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About The Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 19??-1984 | View Entire Issue (June 2, 1917)
THE HERMISTON GERMAN SPIES TIP OFF FLEET SAILING Berlin Knew Four Days Before U. S. Destroyers Started. WASHINGTON UNEASY Three Torpedoes Launched at Ameri can Vessels at Mouth of British Harbor—Mines Also Laid. Washington, D. C.—An extraordin ary demonstration of German spy effi- ciency, aimed at the American de stroyers sent to the British isles, has just been furnished the Navy depart ment by Vice Admiral Sims, in com mand of the flotilla on duty in Euro pean waters. According to Vice Admiral Sims, the Germans knew that the President and his advisers were considering the dispatch of the destroyers at the very moment the proposal was being dis cussed by these high officials. Berlin knew four days before the arrival of the ships the date when they would reach their destination. More than that, Berlin had precise information as to the port selected as the destroyer base. Promptly the German admiralty act ed. Entrances to the harbors were promptly mined by German subma rines. Never before had this been done. Fortunately the vigilance of the British mine-sweeping vessels prevent ed a catastrophe. Those vessels, in accordance with their instructions, swept the sea, picked up mines and thus made the way safe for the Amer ican ships. But this is not the whole story. German submarines lay under the surface in wait for the American ships just in front of the harbor. Upon the appearance of the destroy ers three torpedoes were launched at them. The lookouts saw them coming. The helms were turned over and the mis siles shot by their targets. The destroyers promptly swung around to give battle to the enemy, but the submarines did not show them selves. The search revealing nothing, the destroyers went into the harbor to refit and resupply themselves. Thus the first brush with the enemy left both scatheless. Gratifying as is the failure of the Germans to sink or damage the Amer ican destroyers, their advance know ledge that the vessels were coming and the exact destination of the craft is a matter that has caused great alarm in official circles. CORN YIELD WILL BE GREAT Immense Volume of Business Done on Board Sends Business Down. Chicago — Likelihood of a record- breaking com yield thia season had much to do with sharp declines in prices of com and wheat Thursday. The market closed heavy for wheat, with values 1 to 6 cents net lower at 32.05 for July and $1.84 for Septem ber. Corn finished 3 to 5 down, oats unchanged to § higher, and provisions off 5 to 25c. General rushes to sell on the part of both longs and shorts brought down com prices in a hurry. The greatest smash of values was in the July deliv ery, which made an extreme descent of 72. Aggressiveness on the bear side was accompanied by widespread assertions that with a continuance of existing favorable weather conditions the 1917 crop would surpass all pre vious known totals. Wheat showed a little more activity than has been the rule of late, but the amount was puny alongside the huge volume of business in com. Foreign- ers appeared to be the chief sellers of July wheat. The fact was noted that world shipments were larger, espe cially from Australia. Moreover, Brit ish advices reported less apprehension regarding supplies. In addition there was decided optimism here concerning the outlook for the growing domestic crops. A big decrease in the United States visible supply figures, however, led temporarily to some firmness, but the general tendency in the end was again down grade. 0000900 • 0990000000009 9, STATE NEWS ; IN BRIEF. I E. F. Slade has been appointed by Superintendent of Banks Sargent as a state bank examiner, and his appoint ment was unanimously confirmed by the State Banking board. Practically all of the 400 acres of flax selected by’the Salem Commercial club for sowing this year had been seeded, according to a statement made by Harry A. Schoth, government flax expert, who has had charge of the work. Stockmen from various sections of Douglas county reported during the past few days that many horses had become affected with what is known as “pink eye” and that in some in stances the animals are in a serious condition. . Stanley Hickey of Cottage Grove, has a ewe which he thinks is a prize winner. Within 14 months she gave birth to seven lambe. The first birth was twins, the second triplets and the third twins. She is of the Shropshire breed and gave a good clip of wool. Although fishermen were not agreed with the Macleay company at Wedder burn, near Marshfield, on the price for catches and did not begin fishing until eight days after the season opened, the pack at the cannery is 500 cases ahead of the same date last year. The Hammond Lumber company at Mill City is now paying $3 a day for common labor in its big mill and near- by logging camps. An increase of 25 cents a day in wages was announced To Build Drying Plants. Wednesday. The mill had raised the Walla Walla — Four and possibly pay from $2.50 to $2.75 only a short more drying plants or evaporators are time ago. to be built in the Walla Walla valley this year and all will be under one Chief Grant, Sheriff Burns and dep management. They will handle ap uties, of Astoria, searched the steam ples. This was decided definitely at a schooner Florence Olsen, which arrived meeting attended by about 40 fruit- recently from San Francisco. They growers representing Dayton, Waits- found five five-gallon kegs and one burg. Milton, Freewater, Gardena and two-gallon demijohn of whiskey and other points here Thursday. three sacks of bottled beer, which they Prunes will be handled by enlarging confiscated. the Blalock Fruit company plant and The Newberg Commerial club is put the Luther dehydrating plant. The Baer-Langdon company will construct ting on a novel gardening contest. one plant with a capacity of from 20 Twelve prominent business men are to 30 tons a day at its orchard near the enrolled. Each will plant, hoe and city, but it will be managed by the care for two rows of potatoes in the vacant block across from the city hall. general board. Another plant will be built in Walla The man who gets the smallest yield Walla, another at Milton or Freewater must be host at a banquet to the oth and another at Dayton or Waitsburg. ers. One possibly will be built at Gardena. Baker county officials have informed State Treasurer Kay that they intend Food Preparedness Success. to pay for that county’s share of the Olympia — That the efforts of the state tax, only 6 per cent more than State Agricultural department toward was paid for the state tax last year, accelerating food production in the or $59,839. The amount of state tax state have met with success is the last year, or $59,839. The amount of statement of E. F. Benson, agricul state, tax which has been asssessed tural commissioner, who has returned against Baker county is $62,646.90. from a trip to Spokane. As a result of Through plans effected at Hood Riv action taken by State Land Commis er, it was decided that all local Fourth sioner Savidge in leasing state lands of July events would be given under free of charge to those who want to the joint auspices of the Twelfth com cultivate crops, many acres of new pany, Coast artillery corps, and the land have been placed under cultiva local chapter of the Red Cross. The tion, while through efforts of the gov city will give these organizations a ernor Indian lands are also being used. blanket concession to operate refresh ment stands, hold open-air dances and participate in other forms of entertain ment. NORTHWEST MARKET REPORT MANY DEAD IN BIG TORNADO Kansas Twister Takes Toll of About 30 Wheat—Bluestem........................... $2.45 Fortyfold........................................ 2.42 and Does Other Damage. Club.................................................. 2.42 Wichita, Kan.—Thirty persons are Red Russian.................................. 2.38 known to have been killed, more than Oats—No. 1 white....................... $45.00 50 have sustained injuries from which Barley—No. Ifeed....’.............. 45.00 it is said several will die, and property worth thousands of dollars upon which Cattle—Steers, prime... $9.75010.00 no valuation has yet been set was de Steers, good.................... 9.50@ 9.75 stroyed late Saturday, when a tornado Steers, medium.............. 9.00@ 9.50 swet up through Sedgwick and Harvey Cows, choice.................... 8.75@ 9.00 counties in the south central part of Cows, medium................ 8.25@ 8.75 Cows, fair........................ 7.25@ 8.00 the state. Andale, a village of less than 300 Heifers............................ 7.00@ 9.75 inhabitants, bore the brunt of the twis Bulls.................................. 6.00@ 8.00 ter’s rage, 18 lives being the toll be Calves.............................. 7.50(d) 9.50 fore the storm which, accompanied by Hogs—Packing.............. ... a blinding rain, bore on to the north Rough heavies.................. 14.90@15.25 Pigs and skips.................. 13.00@13.50 west. The country southeast of Newton Stock hogs........................ 12.00@13.00 furnished the remaining fatalities, Sheep—Wethers.............. ... Ewes ................................ 9.00@11.50 three lives being lost from that city. The country between Andale and Lambs................................ 10.25014.00 Flour—Patents, $12.10. Newton was pierced by a path from Millfeed — Spot prices : Bran, $37 a quarter to a half mile wide, where the twister ground everything in its per ton; shorts, $40; rolled barley, path either to death or to inanimate $51 ; rolled oats, $54. Corn—White, $72 per ton; cracked, destruction. Sedgwick, the largest town between $73. Hay — Producers’ prices : Timothy, Andale and Newton, escaped with amali loss. So suddenly did the tor Eastern Oregon, $30032 per ton ; val nado rise and so well did it do its work ley timothy, $22024; alfalfa, $20@23; that telephone and telegraph lines valley grain hay, $18@20. Butter — Cubes, extras, 37ic per were broken before word could be sent pound; prime firsts, 37c. Jobbing ahead of the impending danger. prices: Prints, extras, 39c; cartons, 1c extra; butterfat. No. 1, 39c; No. Army District “Dry.” Fort Bliss, Texas—The border army 2, 37e. Eggs—Ranch, current receipts, 33c district went on the water wagon Mon per dozen ; selects, 34c. day, when Assistant United States Poultry—Hens, 17@18c per pound; Attorney Crawford announced the pro broilers, 16@21c; turkeys, 22@24c; vision of the army law prohibiting the ducks, 18@22c; geese, 12@13c. sale of intoxicating liquors to soldiers Veal—Fancy, 14@14]c per pound. and officers in uniform would be strict Pork—Fancy, 193c per pound. ly enforced. The El Paso Country Vegetables — Artichokes, 70 @ 75c Club bar will close, because it is near per dozen; tomatoes, $4.2504.50 per a hospital unit. The officers’ clubs crate ; cabbage, 4@5c per pound ; egg here and in the different camps will plant, 25c; lettuce, $1.7501.85; cu also close. Saloons, hotel bars and cumbers, 90c@$1.50 per dozen; cel cafes in El Paso have been warned not ery, 75c@$1.25; cauliflower, $1.00 to sell liquor to soldiers. per dozen ; peppers, 20035c per pound; rhubarb, 203e; peas, 5@6c; Censor Clause is In. asparagus, 5@6c; spinach, 4/8 6c per Washington, D. C.—Conferees on pound. Potatoes — Buying prices, $3.50@ the Espionage bill have drawn a so- called modified newspaper censorship 4.00 per hundred. Green Fruit—Strawberries, Oregon, clause, which will be brought before congress with the influence of the ad $2.503.00. Hope—1916 crop, 3@6c per pound; ministration for inclusion in the pend ing bill. The wording of the new sec 1917 contracts, nominal. Wool—Eastern Oregon, fine, 45048c tion confines prohibited publication ex clusively to military information and per pound; coarse, 50c; valley, 45@ retains the provision that a jury shall 50c; mohair, 5561c. Cascara Bark — Old and new, 62c ■decide whether published information is useful to the enemy. HERALD, per pound. HERMISTON, OREGON. 9 HOW BIG ARMIES WERE CREATED •---------------------------------------«----------- -------------------------- Least Difficulty Found Was Ob AMERICA’S SMALLEST RECRUIT within the first year of the war the Oxford university O. T. C. provided taining Men in Early Days over 2.300, three of the smaller north ern universities' O. T. C.’s over 1.000 of the War. and the Inns of Court O. T. C.’s over PROBLEMS QUICKLY SOLVED System la Finally Established After Early Blundering and the Present- Day Efficiency of the Troops In France Is Testimony to the Thoroughness of Their Training. New York.—We received from the office of the general staff an interest Ing article on the “Organization anti Training of the New Armies of Great Britain” which tells us that the British army that went out to Mons in the early days of August, 1914, was proba bly the best trained army that has ever left England, the Army and Navy Jour nal states. Nearly all the officers were men who took a keen Interest In their profession and who availed themselves of every opportunity to increase their military knowledge and experience. The training of part of the expedition ary force at Aidershot, under the com manders who themselves led it into ac- tlon, was training such as never had been seen in England. Owing to the stress of circumstances the training of the new armies during the first period was less complete than that of the ar mies organized later In the second period, but both armies were character ized by the spirit which puts life into the instruction in military duties. The practical training in small wars had taught the British soldier the ines timable value of never knowing when he Is beaten, the Russians saying that the English never win more than one victory In a war—but that Is the last. This and a strong regimental feeling which has always been characteristic of the British army have been pre served in the armies now In the field. Men at First Responded Quickly. This regimental feeling tends to make officers and men one happy fam ily, proud of themselves, jointly anx ious to make their regiment a glory to the British army, it cultivates a spirit of self-reliance, loyalty and kindness, all based upon the strong sense of dis cipline and community of interest. It Is a broadminded and tolerant method which insists on smartness and on duty and discipline ana high courage and courtesy, but not on hate. The men who came Into the army as recruits were the kind who were ready to respond to the British methods of training a volunteer army. The least difficulty found was in obtaining the men in the early days of the war. Re cruits came faster than they could be taken care of and supplied with proper equipment. Some 800,000 troops were housed in hired buildings and other temporary quarters, but within a year huts to hold three-quarters of a million men, with water and light laid on, hnd been built, besides various enormous depots for stores, remounts, etc. These huts seemed to spring up In every part of the country ; one great bare moor That no less than seven steel bridges land in the midlands, uninhabited bought by the Baker county court since the dawn of history, had been within the last year are now lying use covered with new roads, railways, less, excepting two at Robinette, pumping establishments, power sta which are being used as sheep corrals, tions and huts for some 40,000 individ- is the claim of A. N. Ingle and other nals. persons in their reply filed recently in Soldiers' Quarters and Food. their efforts to enjoin the county from Within a year the problem of quar paying $6000 worth of warrants issued tering the troops In the chief training in favor of the Coast Bridge company, centers had been solved. The previous of Portland. uncomfortable accommodations were There will be 114 seniors in the the cause of bad discipline and sloven graduating class of the University of ly training. Fortunately a satisfactory Oregon this year, according to an an system for feeding the troops on a war nouncement made by Registrar A. R. basis had been elaborated two years Tiffany. Peculiarly enough, the class before the war. A description of this is evenly divided as to men and women, method is given. At the beginning cer there being 57 of each, who will ap tain articles of food, especially meat, pear in the caps and gowns next week. were so excessive that great waste re- This graduating class exceeds that of suited, also owing much to the ignor last year by 15 and is one of the larg ance of the soldiers detailed for cook ing duties, who served the excellent est classes in recent years. food provided In a slovenly unappetiz In telegrams to President Wilson, ing way, and improvement followed the members of congress and to the public establishment of schools in Instruction service commissions of Washington, in cookery and the admonition to com Idaho, California and Nevada, the Pub manding officers to lay stress on the lic Service commission of Oregon is variety in the cooking of the food, on urging the appointment of Clyde B. cleanliness and on economy. Aitchison as a member of the inter- Clothing the recruits was another state Commerce commission. Mr. difficulty experienced at the beginning. Aitchison formerly was chairman of Important parts of the equipment such the Oregon commission and now is so as army boots were for a long time sad licitor for the National association of ly deficient. The enlargement of old Railway commissioners. plants, the erection of new plants and With a population of 8000, Hood instruction in the methods of manufac River has subscribed for the liberty ture was a slow and laborious process. loan $30,000. Local bankers state When the war started, England seemed that applications from individual in to have been as badly off in matters of vestors, following announcements of supplies as we. They had less than fruit men of a possible condition that 800,000 rifles, only half of them the will render apple distribution the com latest pattern. The weekly output of ing fall negligible, have fallen off ap rifles In the United Kingdom was under preciably. Hood River Valley citizens 2,000, which could be increased some refuse to go further with their sub what by night shifts, but which at the scriptions until they have the assur best was infinitesimal compared with ance that their product will not be sac the needs of the new army. Unfortu rificed. Such action is not for lack of nately the rifle, though needed In larger patriotism, but simply because they quantities than any other weapon for will not be able to buy the bonds. an army, requires longer time than Dr. J. P. Truax, mayor of Grants any other before Its manufacture with new plants can be started, owing large Pass, captain of the Medical Corps of ly to the number of gauges of extreme the new reserve army and one of the | accuracy required In the process ; con prominent physicians of Southern Ore sequently the recruits bad to wait gon, suffered a broken collar bone and I long. serious internal injuries when his auto By January, 1915, the first new army turned turtle with him Friday evening. had about 400 service rifles per bat Approximately 10,000 annual report talion. and the second about 100, and blanks are being sent out by Corpora it was not until March, 1915, that these tion Commissioner Schulderman to the armies were beginning to be fully various corporations which transact armed. To provide even a limited business in this state. The reports, amount of drill and musketry practice under the law, are to be filed with the It was necessa ry to hand around the Corporation commissioner on or before few service rifles ir each battalion as July 1. Private Murdock MacPherson taking the salute at the aviation field, Sheepshead Bay, L. I. He Is certainly the embodiment of “young America” with his uniform, soldierly bearing and big, broad smile. the three Fates handed around their solitary eye in the story of Perseus. Many rifles were too worn to shoot with sufficient accuracy for musketry practice and there was no opportunity to cultivate In the soldier a personal pride in his own rifle and the knowl edge of its idiosyncrasies. This scarcity of rifles in the early days prolonged the training. In the artillery it was quite as bad. In October, 1914, the artillery of one di vision of the first new army had only six 18-pounders altogether instead of its full complement of 54; another had only a few of the obsolete 15-pounders; In March, 1015, some divisions had only two guns per buttery ; even In May, when the full complement of guns had arrived for the first new army divi sions, the equipment of dial sights, etc., for indirect laying was still deficient. The second new army was at that date in very much the same state, except that in their case the howitzer brigade hud not been delivered. The’ third and fourth new armies were still worse off. For months the gunners In some di visions hud to learn what they could of the mechanism of a rille without even seeing one. Some enthusiastic of ficers provided dummy wooden guns at their own expense and obsolete guns were utilized for the same purpose. When some such guns as these were available there were no artillery in struments such us dial sights, range finders, directors and so on, without which a modern battery Is almost help less, except those that could be impro vised by an ingenious limber gunner. Similarly horses, harness and the prop er wagons were hardly ever complete for any battery of the first three armies till on the very eve of their de parture over sea. Noncommissioned officers fit to train recruits were sadly lacking. Those having experience could not be spared from their regi ments at the front. The most that could be done was to have one experi enced man in each unit and this only by employing 200 officers of the Indian army home on leave and retired officers (“dug out" as they were popularly called). Some of these did important service and others were of little value, not being up-to-date and lacking the capacity of making themselves so. The infantry drill had been altered and the double company substituted for the old single coinpuny ; in artillery the cbunges had been even more notable by the introduction and almost exclusive use of Indirect laying, which required in artillery officers and noncommis sioned officers facilities of rapid obser vation and calculation ; again the co operation of artillery and airplanes was a closed book to all the old school gunners; the use of telephones and signals bad been developed In a manner unknown to quite recent generations of officers. To secure officers required the courses at Woolwich and Sandhurst were reduced and the age limit low ered. A certain number of commissions were granted directly to university graduates and ex-warrant and noncom missioned officers were given commis sions. There were at the beginning of the war 22 senior officers' training corps. Some of the best trained men from the senior corps were given regu lar commissions at once and large num bers received "temporary commissions” for service with the new battalions. A great many senior boys from tbs cadet corps of ths schools wers also given temporary commissions. It Is an indi- cation of the valus of these O. T. C.’s at • critical junction of tbs war, that 2,500. It was found necessary to give temporary commissions even to univer sity graduates and the senior boys in public schools. Practically all pupils of the public schools applied for commis sions as soon as they reached the age limit. Excellent material for junior officers was found among the young men who had gone to the colonies or foreign countries to take up a life of adventure. No young men made better officers than these, for all had taken some risks ; they had been on their own responsibility, and generally had men under them and experienced dangers by flood and field. The supply of offi cers for a technical corps proved sur prisingly adequate, the war office se lecting according to the recommenda tions of the heads of the correspond ing civil professions. In addition to these the war office has obtained a large staff of specialists for work with the troops,. e. g., bacteriologists, oph thalmologists, aurista, radiologists, der matologists, experts in tropical dis eases, etc. For all practical purposes, most of the Infantry subalterns of the new ar mies had to train themselves during the first five months of the war as best they could In the intervals of training their men. If the officers were un trained, the noncommissioned officers of the new armies were in the main even less trained. This presented a marked contrast to the really good ser geant of the old school with his min gled humor and severity, putting a squad of recruits through their paces, the type of Kipling's Private Mulvaney. There was some compensation for this, however; the fact that the necessity of doing the noncommissioned officers’ job as well as their own gave the officers greater proficiency and better under standing of their men. An experienced British general writ ing on the training of some of these new divisions, said that a mass of civilians had been transformed in less than eight months Into an army which had more practical training for war than it had ever been possible to give to troops in England before. There was, he added, a feeling of confidence in all ranks, due partly to the organizing power of a short-handed staff, but chiefly to the keenness of all ranks to make themselves fit for the front. The experiences here recorded are highly suggestive of our own experiences and they Indicate the methods we sitali have to follow In creating armies to meet our regular requirements. NO FAVORITISM IN DRAFT Selective Service Act Is Specific and Allows No Latitude to Registra tion Officials. Washington.—A statement hus been issued from the office of the provost marshal general of the United States army as follows: The attention of the war department has been called to the fact that fear exists in some parts of the country that -some members of the county and city registration boards may be influ enced by personal considerations to discriminate between young men who are liable for service, and to make friendship or some other consideration a moving factor in the selection of soldiers for the new army. There is no ground for such a fear. The law is specific and allows no lati tude to the officials either In the mat ter of registration or In the later mat ter of exemption from service. In fact, the law Is seif-executing. Every man within the age limits fixed by the selective-service act must register, and the penalty of the law for evasion of registration will full, not only on the man who falls to appear, but on any member of a registration board who may be shown to be in collusion with the person who attempts to es cape his duty. Further than this, the registration boards never will act as exemption boards except In certain specific cases as where a young man who has reg istered shall claim to be employed in a federal, state or local office, and thereby does come within the exemp tion cluuse of the statute. In a case like this the facts must be entered officially nnd attested. The law provides the penalty of im prisonment with no alternative of a fine for any official or any registered man who shall make a false return or connive at such a practice. The safe guards against favoritism or evasion are ample. The response to the government's appeal for volunteer service has been so prompt and general In Its distri bution that it is assured that in virtu ally all the districts there will be of ficials whose sole moving purpose Is the patriotic one of seeing to it that the duties of the office are performed In strict accordance with the require ments of the law. So far ns the other reasons for ex emptions under the law are concerned, exemptions for men engaged In pur suits In which their work Is more val uable nt home than In the service, the authority will lie with a board of high er jurisdiction. Those who fear that discriminations will be made on grounds of personal friendship or on other grounds may be assured that ev ery precaution will be taken to make it certain that the registration will be conducted with exact justice nnd that the democracy of the law will dwell in ita spirit as in IM letter.
