Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-10-14
Scraps aud faets.

negro trash hauler nearly ndli HIN
away. Several men were more oi
less. seriously injured.
The blowing up Of Gamboa dyke
last Friday was a complete success
The blast consisted of 1,600 pounds o.
dynamite buried in the dyke, and VIII
the pressing Of a button by the presi'
dent at the White House at two min
utter after 2 o'clock, so much or the
obstruction as was intended to be
blown away by the first discharge wen
up into the air. One woman wa.
slightly injured by a stone that was
dislodged from q mountain side by the
concussion; but generally speaking
the blast was q complete success. TWS
other sections Of the dyke are to ot
blown away by subsequent blasts, anc
In the meantime dredges are remoV'
ing the debris as rapidly as possible.
The Russian government steamers
Saimyr and Waygatch under Com
mander Whisky, who have been en-.
gagged in arctic exploration nortn o.
Siberia, for three years, arrived al
st. Michael, Alaska, last Saturday, Ioi
coal. Captain whisky reports the
discovery of a body Of land as large
as Greenland, extending beyond lati-
tude 81 north and longitude 102 east
Admiral -Peary and other arctic ex-
plorers have believed that a large
body of land, almost continent, ex-
listed in the Polar regions. The Cana
dian government had so much faitn
In the theories Of Peary, Stefansson
and other explorers that last summer
1t sent out Viljalmur Stefansson with
the best equipped polar expedltion
that ever embarked for the north.
Three of Stefansson's boats are frozen
in the ice pack near Point Barrow,
Alaska. Stefansson himself with the
whaler Karluk got away safely from
Point Barrow and steered for the
north, seeking the unknown conti-
nent which the Russian exploration,
which arrived at st. Michael, report
ed having discovered.
The prevalence of the abuse Of the
morphine and cocaine habits in many
cities is attracting widespread atten-
tion and condemnation for those who
are instrumental in introducing these
Grazing drugs and encouraging their
use in the communities concerned.
The Churchman says the extent to
which this abuse Is carried Is not
generally known. There Is one SEEM
ingly certain index to 1t, however, In
the government figures giving impor-
tation of morphine and opium or
over 400, 900 pounds. Germany. with
60,000,000 Inhabitants, consumes only
about 1900 pounds annually, while
in Italy. with its 33.000,000 people,
there is an annual consumption OF
only about 1000 pounds. 1t Is agreed
by most reliable authorities, says the
Houston Post, that one-eighth the
amount of opium imported into the
-
the legitimate medical needs Of our
people. This country manufactures
into morphine fully 100000 pounds
of the annual importation, and 1t Is
estimated that 80 per cent of the
morphine thus made Is used by the
victims Of the habit A considera-
ton Of the traffic in cocaine reveals
a no less alarming situation. In spite
Of legislation intended to repress, to
prevent, or to limit to medical and
scientific needs, the consumption has
grown to such an extent that its ille-
gitimate use exceeds 100000 ounces
every year.
Another horrible marine disaster,
occurred in mid ocean last Friday, and
the distressing news has come to the
shore by means Of the wireless tele-
graph. The steamer Volturno, which
left Rotterdam, on October 2 for New
York with 53S steerage passengers, %
first cabin passengers and crew Of 43
caught fire. There was a terrific storm
raging at the time, and although a
number Of big steamers hurried to the
rescue in answers to wireless distress
calls because Of the roughness OF the
sea but little could be done in the way
OF help. The wheel and steering gear
n hn Yr1a hafnpnla6 wifi
wreckage and the vessel was unman-
ageable even before the fire had made
1t so hot as to leave no place OF COM
fort on board. The officers who were
English behaved admirably; but the
crew who were Germans and Bel
gians acted very badly. They had to
be intimidated with revolvers Four
boats were smashed on the side Of the
steamer by the furious sea. Two boats
were launched successfully, but there
is no reason to believe that either of
them lived. There were plenty Of boats
but when the captain saw how the
people were being killed in their at
tempts to effect a launching. he had
the other boats cut loose so as not to
further tempt the desperate people.
From the best information obtained up
to yesterday, when the storm abated
in its fury somewhat, the big steam
ers that were standing by got in res
cue work that had been previously i'm
possible and saved altogether 521 per-
sons, leaving 136 dead or unaccounted
for.
Thomas E. Watson, editor and au-
thor, nominee of the Populist party for
the presidency Of the United States in
1904, will be tried in the United States
district court at Augusta, Ga, during
the week beginning October 20, on a
charge of sending obscene after
through the mails. The charges
against Watson resulted from the pub
lication Of articles in two Of his maga-
zines denouncing the Roman Catholic
referred to the church beliefs as "the
most prof1igate of pagan religion" /"
The articles were published in Wat
sons Jeffersonian of the July 1911 is
sue and in Watson's Magazine of the
issues of April and May, 1912. Their
caption was "The Roman Catholic
Hierarchy" 1.-The Deadliest Menace to
Our Liberties and Our Civilization u
The editor was indicted by the Feder-
al grand jury at Augusta, November
10, 1912. In the indictment the alleg-
ed Objectionable words in the articles
were omitted. The indictment stated
InaI Iney were OT1llllSu UeCduSG lHcy
were so obscene as to be offensive to
the court If set forth and improper to
be spread upon the records of the
court" Watson appeared as his own
counsel at the preliminary hearing. Ir
defense of the articles he claimed that
they could be no more Objectionable
than certain passages of the Bible. II
he were guilty of the charge, he claim
ed, 1t would be violation Of the Fed
eral laws to send a Bible through the
United States mails. Counsel for the
government and the defense have
agreed to begin the proceedings imme-
diately after the opening Of the Fed
eral court term October 20. This
agreement, 1t is understood, has beer
approved by Judge Rufus E. Foster Of
the eastern district Of Louisiana, who
will hear the case. Judge Foster wa.
designated to preside at the trial II
the place Of Judge Emory Speer, the
latter having expressed a disinclina'
ton to serve while impeachment pro
ceedings are pending against him.
The turmoil that has been disturb
ing Mexico for many months, anc
more especially since the recent as
sassination of President Madero, wa!
accentuated to crisis last Friday by
L