The Cordova Daily Times
Member of Associated Press—Day and Night Telegraphic Service
VOLUME IN. NUMBER 215 CORDOVA^ ALASKA, THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1918 _ [’KICK TEN CENTS
BATTLE LINE BEING EXTENDED NORTHWARD
FOR POSSIBLE DRIVE ON ENGLISH CHANNEL PORTS
DATELESS.—Checked over a fifty-mile front, except at
two points, the Germans are slowing up, and the beginning of
the second week of the great drive finds the British and French
holding tenaciously to the western edge of the old battlefield,
while inflicting further losses on the enemy.
The British are counter-attacking near Albert. South of
Albert General Haig has counter-attacked and moved the line
eastward a mile between the Somme and Ancre.
BRITISH REGAIN GROUND
LONDON, March 28.—General Haig reported yesterday
that the British were not only offering a strong resistance to
heavy attacks, north and south of the Somme, but had launched
several counter-attacks, which had resulted in regaining ground
and inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.
The Daily Mail’s correspondent says that the German cas
ualty list during the offensive is estimated at 300,000.
NEW DRIVE THREATENED
LONDON, March 28.—An official statement says that the
British have captured many prisoners and machine guns. Fight
ing is continued fiercely on both banks of the Somme. The
Germans this morning opened a heavy bombardment of the
British defenses east of Arras. The attack is developing rap
idly in this sector. The British have repulsed German attacks
in the Somme valley near Beaumont, Hamel, Puisieux and
Moyenville.
The reference to the Arras attack evidently means that the
Germans have widened their battle front, and are delivering a
new strike in the north, possibly preparing for a drive against
the channel port of Dunkirk, and Calais.
VILLAGE IN NO MAN’S LAND
BRITISH HEADQUARTERS, March 28.—It is reported
that the allies are holding well along the extreme right wing.
The enemy attacked heavily near Beaumont and Hamel, the
latter village being virtually a '‘no man’s land,” with the con
tending lines close on either side.
German artillery this morning bombarded heavily between
Acheville and the Souchez river, south of Lens, making a dash
at the extreme right wing at La Fere, in the southern sector,
where the French have been falling back.
HEAVY LOSSES INFLICTED BY FRENCH
PARIS, March 28.—Blocked on the Lasaigny and Noyon
fronts and on the left bank of the Oise, the Germans last night
threw forward important forces near Montdidier, says a French
official statement. Ferocious fighting was encountered by the
French, and in hand-to-hand fighting with the enemy they in
flicted heavy losses. Finally the French fell back to the heights
west of Montdidier.
PRAISE FOR AMERICANS
PARIS, March 28.—A wounded French captain brought
from the front says that the Americans worked like the best of
veterans in the Somme battle, although entirely new to this
mode of warfare.
MONTIDIDIER FALLS TO CROWN PRINCE
BERLIN, March 28.—The crown prince’s forces have pene
trated twenty-seven miles from St. Quentin and have captured
Montdidier, says the official German statement.
The German losses have been within normal limits, being
heavy at vital points on the front. The slightly wounded are
estimated at between 60 and 70 per cent of the casualties.
FRENCH DRIVE ENEMY BACK
LONDON, March 28.—The French have counter-attacked
with great dash and driven the enemy back three kilometers
along a ten-kilometer front south of Noyon.
WASHINGTON, March 28 —Senato
Overman, Democrat, of South Car<
lina, in a speech in the upper hous
today, charged that German spies wer
responsible for the country’s failure ti
keep up the airplaine program.
He charged that the Curtis airplan
plant was infested with spies.
-♦
FISH MARKET
KETCHIKAN, March 27. — Fisl
prices today were as follows: Halibut
firsts, 13 5-8c; seconds, 10 1-4c; sabl
fish, 4c; rock cod, 2c.
IS THEIR SIM
r NEW YORK, March 28.—A bulletin
' received here states that Der Land
! welrte, the Junker organization, whose
3
( membership comprises the large land
holder sot Germany, met in Berlin on
3 February 18, and frankly admitted that
Germany was engaged in a war for
world dominion.
Germans newspapers say that the
i Junkers denounced the reichstag ma
, ijority resolutions against annexations,
3 and asserted that the war must be
S fought out until final victory.
I
I »' ■■ .. ■I1"." ■■■■ ■*’ ... ■■■ "■■■■■ ■■■■■■ "
GERMAN PHOTOGRAPH OF BOCHES FIGHTING IN SHELL HOLES
: ,-*K. IlMlIWI— JJLJ.«... u
This remarkable photograph taken Worn a captured German officer, shows German troopers lighting from shell
holes before the barrage Are of the allies. A dispatch dog is seen starting back with a message calling for re-en
forcements, and he seems quite unperturbed by the shell Are which is concentrated on the Boches.
TO CLOSE ESP IK
RAILROAD LIKE
WASHINGTON,March 28—Chairman
Edes of the Alaskan engineering com
mission, in charge of construction of
the Alaska government railroad, ex
pects to leave for Seattle tonight.
Mr. Edes says ’• > plans to close the
gap in the railroad between Seward
and Anchorage this year, and hopes
also to push the road forward to the
Susitna river.
The commission is not planning on
doing any work on the line south from
| Fairbanks during the present year.
-»
SLIGHT mst mrto
111 summit victims
1-iONDON, March 28.—The admir
alty reiiorts that submarines and
mines increased the weekly toll of
British shipping.
For the week ending yesterday
twenty-eight merchantmen were sunk,
including sixteen of more than 1,600
tons.
GOODLY NUMBER
OF SHIPS ARE
WO TO FLEET
WASHINGTON, March 28—The
| United States shipping board yester
day announced the exact figures show
j ing the progress of shipbuilding since
the board began work to be as follow's;
Vessels launched, 188; completed
and put into service, 3. The launch
ings u'ere divided between 165 requisi
tioned vessels and 23 built on contract.
Eleven of the vessels launched were
of wooden construction.
-♦
ECONOMY
This is the big idea. It is now a
local and national necessity. Vote
the Cordova ticket. Its election means
economy in city management and less
taxes next year.
GERMANS WORE UNIFORMS
OF BRITISH SOLDIERS
PARIS, March 28.—Several Germai
soldiers engaged in the great offensive
v.'jjte British uniforms in order te
ww confusion. Matty hnve beer
captured and executed.
LLOWGl
NEW YORK, March 28.—Lord Read
ing, the British high commissioner t(
the United States, at a dinner in his
honor yesterday, read a telegram Iron
Lloyd George urging the United State:
to send reinforcements across the Ai
lantic at the shortest possible notice
■-♦
LONDON, March 28. A Moscow
dispatch received yesterday report
that there is a strong movement ti
progress in the Caucasus for a declare
tion of war against Turkey. Leading
members of the diet declare that tht
people will never agree to pass unde:
the dominion of Turkey.
ICE REPORTED" MOVING
00T Of COOK INLET
SEATTLE, March 28.—The steam
ship Admiral Watson will sail for Knit
and Anchorage on April 6. She wil
be the first vessel of the year to cleai
for Cook inlet.
It is reported that already the ice if
leaving the inlet.
-*
A meeting of the ifoire Guard mili
tary company will !>« held Saturday
evening, for the purpos? o,' organizing
the place of meeting to be announced
tomorrow.
i j
1
WASHINGTON, March 28.—Senato
John Sharp Williams, Democrat, o
Mississippi, in a bitterly causti
speech today, told the senate tha
senator Lafollette ought to be im
mediately expelled from the senate.
Former Congressman Victor Berger
| the Socialist candidate for mayor o
1 Milwaukee, was designated by Mr
Williams as a traitor, and he urgei
that he ought at least to be internet
for the period of the war.
HOME GUARD MEMBERS
i
The membership of the Home Guarc
military company is daily increasing
and more than 150 names are now or
the honor roll. Let us increase tin
number to at least 200 before the em
of the week. Those who joined sinci
yesterday's list was published were:
G. W. James, George Laverv, H. R
Wolking. William Gawley. R. K
Brown, Roy Frr.isure. Fred C. Schiller
C. A. Estes, James Lyons. W. E. Bol
linger, D. W. Walker, E. E. Banmid
Paul Le Chevalier, George W
Edgecombe. James .1. Frazier. Chestei
Mellison, Victor Svvanberg, C. P. Mick
elson, R. B. Giles, C. S. Bratton, I C
Smith, Joseph Reeves, Donald Mac
Kenzie. C. S. Keenan. Henry Brandt
A1 Peterson, Charles Foyston. L. D
Bracken.
--——♦
WASHINGTON, March 28.—Because
of the wheat shortage in France, the
bread ration of the French soldier has
been reduced, according to French of
ficial advices. The state food admin
istrations are endeavoring to collect
wheat to be rushed abroad.
I ■ —
PARIS, Feb. 2 (by mail).—"It is
not too early in the game for the
American people to begin to appre
ciate the unappreciated, unpraised and
I unrecognized civilian heroes of the
.seas” said an American naval officer
j in Paris today.
The naval officer spoke of thousands
i of common American sailors who are
t undergoing the almost tripled dangers
| of constant ocean voyages and doing
' cheerfully without any of the ad
| vantages of Uncle Sam’s services—
I without uniforms, privileges derived
j therefrom or the glory of dying for
j their country, officially This officer
| knows the civilian sailor because he
j has se»n him at sea ever since Arner
j ica declared war. He has seen him in
port and afloat, in danger and at rest
ashore carrying on the highly im
portant work that will eventually beat
the German submarine.
For a naval officer to plead the
case of civilian sailors is extarordi
nary in the extreme. He might inter
vene in behalf of his own navy men
but for common sailors never. Rut
the officer who spoke in behalf of the
unmilitarized sailors in the Paris of
fice of the United Press today was
not a navy “regular.”
Months ago. when America declared
' war. he left his desk in the editorial
rooms of a big Minneapolis newspaper
! and went to sea. Former experience
j in the U. S. navy promoted him im
I | mediately to command of a gun crew
j on an American merchant liner. He
has sunk one submarine, had one ship
burn from under his feet at sea and is
now manning the guns of another,
j He said:
j “It would be irregular to say how
l ■ many thousands of American mer
j chant sailors are now at sea. Amer
i ica hears of the navy and army on
! every possible occasion but one sel
, j dotn thinks of the civilian who is play,
ting a great part as the war goes on.
I These men are unsung heroes. They
! are volunteers and they get nothing
! hut a small bonus with monthly pay
j for taking risks as great as can be
j found in government war service any
; where. They are In perh ;ps grea t
|danger than the men of the U. S.
navy. The latter man the staunch,
seaworthy ships—best that Undo
Sam's money can buy. The former
[ man, in many cases, 'most any ship,
among hundreds pressed hurriedly
into trans-Atlantic service after having
, j served their time on Atlantic and U .
,'cific coastwise routes,
i j "The old self satisfied security
,1 the ancient sea dog has been swept
j away.
j “The war time merchant ship forges
ahead without lights aud doubling
dangers of night collisions. If there is
fog. no horn or whistle is permitted.
Days are spent at sea in the lurking
menace of submarines or floating
mines. Usually, somewhere in the
hull, there are explosives, dangerous
in storms and heavy weather. Even
in the coal bunkers, no one knows
whether some enemy agent has riot
planted a time bomb. And even in
port, on the European side, who knows
but what air raids will not make lift
disagreeable?
"It isn't the danger of the merchant
sailor's career that I want to ent
| phasize so much as it is tire cheerful,
; volunteer way he goes about ft. To
i come ashore in a European port he
must undergo all the alien formalities
that any civilian would have. He
j doesn't appear to be much of anybody
I w hen he comes ashore. Soon after
, ward he sails out of port to take an
i other chauce on the briny deep. If
he’s lost at sea nobody hears and no
body seems to care, for he doesn't
wear a uniform, and his name is not
enrolled on the “glory" books in
Washington. He’s simply one of the
mass doing glorious work without any
hope for glory.”
1