Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ITS* .. • • 1 * P4 v^- HIES 11POII / '' —— MITIEI iEIIEI 1A11E1 STIR IT IWWIT KfS, H. DESTROYS 15 SHIPS FIREWORKS MAKE UGHT GERMANS USE NOVEL ILLUMINA- ! TION IN POLAND. Bvadliig Hostile Warships for Eight -I Moqths Converted Cruiser Kron- prfaa Wilhelm Slips Past Cordon of Ships Off Coast of Virginia Asks Help. Tha German converted cruiser Kronprlhz Wilhelm, another of those elusive raiders of commerce in the South sees, slipped into the harbor of Newport News, Va., Sunday and ask ed for fuel and provisions. Many times reported destroyed, the former North German Lloyd liner evaded hostile warships for eight months while she sent fifteen mer chantmen to the bottom, and her of ficers says she was forced to steal her way through a fleet of four allied cruisers oft the coast in order to reach the refuge. “We got in without being seen by the enemy, and we can get out the same way,” declared her command er, Lieut. Capt. Paul Thierfelder, for merly navigating officer of the Ger man cruiser Kirlsruhe. When she ancholed off Old Point the Wilhelm had less than twenty- five tons of coal and scant provisions for the crew of 600 men and 61 pris oners from British merchant ships sunk in the South Atlantic. , 'Of the fifteen ships that the drab- painted 16,000-ton cruiser came with with a record of capturing, fourteen of them sunk, nine were British, four French and one Norwegian. The Brit ish ship Chasehill, captured, was al lowed to proceed, taking to shore more than 300 prisoners from pre vious raids. The value of these ships and their cargoes officers of the Wil helm estimated at $7,000,000. Since she slipped out of New York harbor, August 3 last, as a German merchant and passenger steamer, the Wilhelm never touched land and took 960 prisoners from various vessels destroyed. Most of these were sent to South American ports on German ships which met the raider in response to wireless calls. The 61 now on board, who will be landed, are British sail ors taken from steamships Tamar, de stroyed March 25, and Coleby, de stroyed March 27 last. The toll of destruction credited to the Prlns Wil helm included the following vessels: Destination and cargo of vessels sunk by the German auxiliary cruiser Kronprins Wilhelm: British steamer Indian Prince, Capt Gray, from Bahia for New York with coffee and cocoa and five passen gers. Thirty-two officers and men. Sunk September 4, 1914. British steamer Lacorrentlna, Capt , from LaPlatte for Lon don rlth five 6,600,000 pounds meat. Twenty-six passengers, 95 offlesrs and srew. Sunk October 7, 1914. French bark Union, Capt. Gregorle. from Port Talbot for Valparaiso with 3,100 tons coal. Twenty-four officers and crew. Sunk October 28, 1914. French bark Anne deBritagne, Capt. Picard, from Fredrlkstad for Sydney and Newcastle with cargo wood. Twenty-four officers and crew. Sunk November 21, 1914. British steamer Bellevue, Capt. Robertson, from Liverpool for South America with 4,000 tons coal. Sunk December 4, 1914. Thirty-four offl- eers and crew. French steamer Mont Agel, Capt. , from Marseilles Tor South America, in ballast. Thirty-two offl- eers and crew. Sunk December 4, 1914. British steamer Hemisphere, Capt. —. from Hull for Rosaric, with 5,000 tons of coal. Twenty-six offi cers and crew. Sunk December 28, 1914. British steamer Potario, Capt Liverpool for South America, in ballast. Forty-seven officers and crew. Sunk January 10, 1915. British steamer Highland Brae, Capt. , London for Beunos Aires, with meat and shoes. Fifty passen gers and 91 officers and crew. Sunk January 14, 1915. British schooner Wilfred M., Capt. Parks, St. Johns for Bahia, with fish and potatoes. Seven officers and crew. Sunk January 14, 1916. Norwegian sailing ship Semantha, Capt. Halversen, Linnton for Fal mouth, with cargo wheat. Twenty- three officers and crew. Sunk Feb ruary 5, 1916. French passenger steamer Guada- loupe, Capt. Jasseau, Beunos Aires for Bordeaux, with general cargo. One hundred and forty-three passen- gflera. One hundred and fifty officers and crew. Sunk February 23, 1915. British steamer Tamar, Capt. , Santos, for Savre, with 68,000 sacks coffee. Thirty-three officers and crew. Sunk March 25, 1915. British steamer Coleby, Capt. Crighton, Rosario for St. Vincent; with cargo wheat. Twenty-eight offi cers and crew. Sunk March 27, 1915. The Boflsh steamer Chasehill' was stopped February 22, T915, and after privisions had been reauisitioned by the German cruiser, she was allowed to' proceed with 3 dp prisoners trans ferred to her from the Konprinz Wil- helta. n Surgeon^ , Go to Nish. Groat Britain and Franfie are send- g many military surgeons into Ser- a to IJght typhus. .-Thirty English surgeons already _ have arrived in Nteh. Fifty French physiciana ar rived Saturday, and fifty morn are expected shortly. Bomb Wrecks Bulldiag. * An explosien, believed by the po- Mee to have been caused by a bomb, wrecked the seven-story cooling building of the Csdaky Packing com- r'a plant at Kansas City, Russian Batteries An Located by Re flection Huge Sky Rockets Which light Whole Country. Details of a novel and spectacular kind of night attack by the Germans, the chief feature of which is an Illum ination of the whole zone of artillery fire by a vivid pyrotechnic display re sembling an Independence Day exhib ition, have been brought into Warsaw by Russian soldiers from the Bzura front. This device Is usually em ployed on cloudy nights, when the moon and stars cannot be depended on to travel the positions of the Rus sian guns. The Germans appear to be relying more and more upon this device for acquainting themselves with the dis- position # of the enemy’s forces, since on account of the protection'given by Russian aviators, German aeroplanes have been unable to fly low enough to be of much service as scouts. Batteries only partially screened by clumps of trees • or placed with little hope of effective concealment, behind rocks or in natural 'depres sions in the ground apparently have been unnoticed by the aortal scouts who found it advisable in most cases to keep to an altitude of 2,000 feet or higher. The failure of those rec onnaissances has been well proven by the misdirected fire which has follow ed in tho evening when the Germans have wasted their shells upon unim portant points in the enemy’s line. The aerial Illumination has been undertaken with more success. Com ing as a prelude to a heavy bombard ment i*. is intended to accomplish the double aim of revealing the Russian batteries and dazzling and distract-' ing the enemy in their offorta to re ply. First a great number of rockets are set off, shattering themselves against the sky. While tho sky is still glow ing with this radiance larger and more powerful explosives follow the rockets, bursting into fiery balls of red and white which hang for a mom ent motionless over the Russian pos itions. In this glare every gun and gunner, every detail of the landscape shows up as clearly as in daylight Some of the balls of fire fall upon clumps of tres, and to the brightness overhead is added tho lire of burning wood. Tho scene, according to the Rus sian soldiers, is an extraordinary one. Gunners working In comparative darkness leap with startling sudden ness into a flaming picture which lasts for a moment and is then blot ted out. The broken enfth of tbe trenches, tho tarnished metal of tbe guns, the dirty, trampled snow and the sand-colored uniforms of tbe sol diers which, in daylight from a dull and neutral picture, catch strange tints from the German fireworks. In a few seconds the illumination fades and the trenches and batteries are again in darkness but in this time the German gunners have been able to get their range. After a verification of the enemy's positions by the use of powerful searchlights, there follows the crackle of machine guns and the booming of tbe heavy artillery. ttoir OfJOVINK imcn mu if tk cioi» if minim vilieli NEVER TOUGHED UNO SHOOTS OFF MOUTH. Philadelphia Lawyer Tells *How This State "Lynches’' Negroes. Release on habeas corpus of Fred erick Brown, a negro, held in Phila delphia for extradition to South Caro lina to answer to a murder charge, was sought in the United States Su preme Court on the ground that a constitutional guarantee of a fair trial is a dead letter in South Caro lina eo far as negroes are concerned. “Public sentiment is such in the State of South Carolina that negroes may bo lynched in the most horrible manner and their bodies distributed as souvenirs,’’ the brief filed with the court declares. “These atrocities go unpucis^ie^, for the reason that no jury could be found to convict those guilty of the offence. It is the un written law that if a negro is so un fortunate as to kill a white man he tnay be killed or lynched as an out law by any one who has the time to indulge in the diversion.” Brown was denied a writ in the Pennsylvania courts. $120,000 TO COKER COLLEGE. Founder Gives Another Large Sum to Hartsville School. Mxj. J. L. Coker of Hartsville has announcqdJto .the board of trustees of Coker college, Hartsville, which he founded, an additional gift by him to the Institution of $120,000, imme diately available, $100,000 of which is for a new building, $10,000 for its equipment and $10,000 for equip ment of laboratories in chemistry, phymes and biology. Big Fire in Bainbridge. Fire that started in a barn late Friday afternoon destroyed thirty- five homes, three negro churches,, a _ , •* hiK co^operage-pinnt and-tha oal^ icfi-llP^ttering of the^]re^ess pn the Brit- Commerce Raider Stayed Out for 2S8 Days—Captured Two .Guns Off British Ship—Slipped Through En emy Ships Standing Guard Off - ■ - % '• ■ • New port News. The second German raider to ar rive in this country brings as thrill ing a story as did her precedessor, the Eitel Friedrich. Her record of de struction, however, was accomplished with only four guns, two taken from the German cruiser Karlsruhe and two captured from the British mer chant steamer Lacorrentlna, sunk Oc- tobe 7, 1914. The most connected story of the voyage from New York, 255 days in all, during which the ship never touched land, was told by Over Lieut. Alb Warneke, the first officer. “We left New York August 3,” said Lieut. Warneke. “Three days out, off the Bermudas, we met the German cruiser Karlsruhe. We took from her two 3-lnch guns, which we mounted. Lieut. Capt. Thierfelder, navigating officer of the Karlsruhe, took command of our ship. We also took 17 of the Karlsruhe’s junior of ficers and men. “We made for the South Atlantic and tbe first ship we encountered was the British steamer Indian Prince, which we sunk September 4, 1914. I want to say that Sir Edward Grey, the British premier, has been kind to us ami that if Great Britain bad been organized as well as we were to pa trol the South Atlantic we never could have remained alive these many months. “Sir Edward Grey sent us those two big guns on <0ir after-deck. He sent them to us on the British Lacor- rentina on October 7. The Lacorren- tina could not use her guns because 1 she didn't have any ummunition. Af ter we took the guns and what of her cargo we wanted, we put some bombs Into her and down she went. Some of the merchanUshtps we sunk with our own guns, some we blew up with bombs and in some cases we were compelled to ram the ships. We took on board from enemy ships during our voyage more than 20,000 tons of coal. “We made the uniforms for all our crew from cloth which we captured from the French steamship Guada- loupo February 23. We wanted dark blue, but could only find this gray blue, and so you see we are strange looking German sailor men to-day. From the Ouadnloupe ws also got shoes, leather and thousands of dol lars' worth of things which were on their way for the French army.” Lieut. Warneke was asked If the Kronprinz Wilhelm had not hoped to get help from the German steamer OdenWnld, which was held up by the United States at San Juan, Porto Rico, several weeks ago. He made no direct reply to the question, but declared that the action on the part of the United States in denying clear ance to the Odenwald was "the worst thing America hod done.” "Why did you Americans not give clearance to the Odenwald?” he ask ed. "We heard all about It by our wireless. We didn’t need any news papers. We had good wireless ap paratus aboard all the time. The de nial of clearance to the Odenwald was the only bad thing America has done. You simply held that ship up in Porto Rico until the British ships could come and try to catch up.” Lieut. Warneke said that moat of the one thousand sailors and passen gers taken from British and other allied ships were sent from time to time by German ships to Beunos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuco and Santos. Three hundred and sixty from the French steamer Guadaloupe were sent ashore at Pernambuco. Several weeks ago, the officer said, the I'rlnz. Wilhelm was getting short of coal and supplies and some of her crew and prisoners were afflicted with keri-beri, caused by the lack of vegetable food. I had hoped to get supplies from the German ship Mace donia, which was reported to have escaped from Las Palmas. Thia. ves sel, they learned, however, had been captured by British ships. This hope gone, they steamed north and were in touch with events transpiring re garding the Prinz Eitel Friedrich. It was reported that the Wilhelm’s original destination was New York, but that warnings were given not to attempt to make that port. Although officers would not admit it, the Wil helm is declade to have been wait ing for out in the ocean off Newport News until the Eitel Friedrich was interned. As soon as this news reached her she was ordered to creep in through the allied ships off the Virginia coast should they remain there. . That four allied ships were off the Gapes was asserted by several of the Prinz Wilhelm’s officers. One of them declared they were so close that the plant in Bainbridge, Ga. estimated at $150,000, The loss is r Plenty on Hand. State ure food tags bearing a face value of $225,000 were burned at the Alabama^cspitpl at Montgomery, Ala., Saturday. These tags would have lasted 1,000 years. Father and Son Killed. • Farley Maxwell and his 5-year-old son were killed near Tuscaloosa, Ala., S Friday when Hie automobile In TcTTBey~wsre rfatn* wenrb»«r to embankment. ^ 11- Netherlands Enter Proteat, Germany concerning the sinking of the Dutch steamer Medan, which was of Banchy Head March 25 by U-ll. ‘*.-41 / r, m , On December 12. Jut u oar coal snp- ‘ ragain was running short, wo took an of tho British sttamer llevue, with 4,000 tou of coaL Our next prise was the French steam er Mont Agel. She wu empty, and after transferring her crew to our ship we sent her to the bottom. On December 28 we captured the British steamer Hemisphere and from her secured 8,000 tons Of coal. “Our next capture wu tho British steamer Potaro, which we sent down on January 10. This vessel wu in ballast. On January 14 we came up on the British steamer Highland Brae. In addition to a crew of 9i, this steamer had aboard fifty-one passengers. We took what we want ed from her, transferred the crew and passengers to the Wilhelm and sent the steamer to the bottom. On the same day we overhauled the Brit ish sailing ship Wilfred M. She was loaded with fish and potatoes and from her wq secured many provi sions. “The Norwegian sailing ship Se mantha, the only neutral ship we sank, was overhauled on February 3. This ship, we were told, had on board a cargo of wheat consigned to the British army and navy, and we sent tier down because she was carrying contraband of war. On February 22 we captured the British steamer Chasehill, and after taking coal and provisions from her we put about four or five hundred prisoners on her and tpld her captain tp ta ce them to the nearest port. We left her food and coal enough to make port and before putting the prisoners aboard fitted up sleeping accommodations for them. She was a freight steamer, but we made a regular passenger liner out of her. “While we were transferring coal to the Wilhelm the French passenger steamer Guadaloupe, with a crew of 153 men and officers and 143 passen gers, came up and we took her in charge. These prisoners were also placed aboard the Chasehill, and af ter taking what we wanted from the Frenchman we sent her down by op ening her seacocks. We did not sight any more ships until March 24, when the Royal Mall Line steamer Tamar,' bound from Santos to Havre, was overhauled off the Brazilian coast. We took off the 33 officers and men and sent the ship to the bottom. Four days later we captured the British steamer Coleby, which was bound from Rosario to St. Vincents. The crews of the last nam ed two ships we now have aboard.” Describing the daah of the Wil helm Into Hampton Roads, the officer said: "After we had arrived off the Vir ginia Capes, a little to the north. I thing, we turned due west and put on all possible steam. We started about 7 o'clock Saturday evening. From that time until 4 o'clock Sun day morning we ploughed the sea at a rate vigorously estimated from 23 to 25 knots.* All lights were out and it was an anxious Urns for us. AH hands were on dock and the crews at the guns. We had newt of the in ternment of the PHns Eitel snd we judgod that the enemy ships off the Capes might not be so vigilant. We heard that some of the ships had steamed south, but as we got nearer the wireless told us that they were still in this vicinity.” TO WITH) ARMS I sums SDifittT lEBTIUm mi m 11 n hot OUR REPLY IS READY Ish and French warships could be heard. The signals from four of them were plainly heard, he declared. Prinz A member of the crew of the Wilhelm, who formerly was In the United States navy, declared the ship witnessed an encounter between the Karlsiuhe and the British cruiser Bristol. “When off the Bermudas,' he ss’d, “the British cruisers Bris tol, Suffolk and Berwick came up and we were forced to run. While’the Karfkruhe was engaging the Bristol! we were steaming straight away. “We never heard from the Karls ruhe alter thaf, -except*crawr Onr last message from her told us that the Bristol had been damaged and was making for some port for re pairs. Tha message said -the Karls ruhe bod been only slightly damaged and that bo one had bean “O-i November 21, we BODY IN BARREL. New York Police Find W Hod Been Killed by Blows. New York police ore confronted with one of the most mysterious mur der cases of recent years after the discovery of the body of a woman un der i pile of stones In a vacant lot In Rosedcle avenue, the Bronx. An autopey revealed that the woman, who was about to become a mother, had been killed by axe blows on the head She was foreign born and wore a wedding ring. Hoops and staves from a broken barrel found near the body and the close proximity of the New Haven railroad tracks caused the police to work on the theory that the woman had been murdered at some distant poinv and her body packed In a bar rel. CAN GET DYESTUFFS. British Ships Will Not Molest Goods Bought Before March. American merchanta and importers have been invited by the state depart ment in a circular letter to aend in for f ubmission to the British embassy proofs that goods purchased in Ger many, and now in transit or awaiting shipment, were paid for before March 1. The embassy has given assurances that on the production of such proof goods will not be Interfered with by allied warships. , It is understood that vast quanti ties of merchandise, including dye- stu:s, for lack of whicn American textile factories are on the verge of shutting down, will be released for shipment as soon as proof of their purchase before March- 1 is submit ted. Working on Submarine. Tho following cablegram from Rear Admiral Moore at Honolulu has been received at tho navy depart ment: “Work preparatory to raising submarine F-4 progressing. Taking time for safety, but wasting none. Diver Agraz, a depth of 170 feet, thinks ho saw F-4 below him. Have two lines to her.” •Threatened by Forest Fires. Whitley and Bauer, two towns In Pulaski county, Kg.., were threatened Friday and Friday ’night by forest fires that already have caused thou sands of dollars of damage to owners of timber, according to a report from Steards, Ky. Bubonic Plague id Habana. Two- coses of bubonic plague and onw death at Havana were reported Saturday to the public health service. Tha official bacteriologist of ths Cu ban government has been placed in charge of the sltaatlon. TO 'l > r Embassy Would Hem Unde Sam Stop Sale of Anns to AIHee or Ship Foodstuffs to Teutons—Urge Export of Arms ns Lever to Uphold Naval Rights. Germany bos sent to the United States a note complaining that the latter has accomplished nothing in its diplomatic correspondence with the allies to obtain for American export ers the right to ship foodstuffs to the civilian population of a belligerent country. The communication inti mates also that the United States has virtually acquiesced in the British order In council prohibiting com- mercs with Germany. In vfew of these considerations Germany calls attention to the fact that the allies dally are obtaining large shipments qf arms and ammuni tion from dealers in the United States, and declares that the Ameri can government, while Insisting on its legal right to ship arms to bellig erents, does not with equal energy pursue its right to ship foodstuffs and non-contraband articles to the civil ian population of Germany. The note urges that, irrespective of ths formal aspects of the question of shipping arms to belligerents, the spirit of neutrality should be observ ed. In support of this contention i quotation is cited from President Wilson's address to congress on Mexi can affairs in August, 1913, wben he said: I shall follow the best practice of nations in the matter of neutrality by forbidding tbe exportation of arma or mucitions of war of any kind from the United States to any part of the republic of Mexico—a policy suggest ed by many manifest considerations of practical expediency. We con not, in the circumstances, be partisans of either party to the contest that now distracts Mexico, or constitute our selves the virtual umpire between them.” Officials of the state department have begun the prepiratlon of a re ply. Tbe complaint that neutral countrtqp had submitted to the in fluence of the allies in connection with the right to ship conditional contraband has been made before by Germany in her diplomatic notee— 1 this being cited by the German for eign office as one of the reasons for proclaiming a submarine war sons of the waters surrounding Great Britola and Ireland. The United States de nied In its reply then that it had been silent on the question and call ed attention to its diplomatic notes to Orest Britain dealing with the sit uation. It is understood that the rfply to the present complaint wlU deny vig orously that this government has ac quiesced in any way to the order in council, and probably will refer to the last note sent by the United States to Great Britain arguing at length in opposition to the viewpoint of tile allies on the blockade qae»- tion. As for the utterances of the presi dent on the shipment of arms into Mexico, officials in Washington hold that the Mexican situation constitutes a special case, in no way comparable with the relations between the United States and the European belligerents. Officials point out that the president said in the same address to congress. I deem it my duty to exercise the authority conferred upon me by the law of March 14, 1912, to see to It that neither side tq the struggle now going on in Mexico, receive any as sistance from this side of the bor der.” There is no law by which the presi dent of the United States, it was de clared, could exercise the same au thority, even if he were desirous of forbldoing the exportation of arms to all belligerents, as to do so without authority from congress would be un constitutional. The viewpoint of the American government has been from the outset that Its position with respect to the Shipment of arms has been enforced impartially as to all belligerents, and Secretary Bryan’s letter to Chairman Stone, of the Senate foreign relations committee, discussed this point, con- ten led that if the Germanic allies were unable to enjoy the same advan tages as to the delivery of arms into their country, this was due to the naval superiority of Great Britain and not to any circumstances over which the United States had any con trol. Article 6 of gfbup 5 of tha Jopa- oe demand on China—an oftiele which. It is pointed oat Is Peking, Chins, may he rogardod by British as transgressing on their railway concee- ■lonc and railway pledgee received from China—was reached' st tho con ference Saturday between tho Japa nese minister to Chinn, Mr. Htoki, and Peking government officials. Article 6 of group 5 reads: “China agrees to Japan’s right to build a railway connecting Wu Chang with Kiu Kiang and Nan Chang; also a line between Wu Chang and Haag Chow and a line between Nan Chang and Kico Chow.” Influential Japanese have been suggesting for many months that British capital and Japanese enter prise for railways and other develop ments in China be combined. Brit ish capitalists, however, so far hnvo failed to respond to the idea. The British press in the Orient is unsparing In its criticism of Japan. The North China Daily News recently styled Japan’s demands on China as a "dirty trick.” Those foreign advisers who believe than Japan Mare not em ploy force are prevailing with Presi dent Yuan Shi Kal for tho time bring. The stiffer attitude which the Chi nese began to display Thursday was continued at Friday's meeting. For eign Minister Lu Chong Hsiang re fusing to discass articles 4, 6 and f of group 5, despite, it is said by Chi- neso officials, definite threats on the part of Japan. Article 4 of group 6 proposes that “China shall purchase from Japan a fixed ret la of the quantity of moni tions of war—say about 50 per cent, or Japan shell establish in Chins a jointly worked arsenal, Japanese technical experts to bo employed and Japanese material to be purchased.” Foreign Minister Lu Cheng Hslnag ag.Mn qsked that discussllon regard ing the Manchurian group be con cluded The Japanese minister re plied that he was without Instructions in this regard from Tokio. There seems to be no doubt now In Chinees and foreign circles that the Jap are deliberately maintaining the churtnn group open. “In Japanese newspapers published In China and otherwise the Japanese are striving to impress the Chinese that tho Iriker's hope in Americas as sistance wfn be anvalUlsag-; ... .as sistxnce will be unavailing, it . declared that Japan has know that the American govern: not Interfere. The Japanese also are arguiag ri lelalty and la the prom that a China Japanese combination, meaning as alllaaeo, will otrengthoa China. Carranza Claims Victory. Victory for the Carranza forces commanded by Gen. Obregon at Cela- ya is claimed in dispatches from Car ranza sources. The - losses of the Villa army, which was reported re treating northward, was estimated at 3,000 killed and wounded. Bulgarians Were Responsible. Bulgarians were responsible for the raids on Serbiaff and Greek soil a week Ago, despite the denials of the Bulgarian government. This is the gist of the official dispatches from Nish to the Serbiah legation govern ment at London. Voce by MaiL . The Iowa Senate SatnrdaA^pawed a bill allowing absent voters to-send their ballots to their home precincts by mail. Tbe blit now goes to the governor < Tim Seward-Falrbenks route selected for the government rail way in Alaska, Secretary Lana an nounced recently. The property of the Alaska Northern railway com pony from Seward to the first stage of the ourney has bom parchseed for $1.1»0,000. The government system, the state ment adds, will Include a tS-mlie branch to tap tha Matonnskn coal fields. W. C. Edes la designated as chairman of tho Alaskan engineering comm lesion which will build the road by tne president's order. Tha esti mated cost of tho entire system la given at $26,800,000. Congress pro vided sot to exceed $35,000,000. Secretary Lane said construction work would begin at once and that probably 40 miles of tho extension of the Alaska Northern from Ship Crook would be completed this year. Con struction will be carried on under contract, Indlvldaal contractors building separate sections. TAKE MAIL BAGS. British and French Craieers Confis cate German Mail Seeks. British and French cruisers, ac cording to advices received at Balslo, Switzerland, have taken from Italian mail steamers 2,300 bags of German mail addressed abroad. Bags coming from abroad intended for Germany will be treated in the same way and confiscated. That course, it was understood, was taken in response to Gernaany’s submarine war against non-combatant merchant and passenger ships. British warships recently seized on a Norwegian vessel confidential let ters forwarded by the German chan cellor to Count von Bernstqrff. Oil man ambassador to the United States. PEACE TALK IS ONLY RUMOR Neither Bryan Nor Bernstorff Know of Finns by Berlin. Published reports that Germany had piesented peace terms to the United States attracted attention in official Washington, but both Secre tary Bryan and Count von Bernstorff, thefterman ambassador, denied there was nny foundation for such rumors, ■r. “There is nothing ..dsfiaD* or in definite,” aeid Mr. Bryan about the peace talk, “ been nothing new on the subject for a const German embassy otfl to comment on whether terms as published many's views at ing that nothing aahject had bet