'V
WEATHER.
North and South Caro
Jt: probably occa
fonal rains tonight
and Friday; cooler
1.
TODAY'S HEWS i
TODAY 1
Friday
zJFULL LEASED WIRE SERVICE
VOL. XXIV, NO. 99
WILMINGTON. NORTH CAROUNTURSPAY AFTEJlNobN, APRIL 1 8, 191 8,
i PRICE FIVE CEN1S!
4 ;
s;;
ii ,11
.,' - HI 'I -
v
' "" " " :
ITISH
LIS BATTLE
STAMB
Haig's Report Today Says No
Ground Lost in Yester
day's Fighting.
ATTENTION DIRECTED
TO LOCON-ROBECQ
Enemy Shifts His Attack Fur
ther Southwestjn, Effort to
Envelop Bethune May be
the Larger Strategy
Field Marshal Haig today reports
i line on the Lys battlefront stand-
ins intact last night as it existed yes
terday morning following- the British
retirement East of Ypres, no ground
hiving been lost in the battling of
rait arA ov rl nevki t a f Vi o haovv riarman
attacks through the entire period.
( necked for the time at least, m
front of the strong British positions ! her course and turned her over to a
dominated by Kemmel Hill on the ! German raider. She says she is con
Northern portion of this front, the .fideht that the ship is adrift at sea
Germans are turning their attention ! with her engines disabled or she is
to the Southwesterly sector of the j short of coal. A letter received from
battlefield. her husband shortly before sailing
A heavy bombardment of the Brit-! said his starboard engine was out of
:.-h positions between Locon and Ro- j commission and she believes the port
becq. was reported in progress" this i engine has broken down under the
morning. i
The enemy is finding himself cramp-
Ed on the Southerly side of the wedge;
L-ut nas pusned into the British lines
sad seems on the eve of an effort to
vden it out here. .
Furthermore,- at Locon, the Ger-j
ian3 are only soma three -milea
North of Bethune, an important rail-
way center, ana at KODecq are witn-i
m six mues oi miners, a junction pome ;
m the railway from Bethune to Ha-j
zebrouck.
The British have been holding this
sector of the front jisstrongly as they
are the Northwesterly edge of the
falient, where they have held up the
German attempt to advance further
toward Hazebrouck, as was indicated
p.nev in the repulse of fresh German
attacks last night in the Merreys
vector along the Bailleul-Hazebrouck
r?ilvay.
ft ?een;s not unlikely that the En
tente high command has forecast a :
POSSihiP lar?pr fiprman mirnnSft t.O!
drive determinedly Southward,
eiop Bethune ana push on to a point i
v nere they can compel the British, ;
to lall back from Givenchy and the
region North of Arras, where the
dominating Vimy ridge is the Ger
man objective.
Whether indeed this be the larger
German strategy has not yet been
shown.
The development of the enemy
demonstration on the Locon-Robecq,
jio-ivever, will be followed with close
fittention in view of this possibility
end its bearing upon the great strug
!e on the Somme front to the South,
fc'here the firm hold of the British on
the Arras region and the line South
to Albert has held-up the eneioy's
lash on Amiens.
Undiminished in intensity the great
battle in Flanders and South across
the French border goes on. Having
retired Eas of Ypres, the British are
now putting up a most desperate re
sistance to the Germans menacing
'pres and Hazebrouck, the, important
)uppiy base to the Southwest. French
roops have come to Field Marshal
haig's assistance and are fighting
fide by side, with the British in stem
ming the enemy tide East of Haze
Huck. During theast 24 hours the
heaviest fighting has been along the
kys on a front of 10. miles West of
Wervilie to Wytschaete. The British
took the offensive and regained Wyts
chaete and Meteren, six miles East
northeast of Hazebrouck Wednesday,
ut the Germans in strong counter
stacks forced them to retire again.
Along the remainder of the front the
enemy threw wave after wave of at
tdckeis against the Franco-British
teieuse, but it did not falter and the
Germans gained nothing in payment
or angirnaiv losses.
Although the retirement East of
Pres was to be expected for strateg-
reasons, the fact that it has
en carried out has caused sentimen
tal
regrets. Langemarck, Passchen-
ileal
e and Poelcapelle, which Berlin
Sports the Germans have occupied,
rer'5 scenes of desperate ecounters
n i ho hard won British advance of
test summer and fall when they gain
7 the entire Messines-Passchendaele
ridge.
Correspondents report the British
e retiring to prepared positions
;IOli? or close to the line from which
j?e offensive was launched in 1917.
Vs would place the new line prob
;0! near Boessinghe, Wiettje,, Hoege
lC Hin Sixty, Southeast of Zille-
I
WIFE OF COMMANDER
OF CYCLOPS HOPEFOL
Believes the Missing Collier
Will Arrive Safely m a
Few Days
Norfolk, Va., April 18. Denying
that she has received word from any
source as to the fate of the miss
ing American naval collier Cyclops,
Mrs. Selma W. Worley, wife of the
commander of the overdue ship, de
clared today that she is thoroughly
convinced that the Cyclops is safe and
will be heard from within a few days.
Mrs. Worley characterized as ridi
culous and absurd the theory that
Captain Worley, who is a native-born
German, had sailed the Cyclops off
increased strain imnosed nnnn it.'
Although born in Germany, Captain
Worley yielded to no one in his loyal-
, ty to the United States, his wife de , . . .
glares. ttile the Germans m their bases on
' . 'the Belgian coast are only 20 miles
popri R MINT? v -a .-hi the straits, . the exploit hi th
StwS'a ow,itJ Cattegat was a carefully planned ov
FOR SPEAKERSHIP , eration conducted n-ore than 600
(Suecial to The DisDateh.)
Mount Olive, April 18. The
Hon. Fred R. Mintz, former editor
and publisher of the "Mount Olive
Tribune" and member of the lower
branch of the General Assembly in
1913 and 1915, has announced himself
a candidate for the same honors
again this year. He also says that, in
asmuch as the speakership belongs to
the East this year, if he receives the Monday They , iid not send them out tion wlth the labor distributing facili
nomination and election, he contem-j e "SlSlS. UA' ties of the department. It is prob-
plates entering the race for speaker.;
Hp oirnrpssps himself 'as in enm-!
plete accord with Governor Bickett's
i- tHtt-.iunaer their very eyes
ilna - o nnlifixlacc vaa-r au-xra ho
en-'has no stomach for campaigning at
a time like this, and . expects toiVr 6 " QV--lw" unw
make none.
One Small French Ship Lost.
Paris, April 18. During the week
ending April 13 German submarines
did not succeed in sinking any
French ships of more than 1,600 tons.
One ship under that tonnage, how;
ever. fell prey to the enemy.
Ypres. Berlin's official communication i
attempts to make it appear that the!
Germans gained towns on the old
Flanders battlefield after fighting,
The British retirement was carried
out Monday and British guns reaped
a heavy harvest in the enemy ranks
when the Germans peneiraiea tae
abandoned positions. '
Wednesday the Germans gained no
new ground from Eatf of Merville to
Wytschaete, but were compelled to
use i"& wic- xx. xv.v.v-jnave
Yytschaete and Meteran. ine er"
man pressure East of Hazebrouck
shows the enemy stiH L desires i the cap.
ture of this base in the probable hope
of forcing a further retirement in tha
Ypres region.
How large the French forces are
that have come to help the British
has not been disclosed. Field Mar
shal Haig said last week that heavy
French reinforcements were moving
toward the battlefield.
On the remainder of the British
front and on the Picardy battlefrontfs
and French sectors there has been no
infantry activity. Belgian troops
North of Ypres have repulsed German
atacks and captured 600 prisoners in
ejecting the enemy from trenches he
had occupied.
On the Lorraine sector American
troops have benetrated to the third
German line and are in unmolested
possession of No Man's Land.
Viscount Milner has been appointed
British Secretary for War, a Paris
newspaper says, and had a long con
ference Wednesday night with Pre
mier Clemenceau in Paris. Lord
Milner, who has been a member ri
the British cabinet, succeeds the Sari
of Derby, who goes to Paris to take
the place of the retiring ambassador,
Lord Bertie, according to the report.
' British merchant ship losses due to
German f j'marine warfare show ?
increase f er the past week. The to
tal of ships lost rose from six to 15,
while increase in vessels of more
Ho i tons was from four to 11.
French airi Itafl J?fiSg little,
. I
s fiH5yHt?,
ON-FRONT
INTACT
BRITAIN'S FLEET
Not Believed That Germany
is Willing to Risk Naval
Battle
THE BRITISH FLEET
WAS NEVER STRONGER
London Newspaper Discusses
Significance of Recent
lers in the, Cattegat
Ixmdon, April 18. The British na
val success against German . mine
sweepers, in the 'Cattegat recently,
says the Daily Telegraph, is sufficient
answer to the Germans who say that
the British grand fleet is in hidrne.
The Dai! TeW-vali noints nut t'-nt
miles from the noartst point on lite
British coast.
Such a sweep." it adds, "can be
imade ;-.Xlly by a pOAVer in Ial co.lt
oi the sea confronte-l b an enemy
wh- ill not rissc protecting his smail
craft, suspectin;.- th.it -':ch intervt-u
t.lnn mis-Vit he the iirislnHo to a Mnani
artinn whioh ha HOBoa i
The Germans had -large naval forces
na,r ar.ana tic
j destroyed virtnaiiv
. ers t0 De aOStroyea Virtually
The newspaper then discusses the
IS ANXIOUS FOR
SCRAP WITH HUN
.thesFy tnat the Germans might be
fields and coast defenses and says
that all such suggestions have no
foundation among those who have
knowledge of naval conditions.
The enemy, it says, has gained lit
tle new strength for use In he North
ea by the Baltic situation, while Brit
ish superiority has been increased
since the battle of Jutland, by the
cooperation of the American forces
and the entire naval strength of the
United States would be available If
(necessary. Moreover, if the German
i naval forces were to be employed
I advantageously as the right wing of
!the German army they should have
;Deen thrown In before and not dur-
ing 0T after the onenine of th hat
tie in France.
"It a naval battle," it continues
"could by any possibility have been
decided in Germany's favor, she would
been saved the necessity ot
Ipressing forward her army and would
fc ed nundreds and thousands
if cagualties whIchf on fl3r Qwn
fession, she could not afford.
"A battle on the sea fought simply
to gain the right to use the seas for
military or economic purposes. The
Germans have wanted to attain that,
end for three years and eight months
and if they have not done so while
the odds against them were less
heavy than they are today, the reason
;on the surface.
S ill we can dismiss from our
minds all unsupported rumors. The
watch by the sea was never maintain
ed more efficiently or more effec
tively than the grand fleet is main
taining it at this moment"
Schooner Herald Waterlogged.
Washington, April 18. The four
masted American schooner Herald
was reported waterlogged and appar
ently abandoned in a dispatch to the
State Department today from Tam
pico. The position of the ship was
eiven as altitude 23.44; longitude 85 : !
56. The vessel was last reported at
a gulf port on March 17.
Secretary Daniels at Yale.
New Haven, Conn., Aprill 18. Sec
retary Daniels came here today to
speak for the third Liberty Loan and
to inspect the Yale naval unit and
took over Yale University and see
what it is doing to develop-the under
WUBb 1U ""0 X- U11U UCUlCUauig tvrx UV4 kvx IV WW-
graduate 203r.Jtor JWtat&Jjjj irrakleirpssa.
Site Selected.
Construction
TN T Jk TTT ,
ixiowy
Wdrk on the citjs shipyard, where
twelve farbicated teel ships are to
be constructed, contract for which
was signed yesterday, was begun
at.l o'ctock this ' afternoon, and will
b hurried to completion, and actual
ship construction will begin in the
early future. ThefMte selected, and
already acquired, isvjwhat.is known as
the old pes housesite, located just
to the south and I'ad joining Sunset
Park property. . ,
Mr. Ralph Starretf, general manager
of the Carolina Steamship Company,
which is to have charge of the con
struction of the -vessels under govern
ment direction, accompanied by" two
engineers, reached te city this morn
ing on the train from the -North and
started operations to a businesslike
Special Representative of De
partment of. Labor Has
Finished Work Here
Mr. Luther C. Stewart, special representative-of
the Department of La
bor; who has been spending several
days, hero investigating . local Condi-'
tionsjAleft rsterdaforrNiwteTji
arid will visit other "points in the
State in the interest of the work
planned by his -'department. The
Chamber of Commerce here has es
tablished a labor bureau to be operat
ed In conjunction with the other
work of the organization. Mr. H. B.
Branch, the secretary, is serving as
special agent. The object of the
Chamber in taking a vital interest in
this work is for the purpose of. meet-
'In the needs f-ttis community in
! supplying labor and to have?, connec-
able tnat later on a permanent bureau
.... o.1.., ho.rt Hovnto u
will be established here to devote its
entire time to this work. People who
desire to make application for work
and employers of labor who need ad
ditional help can secure information
blanks at the Chamber of Commerce
and assistance will be given in see
ing that this reaches the proper
sources for distribution. It is the
idea of 1 the Department of Labor to
distribute labor to fill all needs in
every line, especially at this time
when it is of such vital importance
to the great industries assisting in
every way possible for the successful
prosecution of the war.
HUNGARIAN CABINET
DECIDES TO QUIT
Amsterdam, April 18. The Hunga
rian ministry has resigned, a dispatch
from Budapest reports.
The decision of the Hungarian cab
inet was reached at a meeting yester
day morning at which Premier Wek
erle presided. All the members of
the cabinet were present except
Count Czyerenyi, minister of com
merce, and Count Zichy, minister of
court, who were absent from Buda
pest. After a short conference all
the members present signed the doc
ument tendering their resignations.
A Copenhagen dispatch said Pre
mier Wekerle had decided to resign
owing to, dissension in the ministry
over the suffrage reform bill and that
King Charles was expected to request
him to form a new cabinet, exclud
ing ministers who opposed a compro-
mise on the suffrage measure. i
POOR WILLI AM! HIS
SORROW IS GREAT
Amsterdam, April 18. Emperor
William recently made a visit to the
battlefield near Queant, west of Cam
brai, a war correspondent of the
Berlin Lokal Anzieger writes:
"His Majesty's silence was broken
only once," he said, "when he re-
marked to an officer who stood be
side him: 'What have I not done to
preserve the world from these hor
rors?"" Organizing a Tank Corps.
Washington, April 18. Organiza
tion of the National-Army tank corps
was .ordered accelerated today by the
.War Department. Announcement was
made of the appointment of 157 sec
ond lieutenants for , the corps, 40 be
STFJARTi
and
Is
naerway
way. Mr. .Dave Struthers, formerly
city engineer, has been retainedj by
the company, and is on the site with
Mr. Starrett and his associates. Sev
eral automobiles were hired this
morning and are being employed to
day -for the work.
The fact that actual work on the
yard has been started will be learned
with a deal of pleasure by all Wil
mington. The contract was executed
yesterday and the fact that Mr. Star
rett is in the city and has already re
tained local assistance in preparing
the site for construction of the yard
removes the last doubt' that might
have existed in the minds of some
and shows beyond the shadow of a
Ioubt that the city has landed the
fabricated steel yard.
A
DESTROYED Vi HUNS
Place Fired and the Inhabit
ants Shot Down by Ma
chine Guns
Moscow, Wednesday, April 10. Be
cause the peasants In the village of
Novoselki in the government of Mo-
hilef, resisted inarmed rejuisittojnjbt
money by German troops and killed
an , officer in the resulting scuffle,
the Germans burned the village and
from machine guns placed around it,
they fired upon the inhabitants, in
cluding women and children, who
tried to escape, killing many of them.
A protest against this atrocity has
been communicated to the German
government by M. Tchitcherin, Rus
sian minister of foreign affairs. The
minister also mentions the fact that
the Germans killed an entire family
even the little children when they
were informed that one member had
participated in guerilla warfare
against them.
"The peoples' commissariat of
foreign affairs, the protest concludes,
"expresses the feeling of the deep
est indignation and most resolutely
protests against such acts of violence
as being unworthy of a cultured peo
ple and contradictory to the element
ary principles oi human society. It
is hoped the German government will
investigate thoroughly and punish the
offenders."
IS SECRETARY
OF SJATEJOR WAR
Succeeds Earl of Derby in
British Cabinet, Says Par
is Newspaper
London, April 18. Official an
nouncement was made today that the
Earl of Derby has been appointed am
bassador, extraordinary and plenipo
tentiary on 2, special mission to
France, in succession to Lord Bertie.
Viscount Milner becomes Secretary
for War, and J. Austen Chamberlain
a member of the war cabinet.
Confers With Clemenceau.
Paris, April 18. Viscount Milner
has been ' appointed Secretary of
State for War in the British cabinet,
according to Le Matin. The Earl of
Derby, who has been war minister,,
the paper says, will come to Paris as
ambassador in place of Lord Bertie,
who retires.
Premier. Clemenceau had a long
conference last night with Lord Mil
ner. Alfred Milner, First Viscount Mil
ner, has been a member of the British
war cabinet without portfolio since
December 10, 1916. The Earl of
Derby has been at the head of the
war office since the Lloyd-George cab
inet took office in December, 1916.
Announcement was made some time
ago that Lord Bertie was about to
leave his post in Paris, where he has
been ambassador since 1905.
Viscount Milner has had a promi
nent career in British politics, and
was British high commisisoner for
South Africa previous to 1905 and
from 1902 to 1905 he was Governor of
I . . . l
'tff Transvaal and the Orange piyer
mm
V(l I AGES
MINER
AMERICAN TROOPS
, TAKE CONTROL OF
NO MAN'S L ANS)
PARADE SECTIONED
AND MUSICAL UNIT
IS SUPPUEDEACH
LINE OF MARCH.
The parade will form at the City
Hall, Third and Princess streets,
at 4 o'clock in- the afternoon, and
will move promptly at 4:30,
whether everything -is in readiness
or not. The line of. march will be
Northward on-Third, street to Wal
nut and thence down Walnut to
Front, and down. Front to. Market,
up Market to Third and back to
the starting point.
All details for tomorrow afternoon's
Liberty Loan parade were .worked
out at to-day's meeting of the com
mittees in charge, and Capt. Edwin
A. Metts, chief marshall and gener
alissimo, stated that the parade would,
move promptly at 4:30 o'clock from
the City Hall if there was but one
man ready at that time. He will be
in absolute charge as chief marshall
and will be assisted by the following,
all mounted, who have been desig
nated assistant marshalls: Messrs
George Honnett, James M. Hall, Dave
N.. Foster. Swift M. Boatwright, Fred
:Wr rttckdTesriR6t!!fe
The" parade will be divided Into
four sections and Avill be headed by
a platcon of police and tailed with
the members oi the various sciicol
organizations. The first sectfon will
be made up as follows: Platoon of po
lice leading and followed by the
post band. Five hundred United
States artillerymen from Fort Caswell
will follow in the wake of the band
and they in turn will be followed by
a detachment of United States infan
trymen, under command of Lieutenant
Hayes, now doing patrol duty on the
river front. Next will come 200 mem
bers of the Red Cross chapter in reg
ulation uniform, on foot, followed by
the Liberty Loan float, with the Lib
erty Loan workers following in auto
mobiles, j
Hie second section will be led by
the Sudan Drum Corps and followed
by Shriners from Sudan Temple in
regulation uniform. Next will be the
members of the Rotary Club and
members uf the National Special Aid
Society.
The third section will be headed by
the Wilmington Drum and Bugle
Corps, followed by the Sepa Grotto
Drill team, and members of the
Grotto. A detachment of Boy Scouts
will follow and will in turn be fol
lowed by . members of various frater
nal organizations.
The fourth section will be led by
the Hemenway Drum and Bugle
Corps, then members of the Junior
Red Cross auxiliary. TheyvwJtl be
followed by members of Cape Fear
Camp, U. C. V., in machines, and
then will come members of the va
rious fraternal organizations of the
city.
Every section of the parade will be
headed by a musical organization
which alone should insure the suc
cess of the parade. Those in charge
have every reason to believe that it
will be one of the most successful
ever attempted in Wilmington and
that it will do much to stimulate in
terest in the sale of thrift samps and
war savings cerificates.
HEALTH OF TROOPS
CONTINUES GOOD
Washington, April 18. Health of
all troops in the United States con
tinues good the War Department an
nounced today in a report covering
the week ending April 12. Both hos
pital admission and death rates were
lower than in the preceding week.
The highest rates were at' Nation
al Army cantonments, probably be
cause of the mobilization of large
numbers of drafted men.
The total numbers of deaths at all
camps was 285 as against 290 the
week before. Pneumonia continues
In all larger northern camps with
some increase In the number of new
cases reported No other disease is
classed as generally prevalent
Small Italian Ship Losses.
Rome, April 18. One Italian steam
ship of more than 1,500 tons and two
sailing vessels, one of more than 100
tons, were sunk by German mines and
' l
submarines in the week ending April I
Patrols in the Lorraine Sector
Inspect Enemy Trenches ,
Unmolested ;
EVERY AMERICAN
ACTS THE HERO
Having a Difficult Task ot Se
lect Those Who Distinguish
ed Themselves in Fighting .
-Cases Cited
; -
.-".TV
With the American Army in France
Wednesday, April 17. American
troops operating on the Lorraine , sec-"
tor have taken over control Na"
Man's Land. Patrolling partres areP
making -almost nightly visits up toj
the German wire entanglements wita -out
encountering any resistance." -' '
A lieutenant and a party of 12 have
made a five hour exploring trip, pen -fHrating
to the German third lin
and making maps of machine gun
snipers posts and strong points withf;
out being seen by the enemy. 7..
An artillery lieutenant in an ob
servation post sighted a German field
kitchen coming up to the enemy..
He gave his battery its position and'
the kitchen was destroyed with three'
shots.
Commanders of units who particl'-
pated in the several days of fighj;.5
1 .last . wejekin company witli-tt
French itttheAtremont wood . secto
are finding It sdifficult to pick but men
who especially distinguished them
selves in the operations. One com
mander said that every man acted.'
like a hero and it was hard to choose
the most deserving cases. One of..
the most popular men with the sol
diers on this sector Is the Rev. Des
Valles, a Roman Catholic priest, of
New Bedford, Mass,, who is living
with the men in an unofficial capacity
he having come to France as a rep-'--
resentative of the Knights of Colum-
When the attack began Father Des
Valles, braving the dangers of shell-.
and machine gunfire, went to the cas- -
ualty clearing station near the front
line to administer to the wounded.
He assisted In dressing the injuri-:'
es of the soldiers tand gave each man
a word of cheer. vHe -handed out ci-
garettes to men who smoked.
"He's, as gam as they make them, .
and every inch a soldier " said dough-J
boy, while other soldiers spoke of theC
inspiration furnished by the priest.-
Another nopular man is a young .
baker of Springfield, Mass., who was
pressed Into service as a stretcher";
bearer. He was the smallest maa inf"
the outfit and after several trips.be- '
came so exhaust he was unable, to
hold the stretcher. He refused to
give up and had his companions tie '
the stretcher to his wrists with ropo
so as to enable him to hold the
stretcher on the journey from the
front line to the dressing station.
Twice in 24 hours an American'
company has assisted French troops'
in a neighboring sector to regain
trenches temporarily taken by the
Germans The company was led .by
a captain who took his troops overj
the top in the face of the most vio
lent machine gun and artillery Are. .
Each time he succeeded in driving
out the enemy and inflicting heavy
casualties, and them strengthening
the positions A most pathetic story
from the American lines is that' of ft
young corporal who was wounded fa- ' '
tally after fighting for four hours. AVr-.
piece of shrapnel struck him in th;s
head. He had a grenade in each ,
hand. Giving them to his companion
he said :
"I guess I'm done. Please write to .
my mother and tell her how It hap- ,
pened. "But here take these grenA;
ades and for God's sake don't wastd
them." J
The corporal fell in a faint and died;
in a hospital the next day without re-
gaining consciousness. :.
At one point on this sector there;
was a space of only 15 yards between r
the opposing trenchest A day be."
fore an attack, the Germans threw X
a note into the Amercian trench. It ..
read: "What are you? Canadians or
Australians." .
"Come over and find out" was the. '
reply thrown back by an American!
soldier. '
The infantryman who related ths.
incident added: "I guess they knowT(
who we are now, and they will not
- - - - .
be likely to forgett for. some ttmV
" -1 J r
"if
f u
t!i;-
if
it?
9 1
, r
II
'1 s
- ? 1
IV and. about two. milfis.-E&aPi oil ch&os- rwr,, Jst
.