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THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS Vol 46—No. 3 SEVERE STORM STRUCK COUNTY FRIDAY P. M. Buildings Damaged by Wind , Which Blew With Terrific Fury L— ' v Toll of Sixteen Lives Taken by Cyclone Which Swept Over Part Alabama And Central Georgia Jackson and Butts county suffered considerable damage from the torna do s which swept over portions of Ala bama and Central Georgia, Friday af ternoon. The storm, one of the worst in a score of years, caused sixteen deaths, and a large property damage. The storm broke over this locality between 3 and 4 o’clock Friday after noon and followed van all-day’s rain. The wind reached a velocity of sixty miles an hour, and shelters were blown down, chimneys b roken off, fences blown down, w-indow lights broken out, trees uprooted and tele phone and telegraph wires put out of commission. The worst damage done in Jackson was to the Harkness building, the top of w-hich was blown off. The falling brick almost completely wrecked the dental office of Dr. J. B. Hopkins, the debris falling through the sky light demolishing the operating chair. Dr. Hopkins had a close call. He had just stepped out of the office to get. some coal, awaiting the arrival of a patient. Had he been busy at the operating chair he no doubt would have been intantly killed. Several b uildings had the plate glass broken in the windows. Signs were b lown down, and there was every evidence of u real storm havmg hit the town. Just preceding the storm, the ba rometer fell rapidly and the heat was almost stifling. There was a vivid electrical display for a few minutes, and hail fell with terrific force. Then the storm swept out of the west, driv en by a sixty mile- an hour wind. The storm seems to have been confined to a rather narrow area, Third street and the business section of Jackson suffering the g reatest damage. Alabama suffered most from the storm. At Cowarts, Ala., seven were killed and 25 injured. Six children were killed and 40 injured at Dothan, Ala., in the collapse of a school house Macon was hard hit b y the storm. Two deaths were reported. Camp Wheeler suffered considerabla dam age and great inconvenience from the storm. Many of the tents were flood ed with water, in some places the water reaching as high as six feet. A cloudburst accompanied the storm in the Macon territory. A number of soldiers lost their personal effects in the storm. Following the storm, the mercury | began to fall rapidly and by Satur : day morning the thermometer went dotvn to 10 degrees above zero. The cold spell was one of the worst of the winter, holding on through Mon day, when it began to thaw up some what. Sunday morning was the coldest weather of the winter, the thermom eter registering 6 degrees above zero. One good result of the rain of Thursday night and Friday was to improve the power situation. The res ervoir of the powr company on the Ocmulgee river filled up rapidly, fol lowing the steady downpour Friday. While the water is not as high as the situation demands, yet the use of coal for the operation of the ■ steam plant in Macon can be dispensed with to a certain degree. A rise of eight feet is reported from the Ocmulgee river plant. Farmers express the fear that the oat crop has been killed. Up To the Oast blizzard the crop was in fair Shape, well informed farmers state. HBut the cold, following the drenching rain, is believed to have seriously damaged both wheat and oats . The manufacture and consumption as a luxury in France has been entirely suppressed,; except on Sundays and holidays. JACKSON, GEORGIA, JANUARY 18, 1918 BETS $5,000 ON BOOK OF REVELATIONS; WAR TO END IN SIXTY DAYS Savannah, Ga., Jan. 11.— Backing his judgment in his faith in the Book of Revelations, W. T. Patrick, a prominent citi zen of Sylvania, has wagered $5,000 against SI,OOO that the great war will endin sixty days. J. H. Evans, of Halcyondale, is the other party t’no the wager. They have given certified checks to cover the transaction. These are held by A. D. Lewis,, of Sylvania. DRAFT BOARD CLASSIFYING MEN All The Registrants Have Been Served REQUIRE SEVERAL BAYS NeV ARMY WILL BE RECRUITED FROM CLASS ONE—ALL WHO FAIL TO ANSWER QUESTIONS PLACED IN FIRST CLASS The Butts county draft board be gan Monday the work of classifying registered men for service. All of the men had been previously sent their questionnaires, though it may be the last of the.week before all the pues tions are returned. It is not known just how long it will take the board to complete its work. Each questionnaire must be read and gone over carefully. This is a rather slow and tedious process, and indications are the board will be engaged for several days in arrang ing the registrants under the proper classification. Single men without dependents will be placed in class No. 1. Married men w hose families are not depen dent upon them for support also go in the first c lass. All who fail to an swer and return the questionnaires are automatically placed in class No. 1. There are a considerable number in that class, it is said. Available figures indicate that there are 1,000,000 physically and. otherwise qualified men under the present registration who will be fonud in class 1 when all questionnaires have been returned and the classifi cation period ends February 1. To this the extension of registra tion to men turning 21 since June 5 of last year and thereafter, will add 700,000 effective men each year. MR. ETHERIDGE AGAIN HEADS THE ATLANTA TRUST COMPANY The shareholders of the Atlanta Trust Company held their annual meeting Wednesday of the past week, when a satisfactory year’s business was reviewed. Mr. F. S. Etheridge was again elected president. The company paid a semi-annual dividend of three per cent. A fireproof solution for treating airplane fabrics is a thing which may be realized in the near future, experi ments ir a private plant having al ready developed a* comparatively suc cessful solution. COLONEL LANE IS CALLED BY DEATH Expired Saturday Alter Stroke Paralysis FUNERAL HELD MONDAY DEATH OF PROMINENT ATTOR NEY AND CIVIC LEADER CAME AS SHOCK TO FRIENDS ALL OVER THE STATE Following an illness of several weeks, Major A. W. Lane, one of the best known lawyers in Georgia died at Williams’ sanitonum in Macon at 7 o’clock Saturday morning. He had been ill of rheumatism and malaria for several weeks and was undergoing treatment when he was stricken with paralysis on January 6. He gradually grew weaker until the end came Sat urday morning. News of Major Lane’s passing came as a shock to thousands of friends over the state. He was particularly well known and well liked here in Butts county. Mrs. Lane owns large farming interests here and this to gether with his practice in the local courts brought Major Lane often to Jackson The family spent then summers in Jackson and many friends ! were saddened and shocked to learn 1 of his untimely death. Born in Jasper county December 28,-1868, Mpjor Lane was 49 years old. He was an honor graduate of Mercer University in the class of i 1890, being anniversarian of his class. He was a graduate of the law depart- I ment of the University of Virginia | and following the completion of his ! law course he located in Macon. For a time he was a member of the law ! firm of Willingham & Lane. Later he ! formed a partnership with Orville A. Park, and in 1914 he became a mem ber of the law firm of Jordan & Lane. This firm was division counsel for the Central of Georgia Railway Com pany. Major Lane held many positions of trust and responsibility, filling them all with ability and reflecting credit upon "himself and constituents. He was solicitor general of the Macon circuit for two terms, and represented Bibb county in the legislature. He was a member of the law faculty of Mercer University for eight or ten years, and was a member of the Bibb county board of education. He was also a trustee of the Georgia Indus trial Home and manifested keen in terest in that institution. Major Lane was prominent in se cret order work. He was a past mas ter of Mable lodge of Masons, member of Constantine Chapter, member of St. Omer Commandery No. 2, Knights Templar, and was a member of Alsi hah Temple of Shriners. For twenty years he had been a deacon in the First Baptist church, and at the time of his death was serving on the exec utive committee of that church, which committee directed all of its finances. A man of most pleasing and lov able personality, Major Lane made friends easily and held them by his, tact, patience r, nd magnetism. He j was ever ready to do a friend a favor and had helped many young men to get a start in life. He was the soul of courtesy and knightly honor, too magnanimous to do alittle mean thing, too generous to harbor malice. His friends will remember him as a bril liant and successful lawyer, a man ever ready to help in any forward movement, -a public spirited, honor able citizen, who worshipped his fam ily and was in turn worshipped by them. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Hattie McKibben Lane; four sons, Corporal Andrew W. Lane, Jr., who is a member of the Coast Artillery, stationed at Fort Screven, Savannah; Van McKibben Lane, lieutenant, U. S. R., stationed at Camp Gordon; Louis J. Lane, a student at the Vir ginia Military Institute, Lexington, Va., and Harry Lane; three daugh ters, Misses Mary, Margaret and Vir ginia Lane. Two brothers, W. T. Lane, of Americus, and J. L. Lane, COUNCIL WILL LIKELY ELECT MONDAY NIGHT Officers Will Be Chosen at The Next Meeting On account of the unfavorable weather there was no meeting of city council Monday night. At the meeting next Monday night, January 21, it is expected the business of the past year will be wound up and that the new council will begin work. With the exception of Mayor J. T. Moore and Alderman C. T. Beau champ there is an entirely new set of city officials for the present year. If the new council organizes next Monday night officers for the city will probably be elected at that time. These include: Clerk and treasurer, city tax receiver and collector, two policemen, superintendent of'munici pal p’ants, sexton, city attorney and bond commissioners. So far as known now there are no contests for any of these places. STEAM PLANTS IN MACON CLOSE Ocmolgee Plant Furnish ing AH Power RIVER RISES RAPIDLY RAINS HELP POWER SITUATION AND MACON PLANTS ARE ABLE TO SAVE LARGE CON SUMPTION OF COAL Macon, Jan. 15. —The two steam plants of the Macon Rr ilway and Light Company and the Central Geor gia Power Company which operated at their fullest capacity during the re cent rainless peiod were practically closed down Monday, as the reservoir at Jackson only lacked nine feet of overflowing and the hydro-electric plant there is able to furnish cur rent for Macon and all the cities it supplies. There was a heavy fall of rain ov er the Ocmulgee river watershed, particularly at Covington, the center. Consequently the flow of water into the reservoir at Jackson has been enough to enable the plant to gener ate enough current to relieve the Ma con steam plants. Monday it was re ported that the water in the reser voir had risen eleven feet and only lacked nine feet of overflowing. With more rain predicted Monday night and Tuesday, it is probable that the overflow will come about Wednesday or Thursday. While the steam plants were ope rating in Macoh, the consumption of coal was very heavy. A few days prior to the rain, it required 165 tons of coal per day at a cost of SBOO. The plants will be kept steamed up for any emergency reasons. Considrable damage to some of the lines of the power company was sustained in Macon and at Camp Wheeler, Monticello, Griffin and oth er places last Friday afternoon. Man ager MaGraw reports that all of it, however, has been repaired. of Jasper county. Two sisters, Mrs. Mollie Lane Dozier, of Jasper coun ty, and Mrs. R. F. Jackson, of Troupe, Texas. The funeral was held from the First Baptist church of Macon at oon Monday. The impressive services were were conducted by the pastor, Dr. C. L. Yates. There were escorts from the Knights Templar, Macon Bar Association, the Bibb county board of education, deacons of the First Baptist church, and the faculty and student body of Mercer were present. The floral tributes were nu merous and beautiful, attesting the high esteem in which the dist'r "mg; . ed lawyer was held. The interment was in Rose Hill cemetery. Jackson Argus Established 187.1 ( Butts County Progress Established 1882 BUTTS COUNTY WON FIRST PRIZE Led The State ia Canning Club Work AWARDED FIFTY DOLLARS AWARDS JUST MADE PUBLIC AND BUTTS COUNTY LED THE WHOLE STATE-SHOWING WAS CREDIT TO COUNTY Mrs. C. A. Butner, Canning Club agent of Butts county, has just been advised that Butts county won first prize of fifty dollars at the South eastern Fair in Atlanta. To lead the entire state of Georgia in Canning Club work the past year is an honor that is appreciated by Mrs. Butner and the people of the whole county. The exhibit was a splendid one as all who saw it can testify. The county made an even better showing than Mrs. Butner hoped for. She would have been satisfied with second or third prize, but to know that the county won first is highly pleasing. The check for fifty dollars has already been received. The county prize of fifty dollars is in addition to a number of individual prizes, mention of which has already been made in these columns. Owing to a ruling of the depart ment, Mrs. Butner was not allowed to take the exhibit to Macon to be shown at the State Fair. JACKSON CHAPTER R. A. M. HAS ELECTION OFFICERS Five Candidates to Receive Degrees at Next Meeting At the meeting of the Jackson Chapter, No. 54, Royal Arch Masons, Monday night officers were elected for , the ensuing year. The M. M. degree will be confer -1 red upon five candidates at the next regular meeting, January 28, and a full attendance of the members is re quested. The c hapter has consider able amount of work on hand and a busy year is in prospect. The officers elected are as follows: H. L. Daughtry, H. P.; J. B. Hopkins, K.; J. C. Jones, S.; D. G. McMichael, C. H.; C. M. Compton, P. S.; J. D. Jones, R. A. C.; J H. Ham, Treas.; F. M. Allen, Sec.; H. O. Ball, M. 3rd V.; G. C. Evans, M. 2nd V.; W H. Mallet, M. Ist V..; F. M. Hodges, Sentinel. FOOD ADMINISTRATOR WILL GETWOU IF YOU DON’T WATCH Atlanta, Jan. 17.—A grocer in a certain city near Atlanta was report ed to the Food Administration in At lanta as selling more flour than the government allows for a single indi vidual. That night he got a telegram requesting him to show cause by tel egraph why his license should not be revoked. He hurried to Atlanta in an. automobile and brought a man to vouch for him. The food administra tion allowed him to continue in busi ness on his solemn promise to obey the law. That is an example of what the Food Administration does to pro tect the public from extortion and hoarding. SPRING PLOWING IN FRANCE DONE BY AMERICAN TRACTORS To increase France’s crops and to lighten the burden of toil on her old men, women and children 1,500 farm tractors will go to that country from the United States. The first hun dred are already on the way, and the whole number will be in France by March, in time for the spring plowing Deck* space was provided for the first shipment on a naval transport. Schools of instruction will be organ ized. The sown to crops in the uninvaded portion of France in 1917 was about 10,000,000 acres less than in 1913, or 24.4 per cent. The in creased r,reduction through the use of tractors this year is expected to greatly improve the food situation. _ ........ . Consolidated July 9. 1915