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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY. Says a dispatch of yesterday front Paris: In the event of war between the United States and Mexico or any other country. France will at once release from enlistment all Americans now serving with the French army who may wish to return home and fight for their own country. The official decision of France to this effect was today communicated to the United States by high officials of the ministry of foreign affairs. Despite the statement recently published iu German papers in America that 30,000 Americans are serving with the allied armies, France is unable to account for more than about 5100 of them. The release of the seventy American aviators now serving with the French army would give the United States the nucleus for an aviation service of the most priceless kind. All would be able to place at the disposal of the United States all of the secrets of French military aviation, which is universally conceded to have attained a most high degree of effectiveness. What an influence the return of these men to America might have in all parts of the country is indicated in a" list just prepared by the foreign office of the original American enlistments, showing they are divided among almost all the states of the union. Now York lias 187, Michigan 110. Illinois 00, Massachusetts 5S, Pennsylvania 51, Ohio 50, Minnesota 2! I, Washington 27, Wisconsin 20, Missouri P.l, Indiana 1!. California IS, Iowa 15, Alabama 1-1, Rhode Island 11, Oregon 11. Nebraska 11. North Dakota 10, Connecticut 10, Virginia tt. Texas t, Vermont S, Colorado S, Tennessee , Kentucky !, Maryland 0, Idaho 5, Maine 5, Louisiana 5, Kansas 5, Florida 4, New Jersey 4, New Hampshire 3, Oklahoma 2. District of Columbia 2. Arizona 2, Nortji Carolina 2, Georgia 2, Wyoming 2, Utah 2, Arkansas 1, West Virginia 1. The above list i comprises only the original 875 American enlistments in the French Foreign Legion. Those that have followed, however, have practically the same general distribution as to states. The latest dispatch of yesterday from London said: Heavy fighting continues on the Somme front. The war office announced today that the British had gained ground in Dclville wood and Longueval. North of the Longlioval-Kazontin position the British pushed forward their line. East of the Leipzig redoubt, bombing parties made a substantial advance during the night. The statement follows: At 2:50 oclock in the afternoon in Delville wood and Lonnueval we regained a little more ground. The struggle in these areas still continues. North of our Longueval-Bazeiitin position we this morning pushed forward our line, capturing some prisoners and a gun. Fast of the Leipzig redoubt our bombing parties made a substantial advance last night. Elsewhere iu the main battle area there has been only artillery fire since the last report, and no alterations iu the positions already reported. A captured diary belonging to a German commanding officer shows that in the fighting from July 1 to July ti a Bavarian reserve regiment which was opposed to us at Montauban suffered 3.000 casualties out of a total strength of 3,500 men. Another document shows that one battalion of the 190th regiment lost .ISO men out of 1,100, while the other, two battalions of that regiment each lost more than half their effective strength. South of Armentiercs we carried out some important raids on a front of two miles, in which Australian troops took part. About 110 German prisoners were captured. Major Sir Foster Hugh Egertou Cunliffe, military historian, has been killed in the fighting in France. Major Cunliffe wrote the official history of the Boer war, as well as several books on the present conflict. He was born in 1875. A dispatch of yesterday from Paris says: French troops resumed their offensive on both sides of the River Somme last night, with successful drives against the Gorman lines both northwest and southwest of Pennine, it was officially announced today. North of the Somme, French infantry established new lines along the Combles-Clery narrow gauge railway, taking 101 prisoners. South of the Somme, French troops stormed and captured the entire first-lino trench between P.arlcux and Soyecnurt. The advance north of the Somme further strengthened the French line to conform to the recent British advance. The attack south of the Solium; was .mother gain iu the campaign to clear the Germans from the bend of the Somme. On the Verdun front the French scored a notable success in last nights fighting, capturing a strongly fortified German work south of Floury, northeast of Verdun, and taking 150 prisoners. Another French detachment math; further progress west of Thiaumoiit, in the same region. The Germans made an unsuccessful attack at 7 oclock last night on French posts near Boluutc, in the Argonne. Two German aeroplanes were brought down during yesterdays fighting. Tlu; Russians have opened powerful offensives in the Carpathians, toward Kovcl, at Vladimir Volynski and iu the Riga sector, says a wireless dispatch from Koine to Loudon. It adds that a big battle is developing at Jablonitza at the head of .laldonitza pass through the Carpathians into Hungary. The Russian war office announced today that Ktigi, an important point in the Caucasus region, was occupied. Kugi is the junction point of roads in the Erzeruni district. An advance west from Balimt, midway between Erzeruni and Trezibond, on a wide front, is announced. Despite rain storms in Gnlici.-i, which have flooded some of the rivers the steady progress of the Russians is maintained. Bad conditions of roads have not checked the cavalry, and the artillery has been moved forward at a pace equal with the advance of the infantry. On the Lipa front, the fresh engagement which started to develop thirty-six hours ago continues with increasing violence. Fresh reserves of men and guns are reaching the Russian front. American insurance companies are taking risks at the rate of about four to one that the submarine Deiitschland will reach her destination on the return trip. This became known yesterday when it was learned that a portion of the cargo to lie shipped by this vessel was covered at a 2t! per cent rate. This merchandise was forwarded to Baltimore by the American Express company and was Insured by a New York firm of underwriters. For some time it has been the belief in shipping circles that the vessel would reach her destination safely. This has been strengthened since it became known the shipments were insured. Underwriters consider this a low rate, in view of the hazards the undersea boat must undergo to reach Germany.. This policy according to-the- head of a Philadelphia marine insurance company, covers all hazards from fire, water, storm and perils of the sea. as well as all war risks, such as capture or damage by the enemy. Information of the existence of a balance sheet compiled ten days ago on the occasion of John I. Rockefellers 77th birthday anniversary, showing that his private fortune, exclusive, of endowment funds ami other benefactions, exceeds a billion dollars, is said to be in possession of the authorities of Cuyahoga county. Ohio. The existence of the balance sheet, indicating that Mr. Rockefellers fortune exceeds that .of .any man in the world, and indeed, in the history of the world, was discovered iu the search for evidence to present iu the United States Circuit Court of Appeals in the forthcoming attempt of Cuyahoga county to force Mr, Rockefeller to pay taxes on holdings of more than 00,000,100. The German National Committee for securing an honorable peace has drafted an address to the country, which will be published within a few days, calling for the support of Chancellor von Itethniann Hollweg and the influencing of public opinion in the direction of moderate peace aims. The signatures attached to the address indicate the importance of tlu movement. They include Prince von Wedel, general adjutant to the emperor; Philip Ileineken, director of the North German Lloyd Steamship Company; Paul von Schwaback. director of the Bleichroder Bank; Professor Adolph Har-naek, and. many important manufacturers, merchants, professors and others. The capture of Francisco Villa by cavalry of the de facto government is momentarily expected, according to a cablegram received at Galveston by Juan A. Mateos, Mexican consul there. This message says that Wednesday a Villa messenger was captured by Carranza troops. This messenger is said to have told where Villa was located, and a force has been sent to capture him. The messenger reported that Villa was ill and seeking medical aid. The name of the small town where Villa is said to be located is not given in the dispatch to Consul Mateos. It is understood to be in the state of Chihuahua, not far from Chihuahua City. Plans to improve the transportation to the new municipal pier were prepared yesterday by the officers of the Chicago Surface Lines, to be submitted to the council committee on local transportation. One of the plans to lie offered by the company provides for the turning of through route cars from all sections of the city into Grand avenue and from Grand avenue to the pier. The company refused to adopt a plan offered by the council committee providing for the running of the Chicago avenue line to the pier by way of Fairbanks court. The first section of Vermillion Countys hard roads to be completed iu a system of 170 miles, costing ,500,000, was the occasion for a big celebration yesterday at Danville. 111. Governor Dunne and Homer Tice, father of good roads in Illinois, were among the speakers. Following a hasty luncheon at the Elks Club the governor and party were escorted by hundreds of motorists to Bismarck, ten miles north, where 10,000 people had gathered, with roadmen and engineers from all sections of the country, to celebrate the event. The list of deaths from Sundays flood in five southeastern states, which has been constantly growing as channels of communication were restored, stood at seventy-three yesterday, with nine persons still reported missing. Most of the deaths have been iu western. North Carolina, and investigators returning from isolated mountain hamlets brought reports that raised the death total from Tuesdays thirty-four. Property loss also has been heavy, great damage being done to railroads, industrial plants and agrcultural interests. The Zeppelin which recently raided Riga was hit. several times by Russian anti-aircraft guns ami wrecked near Tukuni, accordingly to a London Central News dispatch from The Hague quoting reports received at Cologne. The majority of the crew of the airship was saved and German engineers rescued the engine and other parts of the machinery. The first official announcement that Great Britain had captured a German mine-laying submarine of the U-35 class was made in the House of Commons at London yesterday by Thomas James Mc-Namara, financial secretary of tiie admiralty, who said that one of these vessels would be brought to London to be viewed by the public. Marked increase of overseas shipping in American vessels was reported yesterday by the department r Cot fee. l.etwcen January ami June 51 vessels with a net tonnage of 278,000 made trips to South American countries, SI with a tonnage of 257,000 to Europe, 11 to Asia and 7 to Africa. A roval decree was published at Salonika yesterday retiring the eleven Greek army officers who were implicated iu the wrecking of the offices of the Vcnizelos newspaper Rizoastis and the mortal wounding of its editor. The private soldiers involved will be court martialcd. Two Swedish flight lieutenants. Mannstroem and Krus, were killed yesterday while engaged in a flight. Their machine fell from a height or 300 feet.
