Evening Star Newspaper, July 30, 1926, Page 1

WEATHER. (U, &, Weather Bureau Forecast.) Local thundershowers this afternoon or tonight; slightly tomorrow probably fair. Temperatures—Highest today: lowe Full report on page 9. cooler tonight; 85, at noon 4, at 3:00 a.m. today. Closing N. Y. Stocks and Bonds, Page 14 ¢ Foening Sar WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION service. The only evening paper in Washington with the Associated Press news Yesterday’s Circulation, 94,774 . 30,040, post office, Entered as second class mattel Washington, D 'C. WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, JULY 30, ]926—THIR(I;Y PAGES. * (#) Means Associated Press. TWO CENTS. ALLES DECLARES FIGHT TO FINISH O RELIGIOUS ISSUES Clergy Accused of Precipitat- ing Struggle at Most Vital Time in His Regime. PRIESTS END SERVICES FOR CATHOLICS TODAY v Economic Boycott Against Govern- ment May Bring Reprisals. Labor Aids Executive. By the Associated Press MEXICO CI dress to a dele ation of Labor, which visited him the palace last night to inform the labor organization sup- rted his veligious policy, President les said “I believe we have point when the sit he cleared up once for The hour is approaching for a final fight, and we are going to see whether revolution has triumphed over re- ‘action, or whether the triumph of the Mexican revolution has been merely ephemeral. at reached the to Clergy Accused in Crisis. s T have said on previous casions, my government has been deeply occupied in resolving grave national problems, such as adjusting the budget, spreading public educa- tion, fndustrial and agricultural de- velopment of the country, organiza- tion of the army and various social and economic problem “Preoccupied by these enormous tasks, the government has almost otten the clerical element, when, most difficult moment tion, the Catholic aith and treachery, lenge to the govern- this republic "his challenge was made just at a when questions were arising of ional character, which 1 iing whether Mexico was sovereign tountry or not. (The Pr dent presumably was referring to the oil land legislation.) time an Charges ht on Law. t such a time the clergy threw 1t= challenge to the government, mal ing ations to the reactiona press of the capital that they did not recognize the general constitution of the Mexican republic, and ordering upporters to disobey and tution. gd gn _its. declara- 1 constitution _were T hindrance to Mexico, an abuse, and should not be obeyed. In the face of this attitude the government had to fight, accord- g to law, and with right and ju: it struggle of darkness certain the rev- movement is developing yod of the republic. (The President was referring to the revo- Jutionary movement which began in 1910 and of which the present gov- ernment is the outcome), and especial- ly for the working classes. Success Is Predicted. umph will be for us. I lways known the working «es would be in the vanguard in because among them always see absolutely a wider pe their homeland.’ The Confede upport of 15 polic tion of Tabor's notice government’s re- President Calles ‘e notify you that we are ready to defend the revolutionary princi ples with our lives ‘Only one things does organized 1abor demand of vou, which is that the situation be made clear in order to be able to fight the enemy face to face and in the open: that you expel m your administration the sec- ian “elements whffh have hindered the energetic work revolutionary government, in that in this supreme povement one may group about his colors. Past Repression Alleged. The statement declared that during past Mexican history, iron-handed dic- tatorship had drowned in blood at- temps of the workmen to free them- selves. It continued: “The government Is attempting to §nd the ignorance of Mexican work- men resulting from 30 years of tyr- anny and 10 years of,revolution. It is this ignorance which the clergy is attempting to use by fixing in the ‘minds of our comrades and our peo- ple generally the belief that religions and the clergy are one and the same thing. You have shown, as we show, profound respect for all religious creeds; but we are opposed to prof- anation of the spiritualism within a weligion by Using it as a weapon to de- oy the revolutionary conquest of the people. herefore the proletariat offers you its enthusiastic support, notify- ing you that in this historic moment you are not alone, but that organized labor of Mexico is with you and does not” hesitate to offer you its blood to save the revolution. Last Services Today. (atholics throughout Mexico today offered up devotions for the last time under the leadership of their priests before the governmentt's new reli- gious regulations go into effect tomor- row. Under. hishop Mora v withdraw from vow in protest against ument’s religious measures. withdrawal was originally for Sunday All Catholics in the country are to he disarmed in accordance with an order issued by Attorney General Ortega. Senor Ortega said this move was a consequence of reports that Catholic groups were meeting secrétly at night and that the authorities were fearful the gatherings were for the purpose of offering opposition to the religious laws. After more than.a fortnight of at- tendance upon masses the faithful again today crowded churches, cathedrals and shrines throughout the republic. It was feared that fhen the services ended at 10 o'clock P (Continued on Fage 2, Column 4) of the order ery instructions from Arch- Del Rio priests will the churches tomor- the govern- The planned oc- | cluses in the | always | 0 | ARTICLE VI BY BEN McKELWAY. ——Staft Correspondent of The Star. The question of whether Quebec's liquor law has been‘a success depends entirely upon how success is gauged. If success means decreasing the con- sumption of intoxicants, the law has not been successful. If it means less- | ening the evils usually accompanying the consumption of intoxicants, it has been successful in part. If it ‘means a law which encourages temperance and which satisfles the majority of those for whom the law is made, it has been entirely successful. For, de- spite the protests of those who have been working toward prohibition for many years in Quebec, the law satis- fies the majoriety. It is what the people asked for, and what they ob- tained. It lies within the power of the people to change the law any time they see fit. And the sentiment everywhere is that the law as it stands is what the people want. After all, prohibition is a matter of taste. It is comparable, in a wa to the question of putting sugar on ice cream. Those who do not believe in | sugaring ice cream will never be con- | vinced that it is a custom which should be condoned. Those who put sugar on their ice cream will never | {wa | nt the slightest protest against or condemnation of their practice. Those who believe in prohibition are as much disgusted with Quebec’s law as those In the United States who do { not believe in prohibition are disgusted { with the Volstead act. But the differ- |ence between the situation in Quebec jand in the United States is that in | Quebec the government, responding to { what It considered the preponderance | of “opinion. discarded prohibition and QUEBEC’S LIQUOR LAW FAILS TO CUT AMOUNT OF DRINKING nly 260 of 1,3_;) Communities Are Wet, But Oth- FUR ]A"_ RE'_EAS[, ers Can Get Intoxicants Shipped-—Majority is watchful for a change in public sen- timent which will lead to another change. The Government of the United States, responding to the will of the people as expressed by their comstituted representatives, adopted a form of total prohibition and there is no way of knowing definitely right now whether the people want it or not. The province of Quebec is about one- fourth the size of the United States in area. In the province there are 1,200 municipalities or communities, which through the law have the right to decide whether they shall be wet or dry. Of these 1,300 municipalities only 260 are wet. But the population rep- resented in these 260 municipalities is as great as that which lives in all the others. Now, the drys will tell you that the rural districts are dry and want prohibition, that they do not permit the establishment in their communities of government liquor stores, taverns or hotels. This con- veys the impression that in the rural districts the country folk are dead set against the cons ption of liquor in any form. But there Is another side to this which the drys do not mention. That is the fact that many of these small municipalities are not large enough to support a tavern or hotel where heer or wine might be sold; that | if an establishment of that nature were | placed in one of the small communi ties it would prove a burden and a nuisance as a gathering place for bums, and that theré is no need of them because those inhabitants who want their liquor in the form of beer, wine or whisky may order it by mail and have it delivered at their doors. In other words, th may enjoy the being d d'at the same tinued on Page 4, Column 2) THIRD-TERM BOOM - SEEN AS INJURIODS Sneil Thinks President Is i Hurt by Talk of Possibility at This Time. BY J. RUSSELL \'OCNG.. Staff Correspondent of The Star. WHITE PINE CAMP, N. Y., July 30.—Representative Bertrand H. ! Snell, chairman of the rules commit- !tee and one of the Republican lead- ers of the House and in whose con- | gressional district President Coolidge lis spending the Summer, following a brief chat with the latter yesterday !afternoon, expressed the opinion that friends of the President are helping !him none by booming him at this |time for another term. Mr. Snell arrived on the scene right in the midst of the excitement following third term talk given to the | newspaper men by Richard Wash- {burn Child, former Ambassador to | Italy, who had been a guest at the | Coolidge camp. Mr. Snell, while de- { clining to be drawn into a discussion of another term for Mr. Coolidge, did say it was an inadvisable topic at this |early date and that this early boom- |ing would do the President far more harm than good and that the latter {would undoubtedly be greatly em- | barrassed. | When pressed further for some | views on_the possibility of another | term for President Coolidge, Mr. Snell | said that was a matter for the Presi- | dent himself to decide. He added, {however, but with the explanation that he did not wish to be understood as joining the third-term boomers. that everything indicates that the Pres | dent is growing in public popularity, and that he is stronger personally and 4. | politically than at any time since he | entered the White House. ‘Would Delay Boom. The viewpoint of this New York Rep- resentative and friend of the Presi- | dent was accepted here as being of | considerable significance. At least, his { opinions gave food for thought. His viewpoint was accepted as that of a practical politician. It is also felt | that Mr. Snell's view is about the same as that of the other political leaders of the party. They think it is too early to commence boosting the President. The impression was given by Mr. Snell that the party leaders would rather see this boom held off until the last moment. ‘Although the President and this New York Representative discussed the political situation in New York, nothing was said relative to the third term rumblings. Mr. Snell said ‘they touched briefly upon certain legisl tive matte He expects to come to White Pine Camp later on for a stay of several days, when he and the President will have an opportunity to discuss things in a more intimate and detailed fashion One of the first questions the Presi- dent asked Mr. Snell was how Sen- ator Wadsworth's campaign in New York State was progressing, and he appeared greatly pleased when Mr. Snell expressed the bellef that Sei ator Wadsworth would win easll Sees No Need of Coal Laws. Mr. Snell, after his talk with the President, expressed the opinion to newspaper men that Congress.at its { next session will make no serious ef- fort to pass coal legislation. He does not think the country needs coal legislation despite the recommenda- tion made by the President. He would not be surprised to see some attempt made to pass this form of legislation, but he doubts if the at- tempt will be of a serious nature. He does not believe fallure to enact coal legislation will hurt the Republicans. He stated that there appears to be no real demand on the part of the public for national ceal legislation. Neither doés Mr. Snell think the TRepublican party will be hurt as a result of the campaign expense in- vestigations. Personally he declared that” he disapproved of extravagant spending of money for political pur- poses, but views this as a purely local matter and not one for the National Government to get excited about. Furthermore the average voter, ac- cording to Mr. Snell, is far more interested in the fact that the Re- publican party has accomplished much for' his individual benefit and has for the past five years created prosperity and good employment. There is no reason to look for an extra session of Congress, Mr. Snell sald. ~At the next session of Congress {Continued on Page 2, Column 1) CONSIDER REMOVAL OF ARMS EMBARGO Officials Here to Ask Decision by President in Case of Mexico. By the Associated Press. Removal of the embargo which for- bids shipment of arms into Mexico is under consideration here, and Pres- ident Coolidge will be asked to decide whether such a step shall be taken. There are indications that some time may elapse vefore a decision is made. Meantime the State Depart- ment refuses to disclose its views on the subject, meeting all inquiries with the terse statement that ‘the embargo still is in effect. Extreme caution has resulted from the fact that the restriction has come up for decision at a time when the situation in Mexico is perhaps as tense as when the embargo was proclaimed in 1924, and now is complicated by re. ligious issues between the govern- ment and churches of that country, Expects Easier Situation. It is known, however, that some officials of the Washington Govern- ment, despite announcement that Mexican troops are being held in read- iness for action. confidently believe the situation will quickly moderate. Because of these circumstances a decision on cancellation of the em- bargo is not expected until conditions in the southern republic show a more definite trend. Confirmation that the question of cancellation is under consideration came as a surprise to diplomatic Washington. The recent modification of the em- bargo which permitted American ex- | porters to make shipments of sul- phurie acid to Mexico without obtain- ing special permits was said at the time by both the State and Treasury Departments to be entirely without relation to the embargo order as a whole. Statements to that effect were made at the State Department and reiterated at the Treasury Depart- ment. Order Issued in 1924. Reports from Tampico as late as vesterday that the embargo with- drawal was under consideration met with similar denials. The embargo order was issued in 1924, when the De la Huerta revolu- tion was in progress, and was design- ed principally to prevent American arms reaching revolutionists. It pro- hibited any private arms shipments into Mexico from the United States. At the same time the Washington Government itself gave direct sup- port to the Mexico City government by selling to it several thousand serv- ice rifles and some machine guns and military airplanes. JUGOSLAVS REPULSE _ BULGAR KOMITADI Light Artillery Used “Against Ir- regulars in _wifionr Skirmish _-Near Border. By @ible to The Star and Chicago Daily News. “VIENNA, July 30.—By using light artillery Jugoslav gendarmes, rein- forced by regular soldiers, have suc- ceeded in driving the Bulgarian Komi- tadji back across the border after a 16-hour skirmish, according to reports from Belgrade. The gendarmes at first underesti- mated the strength of the invaders, who numbered 56, and lost three gend- armes killed when they sought to drive the Komitadji out. The gend- armes then retired and wired for re- inforcements. This morning the troops arrived and opened fire with artillery. The Komi- tadjl, realizing they were in a trap, dashed toward Bulgaria, leaving be- hind 6 dead and 10 wounded. The Bulgarian version of the fight has not yet reached Vienna, but it is known that Bulgaria’s attitude in gen- eral is that she cannot control the Komitadji with the small army al- lowed her by the peace treaties. Radio Programs—Page 12 } IMRS, HALL APPLIES PLEA UNOPPOSED Prosecutor Will Make No Ef- fort to Block Widow’s Ap- peal for Freedom. TROOPER WHO PUSHED INQUIRY FACES ARREST Is Wanted on Bad-Check Charge. Believed to Know Identity of Slayer. By the Associated Preas. SOMMERVILLE, N. T July 30.— Application for the release of Mrs. Frances Stevens Hall, held in jail here |tor double murder four years ago of her clergyman husband and Mrs. anor Mills, a singer in his choir, | was made today. This Was announced by Prosecutor Bergen of Somerset County, Hearing on the application will be made this afternoon before Chief | Justice Gummere at Point Pleasant. The hearing will not be public, Mr. Bergen said. Secrecy, he said, would attend the hearing so that the justice’s Summer home would not be flooded with re- porters. Mr. Bergen said he would not op- pose the application. Factory Worker Jailed. ‘William Phillips, factory worker, ’h.:n joined Mrs. Hall in the county’ 1. Phillips, who was a night watch- man at the New Jersey College for Women, a few blocks from the Hall home, when the bodies were found side by side under a crab apple tree, was arrested last night as a material witness and held in $5,000 bail. He informed investigators four years ago he had seen Mrs. Hall and her brother {eturn home on the night of the slay- ng. State officials last night sought at least two other persons on what they say is a mass of new evidence. The new evidence is held secret, however, other than that resulting from an an- nulment suit filed by Arthur 8. Riehl against Mrs. Louise Geist Riehl, for- mer maid in the Hall home. Mrs. Riehl denles assertions of her husband that she was pald $5,000 for secrecy. She Is quoted, however, as revealing that Barbara Tough, an- other maid in the Hall household, who was off duty on the night of the mur- der, say the Rev. Mr. Hall and Mrs. Mills at their trysting place in an abandoned orchard and telephoned to Mrs. Hall. Then Mrs. Hall is said to have left her home afterward in com- pany with her brother, Willle Stevens, and her chauffeur, Petcy Tumuity. Woman Reiterates Story. Mrs. Jane N. Gibson, who said, four vears ago, she saw Mrs. Hall and a man quarrel with Mr. Hall and Mrs. Mills, and then saw the shooting, has been questioned again. She reiterated her story. 4 Gov. Moore announced that the State will push the prosecution of Mrs. Hall to a finish, but officials are guarding their new evidence. Although she insists that her arrest was ridiculous, Mrs. Hall makes the best of her situation. She has a room with barred windows on the second floor, her meals are sent in and she spends considerable time in confer- ence with her three lawyers. She is 49 years old and reputed to be worth $1,750,000. INVESTIGATOR IS MISSING. Warrant Out For Trooper Sought on Bad Check Charge. TRENTON, N. J., July 30.—It was learned here today that a warrant is out for the arrest of former State trooper Henry Dickman, lone hand Investigator assigned to continue the Hall-Mills probe after all other troop- ers had been recalled from the case in_October, 1922, Dickman'is wanted on a bad check charge involving a Jersey City bank, and on suspicion that he has knowl- ward E. Hall and Mrs. Eleanor S. Mills. The search that has been go- ing on for him ever since he disap- peared in June, 1923, is now under way with fresh vigor. pay due him from the constabulary, and nearly $100 expense money pay- able to him. For several months be- fore he disappeared reports gdme to State police headquasters_here that he had large sums of meney and took trips to Cusrfip‘,m?f other distant points. The le-police believe Dick- man learned”the identity of the slayer or slayers:~ - _“MANY FIGURES IN CASE. Double Murder Without a Parallel in Some Respects. - Special Dispatch to The Star. NEW YORK, July 30.—It is only little less than four years since the bodies of the Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall, 44 years old, for 10 years rector of the fashionable Church of St. John the Evangelist, New Brunswick, N. J., and Mrs. Eleanor Reinhardt Mills, 34, pretty, romantic and intelligent wife of the sexton of Dr. Hall's church and singer in the choir, were found lying side by side in a field of golden- rod near the ancient and supposedly abandoned “Phillips farmhouse” in the outskirts of New Brupswick They had been dead two days. There were bullet wounds in the heads of both, and Mrs. MiHs’ throat was cut from ear td ear. The bodies were laid out carefully. Mr. Hall's hand was on Mrs. Mills’ sheulder. The homes of the principals were in Middlesex County. The bodies had been placed just over the county line, in Somerset County. Case Without Parallel. The case jthus presented was in some respects probably without par- allel in .criminal history, and after months of effort its solution seemed hopeless and the inquiry came vir- tually to a standstill. Recent events have revived it, with startling devel- opments. Other actors in the drama, which may be entering its final act, are: Mrs. Francis Noel Stevens Hall, wife of Dr. Hall, 55 at the time of the murder, member of an old and “"(Continued en ’P&'t, Column 6.) edge of who killed the Rev. Dr. Ed. | Dickman left behind thres months’ | DETECTIVE NAMES MELLETT SUSPECT Nation-Wide Search Begun for McDermott, Wanted as One of Principals. By the Associated Press. CANTON, Ohio, July 30.—Country- wide search was begun today for Patrick Eugene McDermott, 28, Cleve- land, wanted as a principal in the murder of Don R. Mellett, Canton publisher. Detective Ora Slater, heading the Stark County investigation, refused to designate McDermott as the man sought as the “trigger man.” Pictures of McDermott are to be broadcast throughout the country to- day to all police stations and detective agencies, and to all news picture serv- ces. The pictures are to be re- leased at 1 o'clock this afternoon, | Slater said. With the bare announcement that McDermott was sought for question- ing, censorship was clamped down tight by investigators. in spite of the fact that e:rller in the day they had declared they had conclusive evidence against “the trigger man.” According to information in the hands of the investigators, McDer- mott is an alleged gunman, has served sentence in a Federal penitentiary at Atlanta, was in Canton at the time of the murder, and then dropped re- marks construed to mean he was to have part in some “job,” evidently a murder conspiracy. Dragnet Is Spread. New evidence received vesterday from a source entirely detached from the other sources of information, the investigators said, fitted in precisely with previous information. Reports from Toledo were that police there had laid a dragnet throughout northwestern Ohio for a man in an automobile who was said to have confided to a railroad ticket agent at Millbury, Ohlo, that an al- leged leader of Canton’s underworld {had hired two men to slay an editor | there. From Youngstown, to which he took a hurried trip yesterday on a promuis- ing lead, Slater returned to Canton last night more firmly convinced that -workers are ‘‘on the ‘Movements of the slayer for several days prior t¢ the shooting are known to Slater, he said. Cautlon has been the supreme word in the movements of the investigators. they said, -because the plot was a cleverly laid one which covered up many important angles even from those who participated. - Convinced Assassin Was Hired. e investigators are convinced the ng‘uln was hired by underworld lea.c!: ers to get Mellett “out of the way because he was a menace to illicit traficking in liquor and narcotics and the ‘“system” ‘which supported it. Slater yesterday rushed to Youngs- town with a witness to interview Mike Contos, held on a charge of suspicion in connectlon with the ‘murder in- vestigation. The witness could not identify Contos, Slater sald, but he will be held for Pittsburgh authoritles, working separately to solve the mys- tery. Detective Peter Connors. Pitts- burgh, wired Prosecutor C. B. Mc- Clintock that he had found a man, who identified Contos and George Psilias as the two who offered him and a companion $1,500 to come to Canton to ‘‘do a job” about the time of the Mellett murder. McClintock declined to prefer ac- cessory charges against Psilias or Contos, declaring there was nothing in the evidence so far as he knew to show that the *j had been carried out or that the “job” was the Mellett murder. Youngstown Chief Takes Hand. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, July 30 (®). —Declaring that the investigation of the slaying of Don R. Mellett, Canton publisher, has impressed him as “loose and running around in circles,” Police Chief Kedgwin Powell today said he will check up the movements [Violent Earthquake Rocks Buildings on Channel Islands By the Associated Prese. ST. HELIER, Jersey, Channel Islands, July 30.—Many of the largest buildings here were rocked for several seconds today by the most violent earth shock ever felt among the Channel Islands. Several chimneys collapsed. Thus far no casualties been reported. BIG KLAN MEETING 0 BE HELD HERE Third Nationall Gathering of Three Days Will Bring Thousands to City. have The third bi-annual “klonvocation™ of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan will be held in Washington Septem- ber 13, 14 and 15, according to the announcement of C. E. LaVigne, ex- ecutive director of the Washington convention bureau. The convention was secured by the bureau and was considered as any other gathering, Mr. LaVigne announced. The convention will include dele- gates and high officials of the Ku Klux Klan throughaut the country, and it is expected that the attendance will run up into the thousands. No definite figures could be given, accord- ing to Mr. La Vigne. As in handling any other convention, the bureau will arrange for hotel reservations and other accommodations for the visiting klansmen. No information could be given as to whether there will be a parade. Headquarters will be at the Washington Auditorium, according to Mr. La Vigne. Original plans, it is understood, were for a big “klonvocation™ in Phil- adelphia, but these were abandoned because of lack of encouragement by city officials. it is understood national officers of the Invisible Empire will be elected, State officer designated, and the program for the next two years decided upon. Inquiry at the District Building dis- closed that no permit for a parade by the Klan has been requested to date. The gathering this-time will he a wholly national affair, it was learned. The parade and attendant ceremonies on the occasion of the first demonstra- tion were under auspices of the local Klan organization, which issued invi- tations to State groups. Boycott Action Is Seen. Plans for the convention are said to have been under consideration at a recent conference of Klan execu- tives in Chicago. The situation in Philadelphia is supposed to have been taken up at that time and a decision reached to “boycott” the City of Brotherly Love, so far as Klan assemblies go. The Klan has not staged a public demonstration of outstanding char- acter since the parade in the Capital last August. A national “klonvoca- t!ox:“ was held in Kansas City in 1924 R ORDER FIRE APPARATUS. Commissioners Let Contract for Pieces to Cost $72,500. Contract for furnishing the Dis- trict Fire Department with seven new pleces of apparatus was awarded by the Commissioners today to the Seagrave Corporation, which quoted a price of $72,500. ‘The apparatus consists of a 1,000- gallon pumping engine, two 750-gal- lon pumping engines, all triple com- bination; three combination hose wagons and one aerial hook and lad- der. All of the apparatus is to be motor_driven. of Mike Contos since Mellett's death. |- Contos, with his wife and Nick Sistas, is in jail here at the request of Pittshurgh authorities, who say they believe Contos and George Psilias, in jail at Pittsburgh, were accessories in the slaying. FRENC-H TAX YIELD GIVEN PARIS, July 30 (®).—Deputy de Chappedelaine, who drafted the cham- ber finance committee’s report on the government’s financial bill, estimates that the yleld of the proposed taxes will amount to 2,458,000,000 francs in 1926 and 9,192,000,000 franes in 1927, SUBELY, there are 100,000 Washingtonians who will gladly send one lar or more to honor the living and the dead of the 26,000 from the District of Columbia who served their country in the armed forces in the Great ' War. Send to John Poole, Treasurer, District of Colum- bia Memorial Commission, Federal-American ational GRADE CROSSINGS {D. C. Heads to Press for Final 0. K. on Four Pending Viaduct Projects. BY WILL P.'"KENNEDY. Elimination of grade crossings in portant public safety measure will be pressed for conclusive action in Congress as soon as the legislative body reassembles in December, with the prospect that funds will be pro- vided in the next appropriation bill for at least one of the four most im- portant of these projects. The Senate already has acted fav- orably on two measures to eliminate grade crossings—one a general meas- ure covering the four main grade crossings in the outskirts of the Na- tional Capital, and the other specifi- cally for the elimination of the Mich- igan avenue crossing, between Eighth and Ninth streets northeast, near the Catholic University grounds, and just south of the University railroad station. The House District com- mittee has considered these measures sympathetically, and prompt action is expected, as practically all op- position to this legislation has been withdrawn. Public Backs Project. There is an indlstent demand by all civie and citizens’ associations that these grade crossings be eliminated. The director of the budget has in- formed the District Commissioners that the proposed legislation is not in conflict with the financial program of the President. The desirability of eliminating these crossings is mani- fest, as the normal increase of motor transportation adds to the danger and menace to life. In fact, the pro- gram is a direct result of fatal ac- cidents at several of these crossings. The measures now awaiting House action in order to become law have been recommended by the District Commissioners on a report from D. E. McComb, engineer of bridges, and with the indorsement of the city plan- ning committee on the initiative of Maj, Carey H. Brown, engineer for the National Capital Park and Plan- ning Commission. The proposed plan for the four principal grade crossings is as follows: Where Michigan avenue crosses the Metropolitan branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, a viaduct along the line of Michigan avenue, at an estimated cost of §275,000, not includ- ing the cost of any land that must be acquired. The Michigan Park Citi- zens' Association is actively support- ing this effort. To eliminate the Chestnut street crossing over the Metropolitan branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, in Takoma Park, a viaduct would -be erected at Fern street, at an esti- mated cost of $160,895. ¢ To eliminate Bates road crossing over the Metropolitan branch tracks of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, a viaduct would be erected at Varnum street, at an estimated cost of $30,060. To eliminate the Quarles street crossing over the Baltimore and Ohio and Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington tracks (near Kenilworth), a viaduct would be erected at Eastern avenue. at an estimated cost of $154,318. Railroads to Pay Half. The pending legislation authorizes these appropriations, but specific ap- propriations must be secured for each project on_ estimates submitted through the Budget Bureau. The bilis provide that one-half of the total cost of constructing the viaducts at Michi- gan avenue, Fern street, Varnum street and Eastern avenue shall be borne and paid by the railroad com- panies concerned. The railroad company or companies would be required to pay for the lighting of the viaducts under which the tracks of the railroads pass, in accordance with the provisions of ex- isting law, and the bills provide fur- ther that no street railway company shall use any viaduct or approaches thereto for its tracks until such com- pany shall have paid a sum equal to one-fourth of the total cost of con- structing the viaduct and approaches. Another section of the pending bill authorizes the District Commissioners, in their judgment, to carry any street, avenue or highway crossing any line of railroad tracks (now or in the fu- ture) under or over said tracks, with the cost to be divided between the District, the railroads and street rail- roads as above outlined .in the four specific_cases now under considera: tion. The purpose of this is to give the District Commissioners adequate authority to meet dangerous condi- tions as they may arise in the future. In the opinion of the District Com- | 1 ntinued on Page 3, Column 2) CAMPAIGN PUSHED the District of Columbia as an im- | DEATH TOLL OF 150 INSTORN-RAVAGED ISLANDS FORESEEN Nassau Picture of Desola- tion—Huge Sponge Fleet of 150 to 200 Boats Lost. MOST OF THOSE MISSING ARE BELIEVED DROWNED Vessels Hurled Into City Streets. Rum Runners’ Haven Laid Waste and Liquor Destroyed. By the Associated Press. NASSAU, New Providence Island, Bahamas, July 30.—Ravaged by wind and wave, with more than 150 persons missing, the Bahamas Islands re- mained virtually isolated from com- munication with the outside world today while anxious residents took furiher count of the toll of destrue- tion from the worst hurricane in the recorded history of the islands. { - The majority of those missing are believed to have been drowned with the sponge fishing fleet which has {not been seen since it set sail three days before the West Indian hurri- cane struck the islands Monday night. Several weeks must elapse before the official toll of death and shipping and property damage is known. While conservative estimates place the damage at $8,000,000, reports have not been received from several islands and communication with them may not be established for days. Nassau Is Desolated. Nassau, the beautiful capital of the Bahamas group, with a population of { more than 12,000, presented a picture of desolation. Debris from uprooted { trees, wrecked houses and splintered { boats washed up by the waves clut- tered the stately driveways of the ancient city, where virtually all busi- ness has been suspended. Abandoning efforts to repair her ruin, Nassau i turned first to search for the missing sponge fleet and to ascertain the con- ditions on other islands under her administration. The outer islands of the group are known to have suffered greatly, but inside the far-flung line of islands and banks and toward the coast of Florida the chief damage was {at Nassau and the Isle of Gun Key, 40 miles from Miami. Only three fishing smacks were left in Nassau Harbor from 60 craft which were moored there Sunday. Between 150 and 200 sloops are missing with the sponge fleet. Harbor officials esti- mated that at least 75 vessels were de- {stroved at Nassau and other islands, not counting the sponge boats, some {of which possibly found shelter on isolated banks or near uninhabited islands. City Had Meager Warning. Nassau had meager warning of the advance of the hurricane. The Tropi- cal Radio Station near Miami radioed weather reports Sunday, when brisk winds and a rapidly falling barometer indicated the approach of the storm. The wind steadily increased in velocity throughout the day and at midnight a gale lashed the island, tearing houses from their foundations and uprooting trees. Wires were blown down and the public utility plants damaged to such an extent that the city was plunged into darkne: The Govern- ment record shows the wind reached its velocity of 130 miles an hour at 6 o'clock Monday morning. Churning the harbor into a seething mass of waters, the hurricane piled waves high over the wharves into Bay street, a block into the city. Soon a gale swept down from the northwest, meeting the onrush from- the Carib- bean, and ships were lifted high from their moorings and sent on- to the wharves. Several were blown to sea. Among the vessels known to have sunk in the harbor here was the 80-ton yvacht Isosceles, formerly the Sham- rock IV, Sir Thomas Lipton’s famous America Cup challenger. It lies un- der 40 feet of water beside numerous small craft, varying from sailboats to small yachts. At the island of Gun Key elght large rum-running boats, heavily laden with liquor, were dashed to pieces by the waves. The crews escaped, rowing ashore in small boats at the first ap- proach of the hurricane. Mail Boat Is Missing. Nothing was known of the fate of the Government mail boat Brontes, which proceeded for San Salvador shortly before the onrush of the storm. ‘The Albertine Adou, with 40 persons aboard, sailed for the Island of Inau- gua a few hours before the hurricane struck. It was also classed among the missing craft. The mail boat carried 20 persons. Crews of the Munson steamship Munamar, from New York, and the Canadian fisher, from Kingston, Ja- maica, which arrived at Nassau shortly after the storm abated, told of battling terrific winds and waves. Isolated from the worlid for three days with a crippled Government wireless station, Nassau received her first word of outside damagg from newspaper men arriving in an alr- plane from Miami late Wednesday, and in turn supplied first informa- tion of her own pitiful condition. The liquor trade, one of the chief sources of income of the islands, has been dealt a crushing blow, and the probable loss of the sponge fleet will curtail for some time the island group’s oldest and chief industry of sponge fishing for some time. At- tempts were being continued today to communicate with Miami radio stations, some repairs having been made to the Government wireless towers, whose thick steel ribs were snapped by the hurricane. Strewn into bits like shattered play- things by the temperamental hurri- cane, & mass of broken wreckage clutters the water front frein the Eastern parade, one of the several Government promenades, far to the western edge of the island. Ship Tossed Onto Street. The Lizard was tossed broadside across the road on East Bay street, proving an obstruction to traffic. The old Ward liner Bulgaria, the coasting schooner Inflexible and the schooner Magic all were lifted on the rocks, as were other ships and small fishing boats. The sponging schooner Home Com- fort, the two-master Mathoke, the schooner Eula M. and the schooner Vim were smashed to kindling wood. . Sir Harry Cordeaux, in a pub- (Continued on Page 3, Column.3¢ !