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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 1918)
VOL. LVIII "0. 18,011. PORTLAND, OREGON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 1918. PRICE FIVE CENTS. PLANES NOSE-DIVE, COLLIDE; 3 DEAD BRITISH ROYAL FLYING CORPS CAPTAIN IX DAY'S TOLL. SPRUCE MEN TO BE FIGHTERS DEC. 1 VANGUARD OF G. A. R. REACHES PORTLAND 16 BOYS DISREGARD ORDERS; WIN FAME UNIFORMS TRADED WITH AUS TRALIANS TO GO OVER TOP. DATE SET FOR FORMATION OF TJMT FOR OVERSEAS. AMAZING HISTORY MADE AT in RIBECOURT TAKEE1; IVOII IMPERILED $500,000 HULL AT RAINIER IS BURNED French Win Important Key to Strategic Gity. ROUTE IS OPENED UP OISE Capture Said to Mark Epoch in Latest Offensive; Huns tk Resist Violently. USSIGNY REPORTED TAKEN Further Encroachment Made on Thiescourt Plateau and Neighboring Heights. (By tk iiMcliM rrm.) The capture of Ribecourt by the French marks an important epoch in the offensive which has for its imme diate purpose the freeing of the re gion between the Somme and the Oise. As a sain from the strategic standpoint it ranks with the taking by the French of the forest and hill positions between the Matz and the Oise, which has brought the French almost to the gates of Lassigny, Through Kibecourt lies an open route np the Oise Valley to Noyon a route by rail and the big national thorough fare, not to mention the canal which parallels the roadways for the greater part of the way. Noyon is only a little more than six miles northeast of Kibecourt. German front-line trenches at Beau mont Hamel, Serre, Puisieux Au Mont and Bucquoy hare been found unten able by the enemy in the face of the recent activity by the British all along the line from Albert to Arras, while the French have persevered" in their violent attacks against the Germans on the sector which domi nates the lower portion of the Picardy plain and the Oise Valley and have encroached further upon the Lassigny massif and the Thiescourt plateau and farther south have captured the important town of Ribecourt. Lassigny Reported Captured. Unofficial reports have announced the capture of Lassigny by the French and of all the German positions be tween the western outskirts of Bray- Sur-Somme and Etinehem by the Aus tralians. From the Somme to the Aisne, ex cept in the latter region, where the French have made further gains, the Germans seemingly have had further success in holding back the allied troops and still are in possession of Chaulnes and Roye, upon the capture of which the efforts of the British and French have been centered. In the central part of the battle front the enemy continues to deliver violent counter attacks and also has further reinforced his line with men and guns and is using them without stint to re tain his position, realizing that their capture would spell disaster. , Ten-Mile Salient Doomed. - The giving np of front-line trenches north of Albert may mean the Ger mans foresee the ultimate success of the American and British operations along the Somme. In any event the retrograde movement seemingly indi cates that the ten-mile salient between Beaumont Hamel and Bray on the Somme, with Albert its apex, now must give way in order that the Ger man front here may come into align ment with that in the south across the Somme. Probably the Germans purpose to readjust their front from the Somme to Arras. ' French Progress Continues. Although they are still encountering violent resistance, the French are con tinuing to make progress through the wooded and hilly country between the Mats and the Oise, where the Germans from recesses in the forests, on spurs and in the canyons are using machine guns innumerable. Gas also is being loosed in great quantities by the ene my. Almost entire control of the Thiescourt plateau and the other high ground on this sector is now in the hands of the French. FARIS, Aug.. 14. The town . of Ribecourt, on the road leading to Noyon and six and one-fourth miles southwest of that town, has been cap tured by the French, according to the official statement issued tonight. General Humbert's army, operating American Lientenant and Cadet Perish In Falls of 1000 Feet and Several Thousand Feet. CINCINNATI. O.. Aug. 14. Captain James Fits Morris, of the British Royal Flying Corps, was killed Just west of this city today, when his engine died Just as he rose from the grounds of the Western Hills Country Club to com plete the last lap of a Journey from Indianapolis to Cincinnati. Captain Fits Morris wae instantly killed, when his plane crashed to earth in a nose dive. Brigadier-General Lee announced that Captain Fits Morris had a total of 19 German airplanes to his credit. Dur ing the three years of service on the front Captain Fit Morris was decor ated with the cross of the Belgian Le glon of Honor and the military cross with one bar added in honor of addi tional heroic services performed after receiving the cross. American and British aviators planned a gala day. A number of Americans from the Dayton field, led by Major Claud K. Rhinehardt. who had flown from Mlneola, were to meet the British flyers here who were coming from Indianapolis under the leadership of Brigadier-General Charles F. Lee. Two of the American machines were force I to land near Mlddletown earlier In the day. Both turned over and Lieu tenant Karl Carrol was slightly Injured. He continued to 'Cincinnati in another machine. RANTOUU III, Aug. 14. Lieutenant J. M. Johnson, a cadet at the Chanute aviation field, was killed this morning when his plane fell at Gifford. six miles east of here. Another aviator in the plane was only slightly hurt. The men fell about 1000 feet. FORT WORTH. Tex.. Aug. 14. Cadet William R. Turnstall. son of John R. Turnstall, of Brookfleld, Mass.. was killed today when his alrpla.ie collided with, another machine several t'-.ousand feet in ' the air. The second machine landed aafely and the cadet occupant escaped nninjured. PENS ECOLA, Fla.. Aug. 14. Joseph Fenton, of Bellows Falls, Vt, a stu dent aviator at the Pensacola station, was killed late Tuesday night when his seaplane fell into Pensacola Bay, It was announced today. Fenton held the rank of chief quartermaster. Plant Engaged on Big War Orders. INCENDIARY WORK SUSPECTED ERS1STENCE IS REWARDED Lebanon Youth Admitted to TJ. S. Service After tilne Attempts. ALB ANT. Or, Aug. 14. (Special.) After making nine unsuccessful at tempts to enlist Hillis Archibald South ard, of Lebanon, has succeeded at last In getting Into the service and will leave here tomorrow with a contingent of six Linn County boys, who will go to Portland to become members of the Benson Polytechnic School training detachment. These attempts were made before Southard was 21 years of age. Having become 21 In the past year he regis tered last June under the selective draft and this fact led to his entry into the service tomorrow. Recently the lo cal exemption board received a call for men to train as mechanics and on this call draft registrants were permitted to volunteer out of their turn. Three Residences of Company Officials Destroyed. FIRE STARTS TO WINDWARD Factory Covering Four Acres Soon Licked Up; Two Horses Lose Lives; Railroad Track Is Warped by the Flames. (Coacludsd an Pace 2. Column 3.) STORM BUFFETS WARSHIP Tugs Come to Relief of Fighting Craft In w York arbor. NEW TORK, Aug. 14. Serious dam age was caused late today by a freak windstorm which swept a section of the Hudson River around One Hundred Twenty-fifth street and a part of the upper west side. A foreign warship anchored In the Hudson dragged her anchor in the gale and was swept helplessly toward the rocks. Six tugs threw lines to the helpless ship when she was in shallow water only a few feet from the bank and dragged her out Into the river. PRISONERS JAKEN IN RAID General Pershing Reports TJ. S. Suc cess in Lorraine. WASHINGTON, Aug. 14. "In Lor raine one of our patrols made a suc cessful raid on the enemy's lines and brought back prisoners," General Persh ing's night communique said. "In the Vosges a hostile raiding party was repulsed. With the exception of considerable artillery activity along the Vesle there Is nothing further to report." LIGHTNING FATAL TO SIX Score of Perrons Injured In Klcclrl cal Storm in Ka stern Pennsylvania. PHILADELPHIA. Pa., Aug. 14. Six persons were killed and a score injured by lightning bolts during a severe elec trical storm which swept Eastern Penn sylvania today. Heavy property dam age was reported. One man was killed and several in jured by lightning in Delaware. RAINIER, Or., Aug. 14. (Special.) Fire of supposed Incendiary origin de stroyed the entire plant of the Colum bia River Door Company here late to night with a loss of approximately $500,000. The flames spread rapidly to adjoin ing: residences, wining out three of them, with almost their entire con tents. For a time the entire mill dis trict, half a mile away from the town proper, appeared to be threatened, but the blaze by midnight had practically burned itself out. The loss on the plant is 90 per cent covered by in surance. The factory, consisting of a sawmill and a sash and door factory, with two large dry kilns and a warehouse, cov ered nearly four acres. Lately It had been engaged largely in war work. turning out spruce and ship timbers f ir the Government. More than 200 men have been employed at the plant. The loss is made up of $375,000 on plant and $126,000 stock. Two hundred men were employed in the factory, which was shut down for- the night at the time of the fire. Flames Spread Fast. Watchman Shepherd had visited the downstream end of the mill only 10 minutes before the fire started. The blaze broke out In a dry shed, 100 feet from any fire. This, together with the fact that the plant was busy . on war work, leads to suspicion among the fire men and residents who saw the fire that pro-Hun work is responsible. When discovered the flames had swallowed almost the whole of the dry shed In which it originated. Their spread to the other buildings was rapid and a sprinkler system in the sawmill proper failed to save it, so hot was the blaze on reaching that part of the plant. When the volunteer fire department arrived it was evident that there was no chance to save the plant, and ef forts were chiefly directed to protect ing buildings nearby. S12,00O Loaa on Residences. The houses destroyed adjoining the plant are those of W. D. Plue, president and manager of the company; T. E. Other Regiments to Be Formed Later tor Service at Front, Says Colonel Disque. ABERDEEN, Wash, Aug. 15. (Spe cial) December 1 is set as a definite date for the formation of a regiment of spruce production soldiers for over seas service, in an order received this morning at local headquarters, spruce production bureau. The date of depart ure of soldiers assigned to the new regiment for Vancouver for overseas training will depend upon the rapidity with which the selective service de partment supplies limited service men to take the places of the general service men in the woods. Colonel Brice P. Disque. in command of the spruce production division, said last night that he has issued in a gen eral order the tentative plan of form ing the first regiment of his men to be sent for overseas duty. This proced' ure was authorized by decision of Sec retary of War Baker and was pub. licly announced by John D. Ryan, chair man of the Board of Aircraft Produc tion, on the occasion of his recent visit in Portland. It was acclaimed with joyful enthusiasm by the men. An Important intimation of Colonel Dlsque's comment was to the effect that other regiments may be formed and sent to the front. "We hope before a great while," said Colonel Disque, . "to reach the point where we can withdraw other men and send more regiments abroad. I con sider the step now contemplated as but the first in the process." It was explained by Colonel Disque that expected release of larg num bers of men from railroad construction work about December 1 Is chiefly re sponsible for the order just issued and for the opportunity to release spruce workers from activities here for serv ice as fighters abroad. YOUNG PULITZER TO SERVE St. Louis Editor Enrolls in Nava Aviation Corps. ST. LOUIS, Aug. 14. According to a dispatch from Washington, Joseph Pulitzer, Jr., of St. Louis, editor of the St Louis Post-Dispatch, has enrolled there in the naval aviation corps ground service, after being rejected in the flying service on account of poor vision. He will report to the Great Lakes training station near Chicago about September 1. He is 33 years old and has a wife and two children. First of 15,000 Guests Now in City. OFFICERS IN HEADQUARTERS FERRY-BOAT BARS CLOSED AH. Southern Pacific Steamers San Francisco Bay "Dry." in tConcluded on Page 4, Column 2.) SAN FRANCISCO. Aug. 14. Ferry boats and river steamers of the South ern Pacific Company are not "trains or train depots," but their bars were closed today as the result of the order making trains and depots dry. Northwestern Pacific Railroad Com pany ferryboats continued their bars. The dry condition prevailed on all Southern Pacific ferryboat3 crossing the bay and on river steamers touching at Vallejo and other points Veterans Arrive as Soldiers Start for War. MANY MORE DUE TODAY Federal Officials of Affiliated Worn en's Organization Here for Con vention; Mrs. Knauff Out lines, Aims. Hundreds of whooping lads in olive drab, off for a new war, were making Union Station ring with their tumult last night when the official party of the Grand Army of the Republic alight ed from an Eastern train as the van guard of the 52d annual encampment of the veterans of the Civil War. There was the long troop train, its windows jammed with husky young America. Swinging up the platform came a party of recruits for the Ma rines. To right and left were groups of officers chatting with friends. And down through the center walked a lit tie party of erect, gray-haired men. "This is to be a war encampment, said Commander-in-Chief Orlando Somers, after the party were in thei hotel. "We are solidly behind the Gov ernment In the prosecution of the war. When Prussianism is crushed and our flag comes back untarnished from over seas, then, and then only, will we talk of peace." Commander-in-Chief Arrives. Members of the official Grand Army party which reached the city last night are Commander-in-Chief Somers; Judge Robert W. McBride, Adjutant-General Colonel Stowitz, Quartermaster-Gen eral; Miss Katherine R. A. Flood, secre tary to Commander Somers, and Ell Torrance,, of Minneapolis, past com mander. . 1 National officials of the several worn en's auxiliaries accompanied the party; which is as yet incomplete. The re mainder of the officials are expected to arrive today and tomorrow. The officers were met at the station and escorted to their hotels by members of the executive committee in local charge of arrangements: General Charles F. Beebe. Judge C. G. Burton, Frank McCrillis, W. J. Hofmann, Charles J. Schnabel, Fred A. Stadter, J. B. Ettlnger, O. W. Mellke and A. J. Stewart. At headquarters in the Multnomah Hotel Commander Somers and his staff entered at once into prelimfnary dis cussion of plans with members of the local committee. This morning they will inspect the line of march for the (Concluded on Page 12, Column 1.) ARE YOU FOLLOWING THE SQUIRREL'S EXAMPLE? ITALIANS OUST AUSTRIANS Strategic Points Taken, With Pris oners, North of the Adamello. ROME. Aug. 14. Italian forces have occupied Monte Mantelio, Punta di Matteo and the spur southeast of Cima ZIgolon, north of the Adamello region. according to an official statement Is sued by the War Office. They have taken 100 prisoners. Command Sending Them to Rear Obeyed Only Until Way Is Found to Get Back to Hot Battle. WASHINGTON, Aug. 14. The 16 Chi cago boys recently decorated by King George for valor probably were en gaged in the Fourth of July fight at Hamel and won their laurels because they were not to be denied their share of the fighting. It Is now known that Just before the zero hour the British commander felt that some of the American troops had not been long enough in training to go over the top and ordered them out of the line. With much protesting of regrets the American soldiers retired and their Australian comrades, with other Americans, went over and helped take the town. When the casualties were counted, American soldiers were found in the dressing stations dressed in Australian uniforms. It developed that the Americans, after retiring to the rear, had found Aus tralian comrades not in the fighting, traded uniforms with them and then worked their way back to the Austra lian units and went over the top with them. The troops which performed the he roic feat have not finally been identi fied, but It Is known that Illinois troops were in the fighting on that day before Hamel, and it is believed that the 16 Chicago youths decorated by the Kin probably were among the daredevil he roes who were not to be kept out of their chance. Bolstieviki Violate British, French Consulates. OFFICIALS TAKEN PRISONERS Allied Residents Held Hostages Following Developments at Archangel. SOVIET MAY HAVE FALLEN American Consul --General Poole Reports on Extra ordinary Situation. LOYALTY IS QUESTIONED French Senator Humbert May Be In volved in Enemy Transactions. PARIS. Aug. 14. (Havas Agency.) A government commission has sent to the military governor of Paris a re port tending to charge Charles Hum bert, a Senator and former owner of the Paris Journal, with communication with the enemy. A bill will be Intro duced at the opening of the Senate o Soptember 17, providing for the sus penson of parliamentary immunity. When the case of Bola Pasha was be fore the French courts it was shown that there had been some relations be tween him and Charles Humbert Among them was the purchase of an in terest in the Paris Journal by the Le vantine financier. M. Humbert waa later accused of commerce with th enemy and It was alleged that he had received German money from America. BIG Y. M. C. A. FUND PLAN Mrs. H. P. Davison Appointed Head of Campaign Committee. , PORTLAND, Me., Aug. 14. Mrs. Henry P. Davison, of New York, treas urer of the National Woman's Wa Work Council, was appointed chairman of the campaign committee to raise a $15,000,000 war fund for the T. M. C. A. by the National Council today. Mrs. Woodrow Wilson was made hon orary chairman of the war work coun cil, and a committee consisting of Mrs. William Adams Brown, Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Mrs. Henry P. Davison, all of New York, was appoint ed to urge acceptance. INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS The Weather. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 67 degrees; minimum, s degrees. TODAY'S Showers and thunder storms moderate westerly winds. War. French hurl Huns out of Ribeeourt. Page 1 Germans lose ground on both sides of Albert. Page 4. New allied drive Is expected soon. Page " Official casualty list. Page 6. Mystery develops in "gas attack" on Amerl can shore. Page 3. American boys sent to rear at Hamel don Australian - uniforms to enter battle. Page 1. 8. and British air forces raid foe. Page 5. Foretg:n. Germany orders Finns to fight allies. Page 4. Mexico resents British at protest. Page 5. Defeat in France scares Germans at home. Page 2. Amazing political upheaval In progress in Moscow. Page 1. Maxillmlan Harden tool of Kaiser, says Dentist uavls. Page 4. National. McAdoo and Kitchln near agreement en ex cess profits tax. page 0. Youths to register August 24. Page 7. Social Democrats on guard against pacifists. rage e. r Domestic. Airplanes nosedive and collide; three avia tors dead. - Page 1.' Means to counteract Bnlshevikism considered at conference. Page 8. Hports. Bob McAllister named Instructor In boxing for spruce men at v ancouver. Page 13. Prospects for West Point-Annapolis foot ball game are gloomy. Page 13. New organization to handle racing in Pa cific Northwest. Page 1.1. City playground boys soon to meet on track. Page 12. Pacific Northwest. Spruce workers to join fighting unit Septem ber. Page J. Rainier mill destroyed, loss half million. Page 1. Commercial and Marine. Beginning of Oregon oats harvest Indicates light crop. Page li. One-fourth of wool stored at Portland has bean valued. Page 17. Wall-street stocks react and market closes heavy. Page 17. Steel and wood-ship construction may pass under single supervision. Page 12. Portland and Vicinity. an guard of G. A. R. already here. Page 1. Suit for accounting of money spent on Vista House charges iraua. page 10. Denton- G. Burdock candidate for Speaker ship ol House. Page is. Extension of Y. M. C. A. work to all spruce camps neic urgently important, page 10. Government aid to be sought In housing workmen. Page 11. Examiners for training camps continue tour. Page II. Salaries of assistants In Portland libraries are raised. Page 12. Weather report, data and forecast. Pace 13. WASHINGTON, Aug. 14. Offi cial dispatches today from American Consul-General Poole in Moscow lift ed the curtain for a moment and re vealed an amazing train of events in that city.- Consul-General Poole, after witness ing the violation of the French and British consulates and the arrests of the Consuls-General and their staffs, destroyed his code book and papers and turned the affairs of the Ameri can Consulate over to the Swedish Consul, at the same time demanding safe conduct from the country for himself and his associates. French and British Arrested. French and British citizens have been arrested and the Bolsheviki have announced they would hold them as hostages because of the attack on the Soviet government by British and French troops at Archangel. Members of the French and British military missions stationed in Moscow were refused permission to leave the country, in spite of a previous prom ise of safe conduct. It is possible that since the send ing of Consul-General Poole's tele gram, which began on July 29 and continued until August 6, the situa tion may have changed, because it is reported that Lenine and Trotzky, the Bolsheviki leaders, have fled and the Soviet government in Moscow may have been overthrown. U. S. Consul May Stay. Should the situation be unchanged, the American Consul-General's action of turning his office over to Sweden will not affect the status of other American Consuls in Russia, as they have been working with the local gov ernments throughout Russia, where pro-ally feeling is strong. The story is told in sequence in the State Department's official announce ment of its advices from Mr. Poole. It follows: The Department of State has now received several telegrams from Consul-General Poole at Moscow con cerning recent events in that city. Following is a summary of them: State of Defense Alleged. "One of the telegrams, similar in character to a previous message re ceived through other channels, states that on July 29 Lenine declared re peatedly before an official gathering of the Soviets that a state of war existed between the Russian republic and the allied powers. Because of this the diplomatic representative in Moscow of Great Britain and the Consular representa tives of France, Italy and the United States visited M. Tchitcherin, the commissariat for foreign affairs, and inquired if Lenine's declaration should not be considered a declaration of war, involving the rupture of de facto relations and the departure of the Consuls. "Tchitcherin said that it need not be so understood; that it was a state, of defense rather than a state of war, and that the government desired to continue its relations with the entente as it did with Germany under analo gous circumstances. Early Reply Promised. "The Consuls demanded that to be acceptable any explanation must be publicly by the head of the govern ment himself. They also pointed out that the question was inseparable from that of the departure of the members of the former military mis sion. Alter r.aving agreed to facili tate the departure of these persons in accordance with international law. the government, they said, had raised absolutely inadmissible objections. The foreign representatives also (Concluded on Page 2, Column 1.)