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Newspaper
Wilmington Dispatch
Location
Wilmington, North Carolina, United States of America
Date
May 20, 1918
Page
1
Two notable guests arrived this morning and will stay for two days. They were seen at Union Station and escorted by special car to the yards. Tonight there will be a flag raising at the steel yard followed by an early afternoon luncheon at the Cape Fear Club.
Gen Julian S Carr and Dr Clarence J Owens arrive by train from the north at 10:15 am and tour the Wilmington Carolina Shipbuilding yard and Liberty Shipyard. They address a mass meeting at the Academy of Music and plan further steps to speed up government yard shipbuilding in the south.
Charles M. Schwab, director general of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, writes to Wilmington citizens urging rapid development of local shipbuilding capacity. He stresses national duty, seeks enthusiastic cooperation, and says he hopes to visit soon to see progress and offer personal congratulations.
In Richmond May 20 the admissibility of Dr. Lemuel J. Johnson's love letters to Miss Ollie White and letters from her to him was resumed before Judge Richardson. The court admitted Johnson to Miss White’s letters found in his Wilson North Carolina room. A witness said Johnson married Alice Knight to save her after initially denying marriage. Stenographer Miss Lottie Holland testified against Johnson and revealed she worked in his Middlesex office and spoke with him after news of his wife’s death.
Dozens of delegates attend the thirty fifth annual East Carolina council at St Johns Episcopal Church starting tonight at 8 30 with a service and an education address by Rev Llewellyn N Caley D D of Philadelphia. Sessions continue through Wednesday with public evening meetings and church work during the day. The women auxiliary convention gathers at 515 Orange Street with a diocesan officers conference and sessions to follow at St Johns parish house.
German divisions, strained after heavy fighting in Picardy and Flanders, have been resting three to four weeks. Commanders delay new assaults to rebuild units and aim to split allied lines, possibly by a feint toward Deven and Rheims to draw Foch’s reserves, while preparing a major push further north. Allies, especially the American, French, and British forces, stay prepared and confident.
London observers described the May 20 aerial attack as perhaps the most ambitious raid yet, with constant anti aircraft fire and bursts of shrapnel. Four German Gotha bombers fell before defenses as civilians rushed back from resorts to learn if their homes survived.
Pittsburg reports sixty three charred bodies in the Oakdale temporary morgue after a massive Aetna Chemical plant explosion. Ninety four injured and 212 workers unaccounted for as authorities probe fatalities, gas remain, and dynmite removal proceeds amid federal and local investigations.
British Army observers note in France that northern regions are thick with American troops and new training camps. The Americans display thorough organization and resolve to fight until victory, with intensified training alongside British and French forces as large formations are drafted to augment the frontline units.
Washington report notes President Wilson signs the Overman bill granting broad powers to coordinate government departments. The May 20 signing consolidates federal authority and structures for executive coordination.
A realty sale totaling about 18000 dollars was concluded this morning as G W Penny bought the building at 20 South Front Street from Dr R D Jewett of Winston Salem. The J D McCarley Teal real estate agency handled the transaction with the purchaser occupying the property.
The Washington casualty list shows 45 names including officers Captain Harris D Buckwalter and Lieutenant Tom W Brown among the injured. Wounded severely are Private Porter E Compton and David Z Cox, while Private Join S Kirby and Corporal James L Megee are noted as wounded lightly.
German submarine U-39 reportedly damaged after entering Cartagena last night according to official dispatches. The vessel is linked to the Lusitania torpedoing in 1915 and other attacks, raising questions whether the original U-39 remains in service or has been renumbered.
The railroad administration approved a budget totaling $937,961,318 for capital spending by U S railroads. About $440,071,000 goes to additions and betterments, $479,686,000 for equipment, and $18,203,000 for extensions. The plan limits track extensions during the war emergency but allows overdue improvements.
News of Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Linder's death in Baltimore arrives today. Aged 50, she was a daughter of James H. and Mary E. McGarity and mother to 12 children, with two daughters living in this city. Funeral services are set for Wednesday with interment in Baltimore. relatives from here will travel to attend.
Allied commanders express growing confidence while settling into a broadened front from the Aisne toward Champagne. German units, fatigued, may extend the line south and east as British raids intensify along the Somme and Ancre corridors. Italian and Austro-Hungarian actions show limited gains amid artillery dominance.
James A. Farrell president of United States Steel was asked to become director of operations for the Shipping Board. He had not replied. Edwin F. Carry, current director of operations, was made chairman of the port improvement committee to oversee a vast dock and harbor modernization project.
North of Red Cross street merchants sign petition to close stores at 7 30 each evening except Saturdays. Closed season runs from this afternoon to September 1. Petition lists 28 merchants and is circulated by Councilman Loomis L Shepard to give workers rest and recreation and to save fuel for electricity generation.
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