Newspapers / The Asheville Times (Asheville, … / Nov. 21, 1917, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Asheville Times (Asheville, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
f . J THE WEATHER F air and Warmer 4 t Asheville's Livest Newspaper VOL. XXII. NO. 288. FAMOUS GIGANTIC THRUST, 32 MILES WIDE, FIVE MILES DEEPMENACES IMPORTANT BASE AT CAMBRAI FIRS T AND SECOND SYS TEM OF GERMAN DEFENSES WERE CAPTURED BY THE BRITISH A long Front Between St Quentin and Scarpe River British Infantry Broke Through Ger man Wire Entanglements Tanks Advanced Before Infantry Many Prisoners Taken ATTACK COMPLETE SURPRISE TO BOCHES Without Artillery Preparation British Launch Most Ambitious Movement Since Creation of New Armies Many German Troops Had Probably Been Sent From This Front to Help Austrians Against Italians London, Nov. 21. The Hindenburg line has been broken to a depth of four to five miles, the war office announces. British troops stormed the first system of the Hindenburg line defenses on the whole front between St. Quentin and the Scarjw river. The British infantry tnd tanks pressed on and captured the second system of defenses, over f mile beyond.' GERMANS SURPRISED. The attack was begun yesterday by the third army. There was no artillery preparation and the Germans were taken com pletely by surprise. SECOND DEFENSE CAPTURED. The second system of German defenses captured by the British is known as the Hindenburg support line. The British captured Benavis, Lameau wood, La Vacquerie, the defenses known as Welsh ridge and Ribecourt village. Their operations are continuing. v MANY TANKS A lame number of tanks moved forward in advance of the infantry when the attack teas opened and broke through suc cessive belts of German wire defenses which were of great depth and strength. i TOWNS CAPTURED. The toicns of Havrincourt, Marcoing, Graincourt and An neux and Neufwood liave been captured by the British. The whole German line west Bapaume-Cambrai road has been The British also fought their Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Byng is in command of the allocking army. I PRISONERS TAKEN. Several thousand prisoners have been taken. Aimed at Cambrui. From St. Quentin to the Scarpe is . 22 miles. Tho British drive covers a pan 01 the field of Inst year's offensive on tho Somme and the section or the Ar ras battle front Bouth of Arras. The Itrltish center in this thrust is nearly opposite Cnmbrai, the important Ger man bane and railway center, from which the British line on the Ra-paume-Cambral road was about nine Tillies distant as It had stood for sev eral months past. Tho main force of the push Just launched is apparently aimed nt Camhrai along this road. What is known as the Hindenburg line was established by the German commander last spring when the fa mous "stragetic retreat" on the Somme front was carried out. It was a sup posedly impregnable barrier,' which hod been in careful preparation. The British and French, however, showed in the Arras battle last spring and in the French drive on the Aisne front that the line was by no means a bar to their progress and serious In roads were made upon it in various at tacks on both these fronts. No defi nite break, however, sufficient to per mit the penetration of a large force which could debouch for large field operations had ever been effected. The British movement In Its early phases gives the appearance of being the most ambitious that has been un dertaken by them on the western front elnce the creation of their new armies gave them the power to strike effec tive blows. The attack came almost without warning, the only premonitory symp toms being a series of somewhat elab orate trench raids. HINDEN WERE USED. of the Canal Du Nord to the captured. way through Couillet wood. Kven then rather extensive opera tions in this sector reported Inst night by the British war office, which the German staff announced It had taken measures to meet, gave hardly a hint that n push In any such force or over such a wide extent of front was in prospect. An Vnexpooted Prtvc, There has been little speculation over the possibility of a British at tack in force on the western front this fall in any area othor than that of Flanders, where tho main British effort for several months past has been expended. Even here, the late ness of the season and the difficult nature of the ground, at this time of year, particularly, Reemed to give lit tie basis for expectations of anything more than local strokes here and there. It had been pointed out, how ever, that German interest was largely centered on the Italian-front where ------ the military move In force Intended to crush Italy Is now in full swing. Ad- mlttedly numbers of German troops had been Bent to the Italian front but the assumption has been that these had been largely drawn from the Rus sian front where the collapse of the Russian military machine had made It unnecessary for the Germans to maintain much more than trench gar risons. It is considered possible, how ever, that the British secret service had knowledge of a weakening of the German front in the west by the with drawal of highly trained, experienced troops to give back-bone to the push In northern Italy an opportunity thus being afforded to catch Germans un aware and hit them a crushing blow while their strategic reserve In the franco-Belgian war area was deplat- ci Tod a y ' s News T p da y Not To m o r r o w ASHEVILLE, Ni C, WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, NOV. BDRfeilNE, HAS FRANC ISI IN SAYSNEJArPREMlER Clemenceau's War Aim Is to Be Victor, He Told Cham ber of Deputies Sympa thy for Idealists Paris, Nov. 20: Delayed.) The war aim of Premier Clemenceau is to be a victor, he told the chamber of deputies today. "If Germany tomorrow exnressed a wish to enter into the society of na tions, 1 would not agree," M. Clemen ceau said, "for Germany's signature cannot oe trusted. "You ask what my war aims are? My aim is to be a victor. During interpellations after " the ministerial declaration Deputy Pierre Forgeot demanded the firm handling of the political scandals. He declared that Louis J. Malvy. former minister of the interior, either is a traitor or that Leon Daudet, Malvey's accuser. Is a scoundrel. He demanded that the connection with the scandals of Joseph Caillaux, the former premier, should, be made clear. Premier (Jle menceau made an approving gesture and M. Caillaux applauded, but the premier in reply refused to enter into Ndetails. He assured tho chamber that justice would be dealt rapidly and re lentlessly for crimes against tne coun try. The premier expressed sympathy with the socialists and idealists,- but declared that experiments were im possible in war time. He turned the laueh on some of his interrupters by saying that the only advantage of old age is that one becomes deaf. TRDTZKY TAKES OYER RUSSIAN FOREIGN OFFICE Petrograd, Nov. 20. (Delayed) The foreign office has been taken over by Leon Trotzky. Military staff head quarters work is reported to be at a standstill, except the business of army supply. Tho Volna Narodna says that within a few days Lenine and Trotzky will announce the successful establish ment of a workmen's and peasants' government, after which it is hoped that foreign governments will enter Into official negotiations through the new foreign minister. ed. The element of surprise, the re ports reveal, was a large factor in the initial British success as contrary to the almost invariable rule In this war there was no advance preparation by the British artillery, the troops going "over the top" and falling upon an enemy apparently without any expec tation that he was about to be at tacked. Oflh'lal Announcement. London, Nov. 21. Tho announce ment follows: "Yesterday morning the Third army, under command of General, The Hon orable, Sir Julian Byng, delivered a number of attacks between St. (Juen tln and the river Scarpe. These at tacks were carried out without previ ous artillery preparation, and in each case the enemy was completely sur prised. "uur iroops nave DroKen into me Lnemy's position to a depth of between , . mii o ,m Our troops have broken into the a wide front and have captured several thousand prisoners with a number of guns. Our operations are continuing. "At the hour of assault on the prln clpal front of attack a large number of . tanks moved forward In advance of the Infantry and broke through successive belts of German wire which were ot great depth and strength, German Statement. Berlin, Nov. 21. (via London)- Oerman reserves checked the British In the rear positions after they had been gained by the attackers, says to day's official communication. The loss of Marcoing, Graincourt and por tions ot the permanently established works is admitted. ITALIANS REPULSE TEUTON ATTACKS Invaders Driven Back on Piave Front and East of Asiago Russia Declared Out of War Violent Austro-German attacks are being thrown against Monte Tomba, but the Italians have repulsed all ef forts successfully. The position is one of the, .last natural strongholds pro- tecting the plains of western V enetia behind the Piave river and the invad ers are making strenuous efforts to gain it., Italian offensive operations east of Asiago continue and the invaders have been driven from several positions with the loss of more than 300 prison ers. No further attempts have been made by the Austro-Gernians to cross the Piave after the disastrous results attending the efforts of last week. Russia Declared Out Of War. The Russian maximalist government has declared Russia out of the war, according to Information from Ger man and Scandinavian sources. A dispatch to Copenhagen from Berlin says that tho belief is held in the Ger man capital prospects for a "peace,' of conciliation" are fur better than pre viously. Neutral capitals have, no of ficial reports, nor is there word from Petrograd that the Bolsheviki have decided to suspend military activities. Russian Troops Withdrawn. The workmen's and soldiers' con gress is facing a split into Bolsheviki and anti-Bolsheviki organizations. The district of the Ukrain in southwest Russia, has declared its independence ind 36,000 Ukrainian troops have been withdrawn from tho fighting front which may cause a serious crip pling of the effectiveness of the Rus sian army. . TWO MORE DEATHS AT P Greenville. S. C, Nov. 21. Two deaths among Camp Sevier soldiers were announced this morning. They are Privates Chas. H. Priest, Company C, 120th Infantry, Manley, N. C; Rob ert E. Logue, Battery B, 114th Held artillery, Chapel Hill, Tcnn Medical headquarters announced to day that health conditions show de cided improvement and that there is no occasion for alarm. Military and civil authorities acting together now have the quarantine in full force so that no one can ehter or leave the camp except on proper authority. Injunction Against Strikers. Jackson, Miss, Nov. 21. Federal Judge Nlles issue ad nln.1unc.tion late yesterday to restrain striking car re pairers of the Gulf and Ship Island railroad from trespassing on the com pany's property at Gulfport, Hattles burg, Jackson, Laurel and other points. The strike has been in prog ress several weens, but no disorders have been reported. Dutch Steamship Sunk. London, Nov. 21. The sinking by a German submarine of the Danish steamship Adolph Anderson. 981 "ns gross, Is reported in an Exchange Tel egraph dispatch from Copenhagen. One man is said to have been killed. DON'T WAIT- OUY NOW if mini 21, 1917 SAY KALEDINES IS IN FULLCDNTRDL Cossack Commander Holds Russia's Food and Fuel Supply Bolsheviki Not Popular With Soldiers Washington, Nov. 21. Unofficial dispatches reaching the state depart ment from Torna on the Swedish frontier, says passengers arriv ing there from Russia declare the Russian situation is controlled by General Kaledines, the Cossack com mander, who holds the country's coal and bread supply in the Don Cossack region. . ' ' A similar view Is taken at Stock holm. ' : . A dispatch from Torna dated Mon day, reports the arrival there of several Americans from Petrograd in advance of the large party being sent away by Ambassador Francis. Petro grad was said to be iiuiet with theaters open and trains running. Soldiers j-wei-e parading the streets of thecity bearing banners stating that "Russia does not want separate ptace," and demanding constitutional assembly. I'eeling Against Bolsheviki. Stoekholm.Nov. 20- Reports brought by the latest travelers to reach Torna from Petrograd indicate that a 'revul sion of feeling is setting in against the Bolsheviki.. Regiments of soldiers have paraded the streets of tho Rus sian capital bearing banners with in scriptions such as "We want no sep arate peace," "Down with Petrograd's domination by a minority party tyran ny" and "Nicholas' regime was never so tyrannic as tho Bolsheviki regime " The central committee of tho antl- Bolsheviki socialist coalition passed a resolution demanding liberty of the press, tho dismissal of the red guard and the immediate cessation of fratricidal war. American Minister Morris learns from a competent source that the food supply in Petrograd is ominously short and that the bread ration is now three-quarters of a Russian pound for two days. Nearly one-third of the members of the executive committee formed by the Maximalists at the out break of the revolt, have resigned and it is reported the remainder have con ferred dictatorial law-making powers nn Nikolai, Lenine, who is now issuing decrees altering the . fundamental laws. , . EIGHT DEATHS AMONG SOLDIERS IN FRANCE Table Shows Health Condi tions and Percentage of Cases of Diseases Washington. Nov. 21. Health con ditions among the American soldiers in France are shown in a talif pre pared at Surgeon-General Gorgas' of fice today, baseil upon reports for the week ending November 9. Following is the estimate of the percentage of cases of principal diseases per thou sand men per year: Pneumonia, 16.6; dysentery, 2.0; malaria, 1.0; venereal disease. 181.5; typhoid, .0; para-typhoid. .0; measles, 21.7; meningitis, 1.0; scarlet fever, 1.9. Tho non-effective rate per thou sand for November 12, which Is the number of men per thousand who on the day reported were excused from duty for any indisposition whatever was 31.6. Total deaths for the week ending iNovemuer , was 8, bs follows: Pneumonin, 3: heart disease, 1; wounded received in action, 3; from accldontal gunshot wounds, 1. EX-CONGRESSMAN COMMITS SUICIDE New York. Nov. 21. Geo. V. Law rence, 68, former congressman from Massachusetts, whose home was In North Adams, Mass., .lumped to his death today from the eighth floor of tho Hotel Bedmont. Mr. Lawrence, who had been suffer ing from a nervous breakdown, left a note saying he could "not stand the pressure nny longer." , His body was found by a hotel watchman lying crushed on the pavement of the rear courtyard of tho hotel this morning. Eve r y D a y i GIVEJJP POSTS Ukrainian Declares Inde pendence and 360,000 Troops Withdrawn From Russian Army Petrograd, Nov. 20. (Delayed) military chief of the district of Kiev and the temporary governor with their staffs are reported to have left their posts. The Ukrainian commissaries! have been appointed to succeed them and they have confirmed the in dependence of the Ukraine. -'.Three ; hundred and sixty thousand Urkainian troops are said to have been recalled from the front. This is commented upon here as meaning a serious crip pling of the army and the possible opening of the front to the enemy. The town duma of Moscow has been dissolved by the revolution war com mittee. An armored train bound for Petrograd has been captured by de tachments of sailors and returned to Moscow. - - " - ' A breach in the workmen's and sol diers' organizations throughout the country is threatened through the ex istence of two central committees, each claiming authority as the duly constituted body and denying the rights of the other. The new central committee appointed by tho recent congress of workmen's and soldiers' delegates and which gave birth to the present governmental regime, assumes to supersede another similar organi zation which dates back to the months immediately following the March rev olution. Theso bodies are currently referred to as the first and second central committees. The second central committee, it is mm OFFICIALS has ! announced today, purposes to assem bly , I'le all the workmen's and soldiers' uuiegaies wno tooit no part in the last congress and to attempt to weld them into an organization which will fight the domination of the Bolsheviki. SHIPS NEEDED BY ALLIES Lloyd - George Wants to Know How Soon First Million Can Be Expected American troops and American ships are needed by the allies. Premi er Lloyd-George Informed the Amer ican mission now in England at the first meeting of the Anglo-American war council. An early increased sup ply of tonnage is necessary for the continued welfare of the allied cause, and tho British prime minister is anx ious to know how soon the first million American soldiers can be expected in France. Russia's collapse and the Teutonic success in Italy, Premier Lloyd George declared, make it even more imperative than before that the United States should send as many troops ns possible across the Atlantic as early as possible. Pledging "nothing but war" ns his policy, George Clemenceau has re ceived the confidence of the French chamber of deputies ip himself and his cabinet b ya vote of 41S to 65. .The new premier pledged his administra tion to a vigorous prosecution of the cabinet by a vote of 41 R to 65. The to be a victor. He would not agree to permit Germany to enter the society of nations because Germany's signa ture cannot be trusted." Robliod Jewelry Store. Minneapolis, Nov. 21. Three auto mobile bandits stepp d into a jewelry store on the principal downtown street here today, drove three clerks, Into a backroom, forced another to open the safe and escaped with diamonds and .ither gems valued at between $45, 000 and $50,000, according to the estimate of the proprietor, II. II. Green, Thp IMiont's Work. Berlin, Nov. 21. (via. Amsterdam to London.) An official statement by the admiralty today says; "A German subnarine under com mand of Lieutenant Wendlnndt de stroyed a Rrltlsh monitor and a de stroyer off the Syrian coast on Novem ber 11." Stoumer Struck Mine, Thorndhjem, Norway, Nov. 21 The salvage steamer, Sterkodder, struck a mine near Folia today and sank. The crew of ten men. was lost. PAGES MAIL. EDITION n the Yea r " PRICE FIVE CENTS HOT SPRINGS FOLK AT FALSEREPORTS Citizens Have Not Least Bit' of Feeling Against In- terned Germans . . . THE "FLAG RAISING" STORY WAS MYTH ; Investigation Proves That i Food Conservation Is Practiced at Camp D H ft iM JLtVAVU'iL&JLfl V LAUGH AND 1$V STAFF CORRESPONDENT. '' Hot Springs, Nov. 21. Hot Springs people are more amused than indig- nant at the reports that have gone abroad concerning the internment camp. They have laughed at the 3 much exaggerated incident of the "flag ' raising" story and they denounce as "absolutely false" the statements con- s cerning refusals on the part of the -people of Hot Springs to co-operate with the food administration. In fact the citizenship of Hot Springs is go ing about the daily round of business without a single thought of antago- ' nlsin toward the men who are nt the camp or criticism of the administra tion. , Clippings from newspapers, Ihe clippings that told of the 'waste" in 5 food stuffs at the camp; clippings tell- 'i ing of a "German flag hoisted upon a flag pole flaunting and taunting in the ' breeze;" clippings that recited the "indignation" of Hot Springs people ' and their refusal to sign food pledge cards these and others were read ; and re-read with smiles and sneers. Stories Are Shunters. In fact, a careful investigation of every rumor that has gone abroad, ru- ' mors that grew until when they reach- t ed the itching ears of sensation-controlled minds had grown into moun tains of hate and distrust, determined the fact that from the whole cloth, without even the least shadow of truth, stories have been written and printed that are slanders upon the good name of Madison county people and are suggestive of a disposition to discredit the management of aftairs by the national government. Determined to secure the truth and to secure it from disinterested parties In so far as possible. The TIMES rep resentative went to the people of Hot Springs. The employees of the depart ment of labor, the men who are in ' charge of the internment camp were counted as "interested parties" and their evidence wa not sought. Hanker lais Talks. W. T. Davis, the. banker of Hot Springs, a man who in in louch wit4i i-wiiift Mini . in, ivunn ccijuuu niiu everything concerning the community was the first citizen sought and, in his office, notwithstanding that it was the busy hour of the day, Mr. Davis gladly told everything he knew con cerning the "stories" that have gone abroad Then he went further. Vol untarily -he offered to go and find peo ple, introduce the visitor and aid in getting down to the bottom of every rumor. In the first place, the "flag Inci dent." The first information that Hot Springs had of tiny German flag m when an engineer, a man who drives tho engine on the local freight, left his engine one day and running Into a drug store opposite the Hot Springs station, excitedly announced that "those Germans over yonder have their flag up on a pole celebrating the death of American soldiers." Kven the excited manner of the railway en gineer, who according to a Hot Springs merchant, is wholly responsible for all of the flag talk, did not arouse any indignation. The only flag pole In sight was the regulation pole of the camp and from that polo the Stars and Stripes were floating In the breeze. A telephone message to Col onel Kirk, in command of the camp, did however, provoke a search and down on the lawn, on the back of one of tho chairs a little German flag was , found, it was such a flag as is sold usually at county fairs and carried as a souvenir. Colonel Kirk confiscated the flag. The incident closed. Naturally the flag should i.ot have been there. Armed guards were con- , tlnually passing and re-passing but 1 they had not seen It, evidence that It ' was not being "flaunted In the face" I of the American citizens of the com I munity." On other occasions rumors reached Hot Springs that the same engineer! Insisted that he had seen a "German I (Continued on Pag 2) ' )
The Asheville Times (Asheville, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 21, 1917, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75