North Carolina Newspapers

VOL. VII. COLUMBUS, JN. C, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1902. NOv46. THE PARK PROJECT National Geological Survey Approves Appalachian Park. A GREAT MOUNTAIN PLAYGROUND iVIany Attractions of Hountain Scen ery and Waterfall Add to Beairty of the Reservation. . v In the Seriesof Water Supply ' and Irrigation Paperk the United States geological Survey, Mr. P. H. Newell, .HydrograpHer in Gharge, has now in press. Nos. 62 and 63, being parts I and II of the "Hydrography of the South ern Appalachian Mountain Region," -by Mr. H. A. Pressey. This great moun tain system stretches from Main: :outhwesterly for nearly 130O mlle3, terminating in northern Alabama. From the Potomac south the ranges :are higher and broader than in Penn sylvania. They spread out into th a Blue Ridge, the Shenandoah, the Alle .ghany, and the Greenbriar mountains, extending, with broad and fertile val leys between, in nearly parallel lines through Virginia and West Virginia in to North Carolina and Tennessee, and culminating in the Iron and the Great 'Smoky ranges, the great mountain re gion of the southeastern States. : In this mounta mass 63 peaks equal or exceed a height of 6,000 feet; 25 peaks -are mgner tnan mount wasamgtv"; andj288 peaks are over 5J)00 feet. Frbm North Carolina and Tennessee -the :ranges, leaving spurs in South Caro lina, turn more westward through Georgia and Alabama, and sin'e into the hills of the Gulf Watershed, phis rgreat mountain, svst em forms the back bone and watershed of the eastern part of the United States. The greatest masses andiihe highest peaks are in western North Carolina and eastern Tennesse, which region may be consid ered a high plateau, bounded west by . B W l TTT 1 1 . 1 X. . the Smoky Mountains and east by thel , . . "Rlnp "Ridee. These ranges, almost touching on the" north, part company, and then almost come together again in the south, thus enclosing this pla teau which has a maximum width of 155 miles and an area of about 6,000 -square miles. The region is well watered. . The -main divide of e river system is the IBlue Ridge. The States of Virginia, "-North Carolina,, Georgia, Alabama; Tennessee, and West Virginia are par tially watered ..by rivers rising in xmountains near the North Carolina ana. "Tennessee State line. One of the prin- -cipal tributaries of the Ohio and one of in - the last year of President McKln the largest feeders of theMississipp! ley's administration and retire' to pri head in the same mountains, and the vate life. However, this is not expected Tregion may justly be termed one of the chief watersheds of the United States. Grandfather Mountain, at the junction of Watauga, Mitchell, and Caldwell 'counties in North Carolina, probably the most massive of the Southern Ap- palachians, may be taken as the center of this watershed. Thence tne waters .pour north, east, south and west. rom the many springs on the southern .slope of Grandfather Mountain flow isome of the headwaters of the Cataw ba, which, rising in the Black Moun tains and descending in leaps of from 5 to 100 feet to the Piedmont Plain, crosses into South Carolina and, as the Wateree, passes on to the Atlantic. Flowing from this region,-besides the Catawba, into the Atlantic are the Yadkin, Broad; Saluda, Chattanooga, Tugaloo, and Oconee; into the Gulf are the Chattahoochee and the Coosa; in to the Mississippi are New River and the Tennessee. From the western, rslopes of the Blue Ridge flow the head Waters of the great Tennessee River system, as do its flarger tributaries, the Holston, the Nolachucky, and the French Broad. The scenery of the southern Appala chian region Is the grandest In the eastern States. The mean annual temp iperature varies from nearly 00 degrees 3B at Salisbury (650 feet), east of the mountains, to 49 degrees F. at Llnn 7ille (3,800 feet) i the latter being the '-mean annual temperature' of Boston or 'tJhicago. The annual rainfall is copi- ,ous, especially on. the eastern slopes of the mountains. At Highlands, in Macon . -county, the annual normal precipita tion is about 72 inches; at Asheville it is about 42 inches. Notwithstanding the inroads that liave been made on the forest that once covered nearly the ' whole of these -mountains nowhere ia the . United States is there an equal area of land covered with so great a variety of val uable timber. The walnuts, ' tulips (poplars), and oaks grow to almost in credible sizes. White pine occurs in large tracts. Lumbering on a large scale has been carried on for only a few years; but is very destructive Some of the companies saw anything that will make a plank. In the case of the bark gatherers, the wastefulness is even more deplorable and ruinous. This section i3 comparatively free from forest fires. A number of rail roads run Into this region; but the transportation facilities and the high ways are very poor. Splash dams are much used in sending timber; down stream. The soil is generally deep and fairly fertile even to the mountain tops; but it washes easily when expos ed. Tbe entire region is well adapted to stock raising; some iron ore occuu In large quantities in a number of counties ; copper, mica, N corundum, gold, and other minerals have been mined to some extent. Many varieties of shrubs and flowering plants abound, and the region should prove a Mecca to botanists. The drainage basins, discharge meas urements, and water powers of the var ious rivers and their tributaries, are described at length by Mr. Pressey; and much Information of great value to millers, sawmill men, lumbermen, miners, cattlemen, farmers, and travel ers is to be found in the report. Mr. PresseyJnsists upon the impor tance of the forest to the preservation o f the soil of this region, and notes with satisfaction that the heavy forest growth on Grandfather Mountain is not to be destroyed. In order that the springs which give rise to so many streams on Grandfather Mountain may not be disturbed, 1400 acres have been set aside as a public park, under five commissioners, one of whom is the Commissioner of Agriculture of Nortt Carolina, and another the State Geolo gist, Prof. J. A. Holmes, with whose active assistance the surveys and ex aminations described by Mr. Pressey wero made. The study is illustrated by forty- four plates. Arrival of Prince Henry. New' York, : Special. Prince Henry of Prussia, representative of his brother, the Emperor of Germany, at the launching of the" latter's Amerv canbuilt yacht, reached New York Sunday and was cordially welcomed ' eJ OI ine nauon. -ine land batteries that guard the outer harbor as a guest of the nation. The land fired salutes of 21 guns; the rifles of a special naval squadroir assembled in his honor re-echoed the sentiment: there were verbal greetings from the representatives of President Roose velt, the army, the navy and the city of -New Tfork, and a great crowd lined the way in the city to see the German sailors and the Prince of "Ger many. Secretary Long to Retire. m Washington, Special. Now that the Schley matter has been settled' offi cial! V ' 4s rmrt eratnn1 Tiif Cannatnim Long f eels that he ig at liberty to car. ry out" the project cherished by him to ensue at once, for there is no certain knowledge of what may. follow in Con gress; notwithstanding a strong belief by the administration that the case is settled beyond revival. Therefore, it is understood the change In the cabi net circle will not take place before the adjournment of the present session of Congress and perhops not until next fall. Montague's Message. Richmond, Special. Governor Mon tague,, in his message transmitted to the Virginia Assembly, endorses road improvement, recommends the creation of a highway commission, to have charge of that work; fayors an em ployer's liability bill, and the "engraft ing of some form of industrial educa tion on the public school system. Ho would have short term prisoners in the penitentiary work on the public . Sub-Treasury For the South. Washington, Special. The need of a sub-Treasury in the South was pre sented to the ways and means commit tee by Mayor Myers and a delegation of business men .of Savannah, who asked for the establishment of such .a Treasury branch at that city. It was stated that such a branch would be of material aid in financial dealings in fhe South, particularly at the time when the cotton crop and other Southern staples are being moved. The census shows that the numbe? of Indians in Massachusetts increase from 428 ia 1892 to 587 In 1900. BAD A FREE FIGHT 1 Tillman and McLaurin Come to Blows In the Senate Chamber, j BOTH SUSPENDED FOR CONTEMPT. Sensational Development in the Old Controversy Between the Senior and Junior Senator From S. C. Washington, Special. Washing ton's birthday was signalized in the United States Senate by a fist fight. The two Senators from South Caro lina were xthe active participants in the affray. Mr. Tillman, in the course of a speech upon the Philippine tariff, made serious reflections upon the honor of his colleague, Mr. McLaurin. In brief he charged that Mr. McLaurin's vote in support of the ratification of the treaty of Paris had been cast through the air of t improper influences. His statement was developed in a colloquy between him and Mr. Spodner of Wisconsin. Mr. Tillman at first declined to mention names, but when the Wisconsin Senator reminded him that he owed it to himself , to the Sen ate and to the country "to name the man," Mr. Tillman indicated that he referred to his colleague from South Carolina. Little imagining that his words were likely to be prohetic, Mr." Spooner remarked, sententiously : "I will leave the Senator to fight that out with his colleague." - - Mr. McLaurin was not in the cham-. ber at the time, being engaged in. com mittee work; but he was sent for and appeared just as Mr. Tillman concluded his speech. - Pale as ashesMr. McLaurin rose to address the Senate,1 speaking to a ques- tion of personal privilege. He reviewed Mr. Tillman's charges briefly and then denounced the statement made by his colleague as "a wilful and deliberate lie." - ; Scarcely had the words fallen from his liDs when Mr. Tillman, sitting a few seats frdm him, with Mr. Teller of Colorado between them, sprang at him, Mr. McLaur n, who had- half turned towards Mr. Tillman, met him half way,' and in an instant the two Sena swept Mr. Teller aside, tors, having were engaged in a rough and tumble nst ngnt. Mr. McLaurin received a heavy blow on the forehead, while Mr. a bad punch on the nose, Tillman goti which brought blood. Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Layton sprang over desks to reach and separ ate the combatants, and himself re ceived several blows. He got between them finally and by main strength wrenched them apart. Senators Warren of Wyoming and Scott of West Virginia, two of the most powerful men in the Senate, leaped to his assistance and, pinioning the arms of the belligerent Senators, forced them into their seats. Intense excitement prevailed in the Senate and in the galleries, which were thronged with people who had, been at- tracted by the spirited debate. Every body was on his feet. Not a word, how ever,, was spoken. Senators stood about the chamber, for the moment quite helpless and pale to , the lips. Finally order was restored . partially, and in the midst of mtese excitement the Senate went into secret legislative ses sion. For two hours the Senate discussed the event behind closed doors. When the doors were reopened it was made known that bothvof the South Caro lina , Senators by unanimous vote had been declared to be in contempt of the senate, mey were permitted, by a vote of the Senate, to make apologies to the Senate. The statements were listened to by both the Senators and the people in the galleries with breath less Interest. Senator Tillman . left the capitol when adjournment was taken for Te- cess and did not return for the night session. ; Senator McLaurin was in the chamber about 8 o'clock, but left early. Neither Senator, when seen' at his heme, would make a statement. The Pope's Anniversary. ' ivome, By Cable. The Pope Thurs- day entered on the twenty-fifth year of his pontificate. Although the main celebration of the jubilee is postponed until March 3rd, when the combined festivals of the jubilee and coronation will be observed. The day was marked by the singing of a te deum in V St. Peter's, and other observances. . The Pontiff was the recipient of congratu - lations from all sides SOUTHERN INDUSTRIAL New Enterprises That Are Enriching Our Favored Section. Million Dollar Cement plant. Negotiations have been pending for some time relative to the utilization of the slate refuse and lime rock forma tions near Rockmart, Ga., in the man ufacture of Portland cement, now so extensively Used for dams, building foundations and masonry work In gen eral. During the week it has been an nounced that, the Southern IStates Ce nounced that the Southern States Port land , Cement Company will I b organ ized, with a capital of $1,000,000, to build a large cement plant in the sec-r tlon, referred to. It is said ; that - the Peninsular Portland Cement Company iof Cement City, Mish., will be interest ed to a large extent financially, and that W. F. Cowham (general manager of the Michigan company) will be president, and H. F. Vandeventer, of Knoxville, Tenn., manager of the new Georgia corporation. il Industrial Items.! Mr. Tom Richardson, who has just become the manager of the Progres sive Union of New Orleans, has al ready begun active work for the pro motion of the city's welfare. He con siders that the constitutional pro vision exempting from taxation for t ten -years from January 1, 1900, of new manufacturing plants may be maae spienaia use or in building up the city, and he sugests fthat every busines letter-head and business en velope sent from New Orleans should bear a statement of that act UDon it. For the banquet last week celebrat ing the establishment of ; the New Orleans naval dry-dock, j Mr. Fred Muller, secretary of the New Orleans Maritime and Merchants' j Exharige, Limited, prepared a statement, into which he condensed a mass of valua ble statistical information' regarding the commercial importance of j that city. This has been published in pamphlet form, and- is being circu latedfor the good of the city. , When the Good - Roads Special of the Southern Railway:: reached Ral eigh,- N. C, this week it ! found the ground" well prepared for it. The News andv Observer of that city, with notable enterprise;- had republished on Sunday a special good roads edition, containing, in addition to general arti cles on highway improvement, re ports from many, parts of the State showing what, is already , being accom plished in that direction. I Cincinnati is giving anj illustration of what a wide-awake city will do for itself in a handsome Invitation sent broadcast, on the part of ithe citizens of Cincinnati, to the formal opening of the Cincinnati buildine at the South Carolina Interstate! and West Indian Exposition at Charleston ox February 15. 1 ' V . ' J ; " The Atlanta , Manufacturers! i Asso ciation, which proposes ta hold an ex hibit 7of articles manufactured in At lanta, has elected Messrs. J. K. Orr, president; R. T. Conley land Samuel D. Jones. .vice-Dresident: I Walter G. Cooper,, secretary, and H. T. Inman, treasurer. '. . : ' - .... j. Northern and Western parties, it is expected, will undertake the thorough development of the well-known Tallu- lah Falls at Tallulah Falls, Ga. W. A. Charters, representing capitalists from the sections referred to above, has purchased one-half the falls and 100 acres of land contiguous border ing on the river for about a mile. It is stated that arrangements have been made to develop the kaolin de posits near Oak Level, near Martins ville, Va., and the work will begin at an early date. The product will be shipped from Alumine, on the Norfolk &. Western- Railway,- to East ' Liver pool, Ohio,' to be manufactured into china. - During the past, calendar year 32,- 521 head of cattle and between 6000 and 7000 sheep were exported through Newport News and Norfolk. Neil P, Anderson of Fort Worth is shipping through Galveston cattle for the Liverpool market. Textile Notes; John Marsh of North Adams, Mass., Is reported iiS having decided to lo cate a cotton mill at Charlote, ' N. C. He has been in the city named during the wek Investigating with a view of building there. . . j Humboldt (Tenn.) Cotton Mills Is in the market for the machinery J noted lately as to be Installed to in crease equipment. The machinery. wanted includes 40-Inch finishing lap- per, five 40-inch cards, revolving top flat: three drawing frames, six deliv- . .-.. . m i.i J1 intermediate, seventy-two spindles; two speeders, 120 spindles each; four I spinning frames, 240 spindles each; spooler, eighty spindles, ana nity $b inch looms. . r . VALET CONFESSES. Astonishing Turn In the Now Famous Rice Murder Trial, TELLS PARTICULARS OF MURDER. Mwyer Patrick Posed the Aged TU aionaire, and Finally Chloroformed Him to Death. New York, Special. A very drama tic point in the trial - of Lawyer Albert T. Patrick for the murder of the Texas millionaire, William Marsh Rice, was reached Thursday afternoon. Chas. F. Jones,- the valet, had been relating the circumstances leading up to the some-" what sudden death of Mr. Rice, in September. Then pulunging at once Into tne details, he held the attention of his audience to the end of his re cital. -Freed of minor points his story runs: ; . t - ' "In August Patrick grew impatient Mr. Rice, though an Invalid, was liv ing too long to suit the lawyer's pur- ' poses. Patrick said he would come to the house and kill him himself if neces sary. He suggested chloroform and Jones said he would get some. The idea -of chloroform as a means was .sugges ted by a magazine article. It was de termined on after Jones talked with a physician who said a person wnose heart was affected, as was Mr. Rice's, could be most easily, killed with, it; and that little trace )f the 'drug would be left. Jones got a two-ounce vial of it by writing to his -brother'-in Texas. Jones then branches off r into the al legated plan adopted toeaken the al leged plan adopted to weaken the al him mercury and - iron pUls; The pills brought on debilitating' ; diarrhoea. Then, unwittingly, ; a ifriend brought Mr. Rice a present of bananas. Of these the old man ate nine.-' The fruit matie him exceedinglwy ill', and yet the .weakening doses of mercury were kept up. ;By Saturday, about v tbTe v eighth day of the last illness, ,VIr. Rice be-. came delirous.VThis testimony brought the events, up' to Sunday;-; the5 day of death; and the witness rsaid that dur ing these days of illness he kept Pat rick informed of the details personallly and by telephone. ' , William Marsh Rice's quick deathV declared v the : witness,-' ..was' decided on; at a ainferenpe between t Patrick , and Jones held Saturday-night. Jones had told the lawyer of the arrival of a draft jfor, $25,000. i Patrick, told him Jt was time to apply the chloroform, now; that the draft had com and that Cap tain Baker was. coming, or . they would lose all. Jones agreed. , ,'. ? Jones -here told his story of the ac- tual killing. He made a cone of a tow- ei in tne small end oi which was ai chloroform-soaked ', sponge. - Creeping , into the room where Mr. Rice lay; sleeping, he quickly coVered the sleep-" er's f ace with the large end of the cone Jones rushed out of the room. In half an hour he came back. He removed the cone. Mr. Rice was dead. Jones swore he telephoned to Patrick the words: "Mr. Rice is very ill," the agreed . signal between . the two of death. Jones' story of the end was con cluded by the statement that Patrick came to the house 'and remored all of Mr. Rice's papers. Some time in: August,'!. Jones said In the course of his narrative, "Patrick asked me if I, did not think Mr. Rice j was ltving too long for our welfare. He thought it would be a good thing if we would put him out of the way.t He said if I'd tell him some night when Mr. Rice was -sleeping soundly,, he'd come up and do it, if I would not." "What was said of : chloroform?' asked Attorney Osborne. "Patrick said that would be an easy way to put Mr. Rice away. . An article in a magazine " gave; him the idea. Somthing; -was - said .about getting chloroform, and Patrick said it was ' very hard to get; that one had to have all sorts -of certificates before the drug--' gist would sell it - I told Patrick he could leave that to me. I sent my; brother $5 and he sent me chloroform In a four-ounce bottle. .Patrick said he,, had often wondered ' about what would be the effect of chloroform on a person afflicted with heart trouble. I put the question to- Dr. - Curry, and he said no little chloroform would be needed to kill a person, who had heart disease; that It was doubtful if anyj traces of the poison, would remain af ter death. I told Patrick what Dr4 Curry had saioV' ; Carriage Factory Wrecked. Valdosta, Ga., Special. During a ter rific wind storm here Thursday morn ing, the carriage factory of the Rohert- Cranford-Dasher Company was wreck ed. - The building fell 15 minutes before I 1.1 : . .. day's work. The loss to the company is $10,000. , No further. An ihr I shade trees and fences destroyed haa - . been reported, . :