The Oregon daily journal., August 13, 1918, Page 1, Image 1

Fair and warm
er tonight;
Wednesday ;fair;
northerly winds.
Humidity 41.
VOL. XVII. NO. 79
PORTLAND, OREGON, TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 13, 1918. FOURTEEN PAGES.
PRICE TWO CENTS
ON TRAIN AND NEWS
STAND FIVK CENTS
GERMAN U-BOAT
EE USING WIRELESS TORPEDO
PECULIAR
ITS ALL TRUE" 'fjj -f 1! .
MAY
i
i
Z 2V
. . " V a
4
USED OFF
Captain Hansen of Sommerstad,
Sunk Off Long Island, Says
Missile Passed Under His Ves
sel, Came Back and Hit Her.
Report Came to Navy Department
Some Time Ago Germans Had
Secured Possession of Ameri
can Secret of Wireless Control
A
N ATLANTIC PORT.
Aug. 13. (I. N. S.)
A British f r e i eh t
Ktcamer'has sunk a U-boat
in a battle off the United
States coast, according to an
unconfirmed report received
here late today.
AN ATLANTIC PORT. Aug. 13.
(U. P.) Captain George
Hansen of the steamer Sommerstad
sunk by a submarine off Fire
Island, declared today that he
believed the queer antics of the
torpedo before It struck its mark
were due lo hitting something in
the water, which deflected it
from Its course. He asserted that
the torpedo after missing his ship
ond going by, came back and
struck his vessel. It was sug
gested that the torpedo might
h-ave been controlled by wireless,
as has been experimented with
in this country.
The "boomerang" of the tor
pedo was attributed by navy of
ficials here to a jammed rud
der. It whs pointed out that if
the rudder did not function prop
erly a torpedo might swerve in
its course and completely turn
around. Some experts added ttat
Imperfect gyroscopic mechanism
also has been known to cause a
torpedo to turn about in its
course. The thought advanced
that possibly the Germans had
perfected means of controlling a
. torpedo's course by wireless !was
believed unlikely, though pos-
siblc.
Washington. Aug. 13 That the Nor
wegian steamer Sommerstad. sunk Mon
day by a German submarine, 25 miles
anutheast of Long Island, was sent to
the bottom by a wirelessed-controlled
torpedo 1 was indicated In the reports
made to the navy department and an
nounced this afternoon.
The Sommerstad was drawing but
seven feet of water at the time she was
attacked and the wake of the torpedo
showed that it passed directly under the
vessel.
Then the missile, turned completely
about and struck the Sommerstad, Bend
ing it to the bottom. The captain and
30 members of the crew have been safely
landed at an American port, the an
nouncement stated. The attack occurred
at ;15 yesterday morning.
The possibility that the submarines
operating on this side of the water are
equipped with a wireless control for tor
" pedoea created undisguised interest
among navy department officials this
afternoon. It was reported some time
ago that the German government had
come. Into the secret of a controlled tor
pedo .which was an American invention
and adopted by the government. That
(Continued on P Two, Column Four)
NBtfeBiir4niR)M
5 ROLL OF HONOR
I) fel 14
Ba B fal I l-a
Vhinrtn. Aug. 18. (I. N. S.) On
trmj lint of raMialti containing 00 names was
mad public today. It wu rliridm aa follow:
Fourteen kttled In action, three died from
wmindv one from accident and.. other causes.
52 wounded aererely. 1 ft wounded, degree un
determined, and one mi-ding in action.
The total army lowes to date. Including
today' liata, are 18.103. di Tided a follows:
Killed in action (including 291 at aea) .
ST9M; died of wound. 11511: died of diseases,
15S; died of accident and other cause. A75;
wounded in action. 94 87; missing in action
(inludtng prisoners), 1561.
Combined army and marine corps losses to
date. 20. SAC. ,
Tn officers named in today's army list
re :
KILLED IN ACTIO
LIEUTENANT CHRISTOPHER S. BAXTER,
CWTeland. Ohio.
DIED FROM WOUNDS
. LIEUTENANT FRANK M. CASH. -Washington.
V. C.
WOUNDED SEVERELY
LIEUTENANT EMERT S. IRWIN, 2214
Bellair. lenTer. Colo '
The total army list excluding th abor of
fsnra. follows:
KILLED IN ACTION
SaretanU .
GARRETT EDWARDS. Kirtyton, Tetrn.
1 HXNHY F. MARSH. Vya, Nee. . ., -'J-
ICoacludad om Fag Tan. Column Few)
LL 11 Vss il 1 Dsfts 11 11 JUL iiiLXlaJi 11 llllxssJA W A J ILsdO
' ROYE EXPECTED TO FALL
Deferment May
Be Granted to
Class 1 Men at
Work on Ships
General Crowder Overrules Posi
tion Taken by District
Exemption Board.
Overruling the position taken by the
district exemption board that it had
no power to grant deferred classifica
tion to men engaged in plants building
or fitting ships, word wars received to
day from the provost marshal general
of the United States army by AcUng
Adjutant General John Williams that j
district boards have such authority and I
that men are not lo be put into class 1 '
simply because they are employed in
shipyards or allied industries. ' , ;
The ruling came as an answer to an i
Inquiry sent by the adjutant general,
the matter being brought to his Atten
tion formally by A. F. Flegel of! local
board No. 9 after the meeting last Fri
day in the Portland hotel of shipyards
owners, local and district draft board
members, called by John H. Stevenson,
district officer for deferments and clas
sification for the Emergency Fleet cor
poraUon. '
At this meeting it was asserted by
shipyard proprietors that the district
board put men in' class 1 whcnl their
Emergency Fleet corporation exemption"
for any means, failed to arrive. ; They
stated that men almost indispensable
had been taken by' the district board
despite protests. !
D. J. Malarkey, chairman of the dis
trict board, pointed out section 152 of
the draft regulations, which said that
employment by an industry under the
general supervision of the navy or
(Concluded on Page Eight, Column Four)
SPAIN AT POINT OF
BREAK WITH HUNS
Submarine Outrages Drive Dons
to Consider Joining the Allies
Against Germany.
Washington, Aug. IS. (I. TS. 8.) En-
ergetle action againit Germany, at a re
i lull of the sinking of numerous Spanish
' vessels, has been decided upon by the
: Spanish cabinet, according to London
1 correspondence reaching the Idea Na
tionals, at Rome, and communicated by
wireless to the Italian embassy this aft
ernoon. Spain is understood to have abont
2,000,000 men who could . be put, fully
quipped, into military service.
Break Believed Likely
London, Ang. IS. (TJ. P.) That a
break between Spain and Germany is
likely was reported here this afternoon
Montevideo Strike
Halts All Business
Montevideo, Uruguay, Aug. 13. (U.
P.) All business is completely para
lyzed as the result of a general strike.
Several persons have been killed in
clashes between strikers and the police,
The government appears helpless, while
the public is stupefied by the extent of
the strikers' power. Windows are shut
tered. Railways and light companies
are idle' and newspapers are not ap
pearing. Troops and policemen are
bivouaced in the streets.
British Destroyer Is
Sunk by Hun TI-Boat
London. Aug. 13. (U. P.) A British
destroyer, damaged in a collision, was
sunk by a submarine in the Mediter
ranean on August 6, the British admi
ralty announced today. Seven lives were
lost
French Transport Sunk
Paris, Aug. 13. (I. N. is.) The
French transport Djemnah has been
torpedoed and sunk in the Mediter
ranean, it was learned here this after
noon, j
Women's Riots Are
Munich Occurrences
Berne. Aug. 13. (I. X. S.) Women's
riots are occurring in Munich. A clam
oring mob thronged the streets, da
mandlng meats and vegetables. There
were ' shouts that - "Berlin ' is I- robbing
Bavaria of food."
GERMS
REPORTED
IB
PETRDGRAD
Helsingfors Dispatch, Via Copen
hagen, Says That Teutons In
tend to Occupy City; Anti
Bolshevik Riots Reported.
COPENHAGEN, Aug. 13. (U. P.)
German troops are march
ing on Petrograd, intending to oc
cupy the city, according to the
Helsingfors correspondent of the
Poiitikea. - ' "1 '
Amsterdam, Aug. : 13. (I. N. S.)
Wholesale killings of the Bol
shevik! have taken place at
Ryazan and Novgorod, said a dis
patch received here today.
The killings were the work of
counter revolutionaries.
Late dispatches show that the
counter revolution against the
Bolsheviki has spread to many
new districts in Russia.
The counter revolutionaries
have been very active in most of
the fighting.
London, Aug. 13. (I. N. S.)
Bloody anti-German riots are rag
ing in t'krainia, said an Exchange
Telegraph dispatch from Copen
hagen today.
Germany is rushing reinforce
ments of troops into Ukrainia.
The riots were precipitated by
the seizure of the harvests by
the Germans.
Stockholm. Aug. 13. (U. P.)
The Finnish landtag has voted,
58 to 44, to establish a monarchy
in Finland, a Helsingfors dispatch
announces today. A king will be
elected in September.
By Joseph Shaplen
(United Press Staff Correspondent. Who Ar
rived Today From Russia)
New York, Aug. 13. (U. P.) Events
are sweeping Russia back into the war.
There Is every reason to hope now that
next summer will bring restoration of
the eastern front. The abrogation of the
Brest-Litovsk peace treaty may be ex-
(Concluded on Pag Ten, Column Three)
Labor Seeks New
Trial for Mooney
"Washington, Aug. 13. (U. P.) Presi
dent Wilson today was formally peti
tioned by representatives of labor
throughout the country to use his . pow
ers as commander in chief of the army
to take Thomas J. Mooney from control
of the California state courts and see
that he gets a new trial. Mooney is now
under sentence to die for participating
in the preparedness day bomb outrage
in San Francisco.
Unexploded Bomb
Hits Westminster
An Atlantic Port, Aug. 13. (TJ. P.)
Westminster Abbey was struck squarely
by a bomb during a Zeppelin raid over
London. August 5, but the bomb - failed
to explode, according to Norman G.
Hart, an Englishman, who arrived here
today on a British steamer.
Five- Zeppelins participated in the raid.
Hart said, two of which were brought
down in flames. . . .
Says Situation in
Austria Desperate
Rome, Aug. 13 (U. P.) "The Inter
vention of America is a sign of victory
for, the entente, declared Senator Titoni,
former foreign minister, in opening the
provlnciaL. council today. He declared
it is certain that the situation In Austria,
is desperate. , -
' GERMAN PIVOT TOWNS ARE THREATENED
MAP IN PERSPECTIVE of the Picardy battlcfront, the heavy black line showing the
present front and the dotted line the positions held by the Germans prior to the allied of
fensive. The evacuation of Roye and Peronne is believed imminent. Peronne is in flames
and Lassigny and Chaulnes are enveloped and their fall seems certain. Ribecourt is under allied
fire. The allies have advanced an average of about 10 miles on the 40-mile front in Picardy.
1
t j
1&VV" ii "" . It s 11 ' ' i
X 1 f. Ta ' ,"- i
Frontier Is Closed
By Austria; Drive
Coming, Forecast
Berne, Aug. 13. (By Agence Radio to
the I. N. S.) The Austrian frontier has
been closed since Saturday.
The closing of the Austrian frontier
may be the forerunner of another of
fensive against Italy.
It has been the custom of Austria in
the past to seal her borders prior to a
big military campaign, so that no news
of troop movements v may leak out
through the medium of travelers.
For some time there has been an in
crease of activity on the Italian battle
front, indicating that bigger movements
were to come.
Flyers Fight Above Emperor
Amsterdam. . Aug. 13. Italian and
Austrian aviators recently engaged in
an air battle over the Adige valley, in
which Emperor Karl was reviewing his
troops, according to a Vienna .dispatch
received today. The emperor is said to
have dismissed the troops and to have
remained on the field with his staff
ur.til the battle was over.
Italians Attack Austrians
Rome, Aug. 13. (I. N. S.) Italian
troops attached the Austrian-Hungarians
in the upped Seebru valley last night,
killing many of the defenders of the
height known' as 2682-meters hill, the
war office announced today. The sur
vivors were captured. On the rest of the
front the artillery was active.
Keenanland Found
Erroneously. Mapped
Fairbanks. ' Alaska, Aug. 13. (I. N.
S.) Keenanland is not located at the
point . shown , on. present maps, accord
ing to Vilhjalmar Stefansson. noted
Arecic explorer, who . has received a
message from one of his assistants
named Storkerson. who is exploring
north of Alaska. Storkerson's message
says he has penetrated to a point 175
miles north of Alaska. .This report.
Stefansson says, : shows Storkerson's
party has" gone " 70 miles 'farther t north
than that reported by any previous ex
plorers.'. -' . ' -.. V
Two Big Salients
Still Held by Huns
Are Proving Costly
By William Philip SMmms
With the British Armies in France,
Aug. 12. (Night.) (U. P.) Von
Hindenburg today is face to face
with a poser. Can he maintain him
self on his present lines or will he
be forced to beat an undignified re
treat along the lines over which the
French and British pushed him in
1917? And can he hope ever to as
sume the offensive again or must he
from now on act purely on the defen
sive ?
Foch and Haig. by the battle of
Am.lens, plainly have given him a
hard nut to crack Prisoners Just
taken dejectedly admit the Germans
will be unable to resist further in
their present positions. They de
clare the battle of the Marne had a
demoralizing effect on the whole
army, while the entrance of the
Americans "is regarded with dis
may." Haig's new blow has greatly added
to this depression. The feeling is
gradually spreading that Germany
has finished her course. But Ger
many is not finished and undoubt
edly will put up a stubborn fight for
some time to come.
The fifth month of the present
fighting season was near its end
when Haig struck Thursday. Ger
man divisions in reserve on the
whole west front were very low. I
should calculate there were not over
40 (probably 480,000 men.) Since
Thursday some 10 of these have been
identified. Yet. as a result of Von
Hindenburg's half successful blows,
two large salients remain to be held.
The cost of holding them is huge, as
the allied guns pound ceaselessly day
and night. Just as they pounded the
old Somme lines, which become un
tenable. Owing to heavy losses
which are dwindling their army, the
Germans may find it necessary- not
only to remain on the defensive, but
to shorten their line in order to main
tain a sufficient number of reserves
to hold even this. In the meantime,
a comparative lull continues. British
positions have " been i approved along
' the Somme. ElsewherJ there is only
local fisfettnsv-';'' 'rr.'i
Judge Carey Heads
Local District War
Industries Board
Announcement of the appointment of
Judge C. H. Carey of the law firm of
Carey & Kerr as chairman of the Port
land district of the twentieth war zone
of the war industries board was made
today by Herbert Witherspoon. regional
adviser for the district, who is in the
city today from his headquarters at Se
attle.
Judge Carey will appoint sub-chairmen
in nine divisions of industry here, in
cluding the following groups: Lumber,
logging, wood products, shipbuilding,
machinery products, food and feed prod
ucts, textiles and clothing, mineral prod
ucts and general manufactures. As
goon as these appointments are made
and a secretary chosen, the survey of
the district will be begun.
The twentieth zone, which includes
the .three Pacific Northwest states, la
well under way for organization, Se
attle. Spokane and Walla Walla already
having organized, while Portland and
Tacoma are organiizng today and Boise
will be ready in a few days.
"This work means much for Portland
and the Northwest." says Mr. Wither
spoon. "The establishment of red -flag
districts in the Kast. where, because of
lack of fuel, housing and transportation
no more factories will be permitted
means that this work must come West
and the Northwest will get its share if
proper organizaticn is effected."
Sudden Stop Shifts
Load; Man Injured
Ed Hitchcock of 452 East Clay street
received serious injuries this morning
at Fourth and Stark streets when
heavy load of boxes fell on him in
large truck in which Tie was riding,
His back was bruised and his spine in
lured. C. flayer of 68 East Eighth
street north was driving the truck,
which was loaded with heavy material
for the Northwest Steel company, and
was forced to make a' sudden stop to
avoid a collision with another machine.
The sudden stop caused ; the heavy
boxes to" topple.1 over. - Hitchcock was
removed - to the emergency, -hospital,
EUIUS QIMTIIS
. nr ininn nnnTrnini nnr
liriWHitmMt
KD FBI PEHfllE
German Troops Are Crossing Somrhe;
Roads About City, Which Is Re
ported to Be in Flames, Crowded
With Transports Bearing Supplies
ONDON, Aug. 13. (7:55 P. M.) Prisoners taken
by v the allies in the new Picardy drive now total
31,000, the International News Service learned this
i i e 1 1 '
evening, oix nunored ana seventy-nve guns nave Dccn
seized.
l' Latest reports fromthe front say the: French have
consolidated their lines afcout Lassigny, the fairof which'
is expected momentarily.
Enemy attacks have been
confirmed reports that the
retreat.
ARIS, Aug. 13. (U. P.) (4:10 P. M.) -The Germans have
been hurriedly removing enormous quantities of war material
from Peronne, during the past 48 hours, and enemy troops
are crossing: the Somme.
Roads about Peronne are reported to be crowded with German
transports attempting to get this
Huge ammunition dumps at
containing millions of shells, were
flight and have been captured intact by the Trench, it was learned
today. '
Meanwhile, although there is
between the Oise and the Somme,
paring for some new activity. The military critic of La Presse ex
pressed the opinion that Lassigny has been enveloped by the
French and possibly has already
London, Aug. 13. (4:20 P. M.) (U. P.) The evacuation of
Roye is expected within 48 hours, according to information re
ceived here this afternoon. The allies since the start of their of
fensive, have gained between nine and ten miles on a 40-mile front.
Massif
Is
By Earl C. Reeve
OXDOX, Aug. 13. (4:24 P. M. (I. N; S.) All of the
Massif-of Lassigny (west of the Oise river) has been cap
tured bv the French, it was learned this afternoon.
L
The whole German line in that district must be withdrawn
and the German base at Roye will become untenable as a result.
Noyon will be brought under concentrated artillery fire.
Belief was expressed that the Germans might be able to hold
on to Chaulnes for a few days longer.
Now that the French hold the crest of Lassigny Massif, time
will be required to work downward and bring forward the guns.
The Germans are not expected to make any attempt to capture
Lassigny Massif.
Only one Austrian division has appeared on the western front.
This was one seen near Luxemburg.
Ilj was moved to the western front, according to allied opinion,
merely to cement the Austro-German alliance, i
The Germans have begun to evacute their trenches in the Oise
valley to the west of Bailley. '
(Massif of Lassigny 'is a stretch of high ground.) .
London, Aug. 13, 12:55 p. m. (I. N. S.) Peronne, 10 miles
behind the German lines in Picardy, is reported; in flames. Other
conflagrations are observed behind the German front. '
The enemy still holds Chaulnes, his chief remaining rail ttase
west of the Somme.
Yankee Forces Regain
Positions at Fismette
T ONDON; Aug. 13, 1 p. m. (I. N. S.) Americans fighting on
J- the northern bank of the Vesle river have recaptured the
T" ground which they lost at Fismette, said a dispatch from that
front this afternoon. V r , W 1 - ' ' - '- '-. '
Jhe Germans delivered a heavy attack against the American! .
repulsed and there are un
Germans have begun a new
material back to a safer spot.
Resson-Sur-Matz and Orrvillers,
abandoned by the enemy in his
a comparative lull in the fighting
it is believed the allies are pre
been captured.
of Lassigny .
Taken by French
-'f