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1 1 t ' 1 fell! P P mite- MmM- r THE WEATHER Complete Service of the- Associated Press H Hin Saturday wth rising teopra-r-s' Sunday fair .nd mati colder. jll. mmii VOL. CI-O. 77. WTLMIXOTQlSr, 1ST. C SATURDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 8, 1917 WHOLE NUMBER 39,255 i 1 ? :' .- TES IS NOWAT WAR WITH AUSTRIA 5 5! ihti UNITED STA .. - .as. NE VOTE IS CAST AGAINST WAR RESOLUTION passes the Senate Unanimously, While Representative London Opposed It in House IS SIGNED BY PRESIDENT State of War With Dual Monarchy Dates From 5:03 O'clock Yesterday Afternoon Washington. Dec. 7. War be tween the- United States and Aus-tria-Hnnsary was formally declar- eaiouay i . j (VmsTPss with one dissenting ; of vote in the House, adopted and President Wilson approved a res olution declaring existence of a state of war between "the imper ial and royal Austro-Hungarian pvernnipnt and the government and people of the United States'' mmnzmz tne rresicient to-employ the armed forces and pledg ing its resources to victory. Effective 5:03 P. M. The resolution, the response- of con gress to the President's request in I Ms address Tuesday, is similar to that It passed April 6. declaring , war with I Germany. It became effective at 5:03 p. m. today when it was signed by the executive without formality. An ex scuiive proclamation will follow short- After but one hour's debate the res olution was unanimously adopted by the senate with an affirmative vote of '4- It was approved by the house, 363 :o 1. Representative London, the New Terk socialist, casting the only dis senting vote. A few minutes later Vice-President Marshall and Speaker Liars had signed the document and" nt it to the White House where President Wilson attached his signa ture with Secretary Tumulty and As s:sisnt Secretary Forster as the only witnesses. The resolution follows: Text of Resolution. "Jimt- resolution: "Peclarinfr that a state of war .ex ists between the imperial and royal Austro-Hungarian government and ,. . - "mi. aim ijcujjib ui Clio imted States and making provision to Prosecute the same. ' '.; " "Whereas, the imperial and royal iutro-Hunearian government has emitted reneatpd aftu nf wnr l"c KOVPrnmcnt .J 11.. gainst the government and the peo m of the United States of America: ore be it . "Besolverl tu- "I rmrsconin.: - ,. .. . Stat 1 uvt!S 01 -ne unitea ,,s f America in congress as f. that a state of war is hereby -itat ex5st .between the United of America and the imnerial mcn. a Austr-Hungarian govern "e is ?nd that the-president be and ; is herer.y authorized and directed irlT y the entire naval and mill ; r torces of the United States and "e resources; of hsrry on w-j,- .,..:.. , . . Hnv,i . sinst tne imperial ana ani tn K """Bo'iau guvejnmcin, ',,1 . K the conflict to a success- wminatirin uii tv, .- . i. Con'erZ a''"e hereby pledged by the egress of the t-;4.j "CHAMP rt.ARTT kSr of the House Rpre- Im P ui tne united states ,.Frelfn; f the Senate. proved T December, 1917. Tn.L "'Vr'ODROW WILSON." In 'krey Bulgaria Left Out. P'Jespc,; 1 riesiaent wuson s 1. i tj,,n in respect to Tur and ;;read "h V the future. Wide- ;jc!tisione:"." consress for their cateH m! M " declaration was indi- te v,r -'""ib ana nouse ae- idAnt '1 V ' the ro11 caJls cam the eWsf-5,,:"'V'Re was followed in a ;irmonv" 'l'n of American unity and tfilist..pf v';resentative London, so- native 1 ' wno cast the one r Stat!'-,,0'?" Pxplained his opposition was pledged to that socialist party. Caus- e b eritir 5e horse " ' ' position enlivened fcbat "Was Brief, 'dh- 'J Ranches was unex- -5enaf- ui an nour in minir.-'1 f'n!y two hours and for- ptran "u 1 ' nouse- Also in sharp 1 th0' ..' ' " discussion, which prer "?"' lasr ;'rvaration against Ger- n.. ' 1 " was almost devoid 'rsatin r features in spite of. the ?erip ' v r,s; furnished by crowded 1 cr,m" hers aDDarentlv acted few w' "cord to expedite action di; Sr,rke refraining from ex- Pre?- - on lne resoiu- Nnai.C-"'1 by Senator Stone with 'snr-n,. "laement or the for- lorsement of the for rlte eon ! S f'mmittee- soon atter tJ 1 brief - routine business. Af- !...." '.Hir l. 5Hitr y oenators stone. IV iroll Pa n ; , ' uwen and Vardaman, taa . fol!wed. When the docu- (CGMr3ns;rmttea to the house., tt M",lued a Page Eight), United States Is Now In Position To Give Aid Ts . .'VV Sorely Stricken Itians (Associated Press "War Summary.) The United States is now at war with Austria-Hungary. With unanimity except for a nega tive vote casJL in the house of represen tatives by a socialist member, both houses of congress Friday acted favor ably on the request made by President Wilson in his recent address to con gress that the United States declare war on the dual monarchy, which the president asserted .was "not her own mistress, but simply the vassal of the German government." Shortly after the action of the two houses of congress, President Wilson affixed his signature to the measure which definitely aligned Austria-Hungary as an enemy country. This ended the anomalous situation that had prevailed by reason of the fact that the United States had been defi nitely at war with Germany but not with Germany's chief ally, although the latter on land and sea was waging bat tle or carrying out excesses against the peoples and commerce of countries al lied with the United States in the task making the world safe for democ racy. The taking up of arms against Austria-Hungary comes at a most oppor tune time, for it will permit of the United States . lending aid to sorely CEASE HOSTILITIES They Will Associate Themselves With the Russians in the Proposed Armistice SAYS OFFICIAL STATEMENT With the Russians Inactive On the Same Front It Is "Virtually Im possible For the Rumanian to Continue Activities. Jassy, Rumania, Thursday, Dec, 6. It has been decided that the Ruman ian troops shall associate themselves with the Russians in the proposed armistice, though the Rumanians have rejected every attempt at fra ternization, says an official announce ment made here today. Hostilities were suspended today on the whole front. ' . ' There have been several reports from Berlin and Vienna that the Ru manians had joined the Russians in negotiations with Germany for an j armistice but official confirmation ; heretofore has been lacking and on Wednesday an official denial of them was issued in London. The Rumanian troops are holding positions along the western Molda vian frontier and the line across southern Moldavia to the. Black Sea at which the Germans and Austrians were halted at the conclusion of their drive in 1916. Russian troops are in terspersed with the Rumanians and the withdrawal of the Russians from active operations would make it al most impossible for the Rumanians, menaced by ' the Bulgarians from the south as well as by the German and Austrian armies of the east, of vast ly superior size, to carry out an inde pendent military policy. POSTOFFICE COMMITTEE BREAKS SPEED RECORD Reports Annual Postofflce Bill, Ag gregating $333,000,000 Appropri ation For Censorship. Washington. Dec. 7. Breaking all regular speed records for the prepara- j . . i wno th house nost- HUIl Ul Dutipij - office committee today reported the an nual postofflce bill, aggregating $333, 000,000, including a new item of $1, 200,000 to censor foreign mails. The bill carries no appropriation for pneu matic tube service. The censorship, of foreign mails is to be conducted under authority al ready given by congress. The committee added. to the uual appropriation for transportation of foreign mails $2,000,000, making a to tal of $3,200,000 for that purpose to maintain the facilities built up for service in connection with American expeditionary forces abroad. Abandonment of the pneumatic tube service maintained by certain city postoffices has long been urged by Postmaster General Burleson and Rep resentative Moon, chairman of the committee, and the question was the subject of much debate at the last ses sion of congress. Oil Field Strike Settled. Houston, Tex., Dec 7 Settlement of the oil workers strike affecting 8,000 men in Texas and Louisiana producing fields was agreed upon this morning. A written agreement will be signed by the producers and workers this after noon, it wa stated. . . 1M TROOPS stricken Italy, i-e the Austro-Ger- mans are stri-their utmost to deal a blow in an endeavor to render the Italians a negligible factor in future operations. ...... That the Italians are being hard pressed by the eneny In' gieatly su perior number and in gun power, is in dicated by the latest official communi cation. Additional gains have been made by the invaders in the Asiago plateau region, but again a heavy price in men killed or wounded was paid by the attacking forces. At last accounts the Italian line still was intact and the way barred against the enemy debouch ing on the Venetian plain.. The Berlin war office in an announce ment of fresh victories achieved against the Italians asserts that 4,000 addi tional men have been made prisoner, bringing the total since the new of fensive began up to 15,0u. Only minor operations are In progress on the other battle fronts. ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTALIONS FOR THE COAST DEFENSES 'Washington, Dec. 7. Army- orders today provide the designation of anti-aircraft battalions for the coast ar tillery corps troops who will handle batteries specially designed to beat off airplanes and airsbAps. They will be numbered serially and the battery units, in each battalion will be letter ed. OF IS. KING'S DEATH Gaston Means With Deliberation and Calmness Tells Story of the Tragedy CLOSES DIRECT TESTIMONY Cross-Examination Expected to Take Up Virtually All of Today Still Other Witnesses May Go on N - the &and. Concord, Dec. 7. With deliberation and calmness, Gaston Means related in descriptive detail to the jury in Cabar rus superior court late today his ver sion of how Mrs. Maude A. King met her death at Blackwelder spring neai Concord on the evening of August 29 last. It was past 4 o'clock and he had been under (Jirect examination nearly five hours today, following about six hours yesterday. His direct examina tion closed and cross-examination be gan within a few minutes after he had pictured the tragedy to the jury. TVia tar-cot shnntincr ria.rtv had a-I rived at Blackwelder spring, iuv -"-e - - f GIVES VERSION alighted from the automobile; the and disciplinary methods in reclama chauffeur had taken the car "up the i tion camps was told today at the an road out of the way. Captain W. S. ' nuai convention of the association of Bingham, with shotgun in . hand and ! ,.fe insurance presldents, in session Afton Means, brother of the defendant, with rifle in hand, had gone some dis tance into the calm dusk down the old road looking for rabbits. Only Gaston Means andMrs. King were left on th hillside that slopes down to the spring. He had her 25-calibre automatic Colt nistol in his hand. She had handed It to him but a few minutes before and he I had loaded it for her. They walked to ward the spring. Something was said about getting a drink of wat?r. She declined to drink because she was afraid there were bugs in the spring. "I laid the pistol in the fork of the sycamore tree as I walked down to the j spring to get a drink, said the defend ant. "I looked back and saw her with the pistol in her hand. I said: 'Maude, that pistol is loaded. Put it up. I wouldn't fool with it.' She put it up. I dipped up a cup of water and struck a match to see that there were no bugs In : it. and was lifting it to my. mouth when I heard a shot. I looked and saw her.4 falling. She was about two and a nan feet from the tree. to her. When I first I rushed rignt up saw her she was fretting nearer the ground in a wob bling motion, just crumpling up. I got to her quickly and took hold of her, feeling to ascertain where she was wounded." He called Captain Bingham and be gan bathing her face in water from the spring. "Captain Bingham came up and I told him Mrs. King had shot herself with her little pistol," the witness declared. "Did you know she was dead?" asked E. T. Cansler, the defendant's counsel. "I did not.", he said positively. Then he told of the hurried trip to the hospital, where the physician, pro nounced her dead; of going with the body to Asheville, where he conferred with her mother, Mrs. Anna L. Robin son who decided without suggestion from the witness that the body should be taken to Chicago. He accompanied the remains to Chicago and followed the mother's instructions to the letter. Earlier in the afternoon the defend ant had traced his movements from the time he and Mrs. Means, Mrs. Kins. Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Mary C. Melvln, sis ter of the deceased; W. R. Patterson and others of their party left Chicago last July for Asheville, down to the week of the tragedy, when Mrs. King had come to Concord on a visit to the home of his father, coionei w. w. CConUnued ga Jr-ase iwoj THE BOLSHEVIK! FORGES ARE OW (IT VL Fifteen Hundred Troops Reported to Have Arrived at Rus sia's Pacific Port ALLIES MAY TAKE ACTION Great Quantities of Supplies From America and Japan Are - Stored There Petrograd, Thursday, Dec. 6. Fif teen hundred Bolshevik! troops are re ported to have arrived in Vladivostok. The above report, if true, possibly would indicate that the Bolshevik! government is now in control of the trans-Siberian railroad which runs from Petrograd, a distance of 6,521 miles, to Vladivostok, Russia's princi pal seaport on the Pacific. AMERICA AND ALLIES MAY BE FORCED TO TAKE ACTION Washington, Dec. 7. If Bolsheviki troops are moving into Vladivostok the United States and the allies may be forced at any time to adopt a defi nite policy toward 'the -radical govern ment at Petrograd. Great quantities of munitions and supplies shipped by the United States and Japan before the overthrow of the Kerensky gov ernment are store at the Pacific port awaiting shipment over the congested trans-Siberian railroad and it is well understood that the allied 'govern ments do not intend to permit them to fall into hands that might prove hostile. KERENSKY HAS PLACE IN . NEW SIBERIAN GOVERNMENT Petrograd, Thursday, Dec. 6. The temporary independent government which" has been organized in Siberia has elected Alexander F. Kerensky minis ter of justice and is determined to complete a coalition cabinet. KORNILOFF REPORTED TO HAVE JOINED KALEDINES Petrograd, Dec. 7. It is reported that General Korniloff, who recently escaped from Buikoff, where he had been imprisoned by the Bolsheviki au thorities, has joined General; Kale dines, hetman of the Don Cossacks. General Korniloff formerly was commander-in-chief of the Russian ' arm ies. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS COULD BE 'RECLAIMED Tells of Wonderful Work That Could Be Done Anions? Rejected Men by "Massed Psychology." New York, Dec. 7. How hundreds of thousands of men rejected for the draft us nVivsirartv unfit could be returned to . ,. neaitn tnrougn massea psycnoiogy here,, by Dr. John H. Quayle, of Cleve land, O. "Shortly after conscription," he said, "it was estimated that there were 2, 000,000 men between thfe ages of 21 and 31 who had no visible means of sup port and were supported by their fath er, mother or some other woman. Prac- ticallv all of these' men will be phy- sically unfit, as they are physical and moral cowards. But if they were put in reclamation camps, under army dis cipline, outdoor life, simple food, regu lar hours and given such medical and surgical attention as they need, to gether with what I call "massed psy chology or the association with real men the results would be more astound ing than our figures on rejection. "Why conserve our food supply and feed these slackers who eat their own weight in perfectly good food every thirty to forty days when it rightful ly bel.ongs to the men who will nght and the men who stay at home to pro duce food for our army, "our women and our children?" . COLD WAVE COMING. Snow to Occur In Middle Atlantic and Other States. Washington, Dec. , 7. Cold wave warnings were issued tonight by the weather bureau. ' A cyclonic depres sion of considerable intensity is cen tral over the lower Mississippi Valley, the bureau said, and that as it movee northeastward there will be general rains in the south and snow in Ten nessee, the Ohio Valley and the Mid dle Atlantic states. Sharply, falling temperatures to morrow in the lake region, the Ohio Valley, Tennessee -and southward to the gulf were forecast with cold weather Sunday in -Florida and the Atlantic coast districts. Mother and abe Cremated. Augusta, -Ga., Dec. 7. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph North and baby were cremated either Thursday niffht or early Friday morning, when their home at Denora, S. C near here, was destroyed by fire. The origin of the fire is not known, the charred emains of the vic tims of the fire being found in the debris by neighbors when they arose Friday morning to find the North home in ruins. North is said to have J.been employed at v saw mill Dl M RAGING BLIZZARD LAST NIGHT ADDED TO THE HORROR OF THE AWFUL HOLOCAUST AT HALIFAX No Scenes On Battlefields Equal the Halifax Disaster St. John, N. B., Dec. 7. The battle fields of Europe do not provide a par allel to the scenes witnessed at Halifax, in the opinion of Duncan Grey, who arrived here today. He was engaged in inspecting shells in a shed on the water 'front and barely escaped before the building collapsed. This is his story: "A few seconds after the roar of the explosion, a guest of wind swept through the shed and then down came pillars, boards and beams. I rushed to the open and the sight; that met my gaze was the worst that I hope ever to see. ' "I have been in the trenches in France. I have gone 'over the top;' comrades and friends have been shot In xny presence. I have seen scores of dead men lying upon the battlefield, but the sight that greeted me yesterday was a thousand times worse and far more pathetic. "I saw . people lying around under timbers, stones and other debris; some GENERAL PRIORITY IS Preferential Shipment is Given to Food, Fuel and Govern ment Supplies rt IS EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY Steamship Coal for Immediate Con sumption Comes First in the Five Different Groups Named in Lovett's Order. Washigton, Dec 7. -A general pri ority order, giving preferential ship ment to food, fuel and government sup plies, was issued today by Robert S. Lovett, government director ot priority transportation. The order legalizes action already ta ken by the eastern operating commit tee of railroads - giving to these com modities preference in movement. Offi cials believe it will go far toward re lieving the eastern freight congestion which has threatened to close down war industries and public utilities. The or der says: "On and aftter the twelfth day of December, 1917, and until further orders all common carriers by railroad in the United States shall give preference and priority in car supply and in move ment to the following commodities and in the order numbered: 1. Steamship coal for immediate con sumption. 2. Livestock, perishable freight, food and fuel. 3. (a) Shipments of military sup plies when consigned direct to the United States government or the au thorized officers of the United States army, navy or shipping board or to the allies or the proper representatives j thereof, destined to any cantonment, post or encampme"rTt, to any point of export for movement thence to Europe, to any arsenal or navy yard, or material tp any ship building plant under con tract to the United States shipping board for the sole purpose of construct ing vessels for that board. (b) - Other shipments for the United States government as the same may be authorized from time to time by the undersigned aa necessary in particlular cases, but only upon request of tn. United States army, United States navy or United States shipping board through a designated officer or repre sentative of the respective depart ments located in Washington. - 4, Coal to and for by-product coking plants and not subject to reconsign ment, and 5. .preference and priority in move ment only to coal for . current use but not for storage, consigned direct (and not subject to reconsignment) to hos pitals, schools and other public insti tutions, retailers of coal for use in sup plying domestic consumers only; and to coal, coke and raw materials for current use but not for storage, con signed direct (and not subject to recon signment) to blast furnaces, foundries, iron and steel mills, smelters, manu facturers engaged in -work for the United States or its allies; public util ities (including street and interurban railways),' electric power and lighting plants, gas plants, water and sewer works), flour mills, sugar factories, fer tilizer factories and shipbuilders; also shipments of paper, petroleum and pe troleum products." GOVERNMENT'S COURSE IS NOT YET DETERMINED BY PRESIDENT Washington, Dec. 7. A decision as to the government's attitude toward the railroads, involving suggestions for either government operation dur ing the war, or suspension of anti trust laws and financial support, still rested . tonight with President Wilson, No -move was looked -for until after ' Continued Oa Page Two) ORDER ISSUED battered beyond recognition and others groaning In their last agonies. Rush ing here and there I struggled to assist them and as near as I can remember pulled 22 men andi children from under the wreckage. As I was right in the affected -district, I witnessed the full horror of the situation. Partly blinded by the smoke from burning dwellings I groped .around assisting some of the poor mothers and little ones who were running about screaming and searching vainly for lost ones, in many instances never to be seen by them again. "I struggled on, coming across rriore and more bodies of dead men, women and children. Death was everywhere. . "Flames were sweeping a wide path way for themselves. Doomed struc tures were belching forth great vol umes of smoke from doors and win dows. The district was a living hell. "Half strangled by the smoke, I kept pulling out bodies from under beams ana taiien emmneys ana unaer wreck age. Some of the bodies were without clothing. Many were so mutilated that it was difficult to realize that they (Continued On Page Two) METHODISTS MEET AT Two Conferences of the State to Maintain Summer School for Young Preachers TO TAKE OVER ADVOCATE Plans Laid For Raising Funds to Pur chase Stock - In Printing Plant. New Minister Received From Baptist Church. By REV. T. A. SIKES. Greenville, Dec. 7. -The third day of the North Carolina Conference of the Methodist church, in session here, was opened by singing the old hymn, "Come ye that love the Lord," which Bishop Candler himself raised. He then read the 17th chapter of Mat thews, Rev. li. 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 surrendered all . his rights, even the right to live and ad monished the preachers to have high er ideals than their rights . The sal vation of men is of more importance than the- rights of any man. Goldsboro Wins Over Benson. By order of yesterday's session, ten 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 church, Golds boro. Rev. J. T. Stanford put Ben son in nomination. Goldsboro was se lected. Summer' School For Preachers. The following resolution was pass ed: "In keeping with the action of the Western North Carolina confer ence in providing for a summer school for young preachers, we, of the North Carolina conference, would hereby en dorse the general plan of such a school, also appoint a board of. man agers to act in this Joint enterprise with a like board from the Western North Carolina Conference." The board of education and the board of missions shall share equally one half of the expenses of the school, the other half" to be born by the Western North Carolina Conference, the amount not to exceed $400. The board of education will name two, the board of missions two and the presid ing elders two of their number, to constitute the board of managers. The board of managers jointly with the board from - the Western North Caro lina Conference, subject to the approv al of the college authorities, shall have full power to organize and con duct this school at Trinity College. That it may be possible for every un dergraduate to attend, the two boards named In paragraph .1 shall provide a fund not to exceed $400 to pay the traveling expenses of the undergrad uates who shall be urged and expect- ed to attend. Revs. M. Bradshaw, J. M. Daniel and S. B. Underwood were appointed the devotional committee,. Leave of absence was granted to Revs. F. M. Shamburger, C. J. Harrell. and F. S." Love. Deacons and Elders Named. Question 12 was called- "What lo cal preachers are elected deacons?" J. R, Edwards, Martin Chambers, J. B. I Hurley, W. C. Alexander and B. C GQLDSBORO 1918 Reavis were elected. The question, "What traveling preachers are elected elders?" was called. H. B. Porter, E. C- Durham, W. A. Cade, W. F. Traywlck, Daniel Lane, Jr., J. H. Miller, J. A. Morris, and N. CContlnued on srage Eight) , ' " ' v ' . i '' ' ' , ' Plight of the Survivors of Thurs day's Disaster Little Short of Desperate WINDOWS AND DOORS GONE Homes, With But Few Exceptions, Without Protection From Snow and Wind CITY STILL IN THET DARK List of Dead and Wounded Offi cially Estimated at 5,000 Halifax, N. S., Dec. 7. Five thousand casualties two - thous and dead, three thousand others injured. This is tonight's official estimate of the toll exacted in hu man life and suffering by the ex plosion and fire of yesterday. Blizzard Sweeps City. Stricken Halifax was swept tonight by a raging blizzard. So fierce ,was the storm that rescue workers were forced to suspend their operations in the devastated section. It is believed certain that all the injured buried un der the ruins of shattered buildings have perished of cold and hunger. Battered by a biting wind and blinding snow, the plight of the sur vivors of yesterday's holocaust is lit tle short of desperate. The windows and doors of virtually every house in the city were shattered by the : ex plosion which wrecked the Richmond section and devastated a large part of the water front. Improved barricades of boards give little protection against the elements and attempts to heat buildings into which Jthe snow is steadily drifting are h4peless. : The city is again in darkness to night except for the illumination ; af forded by a scanty supply of oil lamps and unless these are carefully screen ed they are extinguished as soon as lighted by the gale whicn whistles tnrough the crude shutters. Only .a small percentage ' of the buildings have even this slight protection from the storm. . ' Sufferings Increased. The sufferings of those who', escaped injury have been increased by the fact that every available blanket, quilt and comfort has been requisitioned for the hundreds of injured in the temporary hospitals. Many of thse are sa gravely wounded their only hope lies in the best of care. Serious fears are felt that cold, shock and exposure will result in an outbreak of pneu monia. : A single telegraph wire, bending dangerously in the storm, offered Halr ifax only a precarious means of com munication with the outside world and it was feared momentarily that this line would snap. At best it gave only a halting connection with other points. Telegraph and telephone companies are making desperate efforts to pro vide a makeshift service, but; the work -is beset with great difficulty. : . While many generous offers of mar terial relief has been received and trainloads of supplies are on the way, the spectre of famine was abroad to night, for if the storm continues it may seriously interfere with railroad traffic. Thei-e is enough food on hand for immediate needs, but it will, last only a short time unless additional supplies are ree eived. Immensity of Disaster Increases. - As the day wore on the immensity of the disaster increased rather than diminished. Hundreds of bodies were taken to the morgues and rescue squads were constantly finding new victims buried' under 'tons of debris until the blizzard forced them to cease work. There is every reason to be lieve that many more will be recover ed. No concerted effort has been made as yet to compile a list of the dead as every effort is being made to identify those who perished. The condition ot many of the bodies makes this exceed ingly difficult and a large proportion of those who lost their lives will be buried as "nameless dead." There is r.o reason, however, to change the es timate of 2,000 dead- and 3,000 injured. The fires which had raged for 24 hours in the north end were brought under control early today and the city is no longer menaced by a conflagra tion. While soldiers, sailors, and volun teers were searching the ruins of the north end today business was entire ly suspended. The leading citizens devoted their efforts to organizing work of relief and substantial pro-', gress. was made in this respect. -; Miraculous Escapes. Incidents are coming to light every hour which emphasize the fact that life and death go hand in hand. Deaths too horrible to desoribe occurred sim-, ultaneously with miraculous escapes. A 6-year-old child was blown through the roof of a house in Young street, rolled from the roof to the ground and suffered , only, a few scratches. Another child was rescued from the ' ruins in Richmond apparently ur hurt. Some of those reported missing have been found and - some families CContlnued On Pag Two) - i v 1 ! ' ! its mm mm Hit 11' fid: -iff :i mv. s mil 11 I- is i-i mn 1 1 1 A -f.l fx -i. 111 l IX! I! M -((
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Dec. 8, 1917, edition 1
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