— - —-—— T
| \f\!SKV I | MA^NUSKA
-- 4 THE ALASKA EVENING POST__
SEWARD, ALASKA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER S, 1917 TEN CENTS PER COPY
r——**••*• ~ *
AMHERST, Dec. 8— A private telegram received
this morning from Halifax asked one undertaking firm
here to send four thousand cof fins lo the stricken city im
mediately.
%
SNOW STORM ADDS TO HORROR AT HALIFAR
HALIFAX. Dec. 8.—A blinding snow storm over the
entire north country which has raged for the past -1
hours is adding terrors Co the survivors ot the disastei ol
last Thursday.
Relief trains from American and ( anadian cities,
with supplies, are reported snowbound and the time ol ai *
rival is problematical. A forty mile gale is blowing now.
___
FIRST REAL VERSION OF EXPLOSION IS GIVEN ;
HALIFAX. Dec. 8—The first authentic report of the
explosion of the munition ship in collision Thursday morn
ing which resulted in this city being plunged into ruin was;
• issued this morning by the Dominion of Canada military
authorities.
The Belgian Relief Ship lino, bound in from sea crash
eh into the side of the loaded French munition steamer
I'd ,nt Blanc. Both steamers were badly damaged. Flames
hi , ;t ! rom the boiler room of the Mont Blanc immediately
The crews of both boats, fearing an explosion, lower
ed their life boats and escaped to the shore in them. The
crew i a ided safely and 25 minutes after the Mont Blanc
exploded being pulverized by the force of the munitions
aboard.
The Imo was blown 100 feet away and one tug got a
line aboard and put her on the beach.
Following the explosion houses rocked and collapsed,
shells whizzed through the air and as they exploded on
shore along the waterfront and in the residential section
fires broke out in over 200 places.
The crowds on the street fled to the south of the city
practically leaving those caught beneath the fallen build
ings helpless with the exception of the fire forces which
were entirely inadequate to cope with the many fires and
also give aid to the dead or dying. The roads from the
city looked like those in Belgium and Servia before the
advancing Germans.
There is no definite estimate of the dead. Officials
claim that the dead may reach over 3000 and hundreds are
dying now.
AMERICAN BATTLESHIP ARRIVES AT SCENE
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8.—An American war vessel
heard the explosion at Halifax fifty miles away at sea.
The commander turned and made for the stricken port
and immediately upon arrival landed his crew and joined
in the rescue work and patrol duty.
THOUSANDS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN KILLED
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8.—An unverified report from
the naval commander of the American war vessel at Hali
fax received by wireless at noon today estimates that five
thousand are dead at Halifax.
WASHINGTON. Dec. S.—The Congress of the Uni
ted States has passed the resolution declaring war age Lust
Austria-Hungary. The House passed the resolution late
yesterday afternoon with only one dissenting vote, that of
Representative London, Socialist, of the state of New
York. The Senate passed the resolution early yesterday
afternoon. As soon as the House passed the joint reso
lution, Vico President Thomas R. Marshall, President of
the Senate, and Representative Clark, Speaker of the
House, signed it and the resolution was dispatched by
special messenger to President Wilson at the White House
The President signed the resolution at 5:03 o’clock. The
President is expected to make the formal declaration of
/a • with Austria-Hungary sometime today.
GERMANS OCCUPY
DEVASTATED AREA ;
LEFT BY BH 7 1
BRITISH HEADQE ARTERS.. Dec
8. — The Germans continue to reow
cupy the de%astated area bequeathed
to them in the l ambrai sector. The
• enemy had a wierd task. Bourlor
Woods reek with the blood from tk«
killed and Graincourt, Anneux, ( an
taing. Noyelle and other villages wen
laid in wa .te and ruin for the tier
mans to occupy. The British haw
hurled shells upon the (»ernians whe
attempted to dig new trenches ant
have driven them from the positions
The British are now comfortably lo'
rated in the wonderful German dug
outs which formerly constituted th<
Hindenburg line.
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CITY COUNCIL
CAN ELECT A
NEW EXECUTIVE
J. Lindlcy Green, city attorney, ii
an oral opinion given to the Gateway
says the city council can elect a may
or to till out the term of Mayor Me
Donald, who has forfeited his righ
as chief executive by being absen
from the city for over three month:
and who intends to remain away.
The council can elect one of thei
present members or can elect an out
sider. If a councilman is elected, ai
election must then be called to fil
the vacancy.
Already thore a** several propose<
for mayor but no definite steps haw
been taken in any direction and per
haps will not be taken until the coun
cil is officially informed of the cit;
attorney’s decision.
«■
11 a. m.—Address by R. L. Dalagei
12:10 p. m.—Sunday school.
7:30 p. m.—Address by Curtis Mor
ford.
WOMAN SAYS
; SHE LiED IN
STATEMENTS
> •
.
SAX FRANCISCO, Cal., Dec. 8.—
I Mrs. Alice Kidwell today signed an
- affidavit before the Federal author
■ ities admitting giving false testimony
■ before the grand jury which indicted
* Thomas Mooney and others for the
Preparedness Day bomb murders.
Mrs. Kidwell has been placed in jail
and an investigation is being made
into her statements.
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CREDIT BODY STARTS MOVE
TO RELEASE MEN FOR WAR
NEW YORK, Dec. 8. — A nation-‘
al campaign eliminates unnecessary
I office details so that more men can be;
spared for military service has been
, launched by a war committee of the
National Association of Credit Men,
f
. it was announced today.
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t NOT PERMIT ALIENS
TO H VNDLE DYNAMITE
IN THE COAL MINES
— —
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8. — Score
-Italy Lane has ruled that all aliens
1 employed in coal mines in the United
I States, principally in the Ohio dis
tricts, will no longer be permitted to
l handle explosives under the ruling
* forbidding aliens to possess explo
• ) sives.
—— ■ ^ .—
ACTOR EDESON SUED
"NEW YORK, Dec. 8. — Robert
. Edeson, the actor, was sued for di
vorce today by Georgia Edeson. De
- tails of the complaint were not made
public.
BRITISH AIR
PLANES MAKE
RAID ON HUNS
LONDON, Dec. 8. — The Admiral
ty reported this forenoon that naval
aeroplanes have raided military es
tablishments in Belgium and hit one
aiidome and also demolished a train
load of munition. This raid occurred
last night.
On last Wednesday and Thursday
nights British aeroplanes bombed
other military bases of the Germans
in Belgium and great damage is re
ported to have been accomplished.
-o
MYSTERIOUS LIQUID
CAUSES MANY FIRES
. *
BOSTON, Dec. 8. — An innocent
looking white liquid timed to burst
into flame by the strength of the .vo
lution, has been the source of fires
with which American shipping has
been menaced ever since the war be
gan, according to Arthur Woods, po
lice commissioner of New York, who
delivered an address here.
“The chemical bursts into flames
after a period of time that may be
closely calculated according to the
strength of the solution when it is
placed on a cloth and left reasonably
exposed to air."
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YELLOWSTONE PARK
ELK MAY BE USED
TO FEED SOLDIERS
LIVINGSTON, Mont., Dec. 8.—Na
tional army men in the cantonments
of the western coast may be served
with venison now and then, if a reso
lution passed recently by the local
chamber of commerce is heeded by
the department of the interior officials I
to whom it was sent.
The chamber urged the slaughter
of several thousand of the 40,000 elk
in the Yellowstone national park and
the shipment of the carcasses to the
western cantonments. Not only would
the food problem be relieved some
what, it was suggested, but the thou
sands of the elk would be prevented
from starving to death, as it is
clared they do each winter.
DRY NATION IS
PROPOSED IN A
SENATOR’S BILL
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8. — Senator
John Shafroth, of Colorado, today in
troduced a resolution in the Senate
providing for National prohibition
during the present war. The bill was
referred to the Agricultural Commit
tee.
The resolution permits of the com
mandeering of distilled liquors for
government purposes. This resolu
tion is the opening gun fired by the
prohibitionists at the present session
of Congress.
IR EL A ND RAISED EN(H (HI
FOOD FOR HERSELF
AND SOME FOR EXPORT
DUBLIN, Dec. .8. — According to
the Department of Agriculture the
Irish harvest is now all sale and has
proved very good. Potatoes have been
a splendid crop, and oats, wheat and
barley show good results. Nearly
three-quarters of a million additional
acres were brought under tillage dur
ing the year. There was no shortage -
of labor anywhere and Ireland will
have plenty of food for herself and
for export.
ANIMALS IN PARK
ARE CORN FED NOW
INSTEAD OF MEAT DIET
EL PASO, Dec. 8. — Animals at
the Washington Park are obeying the
edict of Herbert Hoover and are con
serving the supply of meat. In place
of the large quantities of meat which
were formerly fed the lion, bob-cats,
bears and other carnivorous animals,
Park Commissioner John W. Fisher
discovered that corn soaked in. water
over night could be fed to the ani
mals instead of meat.
— . . .. . -.— - —
WANTS REJECTED MEN
SPOKANE, Dec. 8. — J. R. Shinn,
county farm expert, has written a
letter to 300 young fanners of Spo
kane county exempted from military
service, asking their enlistment in
food-production teams under his di
rection.
WICKERSHAM LOSES
HIS CASE BEFORE
U. S. COMMISSIONER
PRISONERS OF
ROSS TOLD TO !
SECURE PEACE!
ITALIAN HEADQUARTERS, Dec.
8. — Captured Austrians say that tnc
Austrian government has released all
Russians hold prisoners, after care
fully schooling them in Austria's de
sire for peace. The prisoners have
been returned to Russia to start a j
propaganda for the ending of the war j
between Russia and Austria and Ger- j
many.
--<•
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT
WILL ACQUIRE RAILROAD
TORONTO, Dec. 8. — Sir Thomas
White, Canadian finance minister,
says the government proposes to ac
quire the entire Canadian Northern i,
Railway system of more than 9000
v * c
miles. The company has a common .
share capital of $100,000,000 of which
government already owns $40,000,000. *
It is proposed now to purchase the
remaining $00,000,000. Government J
also contemplates the eventual ac- ^
quisition of Grand Trunk Pacific Rail
way.
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JAPANESE IN NEED
OF EQUIPMENT SAYS
FORMER MINISTER
_11
1
TOKIO, Dec. 8. — Baron Taka- I
hashi, former minister of finance in r
a lengthy article in the newspapers, | 1
declares that Japan is deficient in f
ordnance and airplane equipment,: >
and the nation is not in any position, t
to take an active part in the field j 1
along with her allies, 1
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8. — The In
erstate Commerce Commission today
lotilied James Wickersham that it
leclined his request to reopen the
\Iuska coal railway case. Mr. Wick
Tsham, representing a number of in
lependent coal operators, alleged
hat certain Alaskan railways were
harging discriminatory rates against
he independent interests. He asked
hat the United States Interstate
Commerce Commission modify its
ormer decision which was to the el
ect that the railroad rates were jus
ified.
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ANOTHER LAND
GETS ON NECK
OF THE KAISER
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, Dec. 8. —
rhc government of Ecuador severed
liplomatic relations with Germany,
’assports have been handed the re
iresentative of the German govern
nent and Ecuador’s minister to Ger
nany has been instructed to report
or further orders at Berne, Switzer
and.
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GERMAN STORES SET
ON FIRE BY CAPTIVE
COPENHAGEN, Dec. 8. — The
rial by court-martial of a French
prisoner of war has brought out the
litherto suppressed fact that the com
nissary store house at Augsburg,
Bavaria, containing hay, straw, and
louv from last year’s crop to the
alue of nearly 1,000,000 marks, has
>een destroyed by an incendiary lire,
"he prisoner admitted having set the
ire and was condemned to death.