Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / Oct. 1, 1911, edition 1 / Page 1
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'Ah.!'' VXv ' THE WEATHER: 16 Paaes Tb-Dav Generally fair Sunday and Monday, light to moderate east and southeast winds, j e Two Sections: " "-ll - : r -u: , ll . : " 1 : : i. ' H X r VOL. LXXXVm-NdK7. HUWpREDSn HAVCTERISHED fWISmWU- I jPHlF 11 RflGllMpi FLOOD ;-OfR,: J WtfESJl Town of Austin, Pennsylvania Swept Away When Mammoth Yesterday M any Cau ght in Ruins Per- led in Flames and the Death List Grows. OVER 800 PROBABLY KILLED More Than Thousand Buildings Wrecked Town on Costello is Also Swept Away The Serious Situation. Austin, pa., Sept. 30. Austin, s a town of 3,2()0 residents, In the north ern part of the State, was swept out of existence today and more than 800 of. its people were killed by a' flood which followed the breaking' of the Bayless Pulp & Paper Company's dam a mile and a half north of the town. Almost SOOOO.OOO gallons of water rushed over the place in a wall ten feet high, wrecking every structure in its pathj ;: ; ;- ', , Fears thai the towns of Costello and "Wharton, also in the path of the flood, ha S9n-5'o9tVoped, was expressed to- At by those laminar with : the to- Ography of the country. Reports .that Costello was wiped out nd 350 persons were killed there were evalent during the night, but tne de- tructioniof all telegraph and tele phone wires, leading into the. town made confirmation impossible. It was (learned definitely that the flood caused heavy loss of life and projerty in i Costello, but the exteift of the damage could not be ascertain ed until reports had been received from messengers hurried to the scene. Costello had about 1,500 inhabitants. Wharton, a Smaller town, was also re ported to have sustained heavy dam- ages. In Austin the bursting of scores of natural gas mains, as the buildings were swept away added Are to the general horror of the flood and hun dreds! of those imprisoned in the wreckage were burned to death. The contents of the great dam; which was I filled to overflowing by the heavy rains of two weeks, swept through a "natural gorge in which the towns of Austin and Costello were sit uated. While many of the residents of Austin escaped to the hill bordering each side of the town, the warning given by the blasts of the Bayless Mills whistles was too brief for hun dreds of others. The catastrophe paralleled in many respects the destruction by the flood of Johnstown, Pa., in 1889, in which over 2,000 lives were lost. The extent of loss of life and the destruction of , property cannot be known for several days. The I property loss will surely be several millions of dollars. Within, an hour of the first general knowledge of tbe calamity special trains bearing physicians, nurses and food supplies" were on the way to the scene. Hundreds of automobiles bear ing 'rescuersj also toiled over the rough and? tortuous mountain roads to lend aid. The food supplies of the town were destroyed and immediate aid to sa vors Iwas urgent. Hundreds of those who escaped were seriously injured in the; collapse of their homes and the panicof th rush for safety. Temporary hospitals were filled up in nearby farm bouses, and improvis ed structures from the wreckage. The Red j Cross made preparations for immediate aid to the survivors. The intense heat of the fire sweep ing from the natural gas mains made it-impossible for rescuers to visit the scene of destruction for many hours. Fire Adds to the Horror Austin, Pa., Sept. 30. A dangerous situation developed Immediately after the great wall of water had passed Austin is piped for natural gas, and the great force of the fleod tore the mains from the streets. Qne of them, the largest pipe in the town burst in- the business section. A moment alte.rward the gas rushed out and in a twinkling it) had taken fire. There was r.o explosiojn, but the flames leaped to a lieigiht of 20 feet or more, and blown by a strong wind was commun .icated. to the nearest house. In ten minutes a dozen other 'gas pipes had ' bursted and. were pouring their dead : 1; inflammajble fluid into the air. Men who had rushed forward in the hope of doing some good, were overcome and fell, while others were taught in the flames and incinerated. The street became a glowing hell, and there was no salvation for those who chanced to. be neart How many , perished at in A '-X-i 111 " Dam Collapsed Afternoon. tLis point is not known, but one esti mate places it at a score. Austin has 4little fire -protection at best, and with this swept away by the flood and no one left to man the little apparatus the town possessed, the pro gress of the flames was uninterrupted. Rapidly they swept from house to house, leaping street and alleys and fed- by the continual supply of gas from bursting mains there was no staying their progress. They licked up what the water had left. Many persons, crushed and help less In ' the Wrecks of buildings only partly destroyed . by the water, were consumed in the flames. Their shrieks could be heard by the help less ones who, awakened from their sleep and paralyzed by the scenes about them, endeavored to save a life here and there where it seemed pos sible. But they were driven back by the deadly fumes of the gas or the heat of the flames, and half an hour after the flood had passed, they stood on the hillside, pitifully contemplat: ing their ability to do anything , but bemoan the fate of their friends. Wo men and children there were among the wounded, and dying, but among the scores of men who might at other times have braved death tosave the lives of the unfortunate, there was none to dare. , Down at Lhe shops of the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad history was in the makdng. The buildings were located below the business section oji the banks of Freeman Run" and were more substantial than most of the houses which had been swept by the flood. When the great mass of crush ed and broken timbers, representing the homes of a few minutes before came crashing down and lodg 8 gainst tbe shops, the i mpact wa graiUnirU5t? imiiaiug shivered the walls were crushed m. nut .ae framework stood and foi med a barrier against which floatsa'm and jetsam of the! flood found lodgment. ' lere as elsewhere the natural gas pipes bursted, and as the shops were in (operation, fire was quickly com municated to the heterogeneous mass. Men were caught .before they could leafe their machines, , Some of them were crushed to death without a warn ir gjbut others less, favored of fortune v erje pinned down and met horrible deaths in the rapidly, kindling flames. Nearby was the plant of the Standard iJumber Company. It had on hand a large stock of stove wood ready for shipment. When the pi&es bursted there, the burning gas broke through the building, it was soon destroyed. Here, too, debris had piled high and the luckless ones who had been swept down stream' met death at this point. 1 For hours the machine shops and the ' lumber plant burned. And the odor of burning flesa was so strong as to drive many persohs from the scene. How many died! here win nev er be known, but counting the em ployes of the plants and the persons in the flood it will not fall short of two hundred. j Here is where the first organized effort at relief was made. Maddened by the sights about him, one man with tears streaming down his cheeks, cried for volunteers to save the lives of men whose! cries for help were grad ually growing fainter. The wreck of the Austin Hardware Company had been swept from its location on Main street to the lumber mill! Here were buckets in abundance and there was the little stream, still j swollen, al though the force of the flood had pass- eq. Seizing a bucket this unknown hira dashed into the stream, filled it with water and calling for help ran to ward a Doint where it appeared one man might be saved. -Others followed his example. But to no purpose, uas and heat combined to driVe them back and they eventually gavei up the bat tle. 1 But the blazing pile continued to burn through the night, the most con spicuous and most deadly spot in this alley of death. Gradually the cries for help and the groans j)f dying men grew fainter and when the great mass of debris and the fragments of brun ing ' buildings had become' nothing more than a huge pile of glowing coals the agonizing sounds ceased and that chapter of this terrtblel tragedy was closed. 1 L Over at the paper mill, tap great factory where so many of the people of v the town found employment, the situation was little betterj, Although hot so many persons wer killed, some of them were erushed beyond recog nition when a part of the! factory went down before the water. It too, caught fire, and the scenes to which the half parallyzed people were rapidly becom' ing accustomed, were re-enacted. One little girl, she could not have been more than 15 years old,' had been caught in the crush. Ttie flames were approaching .her with the rapidity only equalled by the speed if the flood, which had made her pi ght possible. Pinned down under a heavy timber, one leg crushed, it was intpossible for her . to free herself. No one seemed to know her name, but her cries .for help were not unheeded. . As in the fire in the machine shops ah unknown man rose to the occasion. '; Running (Contlned on Page Eight.) WILMISIGrTON, " in - r - THE THOUSANDS OF SHOPMEN OUT Threatened Strike on Harriman Lines Became Reality Yesterday Traf fic Without Interruption No Rioting. v Chicago, Sept. 30. The threatened strike of the shopmen on the Harri man lines to enforce recognition of their newly organized federation be came a reality today. The number of men who quit in the 15 States affect ed was estimated at between 20,000 and 30,000 by the union men, although ulius Kruttschnitt, vice president of Harriman lines in a statement to- ht said the number was much .Her. t eports from most of the points in dicated that the men walked out with out demonstrations and no rioting was reported. Traffic was continued without interruption and the railroad heads say that the shopmen's strike, even if extended, would not interfere with transportation. The response to the strike order was general throughout the" Middle West and in the South. The men had received notices from the internation al presidents of the iive crafts direct ly involved and When the hour came they laid down their tools. At New Orleans, jwhere . the strike already had' extended from a strike of the Illinois Central clerks and the men had been out several days, two men received jail sentences for violation of Federal injunction restraining them from interfering with the company's property. In the far West, it was said by the six roads, a small percentage of work ers responded to the strike call. Vice President Krutschnitt issiied the fol lowing statement: "At many of the intermediate points in Union and Southern Pacific lines, shop forces were laid off to reduce expenses. At other points no men at working time and effect reduction of all went out and at some points only one or two per cent. quit. "Train schedules on all lines are normal and the maintenance of regu lar schedules will in no manner be in terrupted." N ' The men involved are divided into the following groups, according to the union men: Machinists 10,000; boiler - makers, 4.000; blacksmiths, 3,000; carmen, 11, 000; clerks, 1,000; miscellaneous work ers, 1,000. W. T. Markham, vice president and general, manager of the Illinois Cen tral, issued a circular to employes of the road tonight, characterizing the demands of the men as radical, relat-, ing the history of the negotiations and Charging that the. contracts between the men and the unions had not heen abrogated by the necessary 30 days' notice. Concluding, he said: "It is well known that the interna tional officers of at least some of the crafts supported our positions and bit terly opposed violating their contracts by consenting to call a strike on the Illinois Central: The conservatives seemed to be in the minority, howev er, and the result is one of the most uncalled for walk-outs of labor in-the history of this country. "The Illinois Central has not sought this controversy and has no quarrel with organized t labor as such, but it will use all the resources at its com mand to retain such control of the management as will enable it to con tinue the exercise of public functions for which it was created and which subsequent events have shown it could hot have continued to exercise had the management consented to enter negotiations with the prganizations which is primarily responsible for this trouble." Raleigh, N. C, Sept. 30. State Su perintendent of Public Instruction J. Y. Joy ner announces the retirement of A. J. Barwick as Chief clerk in the De partment of Education and secretary of ih State Board of Examiners, . to talke up the practice of law in Newton, and the appointment of Prof. E. E. Sams, now superintendent of the Fitz gerald, Ga., city schools, In his stead. i si?f K. G., SUNDAY MOJlNnTG, OCTOBER 1, 1911. COMING R. F. D. CARRIER. ANNiE CRAWFORD BROKE DOWN Alleged Murderer of Four Members of Family Weeps Copiously in Her Cell Brother Believes Her Innocent. New Orleans, Sept. 30. Miss Annie Crawford; charged with murdering her sister Elise, a week ago by adminis tering morphine, late yesterday show ed the first break in tie self-possession rigidly maintained since her; ar rest on Tuesday, by prolonged out bursts of weeping. Clinging to the iron bars of a window in her; ward and with her head bowed on heparin, the pris oner was found bySjfJs. Oetavia Ken ivcuj, yuutc uiiiutu, nritu irieu 10 com fort her. Almost immediately the prisoner re covered her self-possession, the lines in her face hardening at the first words of sympathy spoken by the ma tron and answering coolly, walked away, keeping entirely to herself. She was found crying several times, but resented sympathy. "For hours she sits staring, her eyes filled with tears, her hands clasped in her lap. Mrs. Leo, a sister, of Port Arthur, Texas, was the only relative to visit the prisoner yesterday. It is now un derstood that the case will be put be fore a special session of the grand jury to be called next week. Prosecutor Orders Secrecy. Although the bodies of Annie's par ents and her sister"2fcgnes will not be exhumed, it is said, their deaths will be investigated by the jury. The dis trict attorney has decreed that no more information will be forthcoming from his office concerning future de velopments in the case. He also said that he had instructed City Chemist Metz, who is looking for more poison in the stomach of Elise, to make a se cret report of his findings. This re port is expected early next week. Robert Crawford, a brother of An nie, said yesterday that he believed If Annie was given a fair chance, she would prove her -innocence. "Even if she did give Elise the mor phine," said he, "she did it by mis take." Edward Crawford, . another brother, admitted that he had visited Annie's home recently for the first time in many years. He said he had not any falling out with the family, but "had not bothered with them," remaining away until their troubles started. Charlottesville, Va., Sept. 30. The University of Virginia made her larg est score in recent years today, defeat ing William and Mary College, eighty: one to nothing. After the first team bad scored seventy points in the first half, Coach Yancy sent in the entire second team. Tood and Gotch each made a touch down from kick-off near ly the entire length of the, field. OUTLINES. More than 800 persons perished In the flood that swept the town of Aus tin, Pa., yesterday afternoon. A big dam gave way and a large section was swept by the roaring flood resulting in the fearful loss of life and destruction to property -The threatened strike of shopmen on the Harriman 'lines to enforce recognition of their newly or ganized federation! became arealty yesterday. It is estimated thai be tween 20,000 and 3J),000- men' walked out According to; reports at Malta the Italian warships began the bom bardment of Tripoli! at 2 o'clock yes terday afternoon. There is apprehen sion of a rising among the Arabs. York markets: Spot cotton quiet, middling uplands 11:35, mid dling gulf 10.60; money on call nomi nal, time loans easy; flour dull but steady. Wheat spot steady, No. 2, 99 1-2 elevator export basis and 1.0a fob 8 float; corn spot dull No. 2 crn 75 i'-2,-No. 2, 53; oats-spot firm, stand ard white 52 JL-2 ; rosin and turpen tine quiet. - - The Freheh Millinery Parlors will have on display a full line of ex clusive pattern hats -Tuesday, October 3rd. . V-- TO MAKE THE RACE Prominent Cumberland Attorneys Soli citor of Seventh District, An nounces Himself for Con gress Next Year. "I will be a candidate to succeed Mr. Godwin in the next Congress," Said Hon. N. A. Sinclair, of Fayetteville, last night while in the city on his way home from Lumberton where, the past week he has been attending Superior Court as solicitor of the Seventh Judi cial District. "My campaign will be conducted oh a high plane and shall be absolutely I free from poiitleaUtradfts, trickery,: or manipulation, ne went on. to say, add ing further that he does not desire the nomination except as the free and un trammeled choice of a majority of the people. Speaking further of his proposed campaign for the nomination-, Mr. Sin clair, who until last night had made no definite announcement that he would make the race, said in explana tion of his plans and purposes : "The most crying evil in this part of North Carolina at present is the corrupt use of money in securing nom inations. I have no money to use for this purpose, and would not use it if I had, as no self-respecting man could appreciate a nomination that he has to go oit in the market and buy. "My campaign shall also be free from the dogmatic attempt to get votes by appealing to class prejudice; and neither I nor my friends will in dulge in personalities, mud-slinging, or misrepresentation. , "I have no fads or isms with which to try to fool the people to catch votes. "The only platform I have to offer is the platform of my party, just aa it is written. "I have no extravagant and empty promises to make. I prefer to be judg ed by the results I have achieved, rath er than by promises. Promises mean nothing; results speak for themselves. "I have been solicitor of the Sev enth Judicial District for five years, and have done all my official work in the various counties of the district in open court and before the eyes of all the people. How well I have done this work is not for me to say. I leave that to the public, and am willing to abide by their verdict. "If elected to Congress, I can only say that I will perform my duties there with the same fidelity, diligence, painstaking care and thoroughness that I have tried to show for the past five years asx solicitor. "I personally know a large majori ty of the men in the district and have personal friends and acquaintances in every township. This would keep me in close i touch with the people and enable me to understand the needs and conditions of every community so that I would feel that I was represent ing the personal interests of every man in the district, whatever his oc cupation in life might be. As my time is so fully taken UP with my official duties in court, together with my civ il practice, I am relying with confi dence on my friends in every commun ity to look after my political interests in this campaign." " Richmond, Va., Sept. 30. Dr. Her elected surgeon to, the State Peniten bert Mann, of this city, was. today tiary, succeeding Dr; C V. Carring t on, who has held 5 the office about twelve hours. The vote pf .the board stood five to four members for Car rington. Richmond, Va., Sept. 30. Mrs. James Hay, wife of the Virginia Con giessman, was operated on at the Me morial Hospital here today. Her con dition is reported as not serious. The French Millinery Parlors will have on display a full line of ex clusive pattern hats Tuesday, October 3rd. . 2t The French Millinery Parlors c will have on display a fulf line of ex clusive pattern hats Tuesday, October 3rd. ' 2t Earl Wins .Republican Nomination. for Mayor Numerous Arrests V tfhiladelphia, Sept. 30. George H: EarlV Jrjfupported by. the forces be fcLnd" United States senator Penrose, today won lhe Republican nomination for mayor tver William S. Vade, ac cording, to the '.returns received late tonight.' Vade ran 'strong in the wards, In South Philadelphia,, but the remainder of the city with a few of the 47 wards excepted went for Earle. Mr. Earle who also had the powerful support of State Senator 'Jamea P.. McNichol, the local Republican leader? js believ ed to have carried with 'Mm the slate supported by the Penros-MeNichol wing of the party; but; taeesult as far as the other candidates are con cerned will not be known 'until to morrow or Monday, iV-,Av.'.V-';Jf--'ij. Rudolph Blankeaburg, -' for many years Identified with the' referta ele ment of the city, won a sweeping vic tory over D. Clarence Gibboney, who has also been prominent fat, many re form fights in the State and city. Both Blankenberg and Glbboney were on the Keystone and Democratic tick ets and Blankenberg captured both nominations, the Democrats not hav ing a straight ticket in-the field. The fight for the mayoralty ; !; which ; has been a most bitter one because'' of the split in the Republican organization, will not; be carried to the November election. Whether Vade will support Earle and Glbboney and help Blanken berg in the general election, remains to be seen.1 , There were numerous arrests in the city throughout the afternoon and ev ening for election offenses and disor derly conduct, but up-to a late hour no Serious affrays were reported. 1 ) RAILWAY CL5RK ARRESTED Charged at Raleigh With Abstracting Letter From Mails. (Special Star Correspondence.) Raleigh, N. C, Sept. 30. -Commissioner Jno. Nichols today bound Wil liam D. Stephenson over to the Fed eral Court under $1,000 bond on the charge of rifling1 the mails on the Ra leigh & Southport Railroad Detween Raleigh ahd Fajretteville, this being his run as railway mail clerk. For months past there have been robber ies of letters land packages reported missing and Inspectors J. D. Robert son, J. S. Lena en and W. F. Chester hare been (Striving to catch up with the culprit. There was started from Fayetteville yesterday a letter marked for identification that was addressed to a firm in Norfolk. In it were three SI, bills marked for identification. The letter failed to show hp in the mail transferred for Norfolk at Raleigh and th& inspectors swooped down on Stephenson for an explanation. He in sisted that he knew nothing of the letter. The inspectors searched him and found the three marked bills in his pocketbook. In the face of this discovery, he' broke down and confess ed to the inspectors and to Postmas ter Wttllis G. Briggs that he took this letter, but insists that he knows noth ing of any robberies of letters in the past, this being his first offense. He has been on the run for six years, is thirty-eight years old and is a native of Wake county. COME HERE FOR FREE FARE Extending Trade Borders by Unique Methods The Movement The unique methods of the Wilming ton Trade Extension Association are proving a drawing card in attracting all classes of trade to the city. The accommodation afforded visiting trad ers by the various members of the' or ganization and the splendid free fare ofler are the undisputed means of bringing peopleto Wilmington to-do their buying that never came here be fore for that purpose. The success so far attained is all that could "have been expected and with each week the volume of trade through the medium of the Trade Ex tension Association largely Increases pnd everything tends for the contin ual upbuilding of the organization. It was especially noted that during the past week' a number of , visitors, who came from far and near, stated with out question that the free fare offer induced them to spend their money with Wilmington merchants. Realizing ,. that annually for years large sums of money has gone away from eastern North Carolina to north ern markets and from smaller towns and the country to big mail order houses, because " the people had not been instructed as to the advantages of trading in this city, the merchants conceived the Mea of turning the tide of trade to a home center and a Caro lina city, and the willingness already displayed by the people within the bounds of territory has been to a de gree surprising. , The impression of some visitors that members of the association are adding an additional cost to goods purchased to make up for the fare refunded Is entirely without foundation and can be proven beyond (question to be erron eous. ' ; i WHOL( Kp-1Il3f728. efinite and As to Expected to Reach Darde neUs by Today Accord ing to Position. GREECE MOBILIZING ARMY Doubt as to Turkey Having Offered Armed Resistance Reports of Turkish Guns Sinking Two Bolats Developments. - Direct news from Tripoli is iackiij. , That the Italian forces have landed , there is unquestioned, but there is J doubt as to whether Turkey offered any armed resistance. A Constantino ple "dispatch says that Che Turkish . guns sunk two boats, with contingents , of soldiers aboard; at Tripoli. According to advices received by th Ported Italy has effected a landing near , ' Prevesa, in Europe n Turkey. As a result, the reserve! of Janjnea are be ing mobilized. f An' official .announcement; alsp ' comes from Const intinopie that Greece- ' , is mobilizing hh army. , 'h i. The Italian ; go' rtwtnt declares it dewyrmihation; to maintalh lh ratmtbr ial status7 quo. in tins Balkans, jeiplain- J ing that its naval pf leratiofis aTWlg'Me' ' coast of European Turkey are merely a measure of safety for Italy's own coast towns, and for the security of Italy's military expedition. The position of the Turkish squadron . which ds supposed to be on its way . from Beirut to Constantinople, is un- ; known, - though reports say that It should reach the Dardanelles Sunday. An Athens dispatch says that the Ital ian squadron shelled several Turkish , warships ofE Gominitza. Bombardment at Tripoli. Malta, September 30. It Is report ed here that the Italian warships be-" gauche bombardment of Tripoli at 2 o'clock -is afternoon. The singlie ca ble connecting Malta with Tripoli "is -blocked witu official messages. A re- ; liable private messagie from Tripoli, , however, says' that the Italian block ade began yesterday at sunset and a bombardment was decided upon for ten day. There is apprehension of a ris ing among the Arabs. All Europeans are safe. The British fleet ia expected here "to- -morrow and will coal! immediately. The ieet ' will await orders and no shor leave twill be given. The pro- r tected cruiser Barham, after her de- V parture from here, was recalled by ' wireless. Landing at Prevasa. Constantinople, September 30.The . Porte has received a dispatch that 1 11- ian forces under the protection ot three cruisers and our torpedo tooat! . destroyers, began a landing aWko'clock j . this afternoon' near Prevasa, out of range of the guns of the fortress. The reserves of to Vilayat of Ja- nina, in which Prevasa is located, aro being mobilized. Paris, September 30. The Matin's Constantinople corresponednt wires that a rumor j is in circulation at thi9 Porte that the, entire Ottoman fleet ex cept one cruiser, has' been destroyed- Officials at the office of the Minister df Marine are unable to confirm or deny the news. .- i United States Gets Word. 1 Washington, Sept. 30. Formal noti fication to the United States that a state of war exists between Italy Aand Turkey, was given to the State De: partment late today by the Italian charge d'affaires, Mobile Lazzaro Dei Marches! Negrotto Cambiaso, This action paves the way for the forth coming proclamation of neutrality by this government. v President Taft will proclaim the neutrality of the United States pro bably Monday . Th official notifica tion of Italy carries out the Tague con vention of 1907, stipulating that neu tral powers must be notified of the declaration of war. ' Destroys Turkish Vessel. Rome, Seipt. 30. The minister of marine received th following des patches tonight from Capt Santo; The destroyers Artigliere and Coraz ziere (Italian) this morning sunk a Turkish destroyer and torpedoes near Prevesa. The Corazziene is on the way to Taranto, escorting !a captured yacht The destroyer Alpino captured a steamer manned by a Greek com ing from the north and at tbe moment entering the harbor of Pneveso. She had five Turkish, officers and 162 sol diers aboard besides a quantity of am munition. 'No damage on Italian side.' OH 111 IS Oil THE MOVE V .': '; -1.;
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 1, 1911, edition 1
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