VOLITME XIV VALDEZ, ALASKA, MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1916 NUMBER 91
GERMANY IS ANXIOUS TO
KEEP FRIENDLY RELATIONS
CHANCELLOR WIRES LONG INSTRUCTIONS TO VON BERN8TORFF
AND SAV8 GERMANY IS WILLING TO MEET UNITED STATES
MORE THAN HALF WAY—FRENCH MINISTER SAYS THE SUSSEX
WAS TORPEDOED BY GERMAN SUBMARINE—STATEMENT IS
MADE BY PASSENGERS THAT WAKE OF TORPEDO WAS PLAIN
!,Y VISIBLE—GERMANS PERTURBED.
BERLIN, April 17.—It is semi
officially stated here that the govern
ment is very anxious to adjust ihe
'difficulty regarding the Sussex affair
-with the United States. The officials
mj they are willing to meet the lat
ter more than half way in bringing
about a settlement of the affair, as it
is declared that Germany is most de
sirous of maintaining amicable rela
tions between the two countries.
THE HAGLEi April 17.—Reports
Jjceived here are to the effect that '.he
ttitude of President Wilson of the
nited States, In regard to the Ger
man reply concerning the Sussex in
cident, has caused considerable per
turbation in German official circles. I t
is said that Germany Is particularly
anxious to maintain friendly relations
with the United States, and will do
everything in her power to prevent a
break in diplomatic relations.
The German Chancellor has sent a
long telegram instructing Ambassa
dor von Bernstorff, at Washington, to
make every possible concession, con
sistent with the honor of the German
government to prevent any break be
tween the two countries.
PARIS, April 17.—The French
minister of marine, in a statement to
day to a correspondent of the Asso
ciated Press, said that the channel
steamer Sussex was deliberately and
premeditatedly torpedoed by a Ger
man submarine. He declared that
the commander of the German sub
marine knew that it was one of the
channel fleet of passenger boats, and
that it could not be mistaken for
any other steamer, as it was in the
clearly defined and well-known chan
nel boat track. He further said that
many witnesses saw the trail of the
torpedo as it approached-the steamer.
NEW YORK, April 17.—The liner
St. Paul of the American Line, arriv
ed here today from Liverpool. The
vessel brought statements from a
number of passengers on the channel
steamer Sussex, showing that the ves
sel was torpedoed. The .passengers
state that the white line marking the
path of the torpedo was plainly visi
ble^ and that there can be no ques
tion whatever as to the cause of the
damage to the vessel.
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 17 -
While President Wilson and Secre
tary Lansing were engaged today
upon the preparation of the note to
Germany regarding the torpedoing
of the Sussex, the news was received
of the sinking of two more vessels
by the German undersea craft.
The steamer Abbey and the bark
Inverleyon werg ( torpedoed off the
British coast without warning and
both sent to the bottom. It is said
that there were American citizens on
both vessels.
DELEGATES ON
WAT TO SEWARD
■i s ? ’/* )V ?
VALDEZ SENDS CONTINGENT
Evans Bears Delegates from South
- eiwtfrn Alaska, Cordova and Inte
rior to the Republican Convention
at Seward.
Delegates to the Republican con
vention at Seward wore a broad smile
today when the news was received
that the steamer Admiral Evans
would be here in ample time to get
them t to the convention city. The
delegates from Valdez are E. *E.
Ritchie, John Lyons, Col. B. F. Mil
lard, Al White, H. P. Sullivan and
Oscar Fish. Louis P. Shackleford of
Juneau, who has been here for sev
eral days looking over the situation,
will also leave on the Evans for the
convention. The Evans also brings
the delegation from Southeastern
Alaska and Cordova and probably the
interior delegation.
MBS. R. P. FERGUSON
PASSES TO BEYOND
Mrs. R. P. Ferguson passed away
thiB morning at the Red Cross hospi
tal after an illness of seven weeks.
Mrs. Ferguson had been a resident
of Valdez for several years, during
which time she gained the love and
respect of every person withi whom
she came in contact. She was a de
votd wife, a fond mother and a true
Mend, and her taking away has
jtoread a pall of gloom over a wide
cwcle of friends. She leaves a hus
band and young daughter to mourn
her loss, to whom is extended the
heartfelt sympathy of the entire com
munity.
Mrs. Ferguson came from Dona
phin. Mo., and was in the thirty-sec
ond year of her life.
Mrs. A1 White will accompany her
husband to Seward, where he is go
ing to attend the Republican conven
tion. t
lit-orge Pulver came up from Port
V, ells Saturday evening.
STATION ON SUMMIT
CLOSED EOR SUMMER
The telegraph station maintained
on the summit of Thompson Pass
-uring the winter months was closed
on the 5th of this month. Private
Ellison, who was stationed there has
been transferred to Teikhell and Pri
vate Solberg to Wortman’s.
Northwestern Due Monday.
The steamer Northwestern passed
Juneau, northbound, Saturday night
at 7 o’clock and is expected to arrive
here some time Monday night or
Tuesday morning.
DROPS BOMBS ON WHITE HOUSE
President and Army Officers with
Powerful Searchlight Seek in Vain
to Pick Out the Airman from the
Clouds.
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 17.—
Deloyd Thompson, an aviator, terri
fied this city Saturday night by a
mock aeroplane raid upon the capitol
grounds to demonstrate how easily an
enemy might destroy ttiQ city. He
dropped a number of bombs about
the capitol grounds. President Wil
son and a number of army officers
watched for the aviator with a pow
erful searchlight, but they were un
able to find the airman.
Deputy Marshal A. F. Hoffman will
leave for Seward on the Admiral Ev
ans, en route to his new .station at
Matanuska.
To-Night
NnavHO ai'iHVHa
In His Latest Success
“The Property Man."
And Three-Reel Drama,
AT THE EMPRESS
Deputy Marshal C. C. Mossman
who took Charles Covey, a prisoner
to Fairbanks for trial, arrived al
Cliitina last evening on the return
trip.
WATCH VALDEZ GROW
-i- '
-*- - ■ * - ~
NOW that the smoke of the civic battle has clear
ed away, don’t you think it would be a good thing to
drop the factional tights that have stirred our city
from center to circumference so long? Don’t you be
lieve that our city would grow faster and that we
would get more of the real joy of living by going
ahead with our daily avocations and allowing the oth
er fellow to do the same ? The coming year promises
great things for Valdez, but we need the united sup
port of our citizens to carry them out. A knocker
and backcapper is hard to eliminate, but we can dis
regard them, if any there be, and all work for the
common good of Valdez.
Wouldn’t it be far better for you and the old
town to have those relations pleasant and agreeable
* instead of approaching your fellow-citzen with your
hand in your hip-pocket ?
We believe it would. The best towns we have
ever seen were those towns where the citizens were
united for the good of the community, no matter what
their personal opinions might be. You don’t have to
believe like the other fellow, but you could at least
get together on the one big project of bettering condi
tions in the place you call your home, '
We know it is hard to lay aside the prejudices of
a decade of civic strife, but won’t you try, for the
good of Valdze ? If you pull one way and v<>ur neigh
bor another, nothing will be accomplished; whereas
unity and goodwill can move mountains.
LePs all drop this grouch. Politics are the last
thing on earth a man should quarrel with his peers
over. No matter who is elected you get the worst of
it; while by pulling together for your town you make
it an abiding place of comfort and great joy.
Think it over and you’ll have to acknowledge we
are right, for from time immemorial a house divided
against itself has not stood.
Let’s get together and
Watch Valdez Grow!
FIERCE FUTILE
ABOVE CLOUDS
RUSSIAN PLANE BROUGHT DOWN
•Armies Near Czernowitz Cease Hos
tilities to watch Thrilling Combat
in Mid-Air Between Russian and
Austrian Aeroplanes.
VIENNA, April 17.—A report has
reached here today that seven Rus
sian aeroplanse attempted to bom
bard the Austrian position at Czern
owitz Saturday.
Austrian aeroplanes answered the
attack and for more than two hours
the. hostile airmen engaged in a
thrilling battie thousands of feet in
the air, .while the armies of both na
tions watched with such interest that
hostilities on the earth were for a
time practically at a standstill. One
of the Russian planes was eventually
brought down and others retired to
within their lines.
DREDGE BOTTOM ELLIOTT BAY
Are Seeking to Recover Portion of
12,000 Bottles Thrown Overboard
from Barges by Police Last Week.
Success Is Not Known.
SEATTLE, April 17.—Some of the
12,000 quart bottles of beer which
were seized on a scow hdre by 'the
police last week, and thrown over
board later, are In a fair way to as
suage the thirst of some of the fish
ermen. A number of the fishermen
are dredging the bottom of the bay in
an attempt to recover some of the
bottles of the amber fluid, but with
what success is not known.
4
LOST—Fraternity pin consisting
of an arrow and small chain, and
hearing the Greek characters Phi
Beta Phi. Finder please return to
Mrs. F. G. Davis.
ASSUME OFFENSIVE AT VERDUN
Official German Bulletin States that
Savage infantry Attacks on Ger
man Positions have been Repulsed
with Losses.
BERLIN. April 17.—An official
bulletin issued today states that the
French assumed the offensive in the
vicinity of Verdun yesterday and
made a number of savage infantry at
tacks on the German positions, but
in each instance the French were re
pulsed.
A heavy artillery Are is being
maintained by both sides, and it is
anticipated that the French again
will attempt to take the German
positions under covery of the artillery
Are.
T r;:;V •
NO MORE TROUBLE EXPECTED
Experts State that Small Slides May
Occur from Time to Time, But Not
Sufficiently Large to Block the Wa
terway Against Traffic..
1 WASHINGTON, C., April 17.—
Advices received here state that the
Panama Canal was opened Saturday
for navigation to all sizes of vessels.
The message states that while there
still reniains much earth to be remov
ed, this will be speedily accomplished,
and it. is believed that no further dif
ficulty will be experienced from slides
at Culebra. Geologists who have ex
amined the ground state that while
small slides may occur from time to
time, they will not be of sufficient
magnitude to block the waterway.
William Morgan left this morning
for his camp on Lowe river, where he
will prepare for his season’s work on
his placer claims.
\ ,t * . * ... 7
NEPHEW OF PRESIDENT CARRANZA IS SAID TO HAVE RECOVERED
BODY AND IS BRINING IT TO CHIHUAHUA — MEXICAN ENVOY
SAYS JAPAN PROMISED TO HELP MEXICO IN CASE OF WAR
WITH THE UNITED STATES—PERSHING'S TROOPS MAY BE
WITHDRAWN, BECAUSE OF DIFFICULTY IN MAINTAINING LINE
OF COMMUNICATION— MEXICANS URGED TO RISE
—
MEXICO CITY, * April 17.—The
Secretary of War here today received
a message confirming the reported
death of Villa from a surgical opera
tion.
According to the message a nephew
of President Carranza found and ex
humed the body of the bandit, who
had been dead for more than two
weeks, and is taking the body to Chi
huahua. A Colonel of Villa's com
mand, who was in charge of the es
cort which attended the burial of Vil
la, surrendered to the troops under
the command of Carranza’s nephew,
and after close questioning, confessed
that the outlaw leader had died fol
fowing an operation for the removal
of his wounded leg. and revealed the
place where the body was buried.
In speaking of the message Gen
eral Obregon, commander of the Car
ranza troops, states that he is not at
this time able to confirm the truth of
the message, but that several mes
sages of similar import have been re
ceived by the department, and he is
convinced that the report is practi
cally true.
EL PASO. April 17.—Several mes
sages have been received by the offi
cials at Jaurez today stating that Vil
la is dead and that the body of the
outlaw has been found. Opinion is
divided here as to whether the bandit
is really dead or whether the reports
are merely a ruse to secure the with
drawal of the United States troops
from Mexico. The preponderence of
opinion, however, is that the repo"t is
truer and that Villa really succumbed
to the operation for the removal of
his wounded leg. as reported some
time ago.
EL PASO. April 17.—General Ra
mon Iturbe, a special envoy of Presi
dent Carranza, arrived here yester
day en route to Japan on a special
mission for the Mexican government.
The envoy is not so close-mouthed
as is ordinarily the case with a per
son bound on as delicate a mission as
Iturbe claims to be, and talked freely
on the subject of his errand. He says
that there has been an understanding
between the Mexican President anjj
Japan, that in the event of a break
between Mexico and the United States
the Japanese were to come to the aid
of Mexico, and for this service were
to be rewarded with various conces
sions in Mexico.
While he does not state positively,
he intimates that the errand on which
he is bound is to secure a positive
promise froiltt Japan that she will aid
Mexico in case of war between the
United States and Mexico.
SAN ANTONIO, April 17.—Gener
al Frederick Funston, commander of
the United States forces connected
with the Mexican expedition, has re
ceived a report on the Parral trouble
from General Pershing, and today
made the following statement re
garding the trouble at that place re
ported a day or two ago.
Funston says that the United
States soldiers were In no way re
sponsible for the trouble and that the
Mexicans were the aggressors thru
out. According to the report from
General Pershing, a number of un
armed soldiers from the American
expedition entered the town for the
purpose of purchasing food. They
were set upon by a number of Mexi
cans, whft fired upon them, killing
two of their number. The soldiers
retreated their detachment and
the troops marched into town and
gave battle to the Mexicans, forty of
whom were killed.
The report of General Pershing
fails to state whether the Mexicans
who fired upon the Americans wore
soldiers or civilians, nor does he state
whether or not thei;e were Mexican
soldiers engaged in the battle which
followed. It Is believed that General
Pershing has dispatchd more troops
to Parral to prevent the occurrence
of further trouble.
General Funston said that he
would advise the War Department
that it would be impossible for the
American expedition to go much
further south unless his force was
largery augmented because of the dif
ficulty now experienced in supplying
the troops with munitions and sup
plies, and the danger that the line of
communication would be immediately
broken in the event of war, as with
his present force he is unable to use
troops to protect the line from the
strong force of Mexicans now gather
ed between the border and the point
reached by Pershing’s expedition.
General Funston is said to have
asked the Deparfment for more troops
some days ago but there has not been
made public what answer, if any. was
made to his request.
WASHINGTON, D. April 17.—
Following a long session of the cabi
net, held Saturday night. President
Wilson announced that he was will
ing to fix a limit on the distance the
American expedition pursuing Villa
should go in Mexico, and which, he
stated, would probably not be much
further south than the point at which
the expedition now is.
The President said that the govern
ment was willing to give assurances
to President Carranza, of Mexico,
that the troops would be withdrawn
at a reasonable time, but that they
would not be ordered out of Mexico
at once. He said he desired to be as
sured that Villa was really deserted
by the greater part of his following,
and was a harmless fugitive, who
would be unable to reorganize his
force. He said the government had
no desire to interfere in the domestic
affairs of Mexico, but that until Presi
dent Carranza was able to demon
strate his ability to prevent Mexican
bandits from crossing the border and
wantonly murdering American citi
zens and destroying their* property,
the United States would have to take
| an active part in putting down the
outlaws, and preventing a repetition
of the raids which have so harrassed
the border town for some months
past.
May Comply With Demand.
WASHINGTON. D. C., April 17.—
Secretary of War Baker in an inter
view yesterday, stated that co-opera
tion with President Carranza, of
Mexico, was absolutely essential even
to the extent of carrying out the de
mands of the Mexican President, as
Pershing’s command is now so far
south that it would be impracticable
to send it much farther, as his line
of communication could be complete
ly severed in the event of war with
Mexico, and the troops placed in
grave danger.
Urge Mexicans to Rise.
DOUGLAS. Ariz., , April 17.—An
American physician who arrived here
yesterday from Sonora, states that he
saw in that city a number of posters
urging the Mexican people to rise and
expel the American invaders of their
country.
The physician states that the Mexi
can people are exceedingly hostile to
all Americans, and that it is extreme
ly dangerous for an American to ven
ture into the country.
Holy Week Services.
The public is cordially Invited to a
series of special evangelistic services
which will be held in the Congrega
tional Church at 7:30 each evening
during Holy Week.
Rev. J. F. Dunstan will speak upon
the following subjects:
Monday, April 17, “The Purpose
of the Cross."
Tuesday, April 18, “The Enemies
of the Cross.”
Wednesday, April 19, “The Glory
of the Cross.”
Thursday, April 20, “The Sign of
the Cross."
Friday, April 21, “The Blood of the
Cross.” '
Wm. Geltneau nas purchased the
Joe Spenard residence on Hobart
street, opposite the court" house.