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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. A dispatch of yesterday from London sajs; German battle cruisers appeared off lxiwestoft today. Leanl naval forces engaged the raiders and also British light cruisers. The German warships retreated in twenty minutes. In the engagement two British light cruisers and a destroyer were hit. but none of them was sunk. Announcement of the appearance of the German warstiips was made in an official statement, as follows: At ahead 4:30 oclock this morning the German battle cruiser squadron, accompanied by light cruisers and destroyers, appeared off Lowestoft. The local naval forces engaged it and in alxiut twenty minutes it returned to Germany, chased by our light cruisers and destroyers. On shore two men. one woman and a child were killed. The material damage seems to have been insigni:icaiit. so far as is known ut present. Two British light cruisers and a destroyer were hit. but none was sunk. An attach 011 German positions on the Belgian coast by British warships is reported in an Kxchange Telegraph dispatch from Amsterdam. The bombardment is described as one of the heaviest in this region during the war. The dispatch says the following message has lieen received in Amsterdam from Flushing: Several British warships, accompanied by destroyers and other vessels, yesterday bombarded Zeebrugge and the German batteries off Heyst. Blankenberghe and Knocke. The bombardment was one of the heaviest since the beginning of the war and also of the longest duration. The damage done to Zeehrugtre is said to have b.-en enormous. The hurlior and docks were hit several times and some ships were sunk. British aircraft also threw bombs on German batteries. Several Zeppelins visited the eastern counties last night, dropping incendiary liombs. according to the official announcement. Seventy liombs were dropped during the raid. One man was injured. Four or five Zeppelins, the official press bureau says, took part in the raid. Another London dispatch of yesterday siid: Augustine Birrel. chief secretary for Ireland, announced in the house of commons today that grave disturbances broke imt in Dublin yesterday. Minister Birrell said that tweleve persons had lieen killed before the disturbances were quelled. - Mr. Birrell declared that the rebels were in possession of four or five different parts of the city of Dublin. He also announced that four or five soldiers had lieen killed. Telegraphic communication with Dublin has been cat off. indicating that the principal IKirtion of the city is held by the rebels. The Dublin general postoffice was seized by the rioters. It is an imposing stone structure situated on Sack-ville street, a wide lioulevaril. It is admirably built to serve as a fortress if properly manned by guns. Mr. Birrell made his announcement in reply to ;i question by Commoner "rang immediately after the assembling of the house. He said that the post -office had been forcibly taken possession of and that telegraphic communication had Ix-en cut. In the course of the day, however, Mr. I.irrell said, soldiers arrived from the Curragh. and the situation was now well in hand, although as fommiiali alhm still was exceedingly difficult he was not able to give any further particulars. But the house, he continued might take it from him that the situation was well in hand. The chief secretary for Ireland stated there hail been arrests in Dublin, but that he could not give the names. Sneaking from the information he had received he could say that twelve lives had been lost. Communication with Dublin, he said, still was very difficult. At 7 oclock last night. Mr. Birrel said, four or five different parts of Dublin were in the possession of the rebels, but he said they did not control the whole place. From Washington yesterday a telegram said: Renewed hope of Villas capture arose today in army circles u|M n reeeipt of official dispatches from Consul Letcher at Chihuahua City "reliably" locating the bandit chieftain sixty miles southeast of Satevo and west of Parral. A dispatch from Columbus. New Mexico, today said: A final dash after Villa was reported to have been started by an American detachment, while the main expeditionary forces were concentrated at Namiquipa and Cessans Dublan. A column of cavalry was said to lie driving swiftly toward Villas last reported hiding place in the Chihuahua Sierras near Nonoava. No details of the movement were obtainable. Two new aeroplanes undergoing their final test at the local camp were expected to join the chase for scouting in the rough country where the bandit is believed to be resting and regather-ing followers. Nonoava. mentioned as the objective of the dash, is about sixty miles southeast of Satevo and almost due west from Parrel in the foothills of the Chihuahua Sierras. Confirmation of the dispatch was given by Gen. Tasker II. Bliss, acting chief of staff. He said troops undoubtedly would be dispatched to the Nonoava region on the strength of such reports of Villas whereabouts. Officers upea hearing of the rejiorts from the iKirder and from Consul Letcher, pointed out that if they prove true, it indicates Villa has stop|M d his dash southward toward Durango. is doubling on his tracks slightly northward and westward toward the mountainous region between the states of Chihuahua and Sonora. The French official report of yesterday was as follows: To the west of the River Mouse yesterday evening German forces, after a violent bombardment, attacked on several different occasions our new positions in the region of Dead Mans hill. The first two assaults having failed completely, the enemy started their third attack with the employment of flaming liquids. Cheeked by our cur-ruins of fire and the fire of ear infantry, the Germans were compelled to return to their lines after having suffered important losses. There has been great activity on the mart of the artillery in the region of Avocourt. Some time during the night the enemy endeavored, but without success, to occupy our advanced iMists of the Avocourt redoubt. To the east of the River Mouse there has been a fairly spirited bombardment of our first and second lines. In the Forest of Apremont there has been fighting with hand grenades. In Lorraine we have disi ersed a strong reconnoitering band of the enemy which was endeavoring to o.-cupy one of our smaller positions to the east of the Neuviller. This morning a German aeroplane threw down six bombs on Dunkirk. One woman was killed and three men were wounded. The material damages were insignificant. The naval appropriation bill for the fiscal year 1917, framed by a House sub-committee and submitted to the committee Monday carries 17.-052.174. against 49,050,805 appropriated for the current fiscal year. This is on the basis of the Navy Departments promised building program for 1917. That program tails for two battleships, two battle cruisers, three scout cruisers, fifteen destroyers, thirty submarines, two gunboats, one hospital ship and one fuel-oil ship. These would cost .-,372.127. against 5,053. S01 for this year. For aviation the bill carries ,000,000, and. in addition, .000 for the naval advisory committee for aeronautics. The naval militia is given S7.737, instead of 50,000. as at present. In |iersonnel the bill provides for 13.5H additional men. For naval auxiliaries S950.0O0 is allowed, an increase of 50,000. New items for nearly ,000.1100 for rserve ammunition are included. A ,500,000 dry dock at Norfolk and : ther like it at Ihiladelphia for battleship construction is proposed by the subcommittee, which recommended appropriations of 00,000 for each place to begin construction. Another contingent of Russian troops arrived at Marseilles, France yesterday. The Russians were received witli all military honors and debarked amid enthusiastic Checra. The contingent arrived at ten oclock this morning, its coming being greeted by the flying of flags ami blowing of whistles from the craft of many nations in the harbor and by a large crowd massed on the quay, which was especially prepared for the arrival of the troops, all merchandise having been removed, A regiment of Hussars provided a military guard of honor. General Minissier. the governor of Marseilles, accompanied by his staff, welcomed the commander of the Russian force. The Russian troops assembled on the docks replied to the greetings from the shore and barber with hearty cheers. The debarkation was immediately begun, the crowd continually manifesting its enthusiasm. Naval officers at San Diego, Cal.. expressed gratification yesterday over records made by vessels of the Pacific fleet at elementary and battle practice this year. In the recent tryouts the Maryland scored sixteen hits out of seventeen shots and the Cleveland fifteen out of sixteen shots. In battle practice the Cl-veland made thirty -two hits in forty shots. In torpedo practice off San Pedro the destroyer Stewart seated two hits in as many shots while steaming at a speed of twentv knots, range MM to 4.000 yards. Other vessels "of the flotilla also made good averages. The Stewart made a perfect score at ImiIIi night and day torpedo practice, and probably will lie awarded the trophy pennant for 1915-10. according to naval officers. The Inited States Steel corporation yesterday afternoon declared its regular quarterly dividend of 1 1-4 per cent on its common stock and I 3-4 |ier cent on preferred. Tiie total earnings of the corporation for the quarter ended March 31 last were 1916.sh0,713,024. according to the quarterly report. This breaks all records of previous earnings, comparing with earnings for the quarter ended December 31. 1915. of 1.23l.7SS, tin- previous high record. The net income for the quarter ended March 31 was 1.21S.5.-,9 and the surplus 2.S54.-172. These figures compare with net income of 0,853,113 and surplus of 3,300,692 at the end of the previous quarter. President Yuan Shi Kai. in a mandate just issued, admits that his full control of the administration has caused dissatisfaction among the Chinese people and authorises a secretary of state. Hsu Sliili Shane to organize a responsible cabinet. It is intended, says the mandate, "as a beginning of administrative reform." President Yuan says he hopes "the members of the government will work to remove the difficulties of the day."
