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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Advocate, 1914-12-10, Page 3LODZ OCCUPII3D BY GERMANS 'Hindenburg, Starts a Third Advance in Direction of Warsaw 'f A : ele,spatch from Loddon says 'The Germans have occupied Lodz, according to an 'official telegram from Berlin received here. Besides its •commercial importance, Lodz is of strategical value as a railway ..o*ntre. Theosition of the city has. :been ciitioaort f ugh•1 for the last t , furious fighting !Having occurred in its environs on every side in the -course o£ the successive enveloping movements of the Russian ,and Ger- man .armies, Since General Mac- leensen succeeded in extricating the remnant of his ,army from the trap, the Germans have remained 'comparatively quiescent in their trenches near Lodz awaiting rein- forcements, :The arrival of fresh German forces evide'n'tly was the %signal for a new' ofFeneiv e, Itis thought here that Marshal von Hin- denburg will make .a third desperate attempt to hew a way through to- wards Warsaw. The uninterrupted progress of the Russian operations zn Galicia, looking to the invasion of Silesia and the march towards Berlin along••the banks sal the Oder, shows . that von Hinderburg's only elim hope of staying the Czar's ad- vance lies in repeated attacks on the Russian centre, rega,rdlcss of the appalling cost in "lives and War material, Lodz wa•s. ;subjected to a vicious iuttack and b•ombardnnent, according to Petrograd ,advices.. The heaviest fighting was, for the possession of a Jewish: ,cemetery on the outskirts of the city. This posi- tion ,changed. hands twice. As the result of many .attacks and counter attaoks, the German and Russian troops exhausted their aanmunition, but 'eontinued fighting with bayo- nets and rifle butts. The gas house in Lodz' was damaged, _ The suburb of Baluti was burned and three other outlyinrvilla•ges, were partly destroyed by fire caused by explode ing shells, Thirty citizens' were killed .and 200 wotincled, In Lodz fifty hiouoes and .a Catholic church were demolished. DE WET HAS BEEN CAPTURED The .RebA_ Leader flade Prisoner by Union Forces in South Africa • A despatch from London says: General Christian de Wet, leader of the rebellion in the Union of South Africa, has been captured, according to a Pretoria official de- spatch. Christian ode Wet rose to fame as commander-in-chief of the -.Or nge Free State forces in the South Afri- can War. Starting as a burgher in the Heilbron commando, he" later was. appointed commandant at Ladysmith and was sent to relieve Gen, Cronje as second inoomsnand. When General. Cronje surrendered De Wet was made commander -in •chief, He was one of the signator; ies of the peace conference after the war and Tater was Minister of Agriculture in the Orange- River Colony, Gen. de Wet oat the outbreak of. the present war offered a corps of South African' scouts to Lord Kit ch,ener. Later he -protested against the action of the Union of -South -.A•ix•ica in fighting the Germans, and took the field against the British forces. Gen. de Wet has several times. been reported as meeting with re- verses and once as having been wounded. One of his sons was killed in the fighting .and two sons surrendered under the ,Govern- ment's amnesty proclamation. A. despatch from London says : "Pale and haggard, but calmly smoking his pipe, Gen. Christian de Wet, the rebel leader, arrived at Johan ieshurg, guarded by; soldiers with fixed bayonets. He was taken through the streets, which were linedwith the excited populace, and placed in the fort, a prisoner, pending a probable court-martial. Whether he will be hanged as a traitor cannot yet be predicted. That same factions favor this, how- ever, is indicated by the tone of the national press, which urges the Government action against "those behind the scenes" who stimulated De Wet and other rebels to action. These co -.traitors, it is added, should be"brought to the shadow of the gallows. RAISE MOUNTED RIFLES. Montreal Will Supply 1,500 More Men for Overseas Service: A despatch from Montreal says : Instructions have • been received from Ottawa by Col. E. W. Wilson, 0.C., of the fourth military district, • to raise a regiment .of mounted rifles, less one squadron, and a battalion of infantry. This .means that Montreal will •supply about I,500. more volunteers for overseas service, and this will be a, part of the quota from this .city toward the 50,000 men Canada is to keep oon- stantly under training. Will Not Attack Servians. A despatch from London says: The -Bulgarian Government has issued an official denial to the' re- ports that troops were being Mass- ed' in the frontier distriets of Strumnitz and Kostendil ' . on the borders of Servia.. The report prob- ably arose from the rumors . that Bulgaria might take advantage -of the present plight of Servia to get revenge for the. humiliation she suffered after the second Balkan War. Emperor Francis Joseph .of Austria has bestowed the Grand Cross of the Leopold Order on Gen. Liborius von Frank for dis- tinguished 'service in the field. Gen. Frank commanded the forces which occupied Belgrade. Nineteen tthotisand Ser dan prisoners have beep taken since the Austrians be- gan the present offensive move- ment, according to a. report from` Vienna. Reports from German. sources assert that Servia's casual- ties since the beginning of. the war will reach about 100,000, or vir- tually one-third • of her entire strength. Drowning No Bother To Them. Old Gentleman (wlio had just fin- fished reading an account of a ship - 'wreak with loss of 'passengers and all hands)—Ha! I am .sorry for :the poor sailors that were drowned. F,,: Old ,Lady -Sailors 1 It isn't • the l; sailor,'•s the ;passengers I•' am rorty fir. The sailors are used to, ii..,.. BUYS 50,000 GASOLINE 'TANKS. They Will Be Used in Constructing Pontoon Bridges. A despatch from New York says : The Russian Government has pur- chased here 50,000 55 -gallon airtight gasolene tanks, at cost of approxi- mately $250,000, to be used in con- structing pontoon bridges intheir military operations, according to a statement issued by the manufac- turers. The tanks are of steel and are cylindrical in shape. • The first shipment is to. go for- ward next Saturday, it was said. The entire lot, under the terms of the contract,must be shipped not later than January 15, SIX MEN BILLED. Windows in Bradford Were Broken • b'y Lylilite Explosion. A •despatdh from Bradford, Eng- land, says A large stook of Lyd- dite exploded with a roar do Wed- nesday in .a chemical works near this city.' 'Six men were killed and many others injured. Hundreds of windows in Bradford and .•nearby' villages were broken. The people were in great ,alarm, some of them believing that the noise was the roar of guns of an invading German army. only One Survivor. A despatch from London says:- A sailor named Nielsen, :the Isola sur- vivor among ,seven who erscaped in a boat w,lien :the" Danish steamier Mary was blown up by a mine in the North Sea, was landed by a trawler which picked him up, He ,said his six companions died' from exposure. Seven of the' crew of the Mary who escaped in another boast have been •rescued, Contingent From. ,Newfoundland. A despattih from Salisbury, Eng land, says: The Newfoundland contingent have been assigned to Fort.George, Scotland, for garrison duty. Two hundred orsehave been ,stolen from the remount 'de pat. Warship Ashore Off Virginia Coast A despatch from New York Bays An unknown warship is reported around one mile off, the Vii zn a aground i g shore, Aix milers south of Oceaii City, IVL•aryland. A. high sea and aiorth-exist gale prevent ,assistaliee. bein,g`'xkendered. Assistance has been asked from the navy yard at. Norfolk, Observers nearest the vessel say she has four funnels and that they can see her fighting tops, It is believed to be the 1;+Tench cruiser Conde, TURK RUIU STRUCK A • INE` llainidieh Forced •!o Return to Con- staptinople in a Damaged Stets.. A despatch ° from London, ; a .e The Turkish p �• The urkish, cruiser H•amidieli has. struck a mine, and .returned to Con stantinople considerably ,damaged, according to the Russian official news agency's 'Constantinople ad- vices, These •advices ,say a.lso that, Russian warships have sunk eii; Turkish sailing vessels which were,. carrying war supplies. A despatch to the Havas Agency from Athens says that the cruiser Goeben, purchased by Turkey from Germany, is undergoing repairs of -the heavy daiiiage suffered in the ba•ttle'wrth:.a.•Rus,sian fleet in the Black Sea r Gently. The Goeben was 'struck by fifteen'shells from Russian ships, wwhichare said to have"ill k ed 126 ,members of her crew, besides destroying aturret, smdke-stack and ,engine, The • Goeben's sailons' who were killed jvere'•buriedin the garden of the 'Gennep Ambassador's summer residence at Therapia, a village eight mites north-east of, Con,atanti- nople, on the Bosphorus. Two - "thirds of the Goeben .s crew are .said to be Germans, and ':the remainder Austrians. A wireless despatch from Berlin nays that, w British submarine 'yes- terday tried to,' force a passage through the Da,rd.anelles, according. to a despatch from Constantinople to the •Frankfurter Zeitung.. The submarine's presence was .discover- ed, however, the message adds, and the vessel apparently was hit by shots fired by the Turkish forts. The Central News correspondent at Copenhagen says the following despatch has been received in the i?anish capital from Berlin "Forty British''and French w'a,r- ships are gathered outside (name deleted by censor) with the evident intention of forcing their way 'through. .This, (however, willbe impossible, as the ;fortifications have been greatly .strengthened and the water is thickly' strewn with mines." TO BUY 6,000 MOUNTS. Sir Allam Beck and Coinrnittee Con- fer with Minister of Militia. - A. despatch from Ottawa says The special eoinimitte.e on remounts, headed by Sir Adam Beck, is here conferring with the Minister of Mili- tia. in regard .to providing bases. There are to be twenty-seven squad - sane of 'cavalry, each with a strength of two hundred, and this will require about, i 6,000 mounts. They will be purchased througha•t t the country by the saame system as. was followed when the artillery horses were bought. The supply t promises to be fully equal to the re- quirements. GE 11 AN LOSSES APPALLING, Two-thirds of Their AMY in 1'olanil Put Out of Action. A despatch, from Petrobrad says: Nee here are.beginning to print numerous fragmentary ac- counts, derived from wounded ,sol- diers, of the recent fighting in Po- land, The ge ier•al impression from all sides is that the Vistula-�W:arthe fighting - .bas been incomparably rirtore severe than •anything experi- enced' before on any front during this war." The Germans earlyin the ,conflict christened it the "Imper- ial" Im er- `al"battle,p � for they had,been 'im- pressed by:highest authority that upon their success depende4 the whole -future of the war, and ps reward for their success they were promised that they would be dis- banded to their•homes at the con- clusion of the campaign, The character of the. fighting has come gelled the 'Germans to rely on their manhood. instead of their machin- ery, yet they still persist intheirmassed formation against rifle, maximi or bayonet. Their losses have been appalling. Experienced experts estimate that the Germans have lost' .two=thirds of their army in Poland, There' were several ori�tieal. moments during the fight- ing ght ing`'north of Lodz. One Russian division held its ground againsii two German army corps, and finally drove them back. As has been stated, bat for tire, tardiness of the arrival of one Russian ,army corps the battle would have ended in complete victory for the" Russians a week ago. As it was large numbers of the Germans got out'of the trap, and subsequent fighting has been a curious tactical .spectacle .with the Russians and Germans iri alternate strips covering a considerable• area of the Polish battlefield. The Ger- i/lent have alternated furious at- tacks with retreats, 44 111 ORE ARMY CONT1tACTS. Comforters, Underwear and Socks Among Articles Needed. A despatch from Montreal says : Canadian manufacturers are to benefit further by orders for equip- ment from the Imperial Govern- ment, Mr. Frederick Stobart, the British purchasing representative, .stating that he had received requi- sitions for goods, the value of which he estimated .at about a million and a half. dollars. The articles re- quired include sap comforters, cot- ton lnderdrawers, woollen under - drawers, socks and clasp knives. PUBLICATION OF DEATHS. 11Lrliti i.,i will Withhold' News Till Relatives Have Been Notified.. .A. despatch from. Ottawa says : Under an ,arrangement announced by the Militia. Department the next of kin of Canadian soldiers killed or wounded : will be' officially noti- fied of casualties before they are made public) in the press. The De- partznent�s view is that to learn he news through a newspaper is much more of a shock to friends -than to be- informed privately E •• '+ through official channels. ROSSES YSI3R ON RAFTS Plot Was Discovered by Allies and Scarcely one of the German's Returned A despatch from North-eastern France says: "Fierce fighting is tak- ing place along a considerable part of the battle line. The Germans anticipated the conderted forward movement' of the allies by making a spirited attack themselves. The. allies were not ,taken by surprise. `Never was an army more ready to defend itself. In the dark -hours of the morning a large force of Ger- mans crossed the, flood ,waters of the Yser by means of big, broad' ,rafts. The venture-. was a desperate one, for not a man who set out• on it could have been ignorant of the fact that death was: certainly await- ing him. The rafts- were • •punted - through the shallow waters in dead silence, and in utter .darkness. Each carried about fifty or sixty men apd some mitrailleuses, in preparation for the drawn, A••"further fleet of rafts drawn b.y motor boats ,was waiting on the German side bf"the muddy waters, but before dawn same the plot was discovered and when daybreak arrived the artillery of tkie allies met the advancing Ger- mane with' 'devastating effect. , In spite of their losses these Germans, brave even to madness, still essayed the crossing;' They were partly cov -ered by 'a heavy cannonade by their field artillery, and until raid -day the' Geiinan still persisted in their plan. Several rafts were ,upset in midstream by the fire of .French guns and a great number of Ger- mane were drowned as well as shot. Once again. the Yser .:olaianed its heavy; tell, once again German blood stain its waters crimson. The attack ,eventually ceased after the Germans had suffered immense .loss- es in men ands ittitrailleuses, but the artillery kept up a determined bombardment of theallied position, Meeting ,with a vigorous, well - directed reply. THL • SURPL USC CANADIAN AN oFFICE Two Hundred Are Returning to Join the Second Contingent A despatch from London says: for Canada under Col. Macpherson, It' itis understood that they will join the second contingent, which ap- parently has a shortage of oliieers. An officer' of high rank says nthat this step in no• way reflects upon the officers who •are returning, all 'being able men, Got W, Grant Morclen is paying a visit to Sir John French's headgtia•rters in Northern 1,+'rance, Private Runey, • r,f the Royal Grenadiers, Toronto' (Which regi- ment is now part Of the Third Bat- talion), while driving •a team, was run into by a .motor, and sustained a severe concussion of the brain. The surplus . Canadian officers sit the camps at Salisbury Plain, who have been anxiously waiting . for official' ' news from :Ottawa, have been notified that they cars •apply for temporary coinmis•sions in the British Army, wittout separation allowances or even the Canadian rates of pay, failing which they are to bold themselves in readiness to return to their regiments in Oanadta, at an early date. Some twenty will probably join Kitchener's aririy, bub the rest prefer to return to Canada. Arrangements have been made 'at Salisbury Plain for a body of about atwo hundred surplus 'oiiieets to sail: His condition is 'serious, GREAT GIFTS TO WAR FUND Pri ceiy Donations From Native ,States,' Which Ail Condemn Turkey's Attitude A despatch from Delhi' says; All the great native States of India have now ; expressed regret to the Viceroy that Turkey has joined. Germany GermanY in fightingEngland, uunder whose benign rule the Moslem has ,enjoyed perfect religious freedom;,, All the ruling Princes oouitinue to take the keenest interest in the war, They have now :subscribed about 2190,060 : to the Prince of Wales' Relief. Fund .and the Indian Relief Fund, and .approximately 8800,000 to the expenses of the war, This in- cludes £400,000 from the Nizam of Hyderabad, and 2330,000 from the Maharajah of Mysore. A further • ,sum of nearly :R30,060 hies: beers; given by the chiefs to provide motor cycles, telescopes and kindred' equipment, and $24,000•, has . been given by Maharajah Scindia of Gw•alior, who has also presented a motor .ambulance section, consist - lag of 41 oars, for the use of the troops in Europe, land is ,arranging for the establishment of aconvales- cent home in East Africa. Besides these gifts,- many of the 'chiefs, have, presented a large number of horsea,� nanles and carnels, and even their private motor oars. A hospital ship, which is splendidly equipped,, is another of their donations.' NIGHT RAID BY COSSACKS Seized and. Drove Off Over apo German Soldiers Forty of Whom Were Women A despatch from Petrograd says: One of the Don Cossacks, who has just arrived here wounded, and who received a commission for his daring work, relates how three score of them captured three hun- dred German cavalrymen, killed a number of others and found out much of interest for their oom- menders, in a night raid upon Czensbecliowa. The Germans have been in oocup:ation of Czenstoah- owa, which they seized in the first week of the war without opposition. These three score ' Don Cossacks were out scouting withspecial in- structions to find. out what was go- ing on in Czenstochowa. Riding quietly within about half a mile of the town, they divided into ten sec- tions of six niers each, and timing a concentrated movement, dashed into sleeping : Czenstochawo simul- taneou.sly from all sides. They killed a considerable number of startled Germans who knew not where tohide and ;created panic throughout the town. The Cossacks met in the centre of Czenstochowa and drove off before them to their own lines three hun- dred prisoners. When these same to be examined forty were found to be women dressed insoldier's uni- forms. A.11 this, says the Don Cos- •sack,' happened only, a few days ago: OVER 5,000 JEWS IN ARMY. Rabbi Adler of London Goes with Second • Contingent. A despatch from London says: The Times says, ...regarding the en- listments : of. Jews in the' British army: British Jewry is justifiably proud of t:he response made by its members to the call to . arms. On the outbreak of the war there were about 600 Jews in the regular army. To -day Rev. Michael Adler, Jewish Chaplain to the forces, is in posses- sion of the names of over five thou- sand of his flock, and many other names are pouring in. No fewer than 450 Jews hold commissions in the army and navy. These figures are very gratifying, as, allowing for the large number of Jews whose alien birth debars them from ser- vice, the total quota which Jewry should supply is about 3,200. Rab- bi Adler goes to the front with the second draft shortly. This is the first tine in history that a Jewish Chaplain accompanied troopsto the field. Many Germans Wounded. A despatch from London says : News reaches here that the Ameri- can Hospital at Munich already has had more than six thousand pa- tients, although it can accommo- date no more than fifty. The daily etieam of German wounded stir- passes,all the estimates yet .inade. CRUISER DISABLED IN STORM, Gale Plays He -roe with .Shipping on • atlantic Seaboard. A des,patch . from London says: The British cruiser Venus ran ashore in the storm, striking with full force. Her foremast and a portion of the bride were carried away by an enormous se•a, The ward:sip was running for a port in the' :south of England when the storm broke. Another' victim of the gale which raged along the eeest is an uniden- tified steamer which is ashore near Mersey. Three lifeboats have gone to her assistance. The Venus is one of the older British light cruisers. She was laid down in 1895 and has a displacement of 5,6'00 tons. the carries a 'com- plement of 450 men. • .H - POTENTIAL ST.RENGTII. England and Wales Have 5,000,000 Men Between 20 and 40 Years, A despatch, from • London says: The total male population of Eng- land and Wales available for mils- tarry purposes is estimated at 5,600,- 000 in the annual report of the Registrar -General of births, deaths and marriages. The Registrar's compilation gives the following fig-. ures-: Age 20-24, 1,502.652; age 25-; .29, 1,455,783; age 30-34, 1,375,872; age 35-39, 1,261,432. MaY Land a New Army atOstend A: despatch from Paris says: It hank. The Germans have been in - is %inof'licially reported that the., cessantly ,active at Zeebrugge and Germans have sent a new army of , rumors have been current for many 120,000. men to defend Zeebraigge •days th,at they are planning to at - and possibly Ostend. The renewal tack England with Zeppelins and of the bombardment of Zeebrugge submarines to be assembled at that by the British fleet, together with a' coast port. .It is said . that after report that Ostend is being shelled, losing several submarines from, the might indicate that the allies are bombardment of the British ships planning to land a new army of they took measures to protect the their own ,along the Belgian coast rent by submerging them in the and strike the Germans on the inner basin. Britain's Mastership of Sea Affiance. 'A despatch from Paris says: The Temps .says of the visit of King George: "The King's voyage touch- es us by the serene tranquility with which it was peeemplished. Great Britain, with a fine gesture, affirms her in.as,lership of the sen, Because German Submarines 'have succeeded gliding even to •:the coasts of 'Fraaace• and Ireland, British naval power is not ,affected •any more than bombs thrown by, a Taube can di- niinish the worth of our army. At hisn own hour a d on his own diiy, despite t:he.wind blowing a tempest, the Xing of England -traverses the sea with a security which ,disdains even to conceal the voyage and scorns any ti sitorous attack which "the journey might 'suggest t•o the enemy. King George's visit will appear to our enemies: and to all peoples who know that their cods - tette 'depends on the issue of .the war, as 0 fresh manifestation of the close solidarity uniting the ,allies." 500 Soldiers Blown Uby -Shells A despatch from London nays How 500 French troops were betray- ed b 0 e is told in despatches` 3 p1 p from Dunkirk. The French soldiers were sleeping in a ehurcli ,at Lam- pernisse. A spy in some way gained access to the belfry, and displayed lights wnhiolt notified the German artillery of the presence of the troops, . bombardment imrnedi. ately folieeted, arid, the exact range being•Icnown to e enemy, the ` sleeping men, before they could snaketheir lesoape, were cut to pieces by exploding shellswhich also set fire to the straw on which. they had been lying, 4 A 1 4