~~~3 VALDEZ, ALASKA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1915. NO. 11.
SOISSONS TRENCHES CAPTURED
KAISER IN COMMAND THREATENS FRENCH CAPITAL
BERLIN REPORTS BIG GAINS MADE IN CENTRAL POLAND
RUSSIANS AGAIN RESUME OFFENSIVE IN EAST PRUSSIA
TWO BATTLESHIPS
WILL BE BUILT
Also Six Torpedo Boat Destroyers,
Sixteen Submarines and a Hos
pital Ship.
V -
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14—The Na
val Committee of the House has re
ported favorably upon the two battle
ships plan and recommends that two
dreadnoughts be laid down in 1915 to
cost $7,500,000 each. Six torpedo boat
destroyers are also to be built and
16 submarines. A hospital transport
ship is recommended and the total
appropriation will be $23,000,000.
An effort will be made in the House
to include two battle cruisers in the
building plan for 1915. It is pointed
out by members of congress that ihe
European nations have fast battle
cruisers of the Invincible type which
can make 28 knots an hour and they
carry heavy armament. These ships
have no equal in the American navy,
thus leaving the command of the sea
to th6 • fast commerce destroyers of
the other nations.
Congressman Gardner points out
that England has several ships of this
type which have just been completed
and which make 33 knots an ho.ir
and he would have the American navy
build several similar vessels.
AMERICAN BOAT
IS RELEASED
Governor Allowed To Go But Contra
band Is Taken From Cargo and
Held In Canada.
VANCOUVER, B. C., Jan. 14.—The
naval authorities today released the
American steamer Governor and al
lowed the boat to go but the cargo
of hides which was on the ship was
taken from the hold and are held here
subject to the action of the prize
court.
Hides have been made contraband
of war and thus can be seized on the
high seas by the British if they are
consigned to a port from which they
may be transshipped to a belligerent.
STEAMER ALAMEDA
REACHBSEATTLE
The steamer Alameda of the Alaska
Sj/tadmship Company reached here this
morning from the north and will leave
this port on- Jan. 16 on the return
trip. The northbound travel has re
sumed and steamship men predict
that from now on each boat will take
a larger number of passengers north.
Mr. and Mrs. A. B. lies came over
today from the hydroelectric plant.
French Make Desperate Attack Near St. Mihiel But Fail—British Make Assaults
At La Bassee But Likewise Are Driven Back—Attacks Made To Relieve
French At Soissons Which Is Only 60 Miles From Paris—Russians Confi
dent Hindenbers’s Army Cannot Force Way Through To Warsaw.
BERLIN, Jan. 14—The Germans
have captured the French trenches at
Siossons and heavy reinforcements
have been sent to the scene to hold
tthe advantage gained by yesterday’s
fighting and also to push forward to
wards Paris.
Kaiser Commands At Soissons.
Kaiser Wilhelm is commanding the
troops personally in the successful at
tack against the French positions
which guard Paris. The people are
wild with joy at the success in the
fight near Paris and predictions are
made that the capital of France will
soon be invested.
British Lose At La Bassee.
The attack by the British on the
German trenches at La Bassee failed
and the British troops were turned
back with terrible slaughter. The
hidden machine guns swept the on
rushing British troops, cutting them
down by thousands. The British at
tack was made in an effort to relieve
the pressure of the French line at
Soissons, where the break is serious
for the enemy and may result in the
withdrawal of large forces from Flan
ders to aid in the projection of Paris.
French Lose At St. Mihlel.
At St. Mihiel the French made an
effort to divert the German reinforce
ments from Compiegne towards the
west but failed. The German troops
in the trenches, aided by the barbed
wire entanglements and supported by
the field batteries concealed in the
rear, were able to hold the line
against the superior force of French
troops. Gen. Joffre used the flower
of his army In the assault, showing
how desperate Is the fighting to the
east which threatens Paris.
Germans Ready Resume Offensive.
Military experts here insist that the
German general staff is now ready to
resume the offensive in the west, as
the new recruits arid reserves are
ready for service and will be launch
ed against the British and French at
once.
Russians Invade East Prussia.
PETROGRAD, Jan. 14.—The Rus
sian troops in East Prussia have tak
en the offensive and are pushing rap
idly forward. The cold weather of
the past few weeks has closed all the
rivers and lakes and military opera
tions in the Mazur Lake district is
made much easier than on the first,
invasion of Germany last September,
which resulted in the Rusisan defeat
at Allenstein.
' Hindenburg Pounds Russian Line.
Gen. Hindenburg is still pounding
away at the Russian line near War
saw. Day and night attacks are re
ported while the artillery duels are
unending.
Russian Commander Confident.
The Russian commander is confl
dent that the Germans cannot break
through the line of forts built by the
war office for the defense of War
saw. While the stubborn assaults of
the enemy have continued day and
night they have made no change in
the general position about Warsaw.
Austrian Line Attacked.
Against the Austrian positions
along the Nida river the Russians
have launched a savage attack with
superior numbers and the Austro-Ger
man forces are fighting a determin
ed defensive action but are slowly
giving ground. The investment of
Cracow cannot be commenced until
the Teutonic force in western Galicia
has been crushed.
_
Drop Bombs On Warsaw.
LONDON, Jan. 14.—It is reported
from Warsaw that the German avi
ators visited Warsaw last Sunday and
dropped many bombs into the city,
killing several non-combatants and
doing a small amount of damage to
buildings which were hit.
German Railroads Closed To Civil
Traffic.
BERLIN, Jan. 14.—All the railroads
running west have been closed to
civil travel and large forces of troops
from interior points are being rush
ed to the break in the French lines
near Paris. The reinforcements are
being sent from Germany and also
from Austria, indicating how serious
to the enemy is the loss of the forti
fied line at its nearest point to Paris.
The kaiser is himself at the front
directing the operations against the
enemy.
Gains Near Warsaw.
The war office announces that in
two days four separate attacks were
made by the German troops com
manded by Gen. Hindenburg in Cen
tral Poland, and that as a result the
Russians were beaten back to the
last line of forts at Warsaw. Heavy
siege guns are to be sent to the front
Immediately to shell the city and re
duce the forts. Some of the reports
have it that the guns are already at
the front and will soon be throwing
shells into the capital of Poland.
No Overseas Soldiers Lost.
PARIS, Jan. 14.—The allied fleets
have succeeded in protecting the
transportation from all parts of tne
British and French empire and con
centrated them in northern France
without the loss of a man in spite
of the fact that the Germans had
cruisers in various oceans at the out
break of the war. French troops
have been brought from Algeria,
Tunis, East Africa, Morocco, Mada
gascar and Tonking, and the British
have brought soldiers from Canada,
Australia, Africa and from the Brit
rContlnued on page 2.)
THOUSANDS KILLED BY EARTHQUAKE IN ITALY
BRITISH HAVE
LOST MANY SHIPS
In Four Months Ships Valued At $11,
400,000 Captured and Had Car
goes Worth $18,800,000.
LONDON, Jan. 14.—During the first
four months of the war, fifty-four
British foreign-going ships, valued at
$11,400,000, with' cargoes worth $18,
800,000, were captured or destroyed by
the enemy. These are the official fig
ures of the Liverpool and London Wur
Risks Insurance Association.
According to these figures, the loss
es for four months were 1.23 per cent,
of the total number of vessels, 1.49
per cent, of their total value, and 0.94
per cent, of the total cargoes carried.
This would indicate that the ves
sels could have been insured at a
rate of 0.37 per cent, monthly, and
their cargoes at a rate of 0.94 per
cent. The rates fixed by the govern
ment at the beginning of the war
were 0.72 for vesesls and 1.24 for car
goes. This shows a snug margin of
profit for the underwriters.
Subscribe for the Prospector.
ROME, Jan. 14.—Fully 12,000 peo
ple were killed and 20,000 Injured in
Italy yesterday as a result of the
earthquake which shook this country
from one end to the other. The dam
age to property is several hundred
millions including the loss of many
of the famous old structures which
cannot be replaced.
No earthquake In a hundred years
has done the damage of the quake
yesterday. The shocks were very .se
vere.
The quake traveled from Sicily
northeast and reached to the Adriat
ic. The greatest damage was done
In the city of Avezzano, fifty miles
east of here, where 10,000 people lost
their lives.
Railroad bridges and tunnels have
been destroyed and railroad traffic in
consequence is at a standstill.
Few lives were lost in this city, but
the property damage is heavy, church
es, hospitals, masterpieces have been
wrecked. In the small villages near
here the damage has also been se
vere.
King Victor has left on a special
train for the scene of the worst ha
voc and several regiments of troops
were sent to the scene to aid the
stricken people.
WHEAT TAKES
; ANOTHER JUMP
CHICAGO, Jan. 14.—Wheat took a
big jump yesterday afternoon and the
highest price teas reached as the gong
rang for closing, and $1.43 a bushel
was the high price. Some predict
that wheat will go to $2.00 a bushel
before the new crop Is placed on the
market. The government investiga
tion continues and the bakers are aid
ing the government because they in
sist that unless the price of flour is
reduced the cost of read must' go up
with less profit to them and con
stant trouble to explain to the public
that the raise is caused by the high
price of wheat
TERM OF COURT
FEBRUARY 15TH
Judge F. M. Brown, who Is now In
California, has instructed Clerk of the
Court Arthur Lang to give notice of
a term of court to be held in Valdez
commencing Feb. 15. No juries will
be drawn as the court will consider
only equity cases. Judge Brown will
leave Seattle on Jan. 24 returning to
Valdez.
Japan's Envoy To World’s Fair.
TOKIO, Jan. 14.—The Japanese cab
inet has designated Admiral Baron
Shigeto Dewa as a special envoy to
the Panama-Pacific exposition.
V •
NO R R. ROUTE
BEEN SELECTED
Commissioner Thomas Riggs Wires
the Prospector That Selection
Is Still “In the Air."
Washington, D. C., Jan. 14, 1915.
Valdez Daily Prospector,
Valdez, Alaska:
All routes still under consideration.
No decision yet.
THOMAS RIGGS.
The above message was received
this morning by the Prospector from
Thomas Riggs, a member of the Alas
ka Engineering Commission who is
now In Washington, and to whom the
Prospector wired with a request for a
statement regarding the selection of a
route for the proposed Alaska govern
ment railroad.
The message indicates that the
commission has not as yet finished
its work and that the final report has
yet to reach the president, who has
the authority to select the route for
the proposed trans-Alaska railroad.
The Prospector office for job work.
President Wilson Did Not Intend To
Antagonize Senators By His
Appointments.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.—The pa
tronage fight between President Wil
son and the Democratic members ot
the Senate will soon be over. It is
understood that the president wants
harmony and that he did not intend
to antagonize the senators by making
appointments objectionable to them.
Friends of the president have been
endeavoring for several days to heal
the breach between the Democratic
members of the upper House and the
chief executive, as they feared the
patronage fight would result in the
defeat of the president’s measures
besides splitting the party and endan
gering the chances of re-election.
The., friends of the administration
are now bending every effort towards
pushing through legislation that will
strengthen the party with the people
and a fight between the leaders
would have the opposite effect. The
president is expected to withdraw the
names of the objectionable candidates
and will substitute the names of the
men favored by the senators.
Canadian Authorities Place Troopers
On Trial for Fort Erie
Shooting.
BRIDGEBURG, Ont„ Jan. 14—The
three soldiers who while patroling the
waters near Fort Erie on Dec. 26, shot
an American duck hunter and injured
his companion, have been placed on
trial charged with manslaughter.
The Canadian government has
agreed to pay to the widow of the
dead man and to the injured man
a considerable sum of money. The
troopers will be charged with man
slaughter and the shooting investigat
ed.
No matter what the outcome of the
investigation the Dominion govern
ment will pay the claims of the rel
atives of the Americans rather than
have any trouble regarding the mat
ter.
HALIBUT SELL FOR
12 CENTS POUND
SEATTLE, Jan. 14.—Halibut fish
sold for 12 cents a pound today, the
highest price for two years. The de
mand In the east Is increasing because
of the high price of meat and all the
fish offered finds a ready market