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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OE THE DAY. A dispatch of jnlmiUj from Washington says: Definite information regarding the sinking of tho steamship Englishman ;hh1 the damaging by explosion of the channel str.-iiiHT Banes wen anxiously awaited by President Wilson and Secretary Lansing today, This iiiforiu.it ion was momentarily expected frota American ewwllt officers in England and Prance. If it is established that either of the vessel* was terpedeed hy a German submarine, the United States would regard the act as a most flagrant violation of the rights of humanity, the principles of international law ami of assurances given by Oemaay regarding the conduct of submarine warfare. intil all the facts in the case are at hand, however, administration officials will reserve judgment, although there is no attempt to minimize the gravity of the situation should it develop that either of tlie disasters was due to a submarine attack ami thai American Una were lost. latest i.ttleial information at the state department was a dispatch from the American embassy at London. forwarding affidavits from Edward S. Huxley and Francis B. Drake, New York survivors, swearing that the explosion on the Sussex occurred "without tin- slightest warning." and crediting the ships coasntander with saying that he saw a torpedos wake Another statement in the affidavit officials seem to consider significant had to do with a strange sailing vessel which hovered near the Sus-. sc after the explosion and which, in response to signals for assistance from the channel steamer, sailed away and disappeared. Press dispatches quoting a Belgian army officer as saying that the submarine probably had hidden behind the strange Xt 1. which apparently di regarded all the tradition* and laws of the sea in failing to succor a ves-o! in thntnn, were read with interest. The German official statement of yesterday says: Western theater— By an extensive mine explosion early this morning the British damaged our position near St. Bast, south of Ypres. More than loo yards of trenches were blown up. During the last few days the British again shelled the town of Lens. In the Argonne and in the region of the Mouse artillery and other firing diminished only temporarily. Eastern theater— The Russians yesterday renewed their attack with violence against the front occupied by the armies of field marshal von Hindenburg. The Ban Ian advanced unprecedented numbers of men and munitions against the Cerman line northwest of Jacobstadt. They Buffered enormous losses without achieving any success. After strong attacks by portions of 1li-re Russian army corps south of Narocz lake were repulsed the West Prussian regiments made a counter attack near Mokizyee in an endeavor to recapture the artillery observation positions which they lost March 20. Our brave troops completed their task in every detail. During this counter attach and in the repulse of the enemy attach 1 m -i.ty-one officers and 2.140 men were captured from the enemy. We also took a number of machine guns. An official statement issued at the Aiistro-llungarian headquarters March 24. says: The Italians have shelled Gorizia and Rover.t". In tin- Russian and Balkan war theaters the situations are unchanged. From San Antonio. Texas, a dispatch of yesterday said: Paticho Villas escape from the trap si t for him at Namiquipa was through the Car-i.i zi. not the American, forces, major general 1 unston declared today. Funston heatedly denied that the bandits escape was through an American detachment, which had used the Mexico Northwestern road to get behind him. Villa, he aaid, fled from the Lake Babrioora region, through the Madera valley, where the Carranza troops have paralleled the American line of communication. The supply problem is becoming acute, with the immediate granting of permission to use the lines of the Mi xican Central railway Deceasing a vital issue. The road between the border and Casas Grandos has become well nigh impassable. Funston said. Torn up by thousands of trucks, motorcycles and horses, the sand lias become so dee] as to make this means of supply transportation too slow to be of much value. General Funston reported members of the expeditionary force suffering from cold. Clad lightly for desert heat, he said, our troops are now actually suffering from the extreme cold of the mountain country. From Petrograd yesterday a dispatch says: Two important Russian advances on the Pvinsk front have resulted from the sadden offensive movement of the last week. The advances are over two of the most important sectors — at Jacobstadt. which protects the northern flank, and in the Narocz lake region, which defends the southern positions. In the Kiga sector the Genua artillery has shelled Shlok and Ikskull bridgehead. In the Jacobstadt sector the Germans took the offensive in the vicinity of the htataa railway, but were repulsed by our fire. Then has been lively artillery firing at some other points in this sector. Westward of Pvinsk our troops captured an enemy trench, taking sane prisoners. Desperate fighting continues in the region northwest of Postavy and Lakes Narocz and Vichnevskoie. The enemy attempted to open an attack southward of Karpilovka, westward of Dcrajno. which was repulsed by our rifle fire and grenades. In Calicia the enemy attacked one ot our positions in the district where the Stripa joins the Dniester, but here also was driven back jpty our fire. It is announced from London that eleven persons Wen killed when the British steamship Minneapolis, formerly in the New York-London service. was sunk by a submarine last week in the Mediterranean. All others aboard the steamer were Bared. The first news of the sinking of the Minneapolis was given out at Marseilles by Captain | P.ibby of the British steamer Ieicestershire. Captain Bibhy reports that while in the Mediterranean last Wednesday he received a wireless call for help from the Minneapolis, which said that the Steamer had just been torpedoed and was sinking. The Leicestershire went at full speed to the assistance of the Minneapolis, but arrived too late, the vessel having sunk. The Minneapolis was a steamer of 13.543 tons gross. It was built in 19H at Belfast and was owned by the Atlantic Transportation Company. Pilot to the war the Minneapolis plied between American ports and London. Manufactures in the United States have doubled in value since p.oo. according to an analysis of IBIS census returns. These figures show that the total outputs for 1914, the year covered by the 191.1 ci nsus. will amount to 4,000,000,000. as compared with less than 2,000,000. 000 shown by the census of 1900. The compilation shows that the manufactures of the United States now are double tho-.e of any other country in the world. Ccr-manys output in the year preceding the outbreak of the war was less than 2,000,000,000, while those of Gnat Britain in 1907. the latest returns nvuilabl .-. were about , 1X10,000. 000. Those of Prance probably are about the same as Great Britains. In manufactures exported, the United States now leads tlie world, the total for the calendar year IMS having been .71.000.000. while those of Gnat Britain, usually the worlds largest exporter, wire rsl.r.oo.ooo.ooo. Aii ultimatum demanding the resignation and exile of Yuan-Shi Kai and the trial and execution of twelve of his advisers has been handed to the Yuan-Bhi-Kal government by tlie military governors of I siv revolting provinces, according to table advices * to San 1rancisco yesterday from revolutionary leaders in China of the Chinese Republic Association tin-re. The ultimatum contained five demands, according to advices: 1. That Yuan-Shi-Kai resign at a fixed date and leave China. 2. That twelve "traitors named" be tried and. if found guilty of conspiring against the republic, executed. 3. That Yuan Shi Kais property and the property of the twelve ■traitors" be confiscated to indemnify the revolution. 4. That Yuan-Shi-Knis desecendnnts 4or three generations forfeit their rights of citizenship, .i. That the separate provinces be given control of army units and arsenals. It was stated authoritatively at Washington late yesterday that should it lie shown that a German submarine attacked the Sussex, Germany would disavow the act. offer reparation, punish the submarine commander and satisfy the United States that the act was in violation of instructions. It was alsu Stated authoritatively that the German ambassador. Count von Bernstorff. was mainly responsible for the recent retirement of Grand Admiral von Tirpitz, who is understood to have been eliminated because of his views on submarine warfare after Count von Bern-st/ilf had made certain recommendations to the imperial chancellor, von Bcthmann-Hollweg. The gunboat Marietta has been ordered from Ten Cruz to Tinnire to aid in protecting American interests. X~eaterdny*s report from Tampico said conditions were unchanged, with quiet prevailing, but that it was desired to have light-draft Bar] M-ssels at that point, which can go up the river to the town. The battleship Kentucky, now oU Xunipico, will proceed, to Vera Cruz, Americans in the Tampico oil regions are still apprehensive and the Marietta and Machias will remain at that port as long as there is any alarm. There are some 2,000 Americans in the vicinity. Navy advices from other points on both Mexican coasts reported quiet. The new demands of some 300,000 engine drivers, firemen, conductors and trainmen, it was learned at New York yesterday, will be submitted to the railroads of the country next Thursday. The railroads are to be informed that a reply in writing will be expected by April 29. The railroad employes ask for an eight-hour day and time and a half for overtime. The demands were authorized by a vote taken recently by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Kngineers. the Brotherhood of Firemen and Engineers, the Order of Railroad Conductors and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. The railroads already have said informally that these demands would not be granted. The literacy test was kept in the immigration bill by the house, working in committee of the whole yesterday, by a vote of 225 to 82, which defeated a motion by representative Sabath of Illinois to strike it out. The question comes up again when the house votes on the bill as a whole. An amendment to exempt from the literacy test persons coming to this country to escape either religious or political persecution, was rejected 140 to 43. The bill as drawn, would exempt only persons persecuted for religious beliefs. The biennial school census was started yesterday by more than COO men and women, working under the direction of W. L. Bodine, superintendent of compulsory education. In the returns, to be completed probably by May 1, will be included a tabulation of illiterates, blind and subnormal, those in school and those at work, and the addresses of morally destructive agencies near schools. Headquarters of the census takers are at the Haven school. Fifteenth street and Wabash avenue. Extension of the existing duty of one cent a pound on sugar until 1920, as a substitute for the House free sugar repeal bill, which would extend it indefnitely, was recommended by the democrats of the Senate in caucus by Chairman Simmons of the finance committee. The caucus took no action and will consider the proposal further. Since the beginning of the war the municipality of Vienna has expended over 0,000,000 in buying foodstuffs for retailing to shopkeepers, and for distribution among the people. From the nineteenth monthly municipal report it appears that nearly 10.000,000 free meals have been provided in Vienna since the beginning of the war. During January the number was only 48,000. Lloyds London report says the British steamship Salybia has been sunk. The passengers and crew were saved. The Salybia, of 3,352 gross tons, 342 feet long and forty-six beam, was built in 1904 at South Shields and was owned by Scrutton Sons and Co. of London. She is reported as having left Barbadoes on March 3 for London. Scarlet fever, measels and chicken pox, threatening an epidemic, have caused the council of Forest Park to close the schools and to establish a health department. Mayor Henry J. Mohr and chief of police Fred Licht will act as health officers until a commissioner can be appointed. Fourteen cases of scarlet fever were reported. A limitation of 250 to 300 words daily has been fixed as the quota correspondents in the field are permitted to file from Columbus, N. M. owing to limited wire and wireless facilities. This permits the individual to file about twenty -five words daily. So far correspondents have not been permitted to go beyond field headquarters. Newspapers at Petrograd publish a report that preparations are being made for the arrival of Fmpornr William in the near future at Vilna. where he is to supervise the direction of important operations. Detectives from Berlin, it is added, have already reached the city to clear it of suspicious characters. An Athens report to Renters at London says the Turks have ordeded the evacuation of Konieh, in Asia Minor. The city is in Anatolia, about 173 miles northeast of Adana, and is on the railway running from Constantinople to Adana. Five allied merchantmen have been sunk by German submarines within twenty-four hours. They are the British vessels "erne, Khartoum, St. Cecilia and Feney Bridge and the French steamer Hebe. Detailed information gathered by the American embassy at Paris, indicates that no Americans lost their lives on the Sussex.
