The Cordova Daily Times
VOLUME TWO. NUMBER 375. CO RDOVA, ALASKA, TUESDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 29, 11>ll>. PRICE TEN CENTS.
LINER MALOJA SUNK FLOATING MINES
TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE GO DOWN WITH THE SHIP
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BERLIN. Feb. 28. — The war office ,
officially announced this morning that
in the Navarin farm, of the Cham
pagne district, the Germans had
stormed and captured by a night at
tack a portion of the French trenches
on both sides of the farm. Over six- i
teen hundred yards of the French line
were taken. A thousand men and nine
machine guns were also captured.
In the fighting around Verdun the. '■
Germans report great masses of addi-1
tional French reserves who exhausted , I
themselves in fruitless attempts to \ <
drive the Teutons out of Fort Poua- ^ i
mont. The Germans in this section ^ l
succeeded in advancing their lines j ;
somewhat further in the direction of
Bras and Vacherauvilie, and also made j 1
fresh gains on the plains of tlie Woe-1 (
v(Te. The war office claims that all I
French forces have now been driven '
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from the Meuse peninsula.
PARIS, Fell. 28. — The war office;!
announced officially today that the i
Germans hv a night surprise attack I
had entered certain advance French '
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trendies in the Navarin farm, in the i
Champagne district. !<
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UNALAGA SOON COMING NORTH.
The United States coast guard
steamer Unalaga, in command of
Lieut. C F. Seiter, will leave Seattle
shortly for a cruise in Alaskan
waters.
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PETROGRAD, Feb. 28. — More than j1
three thousand surgical operations, j1
most of them close to the fighting line I
and with the roar of artillery in his j1
ears, is the past year's record of Dr.[ 1
Eugene Hurd, until recently the only 1
American surgeon at the front with
the Russian forces. Dr. Hurd is chief j
surgeon in charge of the Twenty-1
ninth, known as the "Grodno Nobil- 1
ity” Flying Oolunm. He has the rank j1
of colonel in the regular army, and
ha* acquired a reputation among the 1
simple minded soldiers for doing the 1
impossible. A soldier returning from
the hospital told his fellows that the 1
"big American surgeon could take a 1
hand that had been shot off, patch it
together and put it back on good as 1
new.”
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NEW ORE FREIGHTERS DUE LAT
TER PART APRIL.
According to advices received at the
local office of the Alaska Steamship
Company the steamers Benntngton
and Burlington will arrive in Seattle
sometime between April 15 and 26,
coming by way of the Straits of Magel
lan and the west coast of South Am
erica. The Burlington will be the first
to arrive on the coast, followed by the
^tennington.
Sunshine the past two days.
Special by Associated Press.
LONDON, Feb. 28. — A shocking
raged}' occurred in the Knglish chan
lel just outside of Dover today, when
lie Peninsula and Oriental liner Ma
oja struck two floating mines and
vas sunk. The Maloja was hound to
Bombay, India, with over four hun
lred persons on hoard, including pas
lengers and crew. The explosion of
he two mines occurred simultaneous
ly. and tore huge holes in the hull of
the vessel below the water line. She
began to fill immediately and sank
within a half hour. But two hundred
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persons were saved, there being no
ship close enough to render assist
ance and the liner sinking before half
of the life boats could be launched.
Ships went at once to the aid of the
survivors and they were taken out
of the small boats and brought back
to this city. The crew acted heroleal
ly, sticking to their posts to the last.
' with the exception of such as were
| ordered to their places in the life
boats.
In discussing the fatality which
sunk the P. & O. liner Maloja. the
British press seem unanimously of the
opinion that this ship and others sunk
by striking mines were the victims of
freshly sowed German mines. It is
strongly intimated that a certain well
known class of merchant shipping be
longing to a neutral nation has been
Instrumental in dropping these mines
is they passed through the channel in
the night time. Great indignation is
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expressed, as the British admiralty
positively assert that the Maloja was
not anywhere near the British mine
field, and that it. was none of their
nines which sunk the vessel. That
he government will take official ac
ion tending to place the responsibility
elsewhere seems certain.
NORTH VERDUN
Special by Associated Press.
PARIS. Feb. 28. — The major por
ion of today’s official communiqui
leals with the strenuous fighting stil
inder way north of Verdun, and cen
ering on the plains of Woevre. am
lartieularly around Fort Douamont
vhicli has been captured by the Oer
nans, lint, which is the object of fierci
•ounter attacks by the French, wht
lave almost completely surrounded it
[’he situation at this point in the lim
s practically unchanged. The Ten
on bombardment of the French posi
ions continues to be intense, ant
housands of shells of all calibre ari
icing directed at the French trenches
rhe uproar of the exploding missilei
s tremendous, and it hardly eve
eases. The Germans have spent im
troops, who poured a withering fire
- mense sums on tlie cost of the shells
■ fired in this district alone the past
I few days. The bombardment is par
- ticularly severe in the center and on
I the right of the French line. Yes
. terday the German forces made sev
eral attempts to capture the village
• of Douamont hut their charges were
> broken and their men hurled back!
. again and again by the determined
■ resistance of the French troops, who
withstood the most furious assaults, I
- and raised havoc with the enemy be-!
I cause of the accuracy of their ma-i
‘ chine gun fire. In the Woevre dis |
. trict the Germans have apparently
i greatly increased their activity, and
• tlie fighting is continuous, with evi -j
deuce of increasing in force and vio
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upon them, and drove them back time
after time. The German assaults here
lence. The worst fighting occurred in
the battles for the possession of the
railway station at Fix. This changed
hands several times, the Germans driv
ing the French out, only to suffer the
same fate themselves. The place is
a shambles, with heaps of dead piled
everywhere, and the stretcher bear
ers invite certain death if they at
tempt to reach the wounded, who lie
suffering in the No Man's Land be
tween the contending forces. The
railroad station is still held by the
French. Another point of severe
fighting was Hill 2.r>5, near Fix. The
Bermans stormed the hill with the
?reatest determination, but failed in
ill their efforts to dislodge the French
were absolutely profitless. The Ger
man attacks against the French posi
tions at Manheuules were also com
pletely repulsed. The French artil
lery is vigorously replying to the Ger
man guns along the entire front, and
great heavy palls of smoke obscure
the larger portion of the battle field.
PARIS. Feb. 28. — The French lines
in the immediate vicinity of Verdun
are holding strongly, and repulsing
all German attacks directed against
them. The German attack is develop
ing along a front east and southwest
of the city. The situation at Fort
Douamont remains the same, the
French troops rtaining the village,
and surrounding country, but the Teu
tons holding the fortress itself.
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VIENNA, Feb. 28. — The Austrian
war office issued an official bulletin
today, announcing the Italian evacu
ation of the Albanian seaport of Du
razzo. The Austrians claim that the
evacuation was hurried and accom
panied by great disorder, the retiring
Italians leaving a large quantity of
munitions and supplies behind them.
The Austrians captured j.i Italian can
non, ten thousand rifles and a large
amount of ammunition for small arms,
as well as miscellaneous lots of gen
eral provisions.
KOMK. Feb. 28. — The Italian war
department officials claim that they
never had any intention of retaking
Durazzo. They say that the Italian
troops were sent there so that the
town could be used as a temporary
base for rescuing the remnants of the
Serbian army, which was retreating
through Albania before the advancing
Bulgarians and Teutons. Having safe
ly accomplished this object, as well
as preserving the thousands of pris
oners which the Serbians had cap
tured. the reason for the Italian troops
remaining had ceased, and so the
troops were ordered to withdraw to
be placed in more important fields of
warfare. The government announces
that the Italians will retain the city
of Avlona. which is considered of
greatest importance to the national as
pirations of Italy, and which is of im
mense strategic value, commanding, as
it does, one side of the entrance to
the Adriatic sea. The Italians are
fortifying Avlona, and will greatly in
crease the Italian garrison there.
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namna ■ ■■ nnnnn
HUbblAN mm
GO TO JOIN >
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HARBIN, Manchuria, Feb. 28. — A
division of Russian troops arrived
here today, bound for service in Meso
potamia in conjunction with the Brit
ish forces striving to relieve General
Townsend at Kut-el-Amara. The Rus
sians arrived over the Siberian rail
way, and will proceed to the seaport
of Dalny. From Dalny they will be
taken to the mouth of the Tigris, at
the head of the Persian gulf, by Jap
anese transports. It is thought that
these troops will arrive in Mesopo
tamia in time to make the final throat
at the Turks surrounding General
Townsend, and that they will be as
sisted by the Russian force that is
pressing forward through Persia and
which recently captured Hermanshah.
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A meeting of the Republican Club
will be held at the City Hall tonight,
immediately after the show at the
Empress Theatre.
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A box car. containing copper ore, \
was bumped by a switch engine on the
ocean dock and dumped into the bay.
Later the. car was recovered.
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Furnished cabins. See Dooley.
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ST. LOUIS. Feb. 28. — Voters will
lecide at a referendum election to
norrow whether two measures, de
igned to restrict the negro popula-1
ion to certain parts of the city, shall j
leeome ordinances.
Two bills, both submitted by peti
ion under the initiative clause of the
ity charter, will be voted on. One
irovides that negroes shall not move
nto blocks wholly occupied by white
lersons, or that white persons shall
lot move into blocks occupied wholly
iy negroes.
The other proposed ordinance pro
ides that negroes shall not move into
docks in which 75 per cent of the
louses are occupied by whites, or that
vhite persons shall not move into
docks in which 75 per cent of the
louses are occupied by negroes.
If both ordinances are adopted, the
iecond, being the more stringent of
he two, would be effective.
Neither ordinance puts any restric
ion on the ownership of property, hut
•estricts i. jlaly the use of property for
esidence purposes. Negroes who are
•inploved in houses or apartments oc
■tipied by white persons are unaf
ected by the ordinances. Apartment
louse jan*tor3, who live in the base
nents or apartments, occupied by
vliites, would net be affected.
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For good piling, any length, any
imount. See Dooley.
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The oil steamer Colonel Drake was
n port and discharged 200,000 barrels
if oil for the railroad company, sail
ng for the westward yesterday at
toon.
STILL INSISTS
WASHINGTON, Keb. 28. — The lat
est note from Germany, replying to
tie state department concerning the
intentions of the imperial German
government in their proposed plan to
ittack defensively armed merchant
vessels without warning, says that
Jermanv and her allies have no inten
ion of revoking the assurance given
0 the United States in the Lusitania
iase. The note goes on to state that
Germany can conceive of no reason
or changing her new instructions to
submarine commanders to treat armed
>nemy merchantmen as warships. The
lote promises that special precautions
vill be taken to prevent ships not
irmed from being attacked.
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CANADIANS USING THREE CENT
STAMPS ON LETTERS.
The Whitehorse Star of recent date
•ontuins t)ie following: "The local
jostoffice received by the last mail
1 consignment of tbree-cent stamps—:
lostage and war tax combined — re
luirlng only one “lick” where two!
lave been the order.
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Tlie Lighthouse Packing Company
ixpect another crew of seventeen peo
ple from Seattle on the next boat, to
*ork at the new clam factory.
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There will be an informal dance nt
lie Windsor hotel Saturday evening
lext, to which all are invited.
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Shipments of copper ore continue
:o arrive in Cordova from Kennecott
laily.
CATTLE RICH
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PANAMA, Feb. 28. — The estab
lishment of a large cattle ranch has
been decided by the supply depart
ment of the Panama canal, and con
tracts have been let for the clearing
of 4,000 acres of land in the vinicity
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of New Culebra, on the line of the j
Panama railroad. When the land has I
been cleared of the rather heavy jun- I
gle growth it will be seeded in guinea!
grass, which furnishes excellent graz
ing for cattle.
The ranch will be used for fattening
cattle that have been purchased in
Colombia and Coatca Rica for the sup
ply department. The animals usually
are not properly fattened when they
arrive on the isthmus, and this pur
pose the ranch is to serve.
It is proposed to purchase a herd of
10,000 cattle, which will be fattened on)
the ranch. As these are consumed the
department plans to buy at the rate j
of 1,000 head a month.
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TEACHERS’ CERTIFCIATES.
Six teachers’ certificates were is-1
sued bv the governor’s office to the
teachers employed in the Nome)
schools for the present term. The
certificates were for O. W. Baird, Ed
na O’Connor, Rannle Baker, Hazel
Garcelon. Emma Lee Orr, and Mild
red Lehmann.
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The sailing of the flagship steamer
Alaska, which was scheduled from
Seattle tonight, has been postponed
until Wednesday night.
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There are over thirty traveling
salesmen on a business trip to south
western Alaska.
DATE FIGHT
CHICAGO. Feb. 28. — “Now that
the date for my fight with Frank Mo
ran has been shifted from March 8
to March 25, I will furnish a reason
for my insistence for the change,’’
said Jess Willard, heavyweight cham
pion of the world.
“It may strike many as being rather
flniky, but it is correct. March 8 fails
upon Aash Wednesday, a day that is
held in great respect by the Christian
world. I have any number of friends
who would not attend a fight under
my consideration on that day. Rather
than deprive them of the opportunity
jf seeing the fight. I held out for a
postponement. I believe that there are
thousands who will applaud me for
Making the change.
“Of course, if Mr. Rickard and his
partner, Mr. McCracken, had insisted
jpon my fighting Moran on the orl- j
filial date, I would have done so. |
Iiiough I had a rather severe cold. I j
mi satisfied thut if it was absolutely
pecessary I could have gotten into
diape.’’
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LUMBER FOR ANCHORAGE?"”
The Puget Sound Mill Company has
purchased from the Northwestern
Fisheries Company the Alaska barge
Harvester. The Harvester will irn
nodiately be loaded with lumber for
\nchorage.
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The steamer Northwestern is due
n Port from Valdez about 7 o'clock
this morning, and will remain here
en hours loading ore.
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Now is a good time to have your
udewalk cleared of snow.