Omaha Daily
THE WEATHER
Fair
J- :
VOL. XLVII. NO. 169.
OMAHA, TUESDAY MORNING, JANUARY 1, 1918. SIXTEEN PAGES.
fcJSTKUJ SINGLE COPY TWO CENTS
M
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LLOYD GEORGE SAYS
SERIOUS REPLY TO BE
MADE TO GERMAN MOVE
British and French Premiers Will Confer in Paris; Princi
pal Point in Russian Formula is No Annexations and
No Indemnities; Precise Meaning Not Made
Clear By Central Powers.
London, Dec. 31. The Manchester Guardian says it is the
intention of the British government, when the Austro-German
terms of, peace are presented officially, to return a serious and
reasoned reply. . . ,
Premier Lloyd George has arranged to visit France, ac
cording to the newspaper, to confer with Premier Clemenceau
on the subject.
AUSTRO-GERMAN TERMS.
The Austro-German peace , terms
-referred to arc those presented by
the representatives of the central
powers at the negotiations with the
Russians at Brest-Litovsk.
These negotiations were interrupted
for 10 days to give the entente allies
opportunity to state whether they
would 'join in them. The principal
point was the acceptance of the Rus
sian formula of. no annexations or. in
demnities. v . -
Another clause is included, the pre
cise meaning of which is not clear. A
Reuter dispatch gives the clause thus:
"It was agreed that both legally and
economically one country should not
be treated less favorably by another
than any third country which cannot
appeal Ho treaty rights." ' v
The German wireless version of this
clause feads; . - .
"It was agreed that respecting all
rights of intercourse, ifnd economic
relations none of the courttries which
is a party to -the peace arrangement
shall be treated less favorably than
. any outside country in respect to
which .treaty rights do or do not ei-
This probably is, in effect, the fa
miliar "most favored nation" clause
which frequently is included in trea-ties.fa-;-
ni...r..A:-"
Kaiser Plays Game.
Washington, Dec. 3L States de
partment . officials consider that the
German government is iKtemptihg'to
disguise the , facts' behind tm; peace
negotiations at Brest-Litovsk by the
widely circulated story that rthe kai
ser has delegated to Chancellor von
Hertling the power to make peace
and that the pan-Germanic press is
deeply irritated at the peace terms
proposed by the German delegates.
The apparent displeasure of the
pan-Germanic element is regarded by
officials here as probably inspired for
the purpose of indicating the confi
tt'ri'.e of the pubiic in Germany's
power to dictate peace terms.
The story that the kaiser was yield
ing more power to his chancellor has
no f been borne out by any facts re
ceikd at the State department. The
only information that might serve as
. the basis for such a report was a dis
patch from Copenhagen dated Decem
ber 26, in which it was reported that
the kaiser had given to the chancellor
S his approval of the participation in
aft the peace conference of the delegates
nechosen by the chancellor.
. U. S. Is Not Invited.
The State department today was
still without any intimation, official or
otherwise, that this government's par
ticipation at a peace conference is
desired. ' . -.
Renorts from Brest-Litovsk and
from Petrograd have left no doubt
that both Berlin land Petrograd were
determined, if possible, to align Amer
ica and the co-belligerents in some
peace agreement and the receipt of an
offer, either direct or indirect, would
be no surprise. Mo official of this
government has comniitteed himself
upon what reply would be made, but
ihcre has been nothing to indicate
that it would be favorable.
The Weather
Temperature at Omaha Yesterday.
Hours. Deg.
5 a. m ....11
6 a. m 11
7 a. m 11
8 a. m. ........... 11
9 a. m 10
10 a. m 11
11 a. m 12
12 m..., A.. 14
1 p. m., 16
S p. nt. 19
3 p. m.. 21
4 p. m... 22
5 p. m.. 21
6 p. m..., 20
7 p. m 20
8 p. m 20
Comparative
Loral Record.
1917. 1H0. 1915. 1914.
Highest jterday.... 22 3J Si 29
Lowest yesterday 10 .1 2s 9
Metn temperature.... 16 2 3 19
precipitation 00 20 0o .00
Temperature and precipitation departures
from the normal:
Normal temperature 2.
deficiency for the day. ...................
Total deficiency elnce March 1 475
Normal precipitation...-. .02 inch
Deficiency for the day , .02 inch
Total rainfall since March 1.. . .21.84 inches
Deficiency since March 1 7.41 Inches
Deficiency for cor. period, 1916.12.53 Inches
Defio'iency for cor. period, .1916. 2.22 Inches
7 Reports Trim Sutton at 1 P. M.
Bfatlon and State , Temp. High- Raln-
jof Weather. 7 p. m. eat. fall.
CheVenne, c'.car. . . rt . . .1 4S ; 62 . .00
Davinport, clear 13 16 .02
Desfer. clear. . . . . 60 lis . .00
Dei Moines, cloudy 1 1 .00
Doflce Cltv. clear 43 6S .00
I-a'ider. Durt cloudy.... 42 6s -.00
chh Platte, clear 40 54 .00
ha. 'clear 2" a .o
. clear ' 2 ."0
City, clear. , .
it Lake City, clear.. 44 60 .00!
its Pe. clear 42 50 .00 !
ridan, part cloudy. . . 3' 6u .00
i caso. clear f 20 .0:!
.atiue, clear 12 .00
h. A. WELSH, Meteorologist.
GERMAN
IRMEN
BOMB AND BURN
SACRED SHRINES
...
Ancient. Churches of Padua Set
On Fire, But Priceless Fres
coes -Saved; Petrarch
Monument Damaged. -
(By Associated Press.)
- Padua, Italy, Dec. 31. The ancient
monumental Carmini church of Pa
dua, containing frescoes by Titian
and "Campagnola, was the center of
a vast conflagration last night, which
lighted up the skit'; for miles around.
The fire started from incendiary
bombs dropped by Teuton airplanes
in another raid which scattered wide
spread destruction and deaths
The dome ,of the massive: church
burned throughout the night,- mak
ing a majestic spectacle, but the so
lidity of JtncS-incient walls, . , dating
from 1250,arifl the copper root &ved
the main structure and paintings from
destruction. ' ' . . ":
The bomb hit the, outer edge of
the dome, which was soon a fiery
furnace 'rising 160 feet in the center
of the city.
Children Killed.
One building was pierced from top
to bottom and torn to pieces by a
bomb which buried four persons,
three of whom were children. The
church of San Valentine and the an
cient palace were hit and partly
wrecked. Other private buildings also
were struck.
While destruction of property was
great, reports indicafe the loss of life
was not as severe as on Friday night.
The correspondent visited the Car
mini church, where mass was pro
ceeding in the baptistry. The famous
frescoes were intact. The attar was
covered with wreckage, but the walls
and roof had not been damaged
greatly.
Burned by Hot Metal.
A. number f hangings and tapes
tries were burned by red hot metal
from the roof. The tall Campanile
was saved and the bells were ringing
today. monument to Petrach in
an adjoining square was scorched and
surrounded by debris from collapsed
houses. -
The frescoes saved were the. mept-
ing of Joachim and Anna by Titian
and the birth of Christ and the adora
tion of the Magi, by Campagnola. The
Carmini church was erected to com
memorate the end of the brutal ty
ranny of one of the Hohenstauffen
chiefs whd raided northern-Italy 700
years ago.
J. Phillip Bird Cancels
Engagement in Omaha
J. Phillip Bird, general manager of
the National Association of Manu
facturers, had to cancel his engage
ment to, speak at the Commercial
club of Omaha Thursday , of this
week. He was to speak at a public
affairs luncheon at the club, on "The
Relation of Industry to War." Com
mercial club received a telegram
from his secretary saying that un
avoidable and unforseen circum
stances had arisen which made it ab
solutely impossible for him to be
here.
American Exports of 1917
Pass $6,000,000,000 Mark
Washington, Dec. 31. America's
exports were estimated today at the
Department of Commerce to have
passed the $6,000,000,000 mark in 1917,
a new high record. Imports were less
than $3,000,000,000 and the trade bal
ance in favor of the United States
probably will be more than $3,150,-000.000
French Take 1,400 Prisoners
In Terrific Drive in Italy
Rome, Dec. 31. In the Monte Tomba region, on the northern front,
the French have captured many positions between Osteria . di Monferena
and Marankine, the war office announces.
They also captured about 1,400 men and 60 machine guns and seven
cannon.
Berlin, Dec. 31. French forces on the northern Italian front yes
terday took the offensive.
In the afternoon the French infantry penetrated portions of the Austro-German
positions on Monw Tomba. the German general staff an
nounced today.
urvnifiup nnm 10
if lummu uuhl
RAISED IN
BY FED Cf HEAD
Increases Recommended by
Douglas County Committee;
Boosts Range From 50
Cents to $1 .25 Ton.
Trice of Wyoming coal has
boosted in Omaha.
been
the
On the recommendation of
Douglas county fuel committee, Fuel
Administrator Kennedy announces the
maximum retail ton prices of Wyom
ing lignite. Rock Springs lump and
Rock Springs nut in Omaha are in
creased as follows, effective at 7
o'clock Tuesday morning:
Wyoming lignite, from $9.25 to
$9.75.
Rock Springs lump, from $9 to
$10.25.
Rock Springs nut, from $8.80 to
$9.75.
On the recommendation of the com
mittee, the maximum retail ton price
of Oklahoma bituminous coal is fixed
at $10.40. This coal is comparatively
new to this community.
Cost to Dealers.
Including advances at the mines and
other items, the present cost to the re
tail dealers, and maximum gross mar
gins hereby allowed, on the foregoing
kinds of coal, are now as follows
Cost to
lie tailors.
....7.24
.... 8.12
7.60
7.88 ..
Oross
Margins.
2.'61
2.13
8.42
Kind of Coal.
Wyorolnn lignite
Rock HprinKS, lump...
Hock Springs, nut
Oklahoma, bituminous
It is further ordered that no charge
shall be made or allowed for screening
coal of any kind at the yards. The
prices taking effect December 19, 1917,
and the present prices are based upon
the present practice of screening coal
followed at the yards prior to the tak
ing effect of the new prices. The
prices and margins provided for here
in include drayage.
American Censorship
' Is Somewhat Relaxed
Washington, Dec. 31. Relaxation
in several phases of the voluntary
censorship, observed by American
newspapers eince the- beginnl.!? of the
war, l announced 'by the committee
on public, information in revised reg
ulations effective tomorrow.
Requests that nothing be' published
tending to disclose the names of line
officers or individual units in expedi
tionary forces, tending to reveal the
identity of American merchant ships
and crews engaging submarines and
giving information regarding dry
docks, repair and contruction work
have been withdrawn entirely. It is
explained unofficially that these were
withdrawn because of the difficulty
in having them universally observed.
Other changes and additions of
minor charactei are made.
Subscriptions Pour in to
Y. W. C. A. War Work Fund
Appeal for New Year's offerings to
Young Women's Christian associa
tion war work fund to finish up the
campaign for $35,000 in Omaha has
begun to bear fruit. "Among the first
to make these New Year's subscrip
tions are Bemis Bag company, $100;
Al Scott, $75; a friend, $25; J. Si
bernsen, $50 Burgess-Granden, $25.
Half of the second - $1,000 , to be
raised by 10 women giving $100
apiece ; has already been subscribed.
The five subscribers jyho have vol
unteered to be among" the 10 to give
$100 apiece are Mrs. C. H. Van Gie
sen, Mrs. W. W. Marsh, a friend,
Mrs. C. E. Bates and -Mrs. W. P.
Wherry. ' .
Judge Rules Against '
California Drug Co.
Judge Leslie, sitting in equity court,
overruled the contention of the Cali
fornia Drug store's attorneys in con
testing the liquor injunction suit
brought against it under the prohibi
tion law by deciding that the place
could be closed up and enjoined by
law from selling liquor, even though
the practice had already been discon
tinued when the suit was brought
Missouri Pacific Is
First to Feel Control
Missouri ' Pacific is the first of
the railroads operating in this sec
tion of country that has felt the
effect of government control, so far
as grabbing equipment is concerned.
Sunday night in Kansas City the
Omaha train was standing in the
passenger yards waiting for time
to start on the trip to this city.
About this . time an engine was
needed to move a freight train' and
without any ado orders were given
to take the engine attached to the
Omaha train. It was uncoupled and
taken away to haul freight. The
Omaha train waited two hours be
fore motive power could be obtained
to take it out of the depot
mendous
BUSINESS TRANSACTED IN
GATE CITY DURING YEAR
In Practically All tines of Endeavor the Amount Trans
acted in Omaha Increased as High as 60 Per
Cent; Bank Clearings Reached
$2,000,000,000.
YEAR'S BUSINESS OF OMAHA
TOLD IN BIG FIGURES
Manufacturing
Jobbing
Real Estate Transfers .,
Packing House Output
Bank Clearings
Smelter Output
Bank Deposits
Building Permits
Grain Receipts (bushels)
Grain Shipments (bushels)
LIVE STOCK
Cattle (head) ......
Hogs (head) ......
Sheep (head) ......
Horses (head) . ....
QUAKE WRECKS
GUATEMALA CITY:
MANY HOMELESS
Violent Shock, Eollowing Series
of Seismic Disturbances,' Ren
ders 1 25,000 People With-1
out Shelter.- :
Washington, D. tlDec, ,30,-f-An-other
earthquake af Suatema1 City
yestexda tittually JStitroyed the c&y.
A Navy ijjpartment report today said
everytbinj ytu in ruins. and. that 125,
000 people were in the streets. Amer
ican naval vessels have, been ordered
to render assistance.
The series of c earthquakes began
Christmas day and culminated last
night in violent shocks which com
pleted the work of destruction.. Fol
lowing is the brief dispatch which
brought the news of the catastrophe:
"Violent earthquake yesterday fin
ished the work of others. Everything
in ruins and beyond description as a
result of last night's shock. One
hundred and twenty-five thousand
people are in the streets. Parts of the
country are very cold and windy.
Tents are needed badly. Large num
ber killed by falling walls."
Red Cross at Work.
The machinery of the American
Red Cross lias been set in motion to
relieve the earthquake sufferers. In
response to appeal for assistance from
Alfred Clarke, chairman of the Red
Cross chapter at Guatemala City, a
preliminary appropriation of $10,000
has: been authorized for the purchase
of relief supplies. . ,
At a gulf port large quantities of
flour, potatoes, crackers and other
staple foodstuffs, as well as disin
fectants and stores of galvanized iron
for temporary buildings, already are
being loaded aboard a vessel to sail
for Puerto Barrios on the east coast
of Guatemala.
While the American diplomats are
safe, archives of the legation and con
sulate are believed to have been lost
as the buildings are reported to have
been shaken to the ground. Unofficial
advices indicate that the foreign col
ony escaped without loss of life.
Earthquakes have been prevalent in
Guatemala since the day after Christ
mas when shocks were general
throughout the republic. With each
recurrent shock the damage in Guate
mala City, the capital of the republic,
has grown more extensive.
City Under Martial Law.
Martial law had been declared and
good order was said to prevail. Guate
mala has been the scene of many dis
asters, the results of earthquakes.
Since the settlement of the country in
zcl there have been more than 50
volcanic eruptions and in excess of
300 earthquakes.
Nebraska Lutherans Stop
Teaching German Language
Lincoln, Neb., Dec. 31. At a meet
ing held at' Seward, Neb., the pastors
and teachers of the German Lutheran
church in Nebraska of the Missouri
synod adopted resolutions of loyalty
to -the. United States government and
recommended the cessation of Ger
man language ' instruction in all
parochial schools of the state for the
duration of the war.
Acting on the resolution, one of the
most prominent parochial schools of
the state, located here, will drop
German language instruction tomor
row, the first day of the new year, and
it is expected that all other parochial
schools will adopt the same policy.
Retail Stores and Banks
Will Be Closed New Year's
The retail stores, members of the
Associated Retailers of Omaha, will
be closed New Year's day. This has
been agreed upon by the directors of
the association. Hanks will be closed
and in general business will lareely
( be .suspended in the city.
volume of
1917.
$ 325,721,546
236,137,067
13,452,531
191,718,000
1,873,581,133
59,997,165
103,049,285
7,737,047
83,759,000
' 61,600,400
1915.
I 268,057,715
183,759,493
14,430,622
149,768,860
1,279,158,591
46,369,279
96,701,497
7,226,107
78,105,100
67,078,800
1,434,304
3,116,820
3,170,908
27,486
RECEIPTS.
1.733,319
2,814,283
3,033,456
32,840
O Til Biiireetn ff win it wtilf.
... wMwwa.w.. v . j ... 0 ... niuvii
Omaha has repeatedly outdone itself
in the volume of business, has been
crowned by "the greatest year of all,
and the greatest volume of general
business the Nebraska metropolis has
ever enjoyed.
Last ' year the bank clearings for
the first time reached $1,000,000,000.
This year might be said to have al
most . double those figures. They
have reached the enormous total of
$1,873,381,133.
The 'manufacturing business of the
city inrceased by more than $57,000,.
000. The wholesaling increased by
more than $52,000,000.
INCREASE IN GRAIN RECEIPTS
; mn. receipt? ehowe'd an jncrease
of about C 5,500,000 ."lihels." Orahl
shipments, Jiowever, showed A de
crease of something over 5,000,000
bushels. This means, of course, that
Omaha is equipping herself with
more milling and other facilities for
consuming the grain received at this
great primary grain market.
The output of the packing houses
for t heyear was greater by $42,000,
000 than in 1916. This is partly due
to increased cost of meats and other
products of these plants, though
much of it is due to the increase in
the number of animals slaughtered.
Hogs and Sheep Fall Off.
Receipts of cattle at the stock
yards ran ahead of last year by 300,
000, while receipts of hogs ran be
hind 300.000. Sheep receipts. fell off
by 37,000, and the receipts of horses
and mules increased by 5,354.
The enormous gain in manufactur
ing output appeared in spite of the
fact that two of the big manufactur
ing industries of Omaha was cut off
May 1 breweries and distilleries. The
total liquors manufacture! in Omaha
in 1916 amounted to $4,800,000, while
in 1917, the first four months of the
year, before the prohobition law went
into effect, only $i;O0O,0O0 worth of
liquor was produced. Thus the fig
ures in this line of manufacture stand
at $1,000,000 for the year as against
$4,800,000 for 1916.
In the jobbing of liquors the same
condition occurred. Only $750,000
worth of liquor was jobbed out of
Omaha durine the vcar. while in 1916
the total liquor jobbing ran to $1,-
736,708. '
Smelter Output Enormous.
A notable increase is shown in the
smelter output of Omaha. The in
crease is more than $13,000,000,;. This
is due partly to an increase in the
volume of ore reduced here, and part
ly to the increase in the value of sil
ver bullion. A year ago silver was
scarcely worth 60 cents an ounce. It
has increased in value steadily since
that time, until for a short period dur
ing 1917 it hung around the $1 mark,
and' even reached its apex at $1.08.
The manufacture of structural steel
and iron increased $800,000, or from
$1,800,000 to $2,600,000. This is an
increase of more than, 44 per cent,
which is due partly to the increased
cost of iron and steel products, and
partly to war and "other orders inci
dental to the general activity result
ing from the war. ,
' Big Gain for Jobbers
The greatest gain in' the -jobbing
trade in Omaha was shown ' by the
dealers in automobile accessories and
supplies. The total volume showed
the staggering increase of ' nearly 80
per cent. The jobbing of automobiles
and trucks increased by 56 per, cent.
Another wholesale item which
showed a big increase was that of
coal. The increase is 33 per cent in
round numbers. This is largely at
tributed to the increased cost, as
many kinds of coal havs appreciated
in cost by fully that percentage over
the orice of last year. "
The jobbing of dry goods and no
tions increased by tuliy u per cent.
The cost of .these goods, of course, is
greater than it was last year, btlt
while this accounts for some increase
in the figures, it does not, mean that
the cost of the goods wenfM that
much. On the other hand, the vol
ume of goods turned over by the
wholesale concerns in, this line in
Omaha has Tiwn greater th-Avrfr
REGAIN GROUND -i
ON WELSH RIDGE
BY HARD FIGHT
German Thrust on Front of More Than Two Mile$ in Ef
fort to Capture Positions Taken in ByngY Great
Assault was Unsuccessful; Counter Attacks
Result in Many Prisoners.
London. Dec. 31. -The
tacks on the Cambrai front have
territory on Welsh ridge taken
auacK, ine war ouicc reports.
M'ADOO TO PAY
RAILROADMEN
BETTER WAGES
Immediate Work, However,, is
to Relieve East, Which is
Suffering From Lack
of Coal.
Washington, Dec. 31. Plans for
raising the pay of the rank and file of
railway workmen by reducing some
of the very high salaries paid to ex
ecutive officials were discussed today
at a conference between Director Gen
eral McAdoo and the federal board of
mediation and conciliation. The board
now has before it the pending de
mands for wage increases ranging as
high as 40 per cent for the four great
brotherhoods. j
It has been known that the gov
ernment was disposed to grant some
increase and the railway men in turn
have given their word they will not
jrtnnrt svirike..Jijletft")overnment
is taking hold of the railroad situa
tion. i-'
To Relieve Fuel Shortage.
Immediate action by the rairoads to
relieve the critical coal shortage, par
ticularly in New England and other
sections suffering from the cold wave,
was being considered today by Direc
tor General McAdoo and members' of
the railroad war board.
As the result of a conference with
the director general yesterday, heads
of agencies, aiding in government
operation of the railroads, were ready
with plans designed to' bring about a
speedy movement of fuel into the af
fected district. Greater use of the
water routes into NewEngland from
Hampton Roads probably will be
made.
To Meet Thursday.
Heads of the railroad brotherhoods
who conferred witli President Wilson
recently have been summoned to con
fer with the director general Thurs
day regarding relations of labor and
the new government railroad admin
istration. While settlement of 'the
brotherhoods' demands for 40 per cent
wage increases is not looked for at
this time, officials believe the govern
ment will consider favorably a plan
for better pay.
Legislation for guaranteeing rail
roads' compensation on the basis of
prewar earnings is expected to get
under way in congress this week.
President Wilson probably will go be
fore congress lhursday with Ins
recommendations along this line.
American Steamer Seized
For Violating Blacklist
A Pacific Port, Dec. 30. Its officers
and crew, charged with violating the
trading with the enemy act, by at
tempting to trade with black-listed
concerns in Lower California, the
steamer Norfork was brought into
this harbor tonight with a prize crew
aboard and docked. Officers and crejv
are under armed guard and no one is
allowed to approach the pier.
The Northfork, an American owned
steam schooner, 250 feet long, was
seized at sea by a United States
cruiser. It had been engaged iif car
rying ore mined m Lower California.
Triple
Murder Follows
Mysterious Warning
Muskogee, Okl., Dec. 29. The
bodies of C. E. Logan, his wife and
4-year-old daughter were found to
night in the ruins of their home near
McLaii., a farming community 12
miles south of Muskogee. I he bodies
of Mrs. Logan and the child were
burned, but an., examination of Lo
gan's body revealed that his head had
been crushed.
Neighbors of the Logans said that
Logan received a mysterious message
over the telephone yesterday threat
ening his life. 1
Student Aviator Flying in
Seaplane Given Up as Lost
Pensacola. Fla Dec. 30. Officials
at the naval aviation station here to
night abandoned hope of finding alive
Student' Aviator Edward K. Crowe,
who ' disappeared ' last Wednesday
while-'.on a flight in a seaplane. It
was believed' that he was caught in a
fog Jbank and lost his course, probably
being forced'to land In the bay, where
heavy seas wrecked his machine.
British in successful counter-at
regained the more imDortant
by the Germans in yesterday's
V PtfCATM T OCT RPntlNn
The announcement follows:
"On the Cambrai front, as a result ,
of successful counter-attacks in which
we captured prisoners and machine
guns, we regained the more import
ant part of the positions on Welsh
ridge, into which the enemy pene
trated yesterday. The enemy retains
a portion of bur front trench in the
vicinity of LaVacquerie and south of
Marcoing.
"On the Ypres front by a minor
operation last night our line was ad
vanced a short distance on both sides
of the Ypres-Staden railway."
Germany has struck its first strong
blow on the western front since the
heralding of a great offensive and the
British have held it in check. The
attack, which resulted in heavy fight
ing, was made on a short' front on the
southern end of the salients before
Cambrai. The fighting continues.
' The attackers gained a foothold in
British ' trenches, but later were
ejected in part by counter attacks. The
German thrust was on a front of more,
than two miles between Marcoing and
La Vacquerie and against positions
which the British have held since the
retirement after General Byng's sue.
cessful blow. i
In the center the Germans wern'
hed for no gain, but on either end
me n.isauimiK irum mey entered tr.
British front line;' The Brmsn' iom.
ter attacks drove the Germans iron
part of these positions and resulte
also Jn the capture of some pxjsofty
ers. Berlin claims that front IinTpo-"
sitiohs and a "few hundred" prisoners
were captured. - v ;
The Germans also have been active
at other points along the front, but
their local attack in the Ypres sector
and their raids northeast of Verdun
brought no successes. These efforts
follow upon heavy German fire in
these three sectors, Cambrai, Ypres '
and Verdun and may be forerunners
of determined attacks. .
' In the Italian theater there has
been only artillery activity along the
northern front. German - airplanes
again have raided Padua, much dam-
age being done to monuments and
buildings by incendiary bombs. Three
persons were killed and three
wounded. , .. , ,
Another advance along the' Nablua 1
road, north of Jerusalem, has been
made by the British forces in Pales
tine. Against stubborn Turkish re
sistance the British progressed three
miles and captured; .Birer, . ancient
Beeroth and three other towns. Prog- t
ress also was made between the Na- "
blus road and the Mediterranean
coast.
In Petrograd Sunday the day was
given over to peace . celebrations
marked by parades of Bolsheviki fol
lowers. - Members of the German and
Austrian peace delegations were spec-
tators of the parades. The heads of
the German and Austrian delegations ;
to the Brest-Litovsk conference, Dr
von Kuehlmann and Count Czernin,'
are returning to their respective capi
tals. Delayed dispatches from Brest-
Litovsk, indicate that while the rep
resentatives of Russia and the cen
tral powers agree -on most of the
peace terms, there is difficulty in the
preliminary settlement, of the "ques
tion concerning German retirement
from ' occupied Russian territory in '
order to give the inhabitants oppor
tunity to decide their future for them
selves. " 1 ' '; "'
.Que' of the forts at Kronstadt,.the
naval base 'near Petrograd, has s been
blown up by an explosion, according
to a dispatch received in i London.
Bessarabia and Turkestan are. report
ed to have declared their indepen
dence, while fighting between the
Bolsheviki and their opponents is re
ported to be going on in Harbin
and Irkutsk, Siberia. General Kale
dines has been re-elected hetmat. of
the Don Cossacks by an overwhelm
ing majority, ,
Irhutsk in Flames; Reds
And Cossacks in Battle
London, Dec. 30Correspond
ents of Reuters limited at Peking,
Harbin and Petrograd report fight,
jng at Irkutsk, East, Siberia, be
tween regular troops and . 'ed
guards and Cossacks and military
cadets. . -i : . ;
- The fighting is of the fierces.
character and has lasted: nearly a
week. The entire town Is said to
be afire! Some quarters of it have
been destroyed. , J
The local branch of the state
bank, .ilegraph office and other
buildings have been burned and the
population is starving. The Max
imalists have- received reinforce
ments rom Krasnoyarsk.
The disoatch.es add that the Red
guards have murdered the Frenchrh-
consular , agent and two
frenchmen in Irkutsk,
VUIH
i Sri' a J
before. . ;. '