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■H IMPORTANT HI ST 0R Y MADE IN CLOSING YEAR Titanic Disaster and Balkan Defeat of Turkey Are Most Prominent Events. Much notable history was written in \ear of 1912—events of vast impor ter and of world-wide interest fol , ved each other in the quick inarch of ,, ls . past twelve months. The most significant of these, doubt j was the revolt of the Balkan -rites against the Turkish empire, , fcii put a period to the sultan’s an , , -ui retnacy in eastern Europe. The -uciden rise of the minor states which ..mprfsed the Balkan allies is one of 'nr narvels of the age. No less mirac u; us was the swift and decisive way In which they swept the Turks across ' plains of Thrace and forced them ~'ick to the banks.of the Dardanelles. Tlie fortunes of this war caused the .elude world to wonder. The very map Europe was changed from day to ay. Especially has this war brought into significant power the states of Servia and Bulgaria and given them an important voice in the diplomatic fo unt of Europe. Sinking of Titanic. The most grievous occurrence of the year, especially to America, was the sinking of the Titanic on April 14. The ~ss of this greatest of all ocean liners. ,Ith over 1,500 persons, was the great est marine tragedy of all time. It was not only the multitude of vic tims that made the catastrophe so overwhelmingly sad, but the character i nd Importance of many of those who sank—the appalling figure being 1,519. In the middle of the night, while the ship was flashing with myriads of bril liant lights and the great vessel was ringing with music and laughter, the Titanic ran head on into a gigantic Iceberg while going at the rate of over 30 miles an hour. Death seemed to reign in the air as veil as on tlie water during the year 'ML. The number of airmen who lost L it lives was unprecedented. And one Aio'nric.iM woman is numbered among vi tin.- . Jliss Quimby, who fell into i ,i from the height.of 1,009 feet, claimed 30 airmen, bringing a total of all up to 217. ••• year marked some improv, m -nt j>> hydro-aeroplane, but t.n the hob- the science of flying did not pro _r. ss to any material degree. Wilbur Wright Dies. in tliis year of the most lyumerou: air disasters it is quite significant that ath should claim, by sickness, nan who invented the first practical dying craft —Wilbur Wright. The great American inventor passed i way at his home in Day ion, Ohio, and was given one of the most notable fu nerals in the history of the city. In the political realm the year 1912 witnessed many remarkable tilings. Pei haps the most significant was the completion of the overthrow of the Mnncliu dynasty in China and the in t illation of the Chinese republic with in. Sun, a Harvard graduate, as pres ident. lu America, of course, the most im wirt int political event was the over whelming defeat of the Republican par ' and the return of the Democratic laity to power, after sixteen years, with Woodrow Wilson as the new president. An interesting feature of tlie political lavements in this country was the ■I, th of the Progressive party, with ■H iner President Theodor. Roosevelt as i- god father. South Pole Discovered, Tin year 1912 also witnessed the dis ■very of the South Pole by Captain • '.aid Amundson, the Danisli explorer. In the field of science great progress .as made, especially in surgical exper uients. The Nobel prize, for the most notable achievement of the year in the latter field, was awarded by Dr. Alexis 1 'arrell, of the Rockefeller institute, New York. Although Dr. Carrell is a Frenchman by birth, he has labored in America for years. He is. to all events and purposes, an American, and the work he did for which he was given the Nobel award, was performed in an American institute erected by an Amer ican philanthropist. Therefore, Amer ica claims the honor. The year 1912 has witnessed the pasti ng of many prominent men. Among 'he eminent Americans who died dur tig tlie year were Vice President James - Sherman. Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans, Ambassador Whitelaw Reid and Jeneral Frederick D. Grant. The Rosenthal Murder. The most sensational individual crime f the year, at least in America, was the assassination of Herman Rosen hal, the New York gambler, by four -'tinmen acting as agents of Police Lieutenant Charles A. Becker. The lat er and his four hired murderers are tow under the sentence of death. The circumstances surrounding tills rime and tlie subsequent developments arising from it constituted the most farnest steps ever taken in probing municipal corruption. The immediate result of the Becker crime was the opening of the alder manic investigation, which revealed tlie revolting .V ails of the alliance between the police and the underworld. Another event which stirred the heart of the nation was the dastardly attempt to assassinate Theodore Rome velt at Milwaukee by John Schrank, a New York crank, who is now in an insane asylum. In the matter of legislation, perhaps tlie most important I'eiitureß were tile . eto of tlie new Demovutic .''ingress arlff bills relating to wool, cotton and uuig am; tin. laruivr. free list, by Pres- Oldest Sigma Nu Defends Secret Societies in Colleges !“FRAT” MEN HAVE GREAT DAY ' - IMWMIMIgSwwWr 'll y f Irr ’T'F)) CJ»-a ffbt 'jMF W [K f **■ t ' *■ 4 <,.. ’ lib' -<Bb AgiMdMx > j I JJ w v / MS 1 ISSIhr - £7% i "7b J? - JP? B R. iJftw Reynolds. Atlanta, bn left, and A. C. Riley. Jr., Atlanta, delegates to the Sigma Xu eonvention exchanging “official” greetin",s. HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS OF THE PASSING “NEWSY” YEAR I War between Tinney and the Balkan states. Sinking of the Titanic when 1.519 souls perished. i A. i< nipted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt. Democratic victory in the United States and the election of Woodrow Wilson for president. Conviction of 38 labor leaders for conspiracy in the Mc- Namara dynamiting. Establishing of the Chinese republic. Winning of the Nobel prize for surgical research by Dr. Alexis Carrell, of the Rockefeller institute. President Taft’s veto of the tariff bills reducing the rates on wool, cotton and iron. Also his veto of the farmers’ free list bill. Canada’s rejection of the reciprocity agreement. The assassination of Herman Rosenthal, a New York gam bler, at the instigation of Police Lieutenant Charles A. Becker. Death of 30 airmen during the year, bringing the grand total up to 217. Winning first place at the Olympic games by the Ameri can team. Winning of seventeen championships b\ American athletes. United States supreme court decisions in the Union Pacific merger and the anthracite coal trust cases. ident Taft, and the defeat in Canada of the reciprocity agreement. Several important opinions were handed down by the United States su preme court, the chief of these being tlie opinion touching the Union Pacific merger. The action taken by the court resulted in the dissolving of the great railroad combination which had been - effected by the late E. H. Harriman. Another supreme court decision which caused much comment was in , relation to tlie Anthracite Coal trust. While the opinion of the court pur- ' ported to be adverse to the trust, many commentators hold that it will not in- 1 jure the coal interests in tlie least. The year 1912 still found our, neigh bor on the south, Mexico, restless and disturbed by internal dissensions. Sev eral revolutionary uprisings against the existing administration were made. ' One of them, led by a nephew of Gen- ' oral Porflrio Diaz, former president of ' Mexico, promised to develop into a for midable menace to the Madero regime. , But Diaz was captured within a few days, together with other leaders. Th« ' latter were executed, but Diaz stil is in 1 prison. A big event at the end of the year , was the conviction on December 28 of 38 union labor leaders on a charge of I conspiracy growing out of the dyna miting campaign of the McNamara brothers, who a year ago confessed to blov ing up The Los Angeles Times and numerous other property, for which they were sentenced to San Quentin prison, California, for life. The 38 men were sentenced to prison on Decem ber 30. Sentence was suspended on five of them. KILLS MOTHER-IN-LAW: SLEEPS PEACEFULLY KENDALLVILLE. IND., Dee. 31.-Ed ward Hart shot and killed Sarah Me-. Bride, is mother-in-law, and fatally v, ounded his wife! lUana. at their home in LaGrange. Hart sl -i'> fully in the home where the tragedy was enacted and <vas arrosted after a posse searched six hours for him. THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1912. COSMOPOLITAN LIFE TO BE REORGANIZED FOR BUSINESS FEB. 1 Reorganization of the Cosmopolitan Life Insurance Company will be effected as soon as the necessary details, Including a decrease of the $1,000,000 capital stock, and an addition of a substantial sum to the surplus, are arranged. Heretofore known officially as the “Cos-® mopolitan Life Insurance Company," the rehabilitated concern will be called "The Cosmopolitan Life Insurance Company," with an addition of the article as the only change of title. The step toward a change of organiza tion was made as a result of the litiga tion into which the affairs of the com pany have been plunged. Every indica tion as regards the volume and extent of business done is flattering, the stockhold ers announced ala meeting held yester day. With $2,500,000 insurance written before the receivership suit was filed last ■ full, with business in sight to swell the volume to $4,000,000, and with a new lease on life which tin reorganization will give, the company will prosper, the stockhold ers believe. The newly organized con cern will be ready for business Febru ary 1. i .The decision to reorganize, with other details connected with the proposition, was made at Monday's meeting of the stockholders. POLICEMAN WHO CLUBBED PRISONER TO FACE TRIAL DALTON. GA.. Dec. 31.—Waiving preliminary hearing, Policeman Waltei Smith was bound over to the grand jury on the.charge of assault and bat tery. J. S. Grider contends that the po liceptan unnecessarily clubbed him in arresting him. The policeman made the SIOO bond required. MOVING DAV IN VIDALIA. VIDALIA. GA.. Dec. 31.—This is mov ing day in this place, fully seventy-five families having moved in and out of town today. Most of tlie movers, however, are f.'tmers moving to their new locations for the ■ omlng season. Several of the mer chanUt have also secured new quarters for the coming year. Theater Party and Ball to Feature Closing Days of the National Convention. John Alexander Howard, of Tallahas see, Fla., the oldest Sigma Nu in at tendance at the fraternity's convention In Atlanta, is a firm believer in the fra college. He deplores the anti-frater nity fights instigated b disgruntled in dividuals and declares that if the true meaning of the fraternity were under stood by all there would be little cause for friction. “The fraternity is a great institution in its influence on the average Ameri can undergraduate,” declared Mr. How ard today. “It fills a need in the life of tlie college student which never could be filled in any other way. Boys naturally seek others of their kind, and it is inevitable that this tendency should find expression in the student organizations which we know as fra ternities. Wherever man is thrust he easts about for congenial spirits. He will find them sooner or later. "Fraternity life, properly lived, brings out manly qualities that otherwise would lie dormant or undeveloped. Pride in the various groups of men ami the name of the orders stimulates men to do theh' best in appearance and in action. “Good For Colleges.” "Only good to the college can result, with members anxious to go out and bring in prospects who are of like high character and standing. Thus does the college renew its youth, and the growth is a healthy one." Yesterday was one of the pleasantest days of the Sigma Nus' young lives. Starting with the opening business ses sion at 11 a. m. and ending with a big banquet at the Piedmont at 8 p. ni., the day was brimful of joy. Especially joyful were the "pre" and “post" trimmings of the banquet, tiie main affair being most too dry to wet a single whistle. Water—water was everywhere! “Pete” Daley and tlie California delegates were the first to make the discovery and the news spread like wild fire. E. L.-e Worsham, stale entomologist and one of the most congenial spirits in this section, presided as toastmaster. He spoke of lhe value of the fraternity bond and introduced several enthusi astic speakers. Preston 8. Arkwright, also a Univer sity of Georgia graduate, spoke on “The Opportunities of tie- College Men In the South." Rev. Albert H. Wilson, of New York city, regent, talked of “Sigma Nu—Her Achievements." Theater Party Tonight. John W. Pull, of Nashville, took as his subject “Fraternity Ideals in Col lege Life." lb nry Tillman spoke on “<'housing a Fraternity.” Thomas H. Piekies, of Richmond. Ky., took the subject "Brothers All.” Walter James Sears asked "Shall the Fiaternity Sys tem Be Abolished?" • The offlceis made reports and there wore other speakers. 11. E. Hibson, of Philadelphia, chairman of a committee on fraternity houses, spoke on the need of acquiring more homes for the chap ters, and he will make a further report at one of today's sessions. Today and tomorrow there will be business sessions starting at 10 o’clock in mornings ami at 2 in the afternoons. Tonight the delegates have reserves tu< parquet of tin Atlanta theater am 1 GUARD PREPARES FDRINAUGUHAL War Department Writes to Ad jutant General—lnspection Officers Named. The adjutant general s office has re ceived a request from the national war department for information as to how many, as nearly as can be estimated at this time, Georgia troops will participate in the inauguration parade in Washington on March 4 General Leonard Wood had been re quested by the inauguration committee to act as grand rnazsl of >he day, and it Is for his information, and by his direc tion, that the Inquiry is sent to the ad jutant general’s department. The national war department is antici pating the largest attendance of military on inaugural ion day in the nation’s his tory, and preparations for the big parade already are well under way. The adjutant general’s office also has been informed that the annual inspections in Georgia will be conducted by tht fol lowing officers; Captain .1. M. Kimbrough, Jr., will inspect the state arsenal and de partment in Atlanta, Lieutenam ICdward King will inspect the artillery. Major Henry Jones, of the Seventeenth infantry, will inspect the ' state infantry. Major David Baker, of the medical corps, will inspect the hospital service in Barnesville and Atlanta, aid Major Collins of the medical imps, will inspect the marine <!•-- uichnuH. in Savanna I QUAKER OATS CO. IS PROBED BY U. S. IN SEARCH FOR TRUST CHICAGO, Dee. 31.—A Federal grand jury investigation of the Quaker Oats I'ompanv. regarding certain transac tions which the government believes were violations of the Sherman anti trust law. is under way here today. The purcha.-e of the Great Wi stern I Cereal Company about a year ago by the oats company is the point under examination. It is tlie belief of tin district attoriH .. that tile transaction virtually made the Quaker Oats Com pany a. cereal trust. SAILOR IN U. S. NAVY NOW WORTH $250,000 WEST HAMPTON. N. Y.. Dee. 31. Knight Wheeler, son of the late Fred erick M. Wheeler, and worth about $250,000, has for tlie last live years been an enlisted man in tlie X’nited States navy. His duties have been so Well performed that, ills friends are ex pecting any day to hear of his winning a commission as ensign. He is visiting his mother and sisters at the magnifi cent Wheeler estate. He rose through the various grades until now he is chief machinist on the Albatross. TRAVELS 1.500 MILES TO SMASH FURNITURE —, — PORTLAND. OREG., Dec. 31.—Re senting the repulse of his attentions by a sister of Grant Carter, manager of a slide company here, formerly of Chi cago, Victor Barone traveled 1,500 nilles for revenge and broke into the office at night and destroyed SSOO worth of of fice fixtures. He was arrested. It Is said Barone lived with Carter and his sister in Chicago and when Carter came West he was deserted by the object of his affections He was armed with brass knuckles when arrested. HUNDREDS OF CATTLE BURN IN PRAIRIE FIRE CENTER. N. D., Dec. 31. -Prairft fires are unusual in North Dakota :it this season, but one burned a strip from one to three miles in width from Sanger, this county, to the Missouri river. There was a heavy wind ami tin flames jumped over all the ordinary “fire breaks.” Thousands of tons of liny were burn ed and several hundred head of cattle perished. The ranch of Thomas Hall, recently elected secretary oi’ state, was in the path of tile fire, and he lost "heavily. GIRL COUGHS UP NEEDLE IMBEDDED IN GOOSE ST. LOUIS, Dec. 31. Miss Margaret Bux, a telephone operator of Belleville, was dining on goose at her home last night when she felt a pain in her throat. She coughed so violently that her mother, Mrs. William Jenks, sent a hurry call for a doctor. Before the physician arrived, however. Miss Bux had succeeded In taking from her throat the caus' 1 of irri tation, a large needle How the needle came to be in the goose, Mrs. Jenks, who cooked the fowl, can not understand. The ne«?<lh* must have been In the bird’s thigh while it was living, she believes. FIND GRAIN SPECULATOR DEAD IN ROOM FROM GAS ' CHICAGO, Dec. 31. -Charh-H Thiope, a grain speculator, was found asphyx iated in a rooming house at 6GI Dear born avenue. His death is believed to have been accidental. TWO SURVEYORS DIE WHEN MINE EXPLODES VINCENNES. IND., Dec. 31.—A gas explosion in a mine at Bicknell killed Frank Stewart, county surveyor-elect, and fatally Injured A. J. Frey. Th< | men were surveying the mine. Both of Stewart's hands were burned off. will see “The Spring Maid” with theli young women friends. The closing event will be the big fra ternity dance given tomorrow night at the Capital City club. Three hundred Slginn Nus and one representative of each fi nteriiity at Teeii will be present, not to mention an array of society belles. EXPERT SANDS ON HOW TO MAKE CITY STREET DEP A R TMEN T EFFEC TIVE Efficient administration of the office of chief of construction demands that it be tilled by a high-grade business executive se lected solely on merit. It would be better were he to have a technical engineering training also, but this is not essential. When men such as this position needs can be persuaded to serve the people in such an office the position must usually come to them by appointment without the strife, and often taint, of politi cal contest. The head of the department ehargd with building and maintaining the city 's street.-, should be bound by no cam- ■ paign obligations and have no political fences to tend. And yet I his is an elective office in Atlanta. Such work can not be mixed with politics without just such a result, as Atlanta has experienced. It is logically to be expect ed. I’he chief of construction should be appointive and the best man available in Atlanta or anywhere else in the United States should be eligible for appointment. Bolstering Up an Illogical Structure The two main functions of the department comprise the con struction and repair of streets, and the construction and repair of sewers ami operation of sewage disposal plants. A recent or dinance intended as a basis for reorganization of the department provided for an assistant chief of construction, an engineer in charge of streets and another in charge of sewers. The latter two positions are necessary, but assuming the head of the depart ment to be efficient it does not seem that as a matter of organi zation an assistant chief of construction is necessary. Such inter nal reorganization can at best but bolster up an illogical struc ture. As indicated above changes are basic. The men at the head of the bureau of streets and lhe bu reau of sewers should lie men of experience and recognized standing in* street and sewer construction respectively. If they ar>' also graduate engineers so much the better, but the prime requisite should be experience. They might be designated re spectively as superintendent of streets and superintendent of sew ci's, i The present position of superintendent of streets should be abolished.) Salaries should be provided for these positions ade quate to attract competent men. and they should be continued in office under civil service regulations. The former would have supervision of all street work, both new work and repairing and including sidewalks and curbs. The latt'W would have supervision of all construction and repair of sewers. Other construction and repair work such as sewage diiyiosal plants, crematory, etc.. • might b<- assigned to either of these two bureaus, according to the judgment of the chief of construction, or retained under his per sonal direction. Should Be Strictly Accountable The superintendents of streets and sewers should be held strictly accountable for results, and they ought, therefore, to be allowed to nominate their subordinates, appointments being made by the heiftl of the department after a test of qualifications. Pending establishment of a civil service commission such tests might be conducted under temporary civil service regulations. The city, through this department, is following a policy of changing many street grades. Before approving plans for fur ther changes of this character it would be wise to await the de velopment of the plans of the newly created Atlanta city planning commission. No grades should be changed hereafter without the approval of that commission, because only in that wav can all public projects co-ordinate in th<- development and beautification of the city. The old adage a “stitch in time” is particularly apt when applied to street pavements. A rut or hole in a pavement, if re paired when it first appears, takes but little lime, and may lie done at a minimum cost; if such holes are allowed to remain, however, vehicles continually drop into them, and not only en large the hole each day, but rebounding, strike the pavement beyond with such impact as to start a second depression, and thus a series of depressions result which become very expensive to repair. Good economy, therefore, demands that a sufficient appropriation be made available each year to repair breaks in pavement at oneu they appear. LEAP YEAR FALLS SHORT ON MARRIAGE LICENSES DALTON, GA., Dec. 31.—Leap year lias prow d a severe disappointment to Cupid in Whitfield county, for the sale of marriage licenses shows fewer is sued during the past twelve months than for any other similar period in seven years. Just 176 marriage licenses were issued here, as compared to 186 in 1911, 199 In 1910, 187 in 1909. 189 in 1908, and 209 in 1907. TWO BILLIONS U.S. EXPORTS FOR PAST ELEVEN MONTHS WASHINGTON. Dec. 31. -The value of the total imports Into the United States for eleven months, ending with November, B>l2, aggregate $8,664,270,806, according to a bulletin issued by the bureau of for eign and domestic commerce and labor. The value <»t exports from this country to all parts <>f the world for the same period amounted to $3,148,617,686. HAVE YOU A DEAF CHILD? tile only private school In the South for Deaf Children. 'Only school South teaching SPEECH exclusively. Moat advanced methods; home life Unsurpassed results. Miss Arbaugh’s School for Deaf Children 110 Rogers Ave. MACON. GA. Modern Expert Dentistry at Reasonable Prices $5 Crown and (T * 1 Bridge Work ( j Set of (3* jr Teeth *** ' 1 I All other dental work at prices that > 1 T ■ I ? I r wlu P ,eaße - Plates made and deliv •kZ I I J ered ’ ame day. Dr. E. G. Griffin’s Gate City Dentai Rooms 24! 2 WHITEHALL STREET. Bell Phone 1708. Hours: 3 a. m. to 7 p. m. Sundays, 9 a. m. to 1 p. m. WOMAN KILLED IN FUN; GLASS PIERCES NECK M)S ANGEDES, Deo. 31. - Falling on th. > ragged edges of a glass door broken In a playful bout with a guest over a box ci cigarettes, Mrs. Ortance Koetsch, a wid ow, was almost Instantly killed in her ' home in West Sixteenth street, when one i of thy long Silvers of glass pierced her : neck. So unusual and dramatic was her ! sudden death that several of her women , guests became hysterical and fainted NEW ARMY AEROPLANES TO BE ALL-NEW PATTERN 1 WASHINGTON, Dec. 31.—Specifications How being made up by the signal corps of the United States army will bring into use by the army in 1913 a type of aeroplane entirely different from those at present in commission . All that will be purchased In the future must have a streamlike or torpedo-shatied body, with a wind shield for the aviator and passenger, and be equipped with the latest radio-telegraph apparatus. 3