IS. Omaha 'ABLY u THE WEATHER Unsettled VOL. XLVH. NO. 145. OMAHA, TUESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 4, 1917. TWELVE PAGES. at Z Jlrti& HKV SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS .BRITISH RESUME DRIVE ON CAMBRAI - - WAR WILL SPEND BILLIONS B .Bee CONGRESS r ' . GREATEST EXPENDITURE IN HISTORY ASKED OF CONGRESS FOR FREEDOM OF THE WORLD i Estimates Submitted Total $1,000,000,000 in Addition to $21,000,000,000 Already Appropriated to Fi nance the Stupendous Task America Has Undertaken. Washington, Dec. 3. Congress is ready" to take up again its oart in the prosecution of the Sixty-fifth congress began today at noon with brief routine sessions marked by the receipt of appropriation estimates for next year's war and ordinary expenses aggregating the vast sum of $13,500,000,000. PRESIDENT FOR WAR. The work actually begins when .Resident Wilson, in his address to f AJrrow at 1230 o'clock, outlines the siinistration program for , vigorous prosecution of the war. Estimates of more than $13,000,000, 000 the greatest in the nation's his- torv submitted to coneress today a the basis for computing the cost otj the war during the hscal year ivi, gave congress some idea of the mag nitude of its task in putting the full force of America beside that of the allies in the world fight for democ racy. In the senate today, where Sir George Reid, former premier of Aus tralia, was a distinguished guest, the session only lasted long enough to appoint members of the committee to formally notify , President Wilson congress was in session and to ad journ in respect to the memory of the late Senator Husting. f'Vhc house session was taken up iih swearing in new members com ing to fill vacancies aiidHhe calling of the roll by states. In both houses th'ere was a pro nounced air of confidence and de termination to do everything neces sary to bring the war to a successful conclusion. As in the special war session, which ended October 6, prosecution of the war is the principal task facing the legislators. Today's opening meeting was, as visual,, tjnef and perfunctory, accompanied oy tne ordinary scene of a new sessions-handshaking and other felicitations', with well filled galleries and much bustle and con fusion. After appointment of com mitteeshyboth bodies to notify Pres ident Wilson and each other of their presence fqr duty and fixing their daily meeting hour at 12 o'clock, the "senate airtl house adjourned until to morrow out of respect to members .'ho died during the recess Senator 4i"sting of .Wisconsin and Represen tative Martin of Illinois. Wilson Sounds the Keynote. The kevnote of the legislative pro ' gram will be sounded Tuesday by President Wilson in his opening ad dress in the housechamber at 12:30 p. m. at a joint session. - will rje the president's first appearailS before congress since the night meeting of t April 2 at the opening of the special session called to permit him to ask for a declaration of, ar against Ger many. His address was in the hands of the printer today. While it is" practically complete, it is being held open for any changes un til a short time before delivery. Organization of both senate and house under democratic control hav ing been effected at the special ses sion, both bodies were ready to . plunge into the mass of waiting busi ness. , Legislation, however, is not expected to get into full swing until next month, after the Christmas re cess, although there is some agitation to forego the holiday. Tomorrow will come the initial flood of bills, resolutions and peti tions Among the latter are many pe titions accumulated during the recess demanding' the expulsion of Senator (Continued on Page Three, Column One.) The Weather For Nebraska Unsettled. Temperatures at Omaha Yeaterday. II Hour ocgree D a. m 6. a. m 1 a. m .. 8 a. m 9 a. m . 10 a. m 11 a. m 12m 1 p. m 2 p. m 3 p. m 4 p. m 5 p. m H p. m 7 p. m S p. m 29 30 31 31 33 35" 36 35 34 33 32 44 19 32 .0 ( ompirativ Loral Kroord. Hishst today 3 60 . . 46 Lowest toilay ... 25 a" !7 Mi'un temperature . . 3 48 . ProrlDitation 8 .0 .9 Temperature and precipitation departures from the normal at Omaha since March 1st. and compared lth the past two var: Norman temperature 3t Deficiency, for th day 1 Total deficiency since Marctt 1, 1917... .176 Norcal prerititation 03 inch Deficiency for the day .03 inch Total rainfall sines March 1.. 21.36 inches Deficiency since March 1 7.06 inches Deficiency for cor. period 1916. 12.35 inches Deficiency for cor. period 1915 1.68 Inches Report from stations at 7 p. m. rtatiou and stato 'lemp. mga Bain- rf Weather. p. m. cut fall. .02 .0 .0 .92 .0 i .0 .01 -.0 .0 .04 .16 .0 . . Cheyenne, clear ... Davenport, cloudy . Denver, part cloudy 30 43 42 r.2 38 42 46 49 .16 58 38 38 52 40 44 "V 38 44 32 40 33 34 33 41 a 34 46 3 4! 33 Des Moines, snow Kansas City, part cloudy. Lander, clear North Platte, clear Omaha, cloudy , I'll u. cloudy Ka'.mi City, clear .Salt .Lake, clear Santa Fe, clear Chicago, cloudy St. Louis, clear Yj 'entitle, cloudy 36 to indicates trace or precipitation. L. A. WALSH, Meteorologist the war. The second session of BIG GAS BAG AT FT. OMAHA LOOSE: FOUND IN KANSAS Giant Army Balloon on Its First Flight Escapes; Tears Up Telegraph Wires in Its Flight. BULLETINS. Kansas City, Mo., Dee, 3. With re ports coming in from many points that the runaway army balloon from Omaha, Neb., had been sibhted, late today there was nothing available definitely to fix the whereabouts of the giant gas bag, ( which, with its "tail" of 6,000 feet of steel cable, is reported to have caused considerable damage to telegraph and telephone wires in a number of localities. Reports this afternoon placed the balloon all the way from' the Ne braska line to Oklahoma and ! Colo rado. . . V ; ..t ' Woodward, Okl., Dec. 3. Informa tion received by the Southwestern Telephone company here this after noon said the runaway balloon from Fort Omaha, Neb., had grounded at Meade, Kan., near the Oklahoma state line, early today. Searchers From Fort Sill. Wichita. Kan., Dec 3. An army airplane from Fort Sill, Okl., has gone up in search of the huge cap tive balloon which broke from its moorings at Fort Omaha, Neb., late yesterday, and which was reported to be drifting near the Oklahoma line early today, according to reports re ceived here this afternoon. In Aimless Flight. Somewhere over Kansas or .Okla homa early today was wandering in aimless flight the giant army balloon which late yesterday broke from its moonnes at rort Omaha ana began racine southward at a terrifL rate of speed, its "tail," 6,000 feet of two inch steel cable, dragging the ground and tearing out telegraph and tele phone' wires a mile at a time. Latest reports indicated that the balloon was nearin the Oklahoma line about 3 a. m. Whether the bal loon would continue its speed and general direction would largely de pend upon the air conditions. All wires between Medicine Lodge and Harper, Kan., and between King- J-man, and Harper were torn up by the cable early this morning. Plane Crashes Into Balloon. Fort Sill, Okl., Dec. 3. A captive balloon used for observation purposes here, escaped today when an airplane crashed into the cable anchoring it, cutting the cable and releasing the balloon. It is said two orhcers were in the observation basket. The balloon headed in an easterly direction. Airplanes went up immed iately and when last seen, the balloon was traveling in at a high rate of speed encircled by a group of air planes. . Auto Salesman Hurt When ' Car is Run Down by Train Edwin L. Uhe. 1501 South Twenty- ninth street, salesman employed by H. Pelton of Omaha, was seriously and perhaps fatally injured yester day afternoon when ' an automobile whiclrohe was driving was struck by an Illinois Central train at Eighteenth and Broadway, Council Bluffs. Uhe was on his way to.the Bluffs to attend the Franldin Show the Car contest there. He was driving a new seven-passenger sedan. He under took to go around three or four cars ahead of him and he failed to see the approacning train.- rhe train struck the automobile squarely and dragged it 50 feet up the track. When Uhe was rescued from the demolished machine his last words before lapsing into uncon sciousness were, "I expected to go to France, but I guess Im done for here." The injured man was rushed to the Mercy hospitaal in Council Bluffs. W. L. Johnson Struck by Street' Car and Injured W. L. Johnson, 514 Thirteenth street, was injured when he was struck by a trolley car at Thirteenth and Harney streets Monday morning. He wag, taken to his home. ITALIANS MAKE MANY ASSAM' Capture it Five Times in. One Day. But Are Repulsed ' by Terrific Artillery Fire. Italian Army Headquarters in Northern Italy, Sunday, Dec. 2. Heavy firing has occurred on the northern line in the last 24 hours, in different sectors around Monte Per tica, between the Brenta and Piave rivers and on the Meletta range, run ning west of the Brenta. Each of the -opposing forces holds part of these positions. The general condition along the entire Italian front has improved distinctly in the last week. The defensive positions on the northern line are now considered as secure as those along the Piave. This, with the gathering strength of the Italian and allied forces, has relieved the gravity of the situation. North eastern Italy is now .enclosed within a powerful barrier on the northeast and east, which is considered suffi cient to hold the enemy.' In the Mountains. In the mountains to the north the Italians are along the southerly slopes and the enemy on the north ern slopes, with the dividing summits held alternately by one side or the other as the action develops. This brought on a fierce struggle toijay around Monte Pertica for possession of one of its chief elevations, called Hill 1549. held by the enemy. Ital ian forces executed a surprise move ment early and drove' the enemy from this position, but it was exposed im mediately to a heavy concentration of the entire artillery fire from the sur rounding elevations. Charges Five Times. The Italians fell back before this fire, then rallied and took the hill again, but once more were forced back belore the murderous concentration of batteries. The struggle, wtnt on continuously up and down the slopes and the hill changed hands five times p before the enemy re-established the position whence it was driven early in the day. ; " ' " : Greater Offensive Imminent.' -Washington, D. C, Dec. 3. An other offensive by the enemy on a still larger scale is believed to be immin ent, and the Italians are preparing to meet it. "The enemy has tried to break through our lines at every point," says the official message. "General Cadorna tried to make the most of the advantages gained on the Asiago plateau, while our troops were retreating to our lines of resistance, but yhen the . Austro-Germans at tempted to break our defensive bar rier at Meletta and Maghabbschi, they suffered staggering-Josses with out gaining any ground. Italian avia tors have reported continual transfer of Austrian troops fram the pjain to the mountains to fill the gaps in their decimated ranks. The enemy is very active preparing elaborate defensive systems." LATE WAR BULLETINS BRITISH CAPTURE GUNS. - London, Dec. 3. "Hostile attacks delivered yesterday evening against our positions in the neighborhood of Mouevres (Cambrai sector), were re pulsed after sharp fighting," says to day's official report. ' Successful minor encounters during the night in the neighborhood of Bourlon resulted in the capture by London troops of twelve German ma chine guns and a number of prisoneis. BRITISH ADVANCE LINE. British Armr Headquarters in France, Dec. 3. British troops last night reoccupied a section of a trench on the high ground southwest of Bourlon village on the Cambrai front, which was lost on Friday. The town of Masineres, which was evacuated by the British, was shelled last night by British artillery. General Byng's troops last night pressed near to the village of Villiers Guislain and along the ridge south west of that place, and their line now is fairly near the town. It is estimated that the Germans had about 20 divisions for their assault on Friday, which, except for the first Ypres battle, is regarded as having been their heaviest attack on the British. The Germans attacked the British positions at La .Vacquerie, southwest of Cambrai, at 8:45 o'clock this morn ing and an hour later it was reported that they had been successfully beat en off. Today's attack followed three futile attempts made by the enemy to take this village yesterday afternoon. GERMANS CAPTURE 6,000. Berlin, Dec. -3. (Via London.) Since 'Friday the Germans have cap tured 6,000 British prisoners in the Cambrai region, the German general staff announced today. The runs taken numbered 100. TO ARRANGE ARMISTICE. Berlin, Dec. 3. A Russian deputa tion, the official statement says, has arrived at the command of Prince Leopold of Bavaria with the object of arranging a general armistice. on mounta! JW - Strite ym Byng's Huge Cambrai Wedge L - Jim PRESENT BKVTtt Facing terrible artillery fire from the British lines, the Germans yester day made a second desperate attempt to pierce the southern portion of the huge wedge which General Byne has driven into the Teuton defenses in an effort to reach the vauable railroad town of Cambrai. The latest offen- AMERICAN ARMY ENGINEERS STEM RUSH OFTEUTONS Many Sammies Are Caught in Enveloping Move of Ger mans at Goueaucourt, But Are Rescued. With the British Army in France, Saturday, Dec. 1. Amerjcan army engineers working in the region of Gouzeaucourt joined the fighting ranks of their British allies yesterday and helped them stem the onslaught which resulted in Gouzeaucourt be ing enveloped for a time. Many of the Americans were caught in the German turning move ment about Gouzeaucourt and only escaped death or capture by lying concealed for hours in shell holes un til the British had succeeded in push ing the invaders back. Hundreds of other men from overseas were sub jected to tremendous shell fire from enemy artillery and great quantities of gas shells were thrown in the territory where they were working. Germans in Force. The German attack was niade with greatly superior numbers and every available man was needed on the British side to arrest its onward sweep. The Americans gave every ounce of their strength to this task, both as fighting men and as workers, and the important part which they played has drawn the highest praise from the Britisn authorities. Many, of the engineers seized rifles and tought side by side with the 1 om mies throughout the bitter day and many scores of Americans last night were armed and sent forward as vol unteers to do patrol work in the in hospitable zone before which a large army of Germans was encamped. One British general, in conversation witi the correspondent tonight, spoke in the most glowing terms of the inval uable services rendered by the engi neer?. "One cannot bestow any praise that is too high," he remarked em phatically, r Several trains operated by Ameri cans were in the Gouzeaucourt section and hundreds of other Americans were in this territory when the Ger mans, without warning, swept forward in masses toward the town. Many Americans working in the rear areas immediately provided themselves with ' (Continued on Page Three, Column f)ne.) Threatened Shortage in California Sugar Beets Los Angeles, Cal., Dec. 3. Thomas Lee Woolwjie, district . .';rrne ; of Los Angeles county, announced" to day that he would leave for Wash ington tomorrow in response to a telegram from Herbert Hoover to lay the facts connected with a threit- ened shortage cf the sugar beets in 'outhern California next summer be fore the national food administrator. Mr. Woolwin' said, at the sutrsres- tion of Mr. Hoover, four beet grow ers, if possible, two representatives of beet sugar companies would ac company him. A grand jury investigation, com pleted last week, developed that farm ers were planning to plant a Jiusre. acreage hitherto devoted to beets to other crops because last year , they lost money on their beet ciop, while refineries at the same time made ex-i j cessive profits, it was asserted. j Second Blow SCALE OF MILES LINE. RMLRCWVDS. ROADS 'CANALS live was along a considerable front, Dcgmnmg at Jua vacquene and ex tending southward. German forces in great numbers succeeded in entering La Vacc-uerie, but were immediately drdiven out. The blow extended norm to Masimeres in great fury, the British holding at last reports. CHRISTMAS RED GROSS DRIVE IS BEGUN IN OMAHA Keynote of Campaign is "100 Per Cent Efficiency;" Promi nent Men Devote Their En tire Time, to Work. "One hundred per cent efficiency" is the keynote of the Omaha Christ mas Red Cross campaign committee, which nas Dcgun the organjation work for the huge Red Cross drive to be made during the period between December 17 and 25. J. E. Davidson, Henry Doorly, Sam S. Caldwell and William A. Pixlev mam uy me ctiiiiiiiiuce wnicn win ai rect the drive m Omaha. Mr. David Ann i nlrirA tiinnafTi. Mr l-l.. campaign manager, Mr. Caldwell di rector of committees and Mr. l'ixley .11 -a -f .ii'r. - uirccior oi pupilClty.- From now until Christmas this quartet of prominent Omaha business men will forsake their private enter prises to devote all of their time to the Red Cross drive. Headquarters were opened at 1624 Harney street in the former location of the State Bank of Omaha. Th headquarters will be open day and night. Seek 40,000 Members. Forty thousand members is the aim of the Omaha committee. The na tional drive is expected to pledge 15, 000,000 members and Omaha's quota is w,wu. It is the hope of the Omaria com mittee to pledge 100 per cent in each household. The head of each house will be asked to buy a $2 membership, which includes a subscription to the Red Cross Magazine. Each other member of the household will be so licited for a $1 membership. A Red Cross button and a service ftsg will be given with each subscrip tion. The service flag will be white, witl. a red cross in the center. Small crosses will be furnished for addi tional members in the same family for business house. When every member of a business firm and all employes are pledged to membership a service flag bearing the inscription 100 per cent will be given. Several Hundred Committeemen. The committee will devote this week to organization of the subcom mittees. ' Every industry and organi zation in Omar.:, will have a subcom mittee. The number of committee men will total several hundred. "We have started work," said Mr. Pixley, "determined to gaii, the 40,000 members which make tip Omaha's quota, rrom new until Christinas we hare absolutely eliminated all thoughts of our own business and will devote all our time to this Red Cross drive. We expect to work day and night until it is over and Omaha, . 0 . , . I 1 has done its bit." Nebraska Team Wins Stock Judging Contest in Chicago Chicago, Dec. 3. (Special Tele gramsNebraska won the stock judging contest at the International fine Stock show Saturday. Twelve teams competed. Kansas was second; Texas, third; Minnesota) fourth; Iowa, fifth. Nebraska had the largest lead over competing teams on record. W. J. O'Neil was high man.. Earl Hagne of Crete was fourth. A. E. Anderson of Lincoln was fifth. Uni versity fat stock will be judged Mon day. . i ' HERCE ATTACKS FAIL TO SHATTER GEN. BYM'S LINE Dominating Ridge and to Drive Back British Advance on Cambrai, But Ten Assaults 'z.: Are Barren of Ret;:'". --- . ; bulletin:'.: rys zj f--- With the British Army in France, Dec." 3. Employing great fcfrces of infantry in succeeding waves, under terrific ar tillery concentration, the Germans today made a second at tempt'to pierce the British defenses in the Gonnelieu sector. The British, strongly reinforced, were meeting the onslaught firmly at all points, according to latest reports at 2 o'clock this afternoon. ' :: ,.' ,. . . : : . ' : The battle was along a considerable front, from La Vac querie southward toward Vendhuile. The Germans succeeded in entering La Vacquerie, but were immediately ejected. In the course of the day the attack spread northward toward Masnieres; it was one of tremenduos fierceness. BYNG REGAINS LOST GROUND. ' (Br Associated Preu.) General Byng is regaining' bit by bit the ground won by the Germans at so heavy a cost last Friday in the Cambrai battle, now characterized as the heaviest attack ever delivered on the British by the German armies, except in the case of the first battle of Yprtfs. i RUSSIANS DEFY BOLSHEVIKI IN MANIFESTO Provisional . Government I As serts Authority and Urges People to Ignore U- " nine's Decrees. BULLETIN. Berlin. Dec. 3 (Via Amsterdam to London) An actual armistice al ready is in -operation in sections of the Kusso-uerman front, a bulletin from German great headquarters re ports today. "Reds" Peace Envoy Once Juggled Soup in Frisco San Francisco, Dec. 3. Vladi mire Schneur, sard to have been a German spy, and now a member of the Bolsheviki peace commission, was formerly a waiter and elevator operator in San Francisco, accord ing to the Russian consul general today. Schneur had been here an exile from Russia about a year previous to the revolution which deposed former Czar Nicholas, attaches of the consulate said. When success of the revolution opened the ports of Russia to all political exiles, he applied for a passport, which was granted, and he was one of the first of many former exiles who proceeded from this port to Rus sia. During the time he was here, Schneur continued his activities in behalf of the Russian revolution, and was a prominent leader of the San Francisco Society for Co-operation with the Russian revolu tion, it was said at the consulate. Nearly all members of this society have sine, returned to Russia. PROVISIONAL FORCES ON SCENE. London, Dec, 3. The Russian pro visional government, thrown out of power, last month by the Bolsheviki, reappeared on the scene Friday, ac- coruiiig io special oispatcnes trom Petrograd, and issued a manifesto claiming to be the only legal author ity m Kussia and urging the people not to obey tne decrees of the hoi sheviki. All measures taken bv the nrovi- sionai government, the manifesto says, were with the view of assem bly the constitoent assembly and to tide over the crisis until the constit uent assembly would be able .to de clare the will of the people, but this hope was swept away bv the revo t ot tne extremists, which dislocated the electoral machinery. Neverthe less it advises that the assembly, as elected during the last few days, be convened, although it is necessarily incomplete, i lie beiiet is professed that the assembly will sufficiently ex- fitsa iu3sid a win. Lemne Uprising ,e '"a" fi efclaIes further. that into nipmnri rv f h a nrnniLiAni those members of the provisional government who were released after their arrest had tried to carry on the government since the "Lcuine upris ing," especially that of finance and of furnishing the army with food and other supplies. With reference to this the Petro grad correspondent of. the Daily Mail says that all the provisional govern ment has been able to do was to provide money for state necessities. He. points out that since the ex tremity: upheaval the provisional gov ernment lias received the resignations of Premier Kerensky and General Verkhdvski and . Admiral . Verderev ski, ministers of war and marine, re spectively, . v Q CAMBRAI SALIENT INTACT. ! The front on the northerly side of the Cambrai salient, having; remained virtually intact under the German im pact, it is in the region to the south west of Cambrai that the British have been centering their efforts in the rec tificstion process. t , . , , Last night they pressed their way eastward t the . edge of Villiers GuiBlaln, wiping out much of the Ger man gain in the sector most deeply penetrated by the drive, .. . They- also-jnade ro4-4llr hold on the village of La Vacquerie on this front, having repelled a series ol at tacks. - To the north a portion of S posi tion on the high ground southwest of Bourlon village which had been temporarily relinquished by the Brit ish has been reoccupied by them as the result of another of last night's operations. Berlin now . claims v the iaftn,. s,f A Ann Ti 1. at. , . "i"is v u,uu uuuau wiimu uie laii few days, together with 100 guns. GERMAN LOSSES HEAVY. Violent German efforts to wipe out the salient before Cambrai , have brought little tactical success, as Gen eral Byng has withstood successfully for three days all attemots to break through. About Gonnelieu the Ger mans have gained slight terrain at heavy cost and the British have evacuated Masnieres, south of Cam brai. The Germans have suffered very heaVy losses in dead and wound ed and th Rritiah Viau fikan hundreds of prisoners. . In the imnortant sector wst at Cambrai, embracing Bourlon wood, the dominating position in this re gion, the Germans have made no im- DreSHlon on the Krirish riafnaa nr w-- - - VVtViJVJ V1 have General Byng's men given ground between Bourlon wood and Moeuvres. he northern side of the salient. Ten heavy attacks against the region of Masnieres were driven , off by the British, with costly losses for the attackers, but a sharp salient involving the village made its aban. donment necessary. . . ' Southwest of Masnieres toward Gonnelieu the Germans still hold La Vacquerie. where, it is said, the dend in 12 hours have numbered more than i an similar period since the begin ning of the war. The British, have reached Gonnelieu and fiehtroe was in progress SunUay in and around the village. , in inn region tne uermans used four or five divisions Friday and at tacked in massed formation Saturday and Sunday. At least six or seven di visions were used by the attackers in their fruitless efforts to break the northern leg of the salient. , American engineers operating and ...........j, ,a,,,uaua iv 1 1 11 11 J me DrillSII. lines near Gouzeaucourt, west-southwest of Gonnelieu, were caught in the first rush of the German attack! Many sought1 shelter in shell holes, from which they were rescued bv British counter attacks.' The engineers aid!d the British in withstandine the enemv: attacks and went on patrol duty at night. Several were captured. by the Germans, but later managed to es-" cape. - - On most of the Italian front the in fantry remains virtually , inactive, while the artillery is engaged in vio-" iv.ui. iuiiiuaruiiicnis, especially along; the Piave river. . . . , Til rltrn-ilit1!-ofI. t it.. T ' army by the Bolsheviki is uviiiviiiicatiuii ui liirr Russian have begun. The Russian provisional ' government has reappeared and is- sued a manifesto asserting it is the only legal authority. It people to disobey the decrees of the ' ooisneviKi, , Farmer Fatally Injured ;;; ; t A7tian Ctmitls U, Tn. UIICII UY HcMM iT 1 wcc. jj-i.opeciai. -Robert Buchanan. , farmer, was fa-" " way injured wnen tie was struck" by . the railroad yards here. He died a ' (a... 1. . . . . . . .4 - ' wiiiuii a aunt, train r nariciniT itiTii ii.-w nuurs jaier. tie 'was partially deaf and did not hear the trainr