CAPTIVE KITE BAGS ARE EYES
OF ARMY AND RENDER MOST
EFFECTIVE WORK. |
OUT''PANTS SEE TWENTY MILES j
Aerial Observer Is In Communication j
With Grounds by Means of Tele
phone and Finds Range and Target 1
for Gunners.
BEHIND THE BRITISH LINES;
IN FRANCE, Aprh 9.—-‘"Would you'
care to go up?” asked the polite;
British officer in charge of the big
kite balloon, one of the long line of i
captive sausages, the "Eyes of the
Army." which swung as though pend
ant from the clouds all up and down
the lighting line from the British
channel to the Swiss border.
“Certainly.” replied the correspond
ent.
So an extra warm overcoat and j
muffier were brought out and donned,
and most important of all, the para- ,
chute harness was fitted on.
By this time the balloon haul been,
cor.rmctc-d up to the winch and every -
* thing was ready. The officer hoisted
him.-. into the car with an agility
born of long practice, while the visi
tor v . - ns.-i Ted to his place ' . \n
‘•car * a." who then hooked ’ v«r
, ht •■ harness to the parachute which,
hung hast outside the little wicker
car.
darting or from one side of the
n s a board on which was pasted
a la rge-scale trench map of the dis
t ft. In pockets inside the car were
mu? ;'holographs, and field glas
ses. '■ th rigging of the car was a
altitude am
dial ' -h
<:ui >'eg" -wring tlv force of the
\vi: wees ]:;■:■ Imur. Ju. t abov >.
do; .hinting ali, was the huge bag of
floating fabric , only kept in place by
ti:e crowd of soldiers holding the
hand’ rg guys. The slender cable and.
its si-tw telephone wires stretched
lari!./ across the grass to the winch
on a big motor lorry nearby.
The observi r fixed the telephone re
ceive-.- to his head. He tested the line
by calling up the winch party, the ex
change. and the chart room at the i
> balloon section headquarters. Satis
lied that all was ship-shape, he waved
ids ar n to the flight sergeant on the :
ground, v.ho ordered crisply: ‘'Let up '
hand over hand,” and then: “Walk
forward the winch.”
Ground Sinks Away.
'S he ground began to sink away. 1
The first impression was that the bot
tom of the basket was going to fall
out. For a few moments this impres
sion was so strong that it was physi
cally impossible to look over the side.
The view was excellent, but the mood
to appreciate it was absent. The of
ficer’s enthusiasm, as he pointed out
different objects of interest in the
landscape. - • ied somehow overdone.
Gradual*'' this first imm a vion of
ins 'curity pawed. The altitude dial. ’
I c<>; ’fortably cioso at hand, now indi- '
cated that the balloon had readied i '
2.K00 feet. The thermometer already 1:
showed a drop of twenty degrees. But. ■
the balloon was still rising.
“There is a light ground mist,” ex- ■
plain#11 the officer, “and oxpc*T -u- •
proves that under such eircumstanv s
bett-r results are obtained from high
er altitudes.”
it was not until .the point r ,-ig- 1 1
nilied 4.200 del that he telephoned!:
down the order “Stop the winch,” and i:
the business of the day began. *
Artillery observation was the off-, ;
<-:appointed tad... A British bat
ten y was going to ‘ take on” a Ger-! 1
man battery, and the observe-- mad, -
his | reparations accordingly, lie had;
the - ositions of the two hath*!*1*’* j
marked on his map, but he wanted to -
make sure of the position of the bal-1
loon. So he leaned out over the side i
of the car, verified his landmarks, and
telephoned the results to the chart
room.
P Gives Order to Fire.
“Let me know when they are rea
dy,” said he. There was a pause.
Then a short monosyllabic conversa- *
Lion, and the balloon officer gave the
jrder “Fire", and adjusted his glasses
;o his eyes.
For the next fifteen minutes the of
fice!- was too busy to pay any atten
ion to his passenger. He was engag
?d in “ranging," but from time to
;ime he passed down a remark which
showed that he was not-confming his
Attention to ranging guns, but had
dso an alert eye for flashes of enemy
'uns anywhere within his range of
ibservation. The range of vision was
roughly twenty miles.
After the first order to “Fire" a
loom in the distance indicated that
he order had been obeyed. The bal
oon officer frowned slightly, and
:elephoned a correction. A moment
ater the battery announced again
hat it was ready, and this time the
•esult was better. The process con
linued. Once the observer asked to
>e put into direct communication with
he battery, and the exchange arrang
'd accordingly. Apparently the re
mit of this conference was satisfac
ory, for soon the observation came
Trough as correct.
A few more rounds and the balloon
equested the battery to start firing
’or effect. While this was being done,
mother battery was rung up and
•anging done on another target, the
mlioon observer occasionally switch
ing his glasses to the old target to
■-e that the guns are shooting cor
•ectlv.
Activities Are Reported.
Xow and again thd observer passed
- u a message to the effect that
ik-l’lank is active.” Blank-Blank
■ another hostile battery, not at
sent engaging attention. Some
:,nes he interpolated a little message
’or the chart-room such as:
“Flash obse>'ved two fiv“ minutes
-ft of Blar.k-Blank.” I’lank-l-'lank
*eing a landmark easily found on the
nap, so that tho flash position coni \
>o marked on the chart-room for at
ntion later.
fl.ere were four hours of this work
' me orucer gave me orner,
•f'aul down.” A flight jerk showed
imt th > descent had begun, and fif
eu minutes later terra firma was
•eached and the balloon was off up*
,vards again with a fresh crew.
Down in the chart-room the report
if the day’s work so far showed that
! ree German batteries had been
'neutralized” and two new battery
jositions discovered. In due course,
1 e latter two would be cared for in a
tanner that would place them also on
he list of neutralizations.
Xot every balloon ascejit is so
anooth and peaceful as this. The en
Tny is active and ingenious, and the
jarachute is not there for nothing.
Die German airman, swooping like a
tawk from a cloud, is always a possi
bility.
STRATEGY OF THE BOER.
Be Wet’s Clever Escape V. hen Hem
med in by xlie* Enemy.
Of the three great figures that
'merged on the Boer side in the war of
k'feng’F that d -veloped after Lady
smith, Botha, De Wet and Parley, Do
wet was tlie most impressive. His face
vas a study in resistance, says Harold
spender in “Genera! Botha—The Car
ter and the Man.” Looking- on him,
mo could understand the fear that he
nspired in his own men. But it was
iis schemes of escape, almost miracu
r>us in their cunning, that perplexed
rn empire and puzzled a planet.
One evening after a long day’s
r.arch—so he told us—all his wander
er; seemed to have come to an end.
no lights of the British bivouac fires
winkled from every point of the hori
zon. De Vet, as was his wont, went
mart from his men and sat alone in
'.u ,h despair. Then there came to him
oikly one of those wo nil erf ul scouts
'• ho served him so well. The scout had
h-covered a slight gap in the British
• nes between two regiments that were
art ijUito keeping touch.
In a moment De Wet was on his
vet. V. ithin an hour every horse’s
oot was muffed with cloth or wool
m-- every wagon wheel was swathed,
i he Boer campfires were lighted and
were left burning brightly. Then the
whole Boer force crept out through
.he darkness of the night in utter si
ence, penetrated the gap in the Brit
sh lines and started on a new course
>f fugitive warfare.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, IN ADDRESS AT LIBERTY LOAN
CELEBRATION IN BALTIMORE, EMPHASIZES
RIGHTEOUS AND TRIUMPHANT FORCE WILL
MAKE RIGHT LAW OF UNIVERSE.
KAISER’S TRIUMPH MEANS RUIN OF FREEDOM
United States Government Is Willing to Discuss at Any Time:
Honest Proposal to End War, But No Fair Proposal Has j
Yet Come From Berlin or Is Likely to Come From Nation j
That Has Imposed Terms of Such Onerous Character as
Have Been Dictated to Russia.
BALTIMORE, Mol., April C.—Presi
dent Wilson at a great Liberty Loan
celebration in Baltimore tonight gave
America’s answer to Germany’s spring
drive against the entente allied lines in
France and to the renewed propagan
da for a German-made peace. He ex
pressed emphatic disapproval of ail
proposals to end the war before Ger
many is wakened from her (beam of
world denomination. He said:
“Force to the utmost, force without
stint or Limit, the righteousness and
triumphant force which shall make
right the law of the world and cast!
every selHsh dominion down into the-1
dust will be invoked to bring about a;
just peace.
“Force and force alone,” cortini: :
the -president, “must decide whether
justice and peace shall reign in the af
fairs of men, whether the right
America conceives it, or dominion a
Germany conceives it, shall obtain
hereafter. Mankind must be warned
anew that a German triumph means
ruin for all the ideals that America
has struggled and lived for.”
The president said that he was will
ing to discuss at any time a fair, just
and honest peace, sincerely proposed,
one in which the strong and weak i
would fare alike, hut he declared no 1
such peace has been proposed by Ger- j
many nor is any likely to be proposed ;
by a nation whose military command-!
ers have imposed terms of a character 1
so onerous as those recently dictated!
to Russia.
TEUTONS CONTINUE THEIR PLUNGING TACTICS IN
EFFORT TO REACH AMIENS AND OPERATIONS IN
THIS SECTOR ARE DEVELOPING INTO MAGNI
FIED VERDUN, ACCORDING TO REPORTS.
United States War Department Issues Statement Saying- That
Entente Alii s Are Constantly Improving Their Position;
That They Are Operating Efficiently Under Supreme Com
mand of General Foch and That Their Stubborn Resist
ance Has Completely Upset Plans of Enemy—Attacks Re
pelled in Tori Region.
GERMANS SEES WEAK POINT. *
L( )XI)(>X, April S.—Checked at most points along *
* the* front from Anas to Coney, which is south of La Fere, *
* the Germans are nibbling along the entente allied line *
■* in an effort to find a weak spot. So far tlx* Teutons have *
* not gained any material success. In the region west of *
* Coney and La fere the French have retired to higher *
* ground. *
War correspondents declare that the Germans are *
* preparing another attack on Amiens. *
i
LONDON, April 8.—American re
serves as well as British and French
reserves are daily pouring into the
Homme sector, and are constantly
'
making stronger the defense of Ami
ens. Every day finds the entente al
lies in a better position to resist the
assaults of the Germans.
The Germans are continuing their
plunging tactics in an effort to reach
Amiens, and the operations in this
theatre are developing into a magni
fied Verdun.
The British last .night made a small
advance on the south bank of the
j Somme riv- r.
Artillery fire is very heavy at vari
ous points along the British front,
from a point north of the Scarpe
river to a point south of the Somme
river. The present German bombard
ment is of the same character that
has alwa s preceded desperate infan
try attacks.
Heavy Fighting' Oise.
PARIS, April 8.—Terrific fighting
has been in progress since Saturday
in the Oise and Somme river sectors,
j On the left bank of the Oise the
; French withdrew to positions that had
! previously been prepared by them.
The Germans in the last few days
have used twenty-live divisions hi
their efforts to break through the
French front and reach rte Clerraont
Amiens railroad. Wonderful resistant’'
: on the part of the French has practi
jcally checked all these attacks and the
gains of the Teutons are insignificant
in comparison with the number of men
. engaged. The Germans in this region
: outnumber the French three to one.
The Germans have suffered excep
tionally heavy losses at Mont Kenaud,
j near Noyon, where they have made
i repeated unsuccessful attacks against
j the French positions.
Entente Position Improves.
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 8.
The United States war department to
day issued a statement saying that the
| entente allies in Picardy sector in
i France are improving their positions
! and that they are operating efficiently
' under the supreme command of Gen
eral Foch. The statement declares that
the plans of Germany have been upset
by the stubborn resistance of the en
tente allies.
After violent artillery bombard
ment, the Germans attempted two
raids against the American positions
in the region northwest of Toul. The
Teutons suffered heavy casualties and
left two prisoners in the hands of the
Americans. No Americans were cap
tured.
In the last raid, the American in
fantrymen leaped from their trenghes
and chased the attacking Germans not
only back into their trenches but from
the Germans first line trenches into
the supporting trenches.
TROOPS OF KING GEORGE ANL
OF MIKADO LAND AT VLADI
VOSTOK WITHOUT NOTICE
MOSCOW OFFICIALS ANGRY
Authorities in Control of Muscovite
Affairs Directs Siberians to Offei
Armed Resistance to “Enemy In
"'n
cursion.
***************•)
* America Is Concerned. H
* WASHINGTON, April 8.— -i
* The landing of Japanese and -i
* British troops at Vladivostok *•
* and the objection of Russian ^
* officials of the Maximilist gov- •>
* ernment at Moscow to such ac- H
* tion promise to cause the <
* American state department t
* some concern. H
* When the Japanese occupa- -!
* tion of Siberia was proposed •>
* recently the United States gov- i
* ernment assumed a “hands
* olf’’ policy. The Russian Soveit t
* council at Moscow has an- J
nounced that it intends’to pro- H
* test to the United States J.
* against the landing of the en- '
* tente troops. , ■*
fc-K-fc-X-fc-*-***-***-**-*-*
MOSCOW, Russia, April 8.—f’riti. 1
as well as Japanese troops landed yes
terday at Vladivostok, Siberia. Nei
ther the Russian authorities at Mos
cow or at Vladivostok had any warn
ing of the action of the British aw
Japanese troops.
Notified to Resist
LONDON, April 8.—A semi-ofneia
Moscow dispatch says that in refer
ence to the landing of the British arc
Japanese troops at Vladivostok, th<
council of the people’s commissioner.
nas nouneci MUtna 10 oner armea rc
distance to the enemy incursion.
SCOTCH AGRICULTURISTS V.TLi
RECEIVE TIME AND HALF
FOR ALL OVERTIME.
DUNDEE, Scotland, April G.—I)
response to the appeal made by tin
prime minister and emphasized by thi
secretary for Scotland, the Forfar
shire district agricultural executive
committee has recommended to tin
farmers and farm workers of Forfar
shire that they make the following
ararngement:
(1) Daylight and weather permit
ting, so long as the war lasts, a ful
day’s work should be done on all Sat
urdays and on other weeks days over
time work should be done, if foun<
necessary.
(21 All work done in excess of tin
present customary hours or hours a!
ready agreed upon should be paid fo
as overtime at he rate of time and ;
half (calculated on the cash wage t<
all classes of farm workers) or pai<
for by piece-work, if practicable.
HAS NO ALLIES.
An important letter from Presider.
Wilson to Food Administrator Hoove
on Thursday of last week, asked tha‘
the entente allies be referred to a:
<-our associates.”
A copy of the president’s letter was
sent to the Indiana State Council o
Defense and to the state food commis
sioner.
The president’s letter is as follows
‘T have noticed on one or two of th<
posters of the food administration th
words ‘our allies.’ I would be verj
much obliged if you would issue in
structions that ‘our associates in th,
war’ is to be substituted. I have beei
very careful about this myself, be
cause we have no allies, and I think '
am right in believing that the peoph
of this country are very jealous of an?
intimation that here are formal alli
ances.
“You will understand that I am im
plying no criticism. I am only think
ing it important that we should al
use the same language.
“WOODROW WILSON.”
Made Denial to All Accusations and
Explanations Dissipated All Allega
tions.
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 8.—
! Now that all opposition to the nomina
| tion of Thomas Riggs, jr., as governor
! of Alaska has been withdrawn and in
| view of the fact that his confirmation
1 by the senate is only a matter of
| form, the senate committee on terri
j tories has made public some of the de
| tails of the objections to Mr. Rigg3'
i appointment.
j The chief protestant against Mr.
Riggs’ confirmation was John E. Bal
J laine, one of the owners of the Seward
| townsite.
| Mr. Ballaine charged that Mr. Riggs
I as member of the Alaskan Engineer
; ing commission in charge of construc
! tion at the Fairbanks end of the gov
ernment railroad, was guilty of mis
management. Mr. Ballaine declared
I that Mr. Riggs, as a member of the
! commission, was iargeiy responsible
for tiie purchase for $300,000 of the
Tanana Valley Railroad for the pur
| pose of incorporating it into the gov
i eminent railroad system. Mr. Ballaine
; declared that the Tanana Valley Rail
i road was practically worthless. He
said that all together there had been
j a waste of $700,000 in the construc
, tion of the government railroad. ^
Mr. Riggs made a general denial to
; an uie euarges. rie explained mat uie
; Tanana Valley Railroad had originally
I cost to construct $900,000, and that it
i was sold to the engineering commis
sion for $600,000 less than its cost. He
I declared it would be an important link
I in the government railroad system.
KAISER’S SOLDIERS PUSH FOR
WARD IN DENSE WAVES ON
„j SOMME RIVER LINE.
TEN MILES FROM AMIENS.
1 I -
| Teutons Are Rushing Forward Their
| Reserves in Great Numbers and Are
I Struggling Desperately for Import
ant Roadway.
__
LONDON, April 6.—Another de
. termined German blow was directed
, today against the British line in the
Somme river sector east of Amiens, in
the battlefront in France. The Ger
mans are now ten miles distant from
Amiens. The engagement which is as
suming a very important character is
in progress tonight.
German reserves continue to ad
vance from the Vaire wood close to
: the Somme river and to push fon.vaul
in dense waves toward Corbie. They
5 are struggling desperately to gam the
Albert-Amiens road.
V
INDUSTRIAL WORKERS’ TRIAL
HALTED BECAUSE OF TAM
PERING WITH PANEL.
CHICAGO, April" oT—The trial of
112 Industrial Workers of the World
in court here on sedition charges was
halted today after several prospective
jurors testified they had been ap
proached in behalf of the accused by
persons said to be connected with the
Socialist party.
Court adjourned until Monday. The
district attorney asked that an entire
new panel of jurors be called.