THE WEATHER
CLOUDY TO-NIGHT
AND TO-MORROW
Ottallel Heport Pat* I
1
n!x A " L, . s "® D VOL. 77—NO. 119.
FOREST FIRE
SPREADS IN
CUMRERLA'D
Whole Towns Menaced
In Adjacent County
Where Hundreds of
Men Are Working
FLAMES IN ALL
PARTS OF STATE
House of Representatives To-day Calls
Upon the Governor to Spend Funds
With Free Hand in Hiring Workers
to Battle With Conflagrations
(Special to the Star-Independent.)
Carlisle, Pa., April 22.—The fierce
forest fires in the South mountains,
Cumberland county, which during the
last two days have destroyed 2U,000
acres of State forest reserve aud at
least five thousand acres of private
property, and which yesterday passed
over the little village of Laurel, leav
ing behind the smoking ruins of sum
mer cottages, are to-day advancing in
many different directions.
>in less than three hundred men are
desperately fightiug the flames in their
efforts to protect not only the timber
land in th f which the fire
is advancing, i i ive entire towns
which arc serial i!y menaced.
Flames on the edge of Hunter's Run
this morning were fought for many
hours by residents, but a- change of
the wind came at a time when the dan
ger was greatest and saved the town
from partial if not entire destruction.
At Mount Holly the flames reached
the base of the mountain last night and
threatened frame houses on Hill street.
These houses were soaked with water
and the dames were prevented froln
spreading into the town and the park.
The Holly Inn was for a time in great
dan ger.
Toland Clay Works 'lenaced
Flames are this afternoon approach
ing the Philadelphia clay works at To
land and the Sandusky cement works
about a mile from there. The employes
of both these places have left their
work and have, throughout the day,
been engaged in fighting the fires in
efforts to save the buildings of the two
The flames i.re spreading rapidly
north of Hunter's l»ur and the hun-
dreds of men who are opposing them
seem to be checking them but slightly.
The employes of the clay works and
the cement works number a hundred
and fifty men in all. They are assisted
in the fire-jghtin l>y a large force of
men working under the supervision of
deputies of the litate fire marshal.
The flames this afternoon reached
the J. il. Gardner farm, near Tolaud,
and are spreading toward the estate of
David Cameron, of Ilarrisburg. Cale
donia Park also is in the path of the
fires. There are reports of a big fire
Centerville.
Loss Now Totals $150,000
The fire which Tuesday night swept
over Laurel, doing damage to the
amount of $70,000, has been advanc
ing northeast. That is the general di
rection, but sparks have been the
means of spreading the flames to all
sides. A total of 25,000 acres of tim
ber land has thus far been devastated,
bringing the loss to-day to $150,000.
The loss to the United Ice and Coal
Company of Harrisburg, whose ice
house at Laurel was burned to the
ground, is estimated at $15,000. Sev
enteen thousand tons of ice had been
stored in the building. Much of it
melted, but a large pillar of ice re
" mains on the site of the structure.
WANTS GUARD CALLED OUT
TO FIGHT FOREST FIRES
Alarmed at the great destruction of
game as a result of many forest fires
that are gow raging in Pennsylvania,
the Wild Life League of Pennsylvania
yesterday addressed a lcttor to Gover
nor Brumbaugh asking him to use all
of available resources at the State's
command for fire prevention and to
stay the progress of the flames and the
further destruction of birds and ani
mals. At the same time the League
sent a letter to the sportsmen's asso
ciations of the State asking them to
help. The letter to Governor Brum
baugh says in part:
"In almost all the mountain coun
ties and particularly along the rights
of way of the various railroads of the
State vast areas are being burned
over, the small fire-fighting force of the
Forestry Department being utterly in
adequate to cope with the emergency
in an effective way.
"We woulu pledge the aid and sup
port of the county organizations of
the League in fighting this fire emer
gency, and would respectfully urge
that the entire force of state police,
•very available fish and game pro-
file 4tSS^ik StikfKtiknt
BOUSE GIVES GOVERNOR
FREE HAND IN FICBTING
SPREADING FOREST FIRES
Efforts on the part of the Btate of
ficials to check forest, fires which are
in every section of the state
will be redoubled in response to a reso
lution unanimously passed in th« House
this morning at the instance of Mr.
Phillips, of Clearfield.
The resolution requests Governor
Brumbaugh to call in for consultation
the heads of the Department of For
estry. the State Fire Marshal, the State
Police and the Adjutant General with
a view of devising ways and means of
extinguishing the fires.
The Governor is given a free hand
in the matter of expending money for
this purpose. The preamble of the reso
lution sets forth that forest fires are
causing great damage to the parched
woodland of the state and that the
present methods of the state have prov
en inadequate to extinguish the fires.
"Forest fires prevail in every county
in the State," said Deputy Forestry
Commissioner Williams to-day, "but
we have reason to believe that with
the dying out of the high wind that
was instrumental in spreading the
flames we will soon have the flames
now under control. The dry condition
of the woods, with the terrific high
wimls, created conditions that all the
force engaged in fighting fires could
not combat. Every man in the state
who was concerned in fighting forestry
fires was on duty, and there was some
excellent work done, but so fierce was
the wind that it was almost impossible
to repel the advance of the fires. We
have as yet no estimate of the damage
done. Last night was damp and the
wind has gone down, ami we now be
lieve we have the fires almost under
control.
Secretary Kalbfus, of the State Game
Commission, says that the destruction
of forests was very widespread, and the
people seemed powerless to stem the
onrush of the flames. The grouse and
turkeys are nesting now and hundreds
of the birds were -destroyed. In Clin
ton county especially the destruction of
game birds has - been great.
BABY COACH FOR LAWMAKER
Representative Benninger Congratulated
on Arrival of a New Republican
Hundreds of congratulations and not
a few presents were showered on Rep
resentative Benninger, of Northampton,
who made it known in the House this
morning that he is the father of a baby
boy, which arrived on Saturday.
Mr. Stein, 'of Allegheny, after ac
cusing Mr. Benninger of taking into
Northampton a new Republican, pre
sented him with a bottle of beer for
'•personal use," saying that it was
"fine stuff after the action of the
House yesterday." Flowers aid a bp by
coach were given immediately at ir
ward. '
Mr. Benninger thanked the House
for its gifts.
RAILROAD DETECTIVE KILLED
Caught Between a Locomotive and
Girder of a Bridge
Philadelphia, April 22.—George E.
Johnson, 38, of 810 West Seventh
street, Wilmington, Del., was killed here
early to-day when he was caught be
tween a locomotive on which he had
been riding and a girder of a oridge
which spans the Pennsylvania railroad
tracks.
Johnson was a railroad detective and
operated between this city and Wil
mington. He frequently rode on the
tender of locomotives and it is believed
that he misjudged his distance when
he attempted to alight.
$25,000 STRUCTURE TU
REPLACE ONE BURNED
Four-Story Concrete Building Will
Rise On Site of the Montgomery
Storage House—Changes in Man
agement of the Company.
Announcement was made this after
noon from the offices of the Montgom
ery Storage Company, whose South
Tenth street storage building was de
stroyed by fire on Sunday, that the
company plans to build a massive four
story concrete storage house that will
cost in the neighborhood of $i2'5,000
on the site of the ruined structure.
The building is to have a floor space
that will more than double that of
the frame structure destroyed by Are.
It is to ibe of fireproof construction.
With this announcement came also
the statement that the management of
the Montgomery Company has changed
so that the business now is under the
control of Frederick L. Morgenthaler,
11. M. Askins and J. Montgomery
Trace. Joseph Montgomery, for many
years head of the firm, has retired and
the estate of W. K. Alrieks and J. B.
Montgomery also have withdrawn from
the business.
Confirmation of the new building
plans came when it was learned that
one of Ilarrisburg's City Commission
ers has been asked to introduce an
ordinance at next Tuesday's meeting
of the commission under which the
Philadelphia and Reading Railway
Company will be permitted to extend
a siding over Tenth street, 380 feet
south of Market, to the proposed ware
house.
The siding is essential from an
economic, standpoint, members of the
Montgomery firm said to-day, and upon
the assurance that permission will be
given to construct it depends whether
the building plans will be carried out.
They stated further that the siding
will be used twice a day, at 7 a. m. and
at 12 o'clock noon. The ordinance
may be offered at the next meeting of
the Commissioners.
HARRISBURG, PA., THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 22, 1915—12 PAGES.
JURORS INBARNES-ROOSEVELTCASEANDSCENEAT TRIAL
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BARN6S'ALLEGBD
SCHEIE OF GRAFT
Excerpts From Report
of Probing Commit
tee Read at Roose
velt's Trial for Libel
COLONEL'S 3D
DAY ON STAND
His Cross-Examination at Hands of
Barnes' Counsel Again Takes Up
Much Time—William Loeb, Jr.,
Probably Next Witness
By Associated Press,
Syracuse, N. Y., April 22. —Tbeo-
dpre Roosevelt again went upon the
witness stand in the Supreme Court
here to-day to submit to cross-exami
nation at the hands of William Ivins,
counsel for William Barnes, in the lat
ter's suit against Colonel Roosevelt
seeking $50,000 damages for alleged
libel. It was me former President's
third day on the witness stand.
During the first part of his cross
examination' of Roosevelt William
Ivins brought from the former Presi
dent the statement that he knew the
constitution of the State of New York
provided that no man is eligible to the
office of Governor unless he has been
a resident of State for five years
prior to the date of his election and
that he had made an affidavit the year
previous to his own election that he
was and for some time had been a
resident of Washington.
Colonel Roosevelt's counsel made no
objection whatever to the line of ques
tioning which resulted in these state
ments.
Papers and Records Galore
Three bundles of papers containing
notes and two suit cases of records and
pamphlets were taken into the Supreme
Court here to-day by counsel for Wil
liam Barnes. The documents were to be
used by William Irvins, chief counsel,
in his cross-examination of Theodore
Roosevelt.
IMr. Barnes himself was said to have
suggested many questions for his op
ponent to answer.
William Loeb, Jr., private secretary
to Colonel Roosevelt when he was Pres
ident, and later collector of the port
of New York, was an early arrival at
the Court House to-day. Mr. Loeb is
under subpoena and it was considered
probable that he would be the next
Coatlnocd on Eleventh Page.
SHANNON ELECTED COLONEL
Chosen on Tenth Ballot As Commander
of Fourth Regiment N. G. P.
By Associated Press.
Reading, April 22.—Brigadier Gen
eral T. C. O'Neil, of Allentown, to-day
conducted Sta election for colonel of
the Fourth regiment, N. JG. P., to fill
the vacancy caused by tnc recent pro
motion of General O'Neil, *whe was
■colonel many years. »
The candidates were Major Frank
D. Biery, of Allentoiyn, and Major
Edward C. Shannon, of Columbia.
Major Shannon was elected on the
tenth ballot.
Machiniest Drops Dead in Street
John D. Weibner, 58 years old, a
machinist, residing at 549' Race street,
fell dead of valvular heart trouble in
front of hie home this afternoon, ac
cording to information received from
Coroner Kckimger's office.
GENERAL SCENE,® SUPREME COURT, SyiZACUSE.
Above are shown eleven of the twelve jurors who will decide the Barnes-Roosevelt $50,000 libel case, and a general
scene at the trial. The eleven jurors are:
Back row—No. 1, F. W. Pierce, carpenter, Syracuse, Republican; No. 2, l<eonaid K. Htingerford, contracting
painter, Syracuse, Progressive; No. 3, Franklin S. Rhoades, farmer, Elbridgo, Republican; No. 4, Walter J. Zuill, manu
facturer, Syracuse, Progressive; No. 5, Irving J. Mills, woodworker, Syracuse, Republican.
Fr®»6 row-—No. ti, l J eier Js. Benek*,l/iverpool. Democrat; No. 7,- Edwnrd Burns, motorman, Syracuse,
Republican; No. 8, George E. Boschert, manufacturer, Syracuse, Progressive; No. 9, John W. Brown, farmer, Memphis,
Republican; No. 10, Ray Tanner, farmer, Marcellus, Democrat; No. 11, Henry Hoag, clerk, Fayette, Republican.
CHARGES MINORITY SEEKS
TO RUN A WATER COMPANY
Holding Concern Obtains Temporary
Injunction Against Group of Stock
holders of Williams Valley Corpo
ration in Court To-day
How an effort was made to oust the
{Sterling Consolidated Electric Com
pany, a holding company, composed
of up-county capitalists, from its con
trol of the Williams Valley Water
Company and also to dismiss the super
intendent of the Williams Valley Com
pany, which furnishes water in Wil
liainstown, at an alleged "eontraven
tional" meeting of the Williams Val
ley stockholders, all is set forth in an
injunction suit launched in the Duu
phin county court this morning.
Through this injunction action the
Sterling company has obtained a court
order primarily" restraining the Wil
liams Valley stockholders, P. B. Shaw,
George Parkman, R. W. McConneil,
.lames A. Tanner and William J. Ken
nedy, from carrying out their alleged
plans to interfere with the plaintiff
concern by ousting its superintendent,
taking tfie books and money—some
thing like $1,500, and collecting back
water rents which total approximately
$'2,000, dating up until May 1, next.
Judge McCarrell directs the defend
ants severally to appear in court next
Tuesday morning, April 27, at 10
o'clock Rnd show cause why the in
junction order should not be "made per-
Continued on Fourth Page
PLANTSTOPSFOR FUNERAL
Whistles Blow and Bells Ring in Steel
ton as Tribute of Respect for
the Late Major Bent
For the second time in 50 years
every wheel at the big plant of the
Pennsylvania Steel Company, in Steel
ton, was stopped this morning from 11
to 11.05 o'clock as a tribute of in
spect, simultaneously with the begin
ning in Overbrook of funeral services
for Major L. 8. Bent, former superin
tendent of the plant. The first occa
sion of Ihc plant closing down at, the
time of the funeral of Samuel Pelton,
father-in-law of Major L. S. Bent.
The Steelton fire Bircn, on the .blast
furnace, gave six blasts of ten seconds
each with intervals of one minute.
This salute was answered by the large
whistle on the Bridge and Construc
tion building. The bells on St. James'
Catholic, Trinity German Lutheran and:
Trinity Episcopal churches were tolled
during the five-minute period. The
flags on the various school buildings
throughout the borough were at half
mast the entire day.
Among prominent men of the bor
ough who attended tho services at
Overbrook were J. V. W. Reynders, W.
E. Abererombie, H. S. Gross, T. T. Mc-
Entee, H. O. Smith and R. M. Ruther
ford. •
CHOSEN FRINC PAL
FORCENTRALHIGH
Howard G. Dibble, of
Lambertville, N. J. f
to Succeed the Late
W. S. Steele
70 CANDIDATES
TO CHOOSE FROM
Successful Applicant Recommended by
President Hadley, of Yale Univer
sity, Where He Finished Education
in Graduate School
The Harrisburg Board of School Di
rectors, meeting in special session at
2 o'clock this afternoon, selected How
il JB
A. nyH
■Hr - -JH
mm am
HOWARD G. DIBBLE
ard G. Dibble, supervising principal of
the schools of Lambertville, N. J., to
the principalship of the Central High
school in* this city. ,
In selecting Mr. Dibble the Board
approved the report of the special com
mittee selected for the purpose. The
L'oaflatted on fourth Pace
THAW. U. S. AVIATOR. IS
REPORTED KILLED WHILE
SERVING IN FRENCH ARMY
Paris, April 22.—A report has been
received here that William Thaw, an
American aviator serving with the
French army, has been killed near Ver
dun. The report has not been confirm
ed, however. A postcard dated the
17th sent by him to a friend showed
that he was in good health on that
date.
Pittsburgh, April 22. —It was said
at the residence of Benjamin Thaw,
father of William Thaw, early to-day
that no report regarding the death of
Mr. Thaw nad been received and mem
bers of the family v*re inclined to
discredit it. The elder Mr. Thaw re
turned from New York last 'night. It
was said he has not heard anything
from his son recently^
William Thaw 2nd., is the sdn of
Mrs. Benjamin Thaw of Pittsburgh and
New York. He joined the Second reg
iment of foreign volunteers fight
ing for Prance, soon after the war be
gan at about the time he became of
age. Hp offered to serve either as an
engineer or an aviator, in both of
which activities he had had consider
able experience.
Thaw is a nephew of Harry K.
Thaw and did considerable work as an
aviator in this country before the war.
On one occasion he began a flight at
New Haven, circled the Statue of Lib
erty and flow under the four bridges
acrQsn the East river. He was appoint
ed to the French aviation corps in De
cember ami was the first American to
•be accepted as a pilot for the French
service. Since that time he has seen
considerable service in the air.
Submarine Examines Dutch Steamer
Stockholm, April 22, Via London,
2.45 P. M.—A German submarine to
day stopped a Dutch steamer outside
of Gefle, on the Gulf of Bothnia, and
examined her papery and cargo. From
this incident the deduction is made
here that Germany in this manner in
tends to keep a close watch on the traf
fic between Sweden and Finland.
LATE WAR NEWS SUMMARY
The German admiralty announced
to-day that a British submarine was
sunk five days ago In Helgoland bay
which lies between the mainland and
the island of Helgoland, one of the
most Important German naval stations.
It Is said British submarines have been
observed and attacked repeatedly in
this hay and that others prouably have
been destroyed.
In Petrograd It is asserted that at
tacks of Austrian forces on the Rus
sians who invaded Northern Hungary
have failed. The Austrians attempted
outflanking movements along the sec
tion of the Carpathian line where the
Russians succeeded in reaching the Hun
garian plains, but according to the ln-
CtaHiacl OB Fourth Face
POSTSCRIPT
PRICE, ONE CENT.
GREEK SHIP
HITS MINE;
II ARE DEAD
Captain, His Wife and
Nine Members of the
Crew Perish in the
Aegean Sea
VESSEL STRUCK
DRIFTING MINE
Turks Entrench Themselves Strongly
Along Coast of Gulf of Saros, Ap
parently 'to Resist Proposed New
Attack on Dardanelles by Allies
Paris, April 22, 1.15 A. M.—The
Havas Agency has received the follow
ing dispatch from Athens:
"The Turks have entrenched thorn-
selves strongly along the coast of the
gulf of Saros from a point near Enoa
on the mainland with particularly
formidable works opposite Bulair. This
move of the Turks is an apparent ef
fort to resist the proposed new attack
of the land and \ea forces of the al
lies on the Dardanelles.
"The allied fleet yesterday bom
barded Turkish encampments near Bu
lair, the position -of which previously
had been indicated by aviators.
"An allied aeroplane dropped bombs
Monday on Tchesm e in the gulf of
Smyrna.
"A British torpedo boat bombarded
a Turkish camp at the village of Katop
panagi near Smyrna.
"Information received at Piraeus
states that a Greek sailing ship which
left for Samos two days ago struck a
mine in the Aegean sea and blew up.
The captain, his wife and nine mem
bers of the crew were killed. The
mine is supposed to have drifted from
the Dardanelles."
DIES WITH SECRET ON LIPS
Victor Hugo's Daughter, 85, Xidnaptd
When Girl, Never Revealed
Tragic Story of Her Life
Paris, April 22.—Adele Hugo,
youngest daughter of the late Victor
Hugo, died yesterday at her residence
in Suresnes, a suburb of this city, at
the age of 85 years.
The sad and tragic story of Adele
Hugo many years ago aroused the sym
pathy of the entire world. As a girl
she was kidnaped at Guernsey by an
English officer. All Europe was search
ed for her *by her parents, but they ob
tained no trace of her whereabouts.
Several months later a girl found
wandering alone in the streets of New
'York, apparently dementod, declared
"I am the daughter of Victor Hugo."
This was the only statement she ever
made.
She was sent back to Prance to her
parents, hut her lips remained sealed
until the end and the tragic story of
her life never was revealed. She failed
to entirely recover her reason and after
the death of her father, lived a solitary
existence in her villa, morose and sel
dom speaking. When she did consent to
converse it never was of the past.
POSSESSES CHARMED LIFE
B. & O. Fireman Has Had Seven Nar
row Escapes From Death
By Associated Press.
Connellsville, Pa., April 22.—Wil
liam E. Stewart, a Baltimore & Ohio
locomotivo fireman, believes he pos
sesses a charmed life. Tuesday night,
Stewart was struck by lightning at his
homo here and rendered unconscious
for four hours. He recovered, however,
and feels no ill effects.
Recently he was hurled from an en
gine when it blew up, but escaped
with only a few bruisos. Stewart says
he has haxi seven narrow escapes from
death.
Got $13,000 for Defeating Johnson
Chicago, April <s2.—Thirteen thou
sand dollars was the sum Jess Willard
received for defeating Jack Johnson
at Havana, the heavyweight champiou,
tokl friends here yesterday. "Johnson
received $30,000 and when I defend
my title I am, going to get the same
amount of money he did," Willard
said.
WALL STREET CLOSING
New York, April 22.—Lowest
prices were made in the last hoar,
principal issues then showing losses of
1 to almost 2 points. The closing was
Irregular. The dullest market in over a
fortnight was accompanied by vari
able movements. Leaders were lower,
with strength in coppers and special
ties.