view raw text
GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. ] London dispatch of yesterda] afternoon says: Wide circulation was given tins afternoon t" i ro nior that the government had received news of military successes closely affecting Russia. This rumor was based on tbe activity, at rising prices, of Russian securities on the stock exchange. The . Baltic tiank of the German armies under Field Mar , shal von Hlndenbnrg has virtually attained the banks of the river Dvin.i. between Riga and Dvinak, , Willi Peirorrad less than 300 miles away in a di leer line. Thence southward, the line sweeps West with the Russian fortress of Kovno still holding , out. but next week may see a grunt battle on Hie road toward the Russian capital. The second line -ot defense upon which the Russians proposed to fall back after abandoning Warsaw has all i he an- | pearancea of having been rendered untenable ami , the British and ltussj;ln press i- beginning to gee . in the Austin Herman plan an ambitious plunge ] deeper into Russia, with Perrograd as the goal. In He meantime the Russian rear guards are fighting . desperately, especially in tin- critical Dvina region, : and at Ivmnii, to capture which the Heinians are making a terrific sacrifice of men. It seems plain , now the Germans purpose no great demonstration in the west, but intend rather to press to the utmost their so-far brilliantly successful Russian campaign on the theory that conditions in Frame and Belgium are such that neither the French nor tin-British Immediately will attempt a genera] offensive. President Wilson an 1 Secretary Lansing conferred at length yesterday on the Mexican situation. Details of Wednesdays conference in New York of the I-itin American diplomats were given to the president by tin secretary of stale. Secretary I.an sinks conference with the president lasted an hour. lie s.,id afterward that the situation was unchanged and the appeal to the Mexicans would be sent -si on as arrangements for ii- transmission bad been mail. Mr. Lansing said he had no announcement to make as io any of the other foreign problems confronting tho government. With the return of the president ii was again reiterated that the inter-American peace plan does not contemplate in any wav the use of force, or ihe Impairment ot Mexicos sovereignty, or interference in her domestic affairs. The purpose of the appeal is to Influence the Mexicans themselves to hold a peace convention, and Hie government created by that action will be accorded recognition, whether or not the acquiescence of all Ihe factions is obtained. Following the receipt of a report stating that a mysterious cattle disease bad broken out in Michigan, together with the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disea-e which resulted in several counties being placed under quarantine, the bureau of animal industry in Chicago took precautions ye-ter day to prevent further spread Of either disease. Federal officials In Washington sent word to the local offices that four additional counties had been placed in quarantine as a precautionary measure. The counties quarantined yesterday are Henry and Lake counties. Illinois; Posey county, Indiana, and Saginaw county Michigan. Federal officials learned that Infected bog cholera serum bad been shipped to these counties from Cook e. unity after the dis ease bad been discovered here. Federal inspectors iiave been dispatched to several counties in Michigan where the mysterious disease has been discovered. The state live stock sanitary commission in Lansing also detailed several inspectors to try to determine the nature of the malady. The sending of battleships to Vers CrUS and other movements that may follow are described officially as precautionary measures to afford assistance to foreigners, but officials feel reassured that there will be no necessity for any physical action. Secretary Lansing declined to comment on General Carranxas letter of protest against tin Pan-American peace plan. The letter ha- not disturbed officials, for they aie convinced that General Carransa does not control the individual opinion of the many generals and bn lets under his command. The feeling is that When the Pan-American conferees appeal is read it will be evident that Carrau/.a has been misinformed a- io the purposes of the peace plan, and that some of ,iis hitherto close sup] oners will ,ive their adherence to the idea of a peace conference. Five mammoth pumps worked at top speed for nearly nine hours yesterday from ." a. in. to -p. in. — drawing tons of water out of the hold of the sunken Eastland. Then it was suddenly discovered that three big portholes in the side of tin- ship were wid open. the wreckers were trying to pump the river dry. As fast as the pumps worked the water Bowed back inside the hulk of ihe vessel. lie:i the leak in the ship was discovered ord •-were given at once to stop the pump- and a diver made ready to go down otic- more to stop up the holes While working inside the boat, under water, tlie diver will make another tour of discover] in an effort to locate any other portholes or -uuil;-ways Unit may have escaped notice heretofore. General Villa has hafi rated tbe i ntted states crov eminent that lie is willing to sign a truce of three months or more duration with his opponents, during which time a peace conference shall be held. Genera] Villa, who has been in conference at L! Paso and Juarez with Major General Scott, chief of staff of the United States army, and American consular agents, expressed in a definite way his willingness to do anything that might bring about an i arly peace, according to reports from govern-mi nt agents at the border. Villa is understood to have ordered his commanders to avoid fighting, evacuating places threatened with attack, as evl dence Of a sincere desire to make peace. Vesuvius, Mount Btna and StrsaabaU, three of tlie Worlds greatest volcanoes, have suddenly become active and are belching forth great clouds of steam and smoke. Streams of lava are p taring down the eastern slope of Mount Etna from two new craters, threatening the destruction of Sicilian Villages. The whole population of Naples, ami of Mes-ina and other Sicilian cities are in a slate of terr r. Severe earthquake shocks have been felt at la rant i and Primlisi in southern Hah. according to dispatches received at Naples, increasing the fear that a gigantic earth disturbance is about to shake Hah. t bough Naples scientists are try bag Io reassure the public. A dispatch from Athens to the London News ■ays British submarines have succeeded in entering the Black Sea ami have torpedoed the cruiser Breslau. A dispatch to the Daitj telegraph from Athens says, however, thai the cruiser Uoefaen has been torpedoed in an allied submarine near the Bosporus. Ihe dispatch adds that the cruiser was run aground. When the war began the German battle cruiser Goeben and the protected cruiser lire-hm were on the .Mediterranean station. Tliev I Ibarded the French coast of Algeria and then. pursued by a British squadron escaped to the Dardanelles. August 11, when they were purchased by Turkey. Three mor, Mexican outlaws were yesterday added to the list of killed in battle near Mercedes. Hidalgo county. It is not reported whether soldiers, county officers or ranters were in the fight. Officers have adopted the policy of refusing to give details of lights in which they wen- concerned. This is said to account for the lack of confirmation of a report that ciuht otber Mexican bandits were killed :n Hidalgo e unty since Friday. A dispatch of yesterday from Milan. Italy, says: "It is learned from a BOUrce of exceptional com potency in Vatican affairs that Germany is engaged iii preliminary overtures to obtain ihe meditation of Ihe pope for ihe discussiin of peace on the basis of the restitution of Belgium. In the overtures both Germany ami Austria manifested great anwill bigness to face another winter campaign." The N mi Vreni.va. of Petrograd. Confirming report- that peace overtures were made to Russia by Germany, says Germany offered Russia Galicia and the Dardanelles, with a guaranty of the in tcgritj of all Russian frontiers, stipulating that Russia should not oppose the cession of Egypt to Turkey nor interfere with Germanys free band iu making peace with Russias allies. Berth] saya that Wench aviators i mbarded the Herman cities of Zweibruecken. Tsank and lagbertya Wednesday, killing eight civilians and wounding several others. the properly damage wa- small. The raid was made over Rbeinhdi Bavaria. Zweibruecken is a town "I the Palatinate about sivt.v nve miles northeast f Nancy, it is a manufacturing plan of some 15.000 inhabitant-. A commission of inquiry has been appointed, ac-cording to the 1. ion Daily Mai- Petrograd correspondent, to investigate charges against General W. A. Sonkli ■anlinolT. former Russian minister of war. an others, in connection with ihe shortage • munitions, which ha- seriously Interfered with Hie rations of the Russian army. Quartermaster ipt. George H. Knos of the First , Aeto Squadron. I . S. A., wa- killed ami Lieut. P. . It. Button, his aid. probably wa- fatally injured i yesterday when an aeroplane in which thej were flying fell 500 feet. The squadrui has just been transferred from California. | Walter .1. Mailer, advertising manager for Hi,- P.. ; Kuppenbeimer company, 111; South Franklin street, dropped dead a- be was al un to step into an eh vator in toe companys building today Mr. Muller Wa Ii veil- old aii.l was In rn In Joliet. i The civil tribunal of the Beinc ha- - questrated the property of the German millionaire, Herr .lei- , II nek. This property, consisting for tbe moat part I real estate in Pari- and the Riviera, I- worth about 40,000,000. The Hermans now are developing a fresh offensive 1 in the direction of the Interior of lius-ia. ap- . parcntly with the support of huge new levies, ge cording to the Petrograd correspondent of the Loudon Times.
