THE CHATHAM RECORD
H. A. London
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
Terms of Subscription
$1.50 PER YEAR
Strictly in Advance
THE CHATHAM RECORD
Rates of Advertising
One Square, one insertion - - $1.00
One Square, two insertions - $150
One Square, one month - - $150
For Larger Advertisements Liberal
Contracts will be made.
VOL; XXXVIII.
PITTSBORO, CHATHAM COUNTY, N. C, MARCH 29, 1916.
NO. 34.
a u Am
IMPORTANT NEWS
THE WORLD OVER
Happenings of This and Other Nations
For Seven Days Are
Given.
THE NEWS JJFJHE SOUTH
What Is Taking Place in the South
land Will Be Found In
Brief Paragraphs.
.Mexican News
What are regarded as evidences of
activity of powerful influences to force
intervention in Mexico through the
spreading of alarmist reports were dis
eased at a cabinet meeting in Wash
ington, and resulted in the prepara
tion of a formal statement on the
subject by Secretary Lansing.
Three Americans, two women and
one man, were killed near Gibson's
Line ranch, on the New Mexico-Mexico
boundary, eight miles west of Colum
bia. X. M., presumably by Mexicans.
Gen. Luis Herrera, until recently
Carranza military governor of Chihua
hua, has renounced Carranza, and an
nounced himself in favor of Villa,
taking the field in wrest Chihuahua
with two thousand troops.
Carranza troops stationed at Casas
Grandes and other points of that sec
tion at the time General Pershing
began his march into Mexico now are
located at Juarez, opposite El Paso
and in the rear of General Pershing's
columns, it was authoritatively stated
No reason has been assigned for the
transfer of troops from points inland
to the border.
European War
With 3S6 passengers, probably some
of them Americans, and a crew of
about fifty on board, the cross-channel
steamer Sussex, plying between
Folkestone, England, and Dieppe,
France, met with a mishap in the Eng
lish channel off Dieppe. Unofficial re
ports say that the vessel was torpe
doed. At last reports rescue boats
were standing by.
The Austrians have abandoned Cer
nowitz, capital of Bukowina,
The Russian war office announces
the capture of Ispahan, in Persia, af
ter an engagement.
The Austrians are delivering sur
prise attack against the Italians at
various points.
Bad weather has broken over the
Austro-Italian front, but it has not
interfered with violent bombard
ments.
The Galoper lightship at the mouth
of the Thames, England, has been tor
pedoed and sunk. This ship was one
of four vessels marking the en
trance to the North sea.
The French are vigorously contest
ing a further advance eastward, which
not alone would bring the German line
nearer the fortress, but, spreading
fan-like northeastward, would put in
jeopardy the French in the region of
Le Mort Homme.
In their attempts to flank Verdun,
on the west, the Germans, having suc
ceeded in working their way through
the Malancourt wood and the Avocourt
wood, have begun a heavy bombard
ment of the village of Esnes, about
eight miles northwest of Verdun,
In the Argonne forest, in Lorraine
and in upper Alsace, the French guns
have been active against German po
sitions and marching columns.
On the river Somme the Germans
have entered a British trench, hut it
is stated by the British that they have
been finally driven out.
There has been lively fighting be
tween the Russians and the Germans
west of Jacobstadt, along the Dvina
river and in the lake region between
Dvinsk and Vilna, with the Russians
generally on the offensive.
Berlin repwts that Russian attacks
have been repulsed, but admits that
a German salient near Lake Narocz
was withdrawn in order to escape the
encircling Russians.
Heavy battles have been in prog
ress northwest and northeast of Ver
dun and on the northern part of the
Russian front, where the Russians are
keeping up their strong offensive
against the Gremans. In all these
zones the losses have been large, while
the changes in position have been rel
atively unimportant.
With the slackening of the fighting
around Verdun, the Russians have
started a big offensive movement
against the Germans on the eastern
front. The Russians made an attack
of great violence around Driswiaty
Lake and Lake Narocz.
The Germans in the Vaux-Damloup
sector, northeast of Verdun, began an
other spirited attack against the
French, but were driven back, and did
not continue further, but intermittent
oombardments took place.
London admits the capture by the
Germans of three mine craters at the
Hohenzollern redoubt.
Bombardments are going on in the
Champagne district, especially around
the depots cf St. Mihiel.
In battles in the air around Metz
the French and Germans have each
lost three or four machines.
A German airship attacked the al
lied fleet around Saloniki, Greece, but
the result has not been ascertained.
Nine persons were killed and 31 in
jured in a raid of four German sea
planes over the east coast of Kent
England. A British airman brought
down one raider over the sea.
The French torpedo boat destroyer
Kenaudin has been sunk in the Adrl
atic by a submarine. Three officers and
44 of the crew were lost. Two officers
and 34 of the crew .were saved.
Domestic 1
Col. Theodore Roosevelt and wife
returned to New York from the West
ndies. The colonel is silent on the
Mexican situation and politics, but
says he has found a new bird, which,
he says, the natives call "guacharo."
Dr. Arthur Warren Waite confessed
in New York City that he bought the
poison believed by the authorities to
have caused the death of his father-in-law,
John E. Peck, of rGand Rapids,
Mich., but he asserted that he made
the purchase at the request of the
millionaire, who wished to commit sui
cide. Thirty blocks of Augusta, Ga., two
miles long and four blocks deep, were
destroyed by fire. Five hundred homes
were destroyed, and three thousand
people are thrown on the streets,
which are paroled by the National
Guard. The property loss is estimated
at eight and a half million dollars.
Atlanta, Macon, Columbus and
Waynesboro, Ga., and Columbia, S. C,
sent fire-fighting apparatus to help
subdue the big fire that swept over
Augusta, The Columbia, S. C, may
or went with his company and person
ally aided in fighting the flames.
A small ball of yarn, lighted and
thrown by a boy into dry grass in a
vacant lot, started a conflagration in
East Nashville, Tenn., that was not
under control until 35 residence blocks
had been swept away by the fire,
three thousand people thrown on the
streets and a million and a half dol
lars' worth of property destroyed.
Every train running into Paris, Tex
as, carries provisions, clothing and
tents to the approximately eight thou
sand homeless people, rendered practi
cally destitute by the fire which de
stroyed nearly two thousand residenc
es and practically every business
building in the city.
Clover Leaf passenger train No. 5,
the "Commercial Traveler," was blown
from the track four miles east of
Marion, Ind., by a cyclone. The train
was overturned and wrecked while go
ing at a high rate of speed. Twenty-five
persons were reported injured.
Cole Younger, famous outlaw of
border days, a member of the famous
Quantrell band during the Civil war
and a member of the Jesse James
band of outlaws after the war, died
at the age of 72 at his home in Lees
Summit, Mo. He for a number of
years had professed Christianity and
had been on the lecture platform.
. William Jennings Bryan opened the
campaign in Nebraska, speaking in la
vor of a state prohibition amendment.
Mayor Charles W. Bryan of Lincoln,
brother of the former secretary of
state, is a candidate for the Demo
cratic nomination for governor.
"Immediate peace is in sight," is
one sentence in a cablegram received
from London by a Galveston, Texas,
firm, cancelling arrangements made
for chartering a considerable amount
of tonnage.
Foreign
A Melbourne, Australia, dispatch
says that the Shackleton Antarctic ex
pedition has been damaged and is pro
ceeding to New Zealand for repairs.
Several members of the party vrere
left behind, and their fate is unknown.
Great Britain's annual income has
increased 600,000,000 pounds since the
beginning of the war, and the total
has reached 3,000,000,000 pounds, de
clared Sir George Parish, the finan
cial authority.
The English nation, it is authorita
tively announced in London, has suc
ceeded in maintaining its productive
power despite the withdrawal of 4,
000,000 men from its industries
Great Britain has called in a half
billion pounds of its capital since the
opening of hostilities, which money
is being used to make fresh loans in
foreign countries.
Fifty troopers were killed and more
than one hundred wounded in a rail
road accident at Sapula, Mexico, sit
uated on the west of Guadalajara, on
the Pacific coast extension of the
Mexican railway. The train, owing to
a loose or removed rail, went over a
precipice.
Germany. has lost 600 vessels sunk,
captured or detained since the war be
gan; Great Britain 500; Austria 80,
and Turkey 124.
Dispatches announce that the Ger
man government is holding 6,000,
000 deposited in a Berlin bank which
belongs to Sao Paulo, a state of Bra
zil. Washington
It is undetstood in Washington that
the administration has under consid
eration tightening the censorship on
Mexican news, and warning army of
ficers all along the border against giv
ing out reports unless they have been
fully verified.
Southern railroads in creased their
net earnings more than fifty per cent
within the last twelve, months; east
ern railroads have virtually doubled
theirs, and western roads have add
ed about sixteen per cent.
The 1915 cotton crop of the United
States aggregated 11,059,430 running
bales or 11,193,182 equivalent 500
pound bales, exclusive of linters and
counting round bales as half bales,
the census bureau announced in its
final ginning report of the season.
Governors of the 12 federal reserve
banks will meet in Washington, on
April 12, it was announced, to discuss
with the reserve board a proposal to
adopt a standard clearing house sys
tem for the entire "United States un
der which checks may be cashed at
par in any part of the country.
The de facto government of Mexico
proposed to the United States the
drafting of a protocol, under which
the American and Mexican troops may
operate in running to earth Francisco
Villa and his bandits, without danger
of misunderstanding or conflict.
VILLA ESCAPES
ill TROOPS
BANDIT LEADER HAD NO TROU
BLE IN LICKING CARRANZA'S
TROOPS.
U. S. CAVALRY IN PURSUIT
Americans are Handicapped 250 Miles
From Base and Hunt in Moun
tains is Difficult.
San Antonio, Texas. Francisco Vil
la has escaped from the Mexican
troops that had checked him near
Namquipa and three columns of Amer
ican cavalry are pursuing him.
Already they are almost 250 miles
south of the border and unless Mex
ican forces bring the elusive bandit
to a stand, this distance will be great
ly increased by the close of the week.
Villa's success in extricating him
self from the dangerous position into
which he had been driven by the
American punitive force was related
in a detailed report by General Per
shing that reached General Funston.
General Funston forwarded the re
port to Washington without making
public any but the essential features.
Colonel Dodd is commanding the ad
vanced columns that are riding hard
after Villa and his men and General
Pershing has divided his forces so as
to provide supporting columns along
the thinly stretched lines of commun
ication from his most advanced base
at El Valle. From El Valle another
line is being maintained back to Casas
Grandes from where communication
with the border is maintained. Gen
eral Pershing himself is somewhere
south of Casas Grandes directing the
work of holding together his forces and
directing so far as possible the opera
tions of Colonel DoCd. Cavalry is be
ing used along the lines communi
cating with El Valle where a detach
ment of infantry is stationed.
Three aeroplanes are at El Valle
and will be used in scouting as soon
as the high winds that have been
sweeping that part of Mexico for al
most a week subside. These winds,
according to General Pershing, have
made effective assistance by the aero
planes impossible. Of the eight ma
chines that went into Mexico two are
still out of commission.
Details of the operations about
Namiquipa that concluded with the
eseape of Villa were not revealed, but
there is little reason to believe that
he was badly whipped or even weak
ened by the fighting directed against
him by the de facto government troops.
IMPATIENT WITH CARRANZA.
Delay in Granting Use of Railroads is
Not Pleasing.
San Antonio, Tex. Carranza's delay
in permitting the movement into Mex
ico over the Mexican Northwestern
Railway of supplies for the American
troops has created impatience at army
headqurters that was hardly disguised
The quartermaster department has
sent to El Paso a quantity of stores for
immediate shipment and officers here
did not credit an unofficial report that
General Obregon had declared that no
permission for use of the line would
be given.
Failure to send supplies over the
railroad would not stop the cam
paign, it was said, but it was admit
ted that it would materially retard
General Pershing's activities. Al
ready the change in the position of
the United States forces, observers
here pointed out, would make the line
of National Railways of Mexico, which
goes straight from Juarez to Chisua-
hua', the logical one to use.
Whether General Funston requests
the government to get permission to
use the National, however, will de
pend upon the answer to the request
already made, he said.
Another Grand-Daughter For Wilson
Philadelphia. A daughter was born
to Mr. and Mrs. Francis Bowes Sayre
here. She is the second grand-daught
er of President Wilson and will be
named Eleanor Axson Sayre, for Mrs.
Sayre's mother. Mother and child
were reported to be doing well.
Jess Willard is Still Champion.
New York. Jess Willard is still the
heavyweight pugilistic champion of
the world. In 10 rounds of fast fight
ing he defeatel Frank Moran of Pitts
burg here on points. A crowd of
about 13,000 persons paid approximate
ly $150,000 to see the fight and went
away apparently satisfied with the re
suit. It was the greatest gathering
Madison Square Garden had ever seen
Willard broke his right hand in the
third round but blows from his fight
ing left kept Moran at a distance.
Norfolk Has Big Fire.
Norfolk, Va. Two fires of unknown
origin, caused damage estimated at
$262,000 in this city. The Progress
building, in the heart of the whole
sale district in Water street was com
pletely destroyed, the loss being plac
ed at $237,000. The plant of the Colo
nial Cereal Company in Brambteton
Avenue, was also destroyed, the loss
being $25,000. The fire at the cereal
plant had just been gotten under con
trol when the Progress building situa
ted in the western end of the business
section was discovered on fire.
THREE AMERICANS
REPORTED KILLED
TWO WOMEN AND ONE MAN VIC
TIMS OF MEXICAN RAIDERS
IN NEW MEXICO.
U. S. TROOPS GO IN PURSUIT
Band of Mexican Bandits Cross Border
to Gibson Ranch Where the Three
Were Kilted.
Douglas, Ariz. Three Americans,
two women and one man, were killed
near Gibson's Line ranch on the New
Mexico-Mexico boundary, eight miles
west of Columbus, N. M.,,respumably
by Mexicans, according,, to the story
brought here by a party "of five Doug
las people, who said they arrived on
the scene shortly after" the bodies had
been removed by soldiers.
A command of United States sol
diers stationed at the Gibson ranch
was said to have crossed the line in
pursuit of the slayers.
Samuel Collins, automobile dealer;
Mr. and Mrs. Russell T. Childers, Miss
Lottie Milinowski and Edward Free
man, all of Douglas, were the auto
mobilists who told of the alleged kill
ing. The names of the persons said to
have been killed were not learned.
According to the story told by the
party, the four motorists had been to
El Paso on a pleasure trip. They de
cided to visit Columbus to view the
ruins left by the raid of Villa's men,
instead of returning here through
Deming and Lordsburg, N. M.
After leaving Columbus they were
stopped at Hermanas by the railroad
section foreman, they said, who warn
ed them that something was wrong at
the Gibson ranch, a few miles farther
or. He said that he had been watching
through a pair of binoculars and had
seen a mounted band of 100 or more
men, supposedly Mexican bandits,
cress the border near the ranch and
ride to a water hole a mile and a
half north.
After watering their horses, they
rode back across the line. He added
that within a short time a number of
troopers of the Twelfth Cavalry had
come to the ranch house and moved
about in an excited manner.
HEAVY FIGHTING CONTINUES.
Germans and French Keep up Vigorous
Bombardment.
London. It is still in the French
and Russian war theaters that the
heaviest battles are in progress, but
fighting also is continuing in the Austro-Italian
zone, in Serbia near the
Greek frontier and in Asiatic Turkey.
The French are. keeping up their
vigorous bombardment of the woods
of Malancourt and Avocourt, north
west of Verdun, which are held by the
Germans, and also are hammering
away with their guns at German lines
of communication in the eastern
fringes of the Argonne forest.
To the north and east of, Verdun
en intermittent bombardment by the
Germans of French second line posi
tions is still going on with the
French replying energetically.
All along the Russian front from
the region of Friedrlchstadt to the
district around Vina the Russians
and Germans are hard at grips. Petro
grad says that near Widsy, between
Dvinsk and Vilna, the Russian forced
all the German lines and barricades
and repulsed a vigorous German counter-attack.
Berlin, however, says that here the
Russian attacks failed with heavy
losses before the German entangle
ments. Tells of Navy's Needs.
Washington. Rear Admiral Bradley
A. Fiske declared before the house
naval committee that regardless of
how many ships were built, it would
be impossible to carry out the general
board's plan for making the American
navy equal to any afloat by 1925, be
cause it would take ten years longer
to develop and train the personnell
necessary to man the navy in first
ranlfc.
Agree on Speed-Up Plan.
Washington. House Democrats ad
apted a resolution outlining a plan for
speeding up the administration legis
lative program with a view to adjourn
ment before the national political con
ventions in June as urged by Presi
dent Wilson. They pledged them
selves to co-operation in earlier daily
meetings and to such ight sessions as
may seem advisable. The plan is to
handle at night sessions the business
of all special days in the week except
the so-called calendar Wednesday.
All Powers Agree on Plan.
Washington. All of! the Entente
powers, through their embassies here,
have handed to Secretary Lansing for
mal responses rejecting the proposal
made by the state department in its
circular memorandum that they enter
into a modus Vivendi and disarm all
of their merchant ships with the un
derstanding that the United States
government would endeavor to secure
from the Central powers a pledge not
to attack any sudtt unarmed ships
without warning aid without providing
for the safety of ti e passengers.
BILL
BY HOUSE
ONLY TWO MEMBERS VOTED
AGAINST NATIONAL PREPAR
EDNESS MEASURE.
PEACE STRENGTH OF 140,000
Britten of Illinois Opposed Bill Be
cause he Favored Greater Increase;
London Favored No Increase.
Washington. The Hay army in -crease
bill providing for a regular army
peace strength of 140,000 fighting men
Instead of the present 100,000 passed
the house by a vote of .402 to 2. It
goes to the senate for Immediate con
sideration virtually as drafted by the
house committee.
The negative votes were cast by
Representative Britten, Republican of
Illinois, and London, Socialist of New
York.
Mr. Britten opposed the bill because
he favored a still further increase in
the army and London because he fa
vored no Increase.
The bill is the first of President
Wilson's great national preparedness
measures to pass either house, al
though various related measures have
been approved. It was finally adopted
only after Representative Kahn, rank
ing Republican member of the mili
tary committee again had met defeat
this time 213 to 191 in his effort to
increase the authorized strength of
the regulars to 220,000.
During the debate Chairman Hay of
the committee that drew the bill re
ferred to it as "the President's own
Mil." It was explained at the White
House, however, that while the presi
dent approved the ground plan of the
measure, he was not committed to its
details. The conference on the senate
and house plans, to come after the
senate acts, is expected by administra
tion officials to produce a bill which
will have the president's full support.
HEAVY FIGHTING IN EAST.
Masses of Russians Are Pressing
Germans From Riga
District.
London. Except on the front near
Gomecourt and the Bethune-LaBassee
road, where the British gained some
advantages in fights against the Ger
mans, no infantry engagements have
taken place along the line in France
and Belgium. Heavy fighting, how
ever, continues between the Germans
and Russians on the Eastern front
from the region of Riga southward.
The Germans northwest of Verdun
are continuing their violent shelling
of the Malancourt sector and again
have trained their guns on the French
front of Bethincourt, Le Mort Homme
and Cumieres probably preparatory
to fresh infantry attacks in an effort
to break through the line when the
moment seems propitous.
The French have not slackened
their bombardment of the Malancourt
wood from positions in the Argonne
forest, and also are shelling heavily
German positions and the roads and
railways held by the Germans in the
eastern part of the Argonne.
The bombardment to the northeast
of Verdun, as well as in the Woevre
region, to the east of the fortress, has
Increased In intensity.
Heavy masses of .Russians are
pressing the Gennsms from the Riga
district southward for a distance of
70 miles. While they have gained
some advantages, the Russian War
Office admits that south of Lake
Dreswaity the Germans recaptured
trenches that the Russians had taken
ue previous night.
3,000 Homeless in Augusta.
Augusta, Ga. With six business
blacks levelled by fire and more than
600 houses destroyed, Augusta was
feeding and housing its 3,000 home
less, without aid from the outside
Tvorld.
Estimates of the firse loss remained
at $5,000,000 tonight, but citizens who
discussed the disaster expressed the
view that the loss of 130 business
houses was not felt more than was
the destruction of many historical
buildings.
Perplexed by Border Dispatches.
Washington. Officials were perplex
ed by dispatches from the border sayT
ing General Bell had notified General
Funston that the report of Herrera's
revolt was confirmed. When the war
department closed for the night at 11
o'clock Secretary Baker stated that
General Funston had not advised the
department of General Bell's report
and that all information reaching him
indicated that Herrera was loyal to
Carranza. Major General Scott, chief
of staff, declared emphatically he did
cot believe the report.
Douglas Uneasy.
Douglas, Ariz. Reports that ap
proximately 2,000 de facto government
troops had been seen by United
States soldier observers marching into
Agua Prieta from the southeast, cou
pled with apparent verification from
sources in the Mexican town, aroused
apprehension here.
Gen. P. Elias Calles, military gov
ernor of Sonora, stated, however, that
no troops had arrived and that in fact
250 of the 500 men stationed there
fcad been sent South.
AY
ARMY
PASSED
FUNSTON ASKS FOR
IRE TROOPS
WANTS "ADEQUATE FORCE" TO
PROTECT HIS LINE OF COM
MUNICATIONS. PERSHING WANTS MORE MEN
Field Operations So Large Present
Force is Insufficient. VUI Troops
Are Scattered.
San Antonio, Tex. General Fun6ton
isked the war department for more
troops to be sent into Mexico in pur
suit of Francisco Villa.
The request was made at the sug
gestion of General Pershing, com
mander of the expedition, who urged
that another regiment be sent to him.
In his message to the war department
General Funston asked for what he
termed an "adequate force."
It was announced at General Fun
eton's headquarters that the Fifth
Cavalry of which one squadron is at
Fort Myer, Va., another at Fort
Leavenworth, Kan., and the third at
Fcrt Sheridan, Wyo., would be brought
to the border at once and sent for
ward along General Pershing's line of
communication to Casas Grandes.
Whether he had asked tor other troops
General Funston would not say.
The only reason given for strength
ening General Perishing's force, known
to be considerably more than 4,000,
was that his field of operations had
become so extended that his main
line of communication and the sub
sidiary lines were in need of strength
ening.
"Merely a precautionary move,"
was the way General Funston ans
wered all inquiries. He was asked if
the reported movement of troops of
the de facto government from garri
sons in the interior to posts on the
border and reported failure of the-
Carranza troops in one or two in
stances to show active co-operation
in the pursuit of Villa had anything
to do with his decision to ask for
more strength but he declined to
answer.
Some uneasiness was displayed for
a moment at department headquar
ters when it was reported that the
telegraph wires between Casas Gran
des and the border had been cut, but
an official report stating that the line
cut was a "buzzer" line General Persh
ing had laid and that It had been
broken accidentally by some of the
American forces crossing it allayed
apprehension.
It is not believed here that Gen
eral Funston is worried by reports
of alleged growing antagonism among
certain Carranza troops although he
is. carefully studying that phase of
the situation.
TILLMAN BILL PASSES.
Provides For Government Armor
Plate Factory. Cost $11,000,000.
Washington. The Tillman bill to
provide for the erection or purchase
by the government of an armor-plate
factory at a cost of not to exceed $11,
000,000 was passed by the senate by a
vote of 58 to 23.
Democratic Senators supported the
bill solidly, regarding it as one of the
important measures included in the
national preparedness program now
being hastened to completion. Nine
Progressive Republicans joined with
the majority in voting' for the bill.
They were Senators Borah, Clapp.
Cummins, Grohna, Kenyon, Norris,
Poindexter, Sterling and Works.
Passage of the measure in the
house is regarded as assured. Admin
istration leaders are planning to bring
it up soon after passage of the army
re-organization and immigration bills.
Two Lieutenaants Lost.
Columbus, N. M. Two lieutenants
of the First Aero Squadron are lost
somewhere in the desert foothills of
the Sierra Madre with but three days'
dations and two small canteens of
water between them and starvation,
it was officially made known at mili
tary headquarters here.
Kills Himself and Four Children.
Grensboro, N. C. D. G. Patterson, a
prominently connected man of this
city, murdered his four children in
their beds and committed suicide. He
used the full round of a five-shot re
volver in killing the children and re
loaded the weapon to end his own life
The tragedy occurred shortly before
daylight. The dead are the father,
Louise, aged 16; Gordon, aged 11;
Frances, aged 9; Cowles, aged 7.
Patterson had evidently found Louise
and Cowles asleep together and they
died without being awakened.
Flames Sweep Paris, Texas.
Paris, Texas. Thirty blocks in the
business and residence districts ol
Paris, were destroyed by fire here
with an estimated loss of between $2,
000,000 and $3,000,000. Starting from
causes unknown near a cotton com
press late in the afternoon the flames
spread rapidly, consuming everything
in their path. Only 15 out of 140
business buildings were left standing.
The residence section was ruined and
hundreds were homeless. As far as
could be learned no lives ere lost.
CONTRACT LET FOR
BIG AUDITORIUM
$245,000 STRUCTURE AT BLACK
MOUNTAIN TO BE COMPLETED
AUGUST 10.
HICKORY FIRM IS BUILDER
National Festival Chorus ' Directors
Act. Will Bring Thousands to
North Carolina. '
Black Mountain. The contract for
the erection of the great festival chor
us auditorium at Black Mountain was
awarded to Elliott Brothers, of the El
liott Building company, Hickory, for
$245,000.
The board of directors of the Na
tional Festival Chorus of America
held a meeting at Black Mountain,
when this important contract was
awarded. The building is to be com
pleted by August 10, provided the con
tractors are not delayed in securing
the necessary steel.
F. S. Westbrook, secretary of the
National Festival Chorus of America,
was elected assistant general man
ager and placed in charge of the sale
of stock. Mr. Westbrook was in
structed by the directors to complete
the sale of stock at as early a date
as possible.
The National Festival Chorus of
America will be one of the greatest
musical organizations in the world.
Judge Jeter C. Pritchard, of Ashevllle,
is president of the company, and some
of the most prominent men of the
country are on its advisory board.
Among them is President Fairfax
Harrison of the Southern railway.
Walter Damrosch will be the leader
of the chorus of 2,000 voices when the
festival opens next August. Noted
soloists from this country ' and from
the old world will be heard, and it Is
believed the audience will be repre
sentative of the entire country. It Is
said that the building of this vast au
ditorium and the organization of the
National Festival Chorus will trans
form Black Mountain into the Bay
reuth of America.
It will introduce the mountains of
Western North Carolina to many ad
ditional thousands who have yet to
se their rare beauty, and who have
no personal knowledge of Western
North Carolina's metropolis.
The organization of the National
Festival Chorus, and the building of
the auditorium marks the consum
mation of the plans of many years.
Lcng ago Walter Damrosch, possibly
the foremost director in the world,
conceived the idea of such a chorus.
He was on a visit to Black Moun
tain at the time, and he believed that
right there was the logical spot for
the new Bayreuth. It has taken many
years to bring his vision to a reality,
but the awarding of this $245,000 con
tract for a building capable of seating
nearly 25,000 people marks the reali
zation of that dream.
Weekly Editors Organize.
Asheville. Meeting at the Langren
hotel here, the weekly newspaper
men of western North Carolina adopt
ed a constitution and by-laws, elected
officers and, otherwise perfected a
permanent organization. The new or
ganization will be known as the
Western North Carolina Press asso
cation. Noah M. Hollowell, editor of
the Sylvan Valley News, of Brevard,
was elected president of the organi
zation; Broadus H. DePriest, of the
Aurora Highlander, was named first
vice-president; R. L. Sandidge, Bry
son City Times, second vice-president;
Ora L. Jones, Sylvan Valley News,
secretary; W. F. Little, Tryon News
Bee, treasurer. J. D. Boone, Caro
lina Mountaineer, Waynesville; Gor
don F. Garlington, French Broad
Hustler, Hendersonvifle; R. D. Marsh,
Rutherfordton Sun, were named as
the executive committee, Dan Tompk
ins, of the Jackson County Journal, at
Sylva, was elected historian, and
Horace Sentelle, of the Canton Ob
server, was named orator. Jesse
Daniel Boone, of the Carolina Moun
taineer, will be the association poet.
Decide on Highway Route.
Greensboro. At a called meeting
commissioners of Guilford county de
cided in favor of the old rout by wav
of Jamestown 'for the concrete-asphalt
highway between this city and High
Point. They also endorsed resolutions
ordering the building of a concrete
asphalt road between the Masonic
Home and Edwards Cross Roads, a dis
tance of about one and a half miles,
with the help of $6,000 subscribed by
citizens. An underpass will be built
at Central Fair Grounds under the
Southern Railway.
Booming Fruit Growing.
Kinston. Fruit-growing is belnj
boomed as never before in Lenoir
county, according to an agricultural
expert. For the first time, many spray
ers will be used this year. Numbers
are being purchased by orchard own
esr. There Is "most assuredly money
in apples and peaches here," declares
the expert. "One woman in the vicin
ity of Fields made $500 from less than
100 apple trees last year and a lot of
planters reported profits. Spraying is
the big thing in this section gettinsr
rid of the blights.