The Washington herald. [volume], May 27, 1918, Image 1

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Remember, you have but today
in which to answer the Hun hot
pital-bomber via the Red Crou.
WASHINGTON. D. C.. MONDAY. MAY 27, 1918
WEATHER?CLOUDY; WARM
U. S. FLIERS SCOp: 3 TO 1 OYER HUN AIRMEN;
AMERICANS MAY BEAR BRUNT OF NEW DRIVE |
ONE CENT !5.
M'ADOO ORDER
NEW RAILWAY
EPOCH
May 31 History Making in
Changes on Nation's
Roads.
PRESENT HEADS GO;
BUSINESS CASH ONLY
$300,000,000 Wage In
creases and Eight-Hour
Day Granted.
fMO,MO,OM EQUIPMENT
AND BETTERMENTS ASSURED
Express Companies, Pullman Serv- j
ice and Short Lines Taken
Over by Government.
The last days of May. 191S. will be
* history-making period for the rail
roads of the United States. Things
that have happened or are about to
happen are:
1?'The removal of the heads of all
the railways and railway systems
from any connection with the opera
tion of the properties, and the putting
of Federal managers In their places.
2?The putting of all the business of
all the railroads on a cash basis.
3?Issuance of General Order No. 1*7
granting an increase of wages and the
basic eight-hour day to all railwav
employes. The increases in wages in
the aggregate will amount to approxi
mately S300.000.000 a year.
??Increases in freight and passenger
fates to m^t the increased cost of
operation and materials.
Immense Improvements.
5. Physical improvements and pur
chase of equipment authorized at an J
aggregate cost of between $800,090,000
and 9NMMLM9.
8. The taking over and operation I
of the express fomssnfes ?#-.? pan |
of the Federal Railroad Administra-!
tkm. j
7. The taking over under Federal,
control of all th^ short-line railways j
Of the country, putting practically t
avery mile of steam-operated railway
under government control. 1
8. The taking over and operation
of the Pullman car system ?not the
plant or corporate body) as a part
of the Federal Railroad Administra
tion.
The situation that has brought about
and is bringing about these great
changes was stated by Director Gen
eral McAdo??. who said:
fVallr?ada to Help V% in War.
"The railroads must run to win the
j war. and there's not a thing going to
Stop them. So far as I am able, they
I are going to be put upon a self-sus
taining basis."
Director General McAdoo declares
that his""OiiO regrec is that the increas
es in freight and passenger rates were
not made at the first of the year, the
date on which the uage increases will
become effective. As it is. six months
will have been lost for increased rev
Semies b? fore the new freight rates be
come effect ire. and Ave months on the
[passenger rates, while the effect of
the great expenditures for physical
improvements and equipment will not
be manifest in the operating revenue
before next year, and probably will
not be fully effective until 1920.
The result to be anticipated, there
fore. Is that net operating expenses
for th* calendar year 1918 will exceed
net operating revenue. How much
this deficit will be cannot be foretold
at this time. It will be made good
from the revolving fund granted by
Congress to the railroad administra
tion. And then If a balance on the
Vfeht side of the ledger is not shown
Wtir the calendar year 1119, it will not
w>e for the want of trying on the part
?of Director General McAdoo.
I "rants *-Ho?r Wages.
I The general order putting into ef
?fect the wage increase gives full
Recognition to the basic eight-hour
pay for labor, thus going a step
further than the Railroad Wage
commission, whose recommenda
tions as to wage increases have been
?closely followed.
i The first duty of the new wage
?rommisHon created by Director Gen
eral McAdoo will be to fix new wage
vrales for special classes of em
ployes. These classes and dav la
borers must be considered In' con
nection with the^great demand for
V COSTIXL'CD Og PAGE TWO.
HUGE APPROPRIATION
I BILLS STILL COMING
krmy Bill for Eleven Billions for
I House Consideration Tomorrow.
? Huge appropriation bill* will be con
th? Hou?* of Representa
tive* this week. Since the war began
Eg"*1""" h? Jowlcd millions and
?tlifona m frequently that enormous
f? are n0 longer staggering.
? Tomorrow, the House will
gprfc on a bill that carries lll.04l.usi -
r ?Th? *? ,h* *""> b?U. Of the
Barney n&.ZP.W* j, f?r uw at
? Shortly after the army bill is dia
l-wed of and sent on to the Senate
bother big Mil Will come along In
?" appropriation of
t . of which half will
II .immediately available.
? Also the House has lust been nr.
P^* W*r Da^rti^it has jQtt -n(i
L^he^wleralie2r,e ?
ANOTHER BEEF
SCANDAL MAY
BE IMMINENT
Federal Trade Commission
Accuses Two Big Chi
cago Packers.
CAMP TRAVIS INVOLVED
I ___
Hoover Says the Law Gives
Only "Moral" Power
Over Profiteers.
???
Charges that beef "unfit for human
consumption" hae been sold to the
United states troops In Texas by
Wilson A Company and Morris A
I Company, two of the largest packers
! in the country, were made today by
the Federal Trade Commission.
More than 10.000 pounds of meat
shipped to Camp Travis, Texas, has
been destroyed, by order of the
Food Administration. This was all
fresh beef, shipped In refrigerator
cars and supposedly in good condi
tion. Twenty-six carloads hare
been condemned In various sections
; of the country within the last few
i weeks, according to Herbert Hoover
the Food Administrator.
No full prosecutions have result
ed; no licenses have been revoked,
j Prosecution undertaken by the
: Texas authorities failed because the
j action was brought under a section
! of the Food Law that provides no
j penalties and makes It Incumbent
; upon the government to prove wil
j ful waste or destruction. The Fed
eral Trade Commission, having no
? criminal power, now can obtain only
a "moral conviction" if its action is
successful.
Hoover Orders Inquiry.
| Mr. Hoover announced yesterday
j that he had ordered an immediate
'survey of the entire case by E. A.
j i'cden. the Texas administrator. He
| expects a report on Tuesday.
j While all the meats were fresh and
; not of the "embalmed beer* variety
; that caused such % acandal In the
Spanish-American war. the announce
I ment by the Federal Trade Commis- '
( nion yesterday is the first open official <
. hint that soldiers of the army were
'setting inferior beef. The commis
( sion's open charge reads:
| "Complaints have been issued by
i the Federal Trade Commission mak
j ing the serious charge against Wilson
i & Company and Morris & Company,
that they have sold and offered to sell
j meat and other food products to the
; government with the knowledge that
these products were to be used as
food for American soldiers, and that
these products were spoiled and 'un
fit for human consumption.'
*?eli I nflt for Use.
"Thousands of pounds of unfit
meat were offered for sale to Camp
Travis. Texas, according to the In
formation on which the complaints
(are based. Indictments were re
sumed against the two packing con
cerns by a errand Jury in the United
j States District Court for the West
ern district of Texas, chaging vio
lation of the fourth section of the
J food law. but these Indictments fail
ed. It was found that no penalty
for violating this section of the food
law had been' provided.
"The Federal Trade Commission
has been informed that in addition
to spoiled and unfit beef, the Na
tional Army cantonment at Camp
Travis was orTered chickens for sale
which were unfit for human con
sumption.
"The commission has decided that
selling meat products carried with
it the implied representation that
such meats are wholesome and suit- |
able for such use."
Reports Month* Ago.
Official Washington, having to do
with the enforcement of the food
laws, was somewhat in the dark yes
terday over ?he action of the Federal
Trade Commission. Mr. Hoover, when 1
asked whether the Federal Food Ad- |
ministration had taken action in re
gard to the situation, said that tha,
j only thins t>.at had come to them was i
! months ago. Then reports were re-!
ceived that some of the beef going;
into Texas was bad. The administra- i
tion ordered about 10.000 pounds de-1
stroyed, because, from all the In for- i
mation at hand, it had deteriorated
nfter it had been shipped to the
Southern camps.
Mr. Hoover said that as nearly as be j
could analyst the situation the trouble
"seems to be that Texas has too
much beef." The anxiety of the army 1
to have supplies in a hurry, the diffi- j
culties of transportation and the more
important and increasing problems of,
king and refrigeration in Texas,
played their parts.
C?M Storage Taxed.
Thousands of pounds of beef, all
fresh, was moved by the shortest i
routes. When this large quantity
arrived, the cold storage houses
were taxed to their limit and many
of the refrigeration cars were com
pelled to stand on sidings. The
icing and refrigeration facilities
were overtaxed, with the result that
some of the beef spoiled. It was all
fresh meat: no canned beef was
shipped. Mr. "Hoover said further
that the railroad time schedules had
been slowed up In the'southwest as
the result of the general rail difllcui
tics, and this also had increased
the burden of moving the refrigera
tion cars as fast 4s desired.
Subsequent to the action of the
Food Administration In ordering the
spoiled beef destroyed, the Texas1
authorities began prosecution under
section four of the Food Laws,
which provided:
Penaltle* In Law.
"That it Is mrde unlawful for
?f?V perron wilfully to dectroy any
**' A r; jcies for the purpo3e of en
iiM the price or restricting the
thereof; knowingly to com
mit waste or wilfully to permit
suming Bill Must Come,
Ot! Wheels.
j Conceding that there would he rev
' enus legislation at the present session
i
I of Congress, Senator Simmons and
Majority Leader Kitchin began yes
I terday to tinker with the machinery
?and squirt oil into It.
I In a few days the ponderous old
j wheels will creak and groan, and the
j Ways and Means Committee of the
| House will be fighting Inside of It
. self over various mooted Questions
(touching on the revenue bill demand
Jed by Secretary of the Treasury Mc
I Adoo.
I For Mr. Kitchin Insists that If
there's got to be a bill, it must be
the Ways and Means Commitee that
will frame it. He will hear of naught
else.
Mast Come from Honae.
Any such ideas as concurrent sit-1
tings of the Senate and House com- J
mlttees have no place in Mr. Kitchin's j
scheme. He holds fast to the rule
which states that financial legislation
must originate in the House.
The House is very jealous of this
prerogative, and guards it as it were!
the jeweled eye of some Buddha In |
a Tibetan monastery. Last year,
when the revenue bill was being |
worked, the House Committee object- j
ed strenuously to too much activity
on the part of the Senate Finance j
Committee.
It is said that Mr. McAdoo will j
give suggestions as to the-character :
of the bill, its proportion of taxes and i
bonds, and the nature of the articles |
against which taxes will be levied. |
Again, however. It is said that the|
House Committee wants to make this
determination for itself.
Saturday night 8enator Simmons
had "a scintilla of hope" that the bill
might still be postponed until the
autumn, but yesterday he appeared
to have hauled down even that small
kite. For he said:
"Well, 'scintilla' Is about all I can i
say. I did not want to abandon hope |
absolutely, but I don't suppose now |
there's much doubt about a bill.*
The Senator has made no arrange
ments yet Mr a meeting of his com
mittee. Even though the House Com
mittee should start with the legis
lation. the Senate Committee would
probably sound out Its own members,
land receive suggestion^.
| Incomes aad Profits Aimed At.
There Is a growing idea that ex
cess profits and incomes will be fired
at still further In the coming bill.
So persistent was this impression In
the House that Saturday, Husted of
New York, put in an amendment
that would exempt ail army and.
navy officers and enlisted men from
new taxation.
Senator Simmons still Intends to
write to the President outlining tht>
situation, . and thus affording Mr.
Wilson a chance to tell > Congress
why the administration desires a
tax bill at this time. The- Senator
said last evening he had
plan* yat for '
Best Navy Traditions
Upheld When Florence
H. Burns in French Port
i
I
Cpital Man Heroic?Virginian Praised?De-i
stroyer Crews Risk Lives in Inferno of
Exploding Munitions?All Not Killed on
Board Rescued ? Admiral Wilson Gives i
Intrepid Men's Records.
How men of the American navy
broke their way through a flaming
mass of wreckage and exploding cases
of ammunition to rescue their drown
ing comrades on the night of April-17.
when the Florence H. was burned in
a French port, was told in dispatches
Horn Rear Admtral Wilson made pub
lic last night by the Navy Depart
ment.
The Florence H., laden with muni
tions. broke into flame that enveloped
her with "flashlight rapidity," and
within a few minutes she broke in two
and went to the bottom.
The sea to the lee of her was a mass
of flaming wreckage and exploding
ammunition cases. Members of the
crew of the stricken vessel thrown in
to the sea were struggling in the
midst of it. Small boats could not
force their way through to them and
lanes were made (pr them by destroy
ers, whose commanders dro^ them
into the mass without regard for the
flames and the exploding ammunition.
Thirty-four members of the crew of
the Florence H., all who were not
killed on the vqpsel. were rescued.
WaNhinKton Man Heroic.
Lieut. Howard R. Eccleston, of
Washington, played a heroic part in
the work of rescue and has been es
pecially commended by Rear Admiral
Wilson for his bravery.
Liue.t H. S. Haisllp, F. M. Upton,
quartermaster, third class, and J. W.
Covington, ship's cook, third class,
were especially commended by Ad
miral Wilson, and the latter two were
recommended for medals of honor
and gold life-saving medals.
Six officers, two surgeons, a chap
lain and forty-eight seamen 'were
commended In the official orders.
Lieut. Eccleston was born in Balti
more and is 30 years of age. He had
lived for years in Washington before
he entered tne navy. He enlisted last
June In the Naval Reserve*
"We had an exciting time on the
night of April 17," was the manner in
which he told of his heroic work on
the scene of the disaster in a recent
letter to his sister. Miss L. Eccleston.
Just what the exciting time was, nor
his own part in it, he did notxsav,
contenting himself with that simple
reference to one of the daring chap
ters of American naval history.
A Virginian Named.
Lieut. Harvey S. Haislip was In
command of a destroyer which swept
a path through the blazing ammuni
tion boxes. He is a native of Vir
ginia. was born July 12, 18S9, and
graduated from the Nls^val Academy
at Annapolis in 1911. > I
Fran^ Monroe Upton, mentioned for
bravery, . has his home in Denver,
Colo., and Jesse W. Covington, the
second enlisted man especially men
tioned. is from Durant, Oklahoma.
Admiral Wilson Issued a special
order to the forces under .his com
mand, in which 1le said: \
? The eondu^t of the officers and
in accord with the best traditions of
our service."
Admiral's Trfbate.
The story of the disaster and the
heroic work of the rescuers was told
by Admiral Wilson in his message,
which in part rallows:
"The night was cloudy and dark. A
few moments before 10:50 p. m., it was
noticed that someone on the bridge of
the Florence H. was signaling with a
signal searchlight; our attention was
directed rewards this signaling. With
out previous warning, the Florence H.
burst inco brilliant flame similar to
flashlight In suddenness. Flame did
not subside, but on contrary In a mo
ment entirely enveloped the ship, and
.???hot up about 100 feet in the air.
"The suddenness may be appreci
ated by the remark I made, 'There
will not be a living soul get off that
ship.' and this was my firm belief.
"Too much praise cannot be be
stowed upon the magnificent con
duct and fearless courage of tho
men out in small boats worki^
their way through these blazing
masses of ammunition cases to res
cue the men. The conduct of the
destroyers was superb.
"It is desired to commend the ac
tion of all patrol boats on the scene
who at great risk went in this
burning wreckage and exploding
ammuntion; the destroyers being
especially conspicuous in that they
steamed through it. Every man who
went out in small boats did so at
gfreat risk of life and their conduct
is deserving of commendation."
SAVIOUR FIRST DEMOCRAT.
New York Priest Says Christ Asked
Unselfish Service.
New York, May 26.?"Here is the
first Democrat," said Father Joseph
A. Mulry. president of Fordham Uni
versity, elevating the crucifix before
20,000 persons who attended the 16th
annual military field mass today at
the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Father
Mulry, who preached the sermon, con
tinued: "He did not ask men to die
for selfish ends, but to die that they
might aid other men. That is your
work."
Food Speeding Up ia Britain.
London. May 26.?The food ministry
is speedins up and facilitating the
preparation of food in every way pos
sible. A machine for the slicing and
drying of potatoes has been Installed
at Nottingham. A great saving in ex
pense is anticipated, with increased
production, by machinery.
Soldiers' Clothing Burned.
Alexandria, La.. May X. Forty
thousand pieces of winter clothing
belonging to troops stationed at Camp
Beauregard were destroyed or dam
aged by fire, believed to have been of
incendiary origin, hi a warehouse
MERCY FUND
12MILLI0NS
BEYOND GOAL
|
Figures Compiled to Last
Night Show Total of |
$112,097,304.
FINAL DAY HOPE GREAT [
Local Contributions to Be
Pushed Far Beyond the j
$700,000 Now Given
| The American Red Cross campalcn
I for IU J100.000.-000 second warfu?
was oversubscribed last b.
the amount contributed
! more than ti:.000.0?. The exact total.
according to figures compiled by the
Red Cross headquarters nere,
"Kul? Fo^ign Division
leads the list with a subscriptionper
centage of 900. The Gulf Division
loads in the United SUteswUhasub
I qcriptton percentage of -10. Create
J N"w York leads aU the division. In
^The figures lsst night indicate that
four of the fourteen division! ao far
have failed to reach their ^
information from these ?*?{"? I
leaves virtually no doubt that they j
will have their ouota, and Join the
general oversubscription In the _vt* [
orous windup of the campaign tomor
i row.
Omr Mere Day ?? Saslle#.
I Todnv Is the last >la> that Washing
I ton will be smiled itno contributing to
lT%mfroCwrr.-d.lm.l a P^t to
I ?e nought silver and did t.ot <nsa???
bills, the fragrance of flowers sold
With a -unite and other fcautres that
CngedThe^drab .met. ot W?hin6
nensity has been lncreaaing In mo
men turn daily during the
ffalan Is exweted in one W
?r^an,.o^oTurn Its P?cke? ?"""
| pletely inside out this last dev.
?Give Mai' Mere."
^moVe' do-" a^wllVw.nd*1:;
tonight with . big celebration at
UE?lot H\V ads worth, chairman of
! th? executive committee of the
\merican Red Orosa. will speak, as
will Capt. A. P. Simonds. members
of Pershing's expeditionary force.
There will be pr-osc-nt nfflccrs frmn
every allied nation which now has
rnilitary representatives in * ash
ington.^e m?tlB(r at the Na
tional theater yesterday efterfnoon
subscriptions raised the total over
the $700,000 mark. Besides what is
expected from indivdual subecrip
I cottons today, the report of the
amount collected in the various gov
ernment department, will be made
at the Willard at 5 o clock this af
ternoon when the team captalns wil
i meet. Reports from Individual
aociettea will be read also.
Henry P. Davidson, chairman of
the Natonal American Red Cross
War Council, was the principal
speaker at the meeting in the Na
tional theater.
While speaking. he was handed trie
tabulated returns for the national
drive, showing that the contributions
and the pledges had reached 1112.
00n.0<X>.
Mr. Davidson was greeted with
cheers when he said: "At last all the
forces of the entente, civil and mili
tary. have found a way to get the
peace they so much desire?they have
concluded to a man there is one and
only one method?and they are taking
that method, which is to fight, tight,
fight."
Trthate to Wi??? Worker*.
Mr. H. B. K. Macfarland, presiding
?officer, paid tribute to the women
workers of the week and said that in
a few cases they had been treated
v. ith discourtesy by "persona who are
pro-Germans and ought to be *en*
back to Germany for punishment."
He said that a prominent business
man of the city had remarked to a
I delegation of them who went to get
his subscription. "Go to hell," and
I there were cries of "Name him"?but
| the name was not given.
j Among the subsci iptions an
nounced from persons in the su
dience who had previously given
i were those of William F. Kingston.
$1,000; Thomas L Chadbourne.
i $1,000; Emil Berliner. $1,000; P. A.
I Drury, $300; George F. Smith. $600;
I Oscar Seagle. the baritone who
! sang last night at IJberty Hut and
| again yesterday at the National,
I $100, which was in payment of an
I "automobile tax." which Charles
| Henry Butler said every automobile
I owner ought to pay to the Red
I Cross, and numerous others which
! will appear in the list made up to
day.
Philippine Gifts.
Teodore R. T. Yangco. resident
commissioner of the Philippine
Islands, gave $1,000 and then con
tributed $2,000 more in the name or
the Philippine legislature.
Commodore Waddam announced
that the crew of the Cushing had
sent 8 pounds 6 shillings and 6
^Maj. Ravmond W. Pullman an
nounced that the Washington police
force. "all men of slenderd means,
had contributed $1,250. .
The Marine Band, which had hid
on roses Saturday night into the
hundreds, announced a contribution
of $500. in addition to those they
had already made.
Mr. and Mrs. Levi P. Morton sent
a pledge for an additional $2.j00.
Mrs. Marshall Field subscribed an
additional $1,000; Mr.
Henry H. F lather an additional
1600 and Otla H. Cutler, who
&uKht ? autographed bas.b^l t.r
-1
U. S. Communiques
Dropped by Order
By \RWTON C. PARKE.
Btaff Correspondent of th? L N. ft.
With the American Army In
France, May Effective to
night the Issuance of official
communique* haa been discon
tinued on orden fjom Wash
ington.
Official Reports
From War Fronts
AMERICAN.
Americans In the L<orraine sector f
I made another successful attack on a
'German patrol, killing several and I
returning safely, as told In the fol
lowing communique from Gen. Per-1
I shing Issued late yesterday:
I "In the course of patrol encounters
our troops drove back the enemy and |
inflicted a number of casualties.
'Lust night in Lorraine one of our
patrols consisting of an officer and
twenty men gained contact with an
enemy patrol of about equal strength
which was supplied with light ma
chine guns and assisted by machine
gun Are from its own lines.
"In the lighting which ensued oar
patrol drove back the enemy, killing
several of them."
The following Issued Saturday at
the Expeditionary Headquarters was
given out here tonight:
"Yesterday in Picardy our troops
executed a successful silent raid and
inflicted on the enemy a number of
looses in killed and prisoners.
"There is nothing else of import
ance to report."
I
BRITISH.
Tendon. May 38.?Tonight's official
bulletin from Field Marshal Haig
says:
"The French at night time repulsed
a raid north of Bailleul. Last night s i
shelling In the Villers-Bretonneux sec
mri WR* shells v?re used 1
Twnln* there was a tnvv hos
tile ga helling west of Hinges."
The text of the official dav report
lfrom the War Office follows: '
I "A party of our troops raided the
I enemy's trenches south of Bucquoy In
I *\v *ght yesterday, taking fourteen
, prisoners and two machine guns
I "During the night raids were car
ried out by U? east of Hebuterne and
.south of Xeuvllle-Vilarx. resulting In
i capture of fifteen prisoners and
, a machine Run.
"Hostile raiders were repulsed I:
r.icht in the neighborhood of Saillv
| '-*-?ec. Bucquov. Ablaineville Fes
i tubert and Merris.
] "The enemy's artillery has shown
] increased activity, particularly in the
; sectors of Villers-Bretonneux and
Dernancourt. aa well as in the neich
, I'orhOAd Of Bucquoy and between the
1-orest of Xieppe and Meteren."
FRENCR
:s?The text of the
omcial day communique follows
"There was fairly ?-reat activity
by both artilleries in the region of
Awr ^ Wood an<J ?"uth of the
I "Following a lively bombardment
\ enemy launched without result.
: a surprise attack on our posu naar
Orvillers-Sorel.
' ^v"?ther cnem'r attempts in the
I CTiampaene and in the Vosges
, broke down.
'Our patrol detachments made
prisoners, especially in the repion
of the Aillette.
?Elsewhere there Is nothinc to
' report."
GERMAN.
Perlin (via bmrionV M*y 2*.?
Today's war office statement cover
ins yesterday ? operations on the
j west front follows:
"South of the Xieuport Canal
! and on both sides of Dixmude we
! took prisoners seventy Belgians,
j Artillery activity was moderate in
daytime. but increased toward
I evening at Kemmel. youth of the
Somme. and between Moreuil and
Montdidier.
?An English attack at Pucquoy
failed.
"Americans west of Montdidier.
French on the Aillette and English
south of the (word missing) were
taken prisoners."
?fF
"Unlimited Army"
Authorized Might Be
16,500,000 in U. S.
The passage by Congress of
an act authorising President
Wilson to raise "an unlimited
army" will naturally suggest
to every American the ques
tion :
Just how big will "an un
limited American army" be?
For of course there must he
a limit?even ^an "unlimited"
army.
The best method of approxi
mating Its sire is by compari
son with Germany, which ha*
stretched Its man power to the
ultimate to raise an "unlimit
ed" army. Comparison of the
total population with the sise
of the army raised by Ger
many gives these figures:
Population Army
C. S. 110.080,000 K,Sar?/*fc?
Germany &0.000.000 12,<W>,oqo
This is equivalent to It per
cent of the total population of
each country.
U. S. PRISONERS
SOUTHWEST,
HUN SAYS
At Montdidier, Farthest
Point of Penetration,
Sammies Taken.
CORNER OF WEDGE
HEAD VITAL POINT
Pershing's Men Stationed
at Gate for Paris
and Amiens.
ARTILLERY ACTIVE NEAR
TOUL; INFANTRY IS HELD
Americans Return Foe's Fire with
Vigor, but Fail to Stir
His Troops.
London. May 26-?Reuter's
correspondent at the front tele
graphs :
"The American airmen dur
ing the last five weeks have
caused three times as many
casualties as they themselves
have suffered."
Montdidier News Shows
Position of Sammies.
Berlin (via London^, May ifi.?
The capture of Americans west
of Montdidier. southeast of Amiens,
was reported bjr the war office
j today. ? r
Th'* ?* the first ti - mention
| is n-r.dc in a German war office
report of Americans on the Pi
I cardy '-int. The Berlin state
ment disc"' -is for the first time
the exact location of the Ameri
can troops thai we recently of
ficially reported to have taken up
! front-line positions be vital
battle field southeast of Amiens.
Montdidier, some twenty miles
.-itheast of miens, is the pivot
H|i.? ch rests the defense of
that ? well as the defense
of Paris is the southwestern
most poin" ' ->f the German ad
vance. From Alontdidier the Ger
man line runs along the Avre
to Moreuit, and then northeast
ward to near Villers-Bretonneux.
and Corbie, on the Somme, eight
miles due cast of Amiens.
Amiens cannot be taken unless,
simultaneously with a frontal at
tack from due east, the allied
front west of Xlontdidier is
pushed back. Thus the American
troops in that sector hold one of
the most important positions or
the whole Western battle line.
Americans Holding
Vital Positions.
London, May 2*.?The outstanding
piece of news In today's official re
ports. mil of which show the srmies
I in the west as "boiling up" for the
big battle, if the claim, contained m
Perlin's day communique, that Amer
icans were captured west of Mont
didier.
It show* 4hat Pershing's units which
for some time have been known to be
on the Pftcardy front are squarely face
to face with the spearhead of the Gt-r
man wed?* threatening Amiens, and
that when the next blow i? suu k ??>'
Hindenbarg toward that great allied
base. America? troops will be in the
thick of the third?perhaps final
round of the great war.
Wedge Has Square Head.
! It Is a square held, not a pointed
lone this, "spear head' of the German
Picardy wedge. It cannot plunge for
ward and cut Into the allies' line Itke
a thin pointed knife. It must /hwp
itself westward along; the whole of Its
nineteen-mile front, which plvote In
the south on Montdidier. and In the
north on Corbie. The allied lines
west of Montkiidfter bar the Teutons
way to Paris as well as to Amiens,
so that the American troops there,
shoulder to shoulder with the French.
, are holding at once the hinge and the
[axle of the allied defense in the tm
| pending battle.
As for the developmenta of the last
! twenty-four hours, they ma* be sum
' marized In th* term "raider war
fare" with the Teutons showing
greater activity than they have die
played for weeks. Also there lies
perhaps ominous significance In to
night's announcement by Hsig that
the Germans this morning carried out
a heavy gas shell bombardment to
the west of Hinges. This te the sec
tor west by north of Feetubert, near
the tip of the southern leg of the
German Flanders wedge, where the
rail-gate of Bethune Is menaced The
German shelling has been heavy also
at Villers-Bretonneux. nine miles east
of Amlena __
British raiding parties were success
ful last night and today in bagging
CONTINUED ON PAOI TWO.
wit, w. ??.