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r» m 8 4 ' -4 Prichtfu r* ^ I Missouri. ^ * % IHfilSES SILLED Explosion of Occurred While at rr* 1 1 cl Gl refet ! Practice. o ___ Catastrophe « Took Place Range 1 Off Pensacola. Fla. Bodies oi the "\ ictiiiis Horribly Mtitillated. ^ Pensacola, Fla., special says: By :he explosion of 2,000 pounds of pow her in the after 12-inch turret aud in :he handling room of the battle ship iissour. Captain William S. Cowles, (inirnanding, twenty-nine men were in tantly killed and five injured, two t whom will die. Ti e Missouri was on the target : 2 nge w ith the Texas and Brooklyn at jractice •/. p about noon when a charge o»* ic.wder in the 12-inch lefthand gun ex oioded. igniting four charges of pow *er :n the handling room, all exploded tad only one man of the entire turret tad handling crew survives. [But for the prompt and efficient work n Carta n William S. Cowles in flood K the handling room and magazine pXa water, one of the magazines soiwl have exploded and the ship ppi-g; msequently have been destroy li wall every man on board. A: the time of the explosion the lotirth shot was being loaded t and from fcili ations the first half cf the charge Ld teen rammed home and the sec Sad section was being rammed home then gases from the shot previously ire] or portions cf th ecloth cover ig t> "breech . r-ovvder Tk was open and a dull pd gave notice of something unus pai. No loud report was made, but lames were seen to leap from every portion of the turret. A few seconds prwards another explosion some pi more fierce occurred. This was r. the handling room below, where 1, 00 pounds of powder or four charges jeady to be hoisted above and ignited Three minutes after the explosion ill were on deck and the surgeons roa the Missouri, Texas and Brook In were attending to those Trot dead. The twenty-five men of the turret , Per. found lying in a heap. They had pied for the exit when the first ex losion occurred and had just reached here when the more terrible explosion h the handling room occurred which |r,rned and strangled them to death. Bodies Terribly Mangled. TI bodies were hardly recogniza the terrible and quick fire having wnt clothing from the bodies of the ien, and the flesh hung from them in breds. The faces were mutilated by k smoke and flames. Only one man fas breathing when the turret crew fas rescued, and he died a moment Nr he reached deck. j' Nt a explosion less than five second after the two streams of water er o being played in the rooms, and 'ben volunteers were called for every ,aa of the ship responded and were ager to go into the turrets and rescue te crew. The second explosion occurred near De °f the magazines and s-o hot wa3 le fire that the brass work of ^he la sazines was melted. Smoke and le fumes of the burned powder made aS most impossible to enter either N turret or the handling room, , but , ncer« and cma ™ men, with handkerchiefs , . „ -e r 1 their LQ(?1 r faces, made j efforts «■ * * to res ie the men inside Before C1 «re the tm, f fumes of the burning . >wder “ UCI his nad left the turret officers and en were were in in uou lifting ,, the dying , . and . dead , , en. PROHIBITIONISTS tor miles. neral s ^®me is Applauded at State Con Indiana tention Held in Indianapolis. prohibitionists held theii eonventon at Indianapolis Tues ‘ ’ Q Rhodes, of Kokomo, tempo ^chairman v of the convention, in .1 UI of speech, advocated the nomina > General Nelson re $ident A. Miles for ['With tl tnst noble American bearing nati °nal banner aloft,” said he, Nh a candidate for state. r;n . ■y every and municipal office next. No ^ V -'Q will faith 5 W march, conquer ' to conquer.” • ■Wg TgMMU B UJH JB- 1 mm INSTRUCT FOR ROOSEVELT New York Republics ms Elect Delegates. Resolution Aimed at the South is Sidetracked. The New York state republican dele I sate convention met in Carnegie hall | s ^ ortly afternoon Tuesday and after j the usual preliminaries recessed until I 4 o'clock. The session was devoid of contests. The speech of Senator Depew, the temporary chairman, evok ed considerable applause, especially when he declared the certainty of Roosevelt’s nomination and election. BV one incident outside of the ex pected routine occurred and that was i the introduction by Warner Miller of i Quay resolution demanding an m vestigation by congress of the alleged disfranchisement of negro voters in the southern states. B was the same resolution , that the Pennsylvania sena ; tor Produced at the republican na tional convention in Philadelphia four years .ago. It reads as follows: “The permanency of d republican government is based on a pure al! free ballot. YYe'are opposed to either its corruption by money or its limita tion by depriving any citizen of the j United States anywhere of the right to deposit his vote, except for causes j permitted by the constitution To ths e nd we demand the protection and per manency of all civil afd political rights of our citizens without discrim - nation as to race or color. We ask congress to make inquiry whether any j state has limited for any cause the ! elective franchise, and if so limited, I that the number of its representatives ; in congress be limited in proportion to : the number of voters in the disfra.i : chisea part of the fourteenth amend ) ment, also that the fifteenth amend S ment is in no way violated indirectly ■ or by subterfuge.” Without debate it was referred to I ike committee or. resolutions, which at its session during the recess declined to incorporate in the platform, which contained a clause revering the su':> ject. The platform reaffirms the devotion of the republicans of New York to and confidence in the principles of the party. In an indorsement of President Roosevelt the platform says: “We commend Theodore Roosevelt for the fearlessness and good judgment with which he entered upon the solu - ion of Problems of social economy and government. We recognize the rare ca pacity he has exhibited in meeting all the requirements of his great office. We realize that his official acts has justified the public confidence which is the fundamental factor of his populyr ity. “Accordingly we indorse the admin istration of Theodore Roosevelt. Be lieving in his loyalty to the principles of the republican party, relying on his devotion to the interests of American citizens and confiding in his wisdom, ; his courage and his statesmanship, we hereby direct that the delegates this day chosen use all honorable means n bring about his nomination for pres ident at the national convention to be held in June.” The president’s action touching the 1 Panama canal is indorsed and the 1 principle of a protective tariff is up held while the freedom of the ballot ! without discrimination as to race or 1 color is demanded. Delegates at large were named as follows: Thomas C. Platt, alternate J. Sloat Fassett; Senator C. M. Depew, : alternate Louis Stern: Governor B. T3. Odell, Jr,, alternate Erastus C. Knight; Frank S. Black, alternate H. C. Brews ter PROOF 15 FURNISHED BY SC01T. 1 ! Congressman From Kansas Backs Up Eks Assertion on Floor oF the lloosa. A Washington dispatch says: The negro question came to the front in the house again Tuesday, a long ad dress being made by Mr. Scott, of Kan sas, in reference to previous state ments by him that Mr. Cleveland when president v entertained a Kansas : politician named m Taylor. , negro * i: Mr. Scott ,, read , several , extracts , , from r ' ■ - i Ietters , he . had , received , from , Persons in Kansas and elsewhere which, ’ he ! sa ,, d, would ., make . „ it clear , ihat . , the ' statement / , made , , by . him . was not a fab- .. | ncation. . i GEORGIA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS To Hold Their Annui.I Convention in Dublin. A fine Program Arranqed. County school superintendents all j over Georgia will be interested in the j program of the annual meeting of the ! county school officials of the state, I which is to be held in Dublin on May 3, 4 and 5. This program has just been perfect ed and given out by the state school commissioner. The various subjects and the list of those who will discuss them is enough to prove that the meet ing will be of great value to those in ter os ted in this line of work. : | Two More Skips cf the Port Arthur Squadron Put Out of Action. 1 ANOTHER MINE IS STRUCK j Torpedo Boat Destroyer Suck by Japs ana Forty-Five Russians Drown. I Battleship Pobieda Damaged. An Associated Press dispatch says: ! was officially announced in St. Pe ; tersburg Thursday that the torpedo j toat destroyer, Beztrashni, was cut off | i from the rest of the Russian fleet at I Port Arthur and sunk by the Japan | ese; that her crew was lost, and I that the battle ship Pobieda accident | ally struck a mine while maneuver j ing, but was able to return to the har Lor without loss of life. The Bezstrashni was sent out dur | ing the night to reconnoiter. She sep nrated from the rest of the fleet owing to the bad weather prevailing and was surrounded by Japanese torpedo boat destroyers and was sunk in the fight. Forty-five officers and men perished, while five were saved. Adm'ral Ouktomsky transmitted to St. Petersburg the following dispatch: “I have taken command provision ally of the fleet, since the disaster to the Petropavlovsk. During the ma neuvers cf the battle ships of the squadron the Pobieda struck against a mine amidship on the starboard side. She was able to rega n port by herself. None on board her were killed or wounded.” The Pobieda is a battleship of 12, G74 tons displacement, and of 14,500 horse power. She is 401 1-4 feet long, has 71 feet beam and draws 26 feet of water, and is heavily armored with steel. She was completed in 1901, ha3 a complement of 732 men. Her esti mated speed is IS knots. The steel armor of the battleship varies in thickness from 4 to 9 1-2 inches along her belt. The armament of the Pobie da consists of four 10-inch guns, eleven tf-inch guns, sixteen 8-inch guns, ten 13-inch guns and seventeen 14-inch guns and six torpedo tubes. The official bulletin Thursday con veying the loss of another torpedo boat and the accidental crippling of another battle ship w r as almost as se vere a blow as the loss of the Petro pavovsk Wednesday, and plunged the w r hole city anew into grief. Did Makaroff Suicide? Stories of the loss of the Russian battle ship Petropavlovsk that reached Che Foo are to the effect that the ves sei was sunk by the Japanese, and that Admiral Makaroff, realizing that he had been defeated and that his ship was going clown, blew out his brains. His action was followed by a number of the officers and many of the crew. As he shot himself, the ill-fated admi ral is reported to have said: “Such a disgrace; to be beaten by barbarians.’’ Vice Admiral Skrydloff, commander of the Russian Black sea fleet, will sue. ceed the late Admiral Makaroff as commander in chief of the Russian na val forces in the Far East. Messages of Condolence. An Associated Press dispatch from Paris says: President Loubet nas telegraphed to Emperor Nicholas his profound condolences on the, disaster to the Petropavlovsk and the death of Admiral Makaroff. This dispatch, together with those of Emperor William and the king of Italy, sent previously, is regarded as | significant cf the acceptance oi the European governments that the sink ing of the Petropavlovsk was due to an accident and did not occur during a battle with the Japanese ships. The officials say condolences over the re sult of a battle might involve ques tions of neutrality. Senate Discusses Panama Matter. The senate Thursday began consid eration of the b 11 providing for the government of the Panama canal zone. MINORITY FOUGHT IN VAIN. New Pension Order is Embodied in Defi ciency Appropriation Bill. Wednesday the house committee on appropriations completed the general deficiency appropriation bill, carrying a total of $10,388,744. The largest item is $4,000,000 for pensions. Of this sum $1,500,000 is an estimated deficien cy which will be caused by the execu tion of the recent service pension or der. The minority members of the com mittee made a fight against this item and the majority ordered it by a par ty vote. KfOROS FORCE - CONI L CT In Self-Defense Am can Troops, Un dfr General Wood, Exterminate Treacherous Filipinos. The following bulletin was posted 1 at the war department, Washington, j Monday: General Wood reports that he invit ' ed Sultan Taraca to meet him at Vic | ars on March 01 tor consultation and I that the sultan refused to come an i | instead made extensive hostile prepa | rations. Marching columns from j Marshut and Vicars left on the 2d of April to assemble the cavalry. The Vicars’ column was fired into about | ten miles from Vicars and one enlisted j man was seriously wounded. Tim Marshut column was strongly resisted at the mouth of the Taraca river, al though every effort was made to ac complish a peaceful landing; two en listed men were seriously wounded. The combined forces assembled in valley on the 4th of April and a large number of fortified cottas were de stroyed from April 4th to April 7th. The troops then returned to th^r prop er stations. Newcomb, Company K, Seventeenth infantry, and Wampler, company D, Twenty-third infantry, were killed. Every effort was made to bring the Moros to terms peacefully, but in each Instance our troops were attacked be fore firing a shot and force was only used when all peaceful methods failed and the enemy attacked us. The two chiefs who have been at the bottom of all the trouble on the east side of the Linao for two years are now in hiding, and they will be arrested if possible. General Wade, to whom General Wood's report was made and who transmitted it to the department, adds that the conditions in the Taraca val ley for the last three months had been such as to render the above action absolutely necessary. SKIRMISHES A FEATURE OF TILTRTAT. Cossacks Give Frequent Battle to Japs as ihey Fall Back in Manchuria. An Associated Press' dispatch of Monday front St. Petersburg says: Dispatches received from the Far East report constant skirmishing between the Japanese forces which have cross ed the Yalu and the Russian outposts. The Russian pickets, in obedience to instructions, fall back when hard pressed by the Japanese. Several of these skirmishes have been hotly con tested, and there have been several casualties on both sides. It is no part of the Russian plan of campaign to bring on a general en gagement at present. The Cossack de tachments which form the advance guard have been ordered to harass the advancing Japanese in every way ;os siblo, but always to fall back when out numbered. PERMANENT BAR TO CHINAMEN, Celestials Will be Kept Out Regardless ol Lapse of Exclusion Treaty. In the cabinet meeting at Washing ton, and in a conference directly be tween the executive heads of the de partments, the whole subject of the status of the Chinese immigration question as it will be after the lapse or! the existing treaty has been thorougn ly digested, and it can be stated that the administration feels that it has ample warrant for continuing to en force the rigid provisions of the Chi nese exclusion act of 1892, regardless of the denunciation of the treaty. So far from opening the door to Chi nese immigration, the lapse of tha treaty will, it is said, actually render the entrance of Chinese into this coun try more difficult than while the treaty remained in force. ROOT TO DEFEND BIG FRUST. Ex-Secretorv ol War E.nqoqed os Attorney for Northern Securities Company. Announcement has been made of the engagement of Elihu Root to represent the Northern Securities Company in its fight to prevent E. H. Harriman from obtaining control of the Northern Pacific railroad as the result of a die tribution of the Northern Securities’ assets. ‘ — J*-* PRESIDENT SUBJECT TO BURLESQUE. Roosevelt and Daughter Depicted in a Berlin Theatrical Production. Stage representations of President Roosevelt and Miss Alice Roosevelt were introduced to a Berlin, Germany, audience entitled “A Mad Year,” at the Metropolitan theatre. The president was represented in Rough Rider costume. Miss Alice, with a decided American twang, excit ed much amusement, but the police interfered and prevented the use of the name of Roosevelt. The ment therefore substituted the names of Mr. and Miss Washington. *1 ! Whelms Russians at Port Arthur. Big Battleship Hits a Submarine Mine and Goes Down. Vice Admiral Makar off and Nearly the Whole of His Crew are Lost With Fated Vessel. An Associated Press dispatch from St. Petersburg says: Official telegrams from Port Arthur state that the Rus s’au battle ship Petropavlovsk has been sunk off the entrance to the har bor. It is estimated that eight hundred men lost their lives by the destruction of the ship. Among those who were drowned were vice Admiral Makaroff, the com mander of the Russian naval forces in the Far East. So far as known only four of the officers were saved, among them being the Grand .Duke Cyril, first officer of the vessel, who was wounded. As the Japanese fleet approached, Vice Admiral Makaroff ordered his whole squadron out of the harbor to meet the attack. According to the Associated Press informant, while preparing to draw up Iris line of battle in the outer road stead, the Petropavlovks struck a mine on her starboard side, ^midship, and immediately began to heel. Be fore the crew could flood the compart ments of the vessel in order to keep her on an even keel, she turned bot tom up and sank in a few minutes, carrying down almost the entire crew. Captain N. Jakovloff, the Grand Duke Cyril and two other officers were sav eu because they were standing on the upper bridge. The frightful loss of lile among the officers and men was due to the fact that they were at their stations ready for action. The Petropavlovsk turned turtle in a manner similar to the British battle ship Victoria, which was rammed by the Camnerdown in 1893, and to the incident in the Chino-Japanese war, when a Chinese warship turned tur tle, many of the crew remaining alive for several days, hammering desper ately on the upturned hull. The correspondent of the Associated Press was informed Wednesday after noon that Grand Duke Boris was going to accompany his brother to Mukden. According to the advices received, Grand Duke Cyril’s injuries were slight. Report Received by Czar. The following dispatch was received in St. Petersburg from Rear Admiral Grigovitch, the commandant a*' Port Arthur, addressed to the emperor; i “Port Arthflr, April 13.—The Petro pavlovsk struck a mine, which blew her up, and she turned turtle, Our squadron was under Golden Hill. The Japanese squadron was approaching. Vice Admiral Makaroff evidently was lost. Grand Duke Cyril was saved. He is slightly injured. Capiain Jakov loff was saved, though severely in jured, as were five officers and thirty two men, all more or less injured. “Rear Admiral Prince Ouktomsky i has assumed command of the fleet.” BRAVE CFFICFR WAS MAKAROFF. •Washington Naval and Military Officials ! Eulogize Dead Russian •< d.nirsJ. The news of the death of Admirai Makaroff caused a profound sensat.on in naval and military circles at Wash ington, for he was probably better known than any other Russian n*va! officer. Tim was because of the fact thai he had visited the United States in 1896-97 and also commanded the Russian north Atlantic squadron. The oral opin'on is that Makaroff wait an officer of singular ability. In the matter of personal bravery he had no superior.