last Ed WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA. SATURDAY "AFTERNOON, JANUAR CONVOCATION OF [DENTON SESSION ENDS Delightful Occasion ? The 155th Meeting of the' Con vocation ,Was Held in Old St. Thomas' Church, Bath, Wed nesday and Thursday. AUXILLIARY ORGANIZED ?t he 155th meeting- of tho Convo cation of Edenton was held In histor ic St. Thomas' Church. Bath, on Wed ikisdsy and Thursday of thU week. >r? Tho opening buatnean session took place on Wednesday .morning, with Rov. Claudius P. Smith, Dean of the Convocation, presiding. Morfilng prayer was said at 11 o'clock by Rev- Messrs. Luther Bborn, C. F. Smith. W. J. Gordon, C. D. Ma lone and J.' W. Fulford, and the sa* mon wss delivered by the dean. At the afternoon session reports wefe had from the various members, regarding conditions in their respect ive charges? and Judge Francis D. Winston reported for his parish in the absence of Rev. Jno. B. Olbble. An hour was then allotted Mrs. JM- O. S talon. of Wllliamston. for tie purpose of organising a branch of the Junior Auxiliary aTHOTigthe young people of the congregation of St. Thomas'. After this had been ac complished, the Committee on Revls vlsion of Constitution and By-Laws made Its report through Rev. Wo. J. Oordon. the chsnges suggested by thst Committee being, sfter discuss ion. adopted. Evening jo-ayer was said at 7. SO and Rev. Claudius F. Smith preach . ed most admirably upon the subject Of prayer, his text being "Lord, Teach trs to Pray." This sermon was par ticularly helpful, and made a distinct impression upon the congregation. At the close of this service Rev. Jos. W. Fulford resd an essay relat ing to "The Missionary Problem of Our Lower Countlrfs," and this was discussed, at Its conclusion, by Judge Winston. "? The final business meeting was held on Thursday morning, and In the af ternoon "The Woman's Auxiliary ahd ' PirocSiil Bociet^" held ftr ?? idff7 presided over by Mrs. Jas. O. Staton, vice-president for this Convocation. Several excellent , papers were read by the ladles, covering various phases of missionary work at home and In foreign lands. Thursday evening Rev. Wo. J. Oordon spoke upon the subject of laymen's work as embodied in the idea of the "Laymen's Missionary . Movement." # ? The Convlcatlon was fairly well at tended. and was a helpful gathering. - The people of Bath displayed the fin eat of oldtlme hofoltallty. and made each delegate and visitor, feel thor oughly comfortable sa4 at home. The > only dlsappoinment seemed to be that more delegates hsd not appeared. The o . . cers of the Convocation are as follows: Dean; Rev. Claudius P. Smith. Elisabeth City; secretary, Rev. Jno. M. Olbble. Windsor; treas* urer, Jno. G. Bragaw, Jr., Washing ton,. " ^ The Convocation with a deep tiiel " lag of .regret and sorrow accepted the resignation of Jtov. R. B. Drane, D. D., who has for"n?ny years served faithfully and ably as treasurer. Alarm of Fire Yesterday Afternoon I Yesterday about 6 p. m the alarm ot fir? wm turned In. - It proved to be ^the manufacturing plant or the ^Washington .Buggy Company, owned and operated - by Mr. George Hafk ney. The fire was first discovered Ip the engjne room on the dry kiln side. How It eaught la not known. Quite a number of poplar boards were con sumed. Mr. Hackney- places hla loss between three and four hundred dol lars. The Are was extinguished be fore .the department reached the scene. They started up work this oh MtUllf 'W&utmu ttewr* notwithstanding the damage. RRflVI^AR SERVICES. '? There will be regular services at , the First Presbyterian Church Sun day morning and evening at the usu^l hour. The pastor, Rev H. B. flea rlgbt, will preach at both services. Sunday school, 9 p. m. The public ^rdyiy^fnvited to be preset. Ex WATER STILL "IN THE CITY MINING ; Looters Are Shot ? ? - > The Seine is Still Rising and SfHV*ding--The City Now Rests on Water and Hundreds of Buildings Are Undermiaed. TOURISTS' QUARTERS SAFE Parts. Jan. ST.? The flood situa tion today grew worse hourly. Rains began as the weather turned warm er, releasing lee that had formed on the upper brarchW of the 3elne aft J Its tributaries. Rising steadily the water ate tato (he dykes that had been thrown -up, and. with no relief In alght. began a new atage of the calamity. Y The breaking of the hanks of pre viously immune country districts re sulted- -4a ^alight diminution of the flow through the city about 9:15 and the water became atationary. Later It begaa to rise again. One hundred thouaand men ? - troops, police, and civilians ? today struggled to beat back the gaining waters, and aare the quarters that had not been Inundated. The 8elne. at -*? p. m.. was rising an Innfi ib A ? ^ h?i.r It *as raining heavily. The He St. Louis is threatened wKh complete In undation which may sweep away an cient landmarks upon It. whoee foun dations are already undermined. Fire looter* were ahot today in the flood-atrlcken districts of the city, after ordera had been iaaued to the troops to spare jione found In aban doned homes. Dawn today found the flood from the river Seine still spreading devas tation. Sewers blew up at Intervals, shattering the roadways and causing wallc to collapse. The thirty thousand troops order ed into the city have begun to ar rive, bringing relief to the worn out ?oldlers who have been struggling to save the cKy since the 8einfe -first began to rise. Many were taken to hlspltala. ex hausted or stricken with pneumonfa. Thousands of others were given their a nit Tigl.tsspUs Indnrsr At (heir barracks, however, they Vere com pelled to sleep on the floors, the beds *rere given over to refugees. Not an hour passes without fresh reports of saving^ sewer or subways. Paris today rests on water and hun dreds of buildings are undermined. Half the streets and squares of the entire city today are submerged. The rest, for the most part, had been eaten into beneath the surface and were unsafe even for pedestrians. The roar of collapsing streets and bursting conduits shook whole quar ters and apread panic widecast. ^ The quays and the streets along the embankment are aubmerged at scares of placea, yet the flood la by no means confined to them. 8ewers, subways, conduits, have been turned Into pipe* through ? wihqh the racing river forces Its, way to the more dis tant regions. Parts without gaiety would be be yona imagination, but today Parts Is as forlorn as the gay r. . - The toiffTIT quarter*,- though. ?rr among the aafeat in the city, and there* is no anxiety felt for the safe ty of American vialtors. 8ome of the members of the permanent American colony have been seriously Inconven ienced, bu there Is slight danger for them, except for a few living near the [river. Man/ visitors are fleeing, how ever. WIMi QVIIfc II I. "*** ? na- nf D. R. And E. K. Willi., tr still quits issawrm; fia SWAIN COURT ROUSE INflECKEO; . ONE KILLED ^ Dynamite Plays Havoc Omar Conly Dead; Barrett Banks and Register Francis Mortally Hurt by Explosion? Bradley b Beyond Hope.' BRYSON CITY SHOCKED Asheville, Jan. 27.? A special from Bryson City to tho Gazette-News to night says: "The Swain county court house Was perhaps lotaTTy wrecked Aha Omar Conley instantly killed. Barrett Bank* probably fatally wounded and Register W. L>. Francis seriously hurt as the result of a dynamite explosion In the courthouse at 7 o'clOck to night. The whole town was terribly shaken, many windows shattered and the shock reached for more than a alto. "The explosion occurred in Regis ter of Deeds Francis', office and the idlracle Is that he escaped Instant death. The room was totally wreck ed and all the windows and doors of the Wower Boor of the courthouse blown out' "It Is feared that daylight will re mr tht TUT Oig Building is practically demolished, and beyond 'repair. The courthouse Is practically new and has only been completed about a year at a cost of 975,000. "A\l of the men InJurM are prom inent, Omar Conley, sqn/of County Commissioner W. T. Conley, being 18 years of age. While the cause of the accident cannot be ascertained it is presumed that the three men were thawing out the sticks for killing fish in the river. The whole town Is In an uproar of excitement and still trembling from the effects of the ex plosion. "Only recently an explosion of dy namite In the river, presumably to kill fish, shocked the whole town. "This Is one ofJhe jrors^accidents ever known to occur in this section of the State, especially as the public building was so badly damaged." axothkA ACi'Ol ST. Ashevllle, Jan. 28. ? By the acci dental discharge of a stick of dyna mite In the county courthouse at Bry son City tonight Omar Conley was In stantly killed, Barrett Banks lost both eyes and was otherwise serious ly injured, and Lee Francis, registrar of deeds of Swain county, was fatal ly Injured. . Conley and Banks were thawing dynamite on the radiator of the reg istrar's office *in preparation for a fishing trip. One of the sticks of dynamite, it Is said, fell to the ground and exploded with such force as to shatter the doors and windows of the office and seriously damaged the en tire west end of the courthouse. Many valuable county records and legal papers were destroyed. Regis ter Francis was working at his desk when the explosion occurred. Late advices tonight state that he and Banks have little chance for recov ery. ITALIAN ?0Y$ * GREAT SUCCESS One of tfce But Performances of Lyceum Course. The closing number of the Lyceum course, The Italian Boys, at the pub lic school auditorium last evening, is pronounced today^by those competent of Judging, the best attraction of the series. . Although the weather was unpropltlous a goodly number were present and thfix were simply carried away with every number. The Ital ian BoyS under the direction of Mr. Elbert Poland,, were here last season and they pleased our people so well the management of the course decid ed to have them make a- rtflurn date Thai thuau lu uhmrxe made no mle take goes without saying. The com pany was composed of Mr. Al\>ert Fol and, . manager and director; B. Desimone, violin; B. Slbermano, cello; O. Frasslnl, clarinet; O. Peace, harp, and Travis Walsh, soprano. The, program consisted of Instrumen tal music by the entire company. In strumental soloe, vocal solos and Im personations. Thq climax of the en fHilnnunt w??, r? th?d whan "a sirht i? v.nw ?i tir^nlnil Thll l? the outcome of Mr. Foluid'i In-" ftnloM aU and It ahowwl that fa* GUARDIAN OF COOK'S RECORDS The Young Sfjbrtsman Ngw in Asbeville Asheville, N?C.. Jan. 28 ? The man to whom Dr. Cook entrusted hiB rec ords at Etah to bring to this coun try, Mr. Harry Whitney, is in Asho TiUe. Mr. Whitney is at the Manor whqre he came to 'spend a few days with friends who hare Orchard cottage for the season, arriving here from Jack sonville and. Intending to leave to day for New Orleans. "I haven't even a guess," said Mr. Whitney laughingly when aske him. "Yes," he said with a laugh, "but not very much." "There Is nothing in the Arctic for which' one can spend much money." tfaid M^. Whitney in reply to a ques tion. It was suggested to him jhat it was said the Esquimaux had be come aware of the value of their serv ices and would make exorbitant de mands on explorers and hunters. "Oh, no," he replied. "Not the Es quimaux I eacounterod on my trip. Those at "hrth stations in Labrador where many Cayca^ia^is come have jgrown wise but those at Etah and in Greenland generally are the same ] THUNDERSTORM Washington wai Tisited yesterday pfternoon with a rain and thunder storm. The rainfall waa considerable donations were rendered In a way to captivate and pleaae. In his character readily- he was aaaerb. The audience exhibited UM'ri j_ii i iu uicy always? wero. " It was suggested to Mr. Whitney that Arctic explores spoke of the necessity of having sometimes to make a meal of the dogs used to draw the sledges and in view of the prevailing high prices of meat in this country he was askeh^if dogs were very edible. Mr. Whitney said that | fortunately he could not speak from [personal experience. "Those dogs are not dogs as they are denominated in this country," said Mr. Whitney. "They are more like wolves. They are very strong. It -being considered that the average Esquimaux dog will draw 100 pounds on a sledge." "Does one feel, the Intense cold very much?" Mr, Whitney whs asked. "Yes, at times greatly." he replied. "You see there la no method of arti ficial heat save the oil lamps and when one gets cold he stays cold. The only way to get warm is by exer cise." "Dou you have to stay cooped up In a hut during the Arctic night?" he was asked. '"Yes," he replied, "except when there Is moonlight, which exists 14 days a month on the average. But when the moon dlsappeara it is time to make for a hut because that Is no country in wnich to be lost In the dark." * * FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. All Cordially Invited to Attend AU Service# Sunday. s There will be regular services at t|ie First Baptist Church Sunday morning, anto evening, to which the public Is cordially Invited. The pas tor, ttev. J. A. Sullivan, at the morn ing hour will preach from the text: "The Higher Life.". At 7:30 the topic of the discourse will be "A Night in the Denert." Sunday school meets promptly at 9:45 a. m. and. the subject of the lesson will be. "Some Laws of the Kingdom.'.' Good music: all services. Polite And anfl^tTVB usTimra free. COMET OUT - TO' BE NEW WANDERER This is the Statement of the Scientist But Its Direction is Not Determined? Seen Righh Alter Sunset. ITS ORBIT NOT KNOWN Boston, Jau. 27. ? The new comet first seen In South Africa January 14 Is now known to astonomers as "Comet A of 1910," although at Klal It railed "Alpha 1910." and as it is now visible all over Europe and the United States, Professor Pickering, of Harvard, has told the unsclentlfl cal person where to look for the I stranger. I "rr should be looked for in the I western sky, just about the setting of the sun or 4:15 p. m." he said. "It is apparently receding from the sun and is gaining in brilliancy every night. We are now thoroughly con vinced that It is an absolutely new comet, as we can not Identify it with any other known in astronomical records." The new comet has been photo graphed at the Harvard astronomical obacrratory. When eh, r,!..,!.! wanderer was first seen, at Johannes burg, Africa, it was supposed to be the Rates comet, but Professor Woodsworth has announced that it is a new edition to astronomical knowl edge. Professor Kobold. of Kiel Univer sity, has determined its orbit, accord ing to a dispatch received at the ob servatory yesterday afternoon. Hlfi observations show that it passed peri helion January 17, ai\d Is now reced ing from the sun. The two observations made, at the Harvard observatory, together with those made at other olfeervatorles, furnishes sufficient data for Profes sor Kiel scieentiftcally to determine the orbit of tTie comet. Five exposures, lasting frcr; 2 to 5 minutes, were made, the * ;ortest proving the most vuccesn'u'. The, focal length of the lens was 13 inch es. Since {he camera was used wlth out a clook regulator, the pictures of the comet, Venus and neighboring stars, appear as streaks, but the reg ular astronomical clock could not be used because the cornet was so long on the horizon. ?. Professc:1 Jacoby, of Columbia University, has given in more detail than Professor Pickering Instructions as to where to find the npw comet. He says: Receding "I^ook toward the southwest at sun set or just after, and unless the sky be o\;ercast Venus will serve as a landmark to the lay observers. The planet will appear about 30 degrees southeast ward of the sun as men in' general reckon the points of the com pass. according to the geographical (direction in vfrhlcb they stand. "The comet will appear Just about half-way between Venus and the sun, and Id. early a straight line between the two, or about 15 degrees from Ve nus and same distance from the sun. "While not so brlgtu as Venus, perhaps, It will be nowise dim, and" anyone with ordinary eyes should have no trouble In seeing it once he knows where to look for It. It will be brighter "than most of the stars, and show before they come out. "The comet must be looked for fry awn after the oun seta, though, for It will not remain above the hori zon even until after dark has com pletely fallen. "These directions will not hold good*1ong. We do not know the com et's orbit, and we can not say which way It Is traveling or where It will i>e In a few days." OLD KF.rn ENDS IN FATAL SHOOTING. ? ' Ashvellle^s'. C., Jan. 27. ? As the result of an old feud. Bas Browning, an Allen Creek township farmer of Haywood county, was shot and killed in the Bank of Waynesvllle by Allen Green, ?l*O d farmer of l he tmme count v^At 11 o'clock this mornings The killing took place. In the pres ence of the Bank officers, at a time when the bank was filled with people, and created much excitement. Green and Browning were neigh bora, their farms adjoining, and were related by marriage. Qreen, wher la a constable fti the Allen Creek sec tion, surrendered to the police and Is now in jail at Waynesvllle await ing preliminary trial. FRIENDSHIP WITH THE IJ. S. ' ^ States Minister Baron Komura, 'Minister of For eign Affairs, Made Statement to Japanese Diet Yesterday That Frieudship Was Stronger. IS FIRM AND ENDURING Toklo, Jan. 27. ? Baron Komura, minister of foreign affairs. arfdressed the diet this afternoon upon the sub ject of diplomatic relations, laying d|>ecial stress upon JAPBIi'b lUllUluiis with Russia. China and the United States. Regarding Russia, he said that the international relations had been regarded recently with a feeling of suspicion due to groundless rum ors. He said: "I assure you with perfect frank ness and sincerity that the bonds of amity between the two countries are being constantly strengthened, and there is absolutely no cause for. ap prehension or concern. Botfi govern ments are dealing In a spirit of mu tual accommodation , which policy | will be maintained firmly In the fu ture. I confidently expect a further | consolidation of these cordial rela "The friendship "Tietween Japan and the United States." continued the Baron, "stands firm and enduring upon the foundations which are es sential to the best interests of the commercial relations of the countlres. Both governments are directing their best efforts to obtain the object in view. "The United States government re cently proposed a plan regarding the neutralization of Manchurian rail ways. The imperial government with regret was obliged to announce its| inability to consent to the proposal. I trust that the United States will ap preciate* our position and that the othe? powers will equally recognize the^Ustice of Japan's attitude." Following Baron Komura's speech | M. Osaki, mayor of Tokio, a promi nent merntirr-o^-the conservative par ty. unsparingly criticized the haste and curtness with which, he assent ed. -*?- it hnri mpTi*"1 the American proposal for the neu tralization of Manchurian railways. Liberals Hope to Gain Votes 1 London. Jan. 2s. ? Further gains by the Unionists. In spite of the bot . ter showing made yesterday by the; liberals, were recorded in the first returns received today. The weather was mild and rainy today, and gave promise of comparatively heavy poll ing in the 19 constituencies voting. At noon tb? party totals stood: Unionists. 261; liberals. 255; labor itcs. 39: nationalists. 7 4. The first unionist^ gains were at ^Vatford. Hertfordshire; East Grin* atead, Sussex, and North Northamp tonshire. Today Is the last day of the gen eral election, save for a few scattered constituencies and postponed* con tests. The liberals this, morning hoped for a sudden wave In their fa vor which wouid give them an actual majority over the unionists, who led py a grown m iwk ? tw an? of such an eventuality seemed alight. The liberals today took up the dif ficult task of attempting to stave off the threatened nationalist .split, which would prove, if not fatal, at least a grave menace to the govern ment program. If the liberals can not rely upon the Irish votes in the new parliament, the fate of the bud get is a matter of conjecture. The announcement In his paper! that William O'Brien, who has a fal lowing of 10 or leas Irish members, will fight the budget too,th and nail because^ of Its heavy tax on Irish whiskey has brbught rejoicing to the unionist leaders and something In the nature of consternation to-thelr op ponents. O'Brien, however, frowns ^aflliiUnn wlt*? of the Eng lish parties. ' Efforts are being made, however, to Induce him and Jimothy Healv to use their Influence on John Redmond, the chief Irish leader, in an attempt to slash the government coalition. " " ?< The government has fought this* at^ tack.. however, by gtailar means, and the Irish leaders are. beLw^a^f-rwo forces, but holding the whip hand if they remain firm. ? Tilt IWU fclfl full? mil >? f 0. k-tmko iwt tWt lutnMtj lit* Id th? hull of M*. Th?r? m otter ctmpllcatlaiM, imnt. Tho takor wwitwi. i?r<, hchhhhih I ASKS STATE ID AID IN THE . EOjjD ROADS Desire Appropriation Ask That Not Less Than Quar ter of o Million ef Dollars for Helping the Different Counties Be Granted. COUNTIES TO RAISE DOLBLE Raleigh. Jan. 27. ? More than one hunderd citizens from every part of the State, from Wilmington to Aahe vllle, assembled here today for the good roado conference called by fltata Geologist Joseph Hyde Pratt, under the auspices of, the North Carolina Good Hoads Association, of which he is the secretary. The conference adopted a series of resolutions calling on the next session of the general assembly to appropriate an ample amount of money for providing through the highway division of the geological and economic survey ade quate rosd engineering assistance to all the counties In the construc tion of good roads and bridges, also calling on the legislature to apprlprl ate not less than 1250,000 annually to assist the counties in road build ing, the counties aided to raise twice the amount received from the State. the moneys thus raised to be spent only on' roads , wtiose location and' specifications are approved by the State highway engineer. t There is also a clause of the reso lution declaring that it Is the Bense of the meeting that the best use that can be made of the State convicts Is in the construction of good roads and that counties deuiring to secure such convicts have the first right to use them for this purpose, provided they pay to the State a stipulated amouut per day for each convict, the State to bear all expense of maintaining, care and guarding the c.onvicts.vJind that In allotting convicts counties that do not maintain chaingaugH Khali have first preference in leasing convicts. Dr. Joseph Hyde Pratt presided over the conference and the discus sions wgre animated and of great in* treat In road building. THE LAYMEN WIET>SPEAK A Most Interesting Program Has Been Arranged. > Everybody Is cordially invited to attend the Laymen's movement at the First Methodist Church Sunday even ing. At t{ie morning hour at this church the pastor *111 speak from the I topic "The Death legacy." At the Laymen's movement at night Messrs. Samuel Carty. M. P. McKeel and C: G. Morris will speak. They are to give reports of the recent 9tate con vention of the Laymen in Greens boro. .The choly will render special music. The following program has been arranged: ? Ten-minute address, "A Descrip tion of the Great Greensboro Conven-^ tlon." Samuel C. Carty. Ten-minute address. "What the Great Meeting Meant to Me." M. F. McKeel. Ten-minute address. "The Inspira tional Power of Uae Laymen's Meet lng In Greensboro." C. G, Morris. Remarks by the pastor. Rev. M. T. ? Plyler. Don't blame the cat. No doubt a canary bird looks as good to Mm ?>s a watermelon does to a country boy. of the government block, are laying ibeir plans to force the appointment of one of their member# to the cabi net. There will probably be a great storm before a socialist enters the 1 ministry. ? New Advertisements. ? 'in Today's News * ["? J. K. Huyl ? Hair Turin uv. ? + ? i ? Washington Drug Co ? ? Washington Light apd Water ? ? Co. ? Welsbach Lights. + ? Garfield Clemmons ? Barbecue. ? ? C. D. Parker? -Insurance. ? ? Mlona. + ? Crystal Ice Co. + ? W. J, Rhode* ? News Stand. ? ? Gem Theater. ? Gaiety Theater. + - ? ? ? t I* ? Clark o*.? The Oiar- ? b . .tocM 8^ % '? ClMMto ttaMgklV Ok ? i 1 ?