The Ci )rdova Daily Times
VOLUME ONE. NUMBER 269. CORDOVA, ALASKA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1915. PRICE TF.X CENTS.
SITUATION IN SERBIA IS SERIOUS
BULGARIANS DEFEAT FRENCH TROOPS AND CUT RAILROAD
Special to The Times By Associated I’ress.
LONDON, Oct. 22—The position of Serbia continues crit
ical, and her armies are threatened with annihilation. The only
j^. hope held out to relieve the desperate situation is that the
Anglo-French troops moving north will be able to press forward
with relief in time to rescue the Serbians from their perilous
position. The allied troops are pressing ahead with all possi
ble speed, but are being harassed by the attacks of the Bul
garians on their flanks. The most serious menace to the Ser
bian forces is the flank attack of the Bulgarians, who are press
ing in on them from several points north and south. Along
the Danube and Save fronts the Teuton invading army is not
making good progress, the average gain for the entire front
being more than ten miles. The Bulgarians have displayed
tremendous energy in the attack, and there is every evidence
f that their plan of campaign had been carefully thought out,
and the country must have been preparing for war, weeks be
fore hostilities commenced. The Bulgarians now hold a strip
twenty miles long of the railroad running frojn Nish to Saloniki.
BERLIN, Oct. 22—The Bulgarian troops have advanced
south of Strumitza into Serbia, and fought a battle with the
French troops in that section, forcing the French to retreat
across tin* Vardar river. Tlie situation in Serbia continues
entirely satisfactory to the central powers, and the Bulgarians
are pressing forward in the north at such a rate as to make
possible the loss of the entire northern army of Serbia.
1 _
LONDON, Oct. 22—The Serbian headquarters at Nish has
issued a statement concerning the progress of the joint Teu
tonic and Bulgarian invasion, in which they assert that the
situation is still favorable to them. The Serbian losses since
the beginning of the invasion are set at a much lower figure than l
that the Austrians and Germans have lost sixty thousand in j
tha tthe Austrians and Germans have lost sixty thousand in
dead and wounded'. Many prisoners have been taken by the!
Serbians, and they claim to have repulsed the enemy in the
north.
_
ATHENS, Oct. 22—An important battle between the Ser
bians and the Bulgarians is progressing at Koprili in Serbia. ,
This is a station on the Nish Saloniki railroad about thirty!
miles south of Uskub. Turkish troops are assisting the Bui-'
garians in the attack, all of the invading cavalry being com !
posed of Turkish horsemen. Many Serbian refugees are ar-j
riving at Monastir, and the inhabitants of all the towns and
villages in the war zone are fleeing west toward the Albanian
border Most of them are in a pitiable condition, and are
without funds or food.
BERLIN, Oct. 22—Tn the official announcement of the war
office today the general staff still claims that the Teutons and
and their allies are meeting with uniform success in Serbia, and
that the progress of their task there is in every respect up to
the expectations of the leaders. The Bulgarians have occupied
the important towns of Kumanova and Valese. Kumanova is
but a short distance north of Fskub, and is an important strate
gical point, on the railway, and the scene of one of the battles
with the Turks in the first Balkan war.
In the north of Serbia Mackensen’s forces have made fur
ther advances, and the Austro-Germans are steadily forging
ahead along the valley of the Morava . They have now reached
a point north of the proposed junction point for tin- two
armies of Generals Gallwitz and Koev. Koev’s forces have
reached the line running from Finayevo to the mountains of
Sreatina, while Gallwitz’ army has advanced to the front along
a line running through the towns of Salevnc, Salenovac and
Trnoiacn to a point north of Ronovac.
The coal lands of Alaska will be
ready for leasing before the end of
the present year, according to George
Wat kin Evans, selected by the United
States government to make a survey
of the Bering coal fields with refer
ence to the division of the coal areas
into workable units. Having com
pleted his field work, Mr. Evans re
cently returned to Seattle where he
will complete his report, maps, draw
ings, etc. at hig office there and for
ward his report to Washington.
Mr. Evans’ work consisted of sep
erating the coal fields into working
units, the purpose being to make the
separate units of as nearly equal val
ue as posible and to have them group
ed in such a way that their working
would be practicable. This not only
required that he measure the deposits
as nearly as conditions would permit,
but it made it necessary for him to
form his units in such a manner as
to conform to geological and topogra
phic conditions. Also, his report will
indicate the best method of approach
and the most feasible manner to mine
each unit.
The units mapped by Mr. Evans
vary in size from a half square mile
to four square miles.
Bering Fields Examined.
The government will make its re
’ servationg of coal areas from the re
port of Mr. Evans. The selections
will be made by the President, though,
of course, they will probably be based
upon the recommendations of the Sec
retary of the Interior.
Mr. Evans estimates that the in
formation that will be in the hands of
the Interior Department will permit
„ the offering of the units to prospee
I tive lessors before the first of the
year.
Contrary to former reports, Mr.
Evans confined hi8 work this summer
to the Bering coal fields. He has al
ready made a report on the Matanus
ka field on the strength t^Jiis work
there in 1913 when he sup»intendert
the mining of the coal for the naval
test.
A detailed report will be made on
the Matanuska coal fields by Sumner
S. Smith mine inspector, who is no^
on the ground. He will have the ad
vantage of the former report made by
Mr. Evans. Mr. Evan8 says the gov
eminent will have .ill the information
t ready to make leases in that field as
i well as the Bering field in time for
those leasing to begin active develop
ment work with the opening of the
season next year.
Praise for Administration.
Mr. Evans says there is no question
% I
but that Secretary of the Interior
Franklin K. Lane is doing all within i
his power to give the people a “square
deal” on the coal lands question in
Alaska, and that he realizes that the
ifjstfence o<( the proposition (i8 the
speedy opening of the lands. The <
coal lands leasing bill became a law
ess than a year ago, and practically
ill of the preliminary work has been
:ompleted already. He says, further,
hat President Woodrow Wilson is
jacking and supporting Secretary of
he Interior I-ane in expediting the
oal lands work.
George Watkln Evans iB recognized
everywhere as one of the country's
most capable expgrts on all things
pertaining to coal and coal *mining.
He is not only a capable geologist, but
an experienced coal mining engineer.
The City of Puebla will be here on
Sunday bound for Seattle.
T° M p’tp
.uficJ 1,
PETROGRAD, Oct. 22—It is officially announced that tlu*
, Russians have gained more successes along the southern front.
Several Austro-German positions have been taken and over
7500 men taken prisoner.
PETROGRAD, Oct. 22—The Russian victories in Galicia
yesterday were along a wide front and the enemy was forced
to retire yielding some important positions to the Russian at
tackers. Numerous prisoners were taken including 145 officers
and over 7500 troops. Two large howitzers and many machine
guns were also taken. The Russians throughout the entire
front in Galicia are on the offensive and have been forcing the
enemy to retire to new positions. The Russian attack has a
vigor and force rivalling the first march of the armies of the
Czar through Galicia to the Carpathian mountains.
LONDON, Oct. 22—The Russian forces are in the ascen
dant along thV> greater portion of the eastern battle front, but
the German troops under Hindenberg are drawing nearer to
Riga and the ultimate fate of that city is in doubt. The city
is in grave peril, and the Germans have already reached tin*
village of Ollai, only twelve miles from Riga.
The Teutons are also increasing their hold upon the Dvina
river, and have firmly grasped a section of the river eight miles
'southeast of Riga. At Dvinzk the situation is practically un
j changed, both armies being in the same position as for the
past few weeks, but the Germans have commenced shelling the
Riga-Dvinzk railroad beyond Dvina. It' the railroad' can b<
put out of commission it will seriously interfere with forward
ing of supplies and reserves to the Russians at the front.
The problem of getting supplies into Russia is again aeuti
as the port of Archangel, in the White Sea, has been frozen up
and will not be open again all winter.
BERLIN, Oct. 22—The war office issued an official bulletii
today stating that the Russian attacks of the past few day
made on the Austro-German positions on three sides of Barano
rich had been repulsed. The attack on the east and northeast
was tin* heaviest, but the German soldiers met the rush of tie
enemy with machine gun fire and inflicted heavy losses. Tin
attack from the southeast was not in such great force and was
more easily thrown hack. During the fighting eight Russian
officers and eleven hundred men were captured.
To force the Russians from throwing their reserves into tin
battle at this point, the army of General Linsingen made a
general counter attack at Czartorvsk, and after a brisk fight
forced' the enemy to retire. Situation is now well in hand and
the danger of the Russians threatening seriously the Teuton
positions here is over. The fighting has not been on a scale
equal to the operations earlier in the fall, but in spots has been
quite severe. The Germans have captured in all nineteen
officers and thirty-six hundred men within the past week. Be
sides the prisoners there were one cannon and eight machine
guns taken.
y^l -9_ fi^O
ROME, Oct. 22—Tlie impression prevails here in diploma
tic circles that Greece will resist all pressure brought to bear
upon her by the allies, and will decline to take an active part in
the present conflict.' King Constantine is using all tlie influ
ence he posses to have the Grecian government maintain its
policy of armed neutrality. Premier Zaimis also seems com
mitted to the neutral benevolent attitude to the Entente
; powers., The situation in Greece is regarded as another failure
of allied diplomacy.
LONDON, Oct. 22—The Times said today in what was ap
parently an inspired statement that Greece had declined the
[offer of England to cede Cyprus to her in return for the active
[assistance of the Greek army in behalf of the entente powers.
STEAMSHIP KANSAS ON ALASKA RODTE
SEATTLE, Oct. 22“The Alaska Steamship Company has
purchased a new boat for the run between here and southwest
j ern Alaska, to take the place of the Mariposa, which is probably
Sa total loss. This makes the third boat purchased by the com
! pany within the last two months, and rumors of negotiations
I'or other boats are prevalent. The new boat is the Kansas,
ind she will carry both freight and passengers. The ship was
purchased from the Union Iron Works of San Francisco for
£305,000.00. The gross tonnage of the new boat is 3700 and
her length is 327 feet._,
■
Commissioner Thomas Riggs, Jr.,
and a party of railroad engineers from
I Fairbanks arrived in town in the train
i th!? afternoon and are registered at
j the Windsor hotel.
Hr, Riggs came from Fairbanks to
j Chitfna on the Podge auto of the N.
jC. Co. Mr. Riggs Is going to An
I r horage and Seward, where he will go
over the season’s work with Com
missioner Edes, and where he will
outline his plans for next season and
figure on the money that will be re
quired on the Fairbanks end of the
road for next summer’s work.
After he has finished his report with
Chairman Edes, Mr Riggs will go to
Washington, where he will boost for
the railroad appropriation. He will
return to Fairbanks over the trail.
-:o:-—
ENTERTAINS IN HONOR
OF LITTLE MISS M’BRIDE
j Mrs. W. B. Hancock gave a chil
j drens party yesterday afternoon in
^honor of Jean Margaret McBride.
| Childrens games were played and the
little tots were entertained in a varied
and delightful manner, not the least
j anoreciated being the repast with
which the little ones were regaled.
Those present were: Betty Zeigler,
I Mary Scott. Elaine Bollinger. Laura
May Frye. Jeanette Corser, Gretchen
PeLeo, George Pooley, Jack Downing
Phyllis Downing. Edna Shepard,
I Naomi Robinson, Margaret Patricia
j Scheffler. Mary Elizabeth Scheffler.
i Carl Rosswog. John Malcom Brock
j and Jean Margaret McBride.
——— :o:
The Latouche brought in some coal
to relieve the famine, and the Alaska
Transfer Company has been busy all
day relieving the wants of the towns
people for fuel.
Nothing further has been heard
i\s to when the Admiral Evans will ar
j rive from the west. She was report
! ed yesterday to be here at eight to
night . The ship will load ore at El
j lamar.
—:o: —
There will be a train out tomorrow
i morning and another on Monday morn
ing.