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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. For Hie first time since the war started Russian and British armies are on the point of joining forces. Russian forces operating in Persia have occupied the town of Xultanabad, 150 miles southwest of Teheran, only fifty miles from the Persian Gulf and about fifty miles east and a little south of Kttt-eJ Ani.ua. where a Britisli force under General Towasbead is surrounded by Turks and to whose relief re-onf reomonts under General Avlmer are marching and. at last reports, had arrived within ■even miles of Kut. Edward W. Bessie has been removed by Mayor Thompson as the citys member of the board of supervising engineers. The letter containing the notification of removal was written January 19. Mr. Bemis is said to lie- in Dallas, Texas. Mrs. Bemis said last night her husband would be back from the southern city Sunday night. The removal is based on Mayor Thompsons interpretation of section thirty-six of the ordinance of 1907. which created the beard. The London Daily News gives prominence to an article speculatively suggesting that the Germans possibly are preparing a naval surprise. The nr-ticle says the Germans are arming their new battleships with 17-inch guns. They are also .in serting that the shells fired on Dunkirk some ti-ne ago were twenty-mile range shells fired by 17-inch naval guns. The writer expresses the fear that the British will be napping. In a deperate battle near the forts of Erz»ruin the Russian forces of Grand Duke Nicholas shattered the remain* of a Turkish army that attempted to drive back the Russians from positions they bad sained bv a week of hard fighting. AH the Turks that did not manage to find refuge behind the forts of Erzeriim have bee* sabered, captured or scattered so that they arc of no more importance as military units. Tlie Overseas News Agency of Berlin gave out the following for publication Friday: Competent German authorities state that during the month of December twenty-four ships, among which were the Britisli auxiliary cruiser and two British transports with n total tonnage of 194,704, were destroyed by the allies Teutonic fleets. A dispatch from Washington says: Austrias statement that no Austrian submarine was concerned in the sinking of the Persia probably means there will bo no diplomatic controversy between the Teutonic powers and the United States over that tragedy, in which at least two American lives were lost. A dispatch to the Exchange Telegraph Company of London from Rome says a Britisli submarine lias sunk in the upper Adriatic an Austrian hydroaeroplane, and also an Austrian torpedo boat which went to the rescue, taking the crews of both craft prisoners. The Austrian government has informed Frederick C. Pontield. United Stales ambassador, that no Anstro Hungarian submarine was tonctiueil in the •inking of the Peninsular and oriental Lino steamship Persia.
