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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1916)
VOL. Li VI. NO. 11,244. ' ' BRITISH LINER SINKSM47 DIE Maloja, 12,431 Tons, Hits Mine Near Dover. RESCUER ALSO GOES DOWN Passengers Include British In dian Officials on Way . to Far East. BODIES WASHED ASHORE Vessel Was Sister Ship of Per sia, Torpedoed in Medi terranean Recently. f.OXDOX. Feb. 28. The Time etrtl mates the Maloja dead at 147, of -whom 117 were Lascar. DOVER, Feb. 27. The steamship Maloja, a 12,431-ton vessel belonging to the Peninsular & Oriental line, struck a mine and sank within a half hour, two miles from Dover today. More than 140 persons were drowned or killed as a result of the accident. The British tanker Empress of Fort William, going to the rescue, struck another mine and sank nearby. One man of the crew of the Empress of Fort William was drowned. Up to midnight the bodies of vic tims landed include 18 men, 11 women and four children, in addition to 11 Lascars. Among the dead is Mrs. McLeod, wife of General McLeod. Attempt to Beach Vessel Fails. The Maloja left Tilbury only: yes terday for Bombay with mails, 119 passengers of all classes aboard, and a crew numbering about 200, most of them Lascars. Other passengers were to join the ship at Marseilles. The steamer had just passed Ad miralty pier at Dover and was oppo site Shakespeare Cliff when an ex plosion shook her from end to end. She listed immediately to port. High seas were running and the captain, realizing that great damage had been done to the after part of his vessel, tried to run her aground, but the engine-room was swamped and the ship became unmanageable. Dozens of Craft to Rescue. The plight of the vessel was ob served and dozens of craft went at full speed to her rescue. It was one of these, the Empress of Fort Will iam, of 2181 tons, that sank. Aboard the Maloja everything pos sible was done to get the passengers and crew off. All the boats had al ready been swung out before she struck, as a precaution against acci dent, and all those aboard had suffi cient time to put on life belts, instruc tion in the use of which had been given the previous evening. Bodies Are Washed Ashore. Boat after boat and seven rafts were sent away, but several persons leaped into the water and were picked up by the surrounding craft. It was at first thought that all had been saved, but later bodies were washed ashore and their number was grad ually added to during the day. Owing to the fact that Dover is un der strict military law, it was possible to obtain only meager details from those rescued. The captain said that both passengers and crew behaved splendidly. British Officials on Board. The passengers were for the most part British officials in the Indian service, the most prominent being Judge Oldfield, of the Indian High Court. They we're returning to serv ice in the East. The Peninsular & Oriental line steamship Maloja was an Australian mail boat and a sister boat of the Persia, which was torpedoed and sunk off the Island of Crete December 30 last, with the loss of 336 lives. The Maloja was last reported as having arrived at Marseilles January 31 bound for London from Sydney, New South Wales. The steamship was 350 feet long, 62 feet beam and 34 feet deep. She was built at Belfast in 1911. In February, 1915, It was reported that the Maloja on entering the Eng lish Channel with 400 passengers on board was ordered to stop by an un known armed merchantman. The mail boat is said to have ignored the order Concluded, oa l"a Coiuma S.il IMPERILED IOWAN RESCUED BY BOY ICE-FILLED TORRENT BRAVED W ITH FRAIL SKIFF. Death Xearly Claims Prize at Lust Moment, When Exhausted Man Falls Into Water and Sinks. . OSKALOOSA, la., Feb. 27. In a thrilling; rescue by Kay Ellis, an 1S y ear-old boy. Charles Thomas was taken late last night half frozen and nearly lifeless from a tree in the flooded and ieepacked Des Moines River, where Tie had clung to the branches for hours after seeing a com panion drowned. Thomas and A- B. Rommell. Mahaska County engineers, were in a party attempting to dyna mite the Ice floe, when they were swept into the stream, Rommell perishing. Thomas was caught In the top of -a tree, which had been submerged jartly by the flood. . The swollen channel was filled with cakes of Ice, hurried onward by the swift current. It was deemed impos sible to reach to Thomas until Ellis, in a frail skiff, made a perilous dash through the ice to a point near where the marooned man was. Lodging his boat against two other inundated trees to keep, it from being swept downward by the current, the boy time and again threw a rope to ward Thomas until he finally landed it near enough to the virtually help less man so he could make it fast to a branch of the tree. Ellis secured his end to one of the trees at the boat and Thomas slid down. Death nearly balked the rescue at the last moment. In his slide down the rope. Thomas, exhausted, fell and dropped Into the water. He sank, but the boy in the boat seized him when he came up and dragged him Into the skiff. ' VIOLENT QUAKE RECORDED Center or Disturbance Is 2100 Miles From Washington. WASHINGTON. Feb. 27. Violent earthquake shocks at an estimated dis tance from Washington of 2100 miles were recorded today by the Georgetown University seismograph. The vibrations began at 3:27 P. M., and continued several hours, being most pronounced between 3:47 ana o'clock. SAN JOSE, CaL. Feb. 27. The ob servatory at Santa Clara reports a pro nounced earthquake record was in scribed on the horizontal seismograph today, beginning at I2:S3 P. M. and con tinuing dn the form of sinuous curve for more than two hours. According to calculations made by Professor Newlin the epicenter was approximately 5000 miles distant. PACKING STRIKE STILL ON Breach In Sioux City Negotiations Is Widened, o.miv pity la Feb. 27. The breach in negotiations between offi cials of the Cudahy ana Armour yaw ing companies and the 2300 strikers at the Sioux City plants was widened to .1.... wk.n sit a. mass meeting of strik ers it was decided to demand the orig inal scale of 22 cents an hour for all common laborers, instead of accepting 21 cents an hour, wnicn oaiuruay practically decided on. -ti v.n naplfp.r, prant a written agreement setting forth that there shall be no deviation irom watso one year or shifting or men irom u.. n .nnther with less wage. it was unanimously decided there will be no settlement. LOSS DUE TO SUBMARINE French Ministry Reports on Sinking of British Steamer Fastnet. tatjih pph. 58. via London, Feb. 27. An official announcement made by the French Ministry oi Manuc iuw ..ii !. sinkine of the British steamship Fastnet says the vessel was sent to the bottom Dy. a suomaruio the Western Mediterranean. The crew of the steamship was rescued by a French cruiser. The captain of the Fastnet reports that he saw the same submarine sink the Swedish steamer Thornborg. the boats of which the undersea vessel towed away. The fastnet was of 2227. tons gross and built in 18S7. " She was 290 feet long, 38 feet beam and 19 feet deep. BRITISH LINES EXTENDED French Soldiers Being Relieved lor Defense of Verdun. OTTAWA. Ont, Feb. 27. British lines in Belgium and France are being , enlace French soldiers who are being rushed to the Verdun region to take part in me ii8un.s. "which has settled down to a terrific slaughter," according to advices re ceived here from the battle front Approximately 20 rmy divisions have been thrown into the battle by the Germans, while the French troops number 15 divisions, cable messages said. BRITISH STEAMER ON FIRE Vessel, on Way to France, Aban doned; Crew, Rescued. LONDON. Feb. 27. The - British steamship Suevier, from New York, February 11, for Havre, has Deen loan doned afirs at sea. according to a dis patch to Lloyd s from InishtrahuII, Ire land. All tho members of the crew are re ported to have been taken off by an other steamer.- PORTLAND, OREGON, DOUAlOfJT STILL French Fail in Five Heavy Assaults. LOSSES ARE REPORTED LARGE Berlin Tells of Capture of 15, 000 Unwounded Prisoners. AIRMEN BOMBARD METZ British Attack Repulsed South of Ypres; Teuton Aeroplane Squad rons Attack Camps of tho Enemy in Flanders. BERLIN, via London, Feb. 27. Five determined attempts made by French troops to recapture from the Germans fort Douaumont, one of the outlying Verdun fortifications, were repulsed yesterday with sanguinary losses, ac cording to the official statement issued today by the German headquarters staff. German troops, it was asserted, had stormed the fortified works of Hardaumount, as well as the town of Champneuville and the Cote de Talou. The number of unwounded Frenchman taken prisoners, it was added, totaled 15,000. The text of the German official statement follows: "On various portions of the front there were intense artillery and mine battles. "South of Tpres a British attack was repulsed. Five Attacks By French Fall. "On the heights to the right of the Meuse the French attempted by attacks, nMti1 five, times with fresh troops. to recapture the armored fortress of Douaumont. They were repulstd witn sanguinary losses. Tn the vrst of the fort our troops have "taken Campneuville, the Cote de Talou, and have advanced as far as Nave on the southern border of the wood northwest of Bras. Tn thrt st of the fort we took by storm the extended fortified works of Hardaumont. "In the Woevre plain vigorous fight nr is taking place on the German fron tier, the battles extending as far as the Cotes Lorraine. AmnrdinGr to information at present at hand the number of unwounded prisoners amounts to nearly 15.000. Aeroplane Sqaadrons Active. "in Trim! tiers our aeroplane squadrons repeated their attacks on the camp of the enemy troops. "A hnmb attack on Metz by enemy aviators resulted In the injury or death of eight civilians and seven soldiers. KAvarol houses were damaged. In the neighborhood of the fortress a French aeroplane was brought down in the aerial battle and by the bombardment of anti-aircraft guns.- The occupants of the machine included two captains, who were captured." Kaiser's Counsel Prevails. PETROGRAD. via London. Feb. 27. The Russky Invalid, the official organ (Concluded on Page 2. Column 1.) GERMANS HANDS rift' . (ffi) I till HHII'".'f ' '-'- J- '- '.'' 1 . MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 191G. FORT D0UAM0NT IS IN FRAGMENTS NOW I7-IX-H AND 12-INCH SHELLS DEMOLISH STEEL WORKS. Another Is Blown Up by Shot Pene trating to Magazine; Battle Extends Along Une. t ivnnv -irh 5R fSnecial.) The Rotterdam correspondent of the Daily Mail, telegraphing under yesteraay s date, says: "A. German correspondent says that the front of Fort Douamont was. en tirely destroyed by the concentrated n nf 17-inrh and 12-inch guns. which blew the steel and concrete cupo las to fragments. One tort nearojr was blown up by a high explosive shell, which penetrated the magazine. "Before the attack hundreds of Ger man engineers had been making roads for conveyance of the 17-lnch guns. French prisoners, dazed, said, accord ing to the German correspondent, that the terrific fir, quickly made Doua mont untenable. a. th e-reat battle at Verdun reaches its climax, sympathetic activity is spreading over the entire irone. j"i' In Flanders are heard on the Dutch frontier. The British made local at tacks in the region of Armentieres. but the fighting Is mainly confined to heavy artillery. . . "Enemy flying machines are out in great numbers. A very large battle plane mounting two guns was seen leaving Zeebrugge. "The German newspapers received here today express th. greatest confi dence in the result at Verdun, and arc enthusii stic -over the bravery of the German troops. "The Koelnische Zeitung says: " 'The renowned Brandenburg regj ment has added a bloody laurel to the wreaths on its colors. Its sons have shown themselves worthy of their fathers.' " - y MAN, 85, BAPTIZED; RECORD Aaron Gardner Is Accompanied by Daughter at Services. BAKER, Or., Feb. 27. (Special.) Bidding for the baptismal age record of Oregon, Aaron Gardner, 85, was bap tized at the Christian Church by Rev. C. G. Scates, pastor of the church. The aged man was accompanied by his daughter, Mrs. Francis Rose, with whom he lives. Mr. Scates says Mr. Gardner is the oldest person he ever baptized and believes it Is the record for the state. DU PONT EARNINGS JUMP Increase of $52,237,605 Over Total of Year Previous Noted. NEW YORK, Feb. 27. The E. I. Du Pont Nemours Powder Company, which has received numerous war orders from the allied governments, earned a total of $57,840,750 during the year ended December 31, 1915, according to its an nual report made public Saturday. This is an increase of $52,237,605 over its earnings the year previous. 1 i TURKS ROUTED IN EGYPT - South Africans Reported Victors in Engagement at-Agagla. LONDON, Feb. 27. A Turkish col umn was attacked and routed by South African troops yesterday at Agagia, Egypt, according to a British official statement issued tonight, and the state ment adds that the fleeing Turks are being pursued. UNCLE BEGINS TO SEE THE POINT. NUN 'AND WIFE ARE SHOTFROPIP':;; Neighbor Farmer Con fesses Deed, at Jail. HORSES UNHITCHED; KILLED Slaying Laid to Old Dispute Over Fences and Stock. SUICIDE ATTEMPT FAILS M. D. Bousmau, of Wilderville, Tells How ire Waylaid Elderly Cou ple, Who Were Driving to Sunday School. ntcANTS PASS. Or.. Feb. 27. (Spe cial.) Luther B. Akers, and his wife. Mr wisipi Alters, and their team of two horses were all shot and killed near Wildersville, 12 miles from here, this mrtrntnr ahmit 10 o'clock bv a neighbor farmer, Marshall D. Bousmau, 63 years old. The slayer was lodged in Jail nere tonight, and confessed to the shooting. Bousman lay in ambush by the road side as the Akers couple were driving to Sunday school. Without warning he fired seven shots from a carbine. He then returned home, where he was later taken into custody. Sheriff Smith and Deputy Sheriff Denison, of Grants Pass, reached the scene at bout 6:30 this evening. They found Bousman in his cabin, lying across the bed, with the 25-35 carbine, with which he had done the shooting, lying by his side. Bousman had taken laudanum in an effort to commit suicide, but the drug had only made him sick. The shooting is the culmination of a neighbors' quarrel over boundary fences, hogs at large and similar mat ters, of several years' duration. The trouble was not considered serious. Recently, however, Bousman's con duct was such that Prosecuting . At torney Miller wrote him a warning to stop quarreling, and leave the Akers family alone. When interviewed in jail tonight, Bousman said this warning caused hira to waylay the man and wife. Except that he was somewhat shaken from the effects of the drug he ha taken, the man was perfectly calm and cool as he talked of the affair. "First thing I know I was shooting at them," he said. Although the shooting took place In the morning, the bodies were not dis covered until evening, as the Akers, an elderly couple, lived on a road that is not much traveled. Their place is on the Applegate River, a few miles from Wilderville. James Vinnegar. a laborer, passing by on his way to a mill where he is employed, found the dead couple about 5 o'clock. He immediately gave the alarm. When found, the bodies were lying about 10 feet apart, the man with his head partly shot away, and the woman with a bullet wound through the chest. The horses had been unhitched from (Concluded on Page 6, Columnp.) WOMAN, 85, DIES IN BURNING HOME SI15S. FANNIE D. LATHAM IS VIC TIM AT TOLEDO, WASH. Fire Destroys House of Sou. With Whom Aged Mother Lived, When Family Is Absent. TOLEDO, Wash., Feb. 27. (Special.) Mrs. Fannie D. Latham, 85 years old, was burned to death today, when the home of ber son, A. H. Latham, with whom she lived, was destroyed by fire. Mr. Latham and wile left home at 4 o'clock for a walk and about 4:20 neighbors saw smoke coming from the windows of the Latham residence on the edge of the town. On investigation the discovered that the interior was a nrass of flames and although a prompt assistance was rendered and a line of hose laid to the house the fire was be yorfd control and .quickly burned Itself out. The presence of the elderly woman in the house was not even known to the neighbors until after the building was destroyed. The victim was a pioneer of Lewis County. The value of the building anfl con tents was $2000, with $600 insurance. Mr. Latham is at a loss to account for the blaze as there was no fire ex cept in the kitchen stove and that was a small one. ST. JOHNS MILL TO OPEN 200 Men to Go Back to Work Today in Big Plant. The St. Johns Lumber Company saw mill at St. Johns, with a capacity of 200,000 feet, will resume operation to day with a crew of 200 men and with every prospect of extending soon to full capacity. "We have a market inland for lum ber ' now," said H. E. Pennell. vice president of the company, last night. The opening of the mill is regarded as an indication of further activity in other companies. LYMAN CHOOSES SENTENCE Accused Swindler Insists on Serving California Term. TAMPA. Fla., Feb. 27. John Grant Lyman, wanted in New York for al leged misuse of the mails, which netted hira more than $300,000, . remained, in Jail here tonight while Federal authori ties awaited instructions from Wash ington as to what to do with him. Lyman insists he should serve out a 15 months' sentence given him in Cali fornia for operations similar to those attributed to him in New York and ob jects to returning to the latter city. AUTO HITS ALBANY WOMAN Mrs. Bennett Holmes Sustains Three Broken Kibs. ALBANY, Or., Feb. 27. (Special.) Mrs. Bennett Holmes sustained three broken ribs last night when she was struck by an automobile while on her way from the city to North Albany. Offiters are trying to determine who was driving the car, which is said to have been running at high speed with the big lamp in front extinguished. INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS The Weather. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature. 58 degrees; minimum, as degrees. TODAY'S Fair; winds becoming southerly. War. British steamship Maloja sunk by mine off Dover; more than -40 lives lost. Page 1. French fall to recapture Fort of Donaumont. Page 1. French fort of steel and concrete Is but fragments. Page 1. Vessels sailing as neutrals rumored to be German raiders, l'age 2. Herr von Jagow argues that International law relied on by United States is obso lete. Page 2. Prussian War Minister sends Ambassador Gerard reply regarding treatment of war prisoners. Page 8. National. Von Bernstorff Instructed to inform Wash ington that Germany has ordered subma rine commanders to sink armed mer chantmen. Page 1. - Effort to worn Americans against ra travel abandoned in Congress. Page 3. Justice and humanity not to he sacrificed for peace, says President. Page 4. Domestic. Railroad earnings show material gains. Page 3. Fairbanks' friends express elation over pros. pects for their candidate. Page 4. . Imperiled lowan rescued by boy In skiff. Page 1. Sports. O'Connell-Mlller bout tomorrow may yet be for championship belt. Page 12. Two mterscholastlc basketball games to be played today. Page 12. Crack athlete of California clubs and col leges to enter Far Western meet. Page 1-. Collegiate peace tribunal for final settlement of all disputes proposed. Page 13. Spokane women win telegraphic trap shoot. Page 12. Pacific Northwest. Farmer confesses shooting neighbor couple and team near Wilderville. Page 1. Toledo, Wash., woman dies in burning home. Page 1, Marine. Several en route craft are due here soon to load in river. Page 11. Portland and Vlctalty. Wire-tapping Investigation may uncover telephone employe. Page 7. Social service exposition to open tonight. Page 10. New commercial high school Is started. Page 11. Mrs Lawrence tells of achievements by Pisgah Home and Colony. Page 10. Voters warned against further procrastina tion In registering. Page 9. Reed Co-eds tell their taste in husbands. Page 10. Damerel makes hit at Orpheum. Page -0. Two Portland pastors resign. Pago 10. River attracts many who enjoy day In canoes, rowboats or motorboats. Page o. Feeding seagulls is good sport. Page 20. Joy weather brings out thousands for out ing!!. Page 7. KriiHmen urged to co-operat? and charter ship for European deliveries. Pago 11. Froit merelv In role of percussion Ciip in long-pei.dlnir medical college strife. P&go 2 . -. . PRICE FIVE CENTS. ORDERS GIVEN TO SlillHERS Armed Merchantmen to Be Treated as Warnips, SOME -SUBMARINES AT SEA Washington Advisecf It Is Too Late to Postpone, Even if Berlin Willed. BERNSTORFF GETS REPLY Lansing to Be Told Today Brit ain Is Not Trusted, Hav ing Broken Pledge. WASHINGTON, Feb. 27. Ger many has instructed Count von Bern storff to inform the United States Government that the assurances re garding the future continuance of sub marine warfare, given in the Lusi- tania and Arabia cases, still are bind- in er. but that they apply only to mn- chantmen of a peaceful character. The German government is untir- stood to contend that armed merchant men. without regard to the nature of their armament, have shown them selves not to he peaceful and there fore subject to destruction without warning. List of Incidents Given. The instructions direct the Germ.-.n Ambassador particularly to tell Sec retary Lansing that British mer chantmen armed ostensibly only for defense have not assumed the char acter of peaceful traders, but on tho contrary, they carry guns for the es pecial purpose of attacking German submarines. To support this conten tion, the Berlin Foreign Office has sent the Ambassador, for presenta tion to the State Department, a list of at least 20 incidents where it is asserted British merchant ships have attacked submarine. Confidential advices received from Berlin say that German and Austrian submarine commanders already have received their new orders ar.d that from midnight Tuesday they will be authorized to sink without warning all armed merchant ships of the ene mies of Germany. Submarines Off on Voyages. It was said also that many of the submarine commanders probably had left their bases on voyages and that even should the United States request the postponement of the opening of the campaign, it would be impossible to get word to many of the subma rines. It was said, however, that so far neither the United States or any other nation had asked for a post ponement. While Count von Bernstorff and other officials of the German Em bassy declined to discuss the instruc tions from Berlin in any way, it u believed the Ambasador will present them orally to Secretary Lansing to morrow. Reply Made to Request. Count von Bernstorff received his instructions in reply to a request from the United States for assurances re garding the conduct of submarine warfare in the futiure, occasioned by the memorandum announcing the in tention of Germany to sink armed ships without warning, which the Ad ministration considered to be incon sistent with the assurances previously given. Regardless of the form in which the matter is presented to Secretary Lansing, the German Ambassador will lay much stress on the assurances regarding the arming of merchant ships which were given to the United States by Great Britain in a memoran dum signed by Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, the British Ambassador, on August 25, 1914. British Ambassador Quoted. In this the British Ambassador wrote: - "I have been instructed at the same time by His Majesty's principal Sec retary of State for Foreign Affairs to give the United States Govern ment the fullest assurances that Brit ish merchant vessels will never be used for purposes cf attack; that they are merely peaceful traders, armed only for defense and that they will never fire unlesfc first fired upon, and (.Concluded ou l'ik Column ii. i