Evening star. [volume], October 21, 1939, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Weather Forecast I”
From the United 8iate« Weather Bureau report li/-- Wl — .... TAhiV
Full details on Pa»e A-2 IOOOyS WOr INCWS IUUAT
Cloudy preceded by showers tonight; .
tomorrow fair, slightly cooler, minimum
temperature tonight about 48 degrees. Nighttime Oil Europe's Battlefields
Temperatures today—Highest, 79, at
i p m.; lowest, 54, at 6 a m. Is Press Time on The Star
Closing N. Y. Morkets-Sdes, Poge 16._ _op M..n. Aa.oc.ud Pr.»._
87th YEAR. No. 34,871. THREE CENTS
British Warplanes Beat Off
Nazi Air Attack on Convoy;
Turks Warned of Poles' Fate
T
Attackers Suffer
Casualties Over
North Sea
St the Associated Press.
LONDON. Oct. 21—The air min- 1
lstry announced that German air
craft had made an attack on a
British convoy this afternoon and
were driven off by British planes
and anti-aircraft fire.
The announcement said "our
fighters inflicted some casualties on
the enemy.”
The announcement said:
"Enemy aircraft were sighted this
morning by a convoy in the North
Sea.
“In response to a signal, fighter
aircraft were dispatched and the
enemy marie off.
"This afternoon an actual attack
was made on the convoy bv enemy i
aircraft. The escort vessels opened
fire and our fighters inflicted casual
ties on the enemy.”
Earlier the ministrv had an
nounced that "two unidentified air
planes were sighted off the east
coast of England about 2 p.m„ and
fighter aircraft were sent up to in
tercept them.”
The statement did not say wheth
er any contact was made.
The communique concluded:
"Air raid warnings were sounded
In the Hull and Grimsby areas at
about 2:30 and the all clear signal
was given in both areas about half
an hour later.” ,
Hull and Grimsby are on opposite
6ides of the Humber estuary.
Swedish Steamship
Reported Torpedoed
UI VVUUVDiVl. WLl. i-1 V AT I .- 1UI -
pedoing and sinking of the Swedish
steamer Gustaf Adolf was reported
to her managers today by a Nor
wegian vessel which rescued the
crew of 19.
The report said the Gustaf Adolf
sank north of the Shetland Islands.
The vessel left Gothenburg, her
home port, last Tuesday, for Eng
land.
Lloyd's Register lists the Gustaf :
Adolf as a vessel of 925 tons operat
ed by A. Bratt A: Co.
The name of the ship which res
cued the crew was given as the
Bisca.
Planes Are Fired On
In Nancy, France, Alarm
NANCY. France, Oct. 21 —
Anti-aircraft guns fired at planes
during an air raid alarm which
lasted from 10:16 to 10:45 am. to
day. military sources disclosed.
The planes were reported flying
north at high altitude.
Warning sirens excited the resi
dents of Nancy, but the alarm end
ed without an air attack.
Nancy is 70 miles west of Stras
bourg. which is on the Rhine
frontier.
Rumanian Ship Reported
Sunk Near Gibraltar
By the Associated Press.
BUCHAREST, Oct. 21—The 6.394
ton Rumanian oil tanker Oltenia
was reported today to have been
sunk near Gibraltar while carrying
a cargo of oil to England. The
vessel belonged to the Steaua Ro
mana Oil Co. and her home port
was Constanza.
Meanwhile, four British freighters
end two tankers were being loaded
with wheat and oil for England
at Constanza, Rumania's Black Sea
port. They are the first British
ships to call at the port in several
w:eeks.
The freighters have guns mounted
on their decks and it is believed
they will leave in a group to be met j
by a warship convoy at Gibraltar, i
Rumanian oil exports to Germany,
which before the war averaged
4.500 tons daily, have dropped to
2.000 tons—the lowest in years.
Reich Tanker Sails.
MEXICO CITY. Oct. 21 i.Pi.—The
German tanker Emmy Friedrich
was reported today to have left
Tampico, loaded with oil and bound
for an unknown destination. In
formed sources said she would try
to run the allied blockade and reach
Germany.
The ship loaded the oil at Galves
ton, Tex., before the outbreak of 1
the war and had been taking refuge
at Tampico since.
French Seek to Purchase
Italian Gas Masks
ky.ntit to The star.
ROME, Oct. 21.—As the Italian
press emphasizes the fact that the
Turkish pact with the allies leaves
Italy a free hand for trade with
the Balkans, it is learned today
that the French are negotiating
with Italy for the purchase of 27,
000.000 gas masks.
It is understood that France is
willing to pay gold for the masks
which could be made by Alberto
Pirelli, Italy's leading rubber manu
facturer. Pirelli is one of the big
gest companies in the world and
has wide ramifications.
The British and French both are
pressing trade efforts since they
are able to offer Italy sadly needed
gold and raw materials, while Ger
many. on the other hand, already
owes Italy nearly 2.000.000.000 lire
• about $100,000,000) under the Ber
lin-Rome clearing agreement.
It is understood that in addition
to purchasing 1,500 freight cars and
a considerable number of Diesel
^ engines, the French also are buying
second-hand steam locomotives.
Italy is electrifying its railways and
this purchase lessens Italy's need
for coal which is the only war ma
terial that Germany has available
for payments to Italy.
(Copyright, 1939. by tht Chicago Dally
Newi, Inc.)
I 1
■ ■ ■ ■ - ■ ■ ■ -■■■■ I ■ 1
French Blast Span
Over Rhine After
Warning Germans
By thy Associated Press.
BASEL. Oct. 21.—French mili
tary engineers, after politely
warning German sentinels on
the opposite bank of the Rhine,
(oday dynamited a small steel
footbridge spanning the river
near the electrict plant at
Kembs. 12 miles north of here.
The bridge was used in peace
time by German workers who
crossed daily to the Kembs re
gion. It has been little used
since the fall of 1938 when these
workers were discharged and
replaced by French employes.
Plans for Turkish Aid
Under 3-Power Pact
Completed
Military Co-operation
In Mediterranean
War Worked Out
By the Associated Press.
ANKARA, Turkey. Oct. 21.—Mili
tary leaders of Britain. France and
Turkey completed extensive plans
today for military co-operation un
der the new tripartite mutual as
sistance treaty.
The plans, however, will become
effective only in the event that the
nations are called upon the fulfill
their pledges of mutual aid by fu
ture developments.
inese pledges no not nougaie
Turkey to enter the current war be
tween Britain and France and Ger
many, on its present basis, or to
fight under any circumstance
against Soviet Russia.
The conferences, which began
Wednesday, concluded as Gen.
Maxime Weygand. commander in
chief of French forces in the Eastern
Mediterranean, and Lt. Gen. Archi
bald P. Wavell. British Middle East
commander, prepared to return to
their respective headquarters by
plane.
Marshal Fevsi Cakmack. chief of
the Turkish Army, described the re
sults as "highly satisfactory.’’
The military leaders were said to
have decided on the closest co
operation and co-ordination of their
staffs in Asia Minor. Britain and
France were reported to have
pledged large quantities of fighting
planes and war equipment for quick
delivery to Turkey, as well as assist
ance for the Turkish Navy in the
Black Sea.
Soviet Paper Izvestia
Assails T ri partite Pact
MOSCOW, Oct. 21 ..(P).—The gov
ernment newspaper Izvestia today
assailed the new British-French
Turkish mutual assistance pact,
asserting it "drew Turkey into the
orbit of war.”
In its first comment on the pact,
which came after failure of Soviet
Russia and Turkey to negotiate a
similar agreement, Izvestia said the
tri-power treaty was an "unsuccess
ful attempt to drive a wedge be
tween Germany and the U. S. S. R ;
also to draw the U. S. S. R. into
a combination which is chiefly
directed against Germany and
eventual enemies or England and
France in the Mediterranean (pre
sumably Italy).”
"This agreement,” the paper con
tinued, "cannot be evaluated as an
instrument of peace. It drew Turkey
into the orbit of war.”
Denying Russia would lose from
such an alliance, Izvestia said the
Soviet state maintained "freedom
of action which cannot be said
about Turkey—Turkey has assumed
responsibility which cannot fail to
be reflected on Turkish policies
within the nearest future.”
"In any case, the U. S. S. R. has j
no reason to be sorry for what hap- i
pened.” Izvestia said.
Propaganda, meanwhile, was going
(S e eA N KA RA ,~P a~g e A^8d
Sailor Tells How Ship
Put Hole, in German Sub
By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Oct. 21.—a story of a
sea duel in which an armed British
merchant ship put a hole In a Ger
man submarine and left her to be
sunk by a destroyer was related to
day in a ministry of information
communique.
The tale was attributed to An
tonio Cutajar, a Maltese seaman
who returned to England after a
voyage as fireman of a British
freighter bound from Bristol Chan
nel to South America.
The ship, he said, was attacked
by the submarine at an undisclosed
location and at once brought her
gun into action, putting a hole ini
the submarine.
“Before long the merchant ship
had a reinforcement that quickly
decided the battle,” the account con
tinued.
“A British destroyer came over the
horizon at full speed and the U-boat,
unable to submerge with-a damaged
hull, was at the warships mercy.”
The destroyer, said Cutajar, who
returned to Cardiff after his short
and exciting voyage, “had no dif
ficulty in finishing the U-boat off.”
Freight Trains Collide
NEW YORK, Oct. 21 (A*).—All
main-line passenger trains on the
New York-Philadelphia route of the
Pennsylvania Railroad were blocked
for more than an hour today when
two freight trains collided on a
siding east of the Mew Brunswick,
N. j., station.
p
Nazis Say Russians
Have Reason for
Striking Now
By LOUIS P. LOCHNER,
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent.
BERLIN, Oct, 21—Informed Nazis
intimated today that Turkey may
become another Poland.
The intimation—and it was no
more than that—was based on the
fact that Izvestia, Soviet Russian
government newspaper in Moscow,
said Russia had no reason to regret
I Turkey's action in signing a mutual
assistance pact with Great Britain
and France.
Izvestia's editorial will be repub
lished by the entire German press
today or tomorrow.
Commentators pointed out that
Russia throughout her history had
resisted British attempts to control
the Dardanelles, strategic gateway
to the Black Sea. They said that,
as long as Turkey remained neutral,
Russia could be satisfied to leave the
Dardanelles in her friend's hands.
But now that Turkey definitely
had allied herself with Great Brit
ain, they asserted, cause was given
for Russia herself to assume mas
tery not only of the strategic
gateway but of Turkey,
They said they believed Turkey ;
probably would be carved up as
Poland was by Germany and Russia.
Weakening Report Combatted.
Meanwhile, a release yesterday by
DNB which said that the challenge
of Britain and France in the Eu
ropean war had been accepted was
described authoritatively as intro
ducing no new element into the ex
' isting situation.
Officials said it was intended
merely to combat constantly re
curring reports Germany was on
her knees begging for peace.
Adolf Hitler made a peace offer
ance. it was said in sources close
to the foreign office, and if the
hatchet is to be buried now the
initiative must come from the other
side.
Both DNB. official German news
agency, and spokesmen in high
places cautioned against assuming
on the basis of the Thursday war
communique that Germany was
making conciliatory gestures toward
Pranrp
Tiie communique said the Ger
man Army had refrained from step- :
ping across the French border at I
a moment when conditions seemed
auspicious because of the with
drawal of French troops.
Admit French on German Soil.
The communique today acknowl
edged that French troops still held
two heights close to the border in
the Wamdt Forest region west of
Saarbruecken, but it said these were
the only French holdings on Ger
man soil.
The Thursday communique was
said to have been interpreted in
some neutral and enemy newspapers I
as a sign that Germany hoped to
deal with France and was hesitating,
therefore, to launch an impressive
offensive.
Informed sources, however, said
Germany contemplates no conces
sion to France and. the French
British-Turkish mutual assistance
treaty notwithstanding, the Ger
man attitude is unchanged.
Weakening Is Denied.
Commentators and the DNB de
clared that the German high com
mand was not weakening and that
to interpret the army's reserve as
such was “absurd."
"England and France have re
jected the Fuehrer's outstretched
hand.” DNB said. "They threw
(See BERLIN, Page A-3.)
Mother Burned Saving
Baby; 2 Girls Die in Fire
By the Associated Press.
MULLENS, W. Va., Oct. 21.—Two
children burned to death and their
mother suffered serious injuries in
rescuing another infant child from
flames which destroyed their' log
cabin home near here last night.
Six of Mrs. J. C. Lawson's nine
children escaped besides the infant
she saved by dashing into the burn
ing house. Clothing was burned
from the mother's body. Victims were
Glessie, 3. and Tessie, 4.
Harding Docks;
26 Removed
On Stretchers
Broken Furniture
Pinned Passengers
As Big Wave Hit
Ey the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Oct. 21.—Twenty
six persons were removed on stretch
ers from the United States liner
President Harding today when the
storm-battered bessel arrived after
one of the most tempestuous and
dramatic voyages in modern mari
time annals.
Eyes were blackened, bones frac
tured and bodies bruised by tum
bling furniture and heaving decks
when the 13.869-ton liner was caught
by a howling hurricane after rescu
ing the crew of the torpedoed Brit
ish freighter Heronspool.
Altogether, 73 passengers and
crew members were injured in the
storm, but all except the 26 most
seriously hurt were able to walk by
the time the ship docked.
A cabin boy, Paul iRed) Johnson,
was washed overboard and lost
when a mountain wave broke over
the decks.
Flag at Half Mast.
Johnson, a recent graduate of the
University of Wisconsin, was mak
ing his fourth trip on the ship. Be
cause of his death, the President
Hardings flag was at half mast
when she arrived.
•the hurricane, which had eluded
meteorologists as a result of war
time restrictions gn weather reports
from ships at sea, struck the liner
approximately 800 miles east of Bos
ton Tuesday night.
Passengers said most of the in
juries were caused by one huge wave,
propelled by a 110-mile-an-hour
wind. Some said it was 100 feet
high.
A fleet of ambulances and stretch
er bearers waited at the dock when
the vessel arrived.
Most of them severely injured were
in the smoking room aft when the
wave heeled the shin over to star
board. Tables, chairs, smoking
stands and pottery slithered across
the floor, pinning passengers against
the wall.
Pots and Pans Fell Butcher.
Down below. Frederick Stover,
chief butcher, was passing through
a galley door wtien a pile of pots
and pans knocked him to the floor.
“Except for that I Would have been
all right," he said. “Getting knocked
down slowed me up just enough for
me to be caught in a flood of boiling
water and scalding grease that tip
ped over from a stove.
“I didn't know I was so badlv hurt,1
and with my clothes stuck to me, I
knew I was burned all right, but I
walked through a passage toward
my bunk and I saw a couple of men.
and I waved m.v arm and said to
them. 'Get out of my way, boys. I'm
hurt'.”
He w'as taken to a hospital.
Bobby Vernon, actor and singer
whose name appeared on a passport
as Ralph Keller of Los Angeles, ex
plained the distress call that led to
medical supplies being rushed to the
President Harding by the Coast
Guard cutter Hamilton.
“Our ship's hospital was wrecked
in the storm and our bandages and
other supplies were ruined," Mr.
Keller said.
After the big wave hit. Mr. Keller
said, the smoking room "was a
shambles and full of horrible
scenes."
People Piled in Heaps. . !
“People were piled in heaps and
furniture was splintered and
smashed,” he said. "Human legs
were sticking out of piles of broken
table legs and chairs. A big console
radio, which was bolted to the wall,
tore loose and was smashed against
the opopsite wall.
“I was sitting in a chair on the
side of the ship where the wave
struck, and I found myself flying
across to the other side. There was
no chance to get to your feet, be
cause first the ship would be tilted
one w-ay and then the other. The
floor was like a greased pig and
the water and furniture would knock
us down as fast as we tried to
stand up.”
William Hepburn Buckler, noted
Baltimore archaeologist, said the
* SeeHARDING7Page A-3.)
The War Situation
rigming oi a uig air uaiue
over the North Sea in which
German planes suffered some
casualties in being driven off. was
announced by Great Britain. A
communique said that the enemy
planes appeared over a convoy
and British fighting planes were
dispatched. Earlier an air raid
alarm over Northeastern England
was announced. (Page A-l.)
Hints that Turkey may be
' confronted with the same fate
as Poland as the result of the
Turkish-British - French mutual
assistance pact were given by
Nazi sources in Berlin. Russia,
it was said, now has cause for
taking mastery not only of the
strategic Dardanelles, but of
Turkey itself. The peace initia
tive is now up to the allies, offi
cial sources in Berlin declared.
(Page A-l.)
In Ankara military authorities
of Britain, France and Turkey
completed plans for extensive
military co-operation under the
new treaty when and if it be
comes necessary to apply its pro
visions. The military leaders
w'ere said to have decided on
closest co-ordination of their
staffs in Asia Minor. (Page A-l.)
The Russian government news
paper Izvestia assailed the tri
partite pact, asserting it drew
lursey into me omit oi war.
(Follows above story.)
British transports are crossing
the English Channel at the rate
of three a night, landing thou
sands of additional troops to aug
ment the British forces now at
the front, semi-official sources in
Paris declared. Skirmishing be
tween patrols was the only activ
ity reported from the zone of hos
tilities. The morning communique
spoke of "harassing fire of artil
lery." (Page A-l.)
Approaching a showdown with
Soviet Russia on the latter's pro
posal for a political agreement,
Finland moved to float a defense
loan of about $9,300,000. Dr. Juho
Kusti Paasikivi, foreign minister,
started back to Moscow to re
sume talks expected to reach a
turning point ih two or three
days. (Page A-l.)
As the result of the sinking
Tuesday of the British steamers
Yorkshire and City of Mandalay
about 500 miles off the coast of
France, 67 persons were known to
have lost their lives. Three hun
dred survivors of the sinkings ar
rived in Bordeaux last night tell
ing tales of hardship and terror.
Long lines of ambulances and a
corps of nurses met the American
freighter Independence Hall
which rescued the group. (Page
A-4.)
Complete Index Page A-2
i
{ MAYBE THOSE FELLOWS ‘v\v
AWHEN THEY OPEN THEIK MOUTHS \
^Awill stick Theip feet in 'em. J
--— •;
A ANTI-REPEALERS
Leader Rayburn Says There Will Be No Gag Rule in the House When the Neutrality
Bill Comes Over From the Senate
Heronspool Evaded Sub's Guns,
But Was Sunk by Torpedo
Radio Operator Describes Four-Hour Fight
After Nazi Raider Sank French Tanker
This graphic story of the tor
pedoing of the French tanker
Emile Miguet and the British
freighter Heronspool by a Ger
man submarine was told to the
Associated Press by George Hare
snape, radio operator of the Brit
ish ship, on his arrival in New
York today with 35 other mem
bers of the crew who survived
the attack.
Bv RADIO OPERATOR GEORGE
HARESNAPE.
NEW YORK. Oct 21 (A5).—The
German submarine that sent the
freighter Heronspool to the bottom
with a torpedo October 12 off the
Irish Coast did so only after we
had battled it in a four-hour night
fight.
The sub didn't hit us with a single
shell.
We had been protected by a Brit
ish warship convoy to a point about
300 miles off Ireland. We were on
our way to Montreal.
At 8:30 p.m„ only a few hours
after we had left the convoy, we
came upon the submarine as it was
sinking the big French oil tanker
Emile Miguet.
The submarine was firing shot
after shot at the tanker, and we
: started running at once, hoping to
get away unnoticed.
The sub saw us. however, and
started for us.
We had only one gun—I can't tell
you what size because it's against
British admiralty orders—but we
i See HERONSPOOL. Page A-8.) ‘
Revenge on Raider,
Believed Scheer,
Seen in Report
Officers Rumored Taken
Prisoner, Reach Safety
Of Cape Verde Isles
B» the Associated Press.
LIVERPOOL, England, Oct. 21 —
Owners of the British steamer
Clement, sunk Sept. 30 in the South :
Atlantic by a mysterious German
raider, announced today that two of
the ship's officers, taken prisoner by
the raider, had safely reached St.
Vincent, Cape Verde Islands.
In some quarters this was taken
as indicating that vengeance had
overtaken the German vessel, wThich
a few Clement survivors said they
believed was the pocket battleship
Admiral Scheer.
Speculation on Schwabenland.
Another ship entered the specula
tion as to the identity of the Ger- j
man raider, however, when British
censors passed a Reuter dispatch
quoting the Buenos Aires corre
spondent of the New York Times as
saying the attacker of the Clement
had been identified as the German
ship Schwabenland, a converted
German merchantman.
The dispatch said the Schwaben
land, an 8.631-ton ship, had in turn
been sunk by a British cruiser.
However, there was nothing in the
first announcement, by Sir Alfred
Booth of the Booth Line, to bear out
the theory the raider had been
caught. How the two officers were
freed was not disclosed.
Two Taken on German Ship.
When the Clement went down off
the Brazilian Coast Capt. F. P. C.
Harris and Chief Engineer W. Bry
ant were taken aboard the surface
vessel that sank her.
Sir Alfred said he had been ad
vised both Capt. Haris and Bryant
were safe and well.
When members of the Clement's
crew reached Brazilian ports, some
in lifeboats, they reported Capt.
Harris and Bryant had been taken
aboard the raidet.
“We have just received a message
that they <the two officers) are
coming home on the next available
steamer and we understand they
are quite well,” Sir Alfred an
nounced. 1
British Ship Sinking
In China Sea Sends SOS
By the Associated Press.
MANILA, Oct. 21.—An SOS from
the British ship New Mathilde say
ing she was sinking and required
immediate assistance was picked up
today by the Manila station of
Radio Corp. of America.
The New Mathilde said she was
in the China Sea in the Hong Kong
area. The message gave no further
details.
The ship was built at Kiel in 1906.
She is 230 feet long and of 1,410
tons, net. >
The New Mathilde is operated be
tween Shanghai and Hong Kong
by the Pang Koek Sui Co., Chinese
shipping firm. It was estimated the
■hip carried a crew of II to 30 men.
I
Finland Acts to Float
$9,300,C13 Arms Loan
As Showdown Nears
Mission, Leaving For
Moscow Today, Plans
To Stand Firm
By the Associated Press.
HELSINKI, Oct. 21.—Finland
moved today to float a defense loan
of 500 million markka (about $9,300.
000 p as she neared a showdown in
her relations with Soviet Russia.
Apparently "morally strength
ened" by the recent Stockholm con
ference, in which she participated
with Norway, Denmark and Sweden,
Finland ordered her former premier.
Dr. Juho Kusti Paasikivi, back to
Moscow to resume talks expected to
reach a turning point in two or
three days.
Paasikivi planned to leave Hel
sinki this morning with proposals
believed to reflect the northern na
tions' desire to preserve strict neu
trality in the European conflict. He
is scheduled to reach Moscow Mon
day.
Mission Enlarged.
Added to the staff accompanying
Paasikivi will be Finance Minister
V. Tanner. A government spokes
man said the addition would give
the mission "more authority.”
Foreign Minister Eljas Erkko. who
gave the mission its final instruc
tions, said the addition of Tanner
did not mean, however, that any
new questions were to be brought
into the discussion.
“I believe a solution may be found
with respect for the vital interests
of both parties,” Erkko declared.
"So far the discussions with the
Soviet have been on friendly terms.
There has been no pressure.”
Finland to Stand Firm.
At the same time he indicated
Finland was fortified by the back
ing of other northern countries and
was ready to stand firmly to her
viewpoint.
“Our line is clear,” he said. “We
want to stand for neutrality. That
means we are ready to discuss ques
tions that are not contrary to our
neutrality.”
“We feel more confident,” Erkko
declared. “The demonstration of
loyalty, not only of the Northern
countries but of the whole American
continent is a great satisfaction to
us, and it is very difficult to thank
them. It shows a perfect under
standing of our position every
where.”
Five-Year Loan Urged.
Referring to Finland's extensive
defense preparations, the minister
said they are due to “happenings in
the South Baltic which forced us to
take steps to guard our neutral po
sition.” He said the morale of Fin
land’s armed forces was "very high.”
The current defense measures
caused the administration to pro
pose a five-year loan, to be nego
tiated through sale of bonds.
Beginning Monday it will be im
possible to travel in Finland’s fron
tier districts without a military pass.
Some of these frontier areas already
are under strict military control.
Included will be the Aaland Islands,
strategic archipelago between Fin
land and Sweden, and certain har
bor districts along the Gulf of Bos
nia.
I
British Transports,
Three Each Night,
Shuttle Channel
Thousands of Additional
Troops Are Landed to
Strengthen Front
B* the Associated Press.
PARIS. Oci. 21.—Semi-official
sources reported today that British
transports were shuttling across the
English Channel at the rate of three
each night, landing thousands of
additional troops to augment the
French on the western front.
Little activity was reported from
the zone of hostilities except for the
skirmishing of small patrols. The
French and Germans were said to
be jockeying for position on isolated
heights and in small wooded areas
to strengthen their lines.
The regular morning communique
of the war ministry spoke of the
patrol raids and “harassing fire of
artillery."
Cabinet is Summoned.
Meanwhile Premier Daiadier sum- j
moned 10 members of his cabinet to ^
a special meeting at the war min- |
istry. The meeting lasted three'
hours. Afterward M. Daiadier said
that only that economic problems
had been discussed.
Military' dispatches indicated that
a muddy no-man's land about a
mile wide separated the rectified
main-line positions of the opposing
forces. The patrol operations were
said to be confined largely to the
areas where the Germans attacked
in force early this week—just east
of the Moselle River and between
Saarbruecken and Zweibruecken. in
the center of the northern flank.
Military sources said the French
advance guard was still on German
soil except for a strip near the Lux
embourg border and north of Bitche.
. 100 Landings Made.
Semi-official military quarters said
that about 100 landings of British
troops had been made in the first
month of the war which started
September 3. British War Minister
Leslie Hore-Belisha announced on
October 11 that 158.000 men had
been landed.
Despite the British reinforcement,
military observers expected the
French to sit tight and await de
velopments of the allied naval block
ade of Germany.
The French navy assumed a large
share of the duty of guarding the
trans-channel troop movements and
engaged in mine-sweeping and anti
submarine activity.
Many French observers expressed
belief that German air and subma
rine attacks on Britain would in
crease as rains and approaching
winter make land operations in
creasingly difficult.
Believe Attack Is Prepared.
However. Henry de Kerillis. mem
ber of the Chamber of Deputies For
eign Affairs Committee, declared in
the newspaper L'Epoque that “the
French general staff tends to believe
that a very violent and powerful
enemy offensive actually is being
prepared."
De Kerillis wrote that some quar
ters believed that the signal for a
big scale German attack was “only
a question of days, even hours."
He reported that German troop
concentrations extended to the
southern flank of the line—that
which parallels the Rhine—where
there had been hardly any action
since the war started.
Flood Forces Germans
From Blockhouses
LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 21 </P).—'The
German side of the Moselle Valley
was flooded today as bright sunshine
followed heavy rains which sent the
river over its banks. In some sectors
German troops were forced by the
high water to leave blockhouses.
Residents of Mondorf and Evrange,
who left their homes yesterday, said
the towns were emptied to provide
quarters for troops.
Ten of 13 furnaces in the Luxem
bourg steel mills were reported
operating despite the exodus of 2,000
steel workers and their families—
mostly German returning to their
own country.
Pheasant Injures Driver
WHITTEMORE, Iowa, Oct. 21 m.
—After taking 12 stitches to close
the cuts in Delbert Johnson's face
and head, a surgeon worked seven
hours removing particles of glass
embedded there. A pheasant crashed
through the windshield of Mr.
Johnson'* car, losing It* life and
lacerating the driver.
i
Barkley Plans
H) Ask Limit
On Arms Debate
Strong Indications
Seen That Opposition
Will Defeat Move
Majority Leader Barkley notified
the Senate at noon that before to
day's session ends he will seek to
limit debate on the neutrality bill
darting Monday, but there were
strong indications that opposition
forces may not agree to such a
course at this time. Such an agree
ment would have to be by unanimous
consent.
Meanwhile, Senator Andrews,
Democrat, of Florida began debate
vith a p!fa for repeal of the embargo
is more likely to keep America out
cf the war.
Following the speech of Senator
Andrews, Senator Reynolds. Demo
crat. of North Carolina, who has
not announced publicly how he will
rote on the embargo, is expected to
address the Senate for several
hours.
Minority Leader McNarv has in
dicated he would not object to a
moderate limitation, as did some
rther Republican opponents of em
bargo repeal.
Majority Leader Barkley said he
"would rather get by without a de
bate limitation." but that “we
might be able to work out an agree
ment.”
Predicts Quick Action.
Senator Barkley predicted the
Senate would act quickly when the
cill was read for amendments next
*eek.
Seven or eight amendments have
seen introduced. Senator Lodge,
Republican, of Massachusetts in
dicated he or some other New Eng
land Senator would move to relax
further the proposed restrictions on
American vessels trading with bel
ligerent possessions. Framers of the
measure already have agreed to
modify the restrictions they wrote
rriginally.
Senator Lodge said the pro
posed modifications ' discriminated"
ugainst New England ports, by pro
hibiting American vessels from car
rying cargoes or passengers to Bay
3f Fundv ports in New Brunswick
and Western Nova Scotia while per
mitting such traffic with British and
French possessions in the Carib
bean.
He argued most shipping to East
ern Canadian ports was in the Bay
of Fund.v region, “remote from
trans-Atlantic shipping lanes where
submarines may be lurking."
Lodge to Be Supported.
Senators White. Republican, cf
Maine, and Bridges. Republican, of
New Hampshire, were expected to
join Senator Lodge in the protest.
Some Democrats on the Foreign
Relations Committee said, when they
decided to modify the shipping pro
visions. that they considered the
Fundy area too dangerous for Amer
ican vessels, especially in the event
Great Britain decided to import
great quantities of munitions from
Canada.
Chairman Pittman of the com
mittee declared today he regarded
the bill, with the amendments to
which he has agreed, the "best pro
tection the United States can have
against getting into controversies
that may lead us into war."
"After careful study of the entire
situation." he said. “I am convinced
that the present proposed amend
ments have gone as far as it is safe
to go. I will, therefore, oppose any
further liberalization of such ex
emptions."
Ronotne _l. _ __ it.
- —• " »■* v Uic
radio last night in behalf of embargo
repeal. His colleague. Senator Mc
Kellar, Democrat, of Tennessee, con
cluded yesterday's Senate discussion
with a plea for lifting of the emborgo.
Senator McKellar said the present
law aided Adolf Hitler “In his war
of aggression in Poland. France and
England and his plan to be a world
dictator.”
Lindbergh Criticised.
Senator Brown. Democrat, of
Michigan, likewise supporting repeal,
contended Col. Charles A. Lindbergh
had offered Canada a “gratuitous
insult” by declaring in a recent radio
speech that the United States even
tually must demand that this hemi
sphere be freed of -European in
fluences.
Senator Brown challenged the
famous flyer's authority to make the
statement and said Col. Lindbergh
had given encouragement to the
“spirit of nationalistic imperialism
that has cursed the world for cen
:uries and which is the potent poison
that has killed peace." The Senator
charged that the flyer was trying
to deny Canada the control of her
own affairs.
Col. Lindbergh, Senator Brown
continued, speaks on no one's au
thority whatsoever but his own. and
"does not represent the views of any
considerable part of the American
people."
Earlier Senator Ellender, Demo
crat. of Louisiana made an appeal
for lifting the embargo and a reply
to the argument that to do so would
offend Hitler.
"What do we owe this mad dic
tator, this insatiable despoiler of
men and nations, this violator of
treaties, that we must tread on tip
toe to spare him displeasure?” he
demanded.
Senator Barbour. Republican, of
New Jersey argued for abolishing the
embargo on the ground that while
the United States, under the Mon
roe Doctrine, mdst defend Canada
if the latter should be attacked, the
present law prevents this country
from helping Canada arm itself to
resist aggression.
“We invite attack, and certainly
make it possible, by our present
ostrich-like attitude," he asserted.
Pope to Return to Vatican
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Oct. 21 i/P).
—Pope Pius XII, who established his
summer residence here July 24, will
return to Vatican City October 27
after receiving the Mayor of Castel
Gandolfo and giving his blessing to
the residents, It was announced
today.
4