Daily press. [volume], March 21, 1905, Image 1

About Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current

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The ' D?1LY PRESS
isljthe only newspaper in
Newport News that re?
ceives the Associated
Press dispatches.
gg -gsssraresrr: as
VOL. X., NO. 65.
LITTLE FIGHTING OF
A SERIOUS NATURE
Situation m Far Fa^t Jellies
Down to Exciting Toot Race
t o H a r b i n.
NEGLECT NO PRECAUTIONS
Russians Leave Nothing Undone to
Impede Pursuit and Hamper Con?
struction of Permanent Japanese
Lines of Supply?General Linevitch's
Forces Proceeding in Two Columns.
(Pt Associated FrcJBB.) '
ST. PETERSBURGER, March 21.?
2:17 a. m.?Tho latest dispatches from
Manchuria indicate that tho retreat
of the Russian army is being conduct?
ed uneventfully. The last few days
wore unmarked by any fighting of a
serious nature. Both the Russians
and tho Japanese at this stage proba?
bly consider that marohing is more
important than fighting. The Rus?
sians, however, are neglecting no pro
cautions to impede pursuit and lianvper
the construction of permanent Japa?
nese lines of supply.
Chinese.Deserting Russians.
GUNSHU PASS. March 20.?Morn?
ing?The last two days have been ut?
terly without incident. The Russian
rearguard is retreating slowly and en?
gaging in occasional skirmishes. It
has now reached a position twenty
seven miles north of Tie Pass.
Reports of a wide turning move?
ment by the Japanese are no longer
being received. There U>- increasing
difficulty in securing -'reliable informa?
tion beyond- the .limits .in-which scout?
ing parties are active, on accouut of
tho defection of many Chinese to the
Japanese side. Many natives who
have been employed as servants by
Russian ofPcers have run away and
other eonseiuonces of the evacuation
of Mukden are noticeable in the atti?
tude of the Chinese.
DOING "HOT FOOT" IN
A DOUBLE COLUMN
Russians Divirtc Their Forces and !
Rush Toward ' Harbin, Ahead
of Victorious Japs.
(I'.y Associated Press.)
sit. PETERSBURG. March 20.-1:20
p. til.?Anxiety regarding the fa* j of
General LinoA itch's farce continues.
I he main danger to them being the Jap?
anese columns which are hurrying
northward along the groat, trade route
twenty miles west of and parallel with
the line of retreat.
The heads ^of those columns wer?
officially reported to be passing Fako
man. thirty miles northwest of Tie
Pass, on Friday. Their appearance
doubtless hastened Hi? Russian re?
tirement, which may now have become,
literally a race northward- as once the
Russians are iioadod off it. would he
easy for the Japanese, by a short cut
to throw themselves across the lino of
retreat.
After leaving Kalyuan Linevitch is
believed to have divided his a>my.
the main portion clinging- to the rail?
road and the other falling back along
the Mandarin road, wnich runs to Kir
in. it being impossible to leave the lat?
ter open to^he Japanese lest they then
-be aide; to creep up on the left Hank.
At. the same time it is recognized
that a separatum of forces is always
attended with the danger of giving the
enemy an opportunity to concentrate
ami fight tho army in detail. Some
ni'diaiy men here believe that. Lino
vifch will try to hold the line from
Kirin to Changoun, 120 miles north of
Tie/J'ass. The First corps composed
of steady iroops from St.. Petersburg
and formerly commanded by General
MeycndorfT, is covering the retreat,
which the war office declares is pro?
ceeding in an orderly fashion. Com?
plete details of the losses at the battle
of Mukden are not yet available at the
war office but the reports'thus-far re.
coived indie ale that. 120.000 men wer?
killed, wounded or made prisoners and
that, about eighty field guns wore cap?
tured.
Almost, every siege gun, it is affirm?
ed, was removed.
Second Army Has Easy Time.
ST. PETERSBURG, March 20.?A
NE1
dispatch from General Lihcviteh. dat?
ed March 1!'. !) p. in., hays:
"The commander cf the Second army
reports (hat lie lias had no further
fighting. No reports have been re?
ceived Trom the First or Third armies.
"I have inspected the troops which
have arrived from Russia. They arc
in excellent spirits and good health."
Japs Unearth Russian Guns.
WASHINGTON. I). C. March 20.?
The Japanese legation today received
the following cablegram from Tokio:
"At -1 a m.. on March 15) our de?
tachment occupied Kalyuan. twenty
miles north ofTie Pass. The enemy
afterward attempted a counter attack
but were repulsed.
"The enemy burned bridges on tin:
ni-iin road south of Kalyuan ami also
destroyed part of a railway bridge. A
nun lor of Russian guns were found
buried near Mukden."
Dragoons to Put Down Disorder.
RORIOSK. FPROPh'AN RUSSIA.
March 20.?Three squadrons of dra?
goons have started for Berezina,
whore armed Jews are reported to I
have killed the chief of police am! a I
number of ids assistants.
TOBACCO TRUST
MERGER ILLEGAL
In Violation of Federal Constitution
bays Richard T. Dana. Administra
tc-r cf Richard S. Dana's Estate.
(By Associated rress.)
TRENTON. N. J, March 20 ? Rich?
ard T. Dana, administrator of the re?
cently deceased Richard S. Dana, to?
day filed in the court of chancery a
bill to have set aside as illegal the
merger of the American Tobacco Com?
pany and the Continental Tobacco
Company into the American Tobacco
Company.
Mr Dana holds 5.000 shares of stock
of tiie original American Tobacco Com?
pany. ^c _ _ . . ?
He claims that the merger was ef?
fected without the consent of himself
or Richard S. Dana and that the mer?
ger is in violation of the State and
Federal constitution. He further
claims that the merger violates the
fedeial constitution in that it is an
impairment of the contract. Dana
names not only the company, but the
director? as defendants in his sub.
and among others names James R.
Duke. Thomas Dolan and Thomas F.
Ryan as party defendants.
THINKS CALISCH
WAS MISQUOTED
Norfolk Rabbi Believes Views of Fa?
mous Jewish Orator Were
Garbled and Misunderstood.
(Special to the Daily Press.)
NORFOLK, VA.. March 20.?The
Rev. Dr. Simon R. Cohen, of the Ohof
Sholem congregation, in an interview
bore today, says he thinks the Rev. Dr.
Calisch. of Richmond, must have been
misquoted in the matter of advocating
timi the Jewish Sabbath celebration on
Saturday bo abandoned altogether for
a celebration on Sunday.
He thinks that Dr. Calisch advocat?
ed a. supplemental observance on Sun?
day, and not a complete discontinu?
ance of the Saturday observance.
Dr. Cohen says that both ho and Dr.
Calisch are members of the Central
Conference of American Rabbis, who
advocate a supplemental Sabbath ob?
servance on Sunday, but. do not. ad?
vocate the discontinuance of the Sat?
urday observance.
A BOY ASSASSIN
WOUNDS GOVERNOR
Secured Entrance to Office and Fired
Three Times?Wounded Man's
Condition is Critical.
(By Associated Press.)
VIP.ORG. EUROPEAN RUSSIA.
March 20.?Governor Miasorodoff
was shot and seriously wounded today
by a. boy. whose identity has not. been
ascertained. The assassin, who is
about fifteen years old, obtained an
entrance to the governors office and
fired three times.at him, only one bul?
let inflicting a serious wound and the-,
others slightly wounding the gover?
nor's legs.
The governor's clerks and secretary
were unable to stop the would-be as?
sassin who reached tiie street, where,
however, he was arrested without a
struggle.
I The governor's condition i;: critical.
WPORT NEWS, VA.S TUESDAY, MARCH 2!
SIXTY LIVES
Boiler Explosion Demolishes Large Shoe
e
Factory and Incidental Fire Literally
Roasts Pinioned Victims.
DEEDS OF HEROISM AND SELF-SACRIFICE
One Man Hopelessly Caught Beneath Heavy Tim?
ber, Calls on Rescuers'* to Save Others and
Lifts Several Girls t<| Safety Before the
Fire Reaches Hirrs. Brave Priest
Leads in Worl| of Rescue.
(Hy Associated I'rcss.) eTOa-r of an explosion. Al the same
BROCKTON. MASS., Maroh 20.--j.'iaoir.ent the largo wooden frame of
This city is in mourning tonigh; for ,1^. factory, a lour story structure',
at least three score people whos'i ''quivered and then the roar portion of
lives were blotted out early today by it?ebllapsc('..
boiler
large
the explosion of
shoo manufacturing establishment in
the Campello district, conducted by R.
Grover & Co.
The explosion was immediately fol?
lowed by a Hash of flame, which con?
sumed the factory, a long four-story
structure- as if it were a house of cards,
and incinerated an unknown number
of men and women, who were unable
to extricate themselves from a mass
of tangled wreckage, formed by the
terrific upheaval in the boiler room.
More than half a hundred of the em?
ployes in .the building were maimed,
burned or bruised by the time they
reached safe ground. . " i*
Hert of a Veritable Inferno.
Some had jumped from the roof,
some from-.windows and other.3 had
boon injured in the mad rush to es?
cape from tiie doomed factory, which
from all parts emitted the intense, aw?
ful heat of an infeinn, driving back
the band of heroic rescuers who. in
few brief moments, bad performed
gallant service.
The fire extended from the factory In
seven other buildings in the vicinity
and destroyed them. One of the
buildings was a three-storv wooden
block owned by Charles F. Dahlborg,
the others being cottages of small
value, and a blacksmith shop.
Tw,o wooden dwellings near the en?
gine room wore practically demolished
by the flying boiler, lint none of the
occupants was seriously injured.
The total financial kiss is estimated
at a quarter of a million dollars, $200..
000 of which Tails on It. 15. Grover k.
Co. The monetary losses are nearly
off Set by insurance.
Fifty Bodies Recovered.
It may never be known just how
many persons perished in the wreck?
age. No ono knows exactly how manv
persons were in the factory. The num?
ber has been estimated at four bun
died but Treasurer Charles O. Emor
son, said tonight he doubled whether
there wore so many at work. Two hun?
dred and fif-.y survivors have been ac?
counted, for and at. midnight tonight
the remains of fifty bodies had bcei
recovered from the ruins, the search
j being continued all night. Fragments
of human frames which possibly might
belong to bodies other than those enu?
merated, have also been found. Few
of I he -remains have boon identified.
Tiie head in nearly every case is miss
ing and except in rare .'instances it was
impossible oven to distinguish the sex.
An inspection of the-wrecked boiler
by the State boiler inspector showed
that there was a sufficient supply or
water in it. The cause of the explo?
sion is at present u mystery. The
disaster will be further investigated by
the State authorities. s
.-In p. fraction of a second this sec?
tion of the great budding bad boon
transformed into a mass of iron and
Wood wreckage in the midst of which
Mcm.an beings were pinioned.
.; In another moment fire had broken
out in the debris and death by fire and
suffocation became the fate of scores
of the operatives.
Perpendicular Flight.
When the boiler exploded it passed
upward almost.perpendicularly, tearing
a passage as it went, killing many on
the way.
? /After rising high in the air, it de
.jtSjndetl. half the. distance and then
'swerving"northerly," cut its way" like
sjemo huge projectile through a dwell?
ing house fifty feet away and pierced
another dwelling further along. 1c
molishit'g the latter t.tructure. Here
its course was stopped.
Scenes of horror. followed Die
wrenching apart of the factory build?
ing. Ih? the rear the three lipper
floors- weighed as they wore with
heavy machinery, collapsed with a
crash that was hoard for blocks. Men
and women operatives working in de?
partments of this section, who were
busy at their machine-:, had time but
to turn in an attempt to lloe after tnc
first, dull roar, when the flooring 'sank
beneath them- and they were carried
to tiie ground floor, crushed ami
bruised amid the mass of debris,
into Fiery Furnace.
Many fell into a veritable fiery fur?
nace. In the sections of the factory
which remained standing the opera
lives were? panic stricken as Ihoy
sought to escape.
Many Hod down the stairways, and
reached the streets, others ran to the
windows, the fire escapes in many
oases having boon torn away by the
explosion. In desperation many jump?
ed from tiie second ami third-story
windows to the. ground and wore dan?
gerously injured. The crush on the
stairways resulted in numerous minor
injuries.
FEARFUL WORK OF
THE FiRE FIEND
Pinioned Victims of the Explosion, Un?
able to Extricate Themselves.
Roast to Death.
EXPLOSION CAME
WITHOUT WARNING
Catattrophc Occurred Shortly After
the Operatives Had Bccjun
Werk- For the Day.
Uty AMSoclatcil I'rcss. >
BROCKTON, MASS.. March 20.?
The explosion occurred shortly after
the operatives had settled down to
work for tiie day bud boon begun
and came without any warning.
Suddenly the air vibrated with the
Scarcely bad the roar portion of the
structure collapsed when a tongue of
fiamo started up from the boiler pit
and. reaching out. as it ascended, com?
municated with the splintered wreck-j
age, and immediately afterward with
the standing walls. Soor, the entire
factory was in flames.
Instant- death was the fate of many
who went down with the floors that,
collapsed. A large number of ineii
ana women who were working near
the; supports were alive al';.cr the floors
ami w?lls fell
From these unfortunates thrilling
erics of agony and terror went up. Al?
most all had been caucht. between
broken limbers, lighter wooden wreck?
age ar.ddieavy pieces of .machinery.
Many Roasted to Death.
A few persons succeeded in extricat?
ing themselves from the wreckage- but
more wen: roasted to death By this
time nearby citizens had arrived to
, 1905.
issist the employes who escaped in
he rescue of their fellows.
This task became momentarily more
lifih-ult and perilous, for tlie heat
roni ihe lire wr.s almost unbearable.
!*.}? tiie use of long pieces of limber the
?cscuers were able to raise parts of
he wreckage- and thereby release
iome of Ihe imprisoned men and wo?
llen and then, by rushing into the
uhoko. pul! them from the ruins.
Hc-cism and Self-Srcrifics.
Then it was that acts of selfsaori
icc anil heroism were seen.
One man whose legs was caught tin?
ier en iron beam, cried to tin? res
?uers that they could not extricate him.
mil to help I lie girls behind him.
Sretohing out his aims he lifted sev?
eral giils. one by one and passed them
lo Ihe rescuers. Then the lire reached
ilim and lie died.
A woman, who was entangled in a
shoe machine cried out that she was
lying and commanded the rescuers
Lo attend to others who might live. She
bogged to he shot. Scon the flames
enveloped her.
Brave Priest's Heroic Work.
An eng the first to arrive on the
scene was Key. .lames OTtourke. cu?
rat i at St. Margaret's Roman Cat ho?
le Church, nearby. At the risk of
lis life, he removed seven persons
Crom the ruins before the fire had
reached them and was returning for
I lie eighth time when lie fainted from
;hc effects of the smoke and the shock.
Pal her O'KoMrke administered the last
rites of the church to many Catholics.
iKith to those who were saved and
seme who later perished.
FATHER OROURKE'S
THRILLING STORY
Priest Gives Heart-Rending Account
cf the Horrible Scenes Follow?
ing the Boiler Explosion.
Father O'Jtotirke said tonight:
"Pinned beneath heavy pieces of ma?
chinery, timbers and twisted .coils of
pipe." wTcfc-TOairySjh' ?kt*-nwnyvaiiert-:a?-rf
women, suffering terrible agonies
"In order to reach these imprisoned
sufferers we had to crawl through, tiie
debris and. with tlie aid of a large tim?
ber, we raise! the wreckage which
held fast several men and women. In
this manner and by brute strength we
pulled out seven employes
"By t his time the flames were a I
niest Upen us and we were about to
flee for safety, when one poor fellow
beggt'-l that a last effort be made to
save him.
Pulled Off His Leg.
Throe of us grasped the man by his
shoulders ? and arms and tugged and
pulled until suddenly"he cried: "'My
God. my leg is pulled off.'
"It was terrible, especially so be?
cause a moment later, with our cloth?
ing scorched, wo were ordered away
by the chi?f of the fire department
and were reluctantly compelled to
leave the poor man to his fate.
"Just before leaving I saw fifteen of
tlie imprisoned operatives, some al?
ready suffering untold agonies from
the flames- which were actually cook?
ing their flesh, and others watching
with terror-stricken eyes tlie fate of
their companions, knowing that a mo.
nient or two would bring to them simi?
lar suffering, and then death."
Relatives Ask For Information.
With tear-stained and'haggard faces
women and children besieged tlie rec?
tory of St. Margaret's Roman Catho?
lic church, -during the day. pleading
with the. priests for it format ion about
husband, father, sister or brother who
failed to return 'home. Little com?
fort could be given to these people.
At the Campelio police station a si?
milar scene was enacted.
ICaily in the day Mayor Keith, fore?
seeing tlie confusion which would en?
sue, posted notices in conspicuous
places, requesting all employes who
had escaped to go at once to the- police
station and give their names.
Names Posted.
'I hose names were Immediately post?
ed, and around this list of names hov:
ered a throng of women?many l:ys:
tcricai with grief because the list did
not include a relative. Back and forth
from the ruins to the station house;
and from station house to the ruins,
these grief stricken women tiled, in a
never ending procession, looking' at
the fragments of fiesh and bone as I hey
were placed in pine boxes and hurried,
away to the morgue. Only in extreme?
ly rare casts was there the slightest
chance of identification.
Twenty-Niae Missing.
At midnight, a list, of twenty-nine
missing persons was given out a! the
i a:\\\pllo polit e station. There is good
lOunliuued on seventh page.)
THE WEATHER.
Rain Tuesday: colder
in central ar.d south?
west portion; Wednes?
day, partly cloudy.
PRICE TWO CENTS
Judge Emory Speer Denounces
"Invo'untary Servitude" For
Trivial Local Offenses.
ROUGH ON SLAVE CATCHERS
Thinks Principle Enunciated by Su?
preme Court in Clyatt Case Salutary
Fcr Black Man. But Infinitely More
So For White?No Regard For
Rights of Fellow Men.
ft!y Associated rrcss.)
SAVANNAH. OA.. March Jo.- Judge
Emory Spoor, in the- United States
court to-day confined his charge to the
grand jury almost, exclusively to a dis?
cussion of the peonage decision hand?
ed down last week by the Supreme;
Court, of the United Stales in the ease*
of Clyatt. from Florida. Judge Spoor
said it may be long before that court
will have the opportunity to render
another opinion so vital to the futurt
of our country.
"It is salutary to the black man. but
to the white man it Is infinitely more
so. As to the labor and liberty of
every citizen it nullifies that vicious
principle 'let him take who has the
power, and let him keep who can.'. It is
true that it spares members of the.
negro race from a slavery to the reck?
less and the lawless, to the generally
unscrupulous; a slavery which, com?
pared, with that of our fathers, differs
as widely as our conceptions of our
first parents. But its emancipation of
the white man is not loss significant.
Nc Principles of Justice.
"The man guilty; of peonage... Ii Im ,.
? ?oifitfF ^s^i^m&^^i?twow^
by any principle of justice to his fol?
low man. whether white or black.
"It is noticeably true that in n num?
ber of cases of peonage ready and
willing witnesses for tlie government
arc white men who have been deprive.I
of their servants because the modern
slave catcher, usually a man of influ?
ence, and determination, himself arm?
ed and with armed followers, would
invade the domain of the s-mall farmer
and. ,by violence the most cruel and
int.; nictation the most reckless . take
there from the laborers whoso services
the witness had engaged."
Judge Spoor expressed the opinion
that petty municipal offenses like
I walking on the grass, spitting on the
sidewalk or genug to sleep in a depot,
or loitering on tho streets end multi?
tudes of other similar offenses are not
crin.es for which Involuntary servi?
tude can ho imposed.
Peonage Statute Applicable.
He held that for such an offense <:>
semlcnce and hohl a man or child for
involuntary servitude is peonage and
that the penalty of the peonage statute
is applicable to the person engaged iu
the imposition of such sentences.
Judge Speer concluded: "For my?
self I do not hesitate to eleclare that
enforced labor on a local chaingaug
for any offense, neu amounting to
crime, is involuntary servitude; and
peonage in the light of the; decision
of the Supreme Court, no matter what
the State law or municipal ordinances
on the subject may ho.
"Should the Sultan of Morocco or
Abdul flamed, at. Constantinople, con?
sign to an Oriental chaingaug Ameri?
can citizens for such trivialities as
are thus daily punished- here before
the s im went down the steel clad bat?
tleships of the Union would be speed?
ing o'er the ocean to demand redress
for the injury or to avenge the wrung.
Peonage Pathway to Slavery.
"Lot but, peonage: be fastened oil
our system and all may soon, with
Rionzi. exclaim: "We arc slave-.;, the
bright sen t isos to its course and
lights a race of slaves: it sets ami its
last beam falls on c slave.""
OPENED CAMPAIGN.
Swanson and Eliyson Well Received at
Harrisonburg.
(Speeliil to the D;uly 1'ivs.x.)
HARRISONBimo. VA., March J".
At Harrison burg today Con gross man
Swanson opeiu.-d his campaign for gov?
ernor, and Hon. I. Taylor Fllyson be?
gan his canvass for lieutenant gover?
nor.
Both were well received. The
Rirksdale pure election law received
1 Swansea's hearty endoiseuitut.