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AYrl If . : T ' IT - I .. . VOL. XVII. NO. 6. WILMINGTON N. C. T1IUBSDAY- JANUARY 7, 1904. FIVE CENTS i It j P. 0. AFFAIRS Alleged Irregularities Discussed in th Senate o SPIRITED DEBATE The Debate Arose Over Uie Motion f Refer the Carmack Resolution, Which Calls for a Senatorial In vestigation, to tlie Committee on Postoffices and Postroada Several Senators Took Part In the Debate. The Democrats Claimed That the Country Would Not be Satisfied Unless a Thorough Investigation is Made. Washing-ton, January 6. Alleged ir regularities in the postoffiee department consumed nearly all the time in the - Senate today. The question came up on a motion first made by Mr. Lodge and afterwards by Mr. Penrose to re fer the Carmack resolution looking to a senatorial investigation of the depart ment to the committee on postoffices and post roads. The democratic Sena tors resisted the motion and contended that the country would not be satisfied with an investigation of a department made by the department itself. The debate continued for almost two and a half hours and was extremely spirited from start to finish. Mr. Carmack resisted Mr. Loig's motion, declaring that if departmental irregularities were to be investigated only by the department themselves it would not be long until there would be "a stench in the nostrils of the people." The only safeguard was in congression al investigation, he said. Mr. Clay, expressed - surprise that there should be opposition to the reso lution and called attention to the de clarations by Fourth Assistant Post master General Bristow and Counsel tors Bonaparte and Conrad that the investigation should be carried further. He declared that the Bristow report "demonstrates the "absolute guilt of the late first assistant postmaster general, Mr. Health. He (Bristow) says h m self that this leading high official was guilty and the prooof is overwhelming. If this is true, jMr. Heath should have been indicted. -"I will do Mr. Bristow the credit to say that his report shows that frauds of postoffiee department originated in Mr. Heath's office. If so he must have had cognizance of them. Then why should the subordinates, in that office be indicted and the principal be allowed to escape?" Reference also was made to the ne gotiations with B. S. Richardson con cerning the Montague indicator in which Mr. Clay said there were many suspicious features pointing to Mr. Heath. Mr. Clay declared his conviction from a thorough reading of the Bristow re port that Mr. Bristow had been satis- - fied beyond a doubt that the guiltiest party of all was the retired first assis tant postomaster general, yet he had never been indicted or arrested. "In the interest of fair play,, in the interest of justice, in the interest of good gov ernment and clean administration'' he said, there should' be an inquiry, and I am surprised that my friend the Sen ator from Massachusetts, (Mr. Lodge) ehould object." Mr. Clay also declared that the Pres ident had reflected seriously upon Mr. Heath and had desired the retirement of '-Mr. Heath from the secretaryship of the Republican National convention. 'Mr. Clay was careful to say that he Intended no reflection upon Mr. Wynne, the present first assistant postmaster general. On the contrary, he to. k p i ins to speak in high terms of Mr. Wynne, saying that he had given material as sistance 'to the department inquiry. Mr. Carmack made a general plea for a senatorial inquiry and the reason given by him was the newspaper re port to the effect that the postmaster general had not been in sympathy with the postoffiee department inquiry when undertaken and that he had pronounced ' Tul'och charges to be "hot air." ,., The statement aroused Mr. Spconer, who said that the charge did great in justice to the postmaster generaX So far as the 'Bristow inquiry was con cerned Mr. Payne had been in thorough sympathy with it ind had placed the entire machinery cf the department at the command of the official who made this most remorseless inquiry. Mr. Carmack repeated the report that Mr. Payne had referred to the Tuiloch charges as "hot air" and Mr, Spooner replied that Mr. Payne had remained at his desk in this city day after day all last summer -while the inquiry wan in progress, notwithstanding he was in very poor health, devoting every ener gy to seeing that "the truth should be brought out and the department purg . ed of every element of graft." Mr. Carmack declared the irregu'ar- Itles in the postoffiee department had shown an inefficiency in the administra tion. Mr. Spooner said there could not be any disputing the fact that inefficiency had been shown, and that it was begun in the Cleveland administration. Mr. Gorman said he was willing to have all the resolutions calling for in vestigations of the postoffiee depart ment referred to the committee on post office and postreads as he had r.ce.ved assurances from the chairman tha prompt action would be taken. In this connection, however, he said, he wanted to call attention to the fact that all of the! debate on this subject had but em phasized the necessity for an investi gation of the postoffiee department. He said he had no desire to investigate any particular officer; that he believ ed the Investigation should be much broader than that, a 3 the irregulari ties had crept in by degrees and their corruption possibly had been a part of three or more administrations. It has now reached a point, where men who are corrupt themselves have disclosed the corruption of others "My purpose," he added, "is not so much to expose this corruption as by the action of Con gress in making protective laws to eliminate the chance of such corruption in the future in the postoffiee depart ment." Mr. Spooner asked if Mr. Gorman would not be willing to supplement hat suggestion by calling upon con gress for a thorough investigation of all departments at stated periods. Mr. Gorman answered that he would be willing to make the Change, but for the present he was content to deal with the question in hand. 'Continuing he declared that the corruption wasjvot a party matter; that the present post master general could not have been re sponsible for the state of affairs in his department, as it started before he en tered upon his duties at the head of the department. A severe denunciation of the charge of suppression .of information wa.s made by Mr. Lodge, who sa d that he was- thoroughly tired of that old weak ened itory which had been male ove, and over again by Senators on the oth er side of the chamber. He said it is quite true that the Republicans had nearly two-thirds of the members of the Senate and that he wanted to in form the other side that they were thoroughly responsible for their con duct of affairs and that as they were responsible they proposed to conduct their affairs in their own way. Con-, tihuing he said: "We are not afaird of day light; we are not afraid of the Senator from Maryland and least of all we are not afraid of that old time worn story of suppression of public in formation." After some further colloquy between Messrs. Spooner and Teller over cau cus control of party action in the Sen ate an agreement was reached to post pone further discussion of the postoffiee question until Friday next and the Senate adjourned. HOUSE O'F REPRESENTATIVES. Washington, January 6. The only measure considered in the House today was a bill introduced by the delegate from Hawaii to ratify an act of the Hawaiian legislature to authorize the manufacture and distribution of elc c tric light and power on the island of Oahu, territory of Hawaii, which came up for consideration under call of com mittees. Owing to objeotions made to the bill in the 'form presented it was recommitted to the committee cn terri tories. Reference was made by Mr. Robinson to the absence of Delegate Kathanianaole, saying the committee was embarrassed on that account. CAPTAIN LEMIjEY SUED By Naval Officer for Arbitrary Con duct Toward Him. Washington, January 6. Robert Burton Rodney, paymaster with the rank of lieutenant commander on the retired list of the navy, today brought suit for $50,000 damages aaginst Captain Samuel C. Lemley, judge advocate general of the navy for alleged long continued "pecuniary and naval grade losses" and indigni ties. The complainant alleged that Captain-Lemley has usurped practical supremacy in the navy department and is depriving the complainant of legal rights under his commission. XO SUCCESSOR TO LONGSTUEET. Oflicer of Railroad Commissioner to be Abolished. Washington, January 6. Secretary Hitchcock, of the interior department has ; recommended to the President that the office of railroad commis sioner held by the late General James Longstreet, be abolished. It seems probable now that the recommenda tion will be adopted and that no suc cessor to -General Longstreet will be appointed. I For two years the in terior department has made no esti mate for the salary of railroad-commissioner, ' the necessary appropria tion for General Longstreet's salar of $5,000 being made by congress on its own initiative. The duties of. the office practically have been absorbed by the inter-state commerce commission- Resigns Position With the Southern. Columbia, S. C, January 6. P. I. Wells, superintendent -of the Savan nah division of the Southern rail way has resigned, effective January 31st or as soon before as- he can be relieved. He has accepted the posi tion of general manager of the Co lumbia Electric Street Railway Com pany, which was re-organized today. Mr. Welles has been superintendent of the Savannah division since Sep tember, 1895. LACK OF CARE Terrible Condition of Af fairs Existed in the Theatre 0 PRECAUTIONS! By the Testimony of the Managers of the Iroquois it Was Shown That There nad Been no Provisions Made for Putting Out a Piro if One Occurred None of the Employes Were Instructed What to Do if Fire Should Occur Eleven of the Exits Were Locked on the Day of the Fire. Chicago. January 6. By their ow evidence given today before Monroe Pulkerson, who is conducting the Are department investigation into the Iro quois theatre horror, the proprietors of the theatre showed that a worse con dition of affairs existed than had here tofore been thought possible. Will J. Davis. Harry J. Powers and Thomas J. Noonan, active managers of the. Iroquois theatre, were examined by Mr. Pulkerson today. All of them pleaded ignorance of any precautions taken to prevent loss of life by fire at their theatre. They admitted failf ure to instruct employees in fighting fire, and failure even to provide suita ble appliances, for use. against the flames. Their statements were corrob erated by the testimony of twenty Gir. ployees of the theatre, none of whom had ever been told his duty in case of fire. ; Noonan who is the working manager of the theatre under direction of Davis and Powers, admitted today,- tnatj eleven of the theatre exits were lock- ed and bolted. Two of these exits leading: to the front of the theatre Of-. the ground floor were locked, three ad ditional exits on the north side of the ground floor were bolted, three excts on the north side of the theatre from the first balcony were bolted, and three exits on the north side of the second balcony were bolted. The greatest loss of life ifrom tne fire was in the first and second bal conies where hundreds of people were suffocated through the inability to get out or were tramped to death wh'-e trying to do so. Had these three exits in each balcony been available, according to Inspector Fulkerson th loss of life must have been greatly di minished. jNoonan declared that no person had been' named by the theatre manage ment to superintend the operation of the ventilators of the theatre in case of fire and that in consequence the flames had been permitted to sweep the place instead of seking a natural outlet through the stage roof. It was said by Noonan that George M.Dusen berry the head usher, Archibald Ber nard, chief electrician and the thea tre engineer- knew how to operate tn ventilators. It was proved by the ev idence of these men. however, that two of them never went upon the stage and that the other had never been told to assume charge of the ventilators in case of fire. From figures obtained by Noonan to day it became evident that almost one in three of the people who attenaed the matinee lost their lives, the ser centage being a trifle over 31 per cei:t. The theatre seated 1,606 people and in addition to these 256 had been admit ted after all these Were sold, making a total of 1.S62 people in the theatre of whom 591 were killed. That the employees in the front of the house were thrown into a panic by the fire was shown by the testimony of all stage hands examined today. Two ushers, each sixteen years old, de clared that they ran on the first alarm of fire and did not return to the theatre until the next day. The stage, hands said they all sought safety on hearing that the place was on fire. The formal inquest into the. fire will begin tomorrow morning. The first witnesses called will probably be spec tators who wrere in the theatre wften the fire was discovered and after them the stage hands will testify. DISPENSARY OX FIRE Several Barrels of Whiskey Burned. Licenses Revoked. (Special to The Messenger.) Wilson. N. C-, January 6. The Wil son dispensary caught fire thismornin ? at 4 o'clock. Several barrels of whiskey were burned, besides consid erable damage being' done to the large stock of bottled goods on hand and to fixtures of the. place. The loss will amount to about $1,000, which is ful y covered b" insurance. The origin of . the fire is supposed to be incendiary, as what appeared to be burned tar was found bv a trash ple in the room where the fire originated. and a window pane had been broken out of the front of the building. Business continued as usual after a few hours interruption. The county commissioners had a meeting yesterday at which they de cided there should be no more license granted in Wilson county, and-revok-ing those that had already been taken out. This action is considerably crit icised by many, 'while it meets with the approval of others. NOT LIBERAL Japan Has Not Received Concessions from Russia STATUS OF CASE Certain Concessions Made in October Were Accepted by Japan, But Xater Were Withdrawn Terms of the Last Proposals Made by Japan to Russia Russia's Reply Has Probably Been Prepared, But it Has Not Yet Been Received Fur ther Negotiations .Will Probably be Necessary. Tokio. January 6. A high Japan ese authority today made the follow ing explanation of the status of the far eastern questions: "The staiement that Russia has made concessions to Japan is not ex act. On the contrary, Russia, in the month of October, made certain con cessions, which were accepted by Japan, subsequently withdrew them and assumed an attitude which left the Japanese little hope in the way of reaching a satisfactory agree ment. "The Japanese government, con fident in the declarations of disinter estedness in Manchuria made by Russia, and recognizing: Russia's spe cial interest in that region, wished to regulate, once for all, all questions in the far east, in the interest of fu ture peace and tranquility. To this end Japan made the following pro posals: "(1) Russia and Japan should mu tually respect the independence and territorial integrity of China and Corea. "(2), To recognize reciprocity Japan, the special interests of Russia in Manchuria, Russia the special interests of Japan in Corea. "(3) To engage mutually not to infringe Japan, . the commercial rights and immunities acquired by Russiav in Corea; Russia the com mercial rights and immunities ac quired by Japan in Manchuria. "In making the third proposition, Japan wished not only to protect her own rights in China and those of Russia in Corea, but to consecrate by the principle of equality of treat ment the commercial rights of all nations in Corea and China. "Russia declined the Japanese propositions and submitted a counter proposition which contained a clause providmg for the fcreation of a neu tral zone extending from the China Corea frontier to Wong Tan on the east and to Ping-Yang on the west. This zone comprised almost a third of Corea. "This Russian proposition took from Japan all guarantee of the pro tection of her rights ' m Manchuria and sequestrated a considerable part of Corea, where without contradic tion, Japan's interests preponderate, and which every nation recognized as being within the legitimate sphere of Japan. "The proposal exasperated Japan ese public opinion. Japan could not accept the proposals." Tokio, January 6. It Is believed here that the Russian response has been handed to the government, but the secret of its delivery has been zealousy guarded and the nature of the reply remains undisclosed. Min ister of Foreign Affairs Komaru called this afternoon upon Baron de Rosen, the Russian minister to Japan with whom he remained an hour and later he visited Premier Katsura when an extended conference was held. There is every indication now that further negotiations will take place, although it is expected that Japan will refuse to transfer the dis cussion of affairs to St. Petersburg if this is proposed. London, January 6. A dispatch to Reuters Telegram Company from Tokio says: "All the Russian war ships recently at Vlandivostock are reported to have sailed, probably for Port Arthur. "Russia's reply has not yet been received by Japan. There is a strong, widespread tendency to doubt the re ports of the alleged conciliatory char acter of the reply." London, January6. The parly of marine engineers from the Clyde "dis trict engaged by the Japanese gov ernment to proceed immediately to Japan presumably J for service on board transports, sailed for Japan yesterday. Another j draft of Scotch engineers left G'qvan quietly for Japan a week ago. A detachment of one hundred and twenty British naval pensioners and naval reserve men and ten British officers "started for Genoa. Italy to day to assist in the navigation to the far east of the Japanese warship Kasaga tand Niasin. 'The railroad station was crowded with sightseers, whov manifested great enthusiasm. There were repeated cheers for the "gallant little Jap." Washington, January 6. When Admiral Evans fleet was ordered back to its station from Honolulu, It was arranged that the cruiser squadron should stop at Midway Island, where there is a cable station, to receive any instructions the department might desire to send. These instruc tions were simply for Admiral Evans fleet to await instructions at Guam. It is expected that Admiral Evan will reach Guam in a few days and report his arrival to the department. It is the purpose of the department to cable to the admiral a special set of instructions to meet the present conditions in the east and these in structions will be delivered to him at Guam according to the present pro gramme. It is stated at the depart ment that they will show no dis crimination whatever, as between the parties to any possible hostilities, but tne admiral will be expected to so dispose his force as to maintain the appearance of strict neutrality as Deiween tne belligerents. Seoul, Januar 6. A Russian lega tion guard of thirty has been landed at Chemulpo and the Japanese rail way has refused to Transport it to Seoul. It is reported preparations have be'enmade for the emperor of Corea to find an asylum at the French legation in the event of se rious trouble. It is expected that France and Germany will send ma rines here to guard their legations. A MACHINE THAT CAN FLY RESULT OF TRIALS MADE IN DARE COUNTY. N. C. The Wright Brothers, of Dayton, O., Inventors of the Machine Give Out a Statement New Principles Em ployed. Dayton, O, January 6 The Wright Brothers, inventors of the flying ma chine which attracted such wide spread attention have prepared the following which they say is the first correct statement of the two success ful trials made by them. ".On the morning of December 17th, between 10:30 and noon, flights were made, two by Orville Wright and two by Wilbur Wright. The starts were all made from a point on the level and about 200 feet west of our camp, which is situated a quar ter of a mile north of Kill Devil sand hill, in Dare county, North Carolina. The wind at the time of the flights had a velocity of 27 miles an hour, as recorded by the anemometer of the Kitty Hawk Weather bureau sta tion. This anemometer is 30 feet from the ground. Our own measure ments made with a hand anemometer at a height of four feet from the ground, showed a velocity of about 22 miles when the first flight was made and 22 1-2 when the last flight was made. The flight was made di rectly against the wind. Each time the machine started from the level ground by its own power with no assistance from gravity or other source whatever. After a n.n of about forty feet along a mono-rail track. which held the machine eight inches from the ground, it rose from the track and under the direction of the operator climbed upward until an in clined height of eight or ten feet from the ground was reached, after which the course was kept as near horizontal as the winds gusts and the limited skill of the operator would permit. Into the teeth of a December gale the "Flyer" made its way forward with a speed of ten miles an hour over the ground and thirty to thirty five an hour through the air. It had previously been decided that reasons of personal safety, these first trials should be made as close to the ground as possible. The succeeding flights rapidly in creased in length and at the fourth trial a flight of 50 seconds was made in which the machine flew a little more than half a mile through the air and a distance of more than 652 feet over the ground. The landing was due to a slight error of, judg ment on the part of the operator. After passing over a little hummock of sand, in attempting to bring tne machine down to the desired height the operator turned the - rudder too far and the machine turned down ward more quickly than had been ex pected. The reserve movement of the rudder was a fraction of a sec ond too late to prevent the machine from touching the ground and thus ending the flight. The whole occur rence occupied little if any more than one second of time. "Only those who are acquainted with practical aeronautics can ap preciate the difficulties in attempting the first trials of a flying machine in a 25 mile gale. As winter was al ready set in we' should have post poned our trials to a more favorable season, but for the fact that we were determined before returning home to know whether the machine possessed sufficient power to fly, sufficient strength to withstand the shock of landings and sufficient capacity of control to make flights in a boister ous as well as in calm air. When the points had been definitely estab lished we. at once packed our goods and returned home, knowing lhat the age of the flying machine had come at last. "From the beginning we have em ployed entirely new , principles on control and as all the experiments have been conducted at our own ex pense without assistance from any individual, or institution, we do not feel ready at present to give out any particulars or detailed description of the machine." , General Agent at Wilmington of , S. . A. Ii. Abolished. Norfolk, Va., January 6. A cir cular from the general freight agent's office, bearing the date of December 29. 1903, announces the resignation of T. D. Meares as general agent or the Seaboard Air Line at Wilming ton, Jtf. C, and the fact the office of general agent at that point has been abolished. The circular "was mad public today. 17 LIVES LOST Rock Island Express and Freight Train in Collision HEROIC DOCTOR The Wreck Was Probably Ctewcd ly the Carelessness of Traimmeo An Inquest is Begun by the Coroner and Will bo Continued A Report er of the .Topeka State Journal Wad on the Wrecked Traim and lie Gives a GraplUc Deaoripctat of What Occurred. Topeka. Kons., January 6. feren tean persons were killed aa thirty eeven injured in a.ead-oa eoUlBion between the . Rock Island, California and Mexico Express and a freight train at Willard this morimg. Most of the injure dare in hospitals in To peka. The doctors announce that all will recover with the exception of Mrs. M: A. Hill, of Greensburg, Kansas, It is thought that carelessness of trainmen caused the wreck, instructel to meet a special freight train at Wil lard, the engieer and conductor of the ill-fated passenger, noting that a freight train stood on the side track at Willard. rushed through, thinking that the cars they had seea were the ones which they had been instructed to pass. Upon seeing at Willard a freight train on the siding. Engineer "Benja min threw open the throttle, and un der the impetus of full steam tke pas senger train leaped into tke darkness and crashed along at a rate which the passengers declare to have been, fully 65 miles an hour. A formal Inquest was keid at th wreck today by Coroner Dooley of Waybunsee county. The ImTestlgation will be continued tomorrow. (Copyrighted 1904 by the Topeka State Journal.) Topeka. Kas.. January . H. G. Parsons, a reporter of tke Topeka State-Journal, who was on the wreck ed Rock Island train, arrived a Tope ka at 8 o'clock this morning after driving overland from the none of the collision. Parsons escaped . wUh slight injuries while two persons on the seat in front of him were killed. Parsons tells the following Btory of the wreck: "It was in the third car ot tke pas senger train, the first coacki havinsr been preceded by a smoker and bag gage car that the greatest Iocs of life occurred. The smoker which was oc cupied by only two or three men, was overturned and pushed through th car behind it. which was crowded with passengers, some standing la th aisle. The first warning given the passengers in this car was when the sudden setting of. the air brakes shut off the lights leaving all in darkness. A moment later a mass Of splintered wood and iron was crowded down upon them. No one was thrown out of his seat by the blow. Most of thofuj in the forward end of the car w:r killed instantly. Thirty in tke cear end of the. coach, however, succeeded In escaping from that end of the car which was still unobstructed. No one in the front half of the car esca-vd. They were crushed down between the seats by the smoker. Whem rescue was finally possible three living per sons were taken out by the rescaera who were compelled to chop holes in the side and through the floor and top of the coach to reach them. "The three rescued from this portion were a man, a small girl and a mid dle aged woman who were moaning nnd beeging to be taken put One man. hurt internally was removed through the rear door within fiv minutes after the collision but dted al most as soon as the rescuers could lay him down. A woman died two hours later while trying to tell the physi slcian her name. A dozen men had worked on the place where she seemwj to be before she was extricated. "Bonnie Martin, a girl 11 yearj of age. was pinned down between the two cars, the heavy stove resting on one foot. Her cries attracted th" recuers and men. many of them bleeding from wounds about the face and arms, worked heroically to get ker out. It took two hours of steady work to re lieve her. When she was taken out she addressed a doctor who was bend ing over her as papa.' The physician did not have the heart to tell her that she was an orphan her father an3 mother having been killed. Mr. Martin was killed instantly and Mrs. Martin died ten minutes after being taXen out of the wreck. The child was suffering with a broken ankle, where the heivy stove fell on her, and caused serera contusions. She was- put to sleep by a hypodermic injection to relieve th pain. Some of the -bodies fountf in the wreckage were so badly crushed as to be unrecognizable. Through a bole in one side ot the car the body of a gray haired heavy set man and a wo man with long yellow hair were visible. Fires were built , along the track at 6hort intervals and' by the light of these, the rescuers, in their eagerness to remove the victims, chopped openings in the wrecked coach until exhausted, then handed their axes to others." (Continued on Page Ptve.)
The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Jan. 7, 1904, edition 1
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