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About Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1917)
, V,. DAILY EDITION V VOI vn., Ma 114. GRANTS PASS, JOSEPHINE OOCHTT, OREGON, TODAY, FEBRUARY t, IMT WHOUE BffMBBEB 1M7. No Other Town in the World the Size of Grants Pass Has a Paper With Full Leased Wire Telegraph Service. 'ja:o 'i ;:' OF KILLS MANY TBNBMKNT HOl'SB IS WRECKED AMD POUCB ESTIMATE SO MISSING AiUB DEAD PEOPLE DRIVEN OUT IN COLD Barnlng (Jw Made Iteerue of Is ooed Wonae and Children . Nearly an Iwpo. ... eabUtty ; TOIcago, Feb. 1. Five persons are known to be dead and volte eeUniet tkt SO other lost their Uvea la a gaa -explosion whloh mM u ll-flal tenement In the congealed district of (ho watt aid early today. Two thous and persons, half naked and barefoot d, wera driven from thalr homo In to the sti'et with the temperature four degree below sero. when build ings for several square wera rocked y tbe eoneuaalon. Shattered win down caused treat suffering. . fallowing tba explosion, which name with euch force that the build ing waa demollahed, yawning cre vasse waa torn open In the street. Qut t tha ftaaura leaped ' blue flame rhk-h. by tha time tba flrTtn ar rived, had apraad to tba wtaxit'i and , grsjuferiaad ta-dbi,i4'e-roWqe Inferno. Rescue of lm,irlonil md Injured women and children and re eovery -of bodlea waa practically Im possible. Twelve famlllea made their home In tha tenement. Bach had a number of roomera, ao It haa been Impossible to secure an accurate estimate of the number of peraona living In tha build ing. Tha exact death Hat probably never will tie learned, police say. Soma say It may reach 10. There wera 18 amall children In the tenement. All were under '10 years of are. 'Soma who escaped were thrown from the third story windows by freniled parents. Thrilling res cues were made by volunteer res cuer. Clamant Davis, a switchman, on his way home from work, pawed the building shortly after the explosion occurred. Three amall children wore toaaed Into hi arms from a aecond atory window. A "fourth struck him on the head, rendering him uncon clous. The child waa uninjured. Three small children In night lothee wera seen to crawl out of a basement window soon after firemen arrived. How they escaped Is a mys tery to th firemen. One of the herolnea waa Mr. (Mary -Schoakey. She waa aleeptng with her Is amall children albout hor, on the third floor, when the outer wall col lapsod. following the explosion. Par alysed with tear and shivering from old, ahe fathered her llttlo group about her. With the youngest, eight months old. In her arms, and the rest ollnging to her skirts, aha fought hor way through the smoke and fume to point where .she could drop them to the ground.,. John, six years old, waa lost In the .darkneas and polloemen had to forcibly restrain the frantic mother from rushing to cer tain death In search of him. According to Morris Feldman, the Janitor, in each of the II families, there war approximately eight per . aona. Only one entrance waa left open for their escape. He said thla waa otogged shortly afterward 'by " flames, , One girl, 19, and a boy about 14, were taken from the building un conscious and almost naked. .They ware wrapped In blankets and hurried to the county hospital. . . i . . Polloe and fashionably dressed men who had gathered, regardless of the biting oold, whipped off their over uoats and covered tha forma of those mm GAS ttO rescued practically mid. IDAHO ALIEN LAW OFFENSIVE TO JAPS Secretary Laaiag Telia Ocm Senator That Diplosnatio Dtf emltsaa Wowld follow Washington, Feb, I. That threat ened dlplomatlo trouble' with Japan over contemplated alien land laws la Idaho and Oregon are nearer than waa generally Relieved, waa made knows today when Secretary Lan alng told Senator Borah tbe Idaho Igwa "will not meet tha approval of Japan." Borah had explained to Lansing that tha proposed Idaho law are not "aimed at Japan," but are direct ed against "all aliens." Bolae, Idaho, Feb. I. Unless the alate department flatly aaks tne Ida ho senate not to pass pending entl Japaneaa laglalatton, it eeemed cer tain today that tha Mil prohibiting alien ownership of land would go through. It has already passed tbe houa by an unanlmoua vote. At present It la before the senate Judiciary committee. Governor Alexander, democrat, haa a safe majority in both houses. If tha national government made an appeal directly to him, K la relieved he could easily kill the measure, even though he has manifested no desire to Interfere yet. Salem, Fab. 1. Senator Wilbur today withdrew from the Oregon up per house hi bill prohibiting Jap aneae.froni awning land. In thla atate. "Since Germany haa receded from tha position aha took following the Sussex r." eld Wilbur, aa he made the motion for withdrawal. "I am not willing to lay on the govern ment at Waablngton any further In ternational burden at thla time." - Salem, Feb. I. The proposed Ore gon law denying land owning right to Japaneae, Chinese and Hindus, Is In tha hands of the senate commit tee on judiciary today, and It la likely to die there." The bill aeemed doom ed even before the Japaneae am bassador In Washington asked the atate department to oppose It. After Its introduction by Stats Senator Wilbur, of Hood River, the act waa referred to the Judiciary committee of aeven member. 81x of them are outspoken agalnat any antl-allen legislation. At a public hearing on the 'bill's merits, Honry B. Miller, former United Statea con sul at Yokohama, advised the com mittee not to report it favorably. ILLINOIS HANK KOIllUCKH ESCAPE WITH $20,000 Phllo, III., Feb. I. Bank robbers, believed to have coma from Decatur In a stolen motor car, cracked the aafe in the Exchange bank early to day and escaped with 110,000. All telephono wires leading out of town were eut. 100 NEW SUBMARINES Washington, Feb. I. Senator Polndexter today Introduced a bill authorising the building of 100 new submarines, Instead of 18, aa now provided for. Polndexter' IU11I, .besides provld tnd for eighty coast and twenty big sea-going aubmarlnee, would appro priate $4,000,000 to equip govern ment yards for their manufacture. "Our Pacific coast la poeltlvely holpless," said Polndexter. 'We can- not-afford to neglect it longer." The bill provides that no less than alx of the proposed fleet submarines, and . no . less , than IS. of the coast undersea boats be constructed on the Pacific onatt. " v i HOLD LONG CONBE Si&tisa Growbg Ost cf Gercaa Acssscezest ef New PcEcy la Naral Warfare Is Crossed, Est Washington, Feb. I. President WUaoa prepared to go to the capltolj late today to confer wtb Senator. Stone, chairman of the senate for eign relatione committee and other senate leader, following a cabinet! session of two feoura and IS minutes, i The cabinet meeting adjourned at 1 4:46. It waa the longest meeting that baa been held since the sinking of1 tbe Lusltanla. While the admialatra tlon la not "giving advice," It war atated after the cabinet meeting that the admlatratloa feeling ia that ahlpa ought to postpone their sailing . un til the full decision of thla govern ment ia mad known. " Th cabinet member were gravfc aa they walked to the door and - got Into their carriages. There waa none of tbe usual laugh ter and eleaaant exchangee among themaelvea and with newapaper men as the latter crowded about to gath er any bit of newa or any nod of the head that might give an Indication. To the newapaper men all held up their hands, and said: ' "We cannot say a word." ' fc Secretary Lansing, however.fsald probably there would not be any-announcement tonight. ' - , At the White. House, It was of ficially announced that tbe president and hi cabinet today carefully can vassed the situation In all respect The president is to see Senator Stone at S o'clock. "There Is nothing to announce now regarding any decision made or to.be made by thla government," the state ment from the White House said: Washington, Feb. I Strong of ficial hint that aome announcement of thla governments course with re gard to 'Germany' announced In tention of waging unrestricted sea warfare may be looked for within 24 hours, came from the atate depart ment today. "Nothing has gone forward to Ger many yet." waa the only official def inite atatement forthcoming up to noon. The statement, however, that the American Steamship Company might be given Instructions which It haa re quested aa to permitting Ita ships to sail "by tomorrow," waa taken to mean that aome course might be de termined Iby that time. Such Instructions could only be given after thla government's posi tion la taken. Today there Is every Indication that President Wilson had not made up hla mind but waa atlll struggling with what offlclab) openly admitted la the most serloua situation this nation has faced since th European war start ed Its flood of bloodshed across a core of countries. The official state ment quoted obviously meant that the administration had not, at that time, communicated In any way with Ambassador Bernatorff since the Ger man envoy bad presented Germany's not. ; An announcement may come after the cabinet goea into what probably will be the moat blstorlo meeting since the war with Spain this after noon. I The cabinet meeting was set for 1:10. Usually these meetings take up from SO mlnutea to an bour. The one thla afternoon waa expected to run well on toward evening. Preceding tha cabinet meeting, President Wilson waa booked with a conference with Senator Stone, chair man of . the foreign relations com mittee. He baa been In almost con stant conference with Colonel E. M. House, his closest personal friend and adviser, since the morning after Germany' note waa handed to him. It waa obrioua today there would be ao hurried action. In fact, and despite tbe hint of a statement of position tomorrow,, there were aome officials who Inclined to the (belief that the president may bold back hi decision until be receive some word from Ambassador Gerard aa to official Interpretation of certain ph rosea In the German note and memoranda, Krery angle waa to be laid before the cabinet meeting thla afternoon 19 writing by Secretary Lanalng. Feeling predominate in official circlaa that a break with Germany la inevitable If Germany carrlea out to the letter her avowed intention But behind tbla feeling Is another that tbe "unexpected may be ex pected" from the president There was a marked change la the appearance of official today aa com pared with tha gloom of yesterday. Secretary lanalng waa fairly beaming wben be greeted newapaper men President Wlleoa, after hla golf game. appeared amillng. s There waa one real and very evi dent cloud, however. Thla waa an noyance, evenly expreaaed ia aome official quartern, over the punllng at tltude-of German Ambassador Bern- storff. An almost studied gloom sur rounded tbe Teuton embaasy. Of ficial are at a loas to understand the declaration In prominent German circle that "Bernatorff has all but packed bla trunka." They admittedly were surprised at hlnta from central power diplomats that "Germany means business and will go the limit In starving Eng land." Another undented report waa that Bernatorff expected to get hla pass ports within 48 hours. It waa also flatly atated In Ger man circles that it a break with Am erica should come, Germany would choose the Spanish ambassador to handle her affairs here. Some believe thla talk waa design ed to warn Americans and Ameri can ships from going Into the actual danger xone. It was pointedly re marked In this connection that na turally It Americana and American ships could be kept out of the danger tone, "nothing could happen." There were three significant de velopment of the day. . - The navy department clamped the lid on all newa regarding movement of thla country'a ships of war. The war department ordered ad ditional guards placed about the Pan ama canal, as a "precautionary mea- aure." Senator Polndexter Introduced a resolution calling for an appropria tion for one hundred submarines, In addition to those authorised in the regular appropriation. He also asked for $4,000,000 to equip United States yards for building them. -San Francisco, Feb. S. Collector of th Port J. O. Davis waa notified by wire from Washington this after noon that a torpedo boat had been ordered from Mare Island navy yard to take orders from him and prevent any veasel leaving San Francisco bay without proper clearance papers. Davis would not divulge what his order to the commander would be, but indicated that the vessel would probably to be used to patrol the en trance to San Francisco bay. GERMANY'S POLICY (BUS COLLAPSE la Opinion Expreaaed by David Starr Jordan, Moted Adrocate of " World Peace San Ftandeeo, Feb. 3. "Ger- many'a new policy means one of two things either aba la la desperation, or that tbe persistent enemies of the chancellor, advocate of the policy of nn restricted aubmarine warfare. are again In tbe aaddle. Thla waa the opinion expreaaed today by David Starr Jordan noted peace advocate, and cnancellor em- erltna of Stanford university. "In either case it foreshadows col- lapae," continued Jordan. "The meth oda of the oan-Oermaniet group forced tbe war on Germany, and by doing so they made ultimate success Impossible. No nation can succeed without 'a decent reapect for the op inions of mankind,' aa onr forefatb era put It. The judgment of the world will outlast the strongest ann- "War at lta beat to utterly bad. and at ita worst It la beyond human na ture. I am inclined to think that the new more ik the result of des peration." Profeaeor Edward Elliott of the University of California, a brother- in-law to President Wilson, said: "The question baa arisen aa to how far a belligerent can go In exercising the right of retaliation, ao aa to en danger tbe live of neutrals and to endanger neutral property." AMERiCAN UNER NEARS BARRED ZONE New York, Feb. 2. The American- liner Philadelphia, bouud tor Liver pool with many Americana aboard, la nearing the barred none of the waters about England today. A message received from Captain Candy by tbe llne'a officer here to day, reported tbe Philadelphia 1 9 mllea weat of Fastnet at noon yee-. terday. -She was making 15 H knots an hour, despite a broken abaft Captain Candy reported "ell well." GKttMANY TO DEPORT . 60,000 MORE BI"XiIAX8 London, Feb. z. Germany bad de cldo.4e on martial law at Brussels in view cf the forthomlng now depor l.tton orders tor sixty thousvud Bel gian workmen, according to an (ex change Telegraph' dlsostiit today from Tru Hague. EXTRA PROTECTION L Washington, Feb. J. Because of the possibilities of danger from the present International situation, army officers have taken ateps for extra precautions at the Panama canal, it waa learned today. Stronger watch haa been placed over the locks since Tuesday, It waa said. Care Is being taken throughout the country to guard against any plotting,' and secret service men are keeping tabs on any possible con spiracies. INJVKRI) CRVISKlt IS RKPAIRINQ AT SKA Buenos Aires, Feb. i. The Brit ish cruiser Amethyst,' which put Into Pernambuco .yesterday with the re port of an encounter with the Ger man raider and a aubmarine, was anchored ten miles off the harbor to day. Details of the reported aea fighting were lacking. It,waa report ed that the damage to the Amethyst was from a torpedo. IK IE AKGHIE INTEREST VX ACTIOS BY THIS COCHTRY IX DEAIAJfO WITH ' GERHAJf SITUATION BinLCmi!2BDIE Hoilaatd Ia Partirsdarly AaTected by - - the Hew Order for Re. ' newalofi Warfare London, Feb. J. The neutral na tions of Europe are awaiting Am erica's decision aa to Germany's new war on the seas with anxiety. Die patches today from the capital of Holland, Spain and the Scandinavian countries hinted that efforts wonld be made In each of those nation to delay any action until that determin ed upon by the United Statea la an nounced. Holland la perbapa bard eat struck of all tbe European aea trala. Dispatch ea from across th channel today gave a graphic picture of tbe seriousness with which tba Dutch regarded the German order, a eerionsnese which waa deepened by knowledge that among the first ahlpa to tan victim, to the new aea warfare waa a Dutch freighter. Holland la' cloaer to the "barred sone" about England than any other neutral na tion and In correspondingly herder hit by ita reetrlctlone, Aa Increasing source of anxiety la The Netherlands were reports of ac tivity of tbe German military ma chine not many mllea from the Dutch border. , It was pointed out today, that. If by any chance, Germany should attempt violation of Dutch territory, tbe winter season when the dykea are frosen and passable by foot, la moat favorable for aucb a step. .... From Madrid came word that the minister of foreign affairs had a long conference with American Ambas sador Wlllard, after a prolonged cab inet session, in which all the aspects of the new German order were con sidered. 'Premier Roman waa quot ed as saying that the new situation created grave times for Spain. THE GERMANS DO II EXPECT WAR WITH U.S. Berlin, Feb. 8. Few Germane be- . lleve America will declare war. It this belief is borne out, then England , will be compelled to make, peace through Germany' aew blockade order. . In the' united chorus of approval of the limitless warfare Just . an nounced for the starvation of Eng land, thla waa the opinion generally expressed here today. Announcement of a blockade haa erased all political differences. The emperor now haa a united aa-' tlon behind him. Germans who were asked . today why Germany announced her policy of limitless eubmarlnlnga with! ita dangers, made two replies. . First They were convinced that the war can be ended sooner. The present move is regarded aa a de-, delve one against allied shipping a so-called "cutting of the allied ' blood veseele." - Field Marshal, von , Hindenburg'a conviction that neutrals desire a ' quick end to the war, and that there fore every meana must Ibe used to end it, waa quoted in thla connection. , Secondly It. was . explained .' by , nojneroua Germans that the country'a unity waa now complete, every clasa ' believing ihat' England will soon be ' compelled to aak' for peace. U.1DEBI