VOLUME XIV. VALDEZ, ALASKA, TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1916 NUMBER 8
I
American Government Will Demand
Reparation for the Loss of
American Lives.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 4.—
The new crisis arising between the
Austrian and American governments
over the sinking of the British liner
Persia which was torpedoed by an
Austrian submarine in the Mediterra
nean Sea, has caused President Wil
son to hurrifc—/ return from Hot
Springs to the capital.
Secretary Lansing of the State de
partment, has received more com
plete details of the sinking of the
vessel by cable from Alexandria,
Egypt, where the survivors were
landAd by a steamer which had picked
np She Persia’s life boats.
lW« now definitely known that two
hundred persons perished when the
liner sank after having been torpe
doed and that Consul McNealy with
two other American citizens, are
among the drowned.
Secretary Lansing has stated that
there is grave danger of the diplo
matic relations between the United
States and the Austrian governments
being broken. The United States will
demand a complete and prompt rep
aration by the Austrian government
in so far as possible for the loss of
the American lives as well as the dis
avowal of the sinking of the liner.
The situation is regarded as crlti
cial in the extreme and it is believed
that should the Austrian government
attempt to evade the direct issue that
diplomatic relations between the Uni
ted States and the dual monarchy of
the Austro-Hungarian governments
will be severed.
TINKER EXPLODES:
BROOKLYN DRYDOCK
Mysterious Explosion on Norwegian
Ship Causes Many Deaths and
Damages Big Drydock.
\
A
NEW YORK, Jan. 3.—Twenty per
sons were instantly killed and scores
are missing as a result of an explo
sion which took place yesterday aft
ernoon on a Norwegian tank ship
while the vessel was in the Brooklyn
drydoek. The tanker had just re
turned from France and had entered
the drydock to be overhauled.
The explosion was so terrific that
it blew the ship to pieces, many work
men being killed and injured who
were some distance from the scene of
the accident.
The cause of the explosion is a
mystery which is being investigated
as it is not believed that had it been
dne to gas that the vessel would have
been so completely destroyed.
Intense excitement prevailed fol
lowing the explosion as it was report
ed that the ship had been loaded with
dynamite and sent into the drydock
for the purpose of wrecking it, and
was part of the conspiracies, for
.which scores are now under arrest.
It is reported that the drydock was
badly damaged and that it will re
quire' weeks before it is again in com
mission.
STORM AND EARTHQUAKE
CRIPPLE CABLE SERVICE
NEW YORK, Jan. 4.—The terrific
storm which has been raging on the
Atlantic for several days, combined
vrmfa the earthquakes which have
both experienced at many points on
the coast, has seriously crippled the
trane-Aatlantic cable service. It is
reported that several of the cables
are out of commission, resulting in
messages being delayed owing to their
being routed over other lines.
i —■ . IS—I n > ■
Mayor Boyle was an outgoing pas
senger on the Admiral Evans for the
States an'd will be absent for several
months. He will visit the California
coast cities before going tb Philadel
phia where he will meet Mrs. Boyle.
WASHINGTON REGARDS THE AUSTRIAN
SITUATION AS CRITICAL IN EXTREME
WASHINGTON, D. C„ Jan. 4.—
President Wilson arrived here today
from Hot Springs, having been sum
moned by the new crisis which has
arisen between the governments of
Austria and the United States thru
the sinking of the British liner Per
sia, causing the loss of several Ameri
can lives.
President Wilson has announced
that the moment the facts of the tor
pedoing of the liner Persia, and the
steamers Glengyle and Stoswold had
been established that he would take
action to demand an immediate rep
aration from the governments under
whose instructions the submarines
sinking the vessels were acting.
Immediately after his arrival at
the White House President Wilson
called Senator William M. Stone and
other members of the Senate foreign
PRESIDENT WILSON IMMEDIATELY SUMMONED MEMBERS OF THE
CABINET AND FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE OF SENATE TO
CONFERENCE AT WHITE HOUSE WHEN SINKING OF THE PER.
SIA AND OTHER VESSELS BY SUBMARINES WAS DISCUSSED.—
BELIEVED THAT DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH AUSTRIAN
GOVERNMENT WILL BE BROKEN—SURVIVORS REPORT THAT
SHIP WAS TORPEDOED UNWARNED AND SANK WITHIN SIX
MINUTES AFTER BEING HIT. .
relations committee into conference
when the sinking of the passenger
ships by the Austrian submarines
was fully discussed.
Following the conference of the
foreign relations committee the
White House, Secretary Tumulty
told reporters that the government
was employing every means in its
power to get the true facts regarding
the sinking of the vessels and the
fates of the American citizens who
are reported to have been lost. He
admitted that the situation was very
grave, and expressed the fear that dip
lomatic relations between the Aus
trian and American governments
would be broken.
It Is reported late this afternoon
that Sfjretary Lansing is in receipt
of a cable from Malta stating that
eleven of the survivors of the Persia
had been landed there and that they
have made sworn affidavits that the
vessel was torpedoed unwarned. It
is said the passengers and crew were
given no opportunity of seeking saf&>
ty as the ship plunged to the bottom
within six minutes after being hit.
That the situation is regarded as
critical in the extreme was manifest
when congress convened today. The
members of the foreign relations
committee spent more than two hours
in conference with President Wilson,
Secretary Lansing and other mem
bers of the cabinet, at the White
House but have refused to give out
any information as to the decision
reached.
SEIZED IT SEWARD
Seattle Brewing * Malting Company
Will be Prosecuted for Attempt
ing to Grade the Law.
The United States marshal's office
has received advices from Seward
stating that ten cases of beer had
been seised by the deputy there'. The
shipment was made from Seattle by
the Seattle Brewing & Malting Co.,
and was consigned to F. H. Bechett,
one of the whiskey peddlers who was
recently convicted at Anchorage on
the charge of selling liquor without
a license.
It is believed the goods were part
of the shipment made to Anchorage
late last fall and which failed to reach
their destination, and were unloaded
at Seward.
Action will be taken against the
Seattle Brewing & Malting company,
as the shipment of liquor was billed
as meats and groceries, rendering
them subject to prosecution under
Penal Code 240. It is understood
that the brewery company has been
following this practice tor some time
and that the grand jury at the recent
term held in Valdez returned indict
ments against the officers of the com
pany for having made similar ship
ments to Chitina and other interior
points in the hope of evading the vig
ilance of the authorities.
iS
Will be Succeeded by Capt. Nolan,
Who Comes from Texas where
He Commands Company I.
Lieut. A. C. Dougherty, officer in
charge of the U. S. Military telegraph
and cable system for the coast divi
sion, has received advices from Seat
tle stating that Capt. Robert M. No
lan had been ordered to Valdez to
relieve him, and instructing him to
report at Seattle.
Lieut. Dougherty, who has been’ in
Alaska for two and one-half years, Is
due to return to the cavalry next
March as required by the army regu
lation after an absence of four years
In other duties, He will report at
Seattle, but has received no intelli
gence as to where he will probably
be stationed.
Mrs. Dougherty and family are
now visiting her parents at Spearflsh,
S. D., and will join him at Seattle
should he be stationed there for any
length of time.
Pure Fresh Drugs at the Valdez
Drug Store. *
VILLA GENERAL IS
IN PORTLAND JAIL
Fleeced the Farmer* of Western
States Out of $50,000 by For
geries in Past Ten Years.
i
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 4.—George
Thorn, an American, and a former
general In the Villa army, • has been
arrested here f or’impersonating Mil
ton Whitney, chief of the bureau of
soils, under the department of agri
culture.
The federal officers who made the
arrest say that Thorne has been want
ed for many years, but that it was
not until recently that the dashing
rebel general was connected with the,
passing of bogus checks among the
western farmers who believed they
were being honored by personal vis
its of the noted agriculturist.
When given a preliminary trial
yesterday Thorne confessed that he
had made and spent $50,000 during
the past ten years through forgeries
and in promoting fake schemes. He
stated that he was enabled to elude
the vigilance of the police by return
ing to Mexico after he had made a
raid among the farmers, many of
whom he worked a second time.
POBTOFFICE BE OPEN
FOR SHORT TIME
____
Postmaster Jefferson has announc
ed that Should the Alameda, which
carries nine days’ mail, arrive tomor
row between the hours ot 9 a. m. and
6 p. m. that the office will be open
for one hour after the distribution
of the first class mail, when it will
again be closed in order to distribute
the second class matter.
Postmaster Jefferson and his assis
tants are doing good work consider
ing the conditions under which they
laboring, as no conveniences were
provided by the government since the
destruction of the postoffice by fire
last July. It is expected that the new
quarters for the postoflice in the
Kanitz building will be ready for oc
cupancy in the near future when lock
boxes will be made available.
ACTING MAYOR KING
WILL PRESIDE TONIGHT
The Valdez city council will meet
in regular session at the City hall
this evening when Acting Mayor H.
P. King will preside, owing to the ab
sence of Mayor Boyle from the city.
Councilmah Ed Wood will also he
absent as he is making a trip to Se
attle to purchase more horses. The
city treasurer is preparing the de
linquent tax list for publication and
reports that it will contain approxi
mately as many parcels as that of last
year.
Very Hot Staff.
Have you Seen that comedy of com
edies, “Captain Racket”* ! Wednes
day night it will be given the last
time at the Liberty. Adults 50c;
children, 25c.
KAI POSTPONES
HIS CORONATION
Four More Provinces Have Revolted
Against the Restoration of
Chinese Monarchy. <
PEKING, Jan. 4.—President Yuan
Shai Kai has announced that he has
caused his coronation as emperor of
China to be postponed until the rev*
olution against the restoration of the
monarchy has been crushed.. He nas
ordered a general mobilization of the
Chinese troops and has announced
that a vigorous campaign will be in
augurated against the rebels of the
interior provinces.
It is reported that General Shun,
ruler of the province of Kiangs, who
revolted and set up an independent
republic, has attracted thousands of
the Chinese troops to his army and
in preparing to invade provinces the
rulers of which favor the restoration
of the monarchy. It is also reported
that four more provinces have revolt
ed against Yuan Shal Kai as empe
ror, and that more are preparing to
take similar action.
The president believes the rebels
are receiving support from the Japa
nese government as that country pro
tested against the abolition of the re
publican form of government in Chi
na, although itself a monarchy.
SEWARD HOSPITAL IS
NEARING COMPLETION
The Seward Gateway says that the
new. $12,000 hospital which is under
construction there will be ready for
occupancy before the middle of the
present month, and that it will afford
accommodation for fourteen beds,
while twenty could be used under
congestion. The hospital is being
erected under the supervision of
Father Van der Pol, of the Catholic
church. Tpe Alaskan Engineering
commission has awarded the hospital
a contract for caring for its em
ployes. The surgical'room will be
equipped by the physicians of Sew
ard and it is expected that the fra
ternal brotherhood will each furnish
rooms of their own for any of the
brotherhood who may become ill.
TEN PASSENGERS ON
ALAMEDA FOR VALDEZ
The steamer Alameda of the Alas
ka Steamship company’s fleet, which
left Juneau at 9 o'clock yesterday
forenoon en route to Cordova, Is ex
pected to arrive there early this eve
ning and should be In Valdes some
time tomorrow. She brings ten pas
sengers for Valdes and nine days
mall. The passenger list as cabled
to the Prospector last Friday from
Seattle is as follows: Joe Stanton,
Fanny Laky, Fanny Wensell, I.
Schrader, Judge Bunnell, Alfred B.
lies, E. Pulver, C. Milllken and wife,
and Mrs. Emery.
M, A* Fern was an outgoing pas
senger on the Admiral Evans Satur
day night for the States.
FORD DELEGATION
ARRIVES AT RAGDE
German Government Avert* Whole
sale Desertion* of the Expedi
tion Before Work Begun.
OOFENHAOJ5N, Jan. 4. -The party
of fifty students who are members of
the Henry Ford peace expedition
have rejoined the party as the Ger
man government has averted whole
sale desertions of the expeumon oy
permitting the delegates to travel
through Germany to Holland in or
der to hold their conference at the
Hague.
A special train was provided tor
the party by the German government
and the delegates were rushed thru
German territory into Holland dur
ing Friday. The Ford peace delega
tion was accompanied by the repre
sentatives of the Swedish peace soci
eties who are in sympathy with the
movement
Henry Ford, who is now in Newj
York, has cabled his secretary, who
remained with the party, to spare no
expense if the plans of the expedi
tion can be brought to fruition.
It is reported that the peace ship
Oscar will be brought around from
Stockholm and will sail from Am
sterdam for New York as the dele
gates fear to take chances on travel
ing in the North Sea owing to the ac
tivities of the German submarines.
GAN GOME BACK
Performance Will be Repeated at Lib
erty Theatre Tomorrow Night
and Should Draw Crowd.
The Valdez people who were un
able to witness the Literary Society’s
production of "Captain Racket," the
three-act comedy at the Liberty the
atre last week owing to the inclem
ent weather, will have the opportuni
ty tomorrow evening when the per
formance will be repeated by special
request.
The previous performances have
given the show much favorable ad
vertising and It is expected, that the
honse will be crowded.
Mrs. Albert White, manager of the
Liberty theatre, kindly donated the
use of the house for the coming en
tertainment in order to encourage the
students in their efforts to secure
funds for the better equipment of the
school laboratory and to provide new
books for the school library.
We guarantee when left to us to
Install machinery to give satisfac
tion. Valdes Iron Works, tu-tf.
WOULD REGULATE
TRE NEWSPAPERS
—"
General Hcott Urges Legislation ht
] Provide for Censorship of
Press During Time of War.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4.—Briga
dier General Hugh L. Scott, chief of
staff of the United States army, in hitt
annual report to the War department
recommends legislation providing for
a censorship such as is maintained by
the various European nations during
war times. He asks that an officer
be appointed by the department to
confer with newspaper men and to
frame legislation which congress will
be asked to approve at the present
session.
In an interview regarding his re
port General Scott asserts that he has
no desire to be regarded as attempt
ing to curtail the liberties of the press
but that his experiences during the
Mexican crisis have convinced him
some sort of legislation is necessary
to prevent false reports being sent
broadcast by the news gathering
agencies.
He declares that correspondents
who accompanied the troops to Vera
Cruz in 1914. as well as along the
Mexican border during the past year,
circulated reports which had no foun
dation in fact, and that military oper
ations are hampered by the movement
of troops being published in advance.
The editors of the country are se
verely criticising the attempt of the
war department to curtail the free
doom of the newspapers and will
fight the plan to establish the perni
cious censorship of Europe in the Uni
ted States.
ill m
THE NEAR BEER
Beattie Police are .Suspicious of the
Great Number of "Soft Drink"
Establishments Opened.
SEATTLE, Jan. 4.—The enforcing
of prohibition in this state has caused
many imitations of beer to be placed
on sale at the cafes and scores of soft
drink establishments which have been
opened during the past few days. One
near beer, which has found favor
with the patrons of the cafes, is re
ported to contain eight-tenths of one
per cent alcohol, and is betng inves
tigated by the authorities.
Chief Lang, of the police depart
ment. states that no infractions of
the new law has been reported as yet
nor are any anticipated for some time.
He says habitual users of liquor who
were financially able to do so bought
a supply before the law went into ef
fect and that they will not be seeking
more until their store is exhausted.
It is through this class of people that
the police will work in preventing
blind pigs from operating.
The police are suspicious of the
great number of drug and cigar stores
which are opening in the locations
formerly occupied by the saloons, es
pecially in ihe district frequented by
the laboring element. Druggists will
be required to practice the same
stringent rules of registration as re
quired by the federal government in
supplying injurious drugs on prescrip
tions issued by physicians.
Brand New Tonight
A complete change of program at
the Liberty theatre tonight a show
well worth seeing as follows:
A fine thrilling and appealing three
reel feature picture “Through the
Fires of Temptation”.
“A Game of Hearts”, a comedy of
merit.
“Just Plain Dog”.a laugh from the
start to the finish.
“The Ranch Girls Measurmeht”
Making a total of Ore excellent
reels of film at the Liberty theatre
tonight.
P. S. Don’t forget amateur night
Friday OOfip good attractions.