North Carolina Newspapers

i?, f-i'' ;,.P ,"'. '.V V i S v. WEATHER North and South , HOME r EDmbN Carolina: Partly TTTT cloudy tomgui uu tu mor row; proDaDiy showers. J VOL. XXIV. NO. 131 WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA; MONDAY EVENING, MAY 20, 1918. FIVE CENTS Alffi W ILMINGTON - f - DlSPATG TWO DISTINGUISHED VISITORS REACHED CITY THIS MORNING General Carr and Dr. Owens Inspect Shipyards. HERE FOR TWO DAYS. Party Met at Union Station and Carried to Yards in Special Car. MASS MEETING TONIGHT flag Raising Exercises at Steel Yard Early in Afternoon Luncheon at Cape Fear Club. THE DAY'S PROGRAM Visitors reached city on train from the north at 10 : 15 a. m. Met at station by delegation of citizens and formalities ex changed. Special car left Wilmington ho tel at 11:30 carrying party direct to the yard of the Carolina Ship building company. Flag raising exercises at steel yard at 1:15 o'clock, with address by General Carr, who paid high tribute to Roger Moore, father of the mayor, of Civil war fame. Visitation of concrete yard of Liberty Shipbuilding company at 2 o'clock. General Carr and Dr. Owens drove nails in the mould loft building, now in the course of construction, and General Carr went aboard the big suction dredgejulling lever and starting work. Luncheon at the Cape Fear club at 2.45 in the afternoon. Mass meeting at the Academy of .Music at 8:30 p m., to be ad dressed by General Carr and Dr. Owens on shipbuilding matters of vital importance to Wilmington, Thomas W. Davis, presiding. Tomorrow will be spent in de tail work, the city's distinguished visitors leaving in the evening for Charleston and other points south in an effort to lend impetus to shipbuilding in government yards of the south. Wilmington is . todav . . atertainin Gen. Julian S. Cair; of Durham;: and ur. uarence J. Owens, aere as rep resentatives of the shipping board and the Southern Commercial congress, in an effort to speed up shipbuilding in the government yards. Wilmington is leaving nothing undone to make the stay of her distinguished visitors pleasant, and Wilmington is prepared to profit by their visit anxious to co operate in every possible manner in the formulation of plans that will tend to speed up work in the yards here. General Carr and Dr. Owens ar med in the city at 10:15 on the train mm the north, and were met at the rtafcon by a delegation of representa- uuMuess men. Alter the ex uange of formalities the party re paired to the Wilmington hotel, tak a special car at 11:30 o'clock for we yard of the Carolina Shipbuilding wmpany, located in the southern sec tion of the county. Flag raising exercises were held at we fabricated steel yard at 1:15 o ciock, General Carr-speaking briefly die bleasure that was his in being present. He paid a high tribute to we memory of Roger Moore, father o Mayor P. Q. Mo0re, who fought with daring throughout the War Be ZT vthe states, declaring him to e we bravest man with whom he had -er COITlo in i Leaving the Carolina yards early in concrete yards of the Liberty S,hip uiiamg company and there General th7n?JDr- 0wens drove nails in ZrTnlf l0ft' a bi& building now in uteTtf, construction. A few min aboaJr8,4 General Carr went in th. J 6 big suction bridge lying tin? trVer and pulled th lever, set- Motion """j ui me areage in Both flpnoal n , 4 St t?emselves as nihlv "ati- the tw7 PI ogress of the work at ue two yards woii j uv Just as it stands. shortly Paaf?y 0retued to the . city the cL tr 2 0 clck and repaired to tor St ,ar club- wnere luncheon ,r cS lCbwab to Wilmington aa rpa l,uwaD or Wilmington Owen? at the luncheon by Dr. wSht S 3s.,meeting will be held to 8:30 nvi v Academy of Music at ttPeciS and a11 Wilmington is carr Si attend- Both General Mnhnn 0wens will address on Pance matters f vital impor- ians ,,,lliaington and Wilmington 0ver bv tI meetinS will be presided mber n TMi W- Davis' Prominent trodurp tv he ,ocal bar, who will in- tors win spend tonight and I -mil inn- ... - l TrlAi... taorni " Jn th city The entire edm, : QUU cany arternoon were i . ul i n t-; , . . w -.Lciirju or tne yards and 1(w. Tv" ":3rk will be done tomor- Pttildin " lea. 13 to speed up ship Pave thR visitors will not lnsuH - Dey are assured that their Serai r, resuIts- Dr. Owens and V thpnn g0 to charleston from finanv6 on into Georgia, Florida of !h lnt0 Texas, where their &wpyards will be completed. SCHWAB'S MESSAGE The following message directed to the citizens of Wilmington from Charles M. Schwab, director gen eral of the emergency fleet corpo ration, was read at this afternoon's luncheon at the Cape Fear club by Dr. Clarenee J. Owens. It is a personal message, signed by Mr. Schwah himself, and Collows : May 17, 1918. To the Citizens of Wilmington. Gentlemen: Permit me to con vey to you my feeling of sincere friendship and desire for develop ment of the shipbuilding industry in your community. We have reached a position in this country's history where every locality must perform its. full -service and every man must do his full duty. The industry established in your dis trict wilT be developed as rapidly as the energy of your people will warrant and we enlist your enthu siastic co-operation in every direc tion, as the entire resources of ev ery part of the United States must be made available for this national emergency. I hope soon to personally visit your city to see the progress that you have made, and to convey my felicitations to you in person. Help me! Yours very sincerely, (Signed) CHAS. M. SCHWAB. Director General. JOHNSON UTTERS ABE Driver Testifies Dentist Said Married Girl to Save Her. Richmond, Va., May 20. The fight over the admissibilty of Dr. Lemuel J. Johnson's love letters to Miss Ollie White, a Zebulon, N. C4, music teacher and letters from her to him was resumed today before Judge Richardson, in the Hustings court, where Jfchnson1 Is on; trlajf or wife murder 'TUe;i.0tate.vpr'iiope?'.df proTing a motive, fa byJjftetHntbe letterB before -Urwurjr r ' ' Judge, Richardson will rule on each letter as it is introduced The first one allowed to come in was one from Johnson to Miss White, beginning "Dearest Sweetheart," Letters from Miss White to Johnson were exclud ed for the present because it was not proved' she wrote them. Judge Richardson ruled to admit the letters found in Johnson's room In Wilson, N. C, at the time the young dentist tried to kill himself. The letters were addressed to friends and relatives. - W. G. Driver, of Norfolk, on the witness stand today, said Dr. John son told him he married Alice UKnight "to -save her." This was after he first denied being married. Miss Lottie Holland, a stenogra pher in a Richmond bank, will be a witness against Dr. Johnson, -It be came known today. She appeared in the court hoom to day for the first time since the trial began. Court had not yet convened and Dr. Johnson, who was peering from the prisoner's room into the court room, beckoned to her. She entered the room and chatted with him until detectives noticed where she was. They called her out at once. Miss Holland, it was learned, was employed in Dr. Johnson's office in Middlesex, N. C. She' was there when he received a telephone mes sage from Richmond telling of his wife's death. It is said Dr. Johnson told her an Old college chum of his had died. What else she will testify to was being kept a secret today. With dozens of delegates and visi tors in attendance and with interest among Episcopalians at a high pitch the thirty-fifth annual council of the council of East Carolina will be con vened in St. John's Episcopal church this evening at 8:30 o'clock, the ses sions to continue through Wednesday night. Preliminary service will mark the opening of the council and will be followed by an educationa ad dress on "Religious Education," by Rev. Llewellyn N. Caley, D. D., of Philadelphia. The opening session of the Tuesday meeting will be held at 9:30 o'clock, all daily sessions being devoted to church work while the evening ses sions will be open to the public and will be of general interest. , Paralleling the church council the annual convention of the woman's auxiliary and parochial societies of East Carolina was convened for a three days' session at the home of Mrs. Nixon Davis, 515 Orange street, this af ternoon at 4 o'clock, when con ference of the diocesan officers was held. The remaining sessions will be held in St. John's parish house. ADMITTED N COURT CHOP COONCIL WILL BE CONVENED TONIGHT RETURN OF SPIRIT Best of Divisions Tried Severe ly First Part of Offensive. RANKS ARE FILLED Impression of Terrific Ordeal ng Battle Still Retain ed by Troops- Fit SES GIVEN REST t ' e w nen renewal is M Will Be to Divide Al ii rArmies Extend Li ine. With the French Army in France, Sunday, May 19. The Germans 'ip parently are awaiting the return of offensive spirit among some 'of their best divisions, severely tried during the first stages of the offensive be fore re-opening operations. - Large numbers of their units lost a consid erable portion of their effectives in the heavy fighting in Picardy and Flan ders, and despite the fact that thej ranks have been filled immediately from depots in the rear, strong im pressions of the terrific ordeal through which they passed are still retained by them. Most of these shattered divis ions have enjoyed only three or four weeks rest since which experience has demonstrated is hardly - sufficient time in which to restore fighting qualities. The German command knows this perfectly-well, and therefore is hold ing back as long as possible before at tacking so as to have more recuperat ed units available to add to those whiclfcsjhave not participated in the fighting up to this time. It seemS to be indicated clearly that the , objective of the Germans wen they do commence heavy fighting again will be a desperate effort to di vide the allied armies by assaulting their lines of communicaton. It seems probable, too, that they may even ex tend ;the battle front further joiith and east toward the district, fines between ti&te4nl fthmis.'whereeiront is well served by railroads which would enable them to attempt a surprise tfpon the allies by making a big demonstra tion there with the intention of attract ing General Foch's reserves while they carry out their main effort further north. The allies, however, are well pre pared for eventualities. The Ameri cans are working in the greatest har mony with host the Trench and the British and the most complete confi dence reigns among officers and men in all the allied armies. Probe Into Aetna Explosion Started By Coroner Jamison Pittsburg, Pa., May 20. Sixty-three charred and blackened bodies lay to day in the temporary morgue at Oak dale, near here, where on Saturday the high explosive plant of the Aetna Chemical company, was destroyed by a series of explosions. Ninety-four injured were being cared for in Pitts burg hospitals and officials of the company said that 212 of the total working force of the factory had not yet been accounted for. Many of these it was expected would register during the day at the office which the company opened in the stricken town on Saturday night Investigation of the disaster by fed eral, state, county and village au thorities was in progress while the search of the ruins went methodically on under the direction of Coroner Samuel C. Jamison. A heavy detail of troopers from the state constabu lary and a large force of deputy sher iffs kept back the curious crowds which thronged the hillsides overlook ing the ruins. Noxious gases from the explosion still hung in the valley and early to day it was decided to clear away the remnants of the buildings with dyna mite in the hope of more quickly ex ploring the ruins and ascertaining just how many bodies remained. An official statement from the Aet na Chemical company that about 775 men were in the plant-when the ex plosion occurred. The number known "positively to be dead" ia rorty. The plant is approximately 80 per cent destroyed and the .stocks of tuluol and the shipments of wet T. N. T. which were on cars ready to go out were lost in the explosion. "No plan has been formulated," the statement continues, "regarding the continuous operat'on at Oakdale or elsewhere of the manufacture of T. N. T. formerly conducted at Oakdale. The plans for the future will depend in large measure on the attitude of the United States government, for whom the T. N. T. was being manu factured. . . - I 64 CHARRED BODIES IN OAKDALE MORGUE RAiflNMnl ; li VISITS SHIPYARDS HERE MMtMNM, BIGGEST YET MADEj Nlflff llDENTi Gothas Flew at Great Height Raining Shells on City. . . , FIRE WAS TERRIFIC Thousands Rush From' Sea shore to Learn Fate of Their Home3. WAS MOST EXCITING Four of German Aircraft Fell Before Defense of London. Usual Warning Had Been Given London, May 20. The latest aeriaf attack of the Germans on London and its environs probably was the most ambitious ever undertaken. Never before was there such a con tinued volley or firing from the Brit ish anti-aircraft batteries. Thousands of people had their first experience in a raid. They were per sons from many points of England, Scotland and Wales., who took ad vantage of the Whit "Sun Tide holi days, which run from Saturday until Tuesday, to visit the metropolis. On the other hand thousands of London ers had gone to the country and sea shore resorts. They cut short these visits and hurried back to Lindon to learn the fate of their homes and relatives. . , Except for a few brief pauses, the gunners blazed away with a terrific concentration of fire. The raiding gothas flew 'at a great height, the majority , of them keeping well up to 12,000 feet in a very clear sky. The raid was one of the most ex citing Londoners have yet experi enced. As the enemy machines ap proached, the sky was filled with bursting shrapnel. Perhaps the most dramatic moment came when the dis tinctive hum of one of the German machines suddenly became a splutter and then ceased. The plane was seen tchnhst. into .flames as it fell. ' r After -the continuous 4bajrage died away , the searchlights were turned outwards ami lone shell was sent mftectW-retrt : A calm summer-like night tempted the Germans to try last night; their first-air raid, on London since March 7, and four of the raiders fell before the defenses of London. The moon was shining brightly when the raiders crossed the south eastern point and headed for the me tropolis. The usual warnings were given promptly and the people had time to reach shelters before the guns in the neighborhood of London were heard. The firing was almost continuous for more than two hours and was unus ually severe. Several bombs were dropped by the raiders. The num ber of enemy aircraft is not known, but they seemed to have been more numerous than usual. NORTHERN FRANCOS T Resolve of U. S. Troops Fight Until Victory Is Won. to British Army Headquartr in France, May 0. (Via Ottawa) Parts of northern France have become with in a short period thickly populated with American fighting troops, and great American training camps and depots are springing up where two months ago British khaki was nor mally seen. The outstanding impression of American organization may be summed up in one word thorough ness. One is conscious a every turn of the resolve of the Americans to fight until victory is achieved. Intensified training is being tire lessly, carried out in combination with the British and French. Large forma tons are steadily being drafted to aug ment the Americans already in the fighting line, and these are immedi ately being replaced by still larger numbers. Overman Bill Signed. Washington, May 20 . President Wilson today signed the Overman bill giving .the president broad powers to co-ordinate government departments. ANOTHER FRONT STREET BUILDING SOLD TODAY A realty deal involving approxi mately $18,000 was consummated this morning when G. W. Penny acquired from Dr.' R. D. Jewett, of Winston Salem, the handsome building at No. 20 South Front street, now occupied by the purchaser, the deal being handled through' the JrD. McCarley real estate agency. HICK WITH SAMMIES GEN. JULIAN S. CARR THREE SOUTHERN LADS ARE INAL1Y UST Report From Sammies Shows 45 Among Dead and Wounded. Washington May 20. The casualty list today contained 45 names divided as follows: : . v Killed in action ........ . . . , .r. . -1 Died of wfltands . . J Died of 'accident i Died of disease 7 Wounded severely 27 Wounded slightly 2 Officers named were: Captain Harris D. Buckwalter, Roy- ersford, Pa., killed in action and Lieu tenant Tom W. Brown, New Britain, Conn., severely wounded. Wounded severely: Privates Por ter E. Compton, R. F. D. No. 5, Mur- freesboro, Tenn.; David Z Cox. Nrama, La.; John S. Kirby R. F. D. No. 6 Box 63, Texarkana, Texas Wounded slightly: Corporal James L Megee, Bengal, Okla. U-39 AT CARTAGENA IN Is Submarine Which Sent Lus itania Down Off Kinsale In 1915. Madrid, Sunday, May 19. The German submarine. TJ-39, says an of ficial dispatch from Cartagena, enter ed that port last night in a damaged colfon. The U-39, ccording to German advices, is the submarine that torpedoed the Lusitania off Kin sale, May 7, 1915. A dispatch from Munich, Bavaria, received in Switz erland on May 8, said that It was the TJ-39 that sank the British liner. On March 11, 1916, it was reported in Washington that it was the TJ-39 which attacked the American tanker Petrolite off the coast of Egypt in De cember, 1915. It was possible that the old TJ-39 may be out of service by this time and that her number has been taken by a new boat John D. Berry, of Raleigh, grand secretary' of the grand lodge, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, here tomorrow for the sessions of the i srairi convention. DAMAGED CONDITION NEARLY BILLION WILL BE USED BY RAILROADS Board Has Authorized $937, 961,318 to Improve and Equip. Washington, May 20. Nearly a bil lion dollars, wm be, used by the na tiojj's railroads this- year for improve ments and equipment, according, to. a budget approved and published today by the railroad administration, author izing the expenditure of $937,961,318. Total, capital expenditures approved which amount to approximately three times as much as spent in any one of the last three years provide $440,071, 000 for additions and betterments, such as stations and other property im provement; $479,686,000 for equipment and $18,203,000 for extensions. By the figures Secretary .McAdoo made it plain that the administration, while not encouraging extension of track? during the war emergency, will allow the roads to make many im provements which they have neglect ed during the past three years. WILMINGTON WOMAN DIED IN BALTIMORE EARLY TODAY News was received here today of the death of Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Linder, which occurred in Baltimore this morning, following illness that had extended over a period of eight or ten months. The deceased was a daughter of the late James H. and Mary E. McGarlty and is survived by 12 children, one brother and a sister, Mrs. Frank P. Meier. Two daughters, Mrs. Fred Mohr afi lira. H. A. Kure, reside in this city. The deceased was 50 years of age and had spent the greater part of her life here, being born and reared in the city. She was universally liked and admired by all. Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday and in terment made in' Baltimore. Mr .and Mrs. H .A. Kure, Mrs. Fred Mohr and Mrs. Frank P. Meie leave this afternoon for Baltimore to attend, the services. i Calvin Woodward, grand master of the grand lodge of QddJ Fellows, who will be in the city tomorrow for the annual convention of the grand lodge, j ' M v Battered'Hun Divisions Need, More Rest For Battle. NO FIGHTING SPIRIT Now Believed Front W;il Be Extended South and South east on Aisne. ' j RAIDING MORE LIVELY! Except For Storming of Casa-t tasson Bridge by Italian ' Activity Has Been Con- fined to Artillery. From Ypre3 to Rheims, the allied, armies await confidently the resump tion by the Germans of the offensive they began two months ago. Good weather prevails along the fronts in Flanders and Picardy, but the enemy has yet shown no disposition to take f advantage of it i, Lack of fighting spirit in the crack: German divisions, it is reported, ls; holding back a renewal of the heavy battles. Most of the first class units were battered severely in the fight ing of the last two months and re quire more rest before they can i again take up active operations. Indications are that the Germans, may extend the fighting front further south an deast along the Aisnev into the Champagne. It is thought they may strike south of Laon, seeking to gain the attention of General Foch and his reserves while their real ef fort is made further north in ah at tempt to separate the Britsh and Fench armies. Meanwhile, British raiding activity, glows livelier. In a successful oper ation between the Ancre and Somme rivers, east of Amiens, Australian, troops Save occupied Ville-Sur-Ancre,. and captured 360 prisoners. On-the same front, between thefSomme'and Arras, Vl&feJttitHh have'' carried' out ;-fef miner raWs northwes of "Xlbert and- ..;4 near Hamel. Artillery and ' aerial work continues t high pitch. ; There is increased local fighting on the Italian front, especially in the mountain' in the western Trentino. Austro-Hungarlan troops have at tempted attacks on the Mantello and Adamello regions, but were driven back. In the Gludicaria valley, in the same zone, the Italians captured prisoners in breaking up an enemy outpost Except for the storming of casa-. tcison ridge, north of Monte Grappa, by the Italians, who captured prison- . ers, the activity on the front between Lake Garda and the Adriatic has been confined to artillery bombard ments. .Four German airplanes were brought down during an enemy raid on London and the southeast coa3t; of England Sunday night. This is tne largest number yet to fall before the i British defense. The raid was on a ; large scale and many bombs are re nted to have been dropped, it was. ie first enemy airplane raid onj nrland since Anril 12, and the first. on London since March 7, when 11 were killed and 46 injured in the British capital. Anti-German demonstrations in Prague by Czechs and Jugoslavs have.; resulted in a state or siege oemg proclaimed in the Bohemian capital The garrison has been reinforced and the Jugo Slavs ordered out or. we. city . - ; FARRELL IS APPOINTED A SHIPPING DIRECTOR BULLETIN Washinarton. May 20. James AW Farrell, president of the United States Steel corporation, is tne latesi cap-. the government win the war. He has been tendered the position of direc tor of operations of tne snipping i boara. ' Mr. Farrell has not yet replied! whether he could accept the position. Edwin F. Carry, the present director of operations, recently was maae chairman of the board's port Improve-1 ment committee, which will nave charge of one . of the most monumen- i tal undertakings ever launched in ine J United States. The task of reorgaa- izine dock and harbor facilities) throughout the United States will re- quire so much of Mr. tJarrFS' timef that he will not be able to continue - in both capacities. BROOKLYN MERCHANTS TO CLOSE EARLY IN EVENING . Practically all m erchants doing J business north of Red Cross street have .signed a petition, circulated oy j Councilman Loom! s L. Shepard.'him- j self . a merchant, agreeing to . close their stores at 7:30 o'clock each even- ing excepting Saturdays. The closed J season will extend from this after j .... 4-11 A A J -M n A . t uuuu uuui uie urni uttjr 01 oepiBmoer. The Idea is to 'give employes more time for rest and; recreation and to conserve fueL needed in thn renera. tion of electricity. The natLtion rjtw r.es the names of 23 merchants. .1 -j. v. 1 1 at;-' ; V'- A mi -ni'-.- - . S. 1 I fs e m : i ' Kit i" I . ' ' f- if A V -..'- w-'.-.i- m. i Km -Ill it Ml: m 1 1.; 9 ' . V : -. : .'' I f i 1 . v