receive attention by the Senate com
mittee as well; charges of extravi
gance made by Representative Hitch
cock of Nebraska, against Secretary
Ballinger, as well as the joint hearing
in relation to the Ballingcr-Pinchot
controversy
House to House Canvass.
Washington, Special.—Acting for
acme unknown person or persons a
number of agents began a house to
house canvass in this eity seeking
subscriptions to a monster petition
to be presented to President Taft for
the pardon of Bankor Morse, who
has begun to serve a 15-year sea-
tence in the Atlanta penitentiary.
Investigating Pellegra.
Washington, Special.—J. D. Long,
passed Assistant Surgeon in the pub
lie health service, has been directed
to proceed to Columbia, S. C., and
other places in that vicinity for the
purpose of continuing the investiga
tion into the cause, nature and meth
od «f transmission of pellagra.
Killed in Wreck.
London, By Cable.—As a result of,
two third-class ears and a Pullman
crashing into the station at Stroal's
Nest, eight were killed and 30 in
jured last Saturday. The train was
running 40 miles an hour when the
accident happened.
Killed About Suit of Clothes.
Columbia, S. C., Speeial.—C. C.
Armstrong, an operative at the Olym
pia cotton mills, was killed by Aaron
Howell in a quarrel over a debt on
a suit of elothes. The deceased had
one*- been tried for his life at New
berry, 8. C., and acquitted.
A Bengal polieeman who had un
earthed a bomb conspiracy was shot
dead in Calcutta eourt in revenge.
FLOODS m EUROPE.
\ la Put Oanturm.
1161—Thousands drowned in Sicily.
1173 —Zuyder Zee enlarged by floods.
1219 —Norland, Norway, lake burst,
36,000 perished.
1228—Friesland, 100,000 drowned by
sea.
1446 —Holland, seventy-two villages
inundated, 100,000 drowned.
1483 —The "great watere" caused by
the overflow of the Severn.
1521—Holland, 100,000 lives lost.
1530 —Holland, dikes break, 400,000
drown.
1570—Holland, 20,000 people perish
in Friesland.
1616— Greatest flood ever recorded
in Paris.
1646—Holland, 110,000 perish
1802 —Great floods in Paris.
1813— Austria-Hungary and Poland,
10,000 perish.
1825—Jutland made an island by in-
1 undation of sea.
1840 —-France, overflow of Saone and
Rhone swept away many villages.
1846—Disastrous inundation in the
centre, west and southwest of
France.
1852—Floods in Europe from Bel
gium to Switzerland.
1856—South of France, damage $25,-
000.000.
1866 —Great floods in France. ,
1875—Large part of Toulouse de-
stroyed by the rising of the
Garonne. 1,000 lives lost.
1876 —Great floods in France and
lloQand.
1910—•*corj ) il greatest flood in Paris;
oUaer inundations in the south
of Europe.
GEN. WM. F. DRAPER DEAD
Former Ambassador to Italy and a
War Veteran Passes Away.
Washington, I). C., Special.—Gen.
Wm. F. Draper, former ambassador
to Italy, died at his home here after
a prolonged illness, aged 68 years.
Brig. Gen. Draper was born iu
Lowell, Mass., April 9, 1842, the son
of George and Hannah Thwing
Draper. He served in the Union
army from 1861 to 1864, holding
commissions from second lieutennt
to lieutenant colonel, commanding,
and r also colonel and brigadier gen
eral by brevet. He was twice wound
ed.
In 188 he was a Presidential elec
tor, and he served as u Republican
member in tine 53rd and 55th Con
gresses, declining a third nomination.
In 1807 he was appointed ambassa
dor to Italy, holding that post until
1900.
He Tscrved as commander of fhe
Ix>yal liegion of Massachusetts, was
a member of the Army and Navy
Club of Washington, the Algonquin
Club of Boston, the Cacia Club of
Rome and others. Much of his life
he lived in Massachusetts, of late
years dividing his time between
Washington v|md Hopedole, Mass.
"DRY" HEADQUARTERS
Prohibitionists Will Put Out a Presi
dential Ticket.
Atlanta, Ga., Special.—"We have
decided to make Atlanta the head
quarters for the prohibition move
ment in the Southen States.
"Every State but Mississippi is in
line, and we mean to fight to win."
"We are going to put a ticket in
the field in Georgia as well as the
other States for the next election.
We are going to direct the campaign
from Atlanta and in 1912 we are go
ing to bring the National Prohibi
tion convention here."
The above statements were given
out following a conference of nation
al and State prohibition leaders.
Among those present were: Eugene
Cbafin, late prohibition presidential
candidate, and Chairman R. Jones of
Cibacog, national chairman.
Bishop Cyras D. Foes Dead.
Philadelphia, Special.—Bi'shop CT
rus D. FOBS, retired of the M. TS.
church, one of the best known clergy
men, is dead.
Minimum Rate is Given.
Washington, Special.—The presi
dent has issued a proclamation d.*-
ciaring that inasmuch as Denmark,
The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden,
Belgium, Egypt, P*-s»* and Portugal
do not unduly discriminate in their
tariff against goods imported from
the United Btatea, those countries arc
entitled to the minimum rate estab
lished by the Payns-Aldrieh act.
Acquit Members of Court.
Managua, Nicaragua, By Cable.—
The eourt at Meeaya has acquitted
General Medina, Prosecuting Attor
ney Salomon Selva and other mem
bers of the court-martial, of respon
sibility for the illegal conviction and
•locution of the Americans, Orooe
and Cannon.
Cake Cause of a Killing.
Florence, S. C., Special.—ln a quar
rel over the priee of a cake sold at
auction at a schol festivsl nesr here
Lofton Poston was fatally stabbed
by Moses Bacon and died five min
utes later.
80,000 Armenians Facing Starvation.
New York, Speeial.—Eighty thou
sand Armenian Christians are facing
starvation in Cicilia, according to
an appeal just issued by Bishop
David H, Greer, in behalf of the
Armenian Belief association.
Killed While Praying.
_ lowa City, La., Speeial.—While on
bis knees praying a lamp exploded
setting Are to the elothing of Peter
Rogars and burning him to death.
INSURANCE FRAUDS
Agents Arrested in Louisvifle,
% Ky. f for Swindling.
LARGE NUMBER ARE INVOLVED
Physicians Said to Have Filled Oat
Certificates Without Seeing Per
sons Named ?n Them.
Louisville, Ky., Special.—John J.
Keane, P. J. Needham and T. T.
O'Lear, agents for a number of in
surance companies in Indiana, TA
| ncssee, Kentucky, and other States
| have been arrested on warrants
charging them with conspiracy to de
fraud. The warrants were sworn out
by S. C. Rene eke, secretary and treas
urer of the Indiana National Life
Insurance company.
While the amount involved is not
stated, it is said to reach S'JOO,OOO
in policies alleged to have been writ
ten on the lives of persons virtually
certain to die within a few months.
The fraud consisted in the imperson
ation of sick and incurable persons
by healthy ones employed l'or the
purpose.
it is said that the affair involvoo
in one way or another more tlian s(i
persons and relates to fradulently
obtaining life insurance policies to
the value of SIOO,OOO.
It is also said that many persons
are involved in the affair. One
physician has, it is said, admitted
that he acted as a participant in a
conspiracy by filling out medical cer
tificates asserting that men and wo
men he had never seen were in pood
health and constituted good insurance
risks. In many cases, however, it is
believed the physicians were impos
ed upon, s
The case was taken up upon the
life insurance companies of Indiana
and Tennessee who are said to be
large los*s by reason of "grave
yard" swindlers. These companies
which it is alleged have already paid
SIO,OOO on policy issued in the Rider
case are excluded from business in
this Stale, yet it is said, have been
doing business in Indiana. The
scheme is to a certain extent an old
one. Merely choosing a man of
athletic build for examination and
substituting the medical report for
that of a person of short life expec
tancy.
Rider if is learned, carried policies
of his life aggregating $l(i,000, but
none of his relatives is named as
beneficiary. Mrs. Mary Quill, e sirt.er
and I/ewis Rider, a brother, made
affidavits several days ago that they
believed their brother came to his
death by poisoning and that he was
a victim of foul play. The family
communicated with a life insurance
company in Tennessee and the mat
ter was taken up in Louisville, by
a representative of that company and
three Indiana companies. Upon theso
representations Acting Coroner
Dascher ordered the body exhumed.
After discovering the lesion in the
lung, the stomach was removed and
turned over to chemists for analysis.
When Keane, Needham and
O'Leary were arraigned in police
court their bail was reduced to
$5,000 eacli on motion of their attor
neys. The case was then postponed
until February 3.
Board of Trade Adjourns
Washington, Special.—The nation
al board of trade has ended its for
tieth annual convention here. Reso
lutions were adopted endorsing radi
cal amendments in the Sherman anti
trust law, opposing Federal inspection
of grain, favoring eliminating the
educational test from the immigration
law and favoring an international
eourt of arbitration.
Alleged Wreckers Held
Lynchburg, Special.—Robert Mason
and Albert Lindsay, both white, were
arrested here last Wednesday, charg
ed with placing iron rails on the
Southern railway 40 miles below
Lynchburg last Friday, when north
boun dtrain No. 36 ran into them, the
engine being damaged but not de
railed. Two other white men have
been implicated and are under ar
rest at Reidsville, N. C. ; j ■ --
Sailor Heir to Fortune.
Norfolk, Special.—Falling ;beir to
• fortune left by an uncle in Ger
maay, Harry Otto Foster, second*
class fireman aboard the United
States cruiser Birmingham which
was at the Norfolk Navy Yard last
weak, is thinking of the time he will
be free from his obligations to Uncle
Sam. With a brother and sister
Harry will share the estate of his
uncle, valued at $71,000, each of
them to reeeive an income of $1,200
for 21 yean before the principal is
divided.
Working For North Carolina.
Washington, Special. Senator
Overman of North Carolina, has in
troduced bills providing $60,000 for
a public building at Oxford, and
$30,000 for improvement# at Reida
ville.
Black Damp Causes Death.
Chicago, Special.—Black damp
eauaed two deaths ir. this eiigr.
DON'T SHOOT! HX COME DOWN!
—Cartoon by Robert Garter, in tho Now York American,
MEAT YEARS OLD FOUND
IN COLD STORAGE PLANT
New York City.—On condition that
the name of the guide bfl withheld,
entrance was gained by a World re
porter to one o.' the largest cold stor
age plants in N'ew York City, and
methods employed to make the public
pay fictitious prices for food were
sei-n at Hist hand.
All that was revealed by the Inves
tigation holds true, an experienced
employe said, In many cold storage
plants In the greater city. Records
sedulously guarded by the plants
would disclose. It was said, staple
foodstuffs In sufficient quantities to
knock the bottom out of high prices
in New York Immediately, but which
are kept out of the market in order
to force the public to pay exorbitant
pricei.
These supplies are "canned in the
cold" for from six months to three
years or more and then released grad
ually during high-priced seasons,
when they are sold as fresh products
at gtlt-edge figures.
Bonie of the articles viewed by the
reporter were:
50,000 pounds of halibut placed in
the plant three years ago.
Barrels of turkey and geese (num
ber not given), ttoo years old or more.
300 cases of eggs, the remainder of
5000 cases placed in storage begin
ning last April, purchased at about
eighteen cents per dozen, and released
during the past two months to be
sold at from forty-eight to fifty-two
cents per dozen as "strictly fresh
eggs."
10,000 cases of fish (of different
varieties), from one year to three
years old.
5000 barrels of apples.
200,000 pounds of meat held In
storage for seven months.
"There has been a big call for eggß
recently," the employe said, surveying
the spacious room, which Is kept at a
temperature of thirty-one degrees
throughout the year. "The cases in
here reached to the celling until a
short time ago. Most of the eggs
came from the West last April and
May and cost the buyer about eigh
teen cents a dozen. He's selling 'em
now for fifty-two cents. Yon can't
lose on eggs. If they get too old Thly
are broken up and sold to the bakers.
Come along and I'll show you how
they do It."
,He led the way to another room
filled with four-gallon and two-gallon
cans, and in which the temperature
'was only a few degrees above zero.
The larger cans were filled with the
egg yolks and the smaller with the
"whites." He said that eggs In some
of the cans were five years old and the
contents came from China.
A man who participated In the
tour of inspection and who formerly
worked In « «old storage plant told of
the top of one of these cans being
knocked off In handling.. The stench,
he said, was so overpowering that
workmen refused to handle the can.
Eggs In this form are known to the
tr§de as "cggoilne," and are used ex
tensively In the making of pound cake
and other pastries.
Two huge storerooms Oiled with
meat which hung in a temperature of
six degrees above zero were next vis
ited. Beef, real, mutton, lamb and
other meats of a total weight of 200,-
000 pounds had been in storage for
seven months. It coats a quarter of a
cent a month for storage charges on
this meat, which Is purchased during
the spring and summer at the lowest
wholesale prices and distributed when
the public is compelled to buy at
famine figures. .
The Meat Peckers' Side Discussed
by J. Ogden Armour.
Chicago.—"Beef is only about half
a oeat higher than it was a year ago,"
said J. Ogden Armour. "Like many
other things, it baa risen during the
last few years, but this is because its
production has not kept pace with the
demand.
"More people are buying meat and
are buying more meat than ever be
fore. while stock raising has shown
little If any change. Consequently
tigher meat prevails. The packers do
MK dictate tho prices."
"Fishermen, farmers, cattle-raisers,
egg growers and truck gardeners
don't get living prices, hardly. They
are up against it, just the same as tho
public. We have on storage here
5000 barrels of apples. The owner
told me to-day he was going to pay
the daily wages of one of his men for
every barrel of applojj sold. Ho
bought-the apples for about $3 a bar
rel and will sell them for about $6.
Storage charges are fifty cents a bar
rel, so his profit is 52.50. It's the
same way with those beets, turnips
and other vegetables there."
In one of tho coldest of the storage
rooms, attention was called to barrels
filled with turkeys.
"They're two years old," the guide
said. —J
"Will they be sold?"
"Sure; good as the day they came
here."
In another room the reporter Raw
a barrel parked with geese. While
testing the firmness with which the
flesh was frozen the neck of a goose
was snapped off as If It were a pipe
stem.
"Those geese have seen their sec
ond birthday here," the employe re
marked, meaning they had been la
storage for at least two years.
One of the party asked If tainted
meat were ever received for storage.
The reply was that such meat was
received and frozen, the process con
cealing the taint and making It possi
ble for the owner to dispose of the
meat, as a staple grade.
While housewives are being driven
by the high prices to boycott meat
here is what the Ice and Refrigeration
Blue Book says la beiug held in cold
storage:
14,000.000 cattle.
6,000,000 calves.
25,000,000 sheep and lambs, 50,•
000,000 hogs.
According to these figures from the
official guide book circulated only
among cold storage men, there is in
storage one entire animal for each
adult in the United States, with
enough whole animals left over to
give two to each family.
This meat is being held In 558 cold
storage plants. In addition it may in
terest the worried housekeeper to
know that in seventy-eight fish freez
ing plants in the country there are
fish waiting to be doled out that are
valued at $25,000,000.
In other cold storage plants during
any year now, according to the stor
age men's own statistics, the strug
gling wage earner will And
1,800,000,000 eggs.
130,000,000 pounds of poultry.
Fruits valued at $50,000,000.
Then, besides, there are millions of
pounds of potatoes, onions, thousands
of turtles, eels, cases of canned goods
and milk, butter and cheese valued
at 1100,000,000.
The total value of meat and food
stuffs placed in cold sltorage during a
year at present is, according to the
figures of the storage concerns, clone
to $3,000,000,000,
These cold storage figures do not
Include the tremendous value of
liquors In storage at breweries, dis
tilleries and private places, the value
of furs in storage, nor the value of
food supplies in cold storage at pri
vate plants. .■
All these food stuffs are hustled
Into cold storage at the time when,
owing the laws of nature, the food
would ordinarily be cheap to the con
sumer. They are held to any length
of time the food kings think necessary
to maintain high prices.
Cattle Production Does Not Keep
Pace With Population, Says Expert.
New York City.—'Nothing alarming
to the consumer Is seen in the high
price of meat by the American Agri
culturist. In Its annual review of live
stock on the farms It says that the in
crease In value In the last twelva
months, in spite of a decrease in tho
number of bogs and cattle other than
milch cows amounts to $560,000,090,
or the largest annual Increment ever
recorded. The upward mo foment of
values the last year is simply *
of the upward tread.
NORTH STATE NEWS
Items of State Interest Gathered
and Told in Brief
Handled Much Cattle.
Asheville, Special.—Since August
Ist, 1909, the Southern railway has
handled ;180 cars of cattle from wes
tern Nortli Carolina, a total fef about
75 more than during 1908. Most of
these cattle came from points along
the Murphy division of the South
ern, which is the greatest cattle raid
ing section of North Carolina. Al
lowing 30 cattle to the car, it means
a total of 11,400 cattle were ship
ped out. Estimating that they aver
aged $35 per head —a very low esti
mate—it shows that these cattls
brought $399,000. M«ny rf these
cattle were shipped to southwest
Virginia, where they will be "finished
off" and sold in the spring months
at fancy prices. This does not in
clude the cattle that are driven to
Asheville and sold to local dealers,
which would probably amount to
more than $200,000; making a grand
total yearly of over SOOO,OOO. Ad
vices from the cattle countries is to
the effect that more attention is be
inp paid to cattle raising now, and
that many farmers arc carrying over
large number for fall beef. Fancy
cattle on hoof arc bringing 6 cents
per pound on the local market—
a new high record.
To Prevent N. C. Bond Suit
Washington, Special.—Contemplat
ing the modification of the Eleventh
amendment of the Constitution so as
to prohibit one State from institut
ing suit against another except in
the matter of boundary disputes,
Senator Overman, of North Carolina,
has introduced a resolution to amend
the Constitution. Mr. Overman's
resolution is aimed at individual
holders of outlawed bonds of his
State who have endeavored to make
collection on them by transferring
them to other States.
No Meat For 30 Days
Asheville, Special.—Petitions are
being freely signed by labor union
men and others pledging themselves
to abstain from eating meats for 30
days unless prices are materially re
duced. Petitions are also being cir
culated asking the board of aldermen
to remove the three-quarer of a mile
limit against the sale of meats and
vegetables in the city except in the
city market, declaring that the law
enables dealers to maintain a trust.
They also ask for a reduction of the
special taxes on dealers outside of
the three-quarter mile limit and on
farmers and peddlers.
Dodged Pasteur Treatment.
Durham, Special.—Hern ice Man
gum, descendant of a celebrated
United States Senator, died here of
hydrophobia. Young Mangum, with
four other boys, was bitten two
months ago by a dog. All of them
took the Pasteur treatment, Mangum
after" one injection, running away.
The other bovs recovered. Mangum
died on his eleventh birthday.
Dynamite Explodes in County Court
House.
Asheville, S|>ecial. —By the acci
dental discharge of a stick of dyna
mite in the county court house at
Bryson City, Omar Conley was i/i
--stantly killed, Barret Hanks lost both
eyes and was otherwise seriously in
jured, and Lee Francis, registrar of
deeds of Swain county, was fatally
injured. Conley and Banks were
thawing dynamite on the radiator of
the registrar's office in preparation
for a fishing trip.
For Reunion of the Blue and Gray.
Raleigh, Special.—State Auditor
Dixon was at Southern Pines last
week arranging far a great reunion
there late in April of the National
Association of the Blue and the Gray,
of which he is the commander.
To Ask An Appropriation
Raleigh, Special.—Over 100 dele-
gates were in attendance upon the
Good Roads Conference. Much in-
terest was manifested. A resolution
was adopted railing on the next leg-'
islature to provide an ample ap
propriation for aiding counties in
constructing good roads in this State.
Exchange of Courts
Raleigh, Special.- -Governor Kitch
in authorizes exchange of courts;
Judge J. L. Webb to hold Rutherford
eourt February 7, McDowell Febru
ary 21, Henderson court, March 7,
and Judge Council to hold Catawba
court February 7, Alexander Febru
ary 21, Caldwell February 28.
Stack Appointed Solicitor.
Raleigh, Special.—A. M. Stack, of
Monroe, succeeds L. D. Robinson, of
Wadesboro, as solicitor for the Eighth
Judicial District. The commisaioa
was issued by Governor Kitchin.
Brieiiy Told.
At Waynesville Thad Browning
■hot and killed Allen Green, a con
stable.
To fill the vaeaney caused by tho
death of Dr. W. A. Byrne, Prof.
Luther B. Lockhart, of Orange coun
ty, has been appointed State Oil
Chemist of the Department of Agri
culture.
This year will see enacted at
Raleigh a municipal building and aa
ditoriam coating $125,000.