Anrljoraijp HatUj
__ AND COOK INLET PIONEER
YOL. 2. NO. U>0. ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, THURSDAY, APRIL 26,1917. PRICE TEN CENTS.
AMERICAN UNER SINKS GERMAN DIVER
First Gun of the War Fired by U. S. Naval Gunners of the
. S. S. Mongolia and Enemy Submarine Destroyed.
AMERICAN PLAN TO PLACE EMBARGO ON
SHIPMENT OF FOODSTUFFS TO EUROPEAN
NEUTRAL NATIONS CAUSES APPREHENSION
WASHINGTON, April -<i.—European neutrals are thor
oughly alarmed over the policy of the I’nited States govern
meat in curtailing the exportation of food products, to prevent
their eventual delivery into Germany, it was disclosed here
today. Plainly agitated. Dr. Hitter, the Swiss minister to the
United States, called at the state deparmen yesterday and re
quested an audience with President Wilson, that lie might lay
before the chief executive the plight of Switzerland in the
event an embargo is placed on the shipment of American goods
i* his country. He had a long conference with the president.
' 4hit nothing is available for publication.
IF SUBMARINE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
SPAIN TO DECLARE WAR ON GERMANY
WASHINGTON, April 2t>.—The Spanish note to Germany
w with respect to the indiscriminate submarine campaign, the
purport of which has reached the state department, warns Ger
many that if she continues her determination to sink all ves
sels, in order to defend her life, Spain must take like steps to
defend her life. ,
FORTY VESSELS SUNK BY SUBMARINES
AND MINES FOR WEEK ENDING TUESDAY
LONDON, April 2(1.- The sinking of 40 vessels In German
submarines and mines during tlie week ending Tuesday is
.■arising grave comments in the public press. The week \ loss is
much greater- than that suffered in previous weeks and much
alarm is expr essed.
IMPORTANT WITNESS IN CONSPIRACY CASES
TORE RELEASED TO ATTEND THE TRIALS
NEW YORK. April 2(1.—Franz Rintelen, a captain of the
German navy, indicted in 1!M’> with Congressman Frank Bit
chanan, former Congressman II. Robert Fowler and David La
mar, for alleged conspiracy to foment strikes in American mu
nition works, and who escaped arrest, will he returned from
England, where he has been a prisoner of war. It is under
stood that Rintelen will be a witness for the prosecution in the
trial against his colleagues. The suspects operated under an
organization called the National React' council.
* FISH MARTS ESTABLISHED NOW, CAN
BE MAINTAINED AFTER WAR IS OVER
SEATTLE, April 2(5.—In a private letter received by a
prominent cannery man from Secretary of Commerce Redfield,
Die secretary declares that it is imperative that the Alaska fish
ing industry be mobilized, to the end that food fishes from
that territory may be secured for the use of the nation. lie says !
aside from the service thus renderd the nation in supplying
food at a time when the demand is so great, the Alaska fish
ing interests can establish markets at this time that will he
maintained when peace comes.
* BRITISH CLAIM SUGHT ADVANCES, BUT
GERMANS SAY ATTACKS WERE REPULSED
LONDON. April 20.—General TTaig reports that the Brit-1
ish forces made a slight advance on the south side of the Scarpe !
liver during the night. Tie reports that thousands of dead
Germans are lying on the battlefield.
—
GERMANS CLAIM ATTACKS REPULSED.
BERLIN. April 20.—Repeated British attacks against the
•* German positions on the south side of the Scarpe river were re
pulsed with heavy losses to the enemy, says an official Gorman
report today.
LONDON, April 26.—The first gun in the war between the
United States and Germany was fired yesterday afternoon, and
as a result a German submarine lies a wreck at the bottom of
the ocean. United States naval gunners aboard the armed
American liner Mongolia made a clean hit the first shot, at a
distance of one thousand yards, the shell shattering the peri
scope of the diver. As the submarine began to sink beneath the
waves, oil was plainly visible on the surface of the water, in
lhe immediate vicinity, proving beyond all doubt that the diver
received a fatal blow and was sinking to rise no more. The
crew were carried to their death in a watery grave. The Mon
golia reached a British port this morning and Captain Rice, in
command, gave details of the destruction of the diver.
The last afternoon of the voyage, said Captain Rice, the
periscope of the German submarine was sighted dead ahead of
the big American liner, in British waters. Anticipating that
an attack on his ship was about to be made, he gave orders to
go ahead at full speed, his plan being to ram the diver. The
submarine submerged, to reappear a few minutes later on the
ship’s port side. The American naval gunners, in charge of
i the big guns that had been placed on board the liner by the
navy department, were on the lookout and the moment the sub
; marine was sighted, one of the big g-uns was fired, the shell
squarely hitting the periscope of the submarine and throwing
up a fountain of water. The distance was about 1,000 yards,
said the captain. Oil was plainly visible on the surface of the
water at the point where the submarine sank, said Rice. An
even more pertinent fact as regards the ultimate fate of the
submarine was that the shell disappeared after the hit was
made. The captain stated that a shell always ricochets on the
surface of the water and can be seen again, unless it hits its
mark and becomes imbedded in it. The captain said he was
positive that the submarine had been destroyed.
Captain Rice said that the naval gunners had named the
big guns that the navy department placed aboard the Mongolia
for various public men of the United States. The gun that was
fired and sank the German submarine is named Theodore
Roosevelt, so Teddy, after all, fired the first shot in the war be
tween the United States and Germany.
The Mongolia is owned and operated by the International
Mercantile Marine company, of New York. The liner sailed
from an American port for a British port April 7, on her second
European trip since Germany’s indiscriminate submarine cam
paign has been in effect.
SPEAKER CHAMP CLARK MAKES BITTER
ATTACK ON SELECTIVE CONSCRIPTION
W AS 111 X< i COX, Apri I '20. Speaker ('ham p ( lark vacated
i lie chair yesterday to make a speech in opposition to the ad
ministration’s selective conscription hill. He made a hitter at
tack on tin* measure, declaring Missourians classed conscrip
tion with the word convict. Despite the vigorom. opposition
to the bill, those favoring it declare that it will pass the house
by a majority of (50 votes.
PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNORS FAVOR WAR
BHT CHINESE PRESIDENT ON THE FENCE
i’HKIX, April 2(5.- A conference of the provisional nidi
<arv governors, with the Chinese premier presiding, voted
unanimously in favor of a declaration of war against (iermany.
The Chinese parliament is overwhelmingly in favor of war,
though the president is still undecided. Diplomatic relations
have been broken, but that is as far us China lias gone.
PEOPLE OF PETROGRAD, FEARING GERMAN
ATTACK ON CITY, ARE FLEEING TO MOSCOW
LONDON. April 20.—A dispatch from Petrograd this
morning says that there is an exodus of Russians from that
city, in anticipation of. a Herman attack. Most of those flee
ing the scene are going to Moscow.
HOUSE PASSES BILL GIVING TOWNS
SIXTY PER CENT OF THE TERRITORIAL
FUNDS FOR MAINTENANCE OF SCHOOLS
• I 11 licitii, April 'Jii. I lie house yesterday passed a hill which
grant- incorporated towns (id percent, out of territorial funds,
tor the operation and maintenance of the public -cliools in the
icrritor\. I he bill as passed by the house, and which will un
doubtedly pass the senate, i- a compronii-e as between the Snow
hill, allowing •>(! per cent, and the Allen bill, allowing 7~> per
cent, ot territorial lunds. I nder this law. Anchorage will re
■'five (id per cent out of territorial funds for the conduct of its
public schools, the remainder. 40 per cent, to be raised bv local
I a vat ion.
FLOTILLA OF GERMAN DESTROYERS LAST
NIGHT MAKE ATTACK ON CITY OF DUNKIRK
I’AIMS, April '_’(!. A flotilla of Merman torpedo boat de
stroyers bombarded Dunkirk for ten minutes late last night
and then hastily departed lor Ostend. rl'he destroyers were
pursued by British and French patrol boats and a running en
gagement followed. ()ue French torpedo boat was sunk in the
engagement.
FIRST LOAN TO GREAT BRITAIN WAS
MADE BY UNITED STATES THIS FORENOON
U ASI11 \<i I < >.\, April L’(i. rhe I nited States' first loan
to Brent Britain was consummated Ihi- forenoon. Secretary of
die I rcasitry McAdoo haialcd the British ambassador. Spring
Bice, a warrant for two hundred million dollars.
ITALY TO BORROW $200,000,000 AND
EXPEND THE MONEY IN THIS COUNTRY
W ASl 11 X(I I< >X. April 'Jb. It is more than likely that the
■ l nitcil States will loan the government of Italy two hundred
j million dollars. A replies! tor such a loan has heen received
| and if the loan is granted, Italy agrees to expend the bulk of it
jin the purchase of food supplies in the Edited States. It is
also stated that the bulk ot the two hundred million loan to
•rent Mritain will be expended in tins country, chiefly for food
j supplies.
ENGINEERING COMMISSION BUYS SUPPLIES
FOR NENANA DIVISION OF THE WORK
St,A I I I,Pi. April Die Alaskan Engineering eoininis
jsion, through Purchasing Agent Dole, of Seattle, vesterdav
placed orders for $100,000 worth of groceries and supplies for
the Nenana division of the railway work. Now that the big
appropriation is available tor use, considerable construction
will be done this season on the Nenana end of the line.
SENATE PASSES BILL FOR ESPECIAL
BENEFIT OF SETTLERS OF MATANUSKA
.11 NEAU. April —fi.—The house passed the following bills
yesterday: Increasing the salary of tin* attorney-general to
$7,000 per annum; granting the governor and treasurer pay for
services as members of the hanking hoard; authorizing an ap
propriation for the purchase of a law library for the attorney
general. and allowing mining companies credit for the amount
paid the federal government in the taxation of stamp thills.
Memorials to congress passed yesterday were: Waiving annual
assessment work on mining claims owned bv those who have
volunteered for military service in behalf of the nation; and
urging the installation of a government hospital at I'nalakleet.
The senate passed the following hills vesterdav; The
house hill providing for tin* establishment of hanks with a cap
ital of $1.'),000; amending the laws with respect to licenses for
| physicians; tin* senate hill providing for the formation of co
operative associations, for the special relief of the settlers of
the Matanuska valley, and a Dill amending the compensation
j law.