THE WEATHER FAIR TO-NIGHT • AND TO-MORROW (totalled Report* Pace 6 VOL. 77—NO. 30. ESTABI.ISHED DEC. 4. MIL ABBOTT AND PEN'YPACK'R IN HOTCLASH Commuters' Lawyer, Who Attacked Com mission,ls Heard Aft er a Lively Spat SAYS HE HAS NO APOLOGY former Governor, As Member of Board, Rules Attorney's "Fifteen Ques tions"' Are Irrelevant and Declares Hearing Is Given on "Sufferance" The meeting of the Public Service Commission this morning was character i»e»d by the liveliest scrap that has ever marked its proceedings, the par ticipants being former Governor Sam uel W. Penny-packer, chairman of the Commission, a.ud Edwin M. Abbott, the Philadelphia attorney, representing commuters, who recently filed charges against the Commission because of its actions in making known to the rail road companies the decision on the rates for passenger service. Mr. Abbott wan the principal counsel at the recent Philadelphia hearing of the commuteis who protested against certain features of the railroads' new passenger rates, and he afterward claimed that he should have been in formed of tiie change in th? rates as fixed by the Commission at the same time as the railroad companies were in formed. Indignant over the action of cne of tlie members of the Commis sion he prepared a series of fifteen questions, all Iteari ng on the alleged gins of omission and commission of the Commission, which questions he not. only sent to the Commission but also to Governor Tenor. Furthermore. Mr. Abbott, was report ed as saying that if cognizance was not taken of the Commission's actions by the Governor and if an investigation was not held, he would request Gov ernor Brumbaugh, when he takes office, to withdraw the nominations of the Commissioners, which would have the effect of ousting theiu. Failing in that he would go before the Senate Com mittee on Executive Nominations and endeavor to have it make an adverse report on the nominations. Governor Tener acknowledged receipt of the questions but upheld the Commission ers. Pennypacker Defends Johnson To-day was fixed for the rehearing in the matter of the passenger rates for commuters and others before the Commission, this hearing having been asked for by Mr. Abbott and others who were dissatisfied with some fea tures of the rates, and quite a crowd was present in the Supreme Court room at the capitol, where the case was ar gue.!. Attorneys representing the Com muters and Philadelphia Unite.) Busi nese Men's Association were present, along with attorneys for the Pennsyl- Continued on Second I'axe. U. S. SEEKS PUNISHMENT FOR SHOOTERSf HUNTERS Washington, Jan. B.—The British em bassy to-day was in receipt of a formal note from the United States govern-1 ment asking that the Canadian militia men who shot and killed Walter Smith 1 and wounded L harles Dorsch, American citizens at Fort Erie,. Ontario, while duck hunting in alleged violation of the Canadian gume laws, be punished, j The communication, which was of a friendlv nature, was transmitted to Great Britain through t>he British Am ba«ftdor, Sir C-acil Slpring-Rice. It i pointed out that not only was it expect ed that the offenders be duly punished but that the victims' families be ade-' quately compensated. After a persona! memorandum had \ been received by him from Sir Spring-! Rice, which was coincident with the dispatch of the note, Secretary Bryan j declared that the British government without deciding the question of li-! ability, would consider the pavment of damages to Dorseh and the family of Smith. The fftatement wai interpreted to mean that damages would be paid fol lowing completion of an inquiry by the Dominion authorities. Toronto, Jan. B.—A provincial con stable. a corporal and two privates were arrested at Port Erie to-dav on war rants issued at the instance 'of the At torney General of the Provin-e of On tario, charging them with manslaughter in connection with the death of Wal ter >-mith and the wounding of < Carles Dorsch, American citizen*, at Fort Erie, on December 28, last. The men were held without bail. Bills to Increase U. S. Army Washington, Jan. B.—JBillg to carry out Secretary (farrison's r>»commedia tions to add 25,000 men and 1,000 of ficers to the army and 8,000 men to the coast artillery corps arc to be tak en up by the Senate Military -ommittee and pushed for passage at this session of Congress. At a special meeting of the committee it was decided to-dav to act along that line and also to consid er measures for an army reiserv«. ®)c £>for~ Snkfiewkiti LAW-MAKER PAYS $5 FINE AFTER MARKET ST. FIGHT Representative Adams, Who Once Of fered to Swim tbe River in Dead of Winter, Gets in Argument About Proper Military Salute William L, Adams, of Beaver Brook, Luzerne county, Pa., a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and a Spanish war veteran, met Harry Porter, another foreign service vet, in a hotel in the central part of the city last evening and they had a delightful discussion until they differed as to the manner of giving tie preper military salute. They ultimately came to blows on Third street, near 'Market, at 12.30 o'clock this morning. This they both admitted in police court before Mayor Royal this afternoon when they appear ed to answer a disorderly conduct charge. Policemen MvOann and Buch saw Porter lying on the street shortly after midnight and Adams walking away, and they placed both under arrest, in the dock at Police Headquarters im mediately following the arrests, Adams posted a $5 forfeit for himself and an other for Porter to keep both out of jail during the night In police court tJie erstwhile an tagonists were very friendly. Porter, seciing Colonel Hutchison's badge as a Spanish war veteran, claimed comrade ship with him. Colonel Hutchison smiled and Mayor Royal said: "Five dollars or ten days in jail for each defendant." The forfeits were turned into the coffers of tie city as •'fines'' and the pair departed the best of friends. A iums was first elected to the House* in 1912. He was a prospector in Southern Nevada at one time and dur ing the Spanish-American war served with the Governor's Troop, of Harris burg. He afterward served on tile United States Flagship, New York, and with the I'nited States Marines served through the Philippine insurrection and in the Boxer rampaign. He is the au thor of "Exploits of a Soldier Ashore and Afloat." He came into public no tice luring the legislative sessions of 1913 through his reported offer to swim the Susquehanna river in the dead of winter. WAR RECORD WHEAT PRICES May Cereal Jumps to #1.40 Bushel, Highest Figure With Few Excep tions in Fifty Years Sv Aisociafed Press. Chicago, Jan. B.—Wheat shot ftp to day and as high as $1.41% a bushel was paid for May, the rihief speculative option, a rise in excess of tihree cents a bushel beyond What could have been | realized when values yesterday were at ' the acme of a big whirl. The close was unsettled with May at $1.40y„, a gain of 2V4 cents compared with last night. Chicago. Jan. B.—Smashing of war record prices for wheat began promptly to-day at the first gong on 'change. Opening quotations were 7-8 to 1 5-~Bc above last night. May wheat, the lead ing option jumped to $1.39 3-4, as against $1.38 o-S, the tip-top for yes terday. Reports of an ultimatum to Continued on Second Pagrc. STROUP BEFRIENDS A SQUIRREL Feeds Park Pet Which Calls Three Times a Day at Office one of the pet squirrels in ( apitol Park, after a chase through the streets and over electric light wires, jumped into the office of District At torney iM. E. Stroup, in t'he Buss build ing, rk has been ad vanced to such a stage that little dam age to the work on the piers is ex pected. Should the river go to 12'./ a feet to morrow. the stage forecasted by the local officials of the Weather Bureau, ice will be thrown atop the walk at the top of the river front steps. Ice was running this morning over the third step from the top on a stage slightly Over 10 feet Ice Running Freely Beginning at 3.25 o'clock yester day afternoon where a break occurred in the ice on the main river at the Rockville falls, slight breaks occurred from that on southward until 11 o'clock last evening, when the west channel opened and the ice began running free ly. The east channel as far south as North street was broken up by 11' o'clock. The ice piled up there, but Continued on Second rngf. FLOOD TIES UP RAILROAD Williams Valley Line Blocked by Dirt Washed Onto Track Traffic on the Williams Valley rail road, which connects with the Philadel phia and Reading road at Brooksvde, this county, and runs to mining towns in this and Schuylkill counties, was blocked for several hours yesterday due to several small streams washing coal dirt on the road'bed near Williamstown to the depth of a foot. Track hands got the dirt from the tracks late in the afternoon yesterday. The Williamstown passenger station was surrounded by water, due to the flooding of tbe small streams by the heavy raiu of Wednesday night. SIBUGHSfIYSIHUGSPURSUE Tells Altoona Audience Also That They Should Stand by Goveernor Brumbaugh Altoona, Jan. S.—Declaring that the liquor people are camping on his trail and have- hired gunmen and assassins to "get" him, l>r. Henry W. 54 to ugh, the evangelist, who is conducting the revival in the big taibernaele at the Cricket field, last evening hurled de fiance against them and announced that he was going to remain in Pennsyl vania and fig'ht t" em with all the force at his command and help the people ~ the State to get rid of their influ ence.. I "Let us stand by Governor Brum : baugh,'' he said in his evening sermon, ''and pray God to hel-p him to put upon | the statute books of Pennsylvania a local option law. They say "that Ohio j went back at the late election. With I the exception of Cleveland and Cincin- I nati it went for prohibition and when j you get a local option law in Pennsyl l vania t his State will go dry from Pitts burgh to Philadelphia, and when my I friend Billy Sunday gets through with i Philadelphia, it will go dry, too." Miss Josephine Colt, in charge-of the ; personal workers' classes, left yester i 'lay for her home in Berwick. Mi'ss Colt is suffering from a hemorrhage of the I blood vessels on her tongue and will undergo treatment at the hands of a specialist. She will resume her work at Lancaster where the party goes next. STOUGH TABERNACLE SOLI) May Be Used for Exhibition or Other Purposes Before Removed The Stough tabernacle has been sold by the Bogar Lumber Compaky to John E, Dare. Church committees from Lancaster, Reading and Hagerstown are now considering the advisability of buying the .tabernacle and transferring it for use in evangelistic services in -their communities. The building committee of the Read ing Stough evangelistic campaign has visited the tabernacle here, but lias as yet arrived at no conclusions. Prefer ence will be given by Mr. Dare to the church committees and meanwhile he is considering offers from various sources for the use of the building be fore it is removed for exhibition and convention purposes. Fractures Hip In Fail on Stairway Mrs. Margaret Friese, 71 years old, 1738 North Fifth street, suffered a fracture of the right hip yesterday aft ernoon when she fell down a flight of steps at her home. She was aidniitted to the Harristourg hospital for treat meat. SOCIETY WOMEN STUDY TO GO TO FRONT AS NURSES lilliPpr M 165 Josephine Nic£>ll. phot* %y LUitlS tlwc- MISS ESTHER CLEVELAND ENROLLS AS A WAR NURSE Daughter of Late President and Other Young Women Prominent in Society Will Take Eleven Weeks' Course in Caring for Wounded Soldiers New York, Jan. 8.- —Miss Esther Cleveland, dftughter of the late Presi dent Grover Cleveland; Miss Josephine Nicell and many other young women prominent in social circles have been enrolled in the winter nursing course at the central branch of the Young Women's Christian Association, in this city, where, under the direction of Misi Louise Henderson, they are studying to care for wounded soldiers. The course, which is technically known as trained attendance, includes daily lessons for elevOn weeks, with three afternoons a week devoted to work in the hospital. There are fifty in the class at the present time and all are Kkelv to go to tli>e European war front. BURNS FATAL 10 MS. BLAIR Woman Who Attempted to Extinguish Fire Starting From Flying Match Head Dies This Morning Mrs. Wilbur Blair, 6 6 years old, who was severely burned while trying to extinguish a lire she started iu her sou's home, 613 Schuylkill street, at 2 o'clock WeLnesdav morning, died from her bums at 10.35 o'clock this morn ing at the Harrisburg hospital. She was burned about the face, hands, arms and feet. She became ill during Wednesday night and in attempting to light the gas in her room struck a match, the head flying off and starting a fire in the carpet of the room. She beat the fire with her hands and stamped on it but her efforts to extinguish it were futile. Her daughter-in-law, Mrs. A. C. Blair, and Claud Lontz, 611 Schuylkill street, rescued her from the burninn house. She seemed to recoved from the shock of the burns and was able to tell about the fire the following morn ing, but she showed signs of bronchial trouble and physicians believe that she inhaled some flames. The funeral ar rangements have not yet been made. Five houses werp damaged by the fire, causing a loss of nearly $3,000. HIMMEL MANSION REMODELED Old Frout Street Property Is Being Con verted Into Apartments The Hummel mansion, 107 South Front street, whi h recently came into possession of V. Lome Hummel, under the will of his grandmother, Mrs. Kich ard Hummel, is being converted into apartments. There are to be three apartments in all, two of w*hich face on Front street. Phev will be ready for occupancy by the middle of the montlh. GERMAN CRUISER DAMAGED BY STRIKING MINE - THE GOEBEN . " A despatch from Copenhafcen says that word from Constantinople states that the German cruiser Goeben. which now flies the Turkish flag, has been very seriously damaged by Kussian mines near the Bosphorus. Thin news, th* despatch adds, has be«n kept a secret from the people of Turkey. The damage to the Goeben is so severe, it U stated, that at leaat three months will be required to repair the cruiser. GETS IT FIR FROST SI. Fill City Enters Contract With Excavating Firm to Provide 15,- 000 Cubic Yards TOTAL COST TO BE $4,000 Earth Will Be Taken From the Site of the Proposed Pennsylvania Rail road Warehouse By the King- Brown Construction Company Under a contract closed to-"lay be tween M. Harvey Taylor, Commission er of Parks, and the King-Brown Con struction Company, contra*.-tors, who are grading the site for the proposed Pcnn sylvan ia Kailroad warehouse, Second street, south of Mulberry street, some thing like 15,000 cubic yards of dirt will be obtained to use for making the fill along the river bank between Cal der and Maclav street. The agreement was enteral into when the contracting company made an offer to the city to furnish and haul that quantity of dirt, or more if neces sary, at the rate of twenty-six and two third cents a cubic yard. This price is the lowest yet received by the city and makes it possible to get the desired filling material for about $4,000. The price demanded by other contractors who submitted_ estimates was almost, twice that amount. Work of making the fill will be start ed in a few days or immediately after the King-Brown company gets another steam shovel at work on' the warehouse job. One steam shovel has been in op eration on the grading job for two weeks. Should the City Commissioners decide to make a lil. along the river bank, north of Maclav street, the contractors have given them assurance that addi tional dirt can be obtained, at the same rate, for which the 15,000 yards can fce furnished. ALLIES GAINING GROUND IS ARTILLERY FIGHTING IN FRANCE. SAYS REPORT Paris, Jan. 8, 2.45 P. M.—The ex tomtoil French official report given out in Paris this afternoon shows the cus tomary artillery activity all along the sea to Alsace anil says that the French guns are gaining the advantage. The French claim some infantry ad vances. Near Hheims they movjd for ward 200 yards. Referring to the sit uation in Alsace, the French report claims favorable developments. The statement follows: "The artillery of the enemy showed, during all the day of January 7, great activity in Belgium and in tilie vicinity of Arras. The French artillery respond ed spiritedly and efficaciously. Damage German Trenches "Our infantry made some progress J near Lombaertzyde. We occupied at i a point fiftjt yards in advance of our trenches a hillock which had been held by the enemy. To the east of St. Georges we gained ground and we in dicted serious damage on tho trenches of the enemy in the vicinity of Steen straate. "In the sector of Arras, at tho for est of Reithonval, without being attack ed, we were compelled to evacuate cer tain trenches Where our men were up to their shoulders in sand and water. Continued on Thirteenth Pa are. LUTE WARNEWSSUMMARY Capture of another town in Alsace to the south of Sennheim is reported by the French War Office in Its statement of to-day. The German communication neither affirms nor denies the report, saying merely that fighting is still in progress for possession of the town. It is stated, however, that repeated French attacks in Alsace broke down under the German artillery fire. In a few other localities between the North sea and Switzeralnd sharp fight ing is in progress, in which each side has scored its minor victories, but over most of tjie line there is little activity. The armies in the east are similarly inactive. Tho German communication mentions an engagement east of the Rawka river, where, it is said, the ad vance is still in progress, but the spec tacular clashes of great masses of troops during the early part of the war have no parallels now along the War saw front. Great Britain's preliminary reply to the American note concerning British interference with American shipping Continued on Thirteenth I'age. POSTSCRIPT PRICE, ONE CENT. FIGHTING IN ALSACE NOW VERY FIERCE 250,000 Soldiers in All Are Engaged and Both Sides Are Using Heavy Guns CASUALTIES SAID TO BE ENORMOUS Battle Has Been Resumed On the Ser vian Front With the Servians Being Reported Victorious in An Engage ment Near Belgrade Geneva, via Paris, Jan. 7, 11.55 P. -M-—The fighting in lower Alsace is daily growing in intensity around Steinlbaeii, Coruay and Thauu. Villages, houses and trenches are taken and re taken at the point of the bavonel and the casualties ou both sides have been extremely heavy. It is stated that about 250,000 in all are engaged and that both sides are using heavy guns. The Germans are continuously hurrying reinforcements from the Kliiue forts. General Pau, it is stated, is in com mand of the French forces which have made progress despite the fierce resist ance of the Germans. French aviators from Belfort are assisting the artillery, the booming of which is heard day and night in the neighborhood of the l'rou ticr. Fighting on Servian Front Resumed Paris, Jan. 8, 3.05 A. M. —Fightiug has been resumed on the Servian front, aceordiug to an official communication issued at Nish, Servia, and forwarded to the I lavas Agency here. The light ing in which the Servian's were the vie j tors, according to the statement, occur | red near Belgrade. The communication follows: "Strong forces of the enemy occu pied the island of Tziglia, near Bel grade, on January 3. .Small detach ments of our troops surprised and routed the Austrian* during the ijij-ht of January 4, capturing 45 soldiers, a sergeant major and two sergeants. Our loss was insignificant. Beyond this en gagement there is nothing important to report on any of the fronts." Austrians Admit Falling Back Vienna, Jan. 8, via London, 12.17 P. M.—An official statement on the ]>