THE ASHEA?ILLE CITIZEN
THE WEATHER
CLOUDY.
CITIZEN WANT ADS
BRING RESULTS .
vol. xxxni, NO. 211.
ASHEVILLE, N. C, TUESDAY MORNING, MAY 22, 1917.
PRICE FIVE CENTS
0
SPLENDID RESIDENCE . DISTRICTS OF
GEORGIA CAPWAL QUICKLY DESTROYED
GREATEST FIRE IN HISTORY OF SOUTH DOES
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS DAMAGE AT ATLANTA
Starting in Negro Section of City, on De
catur Street, Leaps to White Residence
Districts and Leaves Path of Desola
tion in its Wake, Making Homeless
the Rich and Poor Alike
MANY HOMES DYNAMITED
IN BATHE WITH FLAMES
Will Lead First U. S. Troops in France
Atlanta Virtually Under Martial Law, and
Fire-fighting Apparatus From Other
Cities is Helping to Put Final Quietus
on ihe Blaze.
io: ;i ATLANTA, May-wJU 2 o'clock this morning
the flames were under control, after reaching prac
tically to the ball park. Mayor Candler stated that
the flames were not of incendiary origin, and said
that the fact that three fires were raging at the same
time gave rise to that report. 1 -
IS. , ..
1 i, f r
3EN-. JOHN J.
PROPOSED TAX ON
COTTON DEFEATED
or SOUTHE
0
Tax on Automobiles Limited
to Companies Making
Certain Amount.
SUGAR MEN ELATED
AT COTTON VICTORY
IRISH
DESTINIES
WILL BE HANDLED
BY IRISH ALONE;
Lloyd -George Says Govern,
ment Will Call Convention '
of Irishmen Soon. :
Believe Tax on Cotton
Would Have Led to
Tax on Sugar.
ATLANTA, Ga., May 21. Fire that today swept
through a large section of Atlanta from Decatilr street
north and northeast, cutting a clean swath. of varying
widths, finally was brought under coutrol tonight nust be
fore it reached the Atlanta baseball park, in the opinion of
Fire Chief Cody.
Tonight several blazes could be seen in the north
eastern section of the city, but they were being quickly
handled and acres of what formerly bore beautiiul homes
laid waste by dynamite acted as a safeguard against
further general devastation.
Under Martial Law.
Tonight the city is virtually under martial law ad
ministered by hundreds of soldiers who have been train
ing at Fort McPherson or national guardsmen in camp
here, acting under the direction of Colonel Charles R.
Noyes, U. H. A., who officially is under the guidance of
the chief of police.
Thousands of homeless persons tonight were being fed
and housed in the Auditorium armory, the negro Odd Fel
lows' hall and in hundreds of private homes. The most of
them saved only what they could carry as household
goods piled in the streets m advance of the flames were
devoured in the rush of the conflagration.
Dynamite Finally Wins.
For six hours dynamite was resorted to and it finall v
iwon the fight. Fire fighting apparatus sent from othrr
cities was of some aid and will be of more, as acre after
acre of smouldering ruins tonight await water to make
them safe.
Only one death had been reported tonight. Mrs.
Hodges died of shock after her home had been burned.
Sixty injured persons were taken to hospitals, but it was
reported none was seriously hurt.
AnDroximatelv Revpmt.v-fivp hWIra
out tne area cannot be-eorrectly estimated by blocks, as
after the fight at Ponce De Leon avenue the flames skirted
that thoroughfare on the south side of the street for some,Cofree and roIls for each person was
HiofaniA uyuu iui supper na ureu.it-
No Guess as to Loss.
Officials tonight would not hazard a guess at the
monetary loss. The destroved buildings ransrA all the wnv
from shacks occupied by. negroes to homes un to a0flO!At th. SuSrtS
or $8,000. Some estimates wpw Unn to nnn nnn l?? were ,n th.e are" an1 prepara-
MnnnnnA i. j. xi. . w,wu,wv puu tions were maae to iiouae people In
SSSSSm!-i y-weI? n r om sourees Bor bascdi sLmXX
On Calculations tO give them Weight. 4 audltorium armory were a hundred
: The blaze started in the Skinner Storage and Ware-
house plant near Decatur street, just east of Fort stTOVA&arKi;
irom a cause not determined tonight. " It quickly spread to I haMU1y removed. They got more than
the small houses nearby, which were dry from lack of iSSS" SnSS
I even to milk for the babies, and the
. .vnm.Trr . I children, their supper, clothes, the
4CXJNT1NUJED OW PAX1E THKEEl ' " ' 'unw. and what could ba jaken Ttro?,
General John J. Pershing has been selected by President Wilson to lead the first
American expeditionary force to be sent to France. This force will be comprised of
aoout zo,wv men or tne regular army and will be sent as soon as practicable.
General Pershing was a brigadier general when he led the forces into Mexico in
pursuit or Villa. His work at that time won him the promotion to major general.
RELIEF MEASURES ON A LARGE SCALE
UNDERTAKEN BY RED CROSS AND THE
ASSOCIATED CHARITIES AS FIRE RAGES
Olhtr Societies and Private Individuals Join In the Work, and Food Is Quickly Provided torthe
Thousands of Homeless Homes and Public Buildings Thrown Open to Refugees
i
From ihe Flames Casualties Are Few.
4-4- 4- 4- 4-4-4-
NO RELIEF NEiOED.
"Atlanta greatly appreciates -f
offers of aid that already have
come, but we can handle the re-
lief situation without It," Mayor
f Candler- said tonight 5n a state-
ment to the Associated Press.
ATLANTA, May 21. The great fire
had swept no more than a few blocks
before relief measures on a large
scale were undertaken by the local
Red Cross and the Associated Chari
ties, who Joined forces with head
quarters at the auditorium armory.
Other societies and hundreds of pri
vate Individuals Joined In and it was
thought that every person could be
housed during the night.
the building were bundled Into huge
trucks and rushed to safety.
Negro Houses Burn.
Scores of negro houses were swept
by the flames and many of the former
occupants were left destitute, many
having no money to buy anything.
Relief for the negroes was carried out
on the same scale as that for whites.
The Idea of Individuals carlne for
others less fortunate than themselves
spread over the entire city late In. the
day when an afternoon paper Issued
an appeal for homes for those whose
houses had burned. Hundreds tele
phoned the newspaper office which
became a clearing house for the
homeless and the homes open to
them. Headquarters at the audito
rium armory also placed hundreds
more and telephones there were kept
busy., The number of homeless dur
ing the, night was made even greater
Ooa for S.OOP, burne.d for Holillers had formed a wlrln
Pood at the auditorium armory was zone about the burned area and for
provided for 6,000 people, both whites blocks in front of the threatened area'
and negroes being cared for., Army ' and drove householders Into the street
tracks, express wagons and trucks'
and private automobiles were pressed
into service to handle the foodstuffs
before It got so dark that nothing
could be done without confusion.
On vacant blocks anywhere within
a mile or more of the Are zone thou
sands of dollars worth of furniture,
from that of a poor negro tenant to
a wealthy land owner, lay piled In in
descrlbable confusion and on one lot
that since war times has housed every
circus that came to Atlanta, a hugs
circus tent was erected. It covered
more than furniture, for many peoplo
slept on their belongings, guarding
them and finding shelter that was unexpected.
Few people called at headouartera
for food early In the night, but large
quantities of it were sent to soldiers,
police and firemen who worked incea-
jsantly In the wide district that sur
rounded the pathway of the Are.
armory small
THE ASHEVILLE CI1IZEN
Circulation Yesterday
City . . . .
Suburban .
Country . .
4,604
4,546
1,711
Net paid
Service . .
Unpaid . .
Total .... .11,143
.10,861
211
.; .71
FEW CASCAIrTIES.
ATLANTA, Ga., May 21. The
small number of casualties reported
tonight were regarded by Red Cross
and charity workers as one of the
most unusual features of the Immense
Are. Sixty persons had .een ac
counted for tonight as having been
taken to hospitals as a result of the
fire. Only one death was reported,
that of Miss Bessie Hodges, who died
of shock. Many of those taken to
hospitals were suffering from shock.
from heat prostration or minor In
juries, often received In moving out
household effects.
The wide area In the sweep of the
flames was a scene of almost Inde
scribable confusion. The flames
moved In some Instances as steadily
as a man would walk, but ever the
householders kept ahead of Its march
and In this way no one as far as Is
known was trapped In a burning
house.
Work of the guardsmen and the
men who are candidates for officers'
places In the new army that Is to
fight Germany, was held to be respon
sible for saving hundreds from Injury
as darkness added to the confusion.
WASHINGTON, May HI. Two
sharp contests during consideration
or the war revenue bill In the house
today resulted In southern members
killing a proposed tax of 11.60 a bale
on raw cotton, and representatives
of automobile manufacturing dis
tricts limiting the Ave per cent, levy
on automobiles, motorcycles and their
tires, to plant paying annual profits
above $5,000 and eight per cent on
capital invested.
v ' Vote Tonight,
j House leaders' sa,ld tonight they
were determined to bring the bill to
anal' vot, , KomeUme . tomorrow
nlxht.
. Victory of the eotton fore, who
triumphed over Represantativo Moore,
or Pennsylvania, when his proposed
amendment was stricken out on
point . of order, was greeted Joyously
by those Interested In the domestic
rugar Industry, particularly Flepre
tentative Kordnay, of Michigan, and
Representative Martin of Ioulstana.
Had the cotton proposal been held
germane the bill would ' have been
opened to amendment carrying a tax
on sugar. '
The automobile' tax ' amendment,
offered by Representative Poremus. of
Michlaran. was written Into the Dill
after a futile attempt had been made
to strike out the entire pamgrapn re
lating to a Ave per cent, tax on auto
mobiles, motorcycles and tires. Mr,
Doremtis Insisted that many automo
bile manufacturers were barely mak
ing expenses. Democratic Leader
Kltchln quoted statistics to show that
the Industry was enjoying unpre
cedented prosperity.
Motorryi.'les Not Exempt.
A proposal by Representative Gll
lett of Massachusetts, to exempt
motorcycles from the tax was defeat
ed, eighty-nine to forty-eight.
Unsuccessful efforts were made by
various members to attach the Pore
mus amendment to other paragraphs
of the section designed to provide a
Ave pec cent, manufacturers tax on
musical Instruments selling for more
than $10 each. Jewelry, yachts, pleas
ure hnats. snortine aoods perfumes
and other toilet articles, certain drugs
and proprietary medicines and chew
ing gum.
A committee Amendment also adopt-
CONSTITUTION FOR , '
IRELAND PLANNED
If Irish Can Agree on Any.
n T sn tniii 'i lf'. x '
ouncme, iuey will ame ;
Ireland,
(Continued on Page Two)
LONDON, May ll-For' the rs 1
time In modern history., the destinies
of Ireland are to be placed In the ;'
hands of the Irishmen alone. The )
HrltlaK .rim. ml.l.l.r ' n..U !
ii f w uiiiiaivvi s e v i ia A J a ,
Oeorge, announoed to -the house of
commons today that the government t
will call a convention of Irishmen t
to frame a constitution for Ireland,!
and If Irishmen are able to agree upon
any scheme for the administration of
their country, will attempt to enact ,
It Into legislation without delay. Ait
sections, parties, creeds and factions, '
with, clergymen and laymen, as well
s politicians and even revolutionists
of the Sinn rein society -wlU be Jn
tlted to $ef together., ( f,'fi,
j j -i,s, nautical auncieV-' :o f-'
' Tf this Anal attempt succeeds, !
political miracle will have been Ac. '
compllshed. - There ls'no great optlw f
mlsm apparent respecting the success
of the plan, for Ulster stands where i
she has always stood. Sir John Lone. '
dale, whip of the Irish unionists, pre. ;
dieted the same old deadlock, declar ;
Ing that Ulster would not be driven
into a home rule parliament and pre- ' .
dieting that the nationalists will not
consent to the exclusion of six Ulster '
counties. ;
Both houses of parliament discuss.
ed Ireland today, with hardly a ripple :
of the old animosities and feuds dls
turblng their harmony. 5.
"The patient must administer to
himself" said Mr. Lloyd-George and '
a noteworthy feature of the discus- !
slon was an agreement that politician ;
must play a secondary part to the
men from other walks of life. The
premier specified . the i nationalists ;
faction, 'of .which John Redmond and '
Wm. O'Brien are the leaders, the Uls-- i
ter unionists, the southern, unionist ;,
and the Btnrt Felners as the political '
ooaies wnicn snouia oe represented
In the convention, but said that the .
government- considered It moat lm
portant that representatives, of local -
governing bodies, the churches, trades
unions and commercial and educa- -
tional interests should participate. .
Kcamona Ajrrees.
Mr. Redmond agreed in this nollcr.
and the veteran home ruler even of- '
fered to obliterate himself In the In- '
refused loudly to accept his 'offer. , '
Kven Lord Lanndowne, who has
(Continued on Page Two.)
T
E
Brass Attachment Strikes
Water and Boome
rangs Back.
IS UNPRECEDENTED.
WASHINGTON, May Jl. A trass
attachment of the powder charge
trlklng the water and boomeranging
back nearly 200 feet, after the Aring
of a naval gun in target prace, killed
Mrs. .Edith Ayres and. Miss Helen
Burnett Wood, Red Cross nurses of
Chicago, who lost their lives yester
day aboard the American steamship
Mongolia.
THE WEATHER.
WASHINGTON. May II. Forecast
for North Carolina: Partly cloudy
Tuesday, followed by rain at night
west portion; Wednesday faJa .aad
cooler. , . ...
Secretary Daniels explained in a
statement tonight that such an acci
dent had never occurred before and
that ordnance experts are puszled.
The guns were of the six-inch cal
ibre type, for which the shell and
powder are loaded separately into the
gun. The powder is contained In a
brass case and there held in place by
a pasteboard wad, distance pieces and
a brass mount-cup that Ats closely.
When the gun le flreJ, this brass cup
is propelled some distance, sometimes
whole and sometimes in pieces, but
also in front of the gun. - On the third
shot the brass mount-cup struck the
water peculiarly, boomeranged direct
ly back to the ship, struck the stanch
ion near where the nurses were sit
ting, and broke. Its 'piece instant-
Ux killed Ura. Ayres an4 Alias Wpod. '
Huge Submersibles Will Be
Used to Carry Pood to
the Allies.
LAKE IS INVENTOR.
PHILADELPHIA, May 21. TM
Philadelphia Press will publish
story tomorrow to the effect that
"America has found the perfect an- '
swer to the German submarine .
terror." It is Said to be a merchant
submarine standardised at about 7,
500 or 8,000 tons deadweight, of sue,
speed that It can even, when sub
merged, easily elude any surface oat- f
suer and is non-sinkable.
The craft, the invention of Simnn
Lake, according to the Press ts
capable of submerging within half a "
minute and has been so standardised
and simplified that the f.rst one may
be turned out In four nion.'is in,1
others after that at the i-ito of three ''
or four a week. It will burn heavv
oil and the construction is said to bo
such that parts . of it can be made'
simultaneously In many widely scat- -tered
steel plants and assembled in -a
central plant within a few days. The 4
vessels are to bo built n4 operated,''
the story says, by the Merchant Buh-
marine company, unde - government
supervision. Tha company hi cap-
iulixed at $10.000. OJu and was char
tered under the lows of liaJu on