If
The Omaha Daily Bee
Use the telephone for
BEE WANT-ADS
Telephone Tyler 1000
Easiest war.
1
VOL. XLVI NO. 157.
OMAHA, MONDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 18. 1916.
0 Tntn. at H.l.u.
Niwi Uutit, Ml.. St.
SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS.
CONGRESS WILL
FIGHT REPEAL OF
EIGHT-HOUR BILL
ARCHDUKE CHARLES BE
COMES REGENT OF POLAND;
FRENCH REPLY TO
KAISER WITH GUNS
GERMANY WANTS
NO TRUCE DURING
THE WEATHER
Fair; Colder!"
' .... ,i v-
TRICOLOR WAVES
IN TRIUMPH OVER
FIELD OF VERDUN
Victory of French Complete
and Crushing, Germans
Smashed Back Almost to
Where Their Great
Drive Began.
DEFENDERS ARE SURPRISED
FINISHED HIS WORK AT VERDUN General Robert
Nivelle, who hai been transferred from command at Verdun
to succeed Joffre in command of the French armies of the
west. He concluded his work at Verdun by a brilliant vic
tory over the Germans on Friday and Saturday.
V
London Press P' .
) Victory at V a An
Gallic
PEACE PARLEYING
Answer
jace Offer
Adamson Says Legislature Will
'Spank' Both Men and Roads
if They Try to Take His
Measure Off Books.
HEARS OF SUCH ATTEMPT
Plan for Investigation of
Threatened Strikes Will
Result From Conference.
FINAL AGREEMENT IS SEEN
Washington, Dec. 17. Reports that
railroad and brotherhood heads in
peace conferences have planned to
propose the repeal of the Adamson
act and the submission of a work
ing agreement of their own making
for it, today aroused Representative
Adamson, author of the law, to de
clare that congress would "spank both
sides to the controversy if necessary.
Mr. Adamson is willing to co-operate
in any plan employes and employ
ers may evolve for the interpretation
of his law, but will appose vigorously
repeal of it. '
"The measure was passed in good
faith and it is a constitutional enact
ment regulating hours of labor and
not wages," he said. "Let the roads
and their men settle their wage dis
putes. "Congress will see that the public
gets a fair deal. If it becomes neces
sary o spank both sides we'll spank
'em, iiiough 1 hope that won't be
necessary."
More Eager for Peace.
Representative Adamson says tne
result of the presidential election
made the employers more eager for
near than thev were last fall and
that the growing belief that the presi
dent stands tor a compulsory arDiira.
tion law has put the brotherhood lead
ore in a rnnriliatorv frame of mind.
Neither labor nor congressional
leaders here have official reports as
to jut what phases ot the railway
situation the conterees nave ianen up,
Belief is current, however; " con
gressional circles that the foremost
feature of the final agreement will be
an interpretation of th Adamson law
so satisfactory to both sides that the
suit to test the act's constitutionality
now before the supreme court made
hp withdrawn.
A plan for the investigation of
threatened strikes also is expected to
result from the deliberations. Labor
is determined that - no compulsory
raTtttmknf,rW-ShaH a Wlkt arttfuU
books, but realizing that the president
determined to prevent strike crises
without investigation,they will exert
every ettort to aran a compromise
plan that will have his endorsement.
Will Seek FuU Consent ? 7
Mr. Adamson will make an attempt
in the house"f3morrow to get unani
mous consent for action on his reso
lution designed to provide for a con
tinuance of the life of the Newlands
commisison investigating al phases of
the transportation problem until
January 1, 1918. Friends of the state
regulation of railroads are expected to
oppose the resolution vigorously. As
surance ot the president s desire to
have the resolution adopted is ex
pected to be sufficient to carry it
through the house. '
Fremont Young Man
Accidentally Shot
Fremont, Neb., Dec. 17. (Special.)
The body of James Keeler, a Fre
mont boy, was found on a sandbar
in the Platte river near Ames by his
brother, Henry, and a cousin, Irving,
Kecler who had searched for him for
several hours. Mr. Keeler had evi
' dcntly met his death through the acci
dental discharge of his shotgun. He
left the camp Friday morning and
when he failed to return late in the
afternoon the search was instituted,
which was terminated by darkness. It
was resumed Saturday morning and
the body found about 10 o'clock. Cor
oner R. E. Van Metre and officers
brought the body to Fremont. Mr.
Kecler is survved by his parents,
three brothers and three sisters. He
was 25 years old.
Friedrich Wilhelm
Breaks the Blockade
Berlin, Dec. 17. By Wireless to
sayville.) The German steamship
Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm, which had
dccii anchored at Odde, near Bergen.
Norway, since the beginning of the
war, has arrived at Stavenger, accord
ing to a dispatch from Christiania,
'after having broken the British
blockade outside Bergen."
The Weather
Hours. Ieir.
I ft. m 2g
S a. m 27
7 ft. m 27
8 ft. m 2
9 ft. m 26
10 s. tn 27
11 ft. m 2ft
12 m 21
1 p. m 20
2 p. m 20
a p. ro.... 30
4 p. m. 30
D p. m 27
t p. m 26
7 p. m 21
ConiiwrftUvs Local Rword.
1016. 115. 1H. ISIS
Hlrhat yesterday... 10 16 20 43
lowest yesterday. . . , 21 ' 0 , 2
Mean temperature... 26 - 12 10 26
Precipitation T .00 T .00
Temperature and precipitation departures
from the normal:
Normal temperature 27
Deficiency for the day 1
Total exceca since Harca 1 332
Normal precipitation .01 inch
Deflolency for the day 02 Inch
Total rainfall since March 1. .. 16.14 Inches
Deficiency since Maren 1. .. ...12.70 Inches
Deficiency for cor. period, 101S. 1.16 Inches
, Deficiency for cor. period, 1014. S.71 Inches
"T" Indicates trace of precipitation.
L. A. WELSH, ftteteuroloflat.
1
s I
. 41
tHMMMMHIHIMi
Archduke Charles of Austria, who
has been selected as regent of the
newly formed kingdom of Poland,
with the oossibility of later election
as king. The archduke has possibly
more claim to tne nonor than any
other Teuton royalty, in view of the
fact that his two daughters are mar
ried to members of the Polish aris
tocracy, Prince Radziwill and Prince
Czartoryski.
GREAT LIBRARY
VAST STOREHOUSE
Thousands of Volumes Being
Added to Congressional
Collection.
MANY TREASURES THERE
Washington, Dec. 17. Gifts from
many sources have brought more
than 28,000 volumes to the library of
congress during the year, and com
prised more than one-fourth of the
additions to its shelves: Retaining its
place as the third greatest library in
the world, and the greatest in the
western world, the library now con
tains 2,451,974 books, 154,200 maps
and charts, 770.248 volumes and pieces
of music and 392,905 prints.
For large additions to the Chinese,
Japanese and Korean collections the
library acknowledges debt to Dr.
Walter T. Swingle of the Bureau of
Plant Industry, who visited the far
.jtast. in .1915jtyd..pHrtAasedPBbelilf.
of the library a total of 5,892 volumes,
including early Chinese books printed
from blocks; Chinese .historical and
descriptive works covering the period
of first contact with Europeans; early
Chinese dictionaries and encyclo
pedias; Chinese works on natural his
tory and pharmacopoeias; geographi
cal works; the writings of Confucius
and the works of famous scholars;
and a good copy of the oldest Ja
panese printed work extant, probably
dating from the beginning of the thir
teenth century; and a large collection
of the writings, of Kaibara, the Ben
jamin Franklin of Japan.
. The Lincoln documents which have
been presented- to the library are of
exceptional interest, These consist
of the original draft of Lincoln's sec
ond inaugural address, and his two
drafts of the Gettysburg address pre
sented by Clarence L. Hay, who had
them from his father, the late John
Hay; and a memorandum as to the
improbability ; of his re-election,
presented by Miss Helen Nicolay.
As a rule the American composer
and the American music publisher are
beginning to prefer the national to a
local library as the permanent cus
todian of manuscript scores. The
chief of the music division records
not only gifts of autograph scores of.
American composers, but promises of
gifts to come.
In the document division an effort
was made to complel. the files of of
ficial publications of the Latin-American
countries, and it was excep
tionally fruitful through a visit to
these countries by the law librarian,
Dr. E. M. Borchard. The library's
collection of Latin-American docu
ments may now be considered one of
its important features.
A number of Yiddish books came
to the library in the two Deinard col
lections. The Yiddish literature in
the United States assumes a re
spectable place as compared to other
literature: and even if the oredictions
of some come true that the Yiddish
tongue will be dead before long, the
Yiddish literature will still offer a
wide and interesting field for his
torians, philologists, and students of
comparative literature.
The portion of the library now
classified under the new classification
contains 1,548,500 volumes. Great
progress has been made in eliminat
ing remnants of the old classification.
Depository libraries containing
complete sets of the Library of Con
gress catalogue cards now number
forty-eight, while forty libraries of
the United States government have
partial depository sets.
The adoption of a uniform type for
the use of the blind seems imminent
to the assistant in charge of the read
ing room for the blir.d. It is antici
pated that an agreement may be ar
rived at between the British and
American co-workers which will re
sult in the solution of this problem.
In the forty-five years during which
the copyright work has been, a part
of the business of the Library of Con-
fress, the number, of entries totalled
932.J97. , During the last nineteen
years the net receipts of the office
above expenses for service, were
40,688.40.
Nine-Year-Old Youth
Drowns at Beatrice
Beatrice, Neb., Dec. 17. (Special
Telegram.) Kenneth Huston, the 9-year-old
son of Mr. and Mrs. Nick
Huston, was drowned this afternoon
while skating on Indian creek.
YET RECEIVED
London, Dec. 17. The foreign of
fice announced before closing today
that it had not yet received the peace
note and the prominent officials dis
claimed knowledge of its contents be
yond what the newspapers had pub
lished. The French victory at Verdun is
acclaimed by all the London papers
as the French reply to the German
emperor's speech to his troops in
Alsace and' Chancellor Bethmann
Hollweg's claim of the invincibility of
German arms.
The opinion in the British press as
reflected in the latest editorials are
almost Unanimous that the least the
government can do is to make a state
ment on the allies' aims and objects or
ask for the presentation of the Ger
man terms.
The weekly reviews, including the
financial organs, take the same line
as do also the provincial papers. The
only notable exception has been the
NorthclifTe group, which immediately
urged that Great Britain should
ignore the proposition.
It appears to be the consensus of
opinion that the allies should not con
sider entering into a conference until
they know approximately the central
powers' policy and unless they con
sider that that policy contains the
seeds for agreement. The Russian re
jection of the overtures was published
too late for comment by the morning
papers. All the afternoon papers re
frain from expressing their opinion
thereon.
Premier Lloyd George's first ap
pearance in the House of Commons
in his new capacity as prime minister
may be delayed until the government
is in a position to pronounce a definite
statement of its policy toward the
negotiations.
Heirs of McLean
Agree on Division
Of Great Estate
Washington, Dec. 17. Edward B.
McLean, son of the late John R. Mc
Lean, Washington and Cincinnati
publisher, and the executors of the
McLean estate today asked the local
supreme court to ratify an agreement
which would end the suit brought by
young McLean to break the terms of
his father's will.
The agreement proposes that Mr.
McLean shall, have complete control
of flit ihcbme'-lrom "the McLean for
tune and be recognized as the head of
the Cincinnati Enquirer and the
Washington Post.
Under the terms of the will Mc
Lean was to have received a minimum
of $25,000 a year from his father's
estate and the management of the
properties was left almost entirely to
trustees.
Under the agreement which the
court was asked to ratify today, McLean-
would receive an income esti
mated It ranging from $700,000 to
$1,000,000 a year and stipulates that
the executor and trustees will at all
times consult with him on the man
agement of the estate and afford him
freest access to its books.
Tractors, Trucks or
Mules, Which Best?
Funston Will Learn
San Antonio, Tex., Dec. 17. Major
General Funston has ordered a test
of pontoon transportation to decide
whether the best method is mules,
motor trucks or caterpillar tractors.
the test will be made hrst at rort
Sam Houston and vicinity and later
further west where the roads through
the unsettled districts are almost im
passable. Hitherto the only method of the
United States army for pontoon
transportatiort was by mule and it re
quires usually fourteen wagons drawn
by htty-six miles to carry a division
unit.
Dr. Clark, Pioneer
Dentist, Is Dead
Dr. F. C. Clark died Sundav morn
ing at the residence of his daughter,
Mrs. F. J. Despecher, 3872 Franklin
street, where he had made his home
for many years.
Dr. Clark was 88 years old and had
been a resident of Council Bluffs,
where he practiced dentistry from
1866 until 1907, when he retired from
active practice. He was a son of a
revolutionary war soldier, a native of
Maine and a descendant of the Clark
who came to this country on the
Mayflower. He went to California in
1849, where he practiced his profes
sion in the late '50s.
Dr. Clark is survived by three
daughters, Mrs. F. J. Despecher, Oma
ha; Mrs. H. A. Wedge, Cozad, Neb.,
and Mrs. Paul Sauer, jr., Kansas City,
Mb., and a son, W. N. Babbitt, Coun
cil Bluffs.
The funeral will be held Tuesday at
2 p. m. under the auspices of Excelsior
lodge No. 259, Masons. Burial in
Fairview cemetery. Services at the
residence in Omaha will be private.
Members of Austria's
New Cabinet Named
Amsterdam (Via London), Dec. 17.
Austria's new cabinet as published
in the Cologne Gazette is composed
as follows:
Premier, Alexander Spitzmueller;
minister of interior, von Handel;
minister of defense, F. von Georgi;
minister of education, von Hussarek;
minister of justice, von Schenk; mini
ster of railways, Dr. Z. von Forster;
minister of finance, F. von Wimmer;
minister of labor, von Arnka; minister
of Agriculture, Zeydler; minister for
Galicia, Michael Bobrzynski.
NOTE'
Kaiser Does Not Favor Cessa
tion of Fighting, But Con
ference at Which Belliger
ents Will State Terms.
STATEMENT OF JOURNAL
Meeting Will Be Held at Hague
Middle of January, Says
Frankfurter Zeitung.
NOT TO DESTROY ANYBODY
London, Dec. 17. Telegraphing
from Copenhagen, the correspondent
of the Exchange Telegraph company
quotes the Frankfurter Zeitung as
saying:
"Germany does not want a cessa
tion of fighting, but merely a confer
ence at which all the belligerents shall
openly state their peace proposals.
"A conference will be held at The
Hague about January 15. .Wm'e the
conference is in session all the bel
ligerents will be allowed to continue
military operations."
Definite Communication.
Berlin, Dec. 17. (By Wireless to
Sayville.) "Some sections of the for
eign press and especially newsnaoers
in hostile countries," says the Over
seas News agency, having declared
that the central powers ought to have
added definite peace proposals to their
peace offer, the Overseas News agency
asked a distinguished German diplo
matist for his opinion on this point.
His answer aws:
" 'The German note to the entente
governments contains a very definite
communication as to the spirit of the
peace conditions which the central
powers would bring to the proposed
negotiations.
Would Destroy No One.
" 'The central powers base these
proposals on the conviction that their
own rights and just claims today are
not in contradiction to the rights of
other nations. In addition, the central
powers declare they do not want to
annihilate or destroy anybody and
that the peace proposals will be of
such a nature as to guarantee the
establishment of a lasting peace.
" 'To go farther in outlining the
peace conditions would have meant a
handicap to the central powers in case
(contrary to what some newspapers in
hostile countries have declared) the
hostile governments decided to enter
Into negotiations or discussions.- It is
a self-evident truth that nobody could
come to such negotiations with tied
hands while th; hands of the other
party were completely free."' :
Roumania Not to Rise Again.
Amsterdam (Via London), Dee, 17.
The Vossische Zeitung says that a
territorial rearrangement based upon
the idea of the independence ot Kou
mania is no longer to be considered.
This statement is followed by a decla
ration that Russia will receive Mol
davia as an equivalent for a consider
able territorial sacrifice, which is to be
demanded of it.
Poland, the article, adds, is to be
made into an independent kingdom,
Courland is to become a German fed
eral state, Lithuania is to be incor
porated in Prussia, Dobrudja is to be
returned to Bulgaria and Wallachia
is to be divided between Austria-Hungary
and Bulgaria.
Bandits Rob Victim
And Then Make Him
Give Them Joy Ride
To be robbed of $42 in cash at the
point of a gun and then compelled
to give the two bandits a joy ride of
several blocks and abandon his car,
was the experience Saturday night of
Mack McCashen, 38J0 North Seven
teenth street, a driver for Burgess
Nash. McCashcn was ordered to stop his
car by two masked men at Sixteenth
and Pratt streets. ' He was covered
with a gun by one of the men, while
the other searched his pookets. Then
both the men jumped into the auto
and forced their victim to drive them
around. When they reached Seven
teenth and Emmett streets, McCashcn
was forced to abandon the car.
C. H. Curtin, 2107 North Twenty-
eighth street, reported to the police
that he was strong-armed on Capitol
avenue between Thirteenth ai.d Four
teenth streets and robbed of $22.
Leroy Mitchell, colored, was arrested
as a suspect.
h. C. Schemer of Bentley, la., lost
$60 or $65 to a pickpocket at Four
teenth and Douglas streets.
Three Autos Stolen
By "Joy Riders"
Three automobiles were stolen in
Omaha Saturday night. Joyriders
took a runabout owned by II. (j.
Rogers. 5419 Florence boulevard, at
that address and left it at Thirtieth
and Kansas streets. A. P. Trussell,
Fort Crook boulevard, reported that
his car was stolen from Sixteenth
and Douglas streets and I. Jensen.
4202 Valley street, reported the theft
of his machine trom the same place.
Mullen Stays Over
To See President
(From a Stuff Corrwpondrnt. I
Washington, Dec. 17. (Special Tel
egram.) National Committeeman
Mullen, the democratic boss of Ne
braska, had expected to go home to
morrow with Governor-elect Neville,
but President Wilson indicated a wish
to see Mr. Mullen on Monday, there
fore, the "king having commanded,"
Mr. Mullen will not leave, for Omaha
until Monday night or Tuesday.
GENERAL J MSlWrJ
HOMESTEAD LANDS
NEARLYALL TAKEN
Reclamation Service Adds Five
Thousand Farms to Avail
able List During Year.
INDIAN DEATHS INCREASE
Washington, Dec. 17. Public lands
in the United States are being taken
up by homesteaders ' in rapidly in
creasing quantities . as shown in the
annual report of Secretary of the In
terior Lanemed jmhlic today; Ttfetr
ty million acres were claimed by pri
vate owners in the year ending with
June 30, as against 17,000.000 for each
of the preceding two years and a still
smaller average for previous years.
Of the 250,000,000 acres of public
land still left in the -United States
much is in the arid region. The rec
lamation service carried on construc
tion work on twenty-four irrigation
projects, completing ten and adding
5,000 tarms to territory tor which ir
rigation water is available. Irriga
tion water is actually going now to
nearly 20,000 farms.
X he report emphasizes the work ot
the Indian bureau, whose health cam
paign, it is declared, has cut the death
rate among Indians seven in one
thousand. The bureau has conducted
a campaign to save Indian babies by
giving Indian mothers proper care.
Hospitals were constructed and addi
tional physicians were employed in
the health campaigns.
Work of Indian Schools.
Work in the Indian schools was re
vised to reduce the hours of academic
work and to increase the number
given to vocational training. Indian
moneys carried on deposit In state
and national banks during the year,
the report says, amounted to $22,000,
000; new regulations were made for
leasing oil lands of the Osage nation
at a high rate, which, the report es
timates, in the first year will pay
$700,000 in royalties; 90.000 acrev of
Indian lands were sold for $1,666,000
and 16,000 acres were purchased fc
landless Indians.
A section of the report dealing with
the pension office shows 709,572
names on the pension rolls at the end,
of the year, a decrease of 38,575 for
twelve months. Civil war soldiers on
the rolls numbered 362,277. Deaths
of civil war soldiers during the year
numbered 34.252. The amount paid
for pensions for the year was $159,-
155,000 against ?l05,5i,uuu lor tne
previous year.
A patent office report gives the
number of applications for patents
during the year as 70,000. Forty-eight
thousand were granted.
Bureau of Education.
The Bureau of Education report
recommends formation of a division
of commercial education and a divis
ion for the education of exceptional
children. Investigations are urged
looking to the education of the adult
illiterate, and better education for the
children in the home.
Commendation is bestpwed on the
work of the Bureau of Mines in de
veloping methods of testing low
grade complex gold, silver, lead and
zinc ores which, it is claimed, prom
ise to rejuvenate mining in certain
parts of the country and make valu
able millions of tons of ore that now
cannot be treated. The bureau since
its organization has trained 41,000
miners in mine rescue work.
Agricultural possibilitie of Alaska
still are a matter of conjecture, al
though in some parts of the territory
the hardier cereals and vegetables are
being grown. Completion of the rail
road now being constructed from
Seward to Fairbanks will do much
for the development of Alaska, the
report says.
Bartenders Hold Their
Annual and Last Hop
The Omaha Bartenders' union held
its annual and final hop last night.
Plans of the members to embark in
some other fields of endeavor were
discussed.
YODER IS GIVEN
BAG BYTEACHERS
County Superintendent for
Decade Makes His Last
Appearance. ;
PROF. CALDWELL SPEAKS
W. A. Yoder, who will step out of
the County superintendent of schools'
shoes in January, 1917, after having
.served in the office for a decade, was
Ijreseijied. with a traveling ig bit th
county ' teachers at the semi-annual
meeting at the court house yesterday.
It was Mr, Yoder't last appearance
before the county teachers' body be
fore he steps out of office.
Superintendent Yoder in his fare
well speech reviewed the progress of
the county school system during the
last ten years and spoke of the many
improvements which have been made
along educational lines during his
term of office. He mentioned the
pleasant associations of the time he
has been in office and thanked the
teachers for their co-operation.
Thomas C. Crogan, president of
the County. Teachers' association,
made the presentation speech when
the traveling bag was handed over to
the retiring superintendent. He re
ferred to Superintendent Yoder as a
friend of the teachers above all and
spoke of his efforts to constantly bet
ter educational conditions in Dcuglas
county.
A paper was read by Prof. H. V.
Caldwell of Lincoln, . head of the
American history department at the
University of Nebraska, on the sub
ject, "Educational Problems."
Prof. Caldwell said that new prob
lems are to be met with constantly
because of the scientific and educa
tional progress of the world, pointing
out that the advantages of today are
way ahead of what they used to be,
by reason of the telegraph and tele
phone, automobiles, good roads, daily
newspapers and other things in mod
ern day life. .
Short talks on the general subject,
"Relation of the School to the Com
munity," were made by M. A. Sams,
superintendent of schools at Valley,
and Anna E. Meyer and Bird Clay
baugh, teachers. .
Thomas J. Keenan, who will suc
ceed Mr. Yoder as county superin
tendent of schools, was introduced. He
made a short talk.
In the neighborhood of 100 teachers
from all parts of the county attended
the meeting.
Will Dedicate t
Dairy Building
Lincoln, Neb., Dec, 17. (Special.)
The State Dairymen's association
will hold the most important meeting
of their history in the new dairy
building on the state university farm,
Lincoln, on January 17, 18 and 19,
1917. On Wednesday evening will be
held the dedicatory services of the
new $200,000 building at which Chan
cellor Avery will preside. A splendid
program of addresses will be provided
by Hon. B. H. Rawl, chief of the
United States dairy division; the Uni
versity Regents. A. L. Haecker, for
mer professor of dairy husbandry and
Prof. J. H. Frandsen, now in charge.
Music will be furnished by the Uni
versity Glee club. Every person inter
ested in dairying should be present at
these meetings and survey the oppor
tunities offered for scientific dairy
education by the state of Nebraska. .
Scarcity of Fuel Is
Felt All Over Europe
Geneva, Switzerland (Via Paris),
Dec. 17. The question of a fuel sup
ply is becoming more serious through
out all Europe each month, according
to Swiss newspapers.
Tenton Legions Battle Desper
ately, But Are Unable to
Stem Tide.
NIVELLE HERO OF THE DAY
Paris, Dec. 17. As his last act be
fore assuming the chief command of
the French armies on the western
front General Nivelle today smashed
the German line east of the Meuse
along a front of six mile). The vic
tory has advanced the French posi
tions two miles and they are now
within a short distance of where the
Germans stood at the outset of the
great Verdun drive, i The military
authorities' describe the victory as
complete and crushing and carried
out without a hitch.- Nearly 9,000
prisoners were taken.
Since his last great stroke when
the blood-soaked ruins of Fort Vaux
and Douaumont fell once more into
the hands of Verdun's defenders
General Nivelle has been quietly pre
paring to push his advantage by an
attack on a larger scale. Men and
guns had been assembled, shells piled
and everything was in readiness for
the moment he should see his oppor
tunity. Then the, blow fell -like a
thunderbolt.
- Curtain of Steel Hurled.
A terrific artillery fire flattened the .
German defense, then the guns were
elevated and threw a curtain of steel
behind which the infantry from every
trench from Pepper Hill to beyond
Damloup dashed forward on an
enemy still stunned by the bombard
ment. In places the Germans gallantly
strove to hold their ground, but Gen
eral Nivelle's dispositions were so
well mads that they were generally
powerless to stem even momentarily
the tide. One after another Vacherau
ville and Louvemont villages, Cham
brette farm and the Hardamount and
Besonvaux works fell without the de
fenders 'having time to carry away
either guns or material and prisoners
began. Jo atrearn strnlily tcarward to
pens prepared for their reception.
, Germans Beaten.
Pepper Hill, Verdun Front, Friday
Dec. 15, Via Chantilly. Dec. 16.
(From Staff Correspondent of The
Associated Pre.) A short sharp
battle brought to the French today
their third smashing victory, within
two months in the vicinity of Ver- :
dun. Every objective of the French
commanders was obtained.
Although the German offered a
desperate defease, they were like clay
in the hands of the French troops,
who squeezed them into any shape
they liked.
Thousands of German prisoner
poured into the French lines during
the day, including 200 officers, and
are still arriving. The total count
already is 7,500. One division alone
captured more than 1,200 Germans
within an hour. More than eighty
cannon were captured or destroyed. :
Three Village Taken.
The villages of Vacherauville, ,
Louvemont and Besonvaux and
Hardaumont wood now are in French
hands.- -.. .:,-.
The front was ten kilometer long
When the lighting ceased, owing to
the darkness, the French advance had
exceeded an average of three kilo
meters along the whole front, at vari
ous points reaching further out.
The battle began at 10 o'clock in
the morning, with the left flank of
the French opposite Vacherauville
and the right flank on Fort Vaux.
As the church clock struck the
hour every French gun opened a
storm of steel, placing every shot im
mediately behind the German front
line. Meanwhile the French infantry
made one of its characteristic dashes
and reached Vacherauville, where
they drove the German from house
to house until the village was entirely
in their hands. - ' . .
"Bethmann's Bowl" Pierced.
Advancing beyond the village, the
French attacked a German trench
known as "Bethmann's Bowl," which
was pierced, after a hard fight, and its
occupants made prisoners. Then, up
thff slopes of Pepper Hill the in
fantrymen could be seen making
methodical progress, until at exactly
an hour from the start the twin
crests of this height had been swept
clear of the Germans and the rock
ets announced the French were estab
lished there. In the meantime the
(Continued FBe Two, Colomn Throa.)
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