. THE NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
EVENTS OF 1919
PASSED IN REVIEW
World Found Great Difficulty in
Returning From War to
Peace Conditions.
MAKING THE GERMAN TREATY
Europe In State of Ferment, While
the United States Was Struggling
With Grave Industrial and Eco
nomic Problems.
By DONALD F. BIGGS.
After nearly live years of frightful
vnrfnrc, In which all of the great pow
ers and many of the smaller nations
had been Involved, the world found It
difficult to return to anything like nor
mal conditions during the year 1019.
While the armistice which was signed
In the closing weeks of 1018 brought
& cessation of hostilities between tho
two groups of nations that had been
engaged In the great Btruggle. It did
not bring peace to all the peoples In
volved. Technically tho world still
was at war throughout practically all
of the yenr just closed ns the peaco
treaty which was framed In Paris
after months of negotiation could not
be made fully effective until ratified
by the great powers and formally pro
mulgated by the peaco conference.
Failure of the United States senate to
ratify tho treaty, because of opposition
to the covenant of the League of Na
tions, which was made n part of tho
peace treaty, prevented the formal
declaration of peace until more than
a year after the armistice was signed.
Internal disorders and territorial
disputes arising from tho establish
ment of ninny new nations kept a
large part of Europe in turmoil. Such
a complete remaking of the map of
Europe as resulted from the great war
nnturally could not be accomplished
without friction. The great empire of
Austria-Hungary had fallen to pieces
with the defeat of the central powers
and out of the wreckage now states
arose. These new nations Austria,
Hungary, Poland and the Czech and
Jugoslav states could not establish
their new boundaries vlth6ut friction
among themselves and with their
neighbors. The new government of
Germany, which had been transformed
Into a republic, was striving to main
tain Itself against the attacks of radi
cal elements. Russia was torn by
civil strife, with half a dozen groups
fighting for the mastery. At times
world peace seemed still far off, but as
the year passed conditions beenmo
more settled and It seemed probable
that with the formal promulgation of
the peace treaty the chaos Into which
Europe had been thrown would pass.
In the United States conditions were
not so unsettled as in the nations tbnt
had been longer engaged in the war.
but here, as in Europe, the transition1
from a war to a peace basis was not
easy. New Industrial problems had
been created. Tho high cost of living
caused labor to make Insistent and re
pented demands for'higher wages and
resulted In numerous strikes among,
nll classes of workers. Radical lead
ers took advantage of the unrest thnt
existed to recruit their forces and
they became so active that tho con
stituted authorities of the nation
finally found It necessary to take de
termined steps to suppress disloyal
propaganda.
The Making of Peace.
The first steps toward the organi
zation of the peaco congress were
taken on Jnnuary 12 when the su
preme war council, members of which
were President Wilson and Secretary
Lansing of the United States, nnd the
premiers nnd foreign ministers of
Great Britain, France nnd Italy, to
gether with Marshal Foch and mili
tary representatives of the several
powers, began actual consideration of
the terms of peace to be Imposed upon
the central powers. The peaco con
gress Itself, without delegates from
the defeated powers or Russia, met In
the ministry of foreign affairs at
Paris on January 18. President Wil
son proposed Premier Clemqncenu for
permanent chairman of the confer
ence nnd the delegates elected him by
unanimous vote. It was determined at
the beginning that only the five great
belligerent powers, the United States,
Great Britain, France, Italy nnd Japan,
should tnke part In all meetings of tho
conference and commission to be ap
pointed; thnt other belligerent nnd as
sociated powers should purtlclpato
only In meetings at which questions
concerning them were to be discussed.
As the representatives of the many
belligerent nntlons entered upon the
task of bringing peace to tho world
Europe wns In turmoil. Poland was
being reconstituted nnd the fixing of
her boundaries gave rise to mnny con
troversies between the Poles nnd sur
rounding peoples. The question of
whether a League of Nations should
be created as a means of preventing
future wars was one of the first to bo
taken up by the peace conference. On
January 25 the conference formally
declared In favor of the establishment
of a League of Nations, and n com
mission, of which President Wilson
was chairman, was appointed to pre
pare a doflnlto plan. The League of
Nations commission held Its first meet
ing on February 3 and on Februnry 14
President Wilson read and explained
to the peace conference a draft of tho
constitution for the Lengue of Nations.
The plan provided for an executive
council to be composed of representa
tive): if n m nations nnd for an Inter
national secretariat. It was provided
that decisions of the executive council
should be enforced, If necessary, by
"the prevention of all financial, com
mercial or personal Intercourse" be
tween the nation falling to abide by
tho decision and all other member
states of the League of Nations.
On the same day Hint he presented
this plan to tho pence conference Pres
ident Wilson sailed for the United
States to attend the closing sessions
of congress at Washington. Opposi
tion tho Incorporation of tho League
of Nations covenant In the pence treaty
already had developed In this country,
and President Wilson, upon his return,
delivered an address nt Boston In
which ho cmphnslzed the necessity of
the United Stntes taking n loading
part In the organization of tho League
of Nations.
Meantime tho pence conference was
endeavoring to rencb a solution of
several other vexing problems. A bit
ter dispute had arisen between Italy
and the new Jugo-Slnv state as to the
possession of the eastern coast of the
Adriatic. The Italians demanded pos
session of the city of Flume on the
ground thnt Its population was largely
Italian, while- the Jugo-Slnvs main
tained thnt possession of this port was
essentlnl If their newly organized na
tion wns to have access to the sea.
Tho Japanese delegates also gave
nn early Indication of their attitude
by Insisting upon Japan's right to re
tain the Marshall and Caroline Islands,
which sho had taken from Germany.
President Wilson returned to Paris
after spending little mono than a week
In the United States. With Ids arrival
In France on March 14 the pence con
ference bognn consideration of recom
mendations by various committees,
and the pence treaty began to take
definite shape.
On March 21 the council of ten
which bad been considering the chief
problems before the pence conference
wns replaced by n council of four, con
sisting of President Wilson nnd Pre
miers Lloyd George, Clomenceau nnd
Orlando. From thnt time up to tho
nctual signing of tho pence treaty all
of the problems nrtslng wore disposed
of by this council of four, In which,
nt times, the premier of Japan nlso
participated.
The revised covenant of the Lengue
of Nations wns presented at a plenary
session of the pence conference on
April 28. President Wilson, ns chair
man of the commission which framed
the covenant, explained the changes
that had been made, mostly as a result
of criticism in the United States. One
of tho most important of the amend
ments made was that providing that
the covenant should not affect existing
understandings for maintaining peace.
While it wns not so stated specifically,
this amendment was designed to pre
vent the League of Nations covennnt
from Interfering with the Monroe doc
trine. The revised covennnt was
adopted by the unanimous vote of the
pence conference.
.On April 30 the council of four,
which by this -time had been reduced
to a council of three by the with
drawal of the Italians, agreed to
transfer to Japan tho German posses
sion of Klau-Chau. The. Chinese dele
gation objected strenuously to this set
tlement, although Japan agreed ulti
mately to restore the territory to
Cliinn. On May G the council deter
mined that Great Britain and her colo
nics nnd dominions should become
mnndntory for tho Islands north of the
equator.
By May 8 the treaty had finally been
completed and on that date It was
presented to the German plenipoten
tiaries at Versailles. The pact, while
It represented chiefly the deliberations
of the council of four, hnd been adopt
cd by a conference In which 27 allied
and associated powers were represent
ed. At the same time It was an
nounced that President Wilson and
Premier Lloyd George had negotiated
treaties with France providing thnt
the United States and Great Britain
would come Immediately to the assist
ance of France In case of any future
unprovoked attack by Germany. When
the pence treaty was submitted to the
Germans the Italian delegates were
present, having returned to Paris in
response to nn Invitation extended by
President Wilson nnd Premiers Lloyd
George nnd Clemenccnu.
The Germnn delegates were not per
mitted to dlscuHs the pence treaty with
the conference but were given fifteen
dnys in which to submit their reply In
writing. Announcement of the terms
of tho treaty caused a storm In Ger
mnny. The terms were denounced by
President Ebcrt of Germany ns being
tho most severe ever "Imposed upon a
vanquished people." Several commu
nications requesting changes In tho
trenty were submitted by the German
delegates and these were given consid
eration by tho council of five. As n
result some parts of the treaty were
made more lenient toward Germany.
The revised terms were presented to
Count Brnckdnrff-ltantzau. bond of the
German delegation on June 10 and the
Germans were given seven days In
which to sign. The German nntlnnnl
assembly on June 22. by a vote of 2.'t7
to 1.18. authorized the government to
sign the treaty. On Juno 28 the
treaty -wns signed at Versailles by rep
resentatives of Germany and of the
nllled and associated powers. The
Chinese delegates alone refused to
sign because of the Shantung settle
ment. On Juno 2!) President Wilson sailed
from France nnd returned to the
United States nfter an nhsnnce of
more than six months. On July 10 lie
presented the trenty to the senate and
there at once developed bitter oppo
sition to Its adoption without change
or reservation.
On September 10 Senator Lodge sub
mitted the majority report of tho com
mittee on foreign relntlons. proposjng
amendments nnd four reservations to
tho pence treaty. Scnntor Hitchcock
presented n minority report, recom
mending the ndoptlon of tho trenty
without reservation. There began then
n determined fight between the oppos
ing forces In tho sennte. which ended
llnnlly In n deadlock that prevented
the ratification of the trenty either
with or without reservations. N
President Wilson hnd continued to
combat every suggestion of n chnnge
In tho treaty or the covenant of the
League of Nations nnd In nn effort to
force Its ratification hnd undertaken
nn extensive tour of tho country, be
ginning on September 4. After deliv
ering more thnn forty speeches
throughout the West he broke down
under tho .strain and was Torccd to
return to the White House. His con
dition was regarded as very serious,
and he was unable to take a leading
pnrt In the buttle for the trenty when
the contest reached Its climnx. The
president still Insisted, however, upon
the adoption or the treaty without res
ervations, and when the question enme
to n final vote In the senate on Novem
ber 10 the Democratic minority, allied
by n number of Republicans opposod
to the league In any form, defeated tho
majority resolution or the Republicans,
which would have carried with It the
reservations adopted by the senate.
Senntor Hitchcock thereupon offered
n resolution providing for ratification
of tho treaty without reservations, nnd
this. In turn, was defeated, a number
of Democratic senntors voting with
the Ropubllcnns. With a compromise
between the opposing groups nppnr
ently Impossible, the senate ad
journed. In tho meantime the pence treaty
had been ratified by the other groat
nllled nntlons nnd by mnny of the
smaller nations that had been engaged
In the wnr against Gcnnnny.
Foreign Affairs.
While the trenty wns being negoti
ated conditions romnlned very un
settled not only In the territory which
hnd been Included In the four defeated
nntlons but throughout Europe. Rus
sia continued In n state of turmoil
throughout the year. Although tho
bolshevlst government under the direc
tion of Lenin and Trotzky maintained
Its control over a large part of the
former empire It wns hemmed In on
nil sides by opposing groups which
nttacked It with varying success. The
newly constituted nation of Polnnd
wns beset for n time on nil sides, but
It, too, succeeded In weathering the
storm and hnd established a stable
government before many months had
passed.
Failure to reacli a settlement of the
Flume question contlnunlly threatened
nn armed conflict between the Itnllans
and the new Jugo-Slnv state. Serious
conditions existed in Hungary both bo
cause of Internnl disorders and be
cause of clashes with Roumanin nnd
with the new Czecii government.
In Germany n split among the Ger
man socialist leaders resulted on Jnnu
nry 7 In serious street fighting. The
government wns seriously threatened,
but on Jnnunry 0 Its troops In Berlin
were ro-enforced and regained control
of the situation. On Jnnuary 10 Dr.
Carl Llebknecht, lender of tho Spnr
tncans, or antlgovernment fnctlnn. wns
killed while attempting to escnpo nfter
arrest In Berlin, nis companion, Rosa
Luxemburg, long known us n radical
leader both In Germnny and Russia,
was killed by n mob. Disorders In
Germnny were suppressed and on Jnn
unry 19 the people- elected n nntlonnl
assembly, the majority socialists led
by Chancellor Ebert retaining control.
Tho assembly mot n Weimar on Jnnu
nry 0 nnd on February 11 elected
Chancellor Ebert ns first president of
tho Gorman republic, nfter ndoptlng n
provisional constitution. In Poland
opposing factions reached an agree
ment on Jnnunry 17 whereby Ignnce
Jnn Padorewskl became premier, with
General Pllsudskl as rorelgn minister
nnd M. Dcmoskl ns president.
Opposition to Jnpnncse control had
been developing rapidly In Korea nnd
on March 12 Korean nationalists Is
sued a declaration of Independence,
declnrlng themselves ready to "fight to
the last drop of blood." Serious disor
ders also were reported In Egypt In
support of the nationalist demand for
nutonomy nnd on March 25 the Brit
Ish secretary for war. Mr. Churchill,
admitted that tho whole of Egypt was
virtually In a state of Insurrection.
On March 10 a new Gernmno-Aiistrlnn
government wns estnbllslied at Vienna
with Doctor Renner ns chancellor.
Count Knrolyl bad been made presi
dent of the new Ilungnrlnn republic on
Jnnunry 11. but on Mnrch 22 ho was
forced to resign and there was consti
tuted n new government which pro
claimed a dictatorship of the prole
tariat and an alliance with the Rus
sian soviet government.
A ministerial crisis arose In Italy as
a result of the government's policy In
connection with tho peaco conference.
As a result the ministry of Premier
Orlando was unexpectedly over
thrown nn Juno 19 tint) two days later
I'mnceueo Nlttl. former minister of
finance, beenmo premier of Italy. At
the same time the German cabinet re
signed because of the determination of
Chancellor Scheldemaim not to recog
nize the pence terms offered by the
allies. Giislav Adolph Ilauer. former
minister of labor, was appointed chan
cellor by President Ebert nnd formed
a new cabinet. A flash between the
new German government mill the allies
wns threatened on June 21 when the
German fleet which bad been Interned
In British waters' under the iirniKticu
wns scuttled by German crews, twenty
battleships and cruisers being sunk.
On August 1 Belli Kun, who for four
or five months had been dictator In
Hungary, was compelled to retire when
socialists seized control of tho govern
merit.
The situation In Ireland where the
Sinn Fein continued Its efforts to es
tnblish a republic grew moro serious
as fhe year advanced. Repeated dls
orders occurred and on September 12
Viscount French, lieutenant governor
of Ireland, prohibited further meetings
of tho so-called Irish parliament. Many
nrrests wero made by tho military.
Tlie fighting In Russia hnd continued
without decided advantage to nny
group until on October 25 the force
conininnded by General Yudenltcli, nd
vnnclng ngnlnst tho bolshovlsts,
reached n point within fifteen miles of
Petrograd.
While other problems growing out of
the wnr were being settled, tho ques
tion of tho disposal of Flume continued
to cause trouble. On September 13
GnbrSclo d'Annunzlo. tho Italian soldier-poet,
entered Flume nt the bend
of several thousand soldiers and took
control of the port In defiance of the
Itiillnii and nllled military authorities.
On September 10 tho representatives
of the great powers banded a peace
treaty to Bulgaria. Under this treaty
western Thrace wns taken from Bul
garia, her army was reduced to 20,000,
and she was required to pay $445,000,
000 as reparation for damages done by
her armies.
Reverses for all of tho forces op
posing the bolshevlkl were reported lu
November. On tho 10th General Yu
denltcli wns forced to retreat to the
Esthonlnn border nnd resigned com
mnnd of the Russian northwest nrmy.
On the snme day It wns reported that
tho bolshevlkl had captured Omsk, tho
seat of tho Kolchak government. D'An
nunzlo created a still more serious sit
uation for Itnly when he seized Znrii,
Dalmatlii, on November 14.
Domestic Affairs
The return of the United States to a
condition of peace was not accom
plished enslly. Unusual conditions ex
isted nnd the people of the country
wero confronted with problems thnt
hnd been unknown in the days before
tho war.
The adoption of nntlon-wldc prohi
bition nnd tho submission by congress
of the constitutional amendment for
complete woman's suffrage wero Im
portant events of the year. Ratifica
tion of the nntlonnl prohibition amend
ment enmo enrly lu the yenr with a
rapidity that surprised tho nation. On
January 29 tho state department pro
claimed the ratification of the amend
ment nnd set Jnnunry 10, 1020, ns the
date when It would become effective.
On Jnnuary 9 Attorney General Greg
ory tendered his resignntlon, to become
effective Mnrch .4, nnd A. Mitchell Pal
mer was appointed to succeed htm on
February 27. On Jnnunry 11 Walker
D. Ulncs wns appointed director gen
eral of railroads to succeed William
G. McAdoo.
Tho government's first blow nt tho
radlcnis during the yenr wns deliv
ered on Jnnuary 8 when Congressman
Victor L. Bcrger nnd four other So
cialist leaders wero found guilty by
n federal jury In Chicago of conspiring
to Interfere with tho successful con
duct of the wnr. On Februnry 18 they
wero sentenced to 20 years' Imprison
ment. On March 2 Herbert Hoover wns
appointed by the president to be di
rector general of American relief
among the populntlon of Europe.
Becnuse of the necessity for legis
lation to meet tho new nfter-wnr con
ditions, President Wilson on Mny 7, by
cable from Paris, called a special ses
sion of congress to convene May 10.
On Mny 10 the cnmpalgn for the Vic
tory Liberty loan, tho Inst popular war
loan, closed with n heavy oversub
scription of the $4,500,000,000 bond
Issue.
Tho speclnl session of the Sixty
sixth congress opened nn Mny 10 with
he Republicans In control of both
house nnd senate for tho first time
since 1Q12. Tho house of representa
tives wns organized by the election of
Congressman Glllctt of Massachusetts
as speaker. In the sennte Senator
Cummins of Iown wns elected presi
dent pro tern.
One or the first nets or the new
house wns to pass tho woman suffrage
amendment to tho Constitution by n
vote of .'04 to 80. The amendment
was again brought up In the senate on
June 4 and this time was adopted by
a vote of 50 to 25.
The activities of anarchistic ele
ments were manifested on June 2
when bombs wero exploded simultan
eously nt the residences of ten men In
eight Eastern cities.
On July 1'the war-time emergency
prohibition act went Into effect anil
for thi' vs time In history the sale
of liquor wis Illegal throughout tho
United Stales. On July 12 President
Wilson vetoed the agricultural appro
priation hill because of a "rider" re
pealing the daylight saving law. ('(in
gress promptly passed a separate bill
repealing the daylight saving law and
when President Wilson vetoed this
measure, both houses passed the bill
over his veto on August 20.
Tho country was aroused during the
summer by a sories of race riots, the
first of which occurred In Washington
on July 21. Four perxnns were Killed
In the rioting nt the capital. On July
27 the most serious nice riots of the
year began In Cbicnuo. It was found
necossMry to call out Hate troops and
before order bad been restored !i:i
persons had been killed and hundreds
injured.
In recognition of the services which
lie rendered as comiiiauiler-lii-chlef of
tho American expeditionary forces.
General Pershing was made a general
for life by act of congress, ills com
mission was banded to lilm its ho
landed on September 8 at New York
with the First division.
Tho United States entertained a
number of distinguished officials from
abroad during tho Intter part of tho
year, Including Cardlnnl Merclcr of
Belgium, King Albert and Queen
Elizabeth of Belgium, nnd tiio princo
of Wales.
During tho closing weeks of the
year n determined attack upon the
war-tlmo prohibition act held the at
tention of the country. On October 27
President Wilson vetoed the stringent
prohibition enforcement bill pnssed
by congress on tho ground that thtS
emergency for which the prohibition
lnw hnd been enacted, had passed.
Congress Immediately passed tho bill
over the president's voto nnd It be-
cnine a lnw. Attacks were made upon
the prohibition lnw In federal courts
In nil sections of the country and vary
lug decisions wero given. Appeal was
taken to the United States Supreme
court which on December 15 upheld
the act.
Labor and Industrial.
Serious Industrlnl disturbances wero
prevalent during the grenter part of
the year In all countries Hint had been
engaged lu wnr. Tho series of great
strikes in the United States was In
augurated on Jnnunry 0 by n walk
out of marlno workers In New York.
Tills strike wns of short duration, how
ever, ns It ended on January 12, pend
ing nn arbitration of the dispute by
tho wnr Inbor board. South Amerlcn
nppnrcntly wns affected nlso by new
conditions ns great strikes wero In
progress during January In Argentina
and Peru.
On Februnry ft tho country wns
startled by announcement of n gen
eral strike In Senttlo called In sup
port of striking shipbuilders. Author
ities announced thnt this strike wns
forced by the radical labor clement
nnd prompt tnensures wero taken by
Mayor Ole Hanson to suppress It. As
n result the strike ended on February
10. On Februnry 1(J n natlon-wldo
strike of building trades workers was
started and on March 4 the mnrlno
workers In New York ngnln went out.
On April 15 n strike or girl operators
tied up the telephone service through
out the New Enginnd stntes, but tills
was ended on April 20 by a compro
mise wngo Incrense.
On July 18 tho Building Employers'
association of Chicago, combating n
strike of building workers, locked out
200,000 employees. On tho snmo day
Boston street enr employees went on
strike. Chicago surface and elevated
car men struck on July 29 but tho
strike ended three days later with a
compromise wuge agreement. Rail
way shopmen throughout the country
struck on August 1 for an Incrense
from 08 cents to 85 cents nn hour, but
the strike wns called oft on August 14.
On August 7 there was Inaugurated
In New York ono of tho most unusual
strikes on record n walkout of nctors.
Tho strike spread to Chicago and wns
not settled until September 0 when
tho nctors won.
On September 0 the lnrgest part of
the Boston police force went on strike
nfter tho suspension of patrolmen nc-
tlve In forming a union. Rioting fol
lowed In which seven persons wore
killed. The striking policemen voted
on September 12 to return to duty.
On September 22 steel workers
throughout the country went on strike,
demanding wngo Increases and shorter
hours. Many plants wero closed for a
short time but the strikers soon weak
ened and within n few weeks prac
tically normal conditions wero re
stored. On October 0 nn Industrial contort
once cnlled by President Wilson, rep
resenting Inbor, capital and tho public,
opened Its sessions In Washington,
but nfter Ineffectual nttempts to ngreo
upon n proposal to recognize the prin
ciple of collective bargaining, the la
bor members withdrew on October 22
nnd two dnys later tho conference
came to on end without having ac
complished nny result.
On October 15 bituminous coal min
ors were ordcrcil to quit work on Oc
tober III upon failure of tho miners
nnd operators to agree upon n now
schedule of wages and hours. The
leaders of the miners refused to con
sider nn appeal by President Wilson
to call off tho strike, pending nn of
rort to effect a compromise, nnd the
government proceeded to tnke vigor
ous steps to prevent tho shutting of
the mines. The department of Jus
tice obtnlned nn Injunction from Fed
eral Judge Anderson nt Indianapolis
to prevent tho lenders of tho union
from directing the strike; which, how
ever, began on November 1.
The shortage of coal, especially In the
middle and western stntes, jiecnme
alarming nnd the situation wns ren
dered worse by n severe cold wave.
The fuel administration and local
commissions put Into effect drastic
orders for conservation of coal. Pres
ident Wilson then imposed that the
miners accept a wage Increase of 14
per cent nnd return to work nt once
ami that a commission or three to lie
appointed by him Investigate mid set
tle wnges mid conditions ror the fu
ture. This plan was accepted by I be
miners on December 10 and coal pro
duction wns resinned.
Mexico and the United States.
Coiulltloiie In Mexico continued lo
provide a perplexing problem for the
United Suites government during the
year l1.
A report on July n thnt iirmed Mex
icans had attacked anil robbed a boat
load of American sailors near Turn
plco caused bltior feeling and on Au
gust 17 this wns Intensified by the cap
ture of two United States nrmy avla
tors by bandits, who held them tor
S15.000 ransom, The ransom wns paid
by tlie United Stales government on
August 19, and a troop of cavalry, ac
companied by airplanes, crossed the
border In search of tho bandits. Pres
ident Cnrrnnzn demanded tho with
drawal of tho United States troops,
but his demand wns Ignored. Tho
punitive expedition nttneked n bandit
stronghold on August 21, Wiling four
men, but on August 24 tho pursuit wns
abandoned and tho troops returned ta
the United States.
Tho relations between Mexico nnd
tho United States reached n crisis on
November 10 when Secretary of Stnto
Lansing dispatched a note demanding
tho Immediate unconditional release
of Wlllinm O. Jenkins, United Stntes
consular agent nt Puebln, who hmV
been arrested on charges of complic
ity with bnndlts who kldnnped him
nnd held htm for $150,000 rnnsom. A
few dnys later Jenkins was relcnMJil
on ball, but (his did not relievo tlu
strained relntlons.
Aeronautics.
As n result of (ho great develop
ment of aviation during the wnr, rapid
progress was mndo during the yenr in
tho use of both dlrlglbTes and heavlcr-tlian-alr
machines for commercial pur
poses. On Mny 8 thrco United States nwvy
seaplanes started from New York on
tho first trans-AtlnntIo flight by way
of Halifax, N. S.; Trepnssay Bay,
Newfoundland, nnd the Azores. Ono
of theso mnchlncs, tho NC-4 arrived
nt Lisbon, Portugal, on May 27, hav
ing completed tho first flight across
tho Atlantic In nctual flying time of
20 hours, 47 minutes from Newfound
land to Portugal. Fog caused tho oth
er two planes to loso their course.
Two British nvlators, Harry O.
Hawker and Lleutcnnnt Commander
Mnckenzlo Grieve, left Newfoundland
on May 18 in tho first nttempt to cross
tho Atlantic without stop. Engine
trouble forced them to descend 850
miles from Ireland nnd tho nvlators
were picked up by n pnsslng vessel.
The first non-stop flight across tho
Atlnntlc wns mndo on Juno 14 nnd 15
by Cnpt. John Alcock, British flyer,
nnd Lieut. Arthur W. Brown, bis
American nnvlgator, who covered tho
1,900 miles from Newfoundland to Ire
land In 10 hours and 12 minutes.
Tho British dlrlglblo R-34. carrying
31 persons, stnrted from Edinburgh on
n trnns-Atlnntlc flight to New York on
July 2 and reached Its destination on
July 0. It made the return trip with
out mishnp In three days nnd threo
hours.
Roland Rholfs, In n Curtlss trlplnnc.
mndo n new nltltudo record on Sep
tember 18 by ascending 34,010 feet
A transcontinental airplane raco was
started simultaneously at San Francis
co nnd New York on October 8 with
05 competitors. Five aviators wero
killed during this raco. Lieut. Alexan
der Pearson was declared tho winner.
On December 10 Cnpt. Ross Smith
of Australia completed nn airplane
trip from Enginnd to Port Darwin,
iVustrnlla, In 30 dnys.
Necrology.
Death took a heavy toll among tho
lenders In mnny fields of world actlv-
Ity during 1019. Tho most prominent
of Amerlcnns who pnssed away during
tho yenr was former President Theo
dore Roosevelt, who died suddenly at
his home nt Oyster Buy on January 0.
The following are among the moro
prominent men and women who died
during tho year:
January 4, Count .Georgo F. von
Hertllng, former Germnn chancellor;
Jnnunry 8, Mnj. Gen. J. Franklin Boll,
U. S. A.; Jnnunry 12, Sir Charles
Wyndhnm, English nctor; Jnnunry
31, Nathaniel C. Goodwin, famous
American comedlnn; Februnry 17, Sir
Wllfrlcd Laurler, former premier of.
Canada ; February 22, William P. Bor
land, representative In congress from
Missouri; Dr. Mary Walker, former
nrmy surgeon nnd noted ns nn advo
cate of male attire for women ; Febru-,
nry 27, George F. Edmunds, former
United Stntes senator from Vermont;
March 10, Mrs. Amelia E. Barr, au
thor; April 4, William Crookos, fa
mous British chemist and physicist;
April 9, Sidney Drew, comedlnn; April
21, Jules Vedrlnes, noted French avia
tor; May 10, Edward Payson C ill,
prominent newspaper publisher of
Boston, Philadelphia nnd Now York;
May 29, Robert Bacon, former secre
tary of state and former nmbassador
to France; Juno 5, Manuel Franco,
president of Pnraguay; Juno 11, John
C. Spoonor. former United Stntes sen
ntor from Wisconsin; Juno 12, James
A. Tawney, former representative In
congress from Minnesota; June 14,
Ernest Lister, governor of Washing
ton; July 2. Dr. Anna noward Shaw,
former president of Nntlonnl Woman's
Suffrage association; July 20, Sir Ed
ward John Poynter, English painter,
president of tho Roynl academy; Au
gust 1, Oscar Hammcrsteln, theatrical
and operatic producer; August 11, An
drew Cnrnegle, veteran steel manufac
turer and philanthropist; August 28,
Gen. Louis Botha, premier of tho
Union of South Afrlcn; September 0,
Admiral Baron Charles William Beres
ford, British naval commnndor and
critic; September 9, John Mitchell, la
bor leader; September 21. Theodore
P. Shouts, president of the Inter
borough Uapld Transit company of
New York and former chnlrmnn of the
Isthmian canal commission; Septem
ber 27. Ailellna Pnttl, famous operatic
singer; October 19, Wlllinm Wnldorf
Astor, former American millionaire
who became a British peer; October
21, Alfred T. tingling, head of the fa
mous circus family; October 30, Mrs.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox, writer; Novem
ber 1. Col. J. D, Bell, commander In
chief of the Q. A. R,; November 12.
Thomas S. Martin, United States sen
ntor from Vlrglnln; December 2, Henry
Clay Frlck, steel tnugnato and pbllwa-thronlf