Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-02-14
The Valuation of Real and Per-
sonal Property in 1899.
GRATIFYING INCREASE
For tho First limo tn Nino Year. Cot
ton nrinEs ION Cent. n Pound
Tho Dispo.,tion of state convict.
-Additional Particulars of tho Ex-
piosion which Destroyed the
Power House OF Durnom Electric
Light Company.

Raleigh, N. c., Feb. 13.-The auditor
Of Estate has received from all the coun-
ties the report giving the valuation OF
real and personal property in 1899 for
purpose of taxation. The reports do
not include in the values given rail-
road. telegraph. telephone and steam
boat property in the several counties
but realty and personally only.
A comparison of the values as given
in 1898 and In 1899 reveals some in
teresting facts. The total value of real
and personal property has Increased
since the 1898 reports were made $751;
sSS. i5S. the total being 1924, 953. 1863 in 1895
and $50, S9l, S27 in 1899.
OF the 81 counties in the State only
AiamanceI Clay, Green, Madison, Per-
quimans and Vance show u falling off
IN the value of property reported. All
the rest report an increase.
The largest increase reported is
S2,lS3,bS7 in Durham county which had
total OF $685., 26l In 1899 and of S7,74S,-
10l in 1895. Mecllcnburg comes second
with gain of Sl200,6 5S of from So, $780,
.225 TO $40, 550,SS1.
TEN CENT COTTON.
Yesterday for the first time In over
nine years, cotton sold on this market
for ten cents a pound. Ten bales be-
longing to MIR. n. Il. Riddick were sold
at that price to Lee & Latta. Ordinary
cotton is bringing only Sla cents, but
that sold yesterday is extraordinary
cotton OF fine long fibre, and used in
making spool thread.
Mr.. RiddiclS got the seed from Ten
nessee two years ago and last year he
raised four bales on two acres. This
year he Increased the acreage and got
ten bales. This kind of cotton, he says,
docs not produce quite rs much lint per
acre as does the ordinary cotton.
DISPOSITION OF CONVICTS.
Chairman Travis. of the penitentiary
board, SAYS all convicts who can be
used on contract work are now en-
ploycd There are $50, and all save
twenty-five of these arc earning as cts.
per day. There Will be 475 on the
farms-Caledonla, Tillery. Northamp-
ton and Arson. There are now, Chair
man Travis says. but little over 900
State convicts.
THE DURHAM DISASTER.
a dispatch from Durham gives the
following additional particulars of the
explosion which destroyed the electric
light power house:
Durhams electric light power house
Is now only Il mass of brick, mortar
broken tmbers, and twisted and bro
ken machinery. Everything Is a COM
pletc wreck, debris is scattered all over
that vicinity.
Between and o'clock Sunday after
noon our people heard n dull dctona-
ton and felt u shaking Of houses in our
city. Many who did not hear the ex-
plosion, thought that it was an Garth
quake. In short time word flew over
the city that the electric light honse
had blown up Hundreds OF people.
men, women and children, nocked to
the scene, In fact, thousands have
viewed the mass of wrcckage since
that time.
Just what caused the huge boiler to
explode is not known. Various theo-
rles as to the probable cause have been
advanced, but nothing can be told to a
certainty The boiler was Inspected
week or SO ago, and pronounced to be
oil right. 1t has been advanced by
some that likely the explosion was
caused by Capitalization OF the boiler.
Five men were injured in the wreck.
They were: II. T. Brown, superinten-
dent Clyde Dickson, engineer; Jas. L.
Lumley. lineman; William Burnett,
fireman.; Alex Lyon, an outsider, who
happened to pass by at the time of the
explosion The three first named are
white, and the other two colored
Dickson, Lumey and Brown were
pinned beneath some of the wreckage,
but succeeded in eXtricating himself
A person who saw the house when it
went up in the air, says that Burnett
was carried as high as a fairly tall
telegraph pole. Mr.. Brown, the superin-
tendent seems the least hurt of any
OF the five men. He has a wound on
the head and on one of his limbs, but
was able to be out to-day. Mr.Lumley
was badly burned on face and hands.
and appears 10 have received a blow
of some kind in the back He has
fine constitution and is getting along
nicely, but as yet it cannot be told
whether he will recover or not. Mr..
Dickson's injuries We're several gashes
on the head and one on the right side
or the chin. limbs cut and bruised
His condition is not considered danger
GUS Burnett and Lyon, the two color
ed men, were injured about the head
and body. Lyon is pretty badly injured
and his death has been reported several
ties. AT this writing he is getting
along very well. and his chances for
recovery are considered good. How any
escaped without being Instantly killed
Is almost a miracle.