The Cordova Daily Times
Member of Associated Press—D# and Night Telegraphic Service _
VOLUMEm, NUMBER 214 dOROOVA, AI. ASK A. T! i I c y ARCH 26, 1918.__PRICE TEN CENTS
I
COUNTER-ATTACK BY ALLIED FORCES MOMENTARILY LOOKED FOR
-I --- --- -
DATELESS.—British resistance on the Somme front is
stiffening. Despite the massing of Teuton reserves, the Ger
mans are progressing at an appreciably slower rate on the ex
treme north and center of the battle front. The Teutons ad
vanced at a fearful cost of lives around Bapaume and the old
Somme battlefields east and north of Noyon. The fighting in
these sectors continues, though it has lost its severe character.
Southeast of Arras the British line has yielded only three miles
at the greatest depth since Saturday. South of Peronne the
Germans suffered heavily in crossing the Somme.
BIG EVENTS IMPENDING
DATELESS.—Although still giving ground, the British
and French are preserving a united front intact, apparently
awaiting an opportune moment for the delivery of a counter
blow.
Big events are impending in the immediate future, which
are expected to develop favorably to the allies, probably within
a few hours.
NEW POSITIONS EAST OF ROYE
LONDON, March 26.’—The German losses have been so:
great that they have been obliged to bring reinforcements from:
all parts of the western front.
The war office estimates that more than seventy German,
divisions, or about 850,000 men, are engaged.
The British have established new positions east of Roye
and Albert.
The British artillery yesterday smashed a heavy German
attack about Ervillers. The Germans used “tanks.”
ATTACKS SOUTH OF SOMME
LONDON, March 26.—The Germans have begun new at
tacks against the combined French and British forces south of
1 T " ~ - —1 - - - - ----
I
?. Somme. It is conceded that the Teutons have sprung one of
6 greatest surprises of the war in the gun which is bombard
g Paris.
NOYON EVACUATED
PARIS, March 26.—The French are holding the left bank
i the Oise firmly. Noyon has been evacuated,
WONDER-GUN IS OF AUSTRIAN MAKE
GENEVA, March 26.—The long-range guns bombarding
Paris are of Austrian manufacture, and were built at the great
Ikoda factory. The gun is not new. The novelty lies in the
lew type of shell and explosive gases used in the gun. There
:r« only two or three of such guns.
AMERICAN ENGINEERS IN FIGHT
WASHINGTON, March 26.—Two regiments of American j
ailroad engineers attached to the British armies were in the
>ath of the German onslaught. They were employed near the
Iroseat canal, where a Berlin statement mentioned engage
rants with Americans
Officials here are anxiously awaiting news regarding the fate
if these Americans.
• «* ' a
GERMAN USE OF “TANKS”
BERLIN, March 26.—German tanks, reinforced by cap
;ured British tanks, took a leading part in breaking down the
;nemy resistance, says a semi-official statement.
FIGHTING SLOWING DOWN
BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN FRANCE, March 26.—
rhe fighting has slowed down. Up to 10 o’clock this morning
ihere had been no heavy attacks. The British are holding the
nemy strongly half way between Combles and Albert
Probably not since the opening days
of the war has the interest in the
news from the front been so intense
as during the past few days. With the
opening of the long-awaited great Ger
man offensive, Cordova people, in
common with those of every nook and
cranny of the United States, and, in
fact, of the civilized world, have
eagerly awaited every scrap of news
that has been released from the wires.
The Daily Times office, of course,
has been the center of interest, and
the numberless inquiries for news dur
ing the day and night might very well
necessitate the establishment of a spe.
cial inquiry bureau. It became neces
sary for the first time in a long period
to issue bulletins on Saturday last, and
on Sunday two bulletins were issued.
On Monday bulletins were posted in
the window of the Daily Times office
and also down town.
But even this did not suffice.
Scarcely had Monday's edition of the
paper been digested than there were
calls for more news, and as is cus
tomary, where there is a demand for
any given article, someone finds the
means of supplying it.
All kinds of rumors began flying
around, and such indefinite authority
was quoted as “wireless,” and “signal
corps,” “the steamship Alaska picked
up," etc.
These rumors ranged from the “cap
ture of eighty thousand Germans”
which grew by repetition to “eight
hundred thousand,” to “the slaughter
of hundreds of thousands of the en
emy,” and stories gained currency to
the effect that the dead Germans were
heaped up around the British guns to
such an extent as to render useless
the artillery of our gallant allies.
That Big Gun
But the inos,t prolific source for in
teresting rumors was the big gun
used by the Germans in bombarding
Paris. Basing the supposed range at
anywhere from sixty-two miles, the I
distance from where the shells fell to l
the nearest point in the German lmejkjj
to seventy-six miles, the distance from
the Paris city hall to the woods where
the gun was located, mathematicians
were busy figuring on velocity, weight
of charge, tra> try, and various
other phases of gunnery with which
the world has become more or less
familiar in recent, years. The result
was staggering. It was figured that
the gun, fired at an agle of 45 degrees, ;
would have to propel its projectile to ,
a height of more than thirty miles; the s
velocity at the muzzle was greater j
than that of a high-power .30-30 rifle.
Then there was the man of pseudo-,
scientific bent, who was afraid that «
it was impossible to shoot such a pro- (
jectile to such a height, because it
might be possible that the force of \
gravity did not operate at that height |
from the earth, and that such a mis- .
sile, fired to such an altitude, would |
not fall to earth, but would travel on ,
and on in space, until eventually it ,
collided with some small heavenly
body and shattered Itself in the ether.
Like the country gentleman whose
sight of the giraffe at the circus ;
prompted him to remark that “there ]
ain’t no seeh animal,” there were
others who with all the assurance in
the world denied the possibility of a
gun being invented that could carry
that distance. They pointed Out that [
the heat developed in such an ex
tended flight through the air, would j
consume both shell and contents. The
suggestion that it was made of tung- |
sten did not convince them, and they
said the only metal that could be used
would be platinum.
Alaskan Invented It
Some time ago the Daily Times
printed an article relative to a shell
invented by a young Alaskan. Jeff
Dowling by name, and who formerly
lived at Valdez. He was said to have
sold his invention to the German gov
ernment, after having offered it to the
United States. This country was not
then at war with Germany. This she'’
was a double-action affair which,
reaching the limit of its projection
from the gun. received new impetus i
from an “'outside casing which
contained a charge of explosives. It
is clRimed by local men that the
German shell Is Dowling's Invention.
I "he movement for the formation of
Home Guard military company is
Iteting with the success that it de
Saves and before the list closes it is
Mieved that practically every loyal
Inerican in town will become an ae
|ve member. There were seventy
iii names on the honor roll the first
lay, which is a most creditable show
tie. The members pledge themelves
P obey all the commands of the law
oily and properly constituted officers,
ittend at all drill, and so conduct
hemselves as soldiers and Americans
ihould on all occasions; also to act in
iefense of our country in all possible
fays. Arrangements are under way
0 secure rifles from the government
nd drilling will start as soon as they
re received. The following persons
ave already joined the Guard:
Geo. C. Hazelet, Kdw. F. Medley, M.
■ Sullivan, H. A. Slater, H. 1. O’Neill,
'• J- Adams. W H. Chase, W. W. Conn
11, Thos. S. Scott. Bartley Howard
1 M. Brock, H. G. Steel. C. A. Derry,
f V. Carter. J. D. Bogart. O. C. Meyer,
- R. Byers, Geo. Steel, D. A. Mosser.
- Wain, H. V. Hoskins, H Thisted
"uy B-inta, D. T. Phillips, P. H.
Singleton, J. G. Smith, C. H. Scheffler
E. Holden. C. L. Hale, Geo. Dooley
f- A. Cohrs. A. Cohen, Christ Xiros
’has. Cernev, N. Greene, Calvin C
lazelet. J. B. Sapiro, F. A. Jones, J. A
rerrv, J. C. Jackson, R. McDonald
'haries Getty. N. Casperson, W. R
lillery. Sum Brightwell, B. F. Nichols
’has. Goodall, C. Winkler, E. W. Metz
lorf. Jerry Perry, E. L. Harwood, E
Harwood, E. E. Ray. Charles Game
'has. Gogarty, E. A. Fletcher, G. A
iarmon, R. L. Gottschalk, B. O Bol
inger. J. ,T McCarthy, C. H. Hill, F
d- Foster. W. E. Downing. J. V. Ly
lick. Wm. B. Black, J. C. Czerwenka
T. McConnell, T. N. Hubbert, C. M
Josswog, John Dinneen, Ben Ferrell
d. J. Scheuch, ,T. W. Crompton, Tony
^ynch and P. Shearman.
:
WASHINGTON, March 25—The
I Sulzer ~bill, providing for the free sur
j vey of homesteads in Alaska, passed
j tithe house Saturday. The bill pro
! vides that the surveyor general shall
j cause a free survey of homestead en
| tries to be made where the public
land surveys huvp not been extended
after a proper showing that the home
steader is in position to be able to
submit acceptable £inal proof.
The Sulzer bill providing for author
ization for the issuance of the bonds
by the city of Seward also passed the
house today.
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LONDON, March 26.—The rtiitish
destroyer Botha has rammed a Ger
man warship, cutting the Teuton ves
sel in half, in an engagement off Dun
kirk. On Saturday the British de
stroyer Morris torpedoed a large Ger
man destroyer, which immediatelj
sank.
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REGISTRANTS ARE
TO BE CLASSIFIEE
Telegraphic advices were receivec
today instructing the local exemption
board to again begin mailing the -pies
tionnaries to registrants and from
twenty-five to thirty will be sent out
each day. The board will begin U
classify as soon as questionnaires are
returned.
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The next train for Chitina will
likely leave Friday morning.
%
MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS
ARE WANTED
WASHINGTON, March 26.—Major
General Leonard Wood has submitted
a confidential statement to the senate
military committee recommending
that the American fighting forces in
France be increased to four or five
million men, half of them to be con
centrated in France as soon as pos
sible. ,,
--*_: L
AERIAL RAIDERS
NEW YORK, March 26.—Doctors,
nurses and police officials are planning
relief work which might be required
in the event of an air raid. Several
units of surgeons, nurses and helpers
have been formed.
Police Commissioner Enright has an
nounced that bomb shelters soon will
be provided in school houses and in
other places.
Transatlantic trips of enemy subma
rines, the presence of super-subma
rines on the high seas, and the alleged
invention of airplanes with folding
wings which can be carried aboard
the submarines are given as the rea
sons for the protective measures.
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j
WASHINGTON. March 26—The
third Liberty loan will open on April
6. The issue will consist of bonds to
the amount of three billions of dollars,
bearing interest at the rate of 4 1-4
per cent.
In announcing the loan Secretary
of the Treasury McAdoo said:
“The events announced today must
fire the soul of every American with
the determination to give all the dol
lars and material resources needed to
end the execrable atrocities of Ger
man militarism.”
NO MORE INDUCTIONS
FROM ALASKA DRAFT LIST
The local exemption boagl received
a cablegram from Governor Strong
this morning informing it. that there
will be no further induction into the
army from Alaska. The message fol
low’s :
“Advices received at this office in
dicate that some boards are inducting
and sending out registrants without
regard to the order of the provost
marshal general stopping induction in
Alaska. The imperative necessity of
compliance with instructions is im
pressed upon you. No further in
ductions without special orders are to
be made by any board.”
NORWEGIAN
STEAMSHIP IS
CONFISCATED
A PACIFIC PORT, March 26.—
Agents of the shipping board have
seized the Norwegian steamship Stor
viking. following the refusal of the
owners to embark the vessel for the
war zone.
The ship has lain at anchor here for
more than a month. The board had
ordered that no coal be sold to the
vessel. She is of about twenty-seven
hundred tons.
IjIMA, Ohio. March 26.—A mob at
Delphos. near here, made a house-to
house canvass yesterday and dragged
every suspected pro-German from bed
and forced him to salute the American.
; flag or be hanged to a tree.
Barney Gindenuann, a wealth;' iu-3»
: chant, to whose shoe store a flag had
been nailed at the beginning of the
canvass, was notified that if he took,
the flag down or refused to salute it
he would be thrown into the canal and
drowned.
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SEEKS REFUGE IN
SPANISH PORT
; EL FERKOLL, Spain, March 26 —A
j 400-ton German submarine has sought
1 refuge in this port. The captain made
; an urgent request for admission, say
ing that his vessel had been severely
damaged in a fight with three ships,
j She carries two 11-centimeter guns
and a crew of thirty. Spanish war
ships have been sent to guard her.
LAUNCH WAIH1ISABLE0
IN UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH
The launch Waif, which left here
about a week ago to search for Capt.
Everson and party, who have been
missing since March 8, lost its pro
peller off the Copper River flats the
i first day out and drifted about for
i
five or six days. Yesterday she
| reached Kayak Island, from which
place word was sent to Kataila and
the launch I’ioneer went to her re
lief and towed the Waif back to Ka
talla, where she will be laid up until
a new wheel is sent from here. Att
effort is being made to have the Ad
miral Watson stop at Kataila, on her
southbound trip, and deliver the
muehly needed machinery to the Waif,
and if unable to do so it will be neces
sary to dispatch a launch to Kataila
with a new propellor. Captain “Billy’’
Crocker reports that he found no trace
of the Everson party.