view raw text
GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. Hopes that had been raised high by the announcement of the British press bureau that the Germans, in France had been driven back thirty miles were dashed by an utiollicial report that the kaisers troops were approaching Dunkirk, tue great fortilied seaport of France across the channel from England. The heavy siege guns from Antwerp are reported as being moved toward the present German line, while large bodies of German troops are being pushed forward. A large force of Germans is centered at Thourout. twelve, miles .southwest of Bruges, Belgium. The Germans are also reported to be bombarding Llllc from the south. "Situation unchanged" is the tenor of yesiedays oilieial statement of the Ber? lin war ollice. It follows: "In the western arena lighting goes on despite heavy rains. There are in dlcations of snow at several ioints, but our troops are well equipped for the cold weather that threatens. The conilict is loss severe now, however, than it has been for some time. "In general the situation remains almost unchanged. There has been no decisive result thus far but conditions remain favorable to our operations." The French war ollice gives out an otlicial announcement as follows: "In Belgium the heavy artillery of the enemy has cannonaded, but without result, the front from Nieuport to Vladsloo. to the east of Dixmmle. The foces of the allies, and notably the Belgian army, have not only repulsed further attacks on the part of the Germans, but-have advanced as far as Roulers." Preferring wreck and il-ath to capture by the British, the commanders of the German torpedo destroyers S-M", S-117. S-11S and S119 drove their vessels upon the coast of the North sea on Saturday when cornered by the English cruiser Undaunted, according to a statement issued at the German admiralty today. The four destrovers were completely wrecked. The crews of the vessels numbered 224 men and nearly all of them are believed to have been lost. It is officially announced at Tokyo that the Japanese cruiser Takaehiho was sunk by a mine in Kiaochott Bay on . the night of October 17. One officer and nine members of the crew are known to have been saved. The Takachiho was built in 1SS5, refitted iu 1000, and carried a crew of ."57 men. The steamer Brindilla. Hying the. American Hag. was taken into Halifax as a prize of war by the British auxiliary cruiser Caronia. The Brindiila was for-merlv the German steamer Washington and belongs to the Standard Oil Meet. The Brindilla cleared from New York for Alexandria, Egypt, last Tuesday and was captured the same day by a British cruiser. Later it was transferred to the charge of the Caronia, which placed a prize crew on loard. It Is reported to have contraband of war in its cargo. The admiralty court will consider 1 lie case at once. At a cabinet council Premier Salandra of Italy assumed the foreign office portfolio, formerly held by the late Marquis di San Giuliaiio, and will retain it throughout the war. Hence the foreign iwlicy of Italy will not bo altered as a result of the Marquis di San Giulianos death. The Russians and the Austrians ilatly contradict one another as to the progress of events in tile oast. The Austrians say they are advancing and the Russians claim that they are not. The Russians have 2,000,000 men in the field, opposed by 1.500,000 Gemans and Austrians. With 33,000 Canadian volunteers already landed in England and S.U0U under arms guarding strategic points iu the Dominion, the government has decided to put :0,UOt men into training in Canada and dispatch them to England in units of lO.Oim. The first 10.-000 will be sent forward in December, and immediately another 10,000 will be raised to take their place. The French torpedo boat destroyer. Cassa-biancn, has captured the Holland freighter, Ko-uiugi-u Lnuua. bound from Batavia. Dutch East Indies, with a cargo destined for Hamburg. The Kouingon Emma was taken oil Marseilles and conducted into that iort. The Holland-America line steamer Noordam, which struck a mine iu the North sea. arrived at Rotterdam safely. It was stated that no one on board was injured. An official report by Gen. French, commanding the Brll-ish expeditionary force in France, gives the total of killed, wounded, and missing from September 12 to October S at r01 officers and 12.0S0 .men. Reports received at Washington from semi-ollicial sources say that the kaiser has ordered the surrender of Tsing-Tau. the German city in Kiau-Clum, China. Germans from Zccbrugge have shelled the Belgian lightship off that port, forcing thi crew to desert their iwsts and leaving the lightship -dark. A dispatch from Harwich savs that the British cruiser Undaunted, accompanied by two torpedo-boat destroyers, has captured a German mini layer in the North sea. Berlin fears that the German submarine which sank the British cruiser Hawke has herself been lost. No report from the submarine has been received at the German admiralty since her exploit. A dispatch from Bucharest declares that a German train composed of 150 trucks laden with munition: and other war material for Turkey lias been stopped by the Roumanian authorities on the railroad between Bucharest and Giurgcvo.on the Danube. The German government protested, but the train was not allowed to proceed. Petrograd reports that according to Information from Warsaw, tlie Russian armv is iiot anticipating the return of the Germans to that region, from which they were lately repulsed. The German failure there is attributed partly to the inability of the artillery and infantry to follow up and support the advance guard which npprorched within live miles of the city. The backwardness of the artillery Is due to the practically impassable conditou of the country as a result of four days continuous rain. Gen. luis Botha, premier and commander-in-chief of the uiiioa of South Africas forces, in a letter to General llertzog. his chief political opponent. Calls upon him to disavow the acts of Colonel Msiril.z, leader of the rebellion against Britain. According to a telegram received at Amsterdam from Berlin, the Turkish government has requested the Oecumenical patriarch, the head of the Greek orthodox church, to leave Constantinople. Former President Taft called upon President Wilson yesterday at the White House, by appointment. He was immediately received by the president, who greeted him warmly. Mr. Taft expressed pleasure at being at the White House again, hut said that he enjoyed private life. Three civilians ac?used of having helped Felix Diaz defend the citadel at Mexico City have been sentenced -to .death by a court martial. They are Richard Barrera, Leoberdo Baltierra, and Salvador Fragoso.
