‘ Ualiirz Bath) Proapprtor
VOLUME XIV VALDEZ, ALASKA, SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 1917 NUMBER »»
FRENCH DESIRE
TROOPS SENT
KKPORTK1) lOFFRF, IS URGING
«tbjeet of His Visit Here Is to Demon
strate to the Government the Desir
ability of the Move— French Admi
ral Confers With Benson.
« _
WASHINGTON. D. C.. April 2o —
General Joft're, of the French Com
Vnission, held a long conference yes
terday afternoon with Secretary of
War Baker. It Is generally admitted
that France desires that an expedi
tionary force be sent to France and
it is believed that Joffre's mission is
to show to the government the reason
why such a move would be advisable.
Admiral Chocheprat, the head of the
French navy, who Is also a member of
the Commission, will confer with Ad
miral Benson, Chief of Naval Opera
tions today, and General Joffre and
staff will confer with the members of
the war college Chairman Viviani of
the Commission, and the French min
ister tilf Justice will visit the Supreme
Court eoday.
MYSTERIOUS FIRE
COLOR!) MINE
/
MIN'KBS TKAPPKD IN WORKINGS
Flames Discovered in Mine of Victor
American Fuel Company Yesterday
Morning—Believed to Have Been
Work of Austrian Miners.
\
TRDMDAD. Colo.. April 28.—A fire
of mysterious origiu broke out at 9
o’clock yesterday morning in the mine
of Victor American Fuel Company at
o’clock yesterday morning. One
hundred and twenty miners are be
lieved to have been trapped in the
workings beyond the lire and without
hope of rescue.
A large paity was immediately put
to work after the discovery of the
idaze, but the Are gained on the fight
r-rs, and at 2:30 yesterday afternoon
The rescuers were driven out of the
mine by the dense smoke which filled
;.li the workings.
It is believed that the fire was
started by Austrians employed in the
mine, as the place has been under
guard by soldiers for some time and
no one not employed in the mine was
allowed to approach.
The mine will be sealed in an ef
fort to extinguish the flames, which
will take a week or ten days. It is be
lieved that all the imprisoned men
have perished from gas ere this.
Fifteen Bodies Rescued.
TRINIDAD. Col.. April 28.—The
work of rescue In the mine of the Vic
tor American Fuel Company was re
sumed this morning and fifteen bod
ies have been recovered from the
mine. It is believed that not one of
The one hundred and twenty men in
the mine are alive, although every ei’
* fort is being made to reach them in
the hope that possibly some of them j
may have survived.
-DIAMOND JIM’S" GREAT
FORTUNE GOES TO CHARITY
NEW YORK. April 28.—The bulk
of the estate of James Buchanan
<Diamond Jim) Brady, estimated at
from $3,000,000 to $5,000,000, will
go to charity, it was learned after bis
funeral. Mr. Brady’s diamonds and
other stones, valued at $1,000,000,
are to be distributed among friends,
while the remainder of the estate will
i,o to the New York hospitul.
Rll’ONA SAILS NORTH
FROM SEATTLE TODAY
SEATTLE, April 28.—Mariposa
sailed from here this morning at 9
o’clock with ft 'full freight cargo and
j( large number of passengers. The
passengers for Valdez are Judge F. I
M. Brown, Mrs. Walter Elliott and
baby, Randall Ashby. Mrs. Ashby and
two children, and Gus Dgarf.
ROOSEVELT PEEVED AT
ACTION OK CONGRESS
WASHINGTON. D. C.. April CS.—
Col. Roosevelt manifested symptoms
of great disappointment when inform
ed of the action of Congress yester
day in turning down his proposition
to lead a body of men to France to
fight with the Allies. The Colonel
stated that he had tendered his serv
ices to his country and been turned
down, and bad done all that a pa
triotic citizen could do.
WILSON WINS
BIG VIGTORY
___ ' w.
CONSCRIPTION SURE TO PASS
Test Vote In the House This Morning
Stood 279 to 98 in Favor of Bill—
%
Formal Vote Will Probably B*
Taken at 6:00 This Evening.
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 28.—
The President won a big victory in
the House today when a test vote was
taken on the Army measure. The
vote stood 279 to 98 in favor of con
scription and assures the passage ol
the bill. The vote cane on Kahn',
amendment, and the formal vote oc
the measure is expected to be token
about ti o'clock this evening. The
Senate reconvened at 10 o'clock this
morning and the debate on the Army
bill continued.
HEAVY QUAKES
OCCUR ITALY
THROUGHOUT I'MBRIA-TUSCAN Y
Advices From Rome State that Severe
Seismic Disturbances Huve Taken
Place Near Scene of Terrible Trag
edy <>r ism.->.
LONDON, April 28.—Advices re
teived here from Rome state that se
vere earthquake shocks have occurred
in Umbria and Tuscany, near tht
scene of the earthquakes of 1915 in
which thirty thousand persons went
i 'tiled.
GUATEMALA SEVERS
RELATIONS GERMAN*
WASHINGTON. D. C , April 28.—
Official advices received here this aft
ornoon state that Guatemala has sev
ered diplomatic relations with Ger
many, the German ambassador hav
ing been handed his passports this
morning.
AGREEMENT REACHED TO
VOTE ON DRAFT MEASIRF
WASHINGTON. D. C.. April 28.—
An agreement was reached in th<
House last evening to vote on tht
amendment to testore the administra
tion draft feature to the army VI
when the House convened this mon.
ing.
DECLARES DEMOCRACY
ANNIHILATE AUTOCRACY
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 28.—
In opening the eleventh session of th*
American Society on International
law, Elihu Root declared in his ad
dress that Democracy must annihilate
autocracy if the peace of the world is
to be maintained.
WASHINGTON OFFICIALS
PREPARING REGISTRATION
OLYMPIA, Wash., April 28.—The
State officials are preparing for the
registration of all men between the
ages of 19 and 25 as provided for In
the army bill, which it Is expected
will pass (Jongress.
The launch Eagle, Capt. Duncar
Stewart, arrived in port last nighl
from Portage Bay bringing a scoa
load of lumber from the Enlund mill
PURITY at the Empress tbeatr*
sgaitn tonight.
GERMAN VESSELS
RAID RAMSGATE
j
TWO KILI.KD AND THKJKK HI KT
Destroyer* Shell Town Last Night Do
ing Considerable Property Damage.
Haider* K.lude Patrol Meet and
Make Their Kscape.
LONDON. April 28.—The Admit -
nlty announced this morning that Ger
man destroyers last night made a raid
upon Ramsgate, firing a number of
shells into the town. A man and a
I woman were killed and three persons
were injured, and considerable prop
erty damage done. The destroyers
succeeded In eluding the viglia*»f-‘ of
the British patrol fleet and made their
escape
VAST EXPENDITURE
OF AMMUNITION
GltKATKST IX HISTORY WORM)
—— "* " V •,
licit ish Munitions Minister States
that Stupendous Amount of Am
I
munition Has Been I'sed on the
Arras Sector, Rut Is Justified.
I
_
LONDON, April 28. —1The miniate,*
j of munitions. Dr. Christopher Addi
I son. announced today that the expen
jiiiture of guns and ammunition in tin*
\ great British drive in the Arras sec
! tor is the greatest in history. While
■the expenditure of ammunition ha*
j been stupendous lie deduces the re
sults attained ’ustit'y the cost.
HOMiGrir
: "HERO OF MARNE”;
. I
I
! RKCIPIKXT MAN Y INVITATION'S |
j General .loffre Receives Scores of In
j
| citations From All Parts of the
Country—May Go As Far West A**
Chicago.
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 28 —
General Joffre, the “Hero of the
Marne.” is receiving scores of invita
tions from all parts of the country to
visit the various cities. Governor
McCall of Massachusetts, has sent
greetings of the State to the general
and an urgent invitation to visit Bos
ton before he returns to France. The
homage tendered the General is
largely personal and amounts aimed
to hero worship. While he is not at
this time able to make any definite
plans, and will not be able to do so
until after the war conference, it is
tentatively agreed that he will visit a
number of places and will probably
go as far west as Chicago.
I
Drouth is Broken
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 28.
A drouth that had become on of the
most alarming in the history of West
Texas ended last night with heavy
rains from the New Mexican border
eastward.
The yacht tour planned tor Alaska
by the Alaska Bureau of the Seattle
Chamber of Commerce for this sum
mer has been called off on account of
war.
• Dan Ross and J. W. Spaulding re
turned yesterday afternoon from a
trip of about a week down the Sound.
There will be no Moose dance to
night on account of the dance given
Thursday night by the I. O. O. F.
H. E. Ellis returned to the Cliff
i mine last evening after a short stay
in town.
ALLIES NEED
MUCH MONET
_ I
NEARLY A BILLION A MONTHj
i
Preliminary Estimate* by McAdooj
Place* Need of England at (Quarter |
Billion and Eranoe and Russia at J
Hundred Million Monthly.
—
WASHINGTON. D. I'.. April US —
Preliminary estimates by Secretary of |
the Treasury McAdoo place the fin-1
ancial needs of the Entente powers;
at nearly a billion dollars a month, j
Of this sum England will need a j
quarter of a billion monthly. Prance j
and Russia about one hundred mil-j
lion each, Italy fifty millions. Serbia j
fifteen millions, and Belgium fifty j
to seventy-five million dollars.
ROOSEVELT NOT
RAISE DIVISION
AMENDMENT DEEEATED HOI Si;
* ' _ •#
By a Vote of 170 to loti Amendment
Authorizing Roosevelt to Raise1
Army for Service In Eranee Is De
feated In the House.
WASHINGTON. D C . April JX.~ -
By a vote of 170 to 106 the House
last evetiing rejected the amehdmT'nt '
to Hie Army hill authorizing Colonel:
Roosevelt to raise an overseas divi
sion for service in France. Contrary^
to expectations, the Republican mem-1
hers of the House did not vote solid- j
ly for the Amendment.
_
MUSI PLAY A !
VITAL PART;
I
!
IN WAR AGAINST GKK.MANYj
I
I'nileil States .Must Throw Off lethar
gy anil Waken to the Ranger Which
Confronts Nation—Must Alsu Feed |
the Allies.
WASHINGTON. D. (’., Apr! 28.—
It is generally conceded that the Uni
ted States will prove a vital factor In
the war against the Central Powerr.,
and to take the part she must throw
off the prevailing lethargy and ha?
ten her preparations. Russia forms
the most serious problem of the war
at this time, and the collapse of her
defense and the negotiating of a sep
arate peace is feared. This must be
f reventod If possible, and the Com
mission which the President will send
to confer with the provisional gov
ernment will be authorized to adopt
every means to assist Russia in main
taining her defense.
In the United States the people
must be awakened to the danger
which confronts the country, and the
rrmies of the United States must
take their place beside those of the
Allies. Not orly must her soldiers
play their part on the battle field, but
the country will also be called upon to
feed the Allies and her manufactur
ers and farmers must co-operate with
the government in providing for -.he
necessities not only of the army hut
the civilian population as well.
. ...
Plan Pood Preparedness.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 28.—
Bankers, railroad men. agricultural
experts, editors, manufacturers, edu
cators and farmers from all over the
state conferred here on food prepared
ness this week. Agricultural author
ities declared that less than one acre
of potatoes to the farm has heen
planted in Tennessee. In the face of
increased demand in prospect the
state has suffered from unseasonable
weather.
VIIXA HAS 91.000,000 IN
TKKAHl'BK 8TOWKD AWAY
BL PASO. April 28.—Francisco
Villa told a prominent Mexican min
ing man recently that he bad approxi
mately $1,000,000 worth of gold and
Bllver bars hidden in the states of Dur
ango and Chihuahua.
These gold and silver bars were
obtained from the foreign and native
mining companies by Villa in the form
of forced loans and ransoms, the min
ing man said.
• .
I
GERMAN TRENCHES
IX VICINITY OF MORONVILLKItH
War Office Reports One Hundred ana
Thirty-Eight Pieces of Artillery
Have Been Taken by French Since;
the Sixteenth—German Loss Heuvy i
___ t
PAHIS. April 28.—A war office liul-j
letin issued this morning states thati
heavy lighting occurred yesterday at i
Moronvillera, and that the French j
have succeeded in capturing several j
German trenches on the heights sur j
hounding the town. It is also an-*
ii mi need that the French have cap-i
tured from 'he Germans one hundred j
and thirty-eight pieces of artillery j
since tlit> lfith, The Germans are re-,
ported lo have lost heavily yesterday
in the fighting which occurred south
cl St. Quentin.
ENTENTE POWERS j
I
I ;
I
!
___ i
NECESSITY IS GROWING RAPIDLY
German Submarine Campaign lit
I
doubtfully Seriously Affecting the
Food and Munition Supplies—Com-!
i
i
mission at Work.
_ I
WASHINGTON. D. C.\, April 2S.—
The French commissioners are hard
at work arranging their program to
he presented at the war conference,
and will probably have it completed
about the middle of next week. More
merchant ships appear to be the
greatest need of the Entente allies,
and this need is daily becoming more
pressing, the German submarine cam
paign unquestionably having a seri
ous effect upon the ability of the En
tente powers to ship sufficient food
stuffs and ammunition to keep the ar
mies up to the highest notch of effi
ciency.
JAMAICA FAVORS
COMPULSORY SERV1CF
KINGSTON. Jamaica. B. W. I - The
bill to provide for compulsory mili
tary service, either in the island or
abroad, for the period of the wa-,
which was initiated on the elected
side of the Legislative Council b>
Messrs. Cox and Simpson has passed
its first reading. The voting was 1
against and 24 for the measure.
The four were elected members.
Their position was substantially tie
same. The voluntary system could
be made to give all the men needed.
1 hey would support conscription if,
after a trial of six months more rn
der new organization, the voluntary
system did not prove sufficient. This
is the line taken by all who oppose
the measure. Hardly anyone *»n be
found to oppose it finally, if it be
comes clear that the men cauno. be
had otherwise.
i m -
Norwegian Losses Heavy.
LONDON. April 28.—The Norway
gian Shipping Gazette gives the total
Norwegian losses to March 24 as 312
steamers of a tonnage of 483.1 L< and
80 ships of a tonnage of 65,357, as a
result of submarines and mines The
number of men and women who per
ished is given as 312 and the r Is* g
as 25. The Norwegian residents »f
London will gl7e a banquet Thursday j
next to 500 Norwegian seamen from
submarined vessels now here.
MEM
FELT 6ERHUNT
' >
DVKJt POSMIHI.K Hl'GK HTRIKF
Agitation in Gabor Circles Still Con
tinues Despite Holweg’s Threat and
Gigantic Strike Is Feared on May
Day by Munition Workers.
WASHINGTON. D. (’.. April 28.
Copies of a German newspaper re
ceived here th.Gugh Holland indicate
by their contents that there is a wide
spread apprehension through Ger
many of a possible May Day strike of
gigantic proportions through the
country. Chancellor Von Holweg's
speech before the Reichstag a few
days ago is declared to be a warning
to labor that strikes will not be tol
erated at this time, and to contain a
veiled threat that In the event the dis
order does not cease all the working
men It. the country will be mobilized
into the army and placed at work in
the munitions factories at soldiers’
pay. Notwithstanding this threat there
is a continued strong agitation among
the laborers and it is feared this will
culminate In a strike affecting the en
lire country ou May Day.. ^ %
BRITISH CAPTURE
MANY CANNON
400 TAKKX SIXTH IIKTKKXTH
, n • - ‘ .-«»• - r r '• • • *
In Address at Guildhall Premier
Lloyd George Lauds Army—De
clared Ireland -Musi Be I'onverted
Into Loyal Kriend.
LONDON, April 28 Premier Lloyd
George yesterday made a most im
portant address at a meeting at Guild
hall on the military and Irish situa
tions. He declared that Ireland must
he converted into a loyal friend and
not he made into a suspicious ol-erl.
Referring to the gigantic drive of
the British on the western war front
he lauded the army in the highest
terms and announced that the Brilirh
lad captured more than four hut
dred German guns since the 15th.
The greatest task of the war, l.e
said, was the feeding of the forty-five
million people, and urged that even
available foot of ground be cultivat
ed and a bumper crop harvested. He
declared that the German policy of
unrestricted submarining had driven
the United States into the war. real
izing that neutrality was fruitless.
SHIP I0O CARIAJADS
OK WHEAT PER DAV
SEATTLE. April 28.—Railroad of
ficials announced yesterday that 100
cars a day loaded with wheat will be
gent from Washington and Oregon in
the next two months to the Atlantic
seaboard for export to the allied na
tions.
Mrs. James Gilmour, Valdez’ tal
ented writer, will have an article in
The Miner that everyone who has the
welfare of Alaska at heart should
read, for it very truly typifies Alas
ka’B standiug. and it is up to her cit
izens to remove that idea or preju
dice and help her to take her right
ful place among her sister states for
that taint will always retard her de
velopment. It is too conducive to
graft.—Contributed.
Judge F. M. Brown left Seattle this
morning on the Mariposa to return
to Valdez.
Randall Ashby, wife and two chil
dren. left Seattle toduy on the Mari
posa to return home.
Gus Djarf, who has been visiting in
the States for several months past, is
a returning passenger on the Mari
posa.
H. E. F. King. L. B. Douglas, Arn
old King and Russell Hermann left
last evening on a fishing trip to Saw
mill Bay.