Omaha
Sunday
PART ONE
NEWS SECTION
PAGES 1 TO 14.
"7T 17
THE WEATHER
Fair
JOE
UK
n
VOL. XL VII NO. 29.
OMAHA. SUNDAY MORNING; DECEMBER 30, 1917 FOUR SECTIONS THIRTY-EIGHT PAGES.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
T SENT TO JAIL
EXTREME COLD
EEPS
TREASON SUSPEC
SW
OMAHA
WEATHER RECORDS BROKEN
AS MERCURY HITS 20 BELOW;
BUREAU PROMISES RELIEF
T 1
Coldest December Day in History of City, Accompanied
By Highest Barometric Pressure, Ever Registered I
Here; Few Cases of Suffering Among Poor
Reported to Charities. '
Twenty degrees below zero was the
... re
temperature registered on the omcial
weather bureau thermometer in the I
ederat building at 8 o'clock Saturday j
Homing.
This broke all records for Decern-1
5er in the 44 years of weather bureau
. . . . i, . . 4--
ustory here. The lowest temperature j
leretofore recorded in December was i
17 below zero, which was reached in!
December, 1879, and also in 1884.
The extreme cold was accompanied
ny the highest barometric pressure
;ver recoided at Omaha, 31.07 inches.
Only five times heretofore in the his-1
fory of the weather bureau has a I
barometric pressure of more than 31 j
inches been registered here. j
Center of Barometer. !
This high air pressure is caused by ;
the weight of the extremely cold,
dense air. Omaha was the center of
the high barometer in the morning. It
extended also to Huron, S. D., Sioux
City, Des Moines and Morehe'ad,
Minn.
"The backbone of the cold wave is
broken," is the word Colonel Welsh
of the weather bureau gives out. His
weather map shows a wave of rising
temperatures sweeping . over the
northwest part of the country. The
indications for Omaha are for "slowly
rising temperature."
TJie prediction came true for last
night's.tcmperature was 3 above 2ero
at 7 o'clock.
The lowest temperature last winter
was 23 below, on "grouncft hog day."
The lowest temperature ever recorded
in Omaha was 32 below, on January
5, 1884.
Cold Nation-Wide.
The prsffln&TafMr xrftr,
large part of the country, all the way
to the Atlantic coast and iar to the
south. In New York City Saturday
morning the temperature was 2 be
low zero and this was made worse
by a 46-mile gale.1 Boston had 4 be
low. ' These are, .extremely unusual
temperatures for the east coast, where
they "feej" worse than they look be
cause of the high humidity.
Albany, N. Y., reported 10 below
and Buffalo 4 below. Chicago had
tcro.
In the north: Bismarck, N. D., 36
below zero; Moorhead, Minn., 30 be
low; Duluth, M inn., 30 below; SJ.
Paul, Minn., 22 below.
In Kansas and western Missouri
temperatures ranged from 2 to 12
below zero.
Eastern Nebraska felt the cold wave
more than the central and -western
end of the state. Norfolk had 27 be
low zero; Lincoln had 17 below; Val
entine had only 18 below and North
Platte only 10 below zero. Cheyenne
exhibited the same astonishing tem
perature as it did on Friday, record
ing a temperature of 40 above zero.
Boise, Idaho, had 52 above zero.
Few Suffer from Cold.
Despite the unusually cold weather
few cases of suffering among the poor
were reported to charitable organiza
tions or the police.
A few men sought the shelter of
the police station.
Associated Charities had scores of
calls for food, coal and clothing, but
no extreme cases were unearthed by
workers who visited the poorer dis
tricts of the city.
Salvation Army, Volunteers "of
America and missions gave slicker to
many 'poor people Thursday night
and Friday morning.
Trains Delayed.
Out in the slate t here were light
wow flurnV;- ami considerable wind
luring th.;
Ger.-r-j:
iot .11 ;
part of the night.
. were 1 . all t'. :
.(. i
miles to two hours,
i the snow, but by
eld that prevented the
making steam.
stances freight trains
engine
111 !M
v. ere a -mulled. This applied to those
(Cnnlinued on Pave Tnn, Column Oi.)
The Weather
For Nebraska Fair; slowly r'sine:
empcrature.
Hourly Temperature. j
a. m - 1 r
ti a. in IS I
7 a. m 15 i
8 a. in '. 5 I
9 a. m 19 j
10 a. m IS j
11 a. m 1
12 m S
1 p. m 3
: p. in . . .
4 p. m. . .
. i j
4 p. b
.1 p. m
6 p. m
7 p. m
'nmnHrfttiv l.nrnl Hpmrri.
1917. I?:-1.
Weh'M y.-ferly ..... " 14
Lowest y.'--i-r.tf,y .... 20 2 In
Mean t.-if.' tu u re .. 8 '1 12
Precipitatf! . .00
Tonip.-ramre and prtrcli'Hation pa
from th-
nrmnl i.i p n uri. ..1 ,
tl" .lny 30 ;
Toial il-f; '. ;
Normal pr"ri,'ii
F f!rltm-y fur '..
To'nl ra in fall sin
lioficleni'v ttn'-
in March 1 4
or. S in'-h
''-' 02 inch I
'.irrh 1 . . . .21 77 lnch" i
i: r. h t :r.rh-
;,' -rio i. i?ii..i2.i inrh'-s ;
In f Money for
IWMoni'y f'.r
14 in"h'""j
.-imitation.
Indi at,J o-m..' r.
L. A. WULSH. M;t;orug
$J A
some coin m ots
llelmv Zrro.l lirlnw Zero.
0lllllhs sttsauite st. .Marie. .20
itisnmrrk, x. .. . sioux city 2i
n-.n.,. a
lluluth, Mliui .30ralnary.Jl.Bn 10
Huron, s. i 3o;edmoniiton, ran... is
mh city, Moirt..,is,rrin, Albert. Can.. 40
Moorheart, Minn. . .80; Swift Current, Can. 20
pifm ; aniieK s
Kupid city. s. i)....i,viiite Kiver cn..4
m. i'ni. Minn s;
GOVERNMENT
OPERATING
RAILROADS
Walker D. Hines of New York
Appointed Assistant Director
General Pending Formation
Permanent Staff
(By Aihoclated Press.)
Yashingjton, Dec. 29. Definite
step toward national unification, of
railroads and improvement, of con
gested conditions, were taken tod,ay
by Director General McAdoo in the
appointment of a temporary staff and
the issuing of his first formal order
direfiUnR,aa&oittte.jitawig. of Mr
nci common utilization of terminals,
rolling stock and other facilities, haul
ing or freight by the shortest routes,
and retention of all present officers
and employes.
Hines Assistant Director.
Special instructions were issued for
the clearing of congestion in New
York and Chicago through pooling
of terminals and other traffic facilities
and Alfred H. Smith, president of the
New York Central, was named tem
porary special assistant to supervise
transportation in the turnk line terri
tory east of the Mississippi and north
of the Ohio rivers, where congestion
is greatest.
Walker D. limes of New York, 3
railroad lawyer and for many years a
special student of government oper
ation, was appointed assistant direc
tor general, pending the formation of
a permanent staff. The Interstate
Commerce commission was drafted
for an immediate investigation by its
inspectors of general freight condi
tions on eastern trunk lines.
Assembling Staff.
Director General McAdoo spent to
day assembling a staff of advisers and
executive officers to assist him in ad
ministering the railroads as a national
unit.
He conferred with John Barton
Payne, "counsel for the shipping board,
and Interstate Commerce Commis
sioner Anderson.
An announcement
of plans is expected soon
. The railroads war board went to
work on a general scheme of opera
tion,
A few reports reaching here"?
today told of first efforts by local
railway officials to haul" freight by
shortest routes, as requested by the
director general in his first telegram
to railway heads. '
A cold wave, accompanied by snow
in, many localities, probably would
prevent a noticeable improvement in
freight congestion under government
operation for a week of more, officials
said.
It was understood today tfiat Mr.
McAdoo would use the various de
partments of the Interstate Com
merce commission to execute most
ofhis orders. 'and in addition would
forjn an advisory cabinet, including
representatives of the War and Navy
departments, the shipping board, the
fuel and food administrations and the
Federal Trade commission.
The railroads have tlefiuitcly rc-
,( ontlntieil on P(te Tmo, Column Four.)
Firemen of Truck Co. No. 1 Heroes
Of Flomar Hotel Blaze Friday
Charles Hcrnandt. fireman in truck
company No. 1, did heroic work in
the Homar hotel tire rriday when he
j I helped rescue five persons and car
sjried two guests from the third floor
z j to safety.
5.4 j 'Although Gernandt has been in the
c i fire department only six months, he
: behaved like a. veteran. He stopped
y for neither smokcuor gases .and went
ar.sjdcwn the long ladders, with hotel
guests on his shoulders, with the nex-
,,;, f , ,.k
" ""-""J
Gernandt and his partner, Toe
Hubert, climbed to the third floor.
ti, ..,, ; 1 J . .-J
' u lumiu a man aiiu
3- woman who had become confused
and were unconscious. Gernandt car-
ried them down the ladder to safety
i .uine yoiirg icuows, iapiain
Quinlan said, "arc anxious enough to
; iVrocCTh
" r
FRANK H. YOUNG,
PIONEER BANKER.
DROWNED INGULF
President of Custer State Bank,
Business Man of Large Inter-
.ests and WiriplyJCnownr.'.-
Thought to Be Dead,
Frank H. Young, promirjent. Ne
braska Mason and wealthy cattleman
and banker of Broken Bow; is
thought to have been drowned in the
Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola, Fla.,
last Monday.
Telegraphic advices say he disap
peared from a launch Monday and
after a cafeful search he could not
be found. Business associates at
Broken Bow were notified by the
chief of police of Pensacola. The
drowning is thought to have been ac
cidental. Mr. Young was a Nebraska pio
neer, coming to the state in the early
days of the building of the Union
Pacific railroad. For a number of
years he was chief clerk to Superin
tendent Nicholas prior to going to
Custer county where he engaged in
the cattle business. He aided in or
ganizing and was the first county
clerk of Colfax county.
Had Large Interests.
After amassing a large fortune
from cattle raising he entered the
banking business and was, for a
number of years, president of the
Custer State Bank at Broken Bow,
and a heavy stockholder in the State
Bank at Sargent. In late years he
wa prominent in republican politics.
Air. Young was ru years or age,
and had resided in Custer county for
40 years. He was grand master of
e Nebraska grand lodge of Ma-
SOUS 111 lO?, pdSl KldllU UldSlL'l Ul
the grand chapter; past gpand com
mander of the grand conimaiidery of
Knights Templar; past grand master
of the grand council of Royal and
Select Masons; a member of the 33d
degree Scottish Rite; and president
of the Nebraska Masonic home for
seven years.
It is said of him by his brother
Masons that he was charitable and
gave abundantly to a worthy cause
in such 4 manner that his "right hand
did not know what li is left hand was
doing." Mrs. Young died several
years ago.
Prohibit Cereals for Gin.
Paris, Dec. The Chamber of
Deputies today adopted a resolution
asking the government to prohibit
the use of cereals in the manufacture
of gin.
attempt rescues, but the gases and
carelessncs don't work together. But
.Gernandt is not of that kind. He
acted like an old head. He deserves
credit for hi work. All the members
of our company did good work Fri
day. Ve saved 10 persons."
While Gernandt and'Hilbert were
doing their work on the third floor
Captain Quinlan, Pete Burgdorf and
L. Jorgensen were 'rescuing guests
from the floor below.
These three firemen came to a
room where three victims were found,
two men and one woman. One of the
men had a broken leg. The woman
was the wife of one of the men. These
three were nearly overcome. Captain
Quinlan handed them or.c by one to
the other twi men, uho then carried
them down safely.
1
9 9 9 9 9
"J - .
$150,000,000 WASTED
BY DEFENSE COUNCIL
Testimony in War Inquiry Shows That Dilatory Tactics
in Buying Wool for Army Clothing Cost Govern
ment Huge Sums; Excessive Prices Paid
iorJ5orting
(Hy Asiofldtil I'rrm.)
Washington, Dec. 29. The senate war inquiry committee
today investigated further the cancelled ' scrap uniform cloth
picking contracts- let by the committee on supplies of the coun
cil of national defense to the base sorting company of New York
under which witnesses testified th company could have made
excessive profits aggregating several hundred thousand dollars
annually.
BROTHER INTERESTED. O
Charles Eisenman, vice chairman of
the committee who approved the con
tracts, "and Samuel Kaplan, another
member of the committee whose
brother, it was developed, is finan
cially interested in the company, will
be summoned to testify, it was an
nounced in a further inquiry the com
mittee proposes to make. It was fur
ther developed today that Kaplan's
brother is treasurer of the company,
owning a Connecticut woolen mill
commandeerd by the government.
BLAMES DEFENSE COUNCIL.
Quartermaster General Sharpe testi
fied, that when the War department
cancelled the contracts last Thursday,
both Eiseman and Kaplan protested.
The government he explained, will
take over the work.
In concluding today his testimony
regarding clothing and other army
supplies, General Sharpe placed re
sopnsibility for dejay in obtaining
supplies of wool for army clothing
on the Council of National Defense.
The council's committee which .had
taken over the question of the wool
supplies, the "general sajd, recom
mended use of shoddy material in
makinff uniforms and delayed accept
ing raw wool offered last April by
Boston dealers. No large purchases
were made until September after
prices had risen greatly, he said.
Senator Weeks told the committee
he was reliably informed that a loss
of $15(),()rK)1000 to the government re
sulted. Regarding lark of motor trucks for i
training men at ' t lie cantonments,
General Sharpe said the department's
policy, not his own, is that trucks
shall not be supplied until the men
go abroad. Committee members
voiced dissatisfaction with the plans
which, they contneded. wuiild pre
vent men from obtaining proper
training.
Questioned on the cloth scrap con
tracts. General Sharpe said he esti
mated -that the contract given the
sorting company at 6 cents a pound
would net the company $400,000 an
nually. Captain A. E. Peerless, who
investigated the contract, estimated
the profits at $500,000 yearly, and also
told of another contract given the
company which was said to have but
$f0,000 capital, for sorting old, reject
ed and discarded army clothing.
That Charles Kaplan's brother, Ira
A. Kaplan, was a member of the
firm given the contracts was testified
to by Alexander H. K ininsky, attor
ney for an association of N'evv York
rag merchants, who sought to do the
work for the government.
To Our Readers
Part of the shipment of our col
ored comic section, printed for us
in St. Louis, was lost in the Mis
souri Pacific freight house fire. If
you are one of the subscribers
who miss this section today, we
ask you to overlook the omission.
Scraps v - t,.
ITALIANS ON
OFFENSIVE IN
PIAVE REGION
.Strike at Austro-Germans Near
Monte Tomba; Enemy Bombs
Padua; Valuable Art Treas
ures Are Saved.
(Hy Amorlatfd frena.)
Cold weather and snow in the
European fighting zone have reduced
military activities to a -fninimum in
most sectors. Only in northern
Italy Jjas there been any movement
of importance in the last 48 hours.
Kven there an infantry operation
is reported from only one point on
the battle line. The Italians took
the initiative, delivering a blow at the
Austro-Gcrnian line near Monte
Tomba, on the mountain front just
to the west of the Piave. The Ger.
man war oflice reports this engage
ment, declaring that the Italian at
tack was broken up by the defensive
fire
Raid in Padua.
'I he principal aerial activity also is
reporle 1 from the Italian front. Aus
trian airmen recently beaten off from
Treviso with the loss of 11 airplanes,
carried out a bombing raid Friday
night in which the city of Padua,
rich in art treasures ws attacked.
None of the city's noted monuments
was harmed, but eight bombs drop
ped in the most densely populated
part of I he town killed 13 persons
and injured 60 others. Bombs drop
ped on Treviso and two other towns
closer to the fighting lines than
Pad da, which is some 35 miles from
(Continued on Tnge Two, Column One.)
Cheer Up, Mr. Householder, Coal
In Denmark Costs $100 Per Ton!
An Atlantic Port, Dec. 29 'Sentiment throughout Denmark is un
questionably on the side of the allies and it is bearing the brunt of the
economic situation imposed by the war without complaint," said Dr. Mau
rice F. Kgan, the foreign minister to Denmark, on his arrival here yester
day on a Danish steamship, enroute to Washington.
Describing economic conditions in Denmark, Dr. F.gan said coal,
where available at all, is selling at $100 a ton, that all residents have been
issued bread and sugar cards and that some commodities are not to be
had at any price.
"One-half pound of butter is distributed to each person weekly," said
Dr. Fgan. "Tea retails at $3 a pound. Each person may have one-half
pound of pork every two weeks. Turkeys sell for 80 cents a pound."
The minister said it was not unlikely that the "crush" of the economic
situation would eventually compel some of the neutral countries to accept,
though unwillingly, certain necessaries from Germany.
TORPEDO EXPERT
TAMPERED WITH
DEADLY MISSIES
Paul Hennig is Accused of Maliciously Mutilating Delicate
Steering Machinery and Held Without Bail; Wa
Employed in Manufacture of Torpedoes
for Use in Naval Warfare.
New York, Dec. 29. Paul Hennig, a naturalized German,
who has been employed as a foreman in a Brooklyn factory en
gaged in the making of torpedoes for the United States govern
ment, was remanded to jail without bail in federal court here
today, charged with treason.
ROUMANIAN KINS
41
SURRENDERS HIS
UNEASY THRONE
Yields to Pressure of German
and Bolsheviki Intrigue and
Calls Prince Charles
to Crown.
Pelrograd, Dec. 29. King Ferdi
nand has abdicated the Roumanian
throne in favor of Crown Prince
Charles, according to persistent ru
mors in Petrograd. Official confirma
tion, however, is lacking.
Unsettled conditions and a po
litical crisis in Roumania were re
ported early this neck and the Bol
sheviki government received informa
tion that there had been a revolu
tionary plot against King J'erdinand.
The Roumanian army has been in-
ffja"" y
EX-KING FERDINAND.
active since the Russian armistice
and peace negotiations forced it to
suspend hostilities. Bolsheviki and
German propagandists have been re
ported working among the Rou
manian troops.
Hohenzollern Family.
King Ferdinand, who is a member
of ihe Hohenzollern family, suc
ceeded his Hjncle, King Charles,
in October, 1914, King Charles having
died at Sin ia. on October 10. Rou
mania declared war on Austria on
August 27, 1916, and King Ferdinand
took personal command of the army
shortly thereafter.
King Ferdinand is the son of Prince
Leopold of llohenzolleni-Sigmar-ingen;
and two of his brothers are
generals in the German army. He
was Voni at Sigmaringcn August 24,
1865.
Crown Tiinre Charles was born
October 3, H93, andis an officer in
the Roumanian army. He is unmar
ried, although early in 1914 it was re
ported that liis betrothal to the then
Grand Duchess Olga of Russia had
been arranged.
? DEFECTIVE MECHANISM.
Hennig, authorities say, supenn
tended the assembling of the gyro
scopes, which control the course of
' the torpedoes. According to District
Attorney France, some of these gyro
scopes have been found "maliciously
mutilated." This was done in such
a way as to render useless the torpe
does in which the gyroscopes were
installed.
"Not only would these torpedoes
have been worthless as weapons, but
it is possiblq they would have proved
engines of destruction for their owu
users," said the district attorney.
Naturalized German.
Hennig came to the United States
in 1908 and was naturalized in 1916.
Naval inspectors, it was stated, have
had him under close observation for
several weeks, imperfections in the
parts of the gyroscopes, which were
assembled in Henna's department,
having aroused suspicion.
The gyroscope, which has been
termed "the brain of the torpedo," is
of such intricate construction, author
ities say, that a defect which could be.
detected only by an expert would di
vert the missile from its course.
In the indictment, which was re
turned yesterday by a federal grand
jury and kept secret until today, it is
charged Hcnniir maliciously and
1 tra.it oj
U ,t,HUJ WI!X .USU UtIIIMllJ..
equipping torpedo gyroscopes with
imperfectly titled
bearings, and
wheels which were found to be
crackedj District! Attorney France
declared emery dust, an abrasive
which would disable the delicate
gears 6f the gyroscopes, also was
found among some of the assembled
parts.
Highly Skilled Mechanic.
Hennig, authorities declare, is a
highly skilled mechanic and holds
American patent rights on a number
of torpedo ccntro! and propulsion de
vices. One of Hennig's sons, it was
said, has been in;erned as an alien
enemy at Ellis Island.
When ar aigned before Federal
Jude Veedcr in Brooklyn today
Hennig, in an accent which was un
mistakably German, jlcadcd "not
artiilty." He was ordered held with
out bail until January 2, when a date
will be set for his hearing.
Rail Men Get Raise
"" In Pay of Ten Per Cent
i St. Paul, Minn., Dec. 29. An in
crease of 10 per cent in the wages
of the 15,000 employes of the North
ern Pacific railroad and of 500 em
ployes of the Northern Express com
pany effective January 1 was an
nounced today. Today's grant will
add $1,500,000 to the company's pay
roll. In announcing the increase,
President Hannaford said the bonus
plan will not be continued. The ma
jority of those who will participate
in the increase are clerks, telegraph
ers and section laborers. This is the
third increase granted in fifteen
months to the unorganized employes
of the road.
Let Building Burn,
But Saved Sugar
-Chicago, Dec. 29. When fire
threatened to destroy a six-story
building occupied by 1. J. Brach &
Sons, wholesale confectioners, today,
firemen directed their efforts in sav
ing 75,000 pounds of sugar instead of
fighting flames which had gained
headway in another part of the struc
ture. A hundred employes, a ma
jority of them girls, (led down the
fire escapes to safety.
Commercial Club Has
Added Many Members
The Commercial club now has 2,150
members. Up to a few weeks ago it
had 2,000. The membership commit
tee, captained by H. O. Wilhelm, and
assisted by a lot of the members of
the good fellowship committee, started
a campaign to make it 2,150, by the
first of the year. They have just
reached the goal, with a few days yet
to spare.
Secretary Lane to Talk to
State Councils of Defense
.Washington, Dec. 29.-vWar con
ferences of state councils of defense
will be addressed during the week of
January 14-19 by Secretary Lane at
Chicago, Louisville, Columbia. Mo.,
Topcka, Kan., and Lincoln, Neb.
Hanscom Park Church to
Raise Service Flag Sunday
A service flag, with 41 stars, wilt
be raised in Hanscom Park Methodist
Episcopal church Sunday morning.
The entire service will be of a pat
triotic nature. Rev. W. H Spvmee
wilt preach on the subject "Service."
a