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- — ~~~ VALDEZ, ALASKA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1914. NO. 374.
VOL. 10. _ _
BIG GERMAN VICTORY IN SILESIA
BERLIN GOES WILD WITH JOY WHEN NEWS ANNOUNCED
BRITISH LOST TWO CRUISERS IN NORTH SEA BATTLE
GLASGOW REPORTED TO HAVE SUNK THE DRESDEN
GRANT inS
INCREASED MIES
Five Per Cent. Increase Allowed On
All Freight Excepting On Coke,
Coal and Iron.
WASHIHGTON, Dec. 18.—The In
terstate Commerce Commission today
granted the request of the railroads
to be allowed to increase rates on
freight shipments. The rates will be
raised five per cent, on all shipments
excepting coal, coke and iron, upon
which it will remain the same as
heretofore.
The railroads declared that all
roads would be forced to shut down
unless granted 'the increase, as the
present rates did not take care of the
operating expenses and fixed charges
and certainly did not provide for the
paying of dividends to the stockhold
ers.
The shippers fought the reduction,
claiming that the burden upon them
of higher rates would cause ruin to
the manufacturers and shippers and
that the transportation lines should
bear part of the burden of the pres
ent financial unrest caused by tha
war and not shift the burden to the
shippers and consumers.
It is estimated that $50,000,000 an
nually will be paid the railroads by
reason of the five per cent, raise.
YEGGS MAKE HAUL
IN CAPITAL CITY
B
Douglas Grocery Store Is Robbed of
$900.00—Pharmacy Safe Crack
ed and $200.00 Taken.
JUNEAU, Dec. 18.—Safe crackers
broke into the safe of the Douglas
Grocery Store last night and secured
$900.00. They also opened the safe
of the local pharmacy and secured
$200.00. The police and federal au
thorities have been unable to locate
the crooks.
This is the second robbery in two
weeks. Following the last success
ful safe cracking the city police
rounded up a number of undesirables
and forced them to leave town. The
large number of unemployed and idle
men nave been a matter oi concern
to the police for months and that
a number of crooks were in the city
was suspected, but the work of secur
ing evidence against them was impos
sible.
The business men will insist upon
the city securing the services of de
tectives to locate any crooks who may
have records and who are in this city.
John Hill is in town from Ella
mar.
__ ■ M
John Burns and John Stodder ar
rived from the Middle Fork of Slate
creek today, bringing with them Jack,
Miller’s sled outfit.
Russians Deny Report of German Victory and Claim Success At Mlawa—Allies
Now Occupy Westende, Near Ostend—Paris Reports General Advance
Successful—Vienna Reports Success In Western Galicia-Austrian Training
Ship Strikes Mine and Sinks—Emden’s Crew Reported Captured By British
Warship—South African Revolt Ends—British Annex Egypt.
BERLIN, Dec. 18—The Russian in
vasion in Silesia has been repulsed
with terrific loss. The invaders were
met by a wall of soldiers and new
Krupp guns and were mowed down
by the thousands. The victory is the
greatest of the war and ends the mil
itary strength of the czar. The loss
of guns cannot be replaced by his
manufacturing plants in months, as
hundreds of cannon were captured,
stores and supplies burned or taken,
thousands: of prisoners surrendered
or were wounded and left on the
battlefield after the Russians fled, to
be cared for by the German Red
Cross. This city is wild with joy
and thousands are parading the
streets carrying the flag and cheer
ing. Gen von Hindenberg is again
the hero of the day and the people
are demanding that he placed in
charge of the western campaign and
crush the British and French.
Allies Retake Westende.
PARIS, Dec. 18—The allies have
pushed the line of trenches forward,
forcing the Germans to evacuate the
coast line as far as Westende, which
has been reoccupied by the Belgian
and English troops. Westende is half
way between Nieuport and Ostend
and only seven miles from the lat
ter place. The allies line is being
pushed forward each day and the
complete break of the German line
is predicted here.
Germans Announce Polish Victory.
BERLIN, Dec. 18.—The schools and
stores have been closed and the peo
ple are celebrating the great victory
in Poland for the Germans. The war
office today made an official an
nouncement of the victory and the
people are wild with delight, as it
was feared that the superior forces
of Russians might be able to crush
the smaller German force.
New Aerial Torpedo.
ROTTERDAM, Dec. 18.—Reports
received here from Germany Indicate
that the war department Is still ex
perimenting with the Zeppelins and
that the crews of the big air machines
receive daily pracice when the weath
er conditions permit. The Germans
have invented a new torpedo which
can be aimed with considerable cer
tainty from the great heights at which
the airships must sail in order to be
free from attack. The daily practice
of the crews is to drop the new tor
pedoes, which are said to be more de
structive than the shells from the big
Krupp siege guns at wooden targets
made to represent ships or roofs.
Austrian Training Ship Sinks.
LONDON, Dec. 18.—An Austrian
training ship sunk yesterday in the
Adriatic Sea when it struck one of
the mines laid by the Austrians for
the protection of their coast. Most of
the crew were rescued by fishing
boats that were near.
British Cabinet Confer.
LONDON, Dec. 18.—The cabinet
held a long conference yesterday fol
lowing the bombardment of the Brit
ish coast towns and the escape of the
German ships. The cabinet fears an
other attack. The newspapers are
demanding some action be taken to
protect the coast. The fear of an
invasion has grown. The demands'
upon Lloyd’s for insurance against
the destruction of property by bom
bardment by ships or destruction
from Zeppelins has been so great that
it is doubted if the companies will
write any more insurance. That some
action must be taken at once to calm
the public is realized by the high
public offic’als.
Death List Grows.
The official statement issued today
shows that not 30 but 80 people were
killed at Scarborough and the oth
er coast cities as a result of the Ger
man gun fire. Several hundred are
in the hospitals wounded.
Dresden Reported Sunk.
BUENOS AYRES, Dec. 18.—The re
port was received here last night that
the British cruiser Glasgow had ov
erhauled and sunk the German com
merce destroyer Dresden. No details
of the sea battle have been received.
The Glasgow, the British ship re
ferred to in the above dispatch, was
one of the British fleet that engaged
the German ships on Nov. 1 off Chile.
The Mammouth and Good Hope were
sunk. The Glasgow succeeded in
making her escape under cover of
darkness and was last reported in a
Brazilian port making repairs.
Russian Offensive Checked
BERLIN, Dec. 18.—The Russian of
fensive movement through Silesia to
wards Breslau and the attempt to at
tack Posen have been checked. The
Germans have forced the Russians to
give up the attempt to invade Ger
many because of the flanking move
ment started by Gen. von Hinden
berg, which threatens the Russian left
flank. The Russian grand duke has
withdrawn his troops from southern
Poland and is concentrating at War
saw.
Vienna Reports Russian Retreat.
VIENNA, Dec. 18.—The official bul
letin issued this morning by the war
office states that the Russians are
retreating from eastern Galicia and
from southern Poland. The Austrian
troops are engaging the Russians in
rear-end engagements and have pick
ed off many stragglers and captured
considerable war supplies left in the
hurried retreat. The German suc
cesses near Lodz and Lowicz endan
ger the entire Russian left wing and
it is making a hurried retreat.
Artillery Duels At Short Range.
PARIS, Dec. 18.—The opposing
armies in Belgium and France are
fighting a tremendous artillery duel
at short range. The allies have
moved up the field artillery and are
shelling the German trenches in or
der to weaken the enemy’s line for
the bayonet charges that follow the
bombardments. The reports from the
front are. very encouraging and the
war office is confident of victory.
British Warships Sunk.
BERLIN, Dec. 18.—The naval of
fice announced today that as a result
of the sea battle in the North Sea
following the bombardment of the
British coast towns two British cruis
ers were sunk. The four German
ships returned in safety and the
(Continued on page 2.)
MASKED MEN ROB
JEWEtRY STORE
Escape After Pistol Duel With Police
—(Stool Pigeons Are At Work
To Locate Crooks.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 18.—Two masked
men grabbed ?4,000 worth of jewels
from a local jewelry store today and
made their escape after a pistol duel
with the police. The robbery was
the most daring pulled off in this city
for years. The men walked into the
store, grabbed the gems and made a
run for it with the store detective
and the regular police hot on their
trail. Both sides opened fire at the
same time and under cover of the
shots the bandits made good their es
cape.
AH pawn brokers have been noti
fied of the robbery and it is hoped
to prevent the sale of the Jewels.
The police of eastern cities have al
so been Informed and a number of
stool pigeons are at work securing
evidence for the police department.
HABEAS CORPUS
FOR LEO FRANK
Attorneys for Convicted Murderer
Say That Verdict Was Result
of Public Clamor.
ATLANTA, Ga., Dec. 18.—Charging
that Leo M. Frank is held under sen
tence of death because of a popular
clamor for his death following the
finding of the body of a 16-year-old
girl factory worker In the basement
of the place, at which he was em
ployed, attorneys for Frank asked for
a habeas corpus.
It Is charged that the clamor was
eo great for the conviction of Frank
that the trial judge feared to allow
the accused or his counsel In the
court room when the verdict was ren
dered, fearing that If It were an ac
quittal the mob would assault the
accused and his defenders.
Special hand colored pictures at
the Orpheum tonight, also fine com
edies.
FOOD EXPORTS
y >• ‘ *
November Export* $40,000,000, Which ■
I* Three Time* Larger Than
November, 1913.
' v4- ' .
WASHINGTON,, Dec. 18.—During
the month of November exports of
food valued at $40,000,000 were made
from the United States. This is
three times greater than the exports
of last year and is caused by the Eu
ropean war. Exports are expected to
grow larger and larger and the farm
ers are expected to reap a big har
yest from the sale at high prices of
the foodstuffs of the country.
Congressmen from the cities insist
that it will be necessary to place an
embargo upon the export of foods, as
the prices to Americans are going
upward all the time and unless some
action is taken immediately the cost
of living in the cities will go sky
ward and become prohibitive and will
result in bread riots.
POLICE KILL
Robbers Succeed In Getting the
Money But Fail In Making
Get-away.
CINCINNATI, O., Dec. 18—Two
banks in this city were robbed yester
day of several thousand dollars by ft
gang qf bandits In a fast automobile
who drove up to the banks, shot at
the cashiers and forced them to pay
over the money and then made a run
for it, but the police were on their
heels and the bandits were killed.
The duel between the police in one
automobile and the bandits in anoth
er lasted for several minutes, but re
sulted in the killing'
Pern Wagner arrived in town from
his property at Port Wells last night.
He has brought in five tons of rich
ore to run through the local mill. He
reports the property showing up bet
ter as development work fcontinues.
COMMITTEE CUTS
HARBORS BILL
Bitter Fight Expected Over Passage
of Pork Barrel—$19,000,000
More for Canal.
WASHINGTON, Dec 18.—The
House Committee on Appropriations
today cut the Rivers and Harbors bill
to $20,000,000. The committee insists
upon economy. The cut will cause
considerable trouble in the House,
where members of the majority are
determined to secure improvements
for their districts. Administration
officials are determined to hold the
appropriation bills to the lowest pos
sible point. The members of con
gress who leave it on March 4th are
anxious to secure the passage of ap
propriations for their districts so that
they can appeal for re-election two
years hence.
The Panama Canal Commission re
quires $19,000,000 to complete the
work at the canal. This appropna
tion must be made at once in order
to protect the canal from great dam
age by slides.
A bitter fight is expected upon all
appropriations. Congressmen from
districts which are not provided for
are expected to block other members
of congress from securing “pork.”
HONS ESCAPE
IN N. Y. THEATRE
Police and Trainers Kill One and
Capture Others—Stampedes
the Audience.
NEW YORK, Dec. 18.—Six lions
escaped here last night from their
pens upon ‘he stage of a local theater.
The house was packed and the pres
ence of the lions caused a stampede
in (he audience. The big Are doors
were opened and the crowds were
able to leave Uhe building without
jamming. 1
policemen anl the trainers succeed
ed in prevent!!* the animals from
injuring any of (the people, but one
lion was shot j» it was about to
spring from thelNhLge into the strug
gling mob of im* and women. The
shot was trufcgBng the lion in the
head as it^mbtl||>ut to spring, and
although, fbe TODit passed entirely
through tile Irara head and on into
the boxes no one was hit.
The rest of the six lions were cap
tured but not until several of the
trainers had been scratched and bit
ien.
: The police arrested the manager
of the show for criminal careless
ness.
“One of the Bravest” at the Orph
eum tonight. This is a clever fire
fighting drama with sensational fire
j escapes.
V*-.