Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, December 10, 1917, Image 1

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    Omaha Daily
THE WEATHER
Snow; Colder
VOL. XLVII. NO. 150.
OMAHA, MONDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 10, 1917.
. Ti.L .) nml otk'-t f TriDV Turn ruvTS
COMMANDER RESCUED FROM LOST U. S. DESTROYER;
" ITALIANS CHECK GERMANS IN MOUNTAIN PASSES;
BRITISH ARREST HALIFAX DEATH SHIP SUR VIVORS
Bee
7.
4
1
U-BOAT THAT SUNK
DESTROYER SEEN;
TAKES
Only Forty-Four ofN110 or More Officers and Men Aboard
Jacob Jones Known to Have Survived; German
Diver Picks Up One Man and
Carries Him Away
' . v BULLETIN.
Washington Further reports from Vice Admrial Sims
today began to unfold the story of the torpedoing of the de
stroyer Jacob Jones, but did not lessen the toll of lives lost with
the ship. Only 44 of J 01 or more officers and men are known
to have survived, including one unidentified man picked up and
carried off by the submarine that struck the blow. Today's re
ports added to the list of dead Ensign Staunton F. Falk, of
4'inaha, Neb., a young officer, who died of exposure.
Washington, Dec. 9. Lieutenant Commander David
-Worth Bagley and Lieutenant Norman Scott were among the
survivors rescued after the sinking of the American destroyer
Jacob Jones, by a German submarine in the war zone Thursday
night. The Navy department was so advised late tonight by4
Vice Admiral Sims.
Admiral Sims' reports said that Commander Bagley and
the five men saved with him got away in a motor boat and were
picked up and landed uninjured at the Scilly islands.
CIVTV.PTftHT MP.N MTSSTNO 0
These two officers, two warrant of
ficers and two enlisted men were
named in the admiral's dispatch as
survivors in addition to the 37 previ
ously reported saved.
Wit is now established that the
other four survivors reported, be
sides Commander Bagley and Lieu
tenant Scott were:
Chief Boatswains
Mate
Clarence
McBride, Syracuse, N. Y.
Coxswain Ben Nunnery, Edgmoor,
s. c. '.. ,
Chief .Electrician Lawrence G.J Kel-
ley, address not given. U
Supplied With Rafts.
' Th4 survivors of the Jones un-..,
doubtedly owe their lives to the iott
thought -of the Navy department mii
having provided every destroyer sent
abroad with a complement of life
rafts sufficient for the entire crew.
They are lashed on deck in such fash
ion that they release themselves and
cotne to the surface if the ship sinks.
Destroyers cannot carry enough life
boats for their complement without
a'tlirsking the lire of their guns and tor-
ff jbdo tubes.
' Apparently the Jones went down
almost at once. . This was taken to
mean that the torpedo had scored a
fair hit amidships, possibly tearing the
swift craft in two" when it exploded.
If this is true there can be no ques
tion that many of th.e crew died in
the blast of the explosion or were car
ried down with the shattered hull
without a chance to escape. Officers
here felt that such a fate was prefer
able to hours of exposure- and final
death from cold on life rafts.
Navy officers and officials took
pride in the fact thatj the Jacob Jones
and its crew had written new honors
into navy records before the vessel
fell victim to an enemy torpedo.
l Electrician Confesses -
. He Started $200,000 Fire
Chicago, Dec. 9. Federal authori
ties announced last night than an
electrician working in the" Jnited
States general medical warehouse,
which was destroyed by fire with a
loss of $200,000 today, has confessed
that he started the fire by 'accidental
ly overturning a blow torch in a pile
of shavings.
Officials, who at first were inclined
to believe the fire was due " to in
cendiarism, said the confession elimi
nated all chances of a German plot.
Eleven Men Lost When
- Tug Founders; Four Saved
Atlanta Cky, X. J., Dec. 9. Eleven
men are believed to have been lost
when the tug Eugene Moran of the
Moran Towing company, New York,
foundered off the inlet at Atlantic
w T.hy yesterday. Four men were saved
. 1 1)y lifeguards.
Weather
Omaha Yesterday.
Hour.
' Degree.
Tfinperatarm at
5 a. m 5
S a. m. 6
7 a. m. 1
S a. m. ........ 2
9 a. m I
10 a. m 3
11 a. ra.. I
li m. , i
1 p. m.......... 1
! p. m 0
1 p. m 1
4 p. ra.. ........ 1
5 p. m. 2
6 p. m. . a . . . . a .
7 p., m. 3
Comparative Local lUeord
X 1917 11
1115 114
Highest ynterflar
Lowest today . .
Mean temperatura
1
S
1
a
40
34
4
2
18
24
Precipitation
1
.00
.00
.02
Tmtwmtur and precipitation departarea
, from the normal at umana ainco .-Marco isi,
tnd romcared with the laat two Tears:
Narmal temperature-. ............. ...30
DVicieney for the day 32
Total deficiency aince March 1, 117. ...304
Normal precipitation , 0.02 Inch
v Kxcca for the day 0.1 J Inch
Total rainfall aince March 1st, 21.(5 inchtsa
Deficiency since March 1 .2 inchti
i f Def lclency for cor. period, 1914. .12.6 lnchea
A Veficiency for cor. perlofi.' 1J15.. l.Sllachei
PRISONER
OMAHA BOY DIES
AS JACOB JONES
SUM U-BOAT
Ensign Stanton,-F.; Kalk,
Grandson of General Stan
.; . tonv fs DeadTrbm . ,
. v.. Exposure'. -:
Secretary ;Daniels yesterday wired
to Mrs. .Flora F. Kalk, who is visit
ing here,' that her son. Ensiern Stan-
ENSIGN STANTON KALK.
ton F. Kalk,; who was well known in
Omaha, had died from exposure in an
open boat after the U. S. destroyer
Jacob Jones had been sent to the bot
tom by a submarine. The messasre
read :
"My heart goes out to you, in
the deepest sympathy. Your brave
son gave his life for his country
and in your deep sorrow all the
nation mourns with you."
"JOSEPHUS DANIELS."
The following messace was also re
ceived by Mrs. Kalk from L. C. Pal
mer of the naval bureau at Washing
ton: -r . v -
"The bureau deeply regrets to
inform you that a report received
states that your son, Ensign Stan
ton F. Falk, died of exposure in
cident to the sinking of the Jacob
Jones."
Ensign Kalk wa a grandson of -the
l$ite General T. H. Stanton and his
mother is now visiting at the home of
T. F. Kennedy, 127 North Forty-sec
ond street. Ensign Kalk received his
appointment to Annapolis through a
Nebraska congressman.
This is the-first death Omaha has
been called upon to mourn, from any
of the many boys who have gone to
the front.
Sub Picks Up a Man.
(By AMorlnted Preas.)
Washington, Dec. 9. Vice AdmiraJ
Sims cabled the Navy department to-r
day 44 officers and men had been
saved of the 1 '0 known to have been
aboard the destroyer Jacob Jones,
sunk Thursday by a German submar
ine. He added to the list of deaA En
sign Stanton F. Falk. who died from
exposure, and to the' survivors an un
identified man picked up by the sub
marine after the destroyer went down.
James McShane Critically 111..
The condition of James McShane,
1906 Chicago street, who has been
very ill, was reported critical in the
extreme last night. It was feared lie
might not survive the night
ill j$f 4 :
I '0
r
JEMpL OF
. - i in i r iff
uftNWAKBl
KALE DIMES
Russian Government in Procla
mation Announces That Gen-1
eral Is in Revolt, Aided
Imperialists.
London, Dec. 9. A proclamation
to the Russian .nation has been issued
by the Russian government announc
ing that "Kaledines and Korniloff, as
sisted by the Imperialists and Consti
tutional Democrats, have raised a re
volt and declared war in the Don re
gion against the people and the revo
lution." The proclamation adds that "The
Constitutional Democrats and Bour
geoisie are supplying the revolting
generals with scores of millions.
Civil War Impends.
General Kaledines, the Cossack
leader, is at Novo.Tcherkask, where
he is apparently awaiting events, ac
cording to dispatches published by
the Petrograd newspaper Den, says
a semi-official Russian news agency
dispatch from Petrograd, dated Sat
urday. In all the other Don districts,
according to this information, the
power is in the hands of the Soldiers'
and Workmen's and the Ukrainian
authorities.
"In the Soldiers' and Workmen's
circles," continues the dispatch, "the
opinion is '.eld that General Kale
dines has prepared for an armed
demonrtration. The government is
taking the most vigorous measures
to repel him."
Report on Armistice.
Petrograd, Saturday, Dec. 8. the
Russian delegation .from the . front
which took part in the armistic ne
gotiations reported to the central ex
cutive committee and the Soldiers'
and Workmens council today.
The Russians proposed, according
tomembers of the delegation,..that
the duration of the armistice bf &ix
months, with three days' notice of the
resumption of hostilities; the armi
stice to embrace all fronts in all coun
tries;, no troops to be transferred;
Moort Sound and Moon Island to be
evacuated by the Germans..' t
' German Proposals.'
The Germans made the following
counter proposals: The-armistice to
last only 28 day. to embrace nly the
Russian front; the transfer of units of
less than one division to be permited;
Moon Sound and islands to remain
in German occupation; the Russian
troops to be removed from the Mace
donian and Fren'ch, fronts; Russian
and Turkish troops. to evacuate Per
sia. 4 ' : -The
consideration of the report was
postponed. '
Knights of Columbus War
Camp Fund Reaches $176,1 91
Secretary W. C. Fraser of the state
committee of the Knights of Colum
bus camp fund has received reports
in the last five days which bring the
total subscriptions to the fund, in
Nebraska, to $176,191.21.
The total subscription in Omaha is
$73,162.9n and the subsciiptions out
side of 'Omaha $103,028.30. Among
the subscriptions in Omaha in the last
few days was one of $215.25, collected
under the leade ship of Captain M. F.
Dempsey, from members of the po
lice. force.
The campaign officially closed
December 2, but outside towns have
been reporting all week and a greit
many remain to be-heard from.
The total will undoubtedly exceed
$200,000.00.
The original sum to be raised was
fixed at $75,000.00 and later raised
to $150,000.00. '
Start Hearings to Fix
Price of Print Paper
Washington, Dec. 9. Hearings to
assist the tederai trade commissions
r ; . t . ri
in nxing a just price ior news print
paper will begin here January., to
continue 10 days or until all inter
ested persons have been heard.
Motley Crowd Flees
Ift Explosion Panic
(By Associated Freas.)
Montreal," Dec. 9. A graphic
story ff the flight of surviving in
habitants of Halifax after the ex
plosion, is told by the Rev. George
Adam, pastor of a Montreal Con
gregational church, who arrived
here tof'ay from Halifax. He was
in a hotel there at the time of the
explosion.
"All that had been pictured and
written of the fleeing Belgian
refugees flashed across my mind
as I, witnessed the stampede," he
said. "The people had been warn
ed by shouted instructions to pro
ceed to the south of the town, as
another explosion seemed immi
nent. ' "Nuns, who had left the cloister
ed 4uie. of their convents, old bed
ridden women, carried along in
sheets, half dressed mothers with
babies wrapped in blankets, hurried
past, blind men were being led by
little boys. 1 was pathetic, too,
to see the little girls clutching
their cats and pet dogs, rush past,
Chinamen, shaken out of their
celestial calm, careened southward.
Bluejackqts, firemen and sailors
of all descriptions left their ships
in the harbor and were making for
safety. There were motors, too",'
ind carts, and wagons, and per-
mibulators n plenty in, this flow
of frightened people."
Where Italian Soldiers
Stopped. Rush of Invaders
EACH SU.Rt REPRtS&fT3 0 MlUft
..INOICKTM WMtNT
fATTlt LINE.
Having failed to pierce the. Italian
line on tl.j lower Piave at ?
di Piave (1), or to break through be
tween Mount Grappa, (2) an4 the up
per Piave; tjj? Austro-Germans started
new driv' With 200,000 urtriaW
troopi massejd on. the mountains, they
hammered at the passes which lcattto
ADMIRALTY TO
COLLISION WHICH CAUSED
AWFUL CANADIAN DISASTER
Captain, Pilot and Crew of Norwegian Steamer Imo Held
for Examination; Government Appropriates $1,000,
000 for Relief; Nonresidents and Curiosity
Hunters Ordered From City.
(By Aanoclatcd Preaa.)
Halifax, Dec. 9. All the survivor of the Norwegian
steamer Imo, which collided with the French munition ship
Mont Blanc, were made prisoners by the British navel authori
ties today.
The Imo survivors were removed to a British cruiser and
held for the admirality investigation of the collision, which
begins tomorrow. The number in custody was not revealed.-
Captain Lamedoc of the Mont Blac and Pilot Mackay
which was bringing the vessel in when it was rammed by the
Imo are to be placed under arrest, Acting Chief of Police Han
rahan announced tonight Officers were sent out to get them
and to hold them for the admirality hearing, Hanrahan said.
CANADIAN RELIEF FUND. O
Premier Robert L. Borden an
nounced here tonight that a pre
liminary appropriation of $1,000,000
had been made by the Canadian gov
ernment for relief in Halifax. This
fund will be placed at once in the
hands of the citizens' finance commit
tee. .
All non-residents not engaged in re
lief Work or here on business of ex
treme emergency today were request
ed by Mayor Martin to leave the city
at once, because of the serious lack
of accommodations and the shortage
of food supplies.
NON-RESIDENTS MUST LEAVE.
In a second proclamation the mayor
ruged persons not on relief missions
to stay a.yay from Halifax for the
iext two weeks.
After reports from committees
which are endeavoring to handle a
situation almost beyond them, Mayor
Martin issued this proclamation:
"On account of the serious'lack of
accommodations and scarcity of food
supplies, all noir-residents'at present
in the city not on relief work, or
business of extreme Urgency, are re
quested kindly to co-operate with the
relief committee by leaving the city
as soon as possible."
The press associations also "were
asked, to send out the announcement
6f the congested conditions to prevent
a further inward rush of visitors.
Hundreds have come here to seek
missing friends and relatives and to
look after the safety of those from
whom no message had been received.
Others were merely curiosity seek
ers. '.
Four thousand dead is the new esti
mate of the ' superintendent of
morgues. ' .
Dredging parties working under the
direction of naval authorities dragged
ashore 200 bodies of sailors, soldiers
and laborers recovered from the bot
I .WMtRt TIN JkUSTRO-
GERMA.N Divisions MtiMMSUi
the Asiago plateau (3), the Astico val-J
ley ana me oeiii commune. i.si
night announcement was made that
the drive had been definitely check
ed in the narrow passqg., Should the
Italian line break here :'the' invaders
.would nienjace Viccnxa and f tow there
go straight across the" open plaint to
Padua andVM?:!f13a'r,! 1
INVESTIGATE
tom of the harbor. Another searching
squad reported having found 40 bodies
in the hulk of the Norwegian steamer
Imo, which collided with the Mont
Blanc.
About 400 of the 1,000 bodies have
been identified. ; . -
PEOPLE STILL DAZED.
-How this crash, not of itself ser
ious, ripped open on the decks tanks
of benzine that trickled down to the
engine room and started a blaze that
wrecked part of Halifax, never will be
explained to the satisfaction of the
people here, still dazed by the terror
of the giant blast that came when tons
of high explosive, sent a wild roar far
out to sea, shook the very foundation
of an area of two and one-half square
miles, and stripped it bare.
Some idea of the powerful havoc
of the explosion was gained as the
correspondent viewed scores of trees,
burljr of trunk, that literally were
snapped in two, 10 feet from the
ground. Big brick structurer came
down with smaller ones of frame, but
it was in these modest dwellings that
the greatest loss of life occurred.
Steamer a Crumpled Mass.
The steamer Mont plane; a name
never to be forgotten here, lies across
the stretch of water from the section
it laid low, a crumpled blackened
heap. Nearby, hard on the beach
where it was driven by the explosion
lies the crippled ' relief ship, and
nearer still the Canadian cruiser
Niobe stands with no apparant sign
of damage. Fourteen hundred freight
cars on the water front were burned
to the b&e.
All over this wide area the story
is the same. There is a sloping lull
that runs down to the water and at
the top a church stands with every
window gone, its walls tracked and
(CvnUnned en P-a Two, Column One.jr
DEADLY 1HRUST
Al ASIAG0 PLAIN
IS TURNED ASIDE
. ...
Defenders Hurl Huge Boulders Down Mountain Sides
Upon Advancing Enemy and Enfilade Passes, With
Withering Rifle andrtillery Fire, Compell
ing Invaders to Fall Back. '
- , (By AaMwtAtvd ITts.)
Italian Headquarters in Northern Italy, Saturday, Dec. 8,
6 P. M. The battle of Asiago is virtually suspended, with the
enemy checked, if not defeated, in his main design of breaking
through to the Brenta valley and the plain a few miles below,
although he succeeded in advancing his lines a short distance
when the Italians fell bask to new positions.
These positions, guarding the Frenzela and Gadena passes,
have successfully resisted all enemy efforts, and the Italians oh
the steep heights on each side of the passes rain down artillery
and rifle fire and release huge boulders every time the enemy
forces try to get through.
This has continued until the Italians seem reasonably as
sured of holding the passes and compelling the enemy to look
for another line bf approach.
BLUFFS BOY LOST
WITH DESTROYER
SUMY U-BOAT
Walter M6rrissette, $on Of
Teacher at Iowa School for
Deaf, Victim on Jacob
: Jones.
Walter Morrissette, 23 years old,
one of. the crew of the Jacob jonfis,
lost in the Atlarrtic Thursday, when
torpedoed by a German U-boat, was
serving' his second term in thaXInttcd
States uavy. T He eiistedtth first lime
Mkumana six years ago ana wnru nis
period of service expired re-enlisted at
once.
lie was a small boy when lie first
entered the service as a cook's as
sistant, but rapidly passed through
the evolutionary stages until lie hadJ
reached the highest possible promo
tion .at the -end of his first term. i
He spent his youth in Council
Bluffs and went through the grade
schools here, but did not reach the
high school until the lure of the navy
called him away. His mother, Mrs.4
Carrie Morrissette, is teacher of do
mestic science at the Iowa School for
the Deaf, and has been a member, of
the' school faculty for the last 25
years. '
Mrs. Morrissette was seen last
night at the home of her sister, Mrs.
L. R. Conboy, 2250 Avenue H. She
had received a , telegram from the
Navy department during the evening,
announcing that' there , were 36 sur
vivors, but their names were not all
available at the time. The hope va9
expressed that her son was among
them and she was told that she would
be advised vby wire of his survival or
death when the facts were ascertained.
Mrs. Morrissette has one other son,
a resident of Fort Dodge, la. Miss
Marv Pool, a trained nurse, is her
sister. Walter was married at Phil
adelphia a year ago and his young
wife is there now. .
'Reds9 Demand
Allies State
Full War Aims
London, Dec' 9. The supreme
moment of the Russian crisis has
arrived. It is said that one effect
of President Wilson's epochal
message to congress has been to
cause a suspension of the mad ar
mistice scheme. In connection
with this the Bolsheviki have sent
an ultimatum to the allies demand
ing that they restate their war
aims. '
In connection with the seven-day
armistice declared on the Russo
German front, Leon Trotsky, in
the official communication received
at London, says:
"The period of delay thus given,
even in the existing disturbed con
dition of international communi
cations, is amply sufficient to af
ford the allied governments oppor
tunity to define their attitude
toward the peace negotiations; that
is, their willingness or refusal to
participate in negotiations for an"
armistice and peace.
"In case of refusal they must de
clare clearly and definitely be
fore all mankind the aims for which
the peoples of Europe may be
called to shed their blood during
the. fourth year of the war."
There are rumors o internal de
velopments of great importance.
One is. to the effect that former
Emperor Nicholas has succeeded
in effecting his e:ape. Little has
developed as to what action the
moderate forces of the nation may
be contemplating in combating the
Bolsheviki measures, one of which
is reported to be the impending re
pudiation 'of all of Russia's foreign
loans. -
? TROOP TRAINS SCATTERED.
An exceptionally large air raid wa;
carried out yesterday with a' fleet pi
ISO airplanes, including Italian light
and heavy squadrons. The huge fleet
flew low, scattering more than 2,000
bombs, which caused extensivt dam
age in the northern sector, where the
enemy is assembling forces and sup
plies. Troop trains were scattered,
railway depots destroyed and muni
tion supplies blown up. Large fires"
marked the route of the raiders, indi
eating the extent of the destruction.
- .
Brazil Tightens on -
Treatment Germans
Rio Janeiro, Dec 9. The Brazilian
cabinet at a meeting last night de
cided upon the following regulation's
with regard to German subjects -in
Brazil: '
" To prohibit all commercial: rela-' ,
tiotis, direct, or indirect between for
eign nationals resident in Brszit and
enemy subject in foreign- countries.- -
To suspend the' exportation of all
kinds of goods belonging to the en
emy. -: .'; -V - ' v'- ' ' '
The authorities will be given spe
cial powers to control enemy enter-
prises and ,ta put an end to. such op
erations, i . ' 1
To interne in concentration camps
or elsewhere suspected enemy sub
jects. - ,
To ancel ail public land contracts
and concessions with due regard to
the rights of settlers and proprietors
already located. , V
War Savings Stamp's Are
On Sale, at Many Places
Joseph Barker,5 chairman of the
Omaha committee on wan savings ,
stamps, has established selling agen
cies for war stamps at ' all the de
partment stores, at nearlv all ' the
drug stores and other . institutions
where it is thought the stamps may
be asked for.
L. V. Nicholas of the L. V.
Nicholas Oil company was granted
permission to sell stamps at all his
filling stations in : Omaha. Mr.
Nicholas says that since agencies
were established at the filing sta
tions Friday he has sold more thati
$300 worth of stamps. His salesmen
at the various stations are boosting
the sales of stamps each timea pa
tron drives up to obtain gasoline for
his car.' , ' ,
Postpone Hearings for 15,
Per Cent Freight Raisv
, Washington, Dec. 9. Hearing on
western railroad applications for .15
per cent increase in freight rates, set
for December 17, was indefinitely
postponed yesterday by the Interstate
Commerce commission at the request
of the, tailroads.
The c sons assigned by the rail
roads for the postponement were the
commission's recommendation for un
ification of the railroads nd the un
certainty of the government's future
action. The pending demands of em
ployes for wage increases and the fact
that earnings for the entire year of
1917- soon will be available also M ere
mentioned as reasons for delaying the
hearing. '
Finnish Republic to(
Hold Election January 15
Stockholm, Dec. 9. The proposal
submitted the Finnish Landtag bv
the senateVovides that Finland shall
become a republic r with a president
elected for a term' of six years, ac
cording to advices reaching here from
Helsingfors. The proposal provides
that the first election shall be' held .
January 13 and the president it to taK'
oitice April 15. Until then the
mier ts to act as- the head of
public.
"A
British Refuse Release
Of Imprisoned v
London, Dec. 9. A n
British government re
lease Tchitcherin and Pi
citizens under arrest i:
Petrograd corresponde
says he understands w
thejiolsheviki headqua
aay.
The correspondent a:
easiness of British cit:
is increasing daily.