North Carolina Newspapers

1 LA 1 Fair toniLt and Thurs- day. Warmer . tonight. Moderate southwest and west winds. CIRCULATION Tuesday 1,808 Copies a-! I, I f (. VOL. XII. FINAL EDITION ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOHER 25, 1022 FOUR PAGES NO. 254 Commander's Monument Beginning Thirty Seven Years Ago On Small Basis, Suffering a Fire That Practically Wiped -It Off The Face Of Earth It Has Conquered Difficulties And Achieved Real Success Starting aa a small planing mill ( 37 years ago, Commander's Mill has! planed and sawed and hammered! Itself through those thirty seven! years into a condition or nrst row prominence in the line up of Eliza beth City's industries. In 1885 the little mill under the Inspiration of T. A. Commander, Sr., the father of the present T. A. that I everybody knows, and his brother, C. E. Commander, started business on custom work alone. For six years. the little mill flourished. In the sum mer of 1891 business became so brisk that It was found necessary to ( continually work all of the days and j part of the night.- The little plant ! had ibeen started, metaphorically j speaking, on a shoe string, but under careful management and by quality workmanship it was rapidly bring : lng itself into first place among the lumber finishing industries of this j section. 1 Along about the first of October 1891, a tremendously big order came j to the Commander Mill for work J from an out of town buyer. The order was to be shipped immediately j after Christmas, so the mill worked 'day and night making and storing : this order in the mill sheds of their j ! establishment. In the meantime the ! ! Messrs. Commanders had decided! that new and Improved machinery! was needed in the mill, and had proceeded to order it, intending to j put It in place during the holidays. The profits of all the previous years of their successful business was piled In and around the mill in the stock that they had worked up, prepara tory to shipping after Christmas. In that stock was represented not only their past profits, but also the money! that should be used to make a sub stantial payment on the new ma j chinery. On the night of December i 23rd, the mill completed the work on their big order. After months of unceasing toil they had accumulated a stock already sold, that meant'the assurance of the stability of their business When that stock should ?o to its out of town buyer, the solid ity and future of the mill would be ?stablished. . By 10.30 p. m. the last plank had been planed and put in ts place and the management, with nuch satisfaction, issued a procla mation to the mill force that they iad been good and faithful and had tuck to their jobs; that they had succeeded In the past three months, by working day and night, in turn ing out a great quantity of finished naterial and in consideration of the "aithful performance of their duties ihey would not wait until Christmas j eve to begin their Christmas noli-. lays, ibut the holidays would start hen and there. ' The men left at 11.00 p. m. after an inspection of the mill, the Com manders went to their homes, happy in the knowledge that they had per formed a great work. Their Joy of achievement, however, was short lived and satisfaction gave place to consternation, for at 3:00 a. m., the rnmmnnder brothers were notified that their mill was in flames, The j . anartmpnt at that time, was not the smooth running, well oiled and highly efficient fire fighting ma chine that it is today and before the fire could be brought under control, the entire mill and its contents along I with the hopes and aspirations of the ! two men that had built it, had gone ' up in flames and smoke. Agencies ; for insurance companies, in those i days, were not as handily around the I corner as they are today and the ; Commanders had not one cent of insurance to take care of any part of the loss. Naturally they were dis couraged. Their new machinery hnd arrived and the only money Avntlahle to pay, even the freight charges on It, was represented by the smouldering ashes of the mill. It i may be truthfully said that they ! were down but not out. j With a marvelous display of sheer : grit, these two plucky men, gulped 1 down, their misery, and with an en ergy enhanced by adversity began seeking a way of reconstructing their business and the result was a new i mill, a larger mill, and a .better mill i than "they had had before. In 1898, a saw mill was added and gradually, from time to time, they took up the building of special ties. T. A. Commander, Sr. has returned fr fho place of everlasting achieve--u-nt, while his son tbe present T. A. " trilu'n up the work where the - I ft oT p"d the mill today Mill Is To Sheer Grit G-14 000 Newport News, Va., Oct. 25 (By The Associated Press) The presence of mind of one of the crew saved the army dirig ible C-14 from the fate of its sister ship, C-2, today when a big hole was torn in its gas bag as it was being taken from the hangar at Langley Field for a flight to Aberdeen, Maryland. When the craft bumped its side, gas began to hiss from the bag and everyone scurried to safety. One member of the crew, however, pulled the rip cord,' releasing the hydrogen. BUYING DOLLARS CAUSED TROUBLE Paris, Oct. 25 (By The As sociated Press) The buying of dollars by British banks with French francs in their posses sion is said by French finan ciers to be the principal cause of the present weakness of the franc. The dollars were used by the Brit ish to pay the interest on the war debt to the United States. Bankers and financial authorities of the government appear undisturbed by the rise of the dollar and pound. Hew Ministers Take Oaths Today London, Oct. 25 (By The Associ ated Press) The cabinet of Bonar Law was sworn In at Buckingham Palace this morning and the mem bers began to function immediater as a new government. Discuss Abcliticn National Conventions Atlanta, Oct. 25 (By The Associ ated Press) Views of Southern executives of the Young Women's Christian Association as to the pro posed abolition of national conven tions, in favor of regional conven tions, because of the unwleldlness of the former, were heard at today's session of the Southern regional con ference. dustrial period, using every work day of the year, with a few temporary shutdowns. For five years they have been building boxes, crateR and barrels. This was taketj up as a side line to the general business but if the side line continues to grow, It is apparent that It Will soon be a case of the "tail wagging the dog" for the side lines have grown beyond all expec tation and belief. No accurate estimate can be given of the capa city of the nilll in crates and barrels but If they built nothing but fish boxes alone, It would be an Industry well worth considering. Of this product alone, Commander's mill turns out 30,000 a year, and if thirty thousand fish boxes were to be seen in a single pile, It Is highly probable that one would be likely to remark "Where in the world do all the fish come from to fill them." Mr. Commander states that, owing to the Incliqation of the farmers t" raise a few more truck products than they have in the past, It is probable that the output of cabbage crates, will also be Increased. Commander's mill stands on Front street, facing Lawrence, a long lino of buildings half a square In length, reaching from the "street to the water, and It Is well provided with all the machinery necessary In the conduct of Its business, including one of the shrillest tooting little 1 """n the confines of Ells- CI ZTtu c, j , iHLuucmji Parent-Teachers Assoclal Ion I'rgcs .Mow Opportunity For Homo j Study The Parent-Teachers Association is now endeavoring to help the school boys and girls not to fall below the! standard in scholarship, by urging that their social affairs be planned I for Friday and Saturday evenings and that parents make special effort to encourage home study. Tlrs movement was heartily en dorsed by the Central Council of Pub lie Welfare Tuesday evening. This particular method of first aid does not entirely appeal to the boys and girls, hut it is believed that! eventually It will. It is a recognized I fact, that ninny formerly good stu-j dents are falling behind In their work; and it Is also well known that nearly every night there's a party to which the younger set in whole or In part is invited. The young person's point of view is this: "If you don't go, you ! t0 be nioored in the open water of soon are dropped out of social af-tllB harbor here over niht fairs. It you do go, you can't keep! Accordingly the fleet of seven or up with your school work." Their '"ore I,,a,le8 wi'l Ieave the Naval troubles increase each year, until in'nasi! parly Friday morning and com the last years of high school they are i in8 down on t,,e ocean Rl(,e o( thH on the verge of despair and failure all because they haven't conserved their energies properly, and it is notltnpn separate, two planes going, to altogether their fault. Hertford and two to Edenton, where If parents all will plan to have they will engage In maneuvers. The parties for the young people on Fri-' other planes of the fleet will fly dl day and Saturday evenings only, and ! rect to Elizabeth City and are ex wlll encourage home study, soon new pected to arrive here between nine habits will be formed. Eventually and ten o'clock In the morning, good programs at the movies for the! Shortly after noon they will be Join young people will be secured, and ; fi'l 'y the four planes from Hertford Elizabeth Citv bovs and eirls will i and Edenton and the entire fleet will graduate with higher honors and find their way made easier all along. No doubt even the parties will be all the more enjoyed. Along this line, however, it Is sug gested that the young people aren't the only ones who need a bit of sobering down. Some parents and students rise to remark that somen of the teachers don't set a very valu-j BOyS RUH A,W3y FrOIH ought to be at home looking over papers frequently when they're hav ing social affairs galore. And shocking as It may sound, It Is even declared that there are par ents who might well be. staying at home in the evenings and getting ac quainted with their boys and girls instead of doing other things of really less importance. But co-operation of parents, teach ers and pupils will do the work, and that is what the Parent-Teachers As sociation end the Welfare Council are seeking. At the Welfare Council meeting Tuesday evening a number of emerg ency cases received attention. A committee was appointed to see about fitting up the Community House for the winter, the welfare of fleer reporting that the weather was too cold for the babies at Tuesday's meeting of the Mother's Club, and there is no stove. COTTOX REPORT Washington, Oct. 25 (By The As sociated Press) Cotton ginned prior to October 18th amounted to 6,962, 034 running bales, the Census Bu reau reported today. FELL TO DEATH FROM SIXTH FLOOR New York, Oct. 25 (By The Asso ciated Press) Lloyd Warren, head of the Beaux Arts School of Archi tecture, jumped or fell to his death today from a window in his sixth floor apartment. His age was 48 anil he lived alone. EXTRA! HERE'S STAR WHO MADE HER OWN DRESSES To the many film followers who have regarded Constance Talmadge simply as an amusing and extremely capable actress, there will be a genu ine surprise in knowing that the popular film star Is also a very adept dressmaker. As evidence . of her skill along this line she has made a dress of .her own creation which she wears In "The Primitive Lover," her current First National attraction which is showing at the Alkrama Theater Wednesday. The gown Is a charming design of satin and lace which the star wears during some of the most important scenes in the picture. Like most of Constance Talmadge's pictures, "The Primitive Lover" Is a sparkling comedy based on Edgar Selwyn's irlglnal story. It has a slightly more serious theme than many of Miss Talmadge's previous productions, but is worked out in a thoroughly humorous style, dealing with mar ried life that has been founded on a deception and the struggle of clvl l''d love pitted against the amor o"i r '" r.rrq of caveman rnr'Vn is. PLANES TO ARRIVE mm Air nfnnATiTn Two Planes Go To Edenton And Two To Hertford Prior To Maneuvers Here The planes which are to take part in the Hying circus over Elizabeth City this week will arrive Friday morning instead of Thursday after noon, according to Secretary Job of the Chamber of Commerce, who re turned Tuesday night from a special trip to the Naval Base at Norfolk. Secretary Job explains that the planes which are to take part in the maneuvers are due to hop off short ly aftpr the completion of these ma neuvers on a 1,000 mile flight, and in view of this circumstance it was deemed best not to subject the planes at this time to the hazard of having banks will cross Currituck Sound to the Albemarle Sound. They wiH then engage in the maneuvers over the Elizabeth City harbor. The flying circus is attracting a great deal of interest, not more than two planes having ever before vis ited the city at the same time. Heme To Work On Fam Two VoutliM Spend Night Here And Appreciate Kindness of Wel fare Department Tuesday evening In the midst of the meeting of the Central Council of Public Welfare a telephone call for Mrs. Anna Lewis, Welfare Officer, gave a very definite demonstration of the emergencies which arise almost daily in welfare work. In this instance, two boys had run away from their home In Oceana and Cape Henry, Virginia, and hun gry and cold had got as far as Snowden when Wilson Williams, salesman for W. H. Weatherly Com pany, picked them up in his auto and brought them to town. He bought them some supper and then telephoned Mrs. Lewis to know what to do with them. The hoys were about sixteen years old. The older one had quarreled with his father and didn't want to go home again. He was trying toj reach the farm of a cousin near Edenton and go to work there. The younger one was just going along for the adventure. Mrs. Lewis secured them a room for the night' at the Y. M. C. A., while a committee composed of Dr. S. H. Templeman, O. H. Hood and G. R. Little talked to the boys, fin ally deciding that it would do little good to send them home they hadn't had enough would set out again. So after talk-i Ing to them kindly, but firmly, tliev told the boys that their parents would be notified of their where abouts and that they would be alio-.' ed to go on to Edenton, the Eden ton welfare department being ad vised to notify Mrs. Lewis of hon the boys get along. Apparently there was nothing vicious about the hoys, and they were most apprivi-. tlve of all the kindnesses them. Wednesday morning Mr. shown' j took them in his auto as far as Hertford, whese he Is going to at-10' tend the Fair. I Missing I.Ianfs Hat Is Found Moscow, Oct. 25 (By The Associated Press) The hat worn by Phillip J. Shield, missing Richmond, Virginia, American relief worker, has been found on the bank of the Volga, five miles above town, ac cording to a telegram from Joseph Dalton, sup ervisor of the relief organ ization at Simtirsk. Train Mile From Town But Couldn't Get Here Night Express In Sight Of Foreman-Blades Mill Had To Run Back And Come In By Suffolk A freight wreck a mile and a half to the north of Elizabeth City about ten o'clock Tuesday night had the effect of devouring by way of Suffolk all passenger' traffic between Elizabeth City and Norfolk from that time until the 11:35 train this morn ing. Train number Three, the Night Express from Norfolk due here Tuesday night at 10:40, did not ar rive until 6:46 o'clock Wednes day morning. The track was opened Wednesday, however, In time to per mit tralu number One, morning train from Norfolk, to go through on regular schedule. Train 62, through freight from Raleigh to Norfolk, passed Elizabeth City Tuesday night shortly after ten o'clock. A little over half a mile beyond Foreman-Blades mill, which is about a mile from town, the freight started to back into -what used to be the main line of the track leaS- ing into Elizabeth City, but what is now merely the spur leading to the j freight depot here. As the freight backed In, one car left the track, and! two others followed it, ploughing for v fni' thirty feet a furrow deep enough to bury a man in. Hardly had the wreck occurred and signals set for the night express when the passenger train came into view. When the situation ahead had been ascertained Elizabeth City pas sengers were given their choice of footing it to town through the dark and the dew or of remaining on the train until it could go back to Caro-jhe generally carries it through, re llna Junction and get Into Elizabeth gardless of obstacles. City by way of Suffolk. For instance, some months ago Among those who chose the for-! now Mr. Job has h;,d his heart set mer alternative were John Pinner, ' on getting a panoramic view of Jack Munden, W. A. Brock, O. F. Elizabeth City from photographs Seyffert and Secretary Job of the taken in the air. Chamber of Commerce. Happily fori But aerial photography is a com them, Mr. Munden's son, William, I paratively new art and results en was on the crew of the wrecked train tlrely satisfactory to Mr. Job's crit and he gave them a torch to light j leal eye have been hard to get. But their way back to town. "They told difficulty never daunted Job yet. He us," said Mr. Job Wednesday morn ing, "that we were only a-mile from town; but I didn't get home till one o'clock and felt like I had walked ten miles." Wednesday morning a wrecking crew was at work clearing the track and had cleared the main line but appeared to have a day's job ahead of It in clearing the spur to the freight depot here. All three cars were still off the track and the train's momentum when the wheels struck the ground had carried the two cars first to leave the track clean off their trucks. The middle car of the three had buckled slightly and stood at a slight angle to the other two. The cause of the wreck could not be ascertained" Wednesday. Fireoan Killed Several Injured Portland, Ore., Oct 25 (By The Associated Press) One fireman was killed and several injured early to day when the half million dollar , because ; Washington High School was de of it ani stroyed by fire. Foreign Business ! Is On The Upgrade' I New York, Oct. 25 (By The Asso-i elated Press) Business in the Far East, in Europe mid Latin America lis sleadily on llio upgrade, delegates ! . . ,!. . .1. 1 . . , veiiumi ui me American Maniificturers Export Association I were told today by Dr. Julius Klein director of the United States Bureau i Foreign and Domestic Commerce.! Duck Hunters Find Body OT Aged Man Egg Harbor, N. J., Oct. 25 (By Th-tj Associated Press) Two duck huni j ers today found the body of John Ditch, eighty-year hermit, whose life since ho moved Into the woods near here half a century ago has been mystery. Ditch s death was penally mysterious. The hunters found a quantity of money In worn bills In his pocket and his bank book showed a Ijalance of $1500 In Egg Harbor Bank. Miss Mao Smith of Gatesvllle Is i visiting her sister, Mrs. Robert Tay lor, on West Church street. Payflmor GO Lloyd George Declares Will Support Any . Party That Pursues Peace And Progress London, Oct. 25 (By The As sociated Press) "I will sup port any party and any govern ment that pursues a policy of peace and economic steady pro gress, neither revolutionary nor reactionary, and does it effici ently," Lloyd George told the coalition Liberal members of parliament at a meeting this morning. In another part of his speech he made the declaration that "Great Britain must pay Amer ica all her debts." Unity of action between Great Britain and the United States was urg ec by Lloyd George. inn I J$11$nli1l i7pc s What He Goes After Secures Promise Of Ofllcer At Navut Jtn.se To Send 1'liolngniphrr And ('itinera Willi Navy PI mien When Secretary Job of the Eliza beth City Chamber of Commerce fixes his mind upon an undertaking is as patient in the pursuit of his alms as was his illustrious namesake in enduring affliction. And so when arrangements were made at the Naval Base at Norfolk to stage a frying circus here one of the first things that Job thought of was those long desired aerial photo graphs. Tuesday he made a special trip to tbe Naval Base at Norfolk to see what could be done in this di rection, and to his delight secured the promise not only of a Govern ment aerial camera but also of an export aerial photographer to handle It. Camera and photographer are due to arrive on board the naval planes scheduled to reach here Fri day morning. Raleigh Uzi Heads Co-operative Dand Louisville, Oct. 25 (By The Asso ciated Press)-irThe co-operative niarT ke.tlng associations of tobacco grow ers banded together today through the agency of the American Tobacco Growers Co-operative Exchange, an organization which resulted from a two day's conference here. W. O. Wilson, of Ualelgh, N. C, was chos en secretary of the organization. lilKKtf THE ADVAXCK Raleigh, N. C, Oct. 22, 1922. Mr. Herbert Peele, Editor, The Advance, Elizabeth City, N. C. Dear Sir: I was mailed a copy of your paper dated October 14th, which carried the story of the motorcycle races at your Fair October 13th. I wish to ssay that this Btory or write-up of the races was one of the best that I have ever seen. It certainly was a pleasure to us to see the appreclatlorTthat you people have for the kind of exhibition that we furnished you. We feel like that we have two very good papers here in Raleigh, but you can Bay to whoever wrote this story that we would like to have him with us In Raleigh. I would appreciate It very much if you would send me two copies of your Octobor 14th Issue. Again thanking you for your consideration of us and our ef forts to give you a clean race, I am, Yours very truly, BERT Q. TILLEY.