' Rail i Strike Postponed Till Monday Night ha Sunday Bee NEWS SECTION PART ONE i Page One to Fourteen VOL. XLVI NO. 43. Y MORNING, MARCH 18, 1917 F.VE SECTIONS FORTY-TWO PAGES. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. The Qm THE WEATHER Fair l" i STRIKE IS HALTED 48 HOURS PENDING NEW CONFERENCE Mediators Present Proposition Which They Believe Both Sides to Controversy Will Accept. LONG CONFERENCE HELD Discussion Between the Union leaders and Mediators Lasts Till After One O'clock. OFF, TILL MONDAY NIGHT BULLETIN. New York, March 17-W. G. Lee, spokesman for the four railroad broth erhoods, in a statement made tonight, declared: , "I believe that by Monday we shall reach an agreement which will avert a strike." Mr. Lee said the sporadic strikes in the middle west resulted from the fact that the brotherhoods had not been able to get in touch wjth all their men before the hour set for the walkout to begin. He declared work probably Would be resumed in all cases by mid night. New York, March 17. The inaug uration of the great railroad strike, which was to have gone into effect at 7 o'clock tonight, has been averted for forty-eight hours. The three mediators, representing the counc'l of national defense, Secretaries Lane and Wilson and Daniel yVillard, after laboring since last night to bring the brotherhood chiefs pi the railroad em ployes and the railroad managers into accord on the questions at issue be tween them, succeeded in bringing about a truce. Tomorrow they will continue their efforts to induce both sides to reach an agreement. The brotherhood chiefs, with three hours' grace left in which to prevent a strike from going into effect tonight, began at once to send telegraph and tele phone messages throughout the coun try ordering the Itainmcn to con tinue at work. -"""Agreement Reached. ; The agreement reached today be tween the railroad brotherhood chiefs and the managers provided, it was learned, for an application of the pro visions ot the Adamson law contin gent upon the suprenie court handing down a decision on .Monday uphold ing its constitutionality. ' The 'meeting tomorrow is for the purpose, it was further ''.'learned, of reaching some agreement on the eight-hour controversy ih the event that the law is not upheld and adopt ing a course of action in the event that no decision by the supreme court is handed down. ... . ... v ' Back to Wilson Plan. ;;. The agreement reached today, it is understood, involves concessions by both sides on the application of the 'Adamson law, the interpretation of which has been hi dispute. . The resulting compromise amount ed in effect to the proposition made by the president las.t summer for an adjustment of the controversy, an eight-hour day and pro rata for over time in freight yards service. Except for Ute postponement of the strike, the situation "remains un changed," it was declared by Warren S, Stone, head of the Brotherhood c Locomotive Engineers. "Unless something intervenes it will be the same Monday night," he said. "As reasonable men we do not intend to fly in the face of the president's advisers and when they requested the forty-eight-hour postponement we made the concession to enable them to Vork out their plan." Secretary Lane's Statement. Secretary Lane gave out the fol lowing statements . t ' "At our request and out of an ap preciation of the international situa tion the brotherhoods and the rail road managers have resumed negotia tions. In the hope that some adjust ment may be had that will avoid the necessity for a strike the brother hoods have wired or telephoned their general chairmen asking that all ac tion be postponed for forty-eight hours and unless prior to that time advised of a settlement the men Will leave the service under the authority already given. The statement is signed by Sec- Contnud on Pare Two, Column One.) The Weather Tor Nebraika Fntr, rising wmperatura. Temperatures lit Omaha Yeaterdar Hour. D-. 6 ft. 111... a. m. . . 7 a. m... S a. tn.. a. m. 10 m. m. .. a. tn., m. . . . 1 p. m.. ...... 2 p. m.,.. -80 2 p. m 39 4 p. m 18 5 p. m...... v 28 7 p. til 27 ? p, ra.- 26 Comparative Local Kecorda. - ' . 1917. Mil. 1116. Hlffhest yoiterflay.... II . M . 44 lowest yesterday.,.. 24 -29 2 Z Steal. temtMrature... X 4.1 33 3 .Precipitation T .00 ,00 T Temperature ami precipitation departures from the normal at Omaha elncn March 1. and compared with the hut two years: Normal temperature 27 Deficiency for the day I Total deficiency since March 1 17 Normal precipitation .04 Inch Deficiency for the dap........ .04 Inch Total rainfall since March 1... 1.02 1nrha Kxcea since March 1 inch Ieflclency for cor. period, 19 U. .68 Inch Xaceas for cor. period, 191.. .31 lnUt Six Judges and Court Officials Hear More About Elevator Row Find That It Is Disabled Nightly ' by Operator and They Grow Incensed, HEARING NEXT SATURDAY The jail elevator row has broken out afresh despite rules made by the judges of the district court designed to settle the long drawn-put squabble between the county commissioners, ostensibly, but in reality one commis sioner, and Sheriff Clark. Six judges of the district court, two prominent attorneys, the county attorney and the chief deputy sheriff spent three hours yesterday trying to settle the destinies of a job pay ing less than $100 a month. And it isn't settled yet not hardly. At 1 o'clock next Saturday seven district judges all of them the county attorney, the five county com missioners, the sheriff and his aides and other legal counsel will meet again in an attempt to reach an agree ment in what has been characterized as a "peanut fight." Consider Jail Rule. At the request of the sheriff the judges met to consider modification of jail rule No. 21, which provides that the county board shall appoint an operator for the lift and the sheriff shall have complete control NORTHERN SNOWS BLOCKADE TRAINS Recent Storms Cripple Service ' in Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. SEVERAL TRAINS ANNULLED While the snowstorm that raged all Friday Over northern " Nebraska, South Dakota, northern Iowa and southern Minnesota, broke. Friday night, the aftermath is causing- the railroads operating- in the storm belt considerable inconvenience and delay of trains. ' . , ' 1 1 '. Trains on the Omaha and Great Western roads,, dur-to-arrive from St. Paul and Minneapolis l'ridj".' ; morning are still annulled ait4 it is i reported-that they are stuck in the drifts m Minnesota. Irani leaving this morning were not scheduled north of Sioux City. . .' Reports to the Omaha and Great Western' headquarters hero say that in Iowa and Minnesota the storm did not abate until late Friday night and that now snow covers the ground toadepth of a foot to eighteen inches.. It drifted badly, filling all the cuts and packing it until it is as solid as ice. Black Hills Are Bad. ' ' The Northwestern train from Wyo ming and the onc: from the Black Hills, due Friday, were annulled and a stub run down from Norfolk. The. worst trouble is between Chadron, Neb., and Casper. Wyo., the stretch nf innr than ' l?0(t mitp-i rpnrirtili n snowfall averaging close to c foot, i Conditions along the Bonesteel r Crofton branches are similar, the i-'l of 6iiow having been heavy al through northern Nebraska. The Burlington's Friday train out of Sioux City reached O'Neill Satur day, having had to buck snow all the distance The road's Billings train was a couple of hours late, owing to heavy snows north of AHiancc. The Union Pacific Friday night cleared -the snow from all its Ne braska and Kansas branches and is running trains on schedule. Main line service was not interfered with, though through western Nebraska and far out into Wyoming the snow fall ranged from six to twelve inches. All through Nebraska (he weather is cold, temperatures ranging from 15 to 24 above zero. Army Balloon Lands At Gibbs, Missouri, ; After Fast Eight Blown by a wind that carried them at the rate of nearly forty-five miles an hour for about live .and a half hours' three occupants of the big army 'balloon that left Fort Omaha at 11 o'clock yesterday morning land ed near Gibbs, Mo., at 4:30 o'clock in the afternoon, safe and suffering no ill effect from their ride. In the basket were Captain H. J. B. McElgin and Lieutenant H. C David son, with Pilot Leo Stevens.' The bal loon was sailing ill a qualification flight and when it became invisible from the fort it was estimated that its height was about 3,000 feet. The highest it went was about 6,500 feet, at noon. The wind carried it due southeast and when the landing was made it was discovered that it had traveled a "bee-lhW from Omaha to Gibbs. ' - Cummins Collapses v While Making Speech New York, March' 17. United States Senator Albert B. Cummins of Iowa collapsed while addressing the Republican' club here today. After being attended by physicians he con tinued his address and it was apparent the attack was not serious. Morgan to Loan Hundred Million More to France New York. March 17. T. P. Mor gan & Co. announced today the flota tion in this country of a new French loan for $100,000,000 in two-year notes dated April 1 and bearing interest at the rate ot i'j per cent and jurisdiction over him. But this rule, in operation a week, didn't work well. While ' the judges didn't get very far in the legal end of the contro versy, they heard a lot they had never heard before at least, they said they did about the tactics of Commissioner Lynch in his tight on the sheriff. Benjamin S. Baker, for the sheriff, told the judges that there was abso lutely no doubt but that one of the commissioners was sincerely bent on making the office of the sheriff of Douglas county a failure. "Bu he is a sheriff who won't compromise and who insists on running his own of fice," asserted Judge Baker. Frank S. Howell, another attorney, arguing for the sheriff, told the judges that of late the jail elevator has Hfcen "mysteriously" disabled right after Jay Dudley, generally known as "Lynch's man" and named by the county board for the job.' leaves the courthouse for the day. The sheriff's office, Attorney Howell said, has been unable to use the elevator from 5 o'clock in the afternoon till 8 o'clock in the morning, when Dudley gets back to the job. The attorney de clared that the elevator trouble was just as "mysteriously" righted -is soon as Dudley showed up. "Seemingly every effort is being made to coerce an officer iu the pcr- (Continued on Pace Two, Column Hx.) RAILROADS POLL LOYAL EMPLOYES Result Kept ' Secret but Offi cials Say They Are Pleased TrVith the Showing. CALM BEFORE THE STORM While railroad officials assert that the talked-of strike of trainmen will not assume proportions sufficient to seriously interfere with traffic, never theless they are organizing a cam paign of preparedness. On all the lines centering in Omaha a poll of .trainmen has been made to ascertain the number who Avill remain loyal in the event fhe order - to walk . out readies, this far wst. . In addition to polling the trainmen a poll has been made of office and other .employes, this being for the purpose of ascertaining just what men and who could be put out to operate trains in the event ' their services should be required. ; ' While the two polls have been com pleted, the results are kept secret, of ficials, however, stating that they arc well satisfied with the "showing that has been made.. Men Don't Talk. - In the Omaha, yards and uii the trains coming into the city and going out there is nothing in the conduct of the men to indicate that a strike is in prospect and may possibly be on within a few hours. Men are perform ing their work as usual and none of them are discussing labor questions. Asked if they expect to go on strike, trainmen assert that they are not in a position to talk. -The- strike order lias not arrived and, according to the trainmen, all they know concerning it is what they read in the papers. However, if it comes, they do not expect it to affect the roads west of the Mississippi river prior to Monday and perhaps not until Tuesday. As to the distri bution of the order, trainmen say it (Continued on Fas. Two, Column Three.) Two Hundred' Strike, Saying Their Order Not Countermanded Parkersburg, W. Va., Marcli 17. Claiming that no order rescinding the general strike order hat' been re ceived, members of the four brother hoods of trainmen in the Mononga hela and Ohio river division yards of Uie Baltimore & Ohio railroad quit work tonight. It is estimated that more than 200 men :tre out. Columbus, Ohio, March 17. Engi neers, conductors and trainmen of the Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern rail road, a subsidiary company of the Pennsylvania railroad, this morning informed General Superintendent I. W. Gear of the Southwest system of the Pennsylvania that fhey would re fuse to obey the strike order. Connelsvilte, Pa., March 17. More than 800 members of the four railroad brotherhoods, employes of the Balti more & Ohio and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie railroads quit 'work here at 7 o'clock tonight, no order having been received announcing a postpone ment of the general railroad strike. East St. Louisi 111.,. March J7. Sev eral hundred railroad employes here walked out tonight, claiming that they had received no notice that the strike had been postponed. None of the employes of the Ter minal Railway association went on strike and early reports were that the movements were confined to em ployes of the Big Four and the Balti more & Ohio. ' , i Newark, O.; March 17. Eight hun dred engineers, firemen, trainmen and freight train conductors employed by the Baltimore & Ohio railroad here, struck. at p o'clock, claiming they had received no word Of the strike being postponed. At 7 o'clock the engineers returned to work on receipt of offi cial word from the chief of the engi neers' brotherhood. Baltimore & Ohio railroad officials said the strike will have no effect on train service. . Nicholas Conditiona of the Contest: For the best and cleverest answers, not ex ceeding 100 words, The Bee will give prizes as here enumerated. Address Picture Puz zle Editor, The Bee. Answers must be in by Wednesday, March 21. ' Awards an nounced Friday, March 23. r : : " - ' ' " ' " " ' ''''' WESTERN EMBARGO ORDERS MODIFIED Central Roads Cancel Them as Far as Possible Till To-' morrow Night, RESULT OF POSTPONEMENT Chicago, March 17. Freight embargoes- of central western railroads were modified today after it became known that a strike had been post poned . forty-eight hours. The em bargo orders were cancelled as' far as possible until Monday. The new order permits the acceptance of per ishable freight, which can be deliv ered on each road's own lines before 6 p. m. Monday, March IV. There had been no embargo order against dead freight, which is accepted sub ject to delays. The new order will admit of the shipment of perishable goods for a day or so longer, and efforts will be made to expedite such shipments on Sunday,' as that day consumes half of the temporary extension. Zeppelin is Shot Down in France and All of Crew Killed Taris, March 17. A Zeppelin has been slujt down in flames near Coin piegne. All of its crew were lost. The Zeppelin was sighted shortly before dawn and was reached by French anti-aircraft guns at a height of more than two miles. The airship caught fire and the wreckage, with the burned bodies of the crew, fell outside Coinpiegne. Text of Czars Note Renouncing , Throne for Himself and His Son . l'ctrograd, ifarch 17. (Via Lon don.Slhc following is the text of the imperial manifesto, in which the Russian emperor announced his abdi cation and that of his son: "We, Nicholas II, by the grace of God, emperor of all the Russians, czar of Poland and grand duke of Finland, etc., make known to all our faithful subjects, in the day of the great struggle against a foreign foe who has been striving for three years to enslave ' our country, - God has wished to send to Russia a new and painful trial. Interior troubles threaten' to, have a fatal reper cussion of ' the final outcome 'of the war. The destinies of Russia and the honor of our heroic army, the happiness of the people and all the future of our dear fatherland require that the war be prosecuted at all cost to a victorious end. The cruel enemy, is makiug his last effort and the mo ment is near when'our va'iant army, in concert with those of our glorious allies,, will definitely chastise the foe. Soliloquizes! What Is BRITISH TROOPS : OCCUPY BAPAUME ' ' j - Germans Set Fire to Long Be- leagured French Oity Be fore Abandoning It. TWO OTHER TOWNS FALL Taris, March 17. French advance guards have entered the important town of Roye. and the French have occupied the entire front between Andechy and the Oisc,' comprising powerfully fortified lines which the Germans have held for more thai) two years. .' ' ' ' . This announcement is made tonight in the official communication, which adds that at several points the road between Roye and Noyon has been reached. ' Frankforf-on-tlic-Main lias been bombarded by French aeroplanes in retaliation for the firing of Bapau nie by the Germans. London, Marcli 17 Bapaume,' on the Franco-Belgian front, has been captured by the British, Kcutcr's agency announces. . Keuter's correspondent at British headquarters in France telegraphs that the towns of Le Transloy and Achiet-Lc-Petit also' are reported to be' in the hands of the British. "Our troops entered Bapaunic this morning after stiff fighting." Reuter's correspondent telegraphs. "The place was in flames, the iGcrniatis having evidently made all plans for setting fire to it when forced to retreat. "Our troops arc reported to be be yond the town." 1 French Advance Along Oise. - Paris, March 17. French troops advanced last night north of the Ayrc and between the Avre and the Oise, making progress over a front of twenty kilometers (thirteen miles) and to a depth at some points of four kilometers (two and one-half miles), the war office announced today. "In these decisive days in the life of Russia we believe our people should have the closest"uliion and organiza tion of all their forces for (he realiza tion of speedy victory. For this rea son, in accord wtih the Duma of the empire, we have considered it desir able to abdicate the throne of Russia and lay-aside our suprjme power. Not wishing to be separated from our loved son, we leave our heritage to our brother, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovitch, blessing his advent to the throne of Russia. "We hand over the government to our brother in full union with the rep resentatives of. the nation, who are seated in the legislative chambers, taking this step with an .inviolable oath in the name of our wjell beloved country. We call on all faithful sons of the fatherland to fulfill their sacred patriotic duty in this painful moment of national trial and to aid our brother and the representatives of the nation in bringing Russii into the path of prosperity and glory. May God aid Russia. He Saying? Ten Prize for Best Answers. First Prize - - - - $2.00 in Cash Second Prize - - The Original Picture Three Prizes (each) 2 Orpheum Tickets Five Prizes - (each) A Popular Novel Answers may be written in blank space tn picture or on separate sheet of paper, as preferred. MICHAEL ACCEPTS TASK FOR PRESENT London Dispatch Says Czar's ; Brother Will Rule Only With ! Consent of the People. TO AVOID INTERREGNUM . London, March 17. Grand Duke Michael has accepted the throne of Russia conditioned on the consent of the Russian people, according to a statement received here today froriil the scmi-oflicial Russian news agency. The statement follows: "Gialid Duke Michael Alexandro vitch, accepting the throne from his brother, declared that he does so only with the consent of the. Russian peo ple, who should by a plebiscite estab lish a new form of government and new fundamental laws." Declaration of Orand Duke.' The declaration made by the grand duke on his acceptance of the throne, as given out by the news agency, reads as follows: "This heavy responsibility has come to me at the voluntary request of my brother, who has transferred the im perial throne to me during a period of warfare which is accompanied with unprecedented popular disturbances. "Moved by the thought which is in the minds of the entire people, that the good of the country is paramount, I have adopted the firm resolution to accept the supreme power only if this be the will of our great people, who, by a plebiscite organized by their rep resentatives in a constituent assembly shall establish a form of government and new fundamental laws for the Russian state. . "Consequently, invoking the bene diction of our Lort, I urge all citizens of Russia to submit to the provisional government established upon the initiative of the Duma and invested with full plenary powers, until such time, which will follow with as little delay as possible, as the constituent assembly on a basis of universal, di rect equal and secret suffrage shall, by its decision as to the new form of government, express the will of the people." A dispatch received direct, from Petrograd last night, tiled at 5:30 p. m. Petrograd time, says that Em peror Nicholas had abdicated in favor of Grand Duke Michael and that at 2:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon the grand duke himself ' had abdicated, thus bringing the Romanoff dynasty to an end. The foregoing dispatch, which is from the Petrogard Tele graphic agency, a semj-official insti tution, was sent from Petrograd to day. Advices direct from Petrograd yes terday said there had been some dif ference of opinion among the Duma leaders and the representatives of the working men. The latter wished to leave undecided the question of form of the Russian government until after the holdingjof a constitutional assem bly,, whereas Ihe Duma group, fear ing dangers to the country in the ab sence of a definite government, had n,. f(rurgril tH nrnffratn nf a r- jgency under the grand duke. ROMANOFF LINE LEAVES THRONE; CZAR PRISONER Double Abdication Marks End of Four Hundred Years of Autocracy in Eastern ' Europe. REPUBLIC IS PROBABLE Prince Lvoff, Head of New Lib eral Cabinet, May, Become the First President. MANY RUMORS ARE AFLOAT (By AHorlated Preii.) Decision whether Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovitch shall occupy the Russian throne, abdicated by his brother, Emperor Nicholas, is left to a plebescite of the Russian people, ac- ' cording to a manifesto issued by tthe grand duke, This is taken in some quarters to mean that Grand Du'ko Michael does not intend to accept the regency temporarily, but only alter the holding -of elections. The whereabouts of former Em peror Nicholas is. left somewhat in . doubt by conflicting advices, one of which asserts that he is being held prisoner in the House of Parliament and another that he is in a monastery at Phkoff, where he signed his abdi cation of the throne at the demand of a committee oi the Duma. The Rus sian empress and crown prince arc reported safe in Finland The Russian garrison at the fortress of Sveaborg, which defends Helsint- fors, is reported to have mutinied and refused to join the revolution. . Ciar Not Arrested. Washington, March l?. A dispatch from American Minister Morris at Stockholm today informed the Stale department that the czar of Russia had abdicated, but had not. been r-, rested. Mr. Morris : has been in- pitructcd to send all available informa tion.- a . '-'' Emperor a Prisoner. ' London,' March 17. The Nj a Dag light Allehanrof Stockholm as quoted w in an Exchange .Telegraph dispatch from that city, says, in a telegram' from Haraparauda, that iJmperor : Nicholas is held a prisoner and t'a:iL.';i' the empress has been soft, to Kiev. The Social Demokraten of Stockholm says M. Oolitzine, the deposed Rus sian premier, has committed suicide in prisoh, - . , , j- :-r Safe In Finland. i;t', i New York, March 17. The em press and crown urince are now sale 1 in Finland and the eiliperor is at the Snetogorsky monastery in PskofT, ac? cording to a cablegram made public here today by the Russlan-Amcrican-Asiaiic corporation.- According to Ivan Norodny, head of the corpora tion, the cablegram was from then representative in Petrograd and was transmitted through the Belgian min ister. .''.' ;- ' Mr. Norodny announced the receipt of dispatches also saying that the Duma is promulgating orders for the formation of a government to be known as the United States of Russia, with Prince Lvolf as president. Autocracy at End. Petrograd, March 16. (Via Lon don, March 17.) The autocracv which has held Russia in its grip since the beginning of history fell today. The house of Romanoff, which has ruled the empire for 400 years, came to an end with the abdicataion of Nicholas II, perhaps the weakest rep resentative of his line. Tonight the death of the little son of the emperor, whose abdication was included m that of his father, was rumored. Although apparent" from the begin ning of the revolution that the re moval of the monarch was the inevi table end, the actual fact came todav and was an actual surprise to the population. Within four hours 'ter the abdication of Grand Duke Mi chael, who automatically became re gent on the passing of the emperor, the crowds in the streets had secured ladders and began to tear the imperial insignia from the Winter palace and the front of the buildings on the mam thoroughfares. In a short time all the emblems of the old empire literally lay in the dust. , x Great Cheers from Crowd. In anticipation of the news bigger -crowds than ever filled the halls and grounds of the Tauris palace, awatt committee of the rumors which had excited the people to fever pitch dur ing the last twenty-four hours. When the tidings at last leaked out from the committee rooms orators, who had been haranguing soldiers and ' workingmen from the balconv ot the palace, suddenly interrupted their dis courses and shouted the news to the crowds below them. A roar of cheers Continued on Pan Four, Column Two.) Now is the time to buy that lot or home you have been think ing about all winter. ' The one you want fa surely listed among: the hundreds of bar gains in today's Want Ad columns. ' , Look for it NOW A