Daily capital journal., December 06, 1917, Image 1

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FORTIETH YEAR NO. 290
SALEM, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1917
PPTm?. TWA rT?XTTC! ON TRAINS AND NEW3
i1 I ft III jr I 1 1 " I 1 I
-;l M W MUM IB I
HUiREDblE KILLED
Details Are Largely Lacking Because Wires Are Down and
Telegraph and Cable Offices Are Wrecked Thousand
! Thought To Be Injured
1 Blew Up Shaking Cities
y. Name of III-Fated Vessel
Hundreds of persons are believed to have been killed
and more than a thousand injured in the explosion that
followed a collision between an American munition ship
and a British vessel in Rockingham bay, Halifax harbor,
Nova Scotia, today. '
; The city is cut off from telegraphic or telephonic com
munication. Railways have rushed special trains bearing
fire apparatus, nurses, physicians, medical supplies and
food. Communication is possible only by messenger.
One report said the bodies of 25 railroad men had been
picked up between Deepwater and Richmond. Richmond
is directly across the narrow arm of water on which
Halifax fronts.
At Truro, the most successful point of communication
with the stricken city, it was stated, the death list would
total 300. -
Immediately after the collision the ammunition-laden
ship caught fire, one report said. Efforts of the crew to
extinguish the flames and save the ship were futile.. She
blew up with, a report that shook cities 100 miles away.
Blazing ammunition shot into the air and , sprinkled
terminals ,(and houses nearby. Docks were shattered,
Railroad cars were lifted from their tracks and dashed
to splinters. " Warehouses were demolished and their
valuable food scattered. Telegraph wires failed immedi
ately after a brief report of the disaster had been flashed.
A message received in Toronto by an official of ' the
Intercolonial Railway said every building north of the
Queen's Hotel had been destroyed. He described the
wreckage in the north end
bodies."
The first messenger arriving from the scene of the
blast was able to give only a
Attempts by the navy department at Washington to
get in touch with American ships which might be at the
Canadian port, failed.
St. John, N. B., Dec. 6 Half of the
suburb of Richmond, in Halifax, where
a munitions sliip exploded this morn
ing is razed and -fire was still sweep
ing the section when communication
was established with Halifax this after
noon. The bodies of the dead clutter
the streets, while literally hundreds of
injured are wandering about the wreck
ied Bubufl) in a daze, moaning and hunt
ing tor their dead-
Hospitals were . filled with
and improvised wards- were hurriedly
set up in corridors.
Late this afternoon nurses and doc
from all directions and the work1 of
ministering to the wounded beean.
Pitiful s.-enes were enacted in the
(suburb of Richmond, as the wcwnoVd
began to recover from Iho stunning
ettects" of the blast
TWO MORE AMERICAN
SOLDIERS ARE KILLED
'Seven Are Severely and Four
. Slightly Wounded, Persh
: . ing Reports
Washington, Dec. 6. Two more Am
erican soldiers killed and seven severe
t ly wounded and four slightly injured
in action, were announced by the war
s department last night. The "casualties
occurred in no single action, General
Pershing reported, but represent the
atrition natural to any detachment in
thei'irst lime trenches.
. The- list covers.- dead -and wounded
from fighting by the American expedi
tionary forces over a period of a week
, or more.
The dead:
i Corporal Virgil G. Winebenner, in
fantry, Nov. 12, Marion, Ind-
Private Peter Wojtalewicz, infan
try, Nov. 16, Chicago.'
Severely wounded:
Private John A. Viole, infantry,
2nv. 14, Rogjio, Italy.
Sergeant Harvey L. Haburne, infan
try. Nov. 17, Jainesville, Va.
Private Darwin P. Kragle, infantry,
'nv. 17, St. James, Mo-
(Continued on "page six)
Munition Ship Took Fire and
One Hundred Miles Distant
Has Not Yet Been Llarned
of the city as "one mass of
very slight description of it
. While fire raged through the sec
tion where bodies of the dead were
buried in the wreckage and lay iu fan
tastic positions, as they had fallen
when the" explosion came, cries of the
injured and dying filled the air.
- Sobbing women ran frantically
about searching for their children.
For a time after the explosion the
. .'city was practically paralyzed with
njureaj., -j,i. tua a:uZai rrua
slowly and painfully the work of -rescue
began.
A few hours after the explosion iu-
, me" seen wandering like
"T"" ?b??the.Trecka,f?; FpW kn.e
7, i ui , .
In a number of instances, the cloth
ing of the dead was torn from their
bodies. . '
With the arrival of nurses and sur
geons from other cities, the more ser
iously wounded were carried to hospi
tals in everything from a dump cart
to an automobile.
Many were given first aid only to
die, while "tflliers with the arrival of
supples were able to dress their own
wounds.
The latest reports - said probably
twenty five telegraph operators were
killed when the explosion wrecked
their offices.
Reports indicate that the greatest
loss of life was among the long shore
men and others working on the water
front proper.
Railroad Employes Killed
Truro, N. S., Dec- 6. Twenty five
corpses of railway employes were found
between Deopwater and Richmond to
day, following the explosion of an Am'
eriean munitions ship in Halifax har
bor, George Graham, manager of the
Dominion Atlantic railway, reported
today. Latest reports received her
pWd the. total deed at 300. I.
According to advices here, the muni
tion ship caught fire after the colli
sion , and its crew remained bravely
at work making strenuous attempts to
sink her before the explosion.
Four Hundred Dead
Moncton, N. B., Dec. 6. Latest re
ports reaching here say th death toil
cf the terrific explosion "at Halifax
will probablv reach more than four
hundred at least. I
A messenger reaching a small town
. Jr.
somewhere between Halifax and Monc-'
ton brought only a disjointed account
(Continued on page six)
CHRISTMAS FOB SOLDIEES.
New York, Dec. 6. Approxi
mately' 600,000 Christinas parcels
for American troops in France
were received at the port of em
barkation when the . time for
accepting packages expired, it
was announced today.
EUGENE HI IN CHARGE
OF EXECUTING SOLDIER
Former University Athlete
Writes His MotheY of Life
In Trenches and Camp
Eugene, Or., Doc. 6- Walter Me-
Clure, former star athlete at the Uni
versity of Oregon, now first lieutenant
in the army in Prance, had charge of
the truard over Private Frank Cadue,
the American soldier who was hanged
for murdering a liltle French girl re
ce-ntly, and probably sprung the . trap
at tho hanging. In a letter to his moth
er, Mrs- Martha Bennett, who lives on
Eugene rural mail route No. I, he
states . that he made application to
spring the trap when the time came.
Tho letter was written some time be
fore the soldier was executed. - .
Asked to Spring Trap- V.
Lieutenant McClure writes: "There
is to be a hanging here soon. One of
the United States soldiers raped an 8
year old girl and killed her .The sen
tence ia hanging, and when volunteers
were called for to spring the trap1, I
asked for the chance, 1 am afraid,
though, it may (happen whilo I am at
the front. Today I am officer of thb
guard. I keep the murderer chained
and hand cuffed, and I made, him dig
his own grave, and don't let him eat
with a knife, fork or Bpoon; ho might
do damago to himself. We have 18
prisoners, mostly men who went to Par
is without leave and returned when
they were broke." ,
"I don't think there is much, chance
ot getting back to America, to train,
as they are bringing them over hero
ag fast as possible, ' ' writes the liou
tenaat. " We will go up tq the trenches
for a- short stay, and then probably go
south. and help whip the national army
in sliapef or the big drive late in the
spring.
. Not Much Danger la Winter '
"During the winter there is not
much danger in trench life compared
to that of summer activity, so we all
expect to come, back from the trenches
in good shape- The disagrecablo thing
is standing around in wator up to one's
knees day and night for five days,
then we move further back..
"Tho examining board gave us a
stiff examination for captaincy, iut I
. 1 11 t 1 .11- I" '1 1 1 . A
g-ot uy an riguc. w e iinisnea up stuoui
October 20. I will not sign mysolf as
captain however, until I get the papers.
"Today and yestorday, for1 for the
rest of the week, all church bells in
France ring for a full hour, then rest
and repeat. This is in memory for the
dead soldiers. There are no houses ex
cept in the towns and there is a town
every 'two or three miles down in a
little valley. The sells have a beautiful
tone. Some of them are hundreds of
years old."
HAL PATTON IS KIIIG
B1HG0F CHERRIANS
FOR ENSUING YEAR
Annual Meeting Last Night
transacted Large Amount
of Routine Business
And the election of another King
Bing goes down in the annals of history.
The coming year nojess worthy a citi
zen than Hal D. Patton, former Btate
senator, will wear the crown and sway
the sceptre over the Salem Chcrrians.
Three other candidates were nominat
ed for the position of King Bing, in
the persons of W. M. Hamilton, Wm.
Gahlsdorf and George Graces. The lat
two were allowed to withdraw their
names and tho former stated he would
permit his name to go on the ballot on
condition that Patton be elected. Patton
received 24 votes and Hamilton 14,
whereupon the latter very magnani
mously moved the election be declar
ed unanimous for Patton.
The associate officers elected were as
follows:
Vice president, Frank Lovell ; chancel
lor of the rolls, "William Galilsdorf, re
elected j keeper-of "he. orchard, David
Eyre, re-elected; king's jester, Walter
Winslow; Duke of Lambert, Paul Stcge;
Queen Anne's consort, P. K. Fullerton;
Archbishop of Rickreall, Elmer Dane;
Marquis of Maraschino, George Fox;
Earl of Waldo, Paul Johnson.
The election program started off with
a motion by Hal Patton that all incum
bents be unanimously re-elected. F. G.
Deckebach immediately got to bis feet
and aserted that Patton himself was a
candidate for the position of Kine Bine
and had niade the motion only to call
attention to the fact that he was pres-1
rnt. Deckebach closed by placing in
(Continued on page six)
RM'AIITS A
GENERAL PEACE
OIlLYf-TROTSKY
j
.Troops 0a East Frost Must
Not Be Used Against Allies
Is Condition
GERMANY MADE EFFORT
FOR PEACE IN AUGUST
Secret Slate Papers Are Now
Being FuMished by Rus
sian Newspapers.
;
HOSTILITIES SUSPENDED.
. Berlin, Via London., Dec. 6.
Agreement for' suspension of
hostilities from the Black sea
o the Baltic and also in the
Turco-Ruesian -war ' theatres in
Asia from noon tomorrow until
December 17," was announced
officially today.
Negotiations for the Russian
armistice, it was stated, will be
continued in a few days.
,
London, Dec 6.' ' The Russian gov
ernment does not desire a separate but
a general peace," declared TrotsKy,
Bolshevik foreign minister, in an inter
view printed in today's Times. ,
"There are throe stages to our pres
ent negotiations," the Maximalist
leader asserted. "These are, first, sus
pension of hostilities, second, a def
inite armistice: and third, peace. We
hope before the last stage the allied
peoples will persuade their governments
to participate." :
What Russia Demands? " -Petrograd,
Dec. 6. Russia will insist,
if an armistice is signed with Germany,
that none of the Teuton troops now on
the east front, be transferred to -the
west- front for use against the allies,
Foreign Minister Trotsky declared to
day in a speech at the Circus Moderne.
He also announced that General
Johnson, American attache, had visited
Smolny institute, headquarters of the
Bolsheviki and declared Colonel Jierts'
protest to headquarters had been "mis
understood." America, according to
General Johnson 's statement as re
peated by Trotsky, did not wish him
to iuterfore with Russia's internal af
fairs. !
. United Press dispatches from Petro
grad yesterday quoted Trotsky as
threatening 'the gravest complications'
if allied powers interfered in Russia i
internal affairs, his ire being aroused
at what he termed "negotiations" be-
(Continued on page three)
MANY BIG DEALERS
MAY BID
Food Concerns Disobeying
Rsgdations May Have to
Quit Business
By George Martin
( United rPesa Staff Correspondent)
Washington, Dec. (5. Many big food
dealers throughout the United States
are in imminent danger of being put
out of business by Food Administrator
Hoover because they are violating the
federal regulations under which they are
licensed to operate, it was learned to
day. It was a gentle hint to these deal
ers, who do not. think Hoover means
business that the food administrator re
voked the license of the Morris Singer
Commission company' here for allowing
two carloads of potatoes to rot on the
track. The revocation order puts that
firm completely out of business until
such time as Hoover sees fit to grant
it a new license.
JPhe same . fate and much harsher
trnntmpnt. mfl llfltncr inniptmpnro enrrv-
ing heavy fine-and two year prison woolen socks, that prices are high, and
terms, hover near a number of marked that some of the boys, at least, want
food dealers in various parts of the I tobacco, are a feof the things made
country if thev do not change their tae- known in several interesting letters re
tics, it was authoritatively stated. jeeived by Mrs. Emma Smith, 171 Court,
To give the dealers plenty of warning, 1 from her son, Ward Smith, who is with
fifteen of the worst offenses reported i the Rainbow division in i ranee, nav
have been investigated by official i "g joined this famous contingent at
agents of the food administration legal
department, i-ach case wag selected ana
handled so the dealers of that section
would know exactly what had occurred.
All were given a recital of their sins
and a final warning.
The case of Singer was the first in
which public action and revocation of
license has been employed.
Convicts rob passengers, says a head
'line. If thev didn't, the dinincr ear con-
ductors andporters would.
ENGINEERS
AMERICAN
MISSING A
By J. W. Pegler
(United Press Staff Correspondent)
American Field Headquartors, Franco,
Dec. 6. Searcii was begun of British
front hospitals today with the hope of
finding some of the missing American
engineers caught in the German ad
vance around Cambrai. Until this is
completed headquarters will probably
not issue .any official statement of cas
ualties. It was scmi-officially announced to
day that at least four officers and 280
men of the American army engineer de
tachment were m tne thick of the Cam
brai fighting. This was a party caught
an an enemy barrage at Gvuzeaucourt.
Some of them joined nearby British
units and all day long Friday, fought
with the Tommies. The remainder at
tempted retirement under artilelry, ma
chine gun and aeroplane fire. A major
ity of the whole, it was stated reached
their base camp at Fins. Still others
took refuge in dugouts and wore cap
tured. Soma were recaptured. A scatter
ing few mado their way back to the
American base. i
Tha 284 men departed from their j
Kerensky's Utter Disregard
For His Personal Safety
NOTE: Follows the "second article.
by William Ch Shepherd, lately United
Press Staff Correspondent at Petrograd,
depicting the Bolsheviki uprising in
Petrograd last July and describing flow
it was a natural part of the good pro
gress of Eussia - toward freedom and
strength..
EDI'X'OA.
By William O. Shepherd.
(United Pre.cs Staff Correspondent)
Stockholm. Oct. 24. (By Mail) Ker
ensky's strength has always rested in
his courage and his utter disregard for
his life. From the very lirst aays or
the revolution, his life has hung ..by a
cord. . - . ' -
"The newspapers say your papa
is sick, but I don't believe it," 5
said a little chap on the playground
of a public school in Petrograd to
Kerensky's ten-year-old son.
"He is too sick," said " little
Kerensky, Jr., " but I heard him Sell :
mamma that ho must keep alive to
help save Russia." i
With one kidney removed by an oper
ation, which, the doctors told him was
ITALIANS REJOICING
THAT AMERICA IS TO
WAR OHAUSTRIA
Aeroplanes Distribute Posters
Over Austrian Lines Giv
ing the News
By John H. Hearley,
(Capital Journal Special Service.)
Rome, Dec 6. Italy is overjoyed
that America is to dccJaro war on Austria-Hungary.
A nation-wide demon
stration of gratitude for America was
bring planned today.
News of Presdent Wilson's recom
mendation to congress, transmitted im
mediately to Italian soldiers at the
front, has been sent by him to the
enemy. Great signs were erected in
the trenches so that the Austrians op
posite might read them. Aviators
dropped hastily printed messages by
the thousands ovef the Austrian fines,
(Continued on page six.)
Ward Smith Writes Home
From Somewhere in France
That if is cold in France, that the
boys who arc there want sweaters and
La Grande.
Mts. Smith gavs her son left New
York about the 17th or 18th of October,
and the date of his first letter from
France is Nov. 3. Ward formerly lived
in Salem and several years ago he car
ried papers for the Journal. Mrs. Smith
also has another son in the service, Earl
who at last word received from him was
stationed on the eastern seaboard and
whom Mrs. Smith believes is now on
his way across to France.
Following are extracts from the let
FROM THE
ARMY ARE:
T THE FRONT
camp at Fins at 6:30 a. m., Friday. They
began their regular work in the Gouzeau
court region in conjunction with a de
tachment of Canadians "under a Canad
ian major. This officer is believed to
have been a Calif ornian and an ex-
aember of the famous Canadian-Amer
ican legion.
At 7 o'clock: shortly after the Am
ericans and Canadians had arrived on
tho " job," an enemy barrage enveloped
Gouzeaucourt. Half an hour later, soe
ing no let up in the hail of shells, the
unarmed engineers attempted to retire.
' It was then that a goodly number
joined with nearby British and grabbing
rifles fought throughout the remainder
of the day.
While the 284 were In Gouzeaucourt
under barrage, other enginers, in the
camp at Fins began experiencing shell
ing from German long range guns. Two
big shells exploded in the camp itself.
The engineers there were ordered to
scattor. Later they were assembled and
each given a rifle and 200 rounds of
ammunition.
Toward afternoon it was decided to
(Continued on page six)
a hundred to one chance against sue-
Kerensky has looked death in the
face, and that vision seems to have
given, him a disregard for his life that
stood him in good stead in the days
when he was at the head of the Russian
government.
Kerensky's only fault Is that he has
been willing to die but ho, has not been
willing to kill,
Tho July uprising of the Bolsheviki,
when some 500 men, women and child
ren, were killed in the streets of Pet
rograd during a reign of terror that
lastetl three days, was a fine instance
of Kerensky's bravery.
The First Machine gun regiment
for weeks had been Bolsheviki. It had
demanded that all the power of govern
ment be turned over to the council of
Workmen and Soldiers. Time after time
the delegates of the Machine gun regi
mentwhich had some 1,500 machine
guns and twenty .armored cars, came to
Kerensky and threatened to go into the
streets aid make an'arincd showed of
power if he would not agree to surrend-
(Continued on page six)
AEROPLANES RAIDED
ENGLAND; DROPPED
COMBS ON LONDON
Three German Machines Land
and Crews Are Captured
Alive
London, Doc. 6 Twenty five enemy
aeroplanes' mado five simultaneous
bombing attacks on Kent and London
early today, Lord Frenc h announced.
Two of five or six machines which
penetrated defenses and bombarded the
central city were forced to land 'and
their crows wero "taken alive.
Tho planes also flew, ever Kent, drop
ping bombs.
This is the first air raid over Lon
don since October 20. Twenty seven
persons wero killed and 53 injured on
that occasion.
It is also tho first raid in which ma
chines penetrated London's defenses
since it was uutnomauveiy auuuuuc-
(Continucd on page six.)
ters she has received from Ward:
Under date of Nov. 3. "We enjoy
ed our trip over pretty well. Some of
the boys were pretty sick but it didn't
bother me any. We have been getting
only two meals a day, but plenty at
that. ' - -
"The people here seem very jolly and
when we arrived they gave us candy
and apples. We reached our destination
(censored) but are still living
in our touring car. We expect to be
out soon. Took a little hike around town
tonight, pretty little place but don't
think I would enre to live here.
Asks For Tobacco.
-"I am feeling well, only tired from
the long trip. It was a little rainy the
first day but the sunshone today and
everything looked real nice. The town
is very clean but old-fashioned as on
(Continued on page six)
PiraHElI (HI.
BYEffS SALIEilT
Crown Prince Rupprecht's
Forces Press Forward
Without Respite
BOURLOM WOODS NOW
LITTLE SPOT OF HELL
British Engineers Bi:Pi Rail
road Lilies Under Heavy
Artillery Fire
By William Philip Simmg
(United Press Staff Correspondent)
With The British Armies in France,
Dec. 6. Crown Prince Rupprecht con
tinued his everlasting pressure on Gen
eral Byng's salient today.
Heavy fighting was occurring on the
northern and southern sides of the
British "bulge" in the German lines.
The weather is exceptionally clear.
The cold, however, is covering the pools
in shell craters with ice.
Bourlon is a pocket of hell today.
The trees of Bourlon heights ar
splintered away. The ground is evilly
pockmarked by tho dread disease of
war. Pools of slimy, suggostively red
water stretch everywhere. Corpses are
scattered about thickly. The defenders
are too busy to bury them. A horrible
stench from these torn and mangled re
mains rises to mingle with the fumes of
exploding shells and with Prussian gas.
Overhead boctio shrapnel bursts in
an everlasting barrage. Gas shells mon
otonously heeved over, spread their
doadly vapors about. The defenders
must wear their masks practically every
minute of the day and night. Scurrying
around in the horrors of the wood they
fit into the picture exactly. They look
liko some Dante-csquo fiends of the in
ferno in their goggling masks.
All roads In this hell spot are badly
cut up. The German artillery is doing
its best to concentrate on the British
engineers who are working day and
night to keep the line of communica
tions open.
Bourlon 's hill top is difficult of ac
cess. The enemy retains the high ground
on both sides. He dominates Anneux
and Graincourt valleys. The situation
in this particular section is certainly
is not easy.
Bourlon 'a "pocket" comes from a
sharp curve around tho wood, from a
point on the Bapaume-Cambrai road be
tween the Nord canal and the southwest
corner of the woods and thence west
to Fontaine Notre Dame.
Enemy machine guns in Folie wood
have forced back the British line north
of Cantaing, further accentuating tu
sali' i.r.
Germans Claim Victory.
Berlin, Via London, Dec. 6. Capture
of Graincourt, Anneux, Cantaing and
Noyelles as well as the wootlod heights
north of Marcoing, from British forces
announced in today's official report.
Capture of eleven thousand prisoners
and sixty guns in the renewed Austro
German drive in Italy was announced
by the war office this afternoon.
"Seven communes in the Meletta
mountains were stormed and Btrong po
sitions there maintained-4 the state
ment declared.
"We advanced against the British to
a
depth of four kilometers (about two
id a half miles) and on a width of
and
ten kilometers (about six and a quar
ter miles)," the official statement de-
Abe Martin
Speakin' 0.4 fightin' with food re
minds us o nianv a tussel with round
steak. Mjybe if th' war keeps up din
ners '11 become so skinny orators '11
refuse, t' speak after 'em.
4 JL-