VOL. 35
PLYMOUTH, N. C., FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 1924.
NO. 22
SEVEN FIREMEN
FALL TO DEATH
FUMES OF CHEMICAL HELP OVER.
COME FIREMEN AFTER LAD
DER GIVES WAY.
HURLED INTO TANK OF OIL
Loss at Pittsburg Refinery is Not
Known; Intense Cold Hampers
Firemen.
Pittsburgh, Pa.—Seven men were
1 drownerl in oil, two captains and five
hosemen of the Pittsburgh fire depart
ment. while fighting a fire at the But
ler Street plant of the Atlantic Refin
ing Company. The bodies were re
covered after the fire had been
brou^it under control, with the mone
tary loss unestimated.
The intense cold hampered the
work of the firemen.
T*he dead are Captain Edward Jones,
Captain Rudolph Bliske, Hosemen
Patrick Abbott, Robert Smith, John
Markham, Samuel Bollinger and Harry
J. Frazier.
A number of firemen also were in
jured.
Ik The fire broke out in a tank con
i' taining 10,000 gallons of oil, shortly
after 5 o’clock. Seven companies
answered the alarm and five lines
were thrown out for four or five city
blocks on each side of the refinery,
which adjoins a residence district and
has been the scene of a number of
costly blazes. Many families deserted
their homes and additional fire appa
ratus was summoned as the morning
wore on.
Shortly before 9 o’clock the captains
and their men were on a ladder which
extended above the top of a tank ad
joining the burning oil. The oil in
this tank was being drawn off when
the ladder broke and the men fell
into the tank. A chemical exting
uisher, automatically teleased by the
heat of the burning oil nearby, the
authorities said, covered the oil, and
fumes arising from it was believed to
have overcome the struggling firemen.
They sank almost at once and the
bodies later were recovered through
th| manhole at the bottom of the
M tank.
The other firemen suffered severely
because the mercury was two degrees
below zero as they fought the flames.
All of the injured were firemen who
fell from the icy tops of the tanks to
which they had climbed.
The cause of the fire has not been
determined.
Cotton Mills in Big Slunmp.
Washington.—Cotton spinning activ
ity had a marked decline in December,
the Census Bureau’s monthly report
issued showing a decrease of 875,000,
000 in the number of active spindle
hours as compared with November.
The total was the lowest since July.
Active spindle hours )for Decem
ber totalled 7,139,371,847, or an aver
age of 190 hours per spindle in place,
compared with 8.014,579,167, or an
\ average of 213 in November.
Spinning spindles in place Decern
ber 31 totalled 37,635,709, of which
84,044,870 were active at some time
during the month, compared with 37,
585,049 on November 30, of which 34,
101,452 were active at some time dur
ing November.
The average number of spindles
operated during December was 32,
674,471, or at 86.8 per cent capacity
on a single shift basis, compared with
36,316,828, or at 98.6 per cent capac
ity in November.
Judges Selected in Railway Contest.
Washington.—Six men, experienced
in transportation and allied problems,
were selected to determine the win
ner ot the contest of the American
Railway association, to obtain the
^ best poster and slogan for the preven
tion of grade crossing accidents. Those
selected were:
C. C. McChord, member of the in
terstate commerce committee; H. G.
Taylor, Lincoln, Neb., president of the
National Association of Railway and
Utilities Commissioners; L. A. De
Blois, Chicago, president of the Na
tional Safety council; Col. Charles
Clifton, Buffalo, N. Y„ president of
the National Automobile chamber of
commerce, and H. A. Rowe, New York
City, chairman of the committee on
prevention of highway crossing acci
dents, of the American Railway asso
ciaiton.
The contest^ which opened January
7, and will continue until February 11,
will result in cash award of $500 for
the best poster; $200 in cash for the
second best and $100 for the third
i prise. A cash award of $100 will be
' paid to the person submitting the
most appropriate slogan.
THREE PERSONS FREEZE
TO DEATH IN MOTOR CAR.
Little Rock, Ark.—Two young
women and a youth were found
dead in an automobile on the
Vilonia Pike, eight miles east of
Conway, when another member of
the automobile party, Fred Wal
lock, of Little Rock, staggered to
the main highway and hailed a
passing car. Wallock appeared in
a dazed condition from cold and
exposure.
The three persons found dead,
Miss Annie. Mae Bailey, of North
Litttle Rock, Miss Doney Woods,
student at a business college here,
and Ernest Mann, of Little Rock,
are believed to have frozen to
death.
The automobile in which the
three bodies were found was frozen
in mud ruts several yards off the
main road.
Wallock said he and his compan
ions left North Little Rock to drive
to Conway.
PUN 100,000 HORSEPOWER
THREE POWER COMPANIES
WOULD PAY $100,000,03 IN
RENTALS.
Would Lease For Period of 50 Years
and Contribute Million to Chemi
cal Research.
Washington.—Secretary Weeks re
ceived a joint offer made by three
southern power companies proposing
a 50 year lease to them of the gov
ernment’s ppwer project at Muscle
Shoals, Ala., for which $100,000,000 in
rentals will be paid during that period.
The companies propose under the
lease to construct transmission lines
for power, making it available to man
ufacturing centers of the south and
other sections of the country to pro
vide 100,000 horsepower at cost for
use in the manufacture of fertilizer
at Muscle Shoals, and to contribute
] a fund of $1,000,000 to be used under
government control in electric-chemi
cal res^jjyjph. Other provisions include
an offer to purchase the Sheffiel steam
plant at the shoals for $4,500,000 or
lease it if the government prefers to
retain ownership of that unit.
The proposal was signed by C. M.
1 Clark, of the Tennessee Electric Pow
er company; E. W. Hill, of the Mem
phis Power and Light company, and
Thomas W. Martin, of the Alabama
Power company. It will be carefully
studied by war department officials,
it was said, before being studied by
Congress for final decision along with
the other offers being considered by
house and senate committees.
Shenandoah Crew Praised.
Lakehurst, N. J.—It was the cool
headed wrork done in a few seconds
that saved the Shenandoah from de
struction when the giant airship was
! torn from her mooring mast by a 72
mile gale that swept the Atlantic
coast and carried her on a careening
chase to New York city, it was as
serted by those who made the arratic
flight.
When the gust of wind tore the
; navy’s pride from her 165-foot moor
I ing mast with a crash that could be
I heard above the storm, those on
board instinctively did the right
j thing. They leaped for the levers that
released the ballast, and, instead of
' crashing to the earth, the ship stood
still for a moment, shuddered and
started to float away in the storm.
The officers on board declared the
ship started to drop and they belev
ed they were within six feet of the
ground when she started to rise.
Ana IT, was me same uuui-ucaucu
work throughout the seven hours’
flight against thQ elements that per
mitted the Shenandoah to outfight
the storm and return to her hangar
Sailing a whole ship i na storm like
that would be no easy task, and the
work of those on board was madr
doubly difficult by the fact that her
nose had been tourn away and a part
of her sides ripped to shreads.
** Rebels Bombard Mexican Ports.
Tampico.—Rebel gunboats bombard
ed the city and port of Tampico. The
news of the bombardment being re
ceived in a telephone message from
the observer stationd at La Barra.
The message said:
"Jesus M. Palma, chief of the coast
guard, at 9 o’clock sighted the rebel
gunboats Tampico and Sarazoza which
had prevented six ships from entering
the port. The vessels were five tank
ers and the Dutch steamship Maas
dam.
"At noon the ships cruised 600 me
tres off the mouth of the Panuco river,
trying to find a landing pla«e.”
The foreign residents of Tampico
are in an expectant mood. There is
considerable nervous tension among
the native population.
ARMED MEXICANS
PASS OVER IEXAS
FIFTEEN HUNDRED OF OBRE
GON’S TROOPS CROSS AMER
ICAN SOIL.
GO OVER BOUNDARY AT NACO
Permission is Granted By Governors
of Arizona and Texas, qnd By
State Department.
Naco, Ariz.—More than 1,500 Mexi-!
can federal troops crossed the bound- j
ary from Mexico into the United
States here and entrained for El Paso,
Texas, where they will re-enter Mexi
co at Jurez. Permission for the Mex
ican soldiers to cross United States
territory, that they might strike at the
revolutionists from some new angle,
was requested by President Obregon.
The state department at Washington
promptly acquisced, but passed the
matter along to the governors of Ari
zona and Texas for ratification.
Governor Hunt, of Arizona, gave his
approval, and Acting Governor T. W.
Davidson, of Texas, after at first re
fusing on the ground that there might
be trouble between Mexican factions
on the American border, later agreed
to the proposal, with the understand
ing that the United States govern
ment would assume all responsibility.
There was no- demonstration. Fif
teen hundred Mayo Indians made up
the command. Hundreds of citizens
gathered to watch the troops cross
the international border here. Gen
eral Jesu* Maria. Aguierre, in charge,
hoped to effect a crossing of the bor
der at El Paso under cover of dark
ness.
In their trip to Juarez, the Mexican
soldiers will cross portions of tb$
states of Arizona ^nd New Mexico.
The troopers eventually will be sent
to Jalisco, Coahuila, .where the. forced*
of President Obregon are battling to
qulel the revolution.
Tax Per Capita is Up to $67.37.
Washington.—An average of 68.37
for every man, woman and child in
the United States was collected in
taxes in 1922 by the national, state,
county and city governments and all
other civil divisions having power to
levy and collect taxes. Taxes col
lected in that year amountd to $7,
433,081,000, the census bureau an
nounced.
Taxes collected by the federal gov
ernment in the fiscal year beginning
July 1, 1922, amountd to $3,204,000
which was almost five times the
amount collected in 1912. The per
capita amount of government’s taxes
was $29.47. The sources from which
the federal government’s taxes came
were: Customs duties, $562,189,000:
income and profits taxes, $1,691,000;
other miscellaneous internal revenue
taxes, $935,699,000; tax on circulation
of national banks, $4,304,000, and fed
eral reserve franchise taxes, $10,851,
000.
Ditch Train; Seize Ammunition.
Laredo, Texas.—As a result of a
carefully laid plot by rebel troops, a
speeding ammunition train, bearing
munitions sold by the United States
Government to President Obregon, of
Mexico, was wrecked within 30 miles
of Mexico City, the revolutionists
seizing and escaping with 50,000
rounds of ammunition, according to
delayed reports reaching here.
The dtails of the wreck as relayed
by Laredo, states thff speeding army
train crashed into the rear end of a
passenger train, completely wrecking
both trains and killing the firemen of
the munitions train.
It was reported the rebels had
wrecked the passenger train knowing
the ammunition special was following.
It was said the revolutionists attempt
ed to stop the ammunition train but
the enginer ignored the signals and
plowed into the debris of the train
ahead.
McCrary to Command Koiar i-iigni.
Lakehurst, N. J.—“I expect to be in
command of the Shenandoah on her
flight to the North Pole,” Captain
Frank H. McCrary, commander of the
giant dirigible, sa|d in response to
reports that Navy, men refused to
volunteer for the cruise while he is in
charge of the ship.
“Captain Anton Heinen, Germany
Zeppelin expert and adviser to the
United States Navy, will in all prob
ability be the pilot and Commander
J. H. Klein, executive officer.”
“No enlisted men will be forced to
make the fight,” McCrary said. “They
will not even be asked to volunteer.
Every man who wants to go must
come before me personally and ask to
b« included in the crew."
BALCONY FALLS, CRUSHING
BOYS AT TRACK MEET.
New York.—With a snap like a
pistol shot the iron railing of a
balcony in the Thirteenth Coast
Artillery Regiment Armory in
Broolklyn gave way during a
school boys track meet, catapult
ing 150 boys forward and down
ward in a twelve-foot fall which
sent 32 boys to hospitals, the con
dition of seven being reported as
very serious.
Many of these had one or two
broken wrists—in some cases the
bones projecting through the flesh
—or serious head wounds.
Not a boy escaped injury in some
degree but many, though stunned,
struggled to their feet, brushed the
dust from their colthes and nursed
their hurts in silence as they made
their way homeward.
Emergency calls brought 40 doc
tors and 14 ambulances to the
scene, while firemen aided the
adult spectators in rescuing the
small victims from the tangled,
shrieking heap beneath the bal
cony.
RECEPTION AT WHITE HOUSE
ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE IS CELE
BRATING ANNIVERSARY DRY
AMENDMENT.
Methodist Board's Fine New Home at
Capital City Is Formally Dedi
cated.
Washington.—The fourth anniver
sary of the Eighteenth Amendment,
was celebrated by the thirty-year Jubi
lee convention of the Anti-Saloon
League of America, with addresses by
prominent drv leaders, a reception at
the W'hite House to deliver a pledge
of loyalty to prohibition and the Con
stitution to President Coolidge, and
dedication of a headquarters building
for the Methodist Board of Temper
aifee' PnthrbMoh anrT PuTTic Morals,
within the shadow of the Capitol.
Prohibition Commissioner Roy A.
Haynes declared “the way of the vio
later grows more difficult," and “the
day of the get-rich-quick bootlegger
is almost a thing of the past.”
Mrs. Mabel tV. Willebrandt, assist
ant attorney-general, urging elimina
tion of politics in connection with dry
enforcement said the “system of
bootlegging has so entrenched itself
in many communities, particularly
the big cities, that it has fastened to
it allied crimes of robbery, murder and
arson.”
Senator W. N. Ferris, of Michigan,
asserted that "any survey of indus
trial condition in the United States;
any survey of crime, especially grow
ing out of the use of alcoholic liquors,
ought in itself to convince the most
skeptical that prohibition prohibits,”
and Senator Morris Sheppard, of Tex
as, contended that “prohibition in the
United States is both a permanency
and a success.”
The annual meeting of the Penn
sylvania Anti-Saloon League also was
held here, with Governor Pinchot and
William J. Bryan among the speakers.
Federals Defeat in Hard Battle.
Washington—Mexican federal for
ces have deieated the revolutionists
in a hard battle at Tepeaca which has
resulted in reducing a “strong ele
ment of the rebel army to impotence.”
the Mexican embassy said in a state
ment based on official advices from
Mexico City.
"Rebels under Generals Maycotts
and Villareal have been decisively
defeated after a hard battle at Tepe
aca.” the statement said. “After be
ing driven from Tehucan hv federal
troops under General Esgenao Mar
tinez, the enemy took up a position
at Tepeaca. on the railroad between
Tehuacan and Puebla.
“General Urbalejo attacked here
and completely broke up the com
mand, which was made up of several
of the strongest units at the disposal
of the Vera Cruz rebels.
Japan Fears Money Panic.
Tokio.—Reports received here from
the country districts to the southwest
of Tokio and Yokohama, near Fujiy
ama Mountain, have brought the
known death toll in earthquake to ap
proximately thirty.
Great anxiety is manifest in finan
cial circles over the probable effect
the new quake destruction may have
upon the exchange and loan situa
tioh.
Hundreds of houses, chielty those
already damaged by the disastrous
temblers of last September, or struc
tures of a temporary nature hastily
erected as shelters after the catas
trophe, were shaken down or dam
aged.
TO TRANSPORT FEDERAL TROOPS
ACROSS TEXAS REFUSED BY
ACTING GOVERNOR.
SEC. HUGHES FAVORS MOVE
Chief Executive Fears Outbreak Be
tween .Troops and State’s
Citizens.
Austin, Texas. — Permission to
transport Mexican Federal troops
across Texas was refused by Acting
Governor T. W. Davidson in a tele
' gram to Secretary of State Hughes.
: Possibility of trouble with Mexican
! residents on the Texas border
prompted the refusal, the Acting
Governor said.
The Obregon government-had sought
permission to transport troops from
; Naco, Ariz., to Laredo, and Eagle
Pass, Texas, where they would re
enter Mexico.
The State Department at Washing
ton indicated that the United States
Government looked “favorably upon
the request.”
Lieutenant-Governor Davidson, act
ing as State Executive in the absence
of Governor Pat Neff, requested the
State Department at Washington,
through which the Mexican govern
ment’s request was transmitted, to
notify him if the matter was consid
ered urgent.
Formal nrotest was addressed to the
Governor of Texas by Reincaldo Es
parza Martinez, representative at San
Antonio of the de la Huerta revolu
tionists, and opposition to the pro
posed troop movement was expressed
by Mayor R. M. Dudley, of El Paso.
Martinez requested denial of pas
sage “in the name of the Mexican
people now in rightful revolt agaiust
imposition and Russianizing of our
Mexico by Plutario Elias Cailes and
Moscow agents.”
Approximately 5,000 troops from the
states of Sinaloa and Sonora, includ
ing a large number of Yaqui Indians,
will be available for service in the
eastern zones within one week, if
permission were granted to move
them through the United States, ac
cording to an El Paso dispatch.
If the Federal Government shows
that the demand for the passage of
the troops is urgent, and guarantees
ample protection to Texas citizens,
the request will be reconsidered and
every effort will be made by officials
of Texas to co-operate with the Na
tional authorities, according to Mr.
Davidson.
Acting Governor Davidson express
; ed himself as in hearty sympathy
with any move which would bring
tranquility to Mexico, but he point
’ ed out the danger of bringing Mexi
can troops on Texas soil because of
strong differences of opinion concern
ing the revolution among the Mexi
cali citizens residing on this side.
Cotton Crop Reports Provided.
Washington.—Proposed legislation
providing for semf-monthly cotton crop
reports by the department of agricul
ture and cotton ginni g reports by
the census bureau, the former to be
approved by a departmental board of
prescribed membership, was agreed
upon at a meeting of the six members
of the senate and house who recently
organized a so-called cotten bloc in
Congress. The proposed bill also
would provide for discontinuance of
the cotton acreage estimates of the
department of agriculture based on
farmers’ intentions to plant, which
were said to have brotlght protests
from all sections, on the ground that
they were not accurate.
Cotton crop reports under the plan
would be issued semi-monthly, instead
of monthly, between August 1 and
December 1. and ginning reports would
be issued “on the same day and at
the same hour” as the crop reports.
The bill would require approval of
crop report by a board of at least
five members, no less than three of
whom shall be from cotton-growing
secions.
Women Burn to Death.
Greenville, N.C .—Mrs. Sallie Hud
son, 80 years old, and blind, was
burned to death and Miss Annie Mills,
SO years old and deaf, probably fa
tally burned when the home of Miss
Mills, in the Cox Mills section of this
county, was destroyed by fire. Few
details of the fire, which was of un
determined origin have reached here.
The two aged women lived alone
in the house. The body of Mrs. Hud
son was burned to beyond recogni
tion. Physicians express little hop*
for recovery of Miss Mills
BANK RESOURCES INCREASE
Excellent Shewing Made in Stockhold
ers’ M'eting of Land Bank at
Durham.
Durham.—Resources of the North
Carolina Joint Stock Land Bank here
have increased more than six-fold, ac
cording to the reports at the large
stockholders' meeting held here. The
total jumped from $700,000 to $4,250,
000.'
All directors of the bank were re
elected to office at the meeting, and
one new one, R. R.- Cotten, of Bruce,
was added. The officers, consisting
of Gen. Julian S. Carr, chairman of
the board; Southgate Jones, presi
dent; J. A. Long, Roxboro; W. P.
Clements and E. H. Meadows, Jr., of
New Bern, vice-presidents, and John
R. Holloway, secretary and treasurer,
were re-elected. . .
Among the out of town stockhold
ers who attended the meeting were:
J. A. Long, president of the People'c
Bank of Roxboro; C. A. Johnson, pres
ident Farmers Bank and Trust Co.,
Tarboro; D. F. Wooten, president of
the First National Banjt, Kinston;
Jesse M. Ross, vice-president Bank of
Washington, Washington, N. C.; H. A.
Parker, president of Citizens Bank
and Trust Co., of Benson, A. L. Healy,
of Page Trust Company, Pinehur.st;
G. A. Barfoot, Wilson; E. H. Meadows,
Jr., New Bern, and J. G. Goddard,
president of Martin ■ County Savings,,
and Trust Co.', Williamston, N. C.
Fourteen Dentists Licensed.
Asheville —Fourteen of the 17 appli
cants for licenses to practice dentistry
in North Carolina before the North
Carolina State Board of Dental Exam
iners in Greensboro January 7-9, pass
ed the examination, Dr. F. L. Hunt,
Asheville, secretary of the board an
nounced.
The mid-winter, examinations are
given dentists who have practiced in
other states and desire to enter prac
tice in this state, the main examina
tions coming in June. Those who
passed the board are as follows.
Dr. B. W. Barnes, Greensboro; Dr.
M. L. Watts. Raleigh; Dr. H. W.
Chandler. Greensboro; Dr. V. R. Da
vis, Salisbury; Dr. J. B. Wright,
Goldsboro; Dr. J. E. Fennell, Kerr;
Dr. J. B. Shea, Asheville; Dr. H. P.
Edney, Washington. D. C; Dr. W. A.
Pressly, Jr. Rock Hill. S. C.: Dr. W.
T. Burke, Norfolk, Va.; Dr. W. 1>.
Nance, Fort Valley, Ga.; Dr. C. N.
McMillan, Washington, D. C.; Dr. L.
C. Rogers, Raleigh, and Dr. C. E.
Cox, Fries, Va.
Strawberry to Carry Certificates.
Whiteville. — Columbus county
strawberries grown on the lands of
farmers who wish it, and who follow
some small requirements of the health
department, may carry a clean bill of
health on each crate when it is placed
on the market this year. Dr. Floyd
Johnson is posting the following let
ter at all postoffices in the county and
he will be glad to have berry growers
consult him about the matter in ques
tion: -
“The state deputy health officer has
promised to help us to advertise the
quality of our fruit by allowing me to
furnish certificates for each package
when the farm and premises of pro
ducer have been inspected and the
sanitary conditions found to meet the
approval of the heealth department.
“Any one wishing to take advantage
of this will please communicate with
me at once and I will furnish infor
mation as to what preparation will be
necessary to procure the certificates."
Tobacco Sales Exceed Expectations
Kinston. — Tobacconists here say
their estimate of season's srle of 30,
000.000 pounds on the Kinston market
will be slightly exceeded. The auc
tion warehouses will close Friday
February 8, after one of the longest
selling seasons in the market’s his
tory. The opening took place in
August. The sales total will break all
records.
Current “breaks” are small. The
January sessions of the market are
held for '"mopping up” purposes.
Packhouses on farms are being swept
clean of their last, tew thousand
pounds. Prices are; ruling well.
Chain of Warehouses For Rowan.
Salisbury.—A chain of bonded ware
houses is to be built in this city for
the purpose of serving the farmers of
Rowan and adjoining counties, the
Piedmont Bunded Warehouse Corpor
ation being the name of the new enter
prise. which is financed and officered
entirely by Salisbury men. who have
already demonstrated their faith in
this city and county by making large
outlays in the construction of indus
trial plants and numerous residences.
The officers of the new warehouse
corporation are: K. A. Goodman, presi
dent; L. C. Goodman, vice-president,
and A L. Klutti, secertary and treas
urer.