Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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r ‘ % m. 6ERMANS GAINING TAKE IMPORTANT TOWNS FROM BRITISH INJLANDERS FRESH TROOPS TURKS ANI BUliARS FNHT OVER THE SPOILS OF WAR l^arge Part of Messine* lUdgo Carried lly Storm After Collapse of l>e- fense in ftaitieul, WulviM’ghem and Wytsehaeto—-Cei-mans Try Pincer Tactics in Effort to Drive. British Prom High (hound. ■ Germany’s mighty effort on Abe battle field of Flanders has won new successes. According to the latest re ports the important strategic towns of Bailleuil, Wulverghem and Wyt- schaete are in German hands and more important still, the Teutons nave carried a large part of Mes- rines Ridge by storm. Probably there has been no more bitter struggle during the war. than that waged along the baltile line through the tow ns of liaileuil, Xeuve Eglise, Wulverghem and Wytsehaete. Xeuve Eglise was taken Monday, bu.t Bailleuil held out until fresh masses of German troops were hurled into the fray and charged repeatedly on the tired defenders. The same story might be told of Wulverghem and Wytsehaete while the battle of Msa tin es Ridge must have been frightful in its intensity. The Germans have not attempted to advance their wedge farther iatp the British lines for do new attacks oa Mervill# and farther west have been reported. They havg devoted their sole attention to the work of widening ont the salient and striking at Mesa!met Ridge and the railroad ranaimg a boat ala miles north $f silleul Meaaines Ridge Is the hey to the Ypres section Tim sac cesses of the Germans In the last day have an Important hear- Qg on the campaign on the northern battle front It they are con tinned * here* meat ha n British retirement f'em Ypres and poaalhly for seme distance farther north, while the «siting of the railroad paaatag thraagh Haaehroarh weald ha atlll mere aadaas for the British. he Importaat are the petals waa by the Germans that the Nrttleh uaat he esparted ta oenaterattarh at t•ace m aa effort to sweep the la- heck late the lee leads Disagreement Leitfi* to (lashes Which May .Result Bcrlously^- Kaiser With Turks. Fighting is reported to have devel- ad between Turkish and Bulgarian forces over rival claims to territory. Count Helffefich, German vice chan cellor, has been summoned from the east for a conference at great head quarters with the kaiser, Luden- dorff and Hertling. > News of the break between Bulga ria and Turkey was received in di plomatic dispatches Tuesday. Tur-’. key is demanding the immediate ces sion to her of the strip of territory which, she. was obliged to disgorge at the close of the Balkan wars. Berlin, according to the informa tion at hand here, is siding with Tur- key^ The gravity with which the Wilhelmstrasse looks upon the out look among her eastern alli» s is evi denced by the conference called at great headquarters on this far-away political incident in the midst of the most critical moments of |he great drive on the wrest front. A -fresh revelation of the deep na ture of the peace with Rumania is also disclosed in dispatch. According to the treaty, the Dobrudja. most fertile of Balkan provinces along the Black Sea on both sides of the Dan ube mouth, is ceded, to (he central empires—Germany and Austria—de spite that it does not border on their territory. Bulgaria entered the war largely In hope of getting a slice of the Dob rudja. where some of the best orien tal tobacco In the world Is grown Now Berlin Is withholding the ces sion of her iwwarg to order to com pel Bulgaria to yipld to the demands of the Turks. Where the fight In r between Tnrk- Dh and Bulgarian troops occurred Is not revealed to <1 •patches. Tnrhey la demanding fprrliory along the Adrtaaople-Dedeagetrh railway It is presented that the conflict ©cranred to this region. The tronble in the Balkans seri ously menaces Germany's whole east ern pinna. It might mesa the rssnn etltntlon of aa eastern front The al lied armies at Balealfcl are waiting only for some diversion In enable them In' cross the Macedonia hills sad please Into the Teuton flunk CZERNIN RESIGNS AUSTRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER QUITS VIENNA COUNCIL BRITISI FLEET ACTIVE CLEARING TIE COAST Report of rommamter May rtveagr. Naval Action By Rig WORKED FOR A PEACE Important Xj Fleets. * Ted-, German BAKER RETURNS DOES NOT UNDER ESTIMATE PERIL OF GERMAN ADVANCE ARE IURNEI be higher ground Just in the aoeth of BolHool and the tSgtiea from uhtrh the British gia mmmA > toms defense vide m etlll standing firm to.spite of terrifie attacks msBo igninei it da flamer and Horae, who the two British armies fac ing the titanic tir- ™sn drive to fmn- dees, bold the unshaken and aashah- •hie confidence nf ail Britain Their ermine remain In contact and It is to preserve that contact that n read justment of the huttie front has h Foeh. upon whom tr* eyes of ail the world are aa&>uu»ly fited ns the allied <onrm.irv:. n hlcf on the ueut. la still watchfully waiting, with that Infinite, In p* "urbsble palters that is the chief regnlalto of a mili tary genius. HIp grant counterblnv is believed Imminently near.* how ever. Wytsehaete village, the center of the ridge of the same name, has fallen to the Germans. Ballleui and Wulverghem are In his hands. Now the Bavarian crown prince's armies •are being hurled against the rest of the ridge to which the X4nth divi sions Is still dinging with indescrib able heroism ind in the directions of Haiebrouck snd Aire, the two great est rail centers in Flanders. The battle is swiftly spreading northeastward to the area before Ypres, at Pascbendaele Ridge, Holle- beke and Hill 60. Far to the south, before Amiens, the big guns of both sides thundered all day, particular ly around Montdidier. The whole bat tle line from Passchendaele down to below Coucy, .150 miles in length, counting the various wedge-sides, is ablaze with action. The transcendent hope in connec tion with the French reserves, whose arrival Haig has heralded, lies in the chance of a counter blow against the German flank between Merville and Festubert, where the British have held like granite throughout the drive which started a week ago. That front is the nearest to be reached by the French reported hastening to south n<»rwe«i«*rd fvwm Wulvrffhum to •Gab Wytofhauiu Bidgo to iB* hark. At lb# samu timu. Cr Buppvurtrt fourth army A ruin. time hufutu Hultotokv sad Mill i# of Yprua. hogaa la forward la aa siiompt to tho ndp# from Urn tbo grout plaroe drfvu at hochiaa to piosws at •uffocutlag tho vshaat dufoadorw of MuaawhJto. aim. taa Quaot • at- p. ataadtog aa tha Bat ftwm 1 vttlo «a tho baoo tag to of tha hammsrad swty at tha British sttompt tp drlva trlfurval thrwsts mi Haig's fraat. IBs largo otratogiral ah- ap thi ? sad ditv# it aaati hofaru tho Frouch raa Jala II tho taaih Hal as aa Iho flaahs. aa I ho Brtiiob aro la this wtag with hatldag-llh# city, aad ihoro rooms aa rhaa tho oaamy ta fulfill hit hold abjoct Empt'WPr licuvcw Count, in Foreign Office Until Successor Is Named— Failure of Peace Propaganda and Itobiication of • Emperor’s Letter - Prolmble Uauses of H»s Dramatic Downfall. Count Czernin. the Austro-Hungar ian foreign minister, according to a dispatch from Vienna has resigned. Emperor Charles accepted the res ignation and entrusted Czerliin ‘With the conduct of foreign affairs until his successor is appointed. An official statement received frqrti Vienna asserts'.that the latest statements of the French premier, M. Clemenceau, concerning the con versations' between Austria and France regarding the possibility of opening peace negotiations do not alter the situation as regards the ma jority of Count Czernin’s declara tions - , The Austrian foreign ministry, the statement says, is unable to ascer tain who was responsible for deliv ering to the French what is said to have been a fotged letter, substitut ed for the letter which was to have been delivered. Neither Prime 81s- tus. whose character is beyond sus picion. nor any one else is accused of falsification, continues the state ment. which concludes. "The affair Is herewith declared to he at an end*" The recent publication by the (French clovernwent of the futile pence appeal sent out. by Emperor Charles of Austria-Hungary m March IPI7. and the efforts of the Emper or aud the Austro-HuBsartaa foreign office to eapisin this letter to the eaiufeettoa of Germany and the Ger man Emperor, probably was I be meet potent tnftnenre ^ tofosiug about tbe reetgnatleu of Uoeat Uteram Blaee be was spp«*taf*d foreign minister on 1 weemher Tt, laid, m to Reroe Burton, fuwai TRANSPORTS SPEED UP Secretory of Wur Lands in America After liong Journey of Inspection —-Kc|K>rtK on Visit to lie Out in UhapterN—Projects of Unbelieva ble Vaptlneue Have Been. X’arrietl Out—I ull of C'onfideiiee. e * -•/ Steeled to the work ahead of him by perkpnal knowledge of conditions at the battle fronts in Europe, Sec retary Baker returned to his desk atTbe war department Tuesday night mans to accompany their land of-j from his trip abroad, prepared to fenslve.lhe news from London show- concentrate every energy *on expedit ing that British naval forces have ing the movement of American fight- been operating in the (’attegat, the | ing men to France. Tei£, German trawlers have been sunk by gunfire in th? Cattegat (be tween Sweden and Denmark), the British admiralty announce Their crews were saved by British ships. There were no British casualties. The operations in the Cattegat, the statement says, were undertaken by, the commander-in-chief of th^ grand fleet. "The commander-in-chief of the grand fleet reports having undei*- taken to sweep .the (’attegat on April 13, Ten German trawlers were sunk by gunfire, their crews being saved by British ships. Then' . were no British casualties.’’ * . In. view of the recent rumors of possible naval activities by the Ger strait between Sweden and Denmark and have sunk 10 German trawlers there, is significant. Still more significant. seems the HwUm Report tUg Plant ut erirk*hafen With YautBlUt Been Destroyed. * Thirty squadrons of Gothaa, sembled by the Germans, at Fried- erickshafen on Lake Constance, ex pressly as an air reserve to combat the American planes, were destroyed in a great fire which, from the Swiss shores of the lake,' han wiped out the whole great Zeppc.in plant at. this point. Details of the great fire were received in’ Swiss dispatches reaching Washington Tuesday night. ! The fire burned fiercely throughout . Sunday and Monday. Its reflection In the sky w’as visible for a, distance of 70 miles from Lake Constance. Vast stores of raw material, impor tant shops, finished Zeppelins and airplanes and the great hangars for the Zeppelins along the lake all fed the flames. The German official Wolff bureau has endeavored to minimize the im portance of the fire. Swiss, observers who are familiar with the great tforke and the fire. Even now the complete destruction, now apparent ly unavoidable will be a blow to the 8 rm The *ecretar>, it i* umlerM<MMl, is not 1 . in« lim'd t«» undercMiinntc the petil that further Germaui successes in the . present terrific onslaught I Herman army more serious than a fnrnV' rtf" InTiVuh "annnunrsmsn11 against the allied line might Invidve. on the . battlefield, form of the British an ”°y m K herfl | 8 no however that he It is apparent from the Swlsa shore which comes in a report from Ad * I adequate measure to cheek «kat there have beea many easil y mate the Germans will come out of IH®*. though German police and mlll- the pooling of all allied and Ameri- i*ry guards are rigerously excluding can resources. Mr. Baker had little persons from (he area of th»* to say for publication. On his arrlv-| mor k* and IBn firt. Even now thu al early yesterday at an Atlantic I P^e of smoke la riming from thu port he authorised this atatement: I r,|tn ** according to tha Swim dia* "I return with a sense of pride and I received and the wholu ■tM>r girB^UT. wwwSsw-te-cMS I y*? <ir *_ to c * <>c>t . 1 **** ,h ' r * h • ,, * b **" B *“ ,r of the grand fleet.This would M|>penr to indhate that the gton«l fleet is out and possibly presage m<»*t im- |s»rtant naval deve|«»pments. The operation was undertaken for tbs purpose of sweeping the Catte- _ Mt of nlnM. fkc report .kov*, ■Bd| u( (0 a(ldeon "he ichlire'meou o’f I P>»"< «-">• «o b« redured t« ay still he’ in progress. What fur ther British effort. If aay the oper ation Implies, cannot well be fore cast.* It Is Indlcatlvu of intensified HHtlalr navnl activities at any ruts. If not preliminary to far mors Im port aat operations on the part of the British aaval forces Jen being tu British army and dm* » *<•*•*• » r 4 In their desperate race against time the Germans are trying to ac complish two things: Tu/n or take Wytsehaete Ridge, and capture Haze- brouck, which with Aire, forms the rail nenreecenter of ail Flanders. Against Hazebrouck he had been un able to make any progress whatever up to late Tuesday evening. Between Bailleul and the ridge the situation Is the most precarious the British have -had do .face since the spring drive began. With Bailleul. which had been re duced to a veritable death trap by a concentric German bombardment with guns of all calibres tbe enemy raptnrud also the high ground to the southeast and east. Mont DeUlle aad LeRavetsberg Three picked di- vlslona mot previously engaged in this battle. Haig reported, partici pated to the furious uaslaught itratoet the town aad heights It farc ed the British ta draw hack to • llae md amm aarth al V*l» Ballleui * * Hag a mommt sBp To succeed la this he must, before the Freuch arrive, s tie the two vit al railhaada of Fla hrouck and Aire. The former Is eight and a half mlleu aonthvfevt of Bail lettl the latter ten mlleu His whole drive, therefore, apart from the bat tie for Wytachaete Ridge, and Ypres. has resolved itself to a struggle for tbe British lines of communication which he must ent to earn the fruits of hit initial surceases and capture to reach the tea. It was Ir. connection with this plan that the Germans tried desperately In the last 24 hours to push their ar rowhead westward between Merville and Bailleul. But the British budg ed nowhere. Having brought up his heavy guns with unusual rapidity the foe began a vigorous combined artil lery and infantry assault on the Bri tish west of Vleux Berquin, but he was beaten off everywhere with great losses. Vleux Berquin Ifes five miles to the southeast of Haze brouck. Equally determined were the Ger man efforts to extend their advance westward at Robecq, on the Lys can al, where they had pushed on farth est their lines here being nearly fit teen miles southwest of Annentleres. But here, too, they met a stone-wall and even left prisoners in British hands after his assaults had broken down. On the battlefield before A mien! there has been heavy artillery action for some days now. and a resump tion of the German drive .here is be lieved a matter of a short time, per haps of hours. The enemy’s bom bardment has been intensest around Montdidier, near the spearhead of his wedge, threatening Amiens from the southeast. Twenty miles to the southeast, around Xoyen, the French have made some progress in a local operation. Much activity also is dis played by French reconnolterlng troops In the region of the Oise Can al. which la taken In some quarters as foreshadowing a c’ounteroffensive by Focb. —* : . 1 -■ Ireland is op to arms against con scription. It seems to ns that they would substitute Germany for their It on 4be Kaiser ('serais ho* been umurcoiuful to at tempting to bring •beet ta# •»• ion* ef his In •harp ruutrnei with thu« ef the Ger men rbeereileri** and in# sevretarieu Hewever. hie nlripetton in this Bueeln ns evil et upeu B< tbst hi* •'ll Never before In the hivtory ef this world have ns many men engaged In •laughter, aud we knew ef ne •f'i'd battle which equ*!* that raging befwain the Britiah and Qur an armies The two rnemlui •HIHug their differences with rifle tolls, and the with amusement. I that the Britiah will at tochers thi* I niud 8UI-. and alll-d troopal Krled-rlck.hafem «aa tha katrt ot • broad (hat would Justify many trlp*| , J # German aerial Industry. II wuo acro99 (g c water" I there, over lathe roastan<e, that Wkatavar dlract lafonaalloa Ikdlfry* r'MjjS daylopad kla gratl war aacratar, »ajr kata aa lo tka I dlrldlMaa Wkaa tka war kiaka —t | plan of Uaparal Kork will ka fpr «ka * aar of PrpaMept Wllaow aloaa. Tkara I •* J - *** , ' 0, huve bean many ruporta that MtoiyfY 1MBWB and t Makar oawl lo Karopa far Ifca par ! " r "“ e****? 4 '*• paaa ot arptac aalftrailoa af all al-1 Malaaf ih» .loa wotiaa mmmmmm. lied armies ander a stogie rammiad. I . t **y***9dd GBIBBnB to lla kad an roBataal la waka aa 1 fci. »lrp»^« Tka potav Iwaaka kaaa kaaa The prompt ertton ef Gea lag la ,> •< hit disposal la haew_ _ e .th Mr Haber'S aeorty 1 I between see an the la, fkin, •aaadrwaalaa aapp aartaaa nr I the lalTef^ow maiertol will ha ah> ala. did net she •top with hia of C Cserala aa Aaatro M miaterev an as to the raeses which the rather drumatic ef the Gestrtea effirial at a ma- threogh hia dart dad rhauge ef atutade to war Ns use. la bia arceptaaee af the as- | that | gtheaed hit rieoa. H had hqeu he had greallv • posit lea I rw ® uat maaftfeeted •eiw riBT after the nachlng.thia af CGgnans hay tog gp Ai per maney to ae^trai states Bresl-IJtevah Cserala had harmne lanvtni ed that bH medernte vtows regard- lag the hn»N ef store wet* unac ceptable to the domtoent anuevatton aad forced lademaity party There fore. efftrialt here are lac Hoed ta be lieve that It was aat becauao the Ceuat w at ohaoitout ta Auttrla’t great Ally that he was furred ant of efflru, hat rather that the an- planatton was to he fonnd la later- aal Aattre-Hsagariaa imaes. It N recognired that Cserala in volved Emperor <'bar let la a moA unpleM^Mn* p*i» *;• ■-i hi- •!>♦•••« h try lag to fatten pi»ou France tha re sponsibility for Initiating peace pro posals last year, thereto «*n»M ns the Fren«*h Government to deliver a master stroke In diplomacy b. pro ducing the famous letter of Charles to Prince Sixtus. But quite aside from the Sixtus letter, recent events In Austria-Hungary have Indicated that Count Czernin’s tenure might be short. In the first place there was the frightful suffering of the population from the state of semi-starvation for which they held the government re sponsible because It would uot make peace at once. Then there was tbe bitter dissatisfaction of the Poles and Czechs over the relinquishments of the rich country of Cholm to the Uk raine as one of the conditions of the Brest-Litovsk peace. Finally there was the concentrat ed hatred of the foreign minister by the anti-German elements of the Austrian confederation because of his relaps into extreme conservatism and his adoption of the pan-Ger man program in its entirety with all its reactionary policy, i As it is understood, Emperor Charles still has liberal leanings and is disposed to moderation so far as war is Concerned, it is conceived that he migfrt-gagily be inclined to rid himself of an official so 'unpopular with a large part of the Austro-Hun garian population. It has been known, too. for a long time that the Count has been a sick man and that he has often shown signs of distraction and has many times been near the point of absolute physical collapse as a result of his efforts to maintain control of tbe widely discordant elements that make up the dual empire. Hence it is regarded as by no means impos sible that he has broken down In health and been obliged to give way to a stronger man. An official dispatch from Copen hagen today says Vienna newspapers announce that thu committee for tor- sign affaifs of the Austrian delega tion haa been qravoked for April 29 ta order to give Count Cserntn tho opportunity to make a declara tion runeermtog events of foreign poi try. Par IN men t haa hang engoohod toil t ter April 19 The mm* dispoteh oayo that a great Caorh muntf wstntton of the 4i of hfta nrmfi •toad «ory. have of a day ubeo ad on a with the of two Britain plnred her faith In her ditch” and her fleet, hot the army •f Ka aland haa aaved tho day True, the French have splendidly their task*, hot In struggle only a small tape of tho French army haa At a later turn of events the In tho of on At at the goal u anted to hi exactly for tho rare af they arrived He haew that ta da an this side, haew It by~ w .hat af the great matter* screes tha It U sot to ko do,bird Ikat tko I W»ur. ko kod ooly rold offlrlol ro- French, and the Americana, as well. I porta or the Inadequate description win start tha hall railing tome whore I °f along the line, and that the Ger mans will bo glad to leave the con test In Flanders to defend themselves In the new sector. Confidence In the end la supreme ed no well that tho of business, duo to Hefty. In aTI countries. Time will bring disillusionment to the Prussian, and the people of the world can safely place their welfare In the care of the men In France and Belgium, and they will trim the wings of Ger many's ambition. quarters of the Czech-Slovak nation al council says It would be unwise to believe that Czernin resigned be cause of differences with German diplomatic leaders or the military party or that his resignation means any change in Austria’s foreign pol icy. "By his resignation," says the statement, "Czernin takes upon him self responsibility before the nations of Austria for the sigifal political s peace drive. ’ Thousands of persons • gathered in the streets df Prague, capital of iBohemia, on, Saturday, denounced the Germans and cheered the En tente and President Wilson, says a dispatch from that city to the Lokal Anziger, of Berlin. AH the Czech members of the Par liament and party delegates, togeth er with Slovene and Serbo-Croat del egates met In tbe town hall and adopted a manifesto. - The crowd gathered In the streets outside the hall In support of the policy of the delegates. The principal demonstra tion occurred at the close of the meeting. The feeling against For eign Minister Czernin was shown by the •bouts of disapproval with which his Beginning at the debarkation ports. Mr. Baker sad his party under the guidance of General Pershing'* officers followed the life of an Amer-. . Icsu soldier In France, step by step,| u ho n h you h ‘ it until they arrlvs In in advanced Hs-1 little need for yon to wear the flag tenlng post In front of the American on your coat lapel to show year pa- Itaes. I triotlsm. • Turning back, the party followed T „ . . ^ the wounded men through the dress-1 The E nlted states is asking yoa Ing stations, over the ambulance I today to lend your money for non paths snd Into the vast network of in beating the Prusaian; will yoat American hospitals that have been| Thcr€ lg B0 wg* u||h #r yoa g^nd The whole vast project of Amer-1 r^ 1 !^--* 0 * 6 ** 1 ^***. loan operations was mapped out be-| not ‘ nless you are in the armv fore the secretary. It represents one I there is only one way In which yoa of the greatest undertakings any na- can help—that Is, by buying a bond SSSZBPS2SS «•*» ■*>*’** passed all the plans it was amazing | That 18 the - on,y wa yt0 because of Us bigness and the thor ough, workman-like way in which | and French soldiers and tho Amor- General Pershing and his officers are * can " and the civil population amonff doing< their great job. I whom they move daily. Differeaeao The figures of the task are 19* hare not hindered tht, astounding. Those who went with I frl ® , ? d8lll 5 » Mr. Baker ver the whole complicat-> When he left for Europe, Mr. Bak- ed system that Is' being set up say that its size can not be grasped ex cept when it is actually seen. In the single item of warehouses for Amer ican supplies in storage behind the lines and almost unbelievable pro ject Is being completed. Hundreds of miles of railway have bora laid, docks aad Jetties * constructed until today, trans ports have made the round trip to France In. 16 days against the 90 to 70 It took so often during the winter. Mr. Baker returned more than ever confident of tho rapority of General Pershing for the grout hnr- of responsibility he N Ooriug hit vMt to tho Ai to a to TAe from his mind. It will take him somo days to catch step fully with what has gone fqrwqrd in his absence. Ho Is expected however, to face his problems with a new prospective and officials anticipate that the result will be shown in the nature of hia decisions. Tbe only question on which tho secretary exercised his authority aa head of the war department hie absenee related to tioa of information concernlag tht troops la Franco and their aeUvttla* He cabled instructions that all noth Information should ho giuea out tram o expeditionary haadqi On leaving his office, id he weuM see tho iv end that hM stofi __ woe Id he toveo to the w