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' THE NENANA DAILY NEWS
» VOLUME ONE NENANA, ALASKA. THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1918. NUMBER' 10
AMERICANS REPULSE BIG BOCHE ATTACK
GERMANS DRIVING WEDGE INTO BRITISH FRONT
CITY OF ARMENTIERES REDUCED BY GERMAN SHELLS
AMERICANS WARNED
TO EXPECT LOSSES
With the American Army, April
11.—The heaviest attack thus far
made on the American positions
northwest of Toul was launched this
morning by the Germans, who sent
a force of eight hundred shock sol
diers forward in the hope of dis
lodging the Yankees from their first
line positions. The operation was
marked by terrific artillery firing,
followed by a rush of infantry,
which advanced in the usual man
ner of German mass formation.
The fight lasted two hours and at
the end of that time the Germans
had been put to rout. They were
* outfought at every point, the Ameri
cans in the front line trenches re
fusing to yield a single foot of
ground. The advancing troops were
mowed down by the hundred by the
unerring fire of the American rifles
and machine guns. The Americans
fought gallantly and came out of
the battle with small loss of men
and no loss of ground. The rout of
the enemy was complete and the
losses very heavy.
BIG DRIVE CONTINUES
LONDON, April 11.—The new
drive which was started by the Ger
mans yesterday to the north of Ar
mentieres, is still progressing today,
and while fewer troops appear to
be involved in the movement, the
fighting is described as being fully
as severe as any recorded since the
commencement of offensive opera
tions on the Western front. Field
Marshal Haig reported last night
that he had found the British line
along the northern sector of the
French front forced back to the line
of the Wischaete-Messines ’ ridge,
enemy, he says, have crossed the
river Lys at several points between
Armentieres and Estares and are
being reinforced steadily by fresh
troops.
AMERICANS AT FRONT ....
With the British Army, April 11.
—A large force of American in
fantry reached the British front late
yesterday afternoon, ending their
march across Northern France which
began on April 6. The men were
covered with dust and were un
shaven. yet they were fit to swing
into the line with the British and
eager to enter the battle.
NO DECISION
With the British Army, April 11.
—Desperate fighting continues to
day along the Messines ridge and
in the sector about Wytschaete.
This town changed hands several
times yesterday and today the Ger
mans are making desperate efforts
to drive the British from Messines
/ ridge, the keypoint of the British
defenses in Flanders. The enemy
has stubbornly mounted the high
ground several times, • only to be
hurled back by the valiant British
troops. Hand to hand fighting ;3
|) of almost hourly occurrence.
The Germans occupied both of
these positions yesterday, and took
three other small places in the same
region, but all five points were re
taken by the British today. Some
^ of the Germans have forced their
way to a point near Steenwerke, five
miles west of Armentieres. The loss
of Armentieres is not felt seriously
by the British, as the place is of
I small stragetically value to the Allies
; The town of Lestrem was also taken
I by the Germans late yesterday after
; noon, but the British countered and
' forced them back across the river,
i the engagement lasting well into the
1 night.
i To the north of Armentieres, the
British are still holding half the
| village of Ploegsteert and the wood
j of the same name.
| The battle is progressing this af
j ternoon along the entire frontage
of twenty-five miles. It is pi\in
to the commanders of the British'
forces that the kaiser and his gen- j
! erals are trying, by swinging attacks ;
' to the north, to annihilate the Brit
! ish army, and it is believed that the j
! most sanguinary fighting of the war |
i will be recorded during the fiext feW '
j days.
—
PREPARING AMERICANS
WASHINGTON, D. C„ April 11.
—Announcement made by war de
partment officials this afternoon
■ states that the transfer of the main
| American reserve in France to the
British front has been practically
; completed, and Ameriaens at home
; are warned to prepare to hear of
heavy losses. The names of twenty
1 Americans, who were killed in ac
tion in France, appeared in 'today’s
casualty list, the total casualties re
ported being 234.
SIX THOUSAND PRISONERS .
BERLIN, April 11.—The war of
fice is authority for the statement
that the Germans operating against
the British on the Franco-Belgian
frontier, have crossed the river Lys
at several points between Armen-!
i tieres and Estars, and have taken1
j six thousand prisoners and one hun
dred guns.
| _
ADVANCE REPORTED
j LONDON, April 11.—Major Gen- j
eral Maurice reported to the war
1 office late last night that the Ger
mans had advanced in the center to
a depth of fifty-five hundred yards.
He said it was certain that the Brit
ish had lost some guns and he be
lieved a considerable portion had
been captured by the Germans.
ARMENTIERES IN RUINS
LONDON, April 11.—The new
German offensive in Flanders is de
veloping rapidly into more than a
I local operation. The stroke is of
such magnitude as to constitute an
other attempt to break through the
British lines and it is generally be
lieved that the fresh German blow
which was struck yesterday between
Labasse and Armentieres has driven
a deep salient into the British lines
below Armentieres.
The city of Armentieres, around
which much of yesterday’s fighting
centered, is now a heap of ruins,
scarcely a building having been
left standing by the thousands of
shells which were hurled against the
British forces.
BETHUNE WANTED
With the British Army, April 11.
—It is evident today that the Ger
mans, after they had pinched off
Armentieres, intended to push on to
Bethune and outflank the British at
Vimy and Arras and the still more
| important Notre Dame Lorete. Hav
ing been foiled in that, they are
now attempting the same maneuvei
from the north of Bethune, from
i
the direction of Lestrem.
SAVED AMIENS
LONDON, April 11.—The corres
pondent of the Daily Mail has writ
ten his paper from British head
quarters to the effect that the gal
lant defense of the forces under
General Carey saved Amiens. He
says that Carey’s improvised army,
which included a number of Ameri
can engineers, put up a stubborn re
sistance and inflicted terrific losses
on the enemy, which attacxed in
massed formation.
Armentier*
The city of Armentieres, which
boasted of a population of more
than thirty thousand before the com
mencement of the war, was, before
its destruction, an important manu
facturing town on the Belgian fron
tier, on the French side, ten miles
northwest of Lille. The town had
a communal college and factories
for spinning flax, hemp and cotton
yarn. There were also manufact
ories of woolen cloth .table linen,
calicoes, lace, thread, beet-root sugar
and tobacco; bleachfields, distiller
ies, soap works, tanneries and salt
refineries, with a considerable trade
in grain, brandy, iron, tobacco, soap,
etc. Bricks also were made in the
neighborhood in large quantities.
| N'enana during: the summer season,
has received instructions to report
for duty at Nenana not later than
j April 15. His work here, prior to
j the opening of navigation, will con
; sist of preparing the barges, now in
j winter quarters, for the summer's
I work, and guarding them against
I damage by the ice.
i SOCIALISTS CHANGE
EMBLEM OF RUSSIA
—
' MOSCOW, April 11.—The nation
i al flag of Russia has been changed
| Henceforth it will be red in color,
! with the following inscription in
Russian : “Russian Socialistic Federal
! Soviet Republic.”
i
NEW CAR REACHES
COAST FOR NORTH
SEATTLE, April 11.—The ten
! passenger gasoline propelled railroad
coach ordered by the Alaskan En
gineering commission, has reached
this city from the East and will be
forwarded to Anchorage on the first
steamer leaving for that port.
CONDITION OF STONE
IS IMPROVED TODAY
WASHINTON, D. C., April 11 —
I The condition of Senator Stone is
considerably improved today, and it
I now appears certain that he will
recover qqickly from the paralytic
stroke which nearly caused Kim to
i fall from a street car yesterday.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
AIR PROGRAM SLACK
WASHINGTON, D. C„ April 11.
—The senate military committee,
after having conducted an exhaust
ive investigation, reported today
that it had found the aircraft pro
gram of the government a disap
UNITED STATES
Portugal Content* to Use of Azores
for Protection of Trade Across
Ocean.
WASHINGTON, D. C., April 11.
—The United States government has
concluded arrangements for the es
tablishment of a naval base in the
Azores for the protection of the At
lantic trade routes to southern Eu
rope. The base is to be established
with the consent of Portugal. Guns
already have been landed on the is
lands and fortifications will be
erected immediately.
In addition to being used as a;
naval base for American submarines'
and destroyers, the station will be
utilized as a homing station for
American aeroplanes.
Mr. and Mrs. M. V. Tyler and j
baby returned to town last night,
from Fairbanks, where Mr. Tyler j
served as a member of the grand,
jury.
BELLERBy ORDERED
^ TO GO DOWN RIVER
Jack Bellerby, who has charge of
the unloading of A. Y. N. boats at
pointment, insofar as results are
concerned. The output, the com
mitteemen declare, has fallen for
short of expectations and it is re
commended that drastic changes be
made immediately.
LARGE SHIPMENT
Malamute Kid Left Fairbanks Today
With More Than Hundred
Pounds of Letters.
According to advices received
from Fairbanks this morning by
Postmaster Love, the Malamute Kid
is now enroute to Nenana from the
upper town with a large shipment
of delayed first class mail, which
reached Fairbanks this morning from
the coast. Whether or not all the
mail had been distributed at the
time the dog team started down
river is not known, but it is thought
here that the shipment now enroute
includes all letters, at least. The
second class mail will be sent around
by the Goldstre/ m route by the
Koland stage.
The mail was delayed more than a
iveek by overflows on the Fairbanks
Chitna trail, more than six feet of
water having been reported at one
time at Millers roadhouse.
The shipment which reached Fair
banks consisted of eleven sacks of
first class mail and thirty sacks of
second class, .a total weight of 4500
pounds.
DANIELS SAYS NAVY
WILL WIN THE WAR
I -
I CHICAGO, April 11.—In an ad
i dress delivered before the Chamber
of Commerce of the United States,
Secretary of the Navy Daniels de
clared in this city last night that
“the nation with the biggest navy
is going to win this war.’’
The secretary informed the dele
gates that since the day that Ameri
J ca entered the war, there had been
J added to the navy a total of twelve
J hundred seventy-five vessels, aggre
! gating a million and a half tons. He
I said also that in addition to the bat
cruisers, dreadnaughts and scout
cruisers authorized by congress,
RUSSIANS WANT
DEMOBILIZATION
i
Bolsheviki Seeks Permission From
* Germany to Hold Troops Ready
For Japs.
LONDON, April 11.—Advices re
' vices received in this city today from
' Russia state that the Bolsheviki has
petitioned Germany for permission
to postpone the demobilization of
the Slav armies. This request is
made in view of the threatened
trouble in Siberia over the Japanese
question, it having occurred to the
Russian leaders that a large army
may be needed to protect the inter
ests of Russia in Siberia.
At the time the message was
sent, it was not known at Petrograd
or Moscow what action would be
taken by the kaiser.
I Worker* of the Upper Town Will
Get Ton of Yarn on the Fi-st
Steamer.
FAIRBANKS, April 11.—The wo
men of this city who are interested
in knitting garments for the soldiers,
have sent an order to the States for
a ton of wool, to be shipped North
on the first boat after the opening
of navigation. The shipment will
represent a value of $5,000.
At the present rate of knitting,
the women estimate that it will he I
necessary to order a second ton to |
carry them through next winter.
Game Warden Hjalmar Nordale
reached town last night from the
Kuskokwim country, having made
the trip by way of the Kantishna.
He is enroute . to his headquarters
at Fairbanks, after an absence of
several weeks.
J. Hampton Miles will deliver a
lecture at Grace church tonight com
mencing at 7:30. His subject will
be “Big Guns and How They Are
Handled.” The lecture will be free
and the public is cordially invited.
Buy That Libery Bond Today.
there are now building nearly eight
hundred smaller craft. Privately
owned and government plants en
gaged in shipbuilding are now work
ing night and day and America will
soon have more destroyers alone,
| than were in 'all the Allied navies
combined when the war began.
The supreme need of the hour,
Daniels said in conclusion, is for a
sufficient number of ships to carry
millions of soldiers to France. Ameri
ca will soon have a great army ready
for the front, and the great prob
lem will be to transport the troops
overseas.
JAPAN PROPOSES
! 10 SEND TROOPS
TO HELP OHINA
Large Army Will Be Dispatched to
Republic to Restore Order
and Guard Border.
PEKING, April 11.—The Japan
ese government has proposed that
! an army of two hundred thousand
[Japanese troops be sent to China to
co-operate with a Chinese army of
! similar strength, officered oy Jap
janese, for the purpose of restoring
jorder throughout China and protect
j ing the frontiers.
Should the Chinese government re
fuse to co-operate in such a move
i ment, it is the intention of Japan -
I to dispatch troops to Shangtung
and Fukien provinces for the pro
tection of Japanese interests in that
part of China.
The proposal is now receiving the
consideration of the Chinese authori
ties.
RELIEF
HUS MINE
Vessel Goes to Bottom, But Mem
ber's of the Crew are Reported
Safe.
AMSTERDAM, April 11.—It is
reported in this city today that the
Belgian relief ship Flanders en
countered a mine on Monday and
foundered. Beyond the fact, how
ever, that the members of the crew
escaped, no details of the accident
are available, and it is not known
here whether or not the vessel was
enroute to or from Europe.
O’CONNOR OPPOSES
IRISH CONSCRIPTION
SAN FRANCISCO, April 11.—T.
P. O’Connor, member of parliament,
says that the proposal of Premier
eorge to apply c(|iscrip tion to Ire
land is an insane blunder.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Woodward
and baby left for their home in Fair
banks this morning, after a stay of
several days in Nenana. They are
making the trip with Walter Goyne
and a team of IS dogs.