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The Weather
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=Atlanta Georgian (and news)
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VOL. Y. NO. 228.
ATLANTA, GA., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27,1907.
In Atlanta: TWO CENTS,
on Train*: FIVE CENT*
TWO KILLED
IN EXPLOSION
Car Loaded With Dynamite
Caps Causes Destruction
of Southern Depot.
TWO NEGROES KILLED OUTRIGHT;
OTHERS MAY DIE OF WOUNDS
Explosion Wrecks Yards and
Smashes Windows Blocks
Away—Several Injured.
With a deafening detonation that echoed through
out the center of the city and shook buildings to their
foundations, 40 eases of dynamite caps exploded in a
box car standing on a side track at the Southern
freight depot on Peters street shortly after 8 o’clock
Wednesday morning, and as a result four are dead and
three injured.
Part of the freight depot was blown in, and sever
al box cars reduced to kindling wood, where any part
of them could be found.
The dead:
Ed White, colored laborer, of East Point.
Will Jenkins, colored laborer, McDonough, Ga.
The injured:
Walter S. Pullen, white clerk, 47 Walker street;
head cut.
Will Smith, colored laborer.
Pink Moore, colored laborer.
Alf Smith, colored laborer, heat cut.
Eugene Wilson, colored laborer, blown across
freight depot under pile of freight; head cut.
The negroes, Pink Moore and Will Smith, were re
ported dead from their injuries, but it was learned later
that they were still alive. There is little hope for either.
Heavy Damage Caused.
Besides dealing out death and maiming others,
the explosion wrought havoc to the extent of several
thousand dollars.
Part of the wall of the freight flopot was.blown in and a
portion of the roof sent skyward. The car containing the deadly
explosive was blown to atoms, while three other cars near it
were wrecked, All over the railroad yards in the vicinity of the
disaster, were scattered pieces of wreckage and the contents of
some of the cars.
Inside the freight house there was the greatest confusion.
Clerks were stunned and some knocked clown. Desks were thrown
about and the contents scattered, while glass not only in the
building, but in the stores along Peters street, was shattered.
Store fronts along the Peters street viaduct were blown in and
even a broom was blown out of the hands of Sam Gross as he
was sweeping out his store.
Were Terribly Mutilated.
THAW FACES
LI
Men Named by Fitz
gerald Come to
Court.
SLAYER’S FAMILY
ARE ALL PRESENT
Evelyn and Her Mother-in-
Law Are Prepared
to Testify.
The photograph show, the terrific force of the explo.ion of dynamite cap, in the Southern railway freight'yarcU Wednesday morning,
cara and a large part of the freight ahed wore torn into kindling wood. Two negro laborer! were killed.
FINLEY ASKS HARMONY
TO SAVE RAILROADS
Says Freight Rates in
U. S. Are lowest
in World.
FEARS ATTITUDE
OF MANY STATES
Transportation Problem, He
Says, Is One of the
Very Greatest.
Those who met deatli were terribly mutilated. Will Jenkins
was blown across several box cars high in the air and across
ten railroad tracks. His leg was found later at the works of
the Atlanta Trunk factory.
A telegraph pole on a platform, one hundred feet from the
ear, and protected by another box car, was broken off close to
the platform as if it had been n pipe stem.
What caused the explosion may never be konwn. In the ear
besides the caps was some machinery and next to the fatal
ear was a ear of hardware. The negro laborers, under charge of
Mr. Pullen, had just opened the door of the car nnd he was mak
ing preparations to cheek out the contents.
Then came a blinding flash and a deafening roar.
Debris flew into the air and pieces of roof, contents of cara
and even human flesh shot upward. Mr. Pullen was standing in
a big archway of the depot directly in front of-the car that cx-
ploded. That he escaped being blown to atoms is considered al
most miraculous. For a minute or two he was blinded and dazed.
SOME STRANGE FREAKS.
Strange freaks were played by . the deadly explosive. The car tmmedl-
a, e!y In front of the fatal car was hardly Injured, while the car opposite on
the next track was blown to pieces. Even the next car to this was broken
u h- A car in the rear of the one blown up was also wrecked.
t'lothes on some of the dead negroes were blown off or reduced to rib
bons. Even shoes were snatched from the feet by the powerful explosive,
ttn, negro talking to a white man, was blown clear across the building and
hardly scratched.
Another negro, Alf Smith, was blown oyer box ears In the air across
‘he tracks and got un and walked away. The only Injury he received was
a cut on the head. , .
What caused the explosion may never be known. It Is said by those
M 'ho were present and escaped that Will Jenkins was trying to open the
h' J ur of the car which Jammed. Flay Cooner, a negro laborer, was stand-
** near watching the proceedings and said Jenkins gave the door several
h i'k» to get it open#
Then came the explosion. Flay Cooper was uninjured. Will Jenkins
"as shot high Into the air and came down a corpse.
Hats In largo numbers were scattered all about near the scene of
'he explosion. They had been In a box somewhere In a car. Other am-
s of freight were treated In the same manner.
NEAR OPEN COFFIN.
Besides working havoc In a freakish wav the explosion presented sev-
°ral grcwMome scenes. . _ . ramo from
Near the fatal car somewhere, no one knows Just where It came from.
"*« a pine box containing a black cloth coffin. After the
^ and blown to a point next to the car which contained the deadly dynamite
,' The lid was blown off, as if the unseen hand ‘hat caused the disaster had
Fanned It beforehand. On the side of the white pin* b , h i.fhJilt End a
b! <i—| t wa , , hc b |»o(I of one of the victims. -Near this ghastly nnd a
Continued on Page Scv*n.
Washington, March 27.—-President
\V. W. Finley, of the Southern rail
way, made a plea today for harmony
between the railroads and the people.
In an Interview he said:
"Not only do I believe that It Is to
the Interest of the railways and the
people that a spirit of harmony and
co-operation and of fair nnd Just
dealing should be fostered, but I be
lieve that In the present state of affairs
it Is the patriotic duty of every man to
contribute his utmost toward bringing
about these better relations. The future
prosperity of the country depends In a
large measure upon the correct solu
tion of the transportation problems.
“The railways should treat every
purchaser of transportation with Jus
tice and fairness and the people should
be equally Just and fair to the roads.
When differences arise they should be
discussed freely and frankly, and every
endeavor should be made to settle them
In accordance with fair business prin
ciples. Under such conditions there
would be little need of statute laws for
tlfe regulation of the purchase and sale
of transportation and few occasions
would arise for appeals to state and
Federal commissions.
Present Day Tendency.
There Is a present day tendency,”
he continued, "to subject railways lo
government control^ to a degree that
everybody would condemn as being un
fair and unjust If applied to any other
kind of buslnses, and to Impose re
straint upon them that would certainly
make Impossible the improvement of
their facilities and that might make
Impossible even the maintenance of
those they now have. At such a time
the people of the South should see to It
that there Is developed an economic
statesmanship high and broad enough
to provide protection for railroad prop
erty and to encourage the development
of railroad systems of that section to
the highest possible state of efficiency.
It Is difficult for railroads to secure
money on conditions equally as favor*
ably as others.
Responsibility for the conditions
rests largely with those who regard
railroads os the proper prey to be de
spoiled with Impunity. A business man
can not be too careful to look at every
proposition for legislation affecting
transportation from all sides nnd t»
make sure the proposals purporting to
be for Ills benefit will not In practice
work to his Injury.
8outh is Progressing.
• The development of the Industries
and commerce of the South Is pro
gressing at a rate never before equaled
and is making constantly Increasing de-
R OOSE VEL7 MA\ ASK ROADS
70 MEE 7 COMMISSION
, Washington, March 27.—President Roosevelt Is seriously considering
the suggestion made by Jacob H. Schlff to Invite the railroad Interests of
the country to send representatives to Washington for a conference with
the Interstate commerce commission on the railroad situation.
Word comes from London that J: P. Morgan has cabled the president,
urging that he approve the plan. The president has been conversing on
the subject with various members of his cabinet und of the interstate
commerce commission, and It is predicted that a public statement with
reference to the suggestion will be Issued shortly from the white hous^.
CA RNE G1E SA YS R OOSE VEL 7
IS REAL CONSER VA 71VE
Washington, March 27.—Andrew Carnegie, with a message of cheer
to President Roosevelt, went to the white house this morning, having
been Invited to lunch with the president and Vice President Fairbanks
ut 1 o'clock.
The Ironmaster and friend of the president gave out a most emphatic
statement of his belief that the president Is the real conservative In the
present condition of the country’s finances and of government relations
to the railroads, and he uttered a solemn warning not onjy that the presi
dent Is asking only what Is right of great corporations, but that If the
managers of railroads do not accept his easy and reasonable conditions
they may expect that more radical men will arise to apply more rigorous
measures, with the possibility of real disaster.
I CAROLINA
Business Section Was
Swept by Blaze on
Wednesday.
KNOCKED OUT 0!
taxed to their utmost capacity by the
traffic they are now called upon to car-
It Is to the Interest of every man
doing business In the South nnd of
every resident of that section that rail
way facilities be extended as rapidly as
possible. But there can not be a rapid
extension In the face of the threat of
adverse legislation, for such a threat
discourages Investment and Impedes
constructive progress.
There Is danger that legislation In
tended to regulate railways may prove
to be an obstacle to their extension and
development and tend to exaggerate
instead of diminish the conditions
soffght to be remedied. A railway Is a
merchant with transportation for sale
and, even mor.e, it Is the partner of .nance are supposed to have been aimed
every farmer, every miner, every man- ut this, and It Is now illegal. It Is said,
business man
Does the new pure milk ordinance
prevent the sale of pasteurized or ster
ilized milk In Atlanta?
This Is the contention of some dairy
men. Certain provisions In the ordl
ufacturer and of ever;
along Its line. Theref
unfavorably agulnst the railroads Is to
strike at every possible interest.
Greatest of Problems. .
“The transportation problem,” con
cluded Mr. Finley, "can not bo solved
In prejudice or passion or In any mis
understanding of the conditions envel
oping It. Its Just solution calls for
moderation and Justice on the part of
the people and a full understanding and
co-operation between our state and
national governments und the railroads.
In such an effort to successfully work
out the problem, which Is the greatest
business and governmental problem of
the times nnd which can only be solved
on principles of construction and not
destruction, and In full recognition of
the high and Just purposes of business
sides, I think the railroads should have
the good will of the entire count***.
"During the agitation which preceded
the enactment of the Hepburn railroad
rate law then* was a great deal said
about freight rates, hut In the debates
in congress and In the long hearings
before the senate and house commit
tees only a few specific rates were al
leged to be unreasonably high. As a
matter of fact, freight rates In the
United Ktates are the lowest In the
world. They have been said to be ‘at
once the w'onder and the despair cf
ornnd upon transportation lines already European railway managera’ *
to sell sterilized milk. The following
is the section which Is supposed to
eliminate this trade:
"Section 23. AH milk must be offered
for sale as milked from the cow, and
shall not be passed through cream sep
arators or other apparatus other than
strainers for the purpose of removing
manure, dirt or other substance.”
The Pure Food and Milk Company,
which made a specialty of selling ster
ilized milk, contends that this makes it
Impossible to continue the trade.
Hotel Men Meet.
Unless the Atlanta dairymen can
comply with the ordinance as adopted
by the city council. It Is quite likely
that the hotel men of the city will Join
a movement to secure a milk depot and
laboratory which will Insure a supply
of milk up to the standard and at the
same time officially Indorse the supply
of those dealers who will agree to the
requirements.
The matter was taken up Tuesday
afternoon at a called meeting of the
hotel men of Atlanta. J. B. Newman,
president of the Pure Milk und Foad
Company; Dr. S. A. Vlsanska and In-
pector Kennedy were present und con
ferred with the hotel proprietors.
President Newman remarked that If
a man stood In with the Inspector he
could <lo as he pleased. He was Inter
rupted by Dr. Kennedy, who explained
a certain case to the satisfaction of the
dairyman. President Newman claimed
that the new ordinance could not be
compiled with and that It would result
in the prtc* of milk going up.
Spccinl to The Georgian.
Elizabeth City, N. C., March
27.—A disastrous fire swept the
business portion of the city to
day, causing a loss of .$400,000.
The firemen have gained con
trol over the flames, though tht-
fire is still burning.
The fire broke out early today
and owing to the dry conditions
of the buildings spread very
rapidly.
Elizabeth City is located in the
northeastern portion of the Rtntc,
on the const nnd is reached by a
branch road from Norfolk.
New York, March 27.—Harry K.
Thaw for the first time today saw the
members cf the lunacy commission
which Is to determine his mental con
dition.
The members^of the commission were
waiting In court when Thaw wo*
brought from the Tombs. He had only
d moment to look at them when Justice
Fitzgerald entered and Invited the com
mission Into his chambers for 1 a private
conference.
Thaw Family Present.
AH of the lawyers for the prosecution
and the defense and Mrs. Evelyn Nes-
bit Thaw, Mrs. William Thaw, counters
of Yarmouth, Mrs. George Lauder Car
negie nnd others of the Thaw family
were In court during the conference.
The session began at 11:35 a. m.
The members of the lunacy commission
took seats Inside the rail and Mrs.
William Thaw and Evelyn Thaw occu
pied seats back of the prisoner, who
was brought Into court at 11:30 a. m.
The Justice excused the Jury until next
Monday morning.
Addressing the Jury, Justice Fitzgtf*
aid said:
"Gentlemen of the Jury, I am going
to discharge you until next Monday
morning. Of course you are not to read
the papers, nor must you speak of the
cose among yourselves, nor must you
form any opinion or express one to
anyone concerning the case. You will
report back here at 10:30 a. m. next
Monday.”
Evelyn on Verge of Tears.
The Jury thereupon filed out of the
court room and soon after Thaw was
taken away. District Attorney Je
rome nnd Mr. Hartridge then conferred
with Justice Fitzgerald.
The countess of Yarmouth and Mrs.
George L. Carnegie, who had gone to
the Tombs to see Harry, entered the
court room before Justice Fitzgerald
began his remarks. The prisoner had
been In court for Just four minutes.
He nodded cheerfully to his relatives
as ho came In, and again as he left
the room. The members of the Thaw
family who remained after the Jury
had retired looked sadder than on any
previous occasion. This was especially
true of Evelyn Thaw, who appeared to
bo on the verge of tears.
Prisoner Is Cheerful.
Mr. Garvan said the commissioners
had previously been aworn In the Jus
tice's private room. The three com
missioners gazed inquisitively at Thaw
while he was occupying his seat at the
counsel table. Thaw appeared to bo
oblivious of the glances of his inquisi
tors.
His expression was. If anything, more
cheerful than previously. Lawyer Del-
inns was not in court. There was a
new member In the seats occupied by
the Thaw family. The son of Lawyer
Henry Clay McPIke sat on the right
of Evelyn Nesblt Thaw and talked with
her. He is a young man, about 18, and
his presence caused considerable com
ment until his Identity was learned.
Justice Fitzgerald left to the discre
tion of the commission the date for
their first session. The commission
decided to notify Lawyer Hartridge as
attorney of record for Thaw of the
time for their first sitting.
Growth and Progress of the New South
The <»eorg|ziri records here each day some
economic fact in reference to tho onward
march of the S'outb.
BY
JOSEPH B. LIVELY.
The Georgia and Alabama Industrial Index says In Its regular week
ly Issue:
"The cry In Georgia and Alabama cities and towns for more resi
dences increases in volume and Insistence, It Is not an artificial cry for
booming purposes, but Is earnest and Is the result largely of the estab
lishment of un ever-increasing number of manufactories, and the ac
companying commercial expansion. Efforts are being made to meet the
demand as rapidly as possible. Never before were so many tracts of
land In and adjoining Georgia and Alnbama cities subdivided and sold In
lots as Is being done Just now, and the number will Increase because of
the demand. Among the notable suburban land deals of the week are
the purchase of nearly 600 lots in u Montgomery, Ala., suburb, by a land
company at a cost of about $200,000, the purchase of 60.suburban lots at
8elma Ala., and the purchase of a large suburban tract at Mllltcwn,
Ga., to be subdivided. Among other land deals of the week that reflect
Industrial progress arc the following purchases: 6,000 acres of mineral
land near Tuscaloosa, Ala.; 100 acres of timber land near Hatley, Ga.;
1,500 acres of coal Innd near Wilhite, Ala., and 400 acres of timber land
In Wilcox county, Ga., for $12,000 cush. A $15,ooo land company has been
organized at Birmingham, Ala., and a $10,000 land company at Ashville,
Ala.
A company which proposes to build a railroad northward from
ThomasvlHe, Oa., will apply for charter.
. Among other things reported In The Index this week are: Wood
working plant, buggy factory, foundry, furniture factory, $50,000 refin
ery, overall factory and twenty-five dwellings, Macon, Ga.; power plant
on Coosa river, near Wetumpka, Ala.; $280,000 lumber manufacturing
company, Thomasvllle, Oa.;. machine shops, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; street rail
way franchise granted at Brunswick, Ga.; power plant on Broad river
that will develop 10,000 horse power, near Elberton, Ga.; $10,000 foundry
and machine shop company, Anniston, Ala.; pipe plant nnd foundry anti
four factories ut furniture company’s plant, representing an Investment
of $500,000, Atlunta. Ga.; $25,000 trust company, Gadsden, Ala.; yarn mill
at Hampton, Ga.; $32,000 lumber company, Nokomis, Ala.: $50,000 rail
road bridge over the Altamuha river. In south Georgia; paving plans In
Gadsden, Ensley and Decatur, Ala.; $100,000 apartment house and four-
story apartment house, August:!, Ga. college buildings Athens, Ala., and
Birmingham, AH., and municipal school building. Mobile, Ala.; theater,
church, two lighting plants, three warehouses, five or sfx-stoif/ hotel an
nex, Montgomery, Alu.; waterworks plants In two cities; sewer plans In
two titles: five municipal bond Issues; four banks, residences, business
buildings, contracts awarded nnd nineteen corporations with total mini
mum capital stock of $776,000.’’