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voi.i'mk xi. M MBKK «H ' .SEWARI), ALASKA, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5,1917._*_Ten Cents the Copy
CON.i 1ING PLANS
FO NATIONAL DEFENC i
A WASHINGTON TODAY
WASh TON, Monday, Feb. 5.—Preparations for
war were a*. y under way when congress convened this
morning, anu e atmosphere of impending battle is per
vading the ca. d.
Immediat -otection of government arsenals by the
installation of teries of anti-aircraft guns was decided
upon by the housi military committee after a conference
with Sec. Baker. ,
President Wilson issued a proclamation prohibiting
the sale or lease oi .my vessel under the American flag.
Orders were s t to every port in the country, calling
for a description * all vessels, and ship owners were in
vited to suggest to le government the service in which
their vessels would ; nost valuable in case of war.
One of the mos difficult problems at hand is what
steps to take to wan protecting American ships enroute
to Europe and the .jpartment in the meantime is
standing on its opinion as announced late Saturday, that
it would be wiser to postpone sailings for a few days.
The suggestions for protecting ships against German
submarines Include arming the merchantmen, sending
convoys with them, and letting them go unconvoyed. |
Others want them held in port for a time. I
American ships of several lines are enroute to and I
from England now and it is probable that no definite j
policy will be arrived at until it is seen how these faie.
18,000,000 MEN AVAILABLE
NEW YORK. Monday, Feb. 5—Mayor Mitchell, mem
her of the committee on National Defense stated that the
committee estimates that the United States could muster
and equip an army of 18,000,000. should it be required by
future developments in the world conflict. It is estimat
ed that an army of 10,500.000 between the ages of 18 ana
45 could be put in the field.
FORD OFFERS USE OF FACTORY
WASHINGTON, Monday, Feb. 5.—Henry Ford an
nounced today that while he was for peace, that in event
of war on the issue at stake he would place his entire
factory at the disposal of the government and operate it:
without profit, so far as war munitions were concerned.
’ GERMAN SHIPS SEIZED AT MANILA
MANILA, P-1-, Monday, Feb. 5.—U. S. naval authori
ties here have seized all li German merchant \essels at
anchor in Manila bay and all of the German crews have
been removed. No attempt was made to destroy the ma
chinery by the crews.
AMERICAN LINER PHILADELPHIA SAFE
LIVERPOOL, Monday, Feb. 5.—The American liner
Philadelphia arrived safely at 11 o’clock last night.
The American liner New York left Liverpool Satur
day for New York. She is the first American ship to sail
since Germany promulgated her new rule.
RUSH FOR CITIZENSHIP
SEATTLE, Monday, Feb. 5.—There was a great rush
for naturalization papers today by German and Austrian
citizens.
.. GOMPERS APPEALS TO GERMAN UNIONS
WASHINGTON, Monday, Feb. 5.—An appeal to or
ganized labor in Germany to throw its influence against
widening the break with the United States was cabled to
Berlin by President Gompers of the American Federation
of Labor today. . ___
ALL SHIPMENTS OF
LIQUOR BARRED
BY U. S. RAILROAD
. i. — •
Rigid orders against the shipment
of liquor on the government railroad
are now in effect, even exprea. par
cels containing liquor being barred.
A heavy traffic in liquor is said to be
going on between here and Anchor
age and from now on it will have to
be hauled all the way by sled. Previ
ous to this order the shipments have
^en taken as far as Mile 40 by train.
TUGS WILL TAKE
BARGE TO SELDOM A
The Alaskan Engineering commis
sion officials scent the coming spring
and are preparing for the earliest
possible work. To this end the tugs
Roscoe and Annie W. will leave
shortly for Seldovia with the barge
Lawrence after which the Roscoe will
go to Seattle for an overhauling.
The barge is to be put in readiness
to receive cargos from the S. S. Tur
ret Crown which will* bring supplies
north from Panama.
LARGEST SNOW
SLIDES KILL
2 AT JUNEAU
I _
| \
Cabins Swept Away and
Mine Roads Blocked,
Heavens M ere Darkened
JUNEAU.—(Special) — Ben Grout
and M. Rasmussen, employees of the
Alaska Gastineau mining company,
1 lost their lives on Jan. 27th in one of
a series of remarkable snow slides
which occurred here last week. The
men were linemen and were making
repairs caused by previous slides.
Another gigantic slide occurred
yesterday near Shady Bend. This
snow slide was much larger than the
one in which the linemen were caught.
Still another slide took place about
1) a. m; yesterday which startled Ju
neau. The force of the avalanche was
very perceptible in the city. Fine
snow fell all over the city. In the
Nelson addition sticks and debris flew
in every direction. A shadow came
over the city and an atmosphere of
impending danger lasted for several
minutes.
Thesyjdides have played havoc with
the electric lines of the great mills
and of the city electric company.
Several cabins along the road be
tween Juneau and the Last Chance
Basin and thousands of feet of side-1
walks along the roadway are torn up
The city lock crusher, power lines
and telephone wires were carried j
away.
The effects of one of the slides did
considerable damage to the snow
sheds along the railroad track leading
to the tunnel which enters Persever
ance mine. Over 8000 feet of the
sheds were torn down. The damage
went as far as the Portal Camp.
Several hundred men are repairing
the tracks leading from the mill at
Thane to the tunnel.
The Perseverance road is blocked
many feet deep in snow. The mine
was forced to suspend operations.
Sever before in the history of Ju
neau have such powerful snow slides
come about at one time. Then, too, it
is rather early for the slides to take
place; usually they begin, when at all,
later in the season.
THE WEATHER
Yesterday.
Maximum .14
Minimum .“9
Current .14
Weather .Clear
Wind .North
WEATHER TOMORROW
Cloudy and warmer.
BRITISH GAIN
FOOTHOLD IN
ANCRE TRENCH
Midnight Attack Succeeds,
Germans Busy on
Riga Front
BERLIN, Monday, Fob. 5.—At mid
night the British launched an attack
upon the German positions north of
the Ancre river on the French front.
'"Advices received in today’s official
report from the front state that the
attacking force entered advance
trenches near the bank of the river.
RUSSIAN LINES ATTACKED
PETROGRAD, Monday, Feb. 5.—
Determined efforts to storm Russian
defenses in tF^ north near Riga are
being made today.
PURSE SEINE
BOAT WILL
OPERATE HERE
Capt. Jaconsen of the schooner
Agusta C. belonging to the Kenai
Fishing and Trading company, left on
the Alaska for Seattle yesterday to
secure a purse sein boat which will
be operated out of Seward during the
coming season.
The new craft will be f»l feet long
and of the best type.
It is reported that John Noon and
Ward James of the Kenai Fishing and
Trading company, who are now at Se
attle, have been successful in arrang
ing a market for all fish caught dur
ing the coming season. The company
has a saltery site at Sunny bay and
purchased a cannery site last fall in
Prince Williams sound together with
considerable equipment and several
boats and buildings which had been
used bv a man conducting a saltery
*
at that place.
BOATS AND TRAIMS
The Alaska arrived yesterday
morning at 8 o’clock and sailed at
noon.
The Admiral Evans arrived at 8:3o
last night and sailed west at 4 o’clock
this morning.
The Northwestern was due in Ju
neau yesterday.
The train left this morning at 8:30
for Mile 40. _
WILL MOBILIZE ALL
STEAM IS AT SUTTLE
! •* * ~
SEATTLE, Monday, Feb. 5— Immediate action in as
sembling a fleet of transports, colliers and despatch boats
in Seattle and the commandeering of a large number of
merchant craft operated in the Alaska and coastwise
trade will follow a declaration of war with Germany.
Officials of the Seattle steamship lines have been re
quested to furnish both the army and navy with descrip
tions of vessels and the service for which they will be most
valuable.
LEGISLATURE OFFERS AID
OLYMPIA, Monday, Feb. 5.—The house today passed
a resolution tendering to the nation’s service the re
i sources of the State of Washington and a memorial for
I compulsory military sendee.
GERMANY WOULD AVOID
WAR RUT IS FIRM ON
“RELENTLESS” POLICY
BERLIN, Monday, Feb. 5.—According to information
obtained from official quarters here there is no prospect of
any modification in the orders to submarines to sink every
ship enroute to Great Britain or her allies.
News that the United States had broken off relations
with Germany caused intense excitement here.
“There is no backward step,” declared Foreign Sec
retary Zimmerman in an interview published in the Tage
blatt today in commenting on President Wilson’s break
ing olf relations with Germany.
“President Wilson’s decision is astonishing,” he con
tinued. “The Entente’s refusal to consider our peace
overtures left no other step open except unlimited sub
marine warfare.
“In our light for existence against the Entente viola
tions of international law America denied us assistance.
We make no condition, much less promise to avoid un
limited submarine warfare. We have broken no promises
and we hope President Wilson will warn Americans to
keep away from the blockaded zone.
It is stated in semi-official circles that the Imperial
German government will do ;-.ll in its power to prevent
the rupture from going further.
Special guards have been established around the
American embassy and at the chief American consulates
in the country.
Many of the 4,000 American citizens now in the em
pire are preparing to leave during the week. Ambassa
dor Gerard is expected to leave via Switzerland
AUSTRIA’S HAT IN THE RING
WASHINGTON, Monday, Feb. 5—An Austrian note
declaring for “unrestricted submarine warfare” which
is almost identical with the German note has been re
ceived.
WILSON SEEKS VIEW
OF OTHER NEUTRALS;
BRl IL IS AROUS
A
WASHINGTON, Monday, Feb. 5—Affairs between
the United States and Germany which were brought to a
crisis by- the rupture of diplomatic relations remain un
changed, the attitude of this government being to await
developments, but nothing is being left undone to prepare
the country for war.
President Wilson has made a bold stroke, however, to
range the moral force of all other neutral countries along
with that of the United States in its stand against unre
stricted submarine warfare. To this end the president
has instructed all diplomats in those countries to report
immediately on how the suggestions made and the stand
taken by this country have been received.
It is the stated opinion of high diplomatic officials
here that European neutrals, at the very door of Ger
many and under constant threat of her military power,
will hesitate to take such steps as endorsing America’s
stand for tear of the Imperial German government.
Officials at the capital are still hopeful that Germany
will not ruthlessly sacrifice American lives or rights.
Still fervently hoping for peace but taking every pos
sible step to prepare the country for war, the president
today appealed to congress to dispose of all routine busi
ness‘as quickly as possible, pass the necessary appropria
tion bills and pending legisation, and clear the decks foi
action to meet any eventualities.
SPAIN’S PROTEST ALMOST A THREAT
LONDON, Monday, Feb. 5.—“Spain will reply to the
German note on ruthless warfare making energetic and
definite protest,” is the report from Madrid in the Daily
Telegraph today.
“Among other things Spain will declare that she can
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