VOLUME 13 VALDEZ, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY", SEPTEMBER 22, 1015 NO. 130
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RUSSIAN ARMY KEEPING THE.
GERMAN VISE FROM CLOSING
REPORTS FROM PETROGRAD STATE THAT ARMY WHICH GENERAL
HINDENBl.'RG IS ATTEMPTING TO CAPTURE IS EXTRICATING
ITSELF FROM TRAP NEAR VILNA—KAISER IS REPORTED IN
JURED IN AUTO ACCIDENT—GERMAN SUBMARINE BASE DIS
COVERED ON GUERNSEY ISLAND—GERMANS HAVE LOST THIR
TV SUBMARINES, CAUGHT IN NETS IN BRITISH CHANNELS.
LONDON, Sept. 22.—Latest re
ports from the Russian army near
Vilna indicate that the Czar’s troops
jure escaping from the vise thrown
about the city by Gen. Hindenburg.
The Russians have succeeded in hold
ing the German advance north of the
city In check and still control the
railroad running north from Vilna.
Desperate fighting is reported to have
occurred for possession of the rail
road which, if captured by the Ger
mans, would completely isolate a por
tAogvrf the Czar’s army. Reinforce
mfcvhave been sent from Petro
grad to engage the Germans east of
Vilna and permit the troops caught
near the city to extricate themselves
ttom the German grasp. That the
Russians will be able to evade Gen.
Hindenburg is the belief confidently
expressed by military experts here,
who are keeping in close touch with
the positions occupied by the armies.
Many Submarines Captured.
NEW YORK, Sept. 22.—American
newspaper men returning from Eu
rope bring stories of the havoc be
ing wrought to German submarines
hy the steel wire nets placed in the
KagUsh channel and near the mouth
of the rivers by the British admiral
ty. It is reported that thirty German
undersea fighters have been caught
in the nets during the past five or
six months. The opinion is now ex
pressed by the correspondents that
Germany will abandon the use of sub
marines in -attempting to isolate
the British isles from the markets
of the world.
Submarine Base Discovered.
LONDON, Sept. 22.—It is announc
ed by the British admiralty that the
base from which the German subma
rines have been operating along the
coast of England has been discover
ed on the coast of Guernsey island.
The base has been destroyed and it
is believed the activities of the sub
marines will be restricted.
Kaiser Reported Injured.
AMSTERDAM, Sept. 22.—It is re
ported here that Emperor William,
who recently returned to Berlin from
the eastern battle front, has been in
jured in an auto accident. The ex
tent of the emperlr's injuries are
not believed to be serious.
Chris Peterson Is up from the
Granite mine as a witness In the
Dementzet case.
DEM DEALER
MD SIDE LINE
Passengers on Train Robbed Eigh
teen Months Ago Identify Bel
lingham Man as Bandit.
BELLINGHAM, Wash., Sept. 22.—
John Brooks, a leading realty dealer
ot ^Bellingham, has been arrested on
the charge of being one of the men
who robbed a Vancouver train some
eighteen months ago, when one pas
senger was killed by the bandit and
two other passengers severely wound
ed. Brooks has been identified by
several men who were passengers on
the train which was held up.
The ldentfication of Brooks as the
desperate bandit has caused a sensa
tion in Bellingham and surrounding
district, as he has always been re
garded as a successful business man
whose private life would bear the
closest scrutiny.
The arrest of Brooks follows
months of investigation by Great
Northern detectives, and the officers
are now trying to connect him with
otver holdups which have occurred
daring the past summer. At the time
of the robbery, detectives placed on
the case expressed the belief that the
holdup which resulted in murder was
the work of persons living in the city.
With this belief they have been in
vestigating Residents of the district,
and the arrest of Brooks followed.
The identity of Brook’s companion
in the hoidup is believed to have been
learned by the officers and his arrest
will follow the identification of
Brooks by the passengers whom he
robbed.
CARRANZA CAPTURES
CHIHUAHUA CITY.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22.—Advices
rqraived from Mexico City today
v state that the forces of General Car
ranza defeated General Villa’s forces
near Chihuahua and have captured
the city. The battle is reported to
he one of the fiercest waged during
the long war and resulted in the Vll
' la toroes being nearly exterminated.
Hundreds of prisoners, including
several of Villa’s prominent gener
als, have been captured.
How much farther is this folly to
Co without public protest?
STRIKE! CALLED IK NEW
YORK STOCK YARDS.
NEW YORK. Sept. 22.—The em
ployes of the Pennsylvania stock
yards quit work yesterday when they
were refused an advance in wages.
Special police were necessary to re
store order and disperse a mob of
strikers who attacked men engaged
to take their places. The mob offered
determined opposition to the police,
and several of the strikers are in
hospitals suffering from the free use
of their clubs by the officers.
NOTE IS DENIED'
BY BERNSTORFF
-
Says the Paper Was Stolen from a
Member of His tSaff and He
Knows Nothing of It.
O -
WASHINGTON, D. C„ Sept. 22.—
Ambassador Bernstorff has written to
Secretary Lansing denying the au
thorship of }he letter taken from
James Archibald by the British agents
In which Bernstorff commends Dum
ba for his activities among munition
tion workers in America. The am
bassador expresses the belief that the
paper was stolen from a member of
his staff and declares that he is not
the author of the letter as given to
the papers by the British govern
ment.
As to how It would be possible ror
Dumba's private secretary to enclose
Bernstorff’s note in the letter found
on Archibald the ambassador offers
no explanation. t
Archibald has secured counsel ana
will use every endeavor to clear the
matter up to the full satisfaction of
the American people as he has be
come discredited as a correspondent
before the people until the manner
in which the letters came into his
possession are fully explained.
Valdez Weather Report.
September 21, 1915.
Barometer pressure .29.906
Temperature 7 p. m.44
Maximum temperature .54
Minimum temperature ..34
Mean temperature.44
Precipitation ...03
Cloddy, wind southwest, 4 miles;
rain from 3:45 to 7 p. m.
OFFICERS OF THE
EASTLAND INDICTED
Grand Jury Finds Them Responsible
for Enormous Loss of Life
When Ship Capsized.
CHICAGO, Sept. 22.—The federal
grand jury which has been investi
gating the sinking of the steamer
Eastland in the Chicago river when
nearly two thousand employes of the
General Electric company lost their
lives, has returned indictments charg
ing ten of the officers of the Eastland
with being responsible for the disas
ter.
The grand jury showed that the in
spectors had permitted more persons
to board the vessel than her license
authorized and the inspectors also
were indicted.
The list of indicted officers include
the captain, mate, chief engineer and
assistant, as well as the officers of
the company operating the steamship
under charter.
DAUGHTER BORN 10
PRINCESS CECILE
Royal Couple Have Four Sons but
• Mew Arrival is First Daughter
Berlin Celebrates.
BERLIN, Sept. 22.—Crown Prin
cess Cecille, wife of the Crown
Prince, Frederick William, heir to
the throne of Germany, is rejoicing
over the birth of a daughter. The
couple have four sons and the arrival
of a daughter to grace the home of
the royal couple is the cause of de
light throughout Germany.
The Crown Prince is with his army
in northern France and is expected
to arrive in Berlin shortly to wel
come the arrival of his daughter. The
princess is delighted that her child
is a girl and states that she will ap
peal to the mothers of Germany to
help the war babies and needy moth
ers.
EXPLOSION III NEW YORK SUBWAY
WRECKS ENTIRE BUSINESS BLOCK
HUNDREDS OF EARLY MORNING WORKERS ARE CARRIED DOWN
WITH WRECKAGE OF THE STREET—SEVEN PERSONS KILLED
AND MORE THAN TWO HUNDRED INJURED—COLLAPSE OF THE
STREET CAUSES WATER MAINS TO BREAK THREATENING THE
LIVES OF PERSONS IMPRISONED IN WRECKAGE.
NEW YORK, Sept. 22.—An explo
sion which occurred in the subway
this morning at an early hour caused
the surface of the street to collapse
from the surface for more than a
block. Seven persons were instantly
killed and hundreds injured when the
street sank into the subway.
The accident occurred when the
streets were filled with shop girls
and others going to work and when
the sidewalks were engulfed many
persons were carried down with the
wreck of the street. Several street
cars were dropped into the subway
by their tracks sinking and added to
the general consternation caused by
the disaster.
The caving of the surface caused
the water mains to break and the
rush of water escaping from the big
pipes threatened co drown many of
the unfortunates c aught in the wreck
of the street. Heroic efforts were
made by the police-and.hundreds of
men to rescue persons wbo had been
pinned under the wreckage of the
sidewalks and cars.
The greatest excitement prevailed
throughout the portion of the city
where the disaster occurred and hun
dreds of police were necessary to
keep the crowds back from the cav
ing edges of the great hole caused
by the explosion. Many of the build
ings lining the wrecked street have
been partially destroyed by the explo
sion and flow of water and threaten
to collapse into the subway.
The cause of the explosion, which
obliterated the street for a distance
of several hundred feet and resulted
in the killing of seven persons and
injury to more than two hundred
others, will be rigidly investigated
by the city authorities and the re
sponsibility for the disaster placed
where it belongs.
AUSTRIAN AMBASSADOR’S LETTER
SEVERELY CRUISED AMERICANS
LETTERS TAKEN FROM AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT BY BRITISH
OFFICIALS GIVEN TO LONDON PAPERS—LANSING DECLARED
TO BE WEAK AND PRESIDENT SELF-WILLED IN EXTREME—
BERNSTORFF HAD APPROVED ACTIVITIES OF TEUTONIC
AGENTS AMONG MUNITION WORKERS.
LONDON, Sept. 22.—One of the
letters taken from James Archibald,
the American correspondent, by the
British authorities, which Archibald
claims was given to him by the pri
vate secretary of Ambassador Dumba
of Austria, has been published in
London papers. The letter severely
criticizes the American people in
their attitude toward supplying mu
nitions of war to the Allies, and also
claims that the American people are
viewing European conditions through
the eyes of Britain.
The ambassador’s letter, which was
intended for the Vienna officials, se
verely criticised Secretary Lansing
and characterized his arguments in
defense of the position assumed by
President Wilson as weak in the ex
treme. The letter styles President
Wilson as a self-willed individual
who is unable to change his convic
tions once he has decided upon a
course of action. The letter throws
the blame of Secretary Bryan’s leav
ing the cabinet upon the president.
Bryan, according to the letter, was an
able statesman, and sincere in his
convictions. Nearly all the other
members of the cabinet are criticized.
Ambassador Dumba’s letter also
contained a note which he had re
ceived from German Ambassador
Bernstorff, at Washington, commend
ing Dumba for his zeal in organizing
strikes in American munition facto
ries and in assisting to spread thru
out America a propaganda which
would cause American financiers to
hesitate in financing loans of the Eu
ropean governments engaged in war
with Germany and Austria. Bern
storff’s note stated that he had in
formed the German government of
the splendid patriotism of Dumba and
expressed the hope that the Austrian
ambassador would reap his reward
for his good work in the interests of
their countries.
GERMANY HAS CONCEDED
DEMANDS OF PRESIDENT
_i
ADVICES FROM BERLIN STATE THAT GERMAN GOVERNMENT HAS
RECOGNIZED CORRECTNESS OF PRESIDENT WILSON'S DE
MANDS AND WILL CONFINE ACTIVITIES OF I'NDER-SEA FIGHT
ERS AGAINST NAVAL CRAFT—PRESIDENT BEING CONG RATE LA
TEI) ON AVOIDING OPEN RUPTCRE WITH GERMANY—NEWS IS
GRATIFYING TO AMERICA.
BERLIN, Sept. 22.—It has been
officially announced by the German
admiralty that in compliance with
the demands o£ President Wilson that
the commanders summoned to the
conference at The Hague have been
instructed to avoid sinking passen
ger ships unless the intentions of the
liners are doubtful. The comman
ders of the undersea craft have been
cautioned against making mistakes
which might result in loss of life to
neutrals.
News Received in Washington.
WASHINGTON, D. C„ Sept. 22.—
Count Vou Bernstorff, German am
bassador, called on Secretary Lansing
at an unusually early today and in
formed him of the instructions which
had been issued to the commanders
of German submarines regarding
their activities in the European war
zone. The ambassador expressed the
hope that the order would meet with
the entire approval of President Wil
son and the American people.
The knowledge that the submarine
warfare against passenger ships* had
been abandoned by the German ad
miralty has created a feeling of op
timism here that America will avoid
being drawn into the European strug
gle and is received as justification of
President Wilson’s firm stand in
maintaining the rights of neutrals
carrying on their trade in any part
of the world.
The leading newspapers of the
country have printed editorials prais
ing President Wilson and congratu
lating the American people over the
happy outcome of the controversy
which threatened to involve the
country in war with" Germany.
it is reported here that Admiral
Tirpitz, commander of the German
fleet, was strongly opposed to any
abatement of the submarine warfare
as he regarded the undersea fighters
as Germany's strongest force. Ad
miral Tirpitz is known to have re
cently '•paid a personal visit to the
Kaiser to protest against orders re
stricting the activities of submarines
to warships and fighting craft of the
countries with which Germany is at
war. The admiral is reported to
have requested a vacation owing to
failing health, and it is believed that
he will not again assume active com
mand of the German sea forces, but
that his successor will be chosen by
the Kaiser.
The United States produces more
talc and soapstone than all the rest
of the world combined.
ANTHONY COMSTOCK
PASSED TO HIS REWARD.
NEW YORK, Sept. 22.—Anthony
Comstock, the organizer of the So
ciety for the Prevention of Vice, died
here last night, aged 71 years. He
had been employed in the United
States postal department for many
years and was instrumental in the
suppression of papers and magazines
containing features which he believ
ed tended to lower the moral stan
dards of the American people, by ex
cluding the publications from the
mails.
HUGE LOAN FOR
ALLIES ARRANGED
Pro-German Bankers are Participat
ing in the Big Financial Game
as Individuals.
NEW YORK. Sept. 22.—It is an
nounced that the huge loan of three
quarters of a billion dollars to the
British and French governments by
American bankers, has practically
been arranged. Members of the bank
ing firm of Kuhn-Loeb & Co., as well
as many pro-German bankers have
promised to participate in the financ
ing of the loan as individuals.
It is reported that John D. Rocke
feller, Jr., is considering taking
nearly one hundred million dollars
of the European bonds, but has been
advised against the transaction by
his attorneys, as the bonds are un
secured by collateral and are merely
promises of the European govern
ments to meet their obligations.
Morgan & Co., the New York bank
ing house, has announced that the
bonds, which mature in from five to
seven years and are payable at the
rate of one hundred millions annu
ally, have nearly all been placed and
that their disposal will not be made
through the syndicate of New York
bankers which offered to underwrite
the huge loan for a commission of
one-half of one per cent.
It has falriy rained boats upon Val
dez, and the postoffice department
has had its hands full in keeping the
malls distributed in the limited space
at Its disposal.
COLUMBIA GLACIER
IS HEAT ACTIVE
’Officers of Mariposa Report Big
Bergs Encountered Near Wreck
of the Olympic.
The officers of the steamer Mari
posa. which arrived from the south
yesterday afternoon, report that
the big steamship was forced out
its regular path by immense ice floes
from Columbia glacier. The Mari
posa took the inside channel between
the wreck of the Olympia and the
mainland to avoid the great bergs
which were floating in the channel
usually taken by steamers entering
and leaving Valdez and Ellamar.
The officers believe that the unu
sual ice conditions must have been
caused by an earthquake, which
caused the big glacier to empty mil
lions of tons of ice into the bay as
the field of ice was extensive and the
bergs larger than any ever before
encountered along this part of the
coast of Alaska. Severe earthquake
shocks have been experienced around
Juneau and other Southeastern points
and the Mariposa’s officers believed
that the disturbances had exteuded
to the north and caused the glacier's
to break loose.
Captains of launches who have re
cently made the trip to Port Wells
report that the Columbia glacier,
which has always been very active
during the late summer, has been
discharging immense quantities of ice
this fall, and at times the ch^ «nel
between Glacier Island and the gla
cier has been packed with the floes.
They express the belief that the ice
encountered by the Mariposa was car
ried out from the Glacier Island char
nel by the high tide.
ADMIRAL EVANS GOES
TO THE WESTWARD.
The steamer Admiral Evans reach
ed Valdes at 4:30 o’clock this morn
ing and continued her Journey to
the westward after a stop of a few
hours. The Evans will go to Kodiak
this trip and carried a number of
passengers who have .been in Valdes
attending the terph #t court as wit
nesses to their homes.