ODDS AND ENDS
OF DAY'S DOINGS
Men' i Clothing in England.
London, Oct 4. Permits for the
ale by tailors of standard made-to-measure"
suits will be issued in a day
or two, and the first of these suits
shculd be obtainable, to customers'
individual measurements, by the end
of next week. There will be six pat
terns at first two each in black,
blue and brown. Other six patterns
in grey are promised for the middle
of November.
Altogether there are about 3,000,
000 yards of cloth available, enough
to make nearly 860,000 suits. The
price is the same, 4 17s. 6d., for
the dwarf or the giant, but he must
pay cash. Nothing extra may be
charged for alterations. There is a
standard specification, but the op
tional features will prevent too
great uniformity in cut and make.
These made-to-measure standard
suits are not to be confused with
the ready-made varieties at 2 17s.
6d. arid 4 4s., although those at the
latter price are made of the same
cloth.
Huns Poison Berries.
Metuchen, N. J.. Oct. 4. Second
Lieutenant David M. Ant, at hij
home here on leave from a base
hospital in France where he was
wounded August 7, said today the
Germans attached poisonous berries
to clusters of growing fruit in the
territory over which they retreated
along the Vesle river. The artifice
was discovered, however, in time to
warn the American soldiers.
Spry Named for Congress.
Salt Lake, City, Oct. 4. William
Spry, former governor of LTtah, was
nominated for congress at theVtate
republican convention here today.
Candidate Is Convicted.
DeadwoodAS. D., Oct. 4. O. S.
Anderson, candidate for governor
of South Dakota on the socialist
ticket, who was tried here on a
charge of violating the espionage
act, was convicted late last night.
,He will be sentenced tomorrow.
Senator King Stricken.
Washington, Oct. 4. Senator
King of Utah is the first senate
member reported ill from Spanish
influenza. He has been confined to
his home since Sunday and his ail
ment, his secretary said today, has
been diagnosed as influenza, though
his condition is not serious.
REAVIS LOOPS
LOOP JAKES AIR
DIVE AND SPIN
Nebraska Congressman Tries
Flight Over Washington
Piloted by His Son, in
U. S. Service.
Washington Bureau Omaha Bee.
( Washington, Oct. 4. (Special Tel
egramsCongressman Reavis today
saw Washington and its environs,
the Fotomoc, Mt. Vernon and the
country round about from an alti
tude of 7,000 feet, flying for more
than an hour in an airplane driven
by his s6n, Lieut. C. F. Reavis, jr., of
the aviation section of the American
army.
The flight was made rom Boiling
field,- near Anacostia, a suburb of
.Washington.
- The lieutenant did everything with
the plane the trained aviator can do
up to this time.
According to Mr. Reavis his son
has tried for 20 years to "get his
goat," and he believed this the su
preme moment but the "old man"
sat tight on the seat and went
through the wonderful experience
without a whimper.
"It was perfectly wonderful," said
Reavis, "and I never was so delight
ed, irr my life. If I were young
CUUUgll wuuiu cuuai in inn aviauuu
service tomorrow. My son did
everything that can be done with
the plane. He put on loops and
slides and nose dives and I am here
to tell you I enjoyed every minute
of. the most wonderful sensation I
ever experienced."
Alfalfa Firm Wins.
Attorney G. M. Tunison of Oma
ha, who has been in Washington for
a few days, with A. E. Decker, presi
dent, and T. T. Warren, assistant to
the president, of the Wash Alfalfa
company, located at Fort Calhoun,
left for home today with' the per
mission of the Capital Issues com
mittee to increase the preferred
stock of the company by $200,000.
Thin achievement on the nart of Mr.
Tunison is a record-breaker in the
office of the Capital Issues commit
tee, having obtained favorable ac
tion jn his petition to enlarge the
preferred stock of the Wash Alfalfa
company in less than a week's time.
, The committee took the position
that as the company is a going con
cern, having been established in
1910 and as it aims directly to con
serve food supply of the country,
there was no good reason to deny a
amiatt V iiri-kitlsl aMiKl t fl a f 2 -
pacity of the plant.
Yankee Flyer Gets i
'Em on Ground as
His Airplane Falls
With the American Army North
west of Verdun, Oct 4. (By Asso-
dated Press) Aviator Rollins Mey
)er of Oakland, Cat, shot down a
German airplane today near Very In
a spectacular fight Although his
own motor was working badly, he
attacked the enemy machine and
'.riddled it with machine gun bullets,
forcing it to land. His own ma
chine came down immediately aft
erward near the German airplane,
whose officers surrendered to Mey
er, tarrying the machine gun ot
' the German airplane as a souvenir,
Meyer brought the enemy airmen in
on foot,- '
GET YOUR WANT-ADS IN FOR THE BIG SUNDAY BEE BEFORE 9 O'CLOCK TONIGHT
The Omaha Daily Bee
VOL. 48. NO. 94.
EMrt4 at aaeaatf-clata atatttr May It, I MM
at Onaha P. 0. antfar act at March S. 167
OMAHA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1918.
ty Mall (I yaar). Dally. 14 SO. Sunday. 12 M.
Dally aad Sua., Mi avttlda Nik. aaatatt aitra.
TWO CENTS.
THE WEATHER:
Fair Saturday and Sundayj
iomewht cooler Saturday
Hourly Trniprraturra.
S a. in UJIf.
. an S 1 t. m St
1 a. nt (W I S p. m M
H a. m ! 4 p. i S
a. m 10 ft p. m St
10 a. m 71 l p. m SB
11 a. ni IS 1 l. m S
It ni i; S p. m M4
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HOLLAND ACTS AS
INTERMEDIARY FOR
DUAL MONARCHY
Invitation to Take Part in Negotiations Sent to All Belli
gerents by the Netherlands Government; Scheide-
Socialist Leader, Given Place in Ger
man Cabinet Under Maximilian.
mann.
ALLIES PUSH
FOE HARD ON
ALL FRONTS
Germans Swiftly Evacuating
Armentieres-Lens- Salient;
British Drive Within Six
Miles of Lille.
Amsterdam, Oct. 4. Austria-Hungary has requested
Holland to invite the belligerents to take part in peace nego
tiations, Bays the Vienna correspondent of the Berlin Tage
blatt. The correspondent adds that Holland already has sent
out the invitations.
A delegation of Hungarian statesmen, headed by Pre
mier Wekerle, has arrived at Vienna in connection with a
new peace move, according to the Cologne Gazette.
Vienna Premier Wekerle said to the
representatives of a Hungarian
newspaper:
"This much I can tell you we are
again laboring untiringly in the in
terests of peace and we are already
negotiating:."
Invitation Not Yet Received.
Washington, Oct. 4. Secretary
Lansing tonight authorized the
statement that the American gov
ernment has received no invitation
from Austria-Hungary to take part
in peace negotiations as outlined in
a dispatch tonight trom Amsterdam
quoting the correspondent of the
Berlin Tageblatt.
Austrian Ministers in Panic.
Amsterdam, Oct. 4. The German
newspapers are devoting much at
tention to the political affairs -of
Austria and Hungary and say that
the formation of a coalition cab
inet in each country is contemplated.
According to the Weser Zeitung of
Bremen, the Austrian minister have
become panic-stricken, and fearing
that the roof will fall cm their heads,
are ready to make concessions to
the separate parties.
The newspaper says that Baron
von Hussarek, the Austrian pre
mier, intends to form a coalition
ministry and carry out reforms in
the direction of federalization where
he believes federalization will re
sult in Austria-Hungary quitting
the war and terminating the alliance
with Germany, and lead, in effect,
to the dissolution of the dual mon
archy. Czech's Speech Raises Furore.
Telegrams from Vienna report
that a great sensation was caused
by the speech of the-Czech deputy,
Stanek, who expounded in the
Reichstag the Czecho-Slovak pro
gram and violently attacked Ger
many and Hungary. The speech
created a wild uproar among the
German deputies, who accused
Stanek of treachery and shameless
disloyalty.
Meanwhile, telegrams from Buda
pest state that the demand for the
formation of a coalition cabinet to
Hungary becomes more insistent
and that a plan is on foot to bring
Count Stephen Tisza and Count
Julius Andrassy, former Hungarian
premiers, and Count Albert Ap
ponyi, former Hungarian minister
of instruction, into the cabinet of
Premier Wekerle.
Appointment Confirmed.
Prince Maximilian of Baden has
been appointed German chancellor,
says an official announcement re
ceived from Berlin.
Deputies Groeber. centrist, and
Scheidemann, majority social dem
ocrat, have been appointed secre
taries of state without portfolios.
The official statement adds that
Prince Maximilian also has been
named foreign secretary. He will
announce his program at a full meet
ing of the reichstag October 5.
Adolf Groeber is one of the lead
ers of the centrist party in the reich
stag. Recently before the main com
mittee of the reichstag he criticised
the government and attacked Count
von Hertling, the leader of the cen
trists. In the reichstag in March,
1918. he defended Germany's method
of making peace with Russia at
Brest-Litovsk.
Philipp Scheidemann Is vlce-presi-(Contlnaml
o Fata Two, Column Four.)
Czech National Leaders
Preparing to Proclaim
Bohemian Freedom
Amsterdam, Oct 4. The proc
lamation of independence of Bo
hemia will be issued shortly, ac
cording to the Budapest news
paper Azest
"The members of the Czech na
tional committee fear neither
prison nor death," says the news
paper. "They all have made their
wills and settled their material af
fairs, and the independence Of Bo
hemia is virtually assured.
"All preparations have been
made for the proclamation of the.
independence of Bohemia. Every
portfolio has been distributed and
the state program is dead, while
new Czech money is circulatmr
I" privately."
By Associated Press.
" Nowhere are the armies of the
Teutonic allies oeing permitted to
rest. On the fronts in .Flanders,
France, Italy,' Albania and -Turkey,
the enemy still continues - to iose
ground,, or is being . compelled to
throw strong reinforcements into his
battle-line to hold back his aggres
sors. In Belgian Flanders, the Belgians.
British and French Troops are still
driving forward, although their
speed has been somewhat lessened
by reason of the bad condition of
the ground.
The enemy is swiftly evacuating
the salient between Armentieres and
Lens, and the British now are stand
ing only a scant six miles southwest
of Lille over a front of about four
miles between Wavrin and Equing
hem, having gained at the former
place a position astride the Lens
Lille railroad.
Fall of Cambria Near.
Natwithstanding violent counter
attacks and a line strengthened by
fresh reserves the British between
St. Quentin ana" Cambrai have ma
terially pressed eastward from the
region of Le Catelet, and to the
north have improved their positions
around Cambrai so well that appar
ently this important town soon must
fall. Taken all in all, the situation
of the Germans in this region seems
to be critical and the crisis at hand.
Far to the rear aerial observers re
port the roads congested with re
treating troops, who are being, ha
rassed by the machine gun fire of
the airmen. As in Flanders, fires are
everywhere to be seen and it is ev
ident the enemy, realizing that he
must give further ground, is vigor
ously applying the torch.
Americans Take Important Heights.
Around Rheims the French have
further extended their gains north
and northwest of the cathedral city,
where they are all along the Aisne
canal. To the east in Champagne
American forces are fighting with
the French between the Suippe river
and the Argonne forest, in addition
to holding their original battle line
inside and east of the Argonne for
(Contlnned on Two, Column Seven.)
Many Yanks Found
Dead, All Lying With
Faces Toward Front
With the British Forces in
France, Oct. 4. A New York di
vision, co-operating with an Aus
tralian corps north of St. Quen
tin, encountered the severest op
position, and, although suffering
heavy losses, fought with the
greatest bravery, according to an
officer of the Australian troops
in a telegram, which he sent to
day to the general in command of
the New York soldiers.
The Australian officer said that
from a personal reconnaissance
made by him over the battlefields
east and northeast of Duncan
Post it was evident Americans
of this division from the outset
had met with determined opposi
tion. They pushed forward in
the face of an enfilading fire from
German machine guns.
"The dead, of whom there were
large numbers," the Australian
officer wrote, "were all lying with
faces toward the front. Not a
man was moving backwards when
he was killed." '
HUNS
HUH
L
F
RESH
INTU FRAY
British Repulse Six Counter
Attacks Launched in Effort
to Close Breach"1 on
Beaurevoir Line.
King of Bulgaria Said
To Have Abdicated in
Favor of Crown Prince
By Associated Press.
With the British Army in France,
Oct.' 4. -There has been fighting of
the most furious nature along the
British front today. This has been
true especially along the Beaure
voir line, in the region east of LeCa
elet. The Germans have launched six
powerful attacks during past 24
hours. As a result of one of them
the British withdrew for a moment
from Beaurevoir itself and from
Montbrehain to the western out
skirts of the village. I
For these attacks the Germans
used two divisions which had been 1
released from the line through the 1
capture by the French of St. Quen-;
tin. All the other counter-offensives!
failed utterly. At the end of them
the bodies of German dead .were I
piled high as a result of the rifle, !
machine gun and shell fire and the '
British were in possession of vital
lines of the German defense.
Break in Line Narrow.
The breach that has been made in
the system of defense here is a
narrow one as yet. For that reason
the armored cars which went out to ;
it last night reconnoitered deeply
around new positions and then re
turned. ; .
The German now seem AO - be
most active on either side of the
breach. Apparently they . fear that
efforts -will be made to widen it.
Meanwhile the roads and railways
everywhere in the rear are crowded
with- eastbound traffic. The civil
ians are being evacuated from many
towns.
Before the counter-attack on
Montbre..uin, 120 French civilians
who had been in German hands
since 1914, and who hjd in cellars
during the British bombardment
were rescued and brought back to
freedom. On many other parts of
the front being advanced over more
civilians have been released.
In Flanders today the advance of
the allied troops seemed slow be
cause the bad roads and soggy
ground made it almost impossible
for them to negotiate the terrain
at many places. The soldiers fight
ing here are caked with mud. Many
of them have had to wade hip deep
through the ooze while 'fightin'g
their way forward.
Fighting in Cambrai.
Again there has been fighting in
the streets of Cambrai, especially
in tjie southern portion of the town,
around which the British lines are
slowly but steadily being drawn. It
is expected that the town may fall
at any time.
In the Lille sector the Germans
ate falling back eastward, leaving
only rear guards behind to protect
their retreat. Apparently they are
headed for the canal De Haute
Deule, which has almost been reach
ed, especially in the southern por
tion of the sector.
It is now definitely established
that the Belgian troops did not ac
tually hold Roulers but, because it
was at the peak of the wedge which
they had driven into the German
lines here, the advanced troops were
drawn in a little in view of the pos
sibility that the Germans had a
slight opportunity of cutting them
off.
Meanwhile the wedge in this re
gion has been widened so that it
seems that at the proper time the
Belgians will take up their Roulers
positions again. Apparently they
can do this at any time they desire.
Baotist Convention
Scheduled to Open
Today Is Postooned!
As the result of the closing of the!
public places as a precautionary!
move to prevent an epidemic of I
Spanish influenza in Omaha the Fif-
ty-first Baptist State -convention,!
which was to have opened in the i
First Baptist church today, has been
postponed until govern Der i.
This action was taken Friday aft
ernoon by Corresponding Secretary
Rev. Ray E. York and approved by
Dr. A. D. DeLarme of the First Bap
tist church and other officiate. Tel
egrams were sent last- night to
churches of the state announcing
the postponement. - - - "
Fortunately few delegates to the
convention had as yet reached the
city and no sessions had been held.
A committee meeting was held Fri
day afternoon at which the post
ponement was agreed upon. The
sessions beginning November 2 will
be held in the First Baptist church.
Hp 1
y W I;
W Jk
NEW BLOW
KING FERDINAND.
if TO
I
CROWK. JBStBCE.. JBfiEML yj&Ulft&SMl
Paris, Oct ;4.i-kini' Ferdinand ot
Bulgaria is reported to have abdi
cated in favor of Crown Prince
Borjs, who has already assumed
power, according to a Basel dispatch
to the Havas agency, quoting ad
vices from Vienna.
SHELL LOADING
PLANT WRECKS)
BY EXPLOSIONS
Fire Spreads From Building to
Building; 100 Workers
Killed and Injured at
Morgan, N. J.
Perth Amboy, Oct. 4. About 100
workers were killed and injured in
a tremendous explosion early to
night at the plant of the T. A. Gill
espie shell loading company at Mor
gan, near here.
The first explosion, from an un
known cause, set fire to one of sev
eral hundred small buildings situated
for more than two miles along the
Cheesequake creek. The flames
spread from building to building,
starting a series of explosions.
South Amboy, located -a mile and
a half from Morgan, felt the full
force of the first explosion which
shattered nearly all the window
piass in the place. As explosion
followed explosion, the population
l-ecame panicstricken and fled.
Call for Ambulances.
Ambulances sent from here and
carrying 25 doctors returned with
mri.ny of the injured and for fear
that the city hospital would not
accommodate all the victims a hotel
was prepared to receive the over
flow. Ambulances dispatched from
Elizabeth and other cities were re
ported to be taking other victims
to those cities.
The plant, which is being operat
ed for the government by the Gil
lespie company, employs several
thousand men and women. '
Explanations regarding the cause
of the explosion vary, but according
to one account, excessive heat was
applied to a vat of T. N. T. Another
account had it that a shell, which
was being lifted, fell and exploded.
Resembles Battlefront
The scene at the plant was like a
bit of western battle front. Seen
ir. the light of the flames were men
running madly about, some nurs
ing injuries while overhead rolled
clcuds of smoke. Here and there
came the roar of shells exploding,
like the bark of field artillery.
A young woman employed at the
place as a telephone operator, stuck
to her post, with shells bursting
around het. sending out calls for
firemen and doctors. Calmly she
gave directions as to the quickest
method of reaching the plant;
BY ALLIES
EXPECTED
Franco - American Advances
Threaten Elimination of
Pocket Occupied by Huns
East of Rheims.
Washington, Oct. 4. Appearance
of American troops in yesterday's
fighting west of the forest of Ar
gonne suggested to some observers
here today the possibility that a
new French concentration is in
progress and a new blow is to be
expected at any moment. The
natural place for the stroke, it was
said, appears to be the Rheims front,
where the German lines have al
ready been weakened by the sur
render of the St. Thierry plateajj.
The elimination of the pocket oc
cupied by the Germans just east of
Rheims, it was argued, is strength
ened by Franco-American advances
yesterday on the heights northwest
of Montpois and the simultaneous
forward movement of the French
northwest of Rheims. On the latter
sector the enemy is withdrawing,
closely pursued, and the advancing
French line is now well out into the
open ground north of Rheims.
Comparatively little advance by the
two wings of this pocket, it is
thought, should force a hasty evacu-'
ation.
Thrust Nearing Vouziers.
, The, Franco-American thrust is
nearing Vouziers, a-rait junction of
importance to the enemy. Oh the
other side of the Rheims sector, the
French already are on the Aisne in
the vicinity of Berry-Au-Bac and
the pinching out of the pocket prob
ably would permit extension of the
line along the general course of the
Aisne-Suippe rivers to a juncture
with the Franco-Americans in the
high ground between these two
rivers. '
The result of a successful squeeze
operation against the Rheims pocket
is full of promising possibilities, for
the enemy would no sooner extri
cate his forces from this menace
than he would find himself in an- ex
actly similar trap on a wider front
to the north.
; Blows in Open Forecast.
Whatever Marshal Foch may be
planning, there is every reason to
expect immediate blows on various
sectors, in the open. It is now ob
vious that the advance of Major
General Liggett's army along the
Meuse has been halted under orders
from supreme headquarters and not
for lack of power to go ahead. Ap
parently the far-reaching plans of
the supreme commander were satis
fied by the advance made by the
Americans in the first three days of
their rush. The Americans are now
engaged in local operations on this
front until the development of the
battle along the whole front again
calls for a thrust in this vital sector
of the enemy's position.
, Armies Moved Quickly.
The outstanding feature of the
whole allied campaign has been the
wonderful flexibility of the forces,
the rapidity with which whole ar
mies can be moved from sector to
sector, appearing on new fronts al
most over night. The enemy has
been surprised repeatedly and a
large part of the credit for the al
lied advance, it is believed here, is
due to the fact that increasing pre
ponderance of men and material,
supplemented by a vastly superior
motor truck equipment, have re
stored the element of surprise to
battle strategy.
German military critics have com
mented enviously recently on the
speed with which Marshal Foch has
been able to move large forces back
and forth behind his front, admit
ting that lack of motor trucks pre
vented the German leaders from
matching his moves. Allied super
iority in that regard is increasing
daily as American troops and trucks
pour into France.
Cargo Carrier Sunk
In Collision at Sea;
48 of Crew Missing
Washington, Oct. 4. The Ameri
can steamer Herman Frasch, a small
cargo carrier, manned by a navy
crew and in the overseas supply
service, has been sunk in collision
with the American tank steamship
George G. Henry," about 150 miles
southeast of the Nova Scotian coast.
She carried a crew of about 13 of
ficers and 76 men, and survivors re
ported number only 41.
The Henry had her bow crushed,
but after standing by all night to pick
up survivors, resumed her voyage.
CITY TAKES STEP
TO PREVENT ANY
EPIDEMIC HERE
Theaters, Schools, Movies. Churches and Other Public
Places Closed as Timely Precaution Against Spread
of Disease; Many Cases Are Reported at Fort
Omaha; Men Are Quarantined.
Health Commissioner Manning's formal order in connec
tion with the Spanish "flu" situation, specifically closes
churches, schools, theaters, movies, dances, lodges and simi-.
lar gatherings and in general refers to all indoor public gath
erings. The Ak-Sar-Ben carnival was regarded as an outdoor
attraction. The machinery of putting the order into effect was set ,
in motion Friday afternoon, the regular theaters calling off
their matinees and the movies suspending after the first af"
ternoon show.
DANCES ARE BANNED.
The order has a far-reaching effect upon the everyday
life of the city. No dances will be allowed tonight and all
churches will be closed on Sunday. A bazaar, which was
to have been held in the Auditorium, has been postponed.
The dance halls are closed.
The health commissioner hopes that the situation will
warrant lifting the order about the middle of next week.
If there is no serious spread of the disease within the next
few days, the city will return to its normal activities.
MAYOR ENDORSES PRECAUTIONS.
4 X l tlllO I, ill lis y TV 11 V 11 b4As UtUM-U x . WM awVMAAV,
of such vital concern, it behooves us all to observe the best
precautionary measures to prevent the spread of this dis-"
ease," Mayor Smith stated. , w'S V
The health commissioner, Btlmahans-to keep- away
from gatherings or crowds until the situation is safe.
1 " An outbreak of .10 cases at Forf
Omaha on Thursday afternoon, and
LONG, LONELY,
SILENT. EMPTY
STREETS IN CITY
Blaze of Ak-Sar-Ben Light
Everywhere, but Folks All
Home Because of In
fluenza Order.
Theaters, dance halls, and every
sort of 'joy parlor' closed their doors
last night and bowed to Health
Commisioner Manning's decree to
close all places of amusement in an
effort to avoid an epidemic of Span
ish influenza.
Omaha was indeed a strange city,
especially in the downtown district.
Long strands of Ak-Sar-Ben lights
hung over the empty streets.
Not in years had the city seemed
so devoid of life.
It was Friday night, the night of
the ball for 24 years, yet only at
the carnival grounds was there any
evidence of activity.
One passed nothing but dark,
dreary lobbies and deserted halls.
Billiard parlors have not yet come
under the ordinance, but they arc
expected to come "under the ban"
within 24 hours.
The period the ordinance will be
i:i effect is indefinite, and depends
wholly upon how soon the influenza
can be checked.
However, theater managers, and
others affected, seem to take a
cheery attitude toward the situation,
and it is hoped that the closing will
not be of long duration.
No arrests were made last night
for violation of the decree and
everyone responded loyally to the
order.
Germans Leave Esthonia:
Popular Uprising Expected
Washington. Oct. 4. The State
department was advised today
through Stockholm that German
troops are moving out of Esthonia,
and that a popular uprising is likely
in the near future. It is noted, how
ever, that there is a great scarcity
of available arms and ammunition.
U. S. Aviator Lands in
German Lines, Repairs
Machine and Escapes
With the American Army
Northwest of Verdun, Oct. 4.
With his airplane riddled by ma
chine gun bullets and hemmed in
by German machines. Aviator Ted
Haight of New York City yester
day pretended to be out of com
mission and landed within the
German lines. After hurriedly,
repairing his damaged machine he
ae cended and got back to. his own
lines, successfully dodging the
tonished Germans on th ground
and in the air,
recommendations trom the . au
thorities at the fort, prompted the
commissioner to take what he re
ferred to as drastic action.
So far only one death has occured
in Omaha of influenza, according to
the health commissioner, that of i
Rev. S. de Freese, Lutheran pastor,
who died Thursday.
City Council Meets.
The city council held a special
meeting at 11 o'clock Friday morn
ing to consider the situation, the de
cision being to allow the health
commissioner to exercise his full
authority in the premises without
formal action by the council,
"I am willing to assume the re
sponsibility and am willing to be
roasted" for being over-cautious,"
said the health commissioner to
the council.
"I am afraid the exposure already
has occurred here," he added. "One
sneezer may contaminate many who
are close to him. In ordinary cases
it would be better to allow children
to remain in school, but In this sit
uation we have different conditions.
The disease is spread by direct con
tact and victims develop the disease
within half an hbur."
The commissioner explained that
his order included all forms of gath
erings, including those which have
been scheduled. No attempt will be
made to stop running of street cars,
but the traction company will be
asked to keep windows of all cars
open.
Fort Omaha Quarantined.
Thursday afternoon Lieutenant
Colonel Jacob W. S. Wuest, com
manding officer of Fort Omaha, or-,
dered a strict quarantine of the"
post. Colonel Wuest stated Friday
morning that several cases of in
fluenza had been reported by the
post surgeon during the past 24
hours.
Very few of these cases were of
the virulent type known as Spanish
influenza. Several days ago pre
cautionary measures were taken to
guard against Spanish influenza and
this quarantine was simply an added
precaution.
It was thought that by preventing
the soldiers from mingling with
crowds in the city of Omaha an
added measure of protection would
be insured for both the soldiers and .
the citizens of Omaha.
Every precaution has been taken
in the treatment of the influenza
cases now at the hospital. Nothing
alarming has yet developed and it
is believed that by the prompt ac
tion taken a serious epidemic of the
disease may be avoided.
More Air In Cars.
"Why not close the street cars,'!
asked Commissioner Butler.
"There is more air in street cars,"
replied Mr. Ringer.
"I haven't seen it," rejoined
Butler. . - ih
"I realize," said the mayor, "tlj
it is a seriousvniatter to close J',
doors of all public places, but,-
health measure it may be ntl
sary." ; '
"It was merely a suggest
rather than a demand, from the g
ernment," added Mr. Ringer.
The health commissioner h
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