1 .
-
1
.J. ..
North and South Car-
1 m ft y-. ?'
o!ina: Partly cloudy to
night: Friday Jair,
warmer interior.
VOL. XXIV. , No. 72
the Meantime Their Ship
ards Have Turned Out
6,606,275 Tons
THE NET LOSS ONLY
REACHES 2,632,297
Maximum Losses Reached in
Second Quarter of 1 91 7-
British Admiralty Gives
Out Of ial Figures
Washington, March 21. Official
figures of the British admiralty on
submarine losses and world shipbuild
ing -were made here today by the
British embassy. They show that from
both enemy action and marine risk on
January 1, 1918, Allied and neutral
shipping had lost since the war began
'11.827.572 gross tons, while ship yard9
outside of the Central Powers were
turning out 6,606,275 tons. These fig
ures, iong withheld, are now mado
public, an admiralty memorandum
eavs. because today they will not
stimulate the enemy and because they
Till impress upon the people the ne
cessity of united action in making
good losses by submarines.
In spite of the tremendous total of
losses they do not approach the claim
of the Germans, and with 2,589,000
tons of enemy ships added to output
of the war period, the net loss to
world shipping exclusive of that of
Germany and her allies is only 2,632,
297.
Th emaximum of losses was reached
in the second Quarter of 1917. after I
the unrestricted submarine warfare
was launched. That quarter 2,236.931
gross tons of ship went down. .Since
then the total has been reduced, un
til in the fourth quarter of 1917, it was
only 1,272,843. In the meantime, the
ship building output steadily curved
upward. In the last quarter of 191.7
it was 932,023 tons, and at that timeitn-e Navy Department gave no further
the enormously increased facilities of aetaus and wunneid tne location,
the United States had not begun-to The enlisted men killed were:
get into action. Cecil Hall, Charleston, W Va.
In announcing in the House of! Boatswains Mate Lewis Cohen, New
Commons yesterday that hereafter fig- i York city.
4 ures on losses and building would be i Water Tender Charles Magoni,
made public at regular intervals, sir west Springfield, Mass.
Eric Geddes, first lord of the admiral-1 The enlisted men seriously m
tv. indicated that it still would be un-! details and with held the location. ,
vica tn rmhlisV the tntal for thes war.
However, these totals now are given
to the public, simultaneously in this
country and in Great Britain.
Following isdthe admiralty memo
randum: "Memorandum issued by tbe British,
admiralty showing in gross tons the
losses to the world shipping by enemy
action; the mercantile 'ship building
output and the enemy vessels cap
tured and brought into service.
"Hitherto the board of admiralty
have been averse from any publica
tion other than that contained in the
''eekly return of losses although it
has frequently been pressed upo:i
them that the whole tonnage facts
should be made public. So long as
ich publication would encourage the
emy and would stimulate his ener
'? in a dangerous direction, they
ave not been able to concur in the
proposal.
"The figure today will not stimulate
the enemy and the admiralty recog
nizes that the policy necessary as
they believe it to havev been from a
flaval point of view, has had this se
rious defect that it fails sufficiently
to impress upon the people of this
country the vital necessity of indi
vidual and united effort on their part
to make good the losses caused by
enemy submarines.
. "In the spring o 1917 the full men
of the submarine campaign was
-st disclsed. Since that date we have
readily increased our knowledge and
t material resources for this novel
'arfare.
"Three
statements are attached .
showing for th TTm'tert KinerAnrn an rJ I
for the world.
( Continued on Page Six.) .
FOUR ENEMY SHIPS
SUNK IN A BATTLE
WITH ALLIED CRAFT
London, March 21. Two enemy
Qestroyers and two enemy lorpedo
"ats have been sunk by a force of
Ve British and ' French destroyers,
lif dmiralty announces. One Brlt
E1 destroyer was damaged.
The engagement occurred off Dun
this morning. : The British cas
uaities were slight. There were no
trnrh casualties.
Jfce announcement follows: ,
vice Admiral Douer reports that
a action occurred off Dunkirk be-
eea 4 and 5 o'clock this morning.
NEUTi
WUC
GEO
A FATAL COLLISION
BETWEEN WARSHIP
AND AJESTROYER
8
An American Boat and an
English Vessel Ran To
gether Tuesday
FOUR KILLED AND
A NUMBER INJURED
Collision Caused Depth Bomb
to Be Discharged Com
mander of the De
stroyer Killed
Washington, March 21. One Ameri
can officer and three men were killed
aboard an Amerigan destroyer March
19, when the vessel collided with a
British warship, - the Navy Depart
ment announced today. i -A
A number of American sailors were
injured.
The destroyer was the Manlejfc A
depth charge on the Manley exj6"ded
when the vessels met. Both vessels
were aamagea. lieutenant Lommana-
er mcnara . MCaii moti:, jr., was
killed. His wife lives,!tn New "York
The explosion on board the de.
stroyer Manley whenthe- vessel col
lided with a British war ship "March
19, -killed the American commander
and three enlisted men sn&Twounded
11 others. Both ships were damaged.
In announcing the accident today
!Jurea were.
Richard S.
Gallmann, seaman,
Troth, S. C.
Electrician Edward C. Landwehr,
Elizabeth, N. J.
Charles Pierce, engine man, Lake
Crystal, Minn.
Fred Richard Lawson, engine man.
Orange, Mass.
Clarence F. DeChene, fireman, Jop
lin, Mo. -
Carl Cecil Russell, Stockton, Cal.
Albert Wallace Cecil, fireman, St.
Louis, Mo. ,
The following were slightly in
jured: Ralph H. Christie, yeoman, Calais,
Me.
John D. Mercer, seaman, New
Haven, Conn.
Joseph F. Gumm, fireman, South
Minneapolis, Minn.
JURY TO GET PITTS
CASE BY FRIDAY
Morganton, N. C, March 21. There
was little prospect at noon today
that the case of Garfield and Aaron
Pitts, charged with the murder of
Dr. E. A. Hennessee, would go to the
jury before tomorrow. M. N. Har
shaw, for the defense, occupied most
of the morning session in the argu
ment for the defendants. There were
seven more attorneys to be heard.
Arrive in Manchuria.
Peking, March 1$. The Japanese
ambassador and Chinese minister to
Russia, accompanied by a number o
Americans. Japanese and Chinese,
have arrived in Manchuria from Pe-
jtrograd. They were conducted to the
Chinese frontier by Red Guards.
Two British and three French de
stroyers were engaged with a force
of German destroyers which had pre
viously bombarded Dnnkirk for ten
minutes. Two enemy destroyers and
two enemy torpedo boats are believed
to have been sunk. Survivors haye
been picked up from two enemy tor
pedo boats.
"No allied vessels were sunk. One
British destroyer was damaged but
reached hftrbor. The British casual
ties were slight. There were no
French cssaltia-" ' 1
W 1JLMI
N
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA. THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1918
ML SECRETARY BAKER
raw .:L
USlUr & III LI A r-V ML
ANOTHER AMERICAN RAID.
With the" American Army in
France, Wednesday, March 20.
American troops in the sector
east of Luneville participated to
day in a raid on German trenches,
penetrating the enemy lines for
some distance. Hand to hand
fighting ensued.
The raiders returned to the
America nlines after about 40 min
utes. Further details are unavail
able at this hour (10 p. m.). The
raid was carried out. in conjunc
tion with French troops after a
brief but intense barrage. The
Germans retaliated with a heavy
fire of gas and high explosive
shells on the American batteries.
PART OF TRESTLE AT
NICHOLS DESTROYED
(Special to The Dispatch.)
Mullins, S. C, March 21 About
60 feet of trestle work at Lumber river
bridge, a mile from Nichols, was de
troyed by fire at an early hour this
morning. The passengers going to
and fronx Wilmington are being trans
ferred and it is likely that no trains
can get by till .some time tomorrow.
Whether the bridge was burned by in
cendiary or accident is not known, but
inasmuch as a wreck occurred at
Omohundro siding, three miles from
here a few weeks ago, people are su
spicious. GERMANY INCREASES
DEMANDS ON RUMANIA
Moscow, .Tuesday, March 19. Ger
many has increased her demands up
on Rumania and now asks" that Ru
mania surrender to the Central pow
ders all of. her own war munitions as
well as those left in Rumania by al
lied troops.
All the Entente ministers remain
in Jassy but will leave there if Ru
mania surrenders' the war munitions
to Germany.
HOUSE OVERRIDES
GOVERNOR'S VETO
Richmond, Va., March 21. The
House of Delegates this afternoon by
a vote of 61 to 20, passed a work-
men's compensation act over the veto
of Governor Davis. The Senate also
passed the measure and it will be
come a law. Governor Davis' objec
tion to the bill was that it carried an
appropriation of three paid commis
sioners. VILLA FOLLOWERS
DYNAMITE TRAIN
EI Paso, Texas, March 21. Villa
followers under Epifanio Holguin dy
namited and robbed a Mexico North
western mixed passenger and freight
train this morning at Santa Sofia, 110
miles southwest of Juarez, killing two
passengers and wounding 10, accord
ing to messages received here today
fand confirmed by the Mexican gen
eral consulate.
Special services were held in the
flags of two Western, units were op
ifiiiiii)i 1 iinm n iiiiimfMllP rlT
G
TON
FULL LEASED WIRE,SERV1C
S.
America's War Secre ; Fin
ishes His Inspection of
Troops at Front
REVIEWS BRIGADE
OF' FIRST ARRIVALS
Men Who First Went Over
Pass Before the Secretary
Who Addressed Officers.
An Inspiring Occasion
With the America Army in France,
Wednesday, March 20. (By The As
sociated Press.) Secretary Baker to-
day concluded his visit of inspection 'zlement.
, ,,,,4. I The verdict was a surprise to the
to the Amer ica n miUtojr zones in , but nQne defense
France with a trip which took Mm , .Wch n apparently, feared con
from the Verdun sector to ureatweaa-! AiCtion MajQr Peterson
won it with-
quarters and included a. review of one:6ut going on the stand and rested his
brigade of tbe first division, ch.defense Qn the irregularities, brought
he addressed as representaxive oi iue.QUt by crosg examination. Judge
whole army. The Secretary also vis
ited the birth place of Jeanne Of
Arc and made an incidental inspec
tion of the troops here and there over
the route which he traversed. To
night the Secretary departed to ful
fill nther asDects of his visit to!
France.
The brigade of the first division was
reviewed from a stage on 'a high
plateau commanding a wide panora
ma of one of the most sceAically beau
tiful parts of Frances It is reached
by a 'steep winding road from the
valley below. A 20-hours rain had
made it inaccessible by motor so the
Secretary and his party made the as
cent on foot, slipping and sliding on
the grassy mud. ' ' .
Just as they arrived at the stand
General Pershing and his personal
staff came acrftss the field and dis
mounted. The entire party then
joined the waiting division and bri
gade generals and their staffs.
A cold March wind and occasional
squalls of rain made the. scene more
impressive as Th ' bfigs4& va ' ull
marching equipment swept by at com
pany front, each saluting like clock
work, while bands played music which
swelled and softened in the gustv
wind. Secretary Baker lifted his hat
to each regimental flag as it was
lowered in salute and occasionally
spoke to General Pershing, who stood
beside him.
This brigade from the first divi
sion to put foot in France was com
posed of men seasoned in training un
der summer and winter skies and in
ured to mud and cold under all con
ditions of campaigning. They were
the first in the trenches an the first
to suffer casualties. Under the weight
of full field eauiDment from trench i
tool to extra tools, steel helmeted, tan- j
ned and fit. the soldiers stepped swing-
ingly through the sticky mud that j
was almost too much for the mules i
who drew the one-pounders and the
wheeled kitchens.
It was the first time .-fn entire bri
gade which had been in action had
been reviewed and the Secrteary com
plimented the general
commanding ;
and the colonels of the various units,
When the review was concluded the '
brigade and command officers as- j as . his name was arfnounced. Tho
sembled in a semi-circle and were pre-1 Secretary acknowledged each greet
sented in a body to the War Secretary I ing and when some acquaintance ap
by General Pershing in a brief ad-1 proached he added a personal word
dress in which he complimented their ; or two.
record of fitness and efficiency.
Secretary Baker, with bared head
in the cold wind, told the officers they
Army Nurses Bound for the Front
cnpel for vomea in New York on
- nsarea.
DlSFAT
10
IULIU3UI1 10
ACQUITED BY JURY
Verdict of Not Guilty of Em
bezzlement Returned in
Short Time
Raleigh. N. C, March 2l A ver
dict of not guilty was returned by the
jury in the case of . Major George L.
Peterson who has ben -on trial here
since Monday, charged with embez:
zling State funds during the time he
6erved a3 Paymaster general of the
iNorui uaronna liuara. The jury was
but about an hour. Major Peterson is
now on the quartermaster's staff at
Camp Jackson, Columbia. S. C.
j Verdict a Surprise.
(Special to The Dispatch.)
Raleigh, N. C, March 21. After a
solitary ballot and 20 minutes delib
eration, the jury in the Peterson case
returned verdict of not guilty today,
and the army officer wins complete
vindication on the charge of embez-
Stajy, ni charging the jury, made an
eloquent presentation of the law, and
in dismissing it urged it not to be
moved by extraneous matters. "Be
fair to the State and to the defend
ant," he said.
I iviajur rtJLt;rtun was uverwueiuieu
T with congratulations.
GENERAL WOOD IS
BACK FROM FRANCE
An- Atlantic Port, March 21. Ma
jor General Leonard. Wood and Major
General J. Franklin Bell, command
ers,, respectively, of the 89th and
77th divisions of the National Army,
arrived here today from- France on
a French steamship. General Wood
went abroad last December to study
war problems at first hand.
LENROOT CONTINUES
TO HOLD THE LEAD
Milwaukee, Wis., March 1. Re
turns in from the back woods district
overnight and so far toda did not
make . material change in the rela
tive standing in the result of Tues:
day's primary. With the vote com
plete in 22 counties and practically
complete from others. Lenroot todegr
had a lead of 2,328 over James
Thompson, the LaFollette candidate.
DECISIVE MOMENT
SAYS THE KAISER
London, March 2L "We are at the
decisive moment of the war, and one
nf the srreatest moments in German
history," said Emperor William in a
telegram to the Rheinisch Provincial
Council, according to a Central News
dispatch from Amsterdam,
were typical American soldiers and
said they were "the point of the
wedge of the army which the whole
American people is driving into the
ranks of 'their adversary.'
The officers then formed in line .and
each shook hands with the Secretary
General Pershing showed gratifica-
(Continued on Page Six.)
their way t FraaL&d, and the service
MR
ITCDOflM
UJtl
GERMANS OPEN A
TERRIFIC FIRE
THE BRITISH
E
A
No New Developments in the
Killing of Deaderick
by Hedge
Lexington, N. C, March 21. The
mystery surrounding the cause for
the killing of J. .Franklin Deaderick,
bank cashier of this city, by J. Gra
ham Hege, a prominent manufacturer
of Lexington, which occurred late
Tuesday afternoon at the home of
the latter, remained unsolved this
morning, but in a statement made in
his cell this morning Hege said that
he had a good reagg and would tell
it at the preliminary hearing, which
probably will be held next week. No
inquest over the death of Deaderick
will be held. Hege this morning, in
an interview, admitted that he
phpned from his home Tuesday at
noon to' Deaderick at the bank, tell
ing Deaderick he desired to see him,
but declared positively that he did
not ask him to come to the Hege
home. He added that he had more
than a month before forbidden Dead
erick to ever again enter his home,
and that he did not expect to come
there. Hege says he was at dinner
when Deaderick arrived at the Hege
home andyhe supposed Mrs. Hege ad
mitted Deaderick. He denies that
any harh words passed before the
shooting, saying they talked calmly
RED CROSS MISSION
REACHES MOSCOW
Washington, March 21. The Amer
ican Red Cross Mission to Roumania
which fled from Jassy to Odesa to
escape the advancing German armies,
nas arrived eaieiy at Moscow, acr
cording to advices received nere to
day at Red Cross headquarters. The
party, headed by Henry W. Anderson,
of Richmond, Va., consists of 20
members, mostly physicians and
nurses.
JAPAN TO FURNISH
SHIPS TO AMERICA
London, Wednesday, March 20
Renter's ' Tokio correspondent
graphs under dateo f Monday that the
Japanese commission having in hand
the question of furnishing tonnage to
the United States, met on Saturday
last.
"America's proposed charter rate,"
the despatch continues, "being one
half the local rate, it is understood
that counter proposals for a charter
rate to include insurance, evincing a
spirit of compromise, were drawn up
for ransmission to America."
Evacuating Russian Towns.
Petrograd, Wednesday, March 20.
Krementchug, Minamenka apd Ro
modan in Southern Russia are being
evacuated by government forces. A
Russian commission has left here for
Pskov to investigate reports of at
tacks on German troops.
A Sustained Bombardment.
Paris, March 21. There has been
an intense and sustained bombard
ment of the sectors north and south
east of Rheims, as well as on the
Champagne front, the War Office an
nounced today.
FINANCE BILL PASSES.
Washington, March 21. The Ad
ministration bill to establish a
war finance comporation was pass
ed by the House today, 369 to 2,
LEXINGTON
CD
REMANS
Km
AMERICAN FLAG IS j
TODAY FLYING OVER
77 DUTCH VESSELSi
Washington, March 21. The 600,
000 tons of Dutch shipping seized in
American ports last night on orders
from President Wilson will be put
into service, it was said today, as
soon as they can be made ready for
sea and loaded. The vesels will be
armed by the Navy Department.
Most of the vessels will go into the
trans'-Atlantic service, transporting
food to the Allies. Some unfitted for
cargo work may- be used as trans
ports. Reports to the Navy Department,
Secretary Daniels said today, showed
that the taking over of the ships pro
ceeded according to schedule and
without the slightest hitch.
The Navy Department will remain
in control of all the ships until their
final allotment has been decided. The
TODAYtllEWS
TODAY :
PRICE FIVE CEN
ON f i
LME
It May Be the Beginning of fjKj$
the Long Lxpected. Of
fensive TOWNS ON ENGLISH
COAST HEAR ROAR W1
, mm
Heaviest Artillery Fire of th6?!?! 11
War Wse 9fa-fo Utr tk H i :,J
War Was Started by tho i'i
Germans Early This Morn jrllvi
ing on Wide Front 'tffi
! '!
London, March 21. The German: lit
shortly before dawn this morning
began a heavy bombardment over
wide section of the British front, WlJ'fc
The statement follows: iv.S:-$-J
"A heavy bombardment was o'pen-
ed by the enemy shortly before dawn'1
this morning against our whole front'
from the neighborhood of VendeuiLilf J;
south of St. Quentin. to the riverf I I H
Scarpe.
"A successful raid was carried 'quC
by us last night in the neighborhood
ana tnree macmne guns were Drougnc ivfV:
back by our troops. Prisoners also.
were taken by us in patrol encoun- fcf?;.tv
ters southeast of Messines and in an-
other successful raid carried out by il
us south of Houtholest forest. !
The artillery action on the WeBt-KfSl'
ern front could be distinctly heard iirtl
i T-v J .11 J. iL. ' J. ft'-f-f-1 I
ni uover ana ouier lawns on tne eass.v.i
coast of England. The doors and win-- t' th
dows of the houses at Dover, for In- ii;-t I-.
stance, were continuously shaken
the heavy concussions.
Mm
The firing, which was the heaviest u
that has been heard In this district &'f
IV.
o'clock this morning and lasted
brief intervals until 7 a. m.
At Ramsgate, besides the sound off
cannonading, bright flashes werj.Hvf
seen at sea, while the vibration o H;,
the explosions shook the winflaw,
and dislodged "tiles from the roofs.1;.!
From Vendeuill north to the rivet
Scarpe is a distaao- of nearly 50'
miles, and the beginning by the Qerl j Vi
man artillery of a heavy bombard tv? H
ment alone this wide front may mean: ? t hi
that preparation for the much adver-!j!
Used German offensive in the West ;
has been begun. t
The preparatory work was about!
due to begin today if the advance ani
tele-;ounceent er b6akeat
fafce Jalue- ismg from the nm
vj. a, xa.j vji xv, en yai fcj vfc..
neutral correspondents had been tn-
vited by the German high council to.!"1
d iu. Tir i 4. tir.jr.. ' 5
day "to witness the offensive." Wif
xt la, ui wuisc, iiupussiuic iu oajr,
whether the preseh burst of artillery 4
fir on this frnnt means that, it iu
along thel ine indicated, or some'
wnere wiinin ils limits mau ids
heavy German blow, if one indeed
is coming, 'is to be struck. There is
the consideration that the bombard
ment in this particular area may bs
a feint, to cover a stroke In an alto
gether different sector. The most
natural conclusion, howeevr, is tbat
the drive Is to be made at &omO:
point in the area now under fire. - 2'
This area embraces most of the ter
ritory outside of Flanders, oren
which the British have been fljftthig,
sometimes alone and sometime In.
conjunction with the French, for the
last two years. It takes in, for liw Mi-
stance, the entire field of the battfcl,Vii ,
of the Somme, fought in the fall ot'jibl
evacuated by the Germans the-follow-ing
spring. j'
Within these limits also is the bat- ;
tlefield of Cambrai, where the BritlslX j:
and the Germans successievly woa-l
VltlUUCB -111 ictst ictii B UgUllUfi. V
tually all thfi territory fought oyeni
.in the ereat battle of Arras, dnrinr
'the spring of 1917, also lies in th h!S
area under DomDaramenx.
tank ships are expected to be added ?
to the naval supply ship for use la
carrying fuel to the oi lburning
sels of the navy. y ' I.
Although no damage has been don j
to the ships by their crews as In tha j
case of the German craft, naval en-;
gineers doubtles will be called upon i
to inspect each ) of the vessels to de
termine whether dry docking will De
necessary to repair the effects of, the
long wait many of them had in Amer j
ican harbors. , i
The Navy Department is unable to J
provide complete crews for the ships,,
it was stated today, but a neucleus ?orj
the engine room and deck forces Is ij
ready for each vessel. Additions to the ;!
crew will be made as rapidly as pos
sible. Civilian crews will be nut
aboard those of tbe ships which ara'
not to be sent into tne war zone.
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