The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, April 13, 1918, Image 1
THK MM WATCHMAN, Katab
Consolidated Aujr. II,1
NEW FRONT ATT&CKEO.
QBim V9* IUI n> BREAK BRIT
MI IINI NOIM1I OF S'IMMI
IAI II NT.
British Re.-apture CMvtMHkf Ml Take
IMaoiien*?-Bombardment SUirtcd
Thin Morning from Airiienticros?
Infniitry AIno In Action.
London. April It,?In I new at
t. ? k on the front north of the Somme
h ittleheld the Germans \esterdav
took Glvenschy, hut the British re
I ntUM'd the town, the war office An?
nounces, taking seven hundred and
fifty prisoners in this area.
I'ierce fighting; eontinmd k-st night
on the front north of La Basse ea?
rn) The Oenaan front of attach is
extending todav. i:.uly this morning
a Mmbtjl ItIV at began on British po?
sitions from the Armentieres region
as far north .is the Ypres-Comlnes
,1. Oil the southern part of thia
front inrnr.Py fighting Is reported to
h.i\? egun.
Ill -nim F.B FROM ARRAS.
Civilian Population Huvo Abandoned
Beleaguered! City.
Paris, April 10.?The civilian pop?
ulation of the city of Arif.s has been
removed. For more than three years
the city has held out under almost
continuous bombardments by the en?
emy's big guns.
ON FIRIN'tX LINE.
American Troop* Appear on British
Battle Front.
I^ondon. April 10.?American reln
forcements have ap>><\u< d in the Brit?
ish battle sone, says a dispatch from
headquarters to Beutors Press Asso?
ciation.
RATTLE n6vKS NORTHWARD.
Cerium* I nun? b Drive iw twen Ar
mcnt leres and Mcssinc*.
With British Army in France. April
10.?The Germans this morning ex?
tended the sector of yesterday's at?
tack to th.' northward by launching
a drtve apralnit the British between
Armentieres and Measlnes.
BRITISH MEET ATTACK.
Germans Tlirmv Infantry in Dense
Masses Against Arras Sector.
London. April 10?The battle
which began yesterday morning is
continuing today with unabated vio?
lence. The artillery duel extended
southward to Arras. The enemy
brought Into action a tremendous con?
centration of artillery, and infantry
Ii d? nae masses xwaa used. They
are plainly making efforts to break
i irough the British lines, the writer
declares.
FRENCH COUNTER ATTACK.
German Offensive Near Nayon Brok?
en Up.
Pans. April 10.?The Germans last
night delivered a heavy attack on the
French lines near Hangard-Enhterre,
which was met by a French counter
a'.tack, preventing the Germans from
g lining any udvantage, the war ofNYe
announces West of Castel und w*?sl
of N'oyon QerBAaS efforts to adva_me
a so failed. (
< bo, u. ?i dt M?*ssinos.
London. A pril 1 " < ?n the Mes
? inrs front the enemy attack today
was repulsed. The enemy obtained
n > footing on high ground anywhere.
Major Gen. Maurice announced at the
office this afternoon.
PI 'N M 1 11 s FOR SABOTAGE.
Senate Calls for Conference Repotl
on Bill
w ishingtf.n. April li.?The senatt
today requested a conference leport
0 . the bill providing severe penaltie-t
for the destruction or mterferemr
with the production of essential wai
1 itertnl and sustaining ? claus<
giving WOlKioen the light to stl.kc
lot better v\. h .ind working con li
t. >n*
1 IBI it n I (i \N si Rs< KIPTloVs
I lm< Progri hh Made In First TIihm
Days of Cmiipalgii.
Washington. April II. Libertv loan
subscriptions officially reported from
eight Of the twelve Fedt i il Kes? i\
Dl-trlctn for the grst three days of
th? campaign amounted to IWeiVS
iniihoe. tue hundred Ihousand, twt
hundied and fifty doll.us The dta
tricts hoi reporting are Minneapolis
Ito hmond. Philadelphia and Atlaii
t*.
???mI April, 18X0.
"tor litt ?
881.
BRITISH HARD PRESSED.
northern LINK deceives Tin:
FVLL for? e <>f GERMAN
DRIVE.
Americans Now Reinforcing British
UM in Northern Franc:'?Great
l><>s|m>rntiou Shown By Germans.
American troops are now reinfore- j
1 ing the British line In France along
the greater portion of which the
Germans are keeping up their strong
attacks with hordes of men and great
T
j concentration of artillery in assaults
that now apparently have their ob?
jective in the pentrating or the battle
front In northern France and Bel?
gium. It was a happy lot of men
that swung into the sector chosen
for them.
From the south of Yprcs in Bel
glum the region of \M Basse, In
Fiance the new offensive of the Ger?
mans is being caried out with great
desperation, with thousands of men
under OOVt r of unprecedented bom?
bardments of the allied rear lines,
endeavoring to pierce the bravely de?
fended fronts held by the British and
Portuguese?and now also at some
unnamed point by Americans.
On several sectors of the new 20
mile battle line a few deep salients
have been driven by the enemy, but
in the process the Germans nowhere
have been able to break through, the
line merely bending back under tin
great pressure. Particularly deep
are the wedges northwest ofArmen
tleres and northwest of Ra Basse?
salients which seem to make certain
the evacuation of the British of Ar
inentleres.
British positions southwest of Ar?
mentieres, lying between the River
Lys and Doube, north of Armentieres
along the five mile front between the
Proegsteert Wood and the Wyts
chatete-Messines Ridge have been
pressed back by the Germans. East
of Lai Basse. Givenehy Hill, the key
to Bethune, has been tenaciously held
by the British and the town of Gi?
venehy retaken, while to the north In
the region of Ypres the enemy's at?
tacks have been dclslvely repulsed.
jThe TTriflsh In recapturing Givenehy
j made nearly a thousand German pris?
oners. The latest German official
statement asserts that between Ar
mentleres anil Fstarles the Germans
have crossed the Lys River and that
north of Arme.itieres the British lines
on both skies of Waasten-Wateuton
have heen penetrated. Six thousand
prisoners and 100 guns are claimed
to have been taken by the Germans
in the fighting between Armentieres
and Ra Basso Canal.
The famous Vi my Ridge, won r.
year ago by the Canadians, is receiv?
ing I prodigious visitation of shells
fronV German batteries,
While the battle in the north has
been in progress the fighting south
of the Romme, where the British arc
aligned against the Germans, has been
lather subdued. Not so, however, on
the seetors where the French and Ger?
mans are disputing the occupancy oi
the terrain. Furious assaults and
counterassaults have been going on
around Hangard-Kn-Santei.e, the vil?
lage changing bands many times. At
last accounts the French not alone
held the Village, but also the nearby
cemetery.
Bit. POTFAT RESIGNS.
Haag <?f Purm a it t'Diversity Becomes
Platform Speaker for Laymen's
Missionary Movement.
G SOI ille. April 10.?Dr. Edwin
MeNeal Poteat. fOT II years president
of Furman University, has tendered
his resignation, to become effective in
Jinn-. He will become a platform
?peakor of the Laymen's Missionary
Movement which contains some of
ilie most eminent men in the country
and will lour the United States and [
Canada. Dr, Poteat Will make his
home Somewhere near New York.
inning his presidency in? has done
notable woi i Furman,
HOLDING MEMMINI H RIDGE.
British Struggle stubbornly to De?
tain < mil ma nd ol Flanders Plain
With the British Army In France,
April II.??Fighting continuing tb
morning north or Armentieres with
the Britten still holding tin- Messlnes
ndge ami Wytsehoeti which oompleto
ly changed bands seevral times dur?
ing Ihs day. hTe eneni) succeeded is
entering positions al Lecreoho, Nippe
and Holleheki i*?? t vigorous count? i ul
lacks drove them out This morning
the Germans are In possession ol
nbout half Ihe village ol Ploegsteor
, and Plogsteei t Wood.
od Fear not?Let an the mill Thou AI
SUMTER, S. C, SAT?I
GERMANS TAKE ARMENTIEBS.
BRITISH driven OUT of impor
TANT position on NORTH?
ern FRONT.
Neu Offensive Has Nut Been Checked
and Desperate Fighting Continues
Day and Night.
London, April 11.?The British have
withdrawn from Armentieres on the
northern battle front, the war office
announced this morning. Violent
fighting continues along the front
from La Basse to theYpres-Comines
canal. North of Armentieres heavy
fighting continued late last night.
Thine was little change in British po?
sitions.
Rome, Wednesday, April 10.?One
Italian steamer of over 1,500 tons
was sunk by an enemy submarine last
week. Three small sailing vessels
were also sunk.
WEEK'S SUBMARINE REPORT.
i_
ONLY SIX MERCHANTMEN VIC?
TIMS OF C-ROATS.
Next to Lowest Ijevcl of Any Seven
Bay PSfflod Since the Campaign
Began.
London, April 10.?The sinking of
British merchantmen by mines or
submarines last week reached the
next lowest level of any week since
lermany began her intensive subma?
rine campaign early in 1917. Four
.essels of more than 1.600 tons, two
of less than 1,000 tons and two fish?
ing boats were sent to the bottom.
The admiralty statement adds:
Vessels unsuccessfully attacked It;
including two previously.
Arrivals, 2,534; sailings, 2,49f>.
"Both fishermen reported today
were sunk during the wec^v ending
March 30.
The lowest record for any week
since Germany began her Intensive
submarine campaign was, in aggre?
gate weight of tonnage sunk, the
week of November 11 last. Then
l
only one vessel of over 1,600 tons and
five vessels of less than 1,600 top?
were destroyed.
French lx*?e Two.
Paris, April 10.?Only two French
merchantmen, both over 1,600 tonn
were junk by submarines during the
week ending April 6, according to the
official announcement tonight.
Last week's admiralty statement
announced the sinking of six mer?
chantmen of more than 1,600 tons
and five fishing vessels. The previous
week 2S merchantmen were sunk, 16
being of more than 1,600 tons bur?
den.
WINNING IN PALESTINE.
British Troops Continue Advance
North of Jerusalem.
I London, April 11.?The British
troops on April 9th advanced on a
1 line north of Jerusalem to depths of
one and a-half miles along a front of
live miles, the war office announced
today. Notwithstanding stubborn re?
sistance by the Turks the British
enptured the villages of Rafat and
Rlkefer.
Fit EN OH HOLD FAST.
Infty t Defeat on nuns in Champngw
Region.
Paris, April 11.?The German at?
tack in Champagne last night was
broken up by French gun fire. On
the principal front there was heavy
artillery fighting between Montdidier
and Noyon.
GERMANS PUSHING ON.
Krported Five Miles West or Armen
t leres Today.
London, April n.?The Germans'
pushoi yesterday trom Crlex-Dudac.
southwest Of Armentiers, Parties of
11n?'11 hare been reported m the
neighborhood (live miles west of Ar
montierest, the Iteuter'a correspond
enl .ii heud'iuartera reported today.
BESSARABIA JOINS Rot MA?
XI A.
Another Russian Province Breaks
Auras From Old Country,
Pasel. Switzerland. April 11. -
The llessarablan diet, according1 to ?
telegram from Bucharest, has decid?
ed in favor of the union of Bes?
sarabia with Roumanla, which it bor?
ders on the east.
i' be Utiy Oonntry** Thy God's I
1 APRIL 13, 1918.
||ME ESTIB?SKI.
consent or PORTUGAL
IRES ARE BEING FOR?
TIFIED.
Used ns a Base for American
larlncs and Air Craft and To
Southern Route to Mu
ihington, April 11.?For the
tlon of the Atlantic trade route
Ithern Europe, the United States
the consent of Portugal, has es
led a naval base in the Azores
Guns have been landed and
Irtifications of the station have
begun. In addition to its use as
p> for American submarines, de?
ters and other small craft, it will
ifcerve as an important homing
?n for American airplanes, a
sr of which have been assem
MSYjC PRICE-FIXING.
CSSITIES MF ST BE HELD
WITHIN REACH.
Men Gatlier in Confcatjnoo?
:tcd to He Followed by Mect
of Woolen and Leather Indus
hington, April 10!?Stabilizing
;es on domestic necessities in
cotton goodn, woolens, man
res, clothing, shoes and hats,
iscussed today by President
n- and his war cabinet. It is
stood that the president's coun
i K believe that drastic action
aye to be taken soon or the av
citizen will lind many of the
he needs out of his reach,
ilo the war cabinet met, the
tirB move in what is declared to be
jeeping price fixing or stabilizing
e being worked out by the war
tries board was made at a con
ce between more than 50 leading
manufacturers of the country
> board price fixing committee.
. represent only the cot?
ton textile industry but meetings with
delegations ropresnting the woolen
and leather industries are scheduled
to follow upon the completion of the
present conference.
Today's meeting was under the aus?
pices of the National Council of
American Cotton Manufacturers, who
came here to discuss its present and
prospective relations with the gov?
ernment, in regard to prices and pro?
duction.
The result of the first session was
the appointment of a war production
committe headed by Garrish B. MIHI
ken of New York to present the coun?
cil's view to the price lixing commit?
tee. The other members of the com?
mittee are:
Arthur J. Draper, vice chairman; J.
W. Cannon, Julius Cone, D. Y. Coop?
er and Stewart W. Cramer, all of
North Carolina; W. D. Anderson and
A. F. Johnson, Georgia; B. B. Comer
and G. H. Lanier, Alabama; J. H.
Ledyard, Mississippi; J. D. Hammett,
Victor Montgomery and Ellison A.
Smyth, South Carolina; H. R. Fitz?
gerald, Virginia, and 13 others from
Northern States.
The council's committee which
will hold its first meeting in New
York at the conclusion of the con?
ference here, will seek to determine
upon prices that will be fair to Hie
industry and to the government.
Heavy demands of the army and
navy are using up ?0 per cent, of the
output ol the woolen mills and it is
said that the war industries board
will consider this industry imme?
diately after the cotton goods situa?
tion is cleared up.
CORN CROP SHOWING.
Geiininating Well In south says Bul?
letin.
Washington. April 10.?The weath?
er and crop bulletin issued today by
the department ol agriculture shows
the corn crop In the South is ger?
minating well, in the more Southern
HtatCS the crop is up to a good stand
and In the extreme South is being
cultivated. Considerable damage by
cut worms is reported in Texas and
Louisiana,
The bulletin also reports that work
in Hu- cotton Heids is progressing sat?
isfactorily and planting is going on
fully up to the average date. Tin
early planted is coining up well and
cultivation has begun in Florida
Rains during the week, while possl
bly delaying wink somewhat furnish
eil much need et 1 molsture in Bovera
aections.
um? Trutfc's." THE ?
v
RUSSIA THREATENS WAR ?
AMERICAN' OFFICIALS REALIZE
SITE ATION AT VLADIVOSTOK
MCST BE CAREFTLL Y
HANDLED.
Bolshcvikl Pr?mier is Said to Haw
Stated Russia May Oppose Japanese
Invasion.
_
Washington, April 9.?It is realized
here that unless the situation at
I Vladivostok is handled with the
I greatest tact grave and far-reaching
troulTle may he expected. There has
been no official report on the state?
ment of Lenine, the Bolsheviki pre?
mier, that Russia might declare war
on Japan because of the landing of
Japanese troops at the Siberian port,
but the news in press dispatches oc?
casioned no surprise, It had been as?
sumed that German "influences were
working unceasingly to bring about
an open rupture between the Bolshe?
viki and Russia's late allies.
Lenine is believed to be peculiarly
susceptible to German influence.
Assurances already have been given
that the landing of Japanese and Brit?
ish forces at Vladivostok was merely
for the protection of life and proper?
ty.
MENSEN EM RIDGE BATTLE.
Masses of German Troops Thrown
Against Position.
With the British Army In
France, April 10 (By the Associated
Press).?The Messines Ridge and the
Ploegsieert Wood, which last June
were cleared of Germans by a spec-1
tacular coup, again today were fill?
ed with sevirling masses of fiercely
battling troops as the result of a new
drive launched by the enemy between
Armentieres and Messines this morn?
ing. For hours th German hordes
l have been flinging themselves vicious?
ly against the defending lines and by
sheer weight of numbers forced their
way forward at several points into
the British position. Today's pro?
gress north of Armentieres was a
continuation of the new phase of the
great offensive which boiled up yes?
terday between Givenchy and Armen
I
j tieres.
If the enemy attack of today should
I succeed, Armentieres would lie in a
deep sali? nt with the Germans well
Jin in either side of it.
(?ne of the main features of the
; German plans for the offensive as n
whole now becomes obvious. The
kaiser is bent on annihilating the
British army as far as is possible.
After an hour of fighting the ene
| my gained possession of the front
line east of Fauquisart.
North of Laventie the enemy had |
succeeded in crossing the Lys in small j
numbers. They got a footing in
ESstairs, but they were thrown out by
a counterattack.
During the day a counterattack
farther north also pushed the enemy
I back approximately to the river.
Givenchy wras the pivot of the bat?
tle and the most important position
along the line, for the high ground
here dominates the whole Lys valley.
The battle in Givenchy was san?
guinary. For hours the contending
forces fought at close quarters with
I rifles and hand grenades.
NEW GERMAN INTRIGUE.
1 Latest Effort to Overshadow Previous
Plots.
Washington, April 10.?Warning of
a new German policy of intrigue, far
overshadowing Zimmerman's efforts
to embroil Mexico and Japan with
! the United States, and designed to
t cause a demoralisation in the allied
j countries similar to that in Russia.
w:.s given to the national conference
ol American lecturers here today by
William English Walling of New
York.
Mr. Walling vigorously attacked
the Socialists of the allied nations.
He asserted that their purpose is to
In ing about a peace of their own dic
dictation and that unless their efforts
are frustrated "the democratically
elected governments of Frame. Eng?
land and America might as well ab?
dicate."
Rl ssiA TAKING INVENTORY.
Peace With Genna ay Cost Thirty Per
Cent of Population.
Petrograd, Wednesday, April 10,
Under the terms of the peaes treats
the commissioners of commerce an?
nounce, Russia lost seven hundred
and eighty thousand square kilomet?
ers Of territory and fifty-six mil?
lion Inhabitants, or thirty-two per
cent of the entire population.
40UTKK0N, EatabttaiM? Jan?, > MHt
"v?l.XLVI. No. 17.
mm TO FRONT.
FC rtti er reintorcemexts
NOT 1ar BEHIND.
Many Troops Moving?Rate1 of De
partui-e fop France Three Times
That of n Short Time Ago.
With the British Armies in
France, April 10 (By the Associated
Press).- -The first of the American
fighting troops have arrived on the
British front and have been greeted
with intense enthusiasm. The over?
seas pioneers were a battalion of in?
fantry, which came swinging along
the road into a certain sector after
an all ti ght march that began on the
anniversary of America's declaration
of war. The dusty uniforms and un?
shaven :aces of the Americans show?
ed that they had been long? on the
road.
Washington, April 10.?With the
news that American troops are in the
hattle sono, the blunt statement of
David idoyd George, the British pre?
mier, u parliament as to the situa?
tion in i'icardy came home to Amer?
icans today with added force. Army
officers expressed satisfaction that the
reinforcements ordered into the fight
by President Wilson had begun to ar?
rive for the British had left no room
for doubt that the need for them Is
urgent.
Behind that advance guard, other
American forces are moving rapidly
to the front. Figures may not be
disclosed, but it is known definitely,
that the rate of departure of Amer?
ican troops for France now is three
times that of only a short time ago.
The increase of troop movement*
makes interest in the submarine sit?
uation acute. There were indica?
tions two weeks ago that the Ger?
mans had coupled with the assault in
Picardy an effort to increase their
inroads upon allied shipping.
While there has been no Informa?
tion to indfeate any increased men*
ace to the transports the very decid?
ed falling off in the sinking of Brit?
ish ships last week and the present
week waa interpreted in some quar?
ters to mean the diverting of-the u*
boats to the transport lines.
News from the front today was
not encouraging. Officials admittedly
did not understand the purpose of the
Germans in extending the scope of
the battle far to the northward-of
the great wedge driven into the Brit?
ish lines in the attack on Amiens.
Tt was pointed out, however, that the
struggl ndoubtedly was entering a
third phase.
On the whole, military opinion
based on meagre details shown in to?
day's di , atches, inclined to the be?
lief that tue Germans had found even
the 50-mi-e front of their drive at
Amiens too confined and too fraught
with danger for their purpose. For
this reason it was assumed that the
new attack was designed to flatten
out the T; ritish lines.
AMERICANS BEAT GERMANS.
Raid on Positions North of Toul Com
} 4etely Repulsed.
With American Army in France,
Wednesdi ), April 10.?Tie Germans
attempted an attack against Ameri?
can posit ons northwest of Toul early
this morning but were completely re?
pulsed. Two German prisoners said '
the eneniK' planned an attack with a
force of Ight hundred. but that it
was stopj>ed in its full strength by
the effect/ e tire of the American ar?
tillery. The Americans lost no pris
mera.
[J. S. SUBMARINES CROSSED
OCEAN.
In Pane Of Bitter Winter Gales Uttle
Craft Reached England Safely.
vYashil Eton, April 9.?In the face
of bitter v intr\ gales, American sub?
marines primarily designed for oper?
ations off the home coasts, have cross?
ed tlie Atlantic to England In the com?
mon tig lit against German C-bo.its.
TitC) are aiding Allied naval forces
as are American destroyers and
American naval airmen, and they
have been in the war zone for some
montha
PERslllNG's CASUALTY LIST.
Hundred Twenty-four Names Report?
ed Toda>.
Washington, April 11.?Today's
casualty list gives one hundred and
twenty-four names. R shows one
(silled in action, two died of wounds,
liv? du I of accidents, thirteen died
I?!' disease, sixty-nine sc erlv wound
id. thirty shghtl.x woumVd. and four
reported missing.