VOL 13 VALDEZ, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 1915. NO. 24.
GERMANS CLAIM GREAT GAINS
BERLIN REPORTS TELL OF VICTORIES EAST AND WEST
BIG BATTLE EXPECTED AT IRON GATE OF CARPATHIANS
BRITISH REPORTS INDICATE A GAIN AT N1EUPORT
MOTHERS OF MEN
10 HGH1 WAR
Movement Started By the Real Suf
ferers of the War—Demand
,1 Universal Peace.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29—More
than 3,000 "mothers of men” started
war upon war In the convention held
here last week and have organized
and intend to escure the co-opera
tion of all the women in the United
States and later to spread the gospel
of peace among the nations now en
gaged in a titanic struggle for more
land and greater possessions.
The convention was characterized
by earnestness and enthusiasm and
was so well attended that an over
flow meeting was necessary.
The women insist that the real
burdens of war fall upon them and
the children, and further, that they
do not intend to spend years of hard
labor rearing boys into manhood on
ly to send them to slaughter by the
millions because of the call of the
war lords of the world.
MEXICO CITY
c CHANGES HANDS
Gen. Obregon and Army Enter Capi
tal of Mexico—Street Fight
ing for Hours.
MEXICO CITY, Jan. 29.—Gen. Ob
regon and his army reached this city
today and after a hard fight with the
Villa and Zapata forces succeeded in
forcing the Villa supporters from the
capital and establishing order. The
street fighting lasted all of last night
and this morning and as a result sev
eral thousand people were killed.
Sniping from windows and roofs was
common.
Hardly a residence in the city but
has been looted of every thing of val
ue. the residences of foreigners, who
have fled, were broken into and rob
bed. The few foreigners in the city
I were gathered in the foreign quar
ter and were armed to defend them
selves from the mobs but no attempt
was made to molest them.
The condition in Mexico is worse
tf>day than at any time in the past
three years. Instead of one or two
provisional presidents the republic,
now has almost a dozen different pro
visional presidents, all backed by
prmed forces fighting, living on
- * the country, taxing the producers and
robbing those who refuse to aid un
til conditions all over the republic
are desperate.
The last load of the Kraemer out
fit left Valdez for the summit today.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Kraemer went out
this morning. Charles Kraemer will
remain until the Mariposa goes south,
when Mrs. Kraemer and Miss Kraem
er leave for the states, after which
he will go inside for the summer.
Berlin Sends Report of Victory By Von Hindenburg Near Warsaw and the Cap
ture of the Russian First Line of Trenches—War Supplies Reach Ru
mania—Fate of Servia Depends Upon Outcome of Battle At Junction of
Servian, Rumanian and Austrian Borders—British Repulsed In Attacks on
German Trenches at La Bassee.
BERLIN, Jan. 29, by wireless teleg
raphy to London.—The daily official
statement issued by the German army
headquarters announces today that
in an engagement near Perthes, on
the centre of the battle-line in
France, the Germans have recaptur
ed the parts of some trenches which
had been stormed by the French, and
that the Germans inflicted heavy
losses on their opponents. Fresh Ger
man successes are claimed in the
Argonne region, and the statement
also reports that French attacks at
La Boisselle and at a point north of
Soissons were repuls d.
German Rule In Poland.
BERLIN, Jan. 29.—Announcement
ds made here that the portion of
Russian Poland occupied by the Ger
mans has been provided with a civil
administration under Herr von Bran
denstein.
- !
Austrians To Crush Servians.
BERLIN, Jan. 29.—The Servians
are rushing troops to the iron gate
of the Carpathians, which is situated
at the junction of Austria, Serviaand
Rumania. The Austrians have also
been sending strong forces to that
point and a big battle is expected.
Reports received here are to the ef
fect that a large body of German
troops have been sent to aid the Aus
trians in crushing the Servians.
Turks Resume Offensive.
The Turkish troops in the Trans
ca^u casus region have resumed the
offensive. Three armies have been
sent to invade the Russian provinces
and capture Batum, a coast town of
the Black Sea of considerable im
portance to the Russians. One army
has been sent from Biaburt, another
northeast from Erzerum, while the
third army of three army corps is In
the neighborhood of Eriwan. The re
sult of the renewed and unexpected
Turkish invasion has been that large
Russian reinforcements have been
sent to the Caucasus region from the
line in Galicia. The Russian offen
sive in the Carpathians has been
weakened as a result.
Berlin Reports French Repullsed.
BERLIN, Jan. 29.—The French
made several attacks last night up
on the German positions near Nieu
port, but failed to carry any of the
trenches and suffered considerable
loss as a result of the attacks upon
the German line, where the many
machine guns were able to play hav
oc with the enemy. The French loss
es are stated to be fully 3,500 in
killed, wounded and captured.
English Also Repulsed.
The British attempt to retake the
lost positions south of La Bassee
have failed. One attack followed an
other, but the German artillery was
exceptionally well handled and suc
ceeded in doing frightful execution
upon the British soldiers.
Aeroplanes Spot Batteries.
The German aeroplanes operating
over the British positions were able
to locate the English field guns and
caused the destruction of many bat
teries.
Rumania Gets War Supplies.
LONDON, Jan. 9.—There are in
creasing indications of the early par
ticipation of Rumania in the war.
Difficulties confronted the Allies in
the earlier stages of the war in fur
nishing munitions, equipment, and
other necessities of war beyond
those required for their own imme
diate needs. These difficulties now
have been surmounted, and the ob
stacle which hitherto has blocked full
Rumanian mobilization has been re
moved with the arrival in that coun
try of the requisite supplies for the
equipment and provisioning of the
600,000 men which she is able to put
into the field. Arrangements have
been completed also for the financ
ing of these operations.
Allies Gain Near Nieuport.
PARIS, Jan. 29—The infantry have
finally secured a footing in the Ger
man trenches near Nieuport. The
artillery is making every effort '.o
support the troops in the forward
trenches and are shelling the Ger
man line, continuously throwing shot
after shot into the kaiser’s line to
prevent them retaking the trenches,
while the French troops are slowly
digging their way forward, building
new entanglements and preparing to
hold the ground gained.
Heavy Fighting At Ypres, Lens and
Arras.
The Allies holding positions at
Ypres, Lens and Arras have been
pounding away at the German line
so as to prevent the sending of re
inforcements to the troops holding
the line at Nieuport. In the sectiom.
mentioned the French and British
have massed several thousand can
non which are bombarding the Ger
man line day and night, giving them
no rest.
Ships Shell Germans.
The British monitors have been
aiding the land forces by shelling the
trenches of the enemy near the shore,
forcing them to evacuate many
of the coast trenches.
Activity Near Thom.
PETROGRAD, Jan. 9.—The war of
fice states that the Rusisan offen
sive continues near Thorn and the
advance along the right bank of the
Vistula is being pushed with great
vigor and that the Germans are giv
ing way before the terrific blows by
the Russian forces.
Russians Defeated In East Prussia.
BERLIN, Jan. 29.—The Russian op
erations in East Prussia have been
halted as a result of the check giv
en them at Gumbinnen today. The
Russians attempted to take the
city and suffered tremendous losses
in the attacks upon fortified German
trenches but were unable to break
through the line. .
German Victory In Poland.
The war office has Issued an official
statement tonight claiming that in
central Poland the Germans have
captured all the outpost trenches of
•of the Germans, which are now occu
pied by the Germans in spite of se
vere counter attacks made by the
czar’s troops. The grip by Gen. von
Hindenburg upon the citjc of War
saw is tightening every day and his
lines are drawing nearer to the capi
tal of Poland.
Russians Lose Verezka Pass.
VIENNA, Jan. 29.—The Russians
have been driven from the Verezka
pass in the Carpathian mountains,
l'he capture of the strongly fortified
position will be of great advantage in
(Continued on page 2.)
SLIPPERY CROOK
IS PINCHED
Fred Coleman, Who Passed Worth
less Checks On Valdez Bank &
Trust Co., Is Caught.
The Valdez Bank & Trust Co. re
ceived advices on the last boat that
Fred Coleman, alias Walter S. Rog
ers, alias Fred Frazer, alias Chap
pelle, had been taken into custody in
Nashville, Tenn., last month and was
taken to Minneapolis for trial on the
charge of having passed two checks,
one for $1,200 and another for $500,
both drawn on the Valdez Bank &
Trust Co. and worthless because of
the lack of funds.
Fred Coleman was the name he
signed to the checks and he pur
chased an automobile from the Nor
thwestern Automobile Company, of
Minneapolis, with the checks to which
he had forged the bank’s certification.
Coleman spent some weeks last
summer in Cordova and Valdez.
ALASKA RAILROAD SURVEY
UNDER SECRETARY LANE
NO OFFICIAL INFORMATION*CONCERNING REPORT OF COMMIS
SION HAS BEEN GIVEN OUT—ALASKANS IN WASHINGTON
BELIEVE WORK OF CONSTRUCTION NOT BE DELAYED.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29.—President
Wilson today issued an order direct
ing that the Alaska Engineering Com
mission be placed under the control
and direction of Franklin K. Lane,
Secretary of the Interior.
A strong effort has been made to
have the president turn the work ov
er to the War Department because
of the success of that department in
all previous government work, but
the president Issued the new order,
stating that the bill passed by con
gress providing for the building of
the railroad, named the Secretary of
the Interior as supervisor.
Just what effect the order will have
upon the work is not known, but
Alaskans are confident that It will
not delay the building. The question
of the appropriation of the money
needed to start the work is undecid
ed. Nobody knows what the commis
sion will recommend. The statements
regarding the intention ot the admin
istration are guesswork. Some re
ports have it that the commission
will be sent back to Alaska for more
data; others that the report will be
made on Feb. 1, and still another
that the report is scheduled for Feh.
15.
Taft and Colonel May Testify.
WASHINGTON* Jan. 29.—Ex-Pres
ident Taft, Gov. Goethals of the Pan
ama Canal Zone, and possibly ex
President Roosevelt will be witness
es at the trial of John Burke, ex
manager of the Commissary Depart
ment of the Canal, indicted for ac
cepting a bribe. The trial 'Vflll begin
in New York on Feb. 2.
WIRE DRAG FOR
ALASKA WAFERS
Washington Congressman States That
Congress Will Pass Appropria
tion Needed.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29—Congress
man Humphrey, of the state of Wash
ington, announced today that he was
certain that the present congress
would appropriate the $50,000 neces
sary to purchase a wire drag and
operate It in the waters of Alaska in
order to find the many pinnacle rocks
which are frequently the cause of
some steamer sinking, and occasional
ly cause the loss of many lives.
Secretary Redfleld of the Depart
ment of Commerce is urging the ap
propriation of enough money to pro
vide more lights and aids for navi
gation besides the wire drag net.
Congressman Humphrey introduced
the bill and is pushing it through the
House. Senator Jones will aid in its
passage ii the Senate.
STEEL TRUST AIDS
ITS EMPLOYEES
$500,000 Divided As Pensions Among
Employees During 1914—Pro
fit Sharing Plan.
PITTSBURG, Jan. 29.—The United
States Steel Corporation paid over
$500,000 to its workers during the
past year from the pension fund
maintained by the company for the in
jured and sick men in its employ.
The company has found the new sys
tem working excellently and will ex
tend its scope to take in more ot
tihe men and also provide for an old
age pension.
Under the pension rule of the com
pany the families of those killed in
the employ of the company, whether
as a result of their own carelessness
and fault or not, are well provided for
according to the number of depend
ents left fatherless.
The profit-sharing with the em
ployees will also be broadened and
in 1915 several millions will be di
vided among the men working for
the corporation.
UNCLE SAM IS
FACING DEFICIT
McAdoo Tell* Cabinet That Shortage
of $10,000,000 Is Certain By
July First
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29.—At the
conference held yesterday by the pres
ident with cabinet officials and oth
er high government officers, Secre
tary McAdoo stated that it would be
impossible to tell what legislation
would be needed to provided revenue
for the government until the war is
over, as the changed financial con
dition, loss of imports, large exports,
new industries and other changed
conditions of business in the United
States makes it uncertain to esti
mate on the revenue of the govern
ment.
secretary McAdoo, However, insists
that at the end of the fiscal year the
expenditures of the government will
be in excess of the receipts by at
least $10,000,000 and as much more
as the members of congress appro
priate above the estimates of the
heads of the departments.
Lack of funds is a cause of great
worry to the administration and Pres
ident Wilson and Secretary McAdoo
do not wish to resort to a sale of
treasury bonds at this time, but would
prefer to raise the money by an In
crease in the taxes through the re
duction of the limit on tax on in
comes from $3,000 to $1,500 or even
to $1,000 per annum.
C. W. Cook, the government school
teacher at Tatitlek, spent a few hours
in Valdez today and then returned
to his post down the sound.