Newspaper Page Text
” AX j
VOLUME Xl\
Congress Urged to Clear Decfs for War Measures
GERMANY EXPTCTSWARWHUNITEP STATES
RESIDENT IS TAKING
STEPS TO PREPARE
■ COUIfTRYFOR WAR
•legislation to Take Over Navy
Yards, Munitions Plants and
Other Industries, fr Necessa
ry, Discussed With Officials
By JUaocistsd Preu.
LONDON, Feb. s.—Reuter’s Rio Janei
ro correspondent says there is reason to
beheve the reply of the Brazilian govern
ment to the German note will be in har
mony with the attitude of the United
States.
WASHINGTON. Feb a.-—J ‘reel dent
Wilson at conferences today with Secre
tary Raker, of the war department, and
Secretary Daniels. of the navy diecussed
expediting legislation to empower the
government, to take possession of ship
yards, munitions plants, and other faeil- i
ities for hurrying the work of prepared
ness. if it becomes necessary.
When President Wilson left Secretary
Raker's office after a fifteen minutes
conference he said.
“Ju»t routine business Nothing seri-
Before tas conference with the presi-
Secretary Daniels conferred with
iChairtnan Padgett, of the house naval
committee, chiefs of all bureaus and
to plan further seeps to make
che navy reauy.
Formal suspension of the eight-hour
Mw applying to navy yards may be in
cluded in the navy’s program
Indications are that the navy depart
ment would decide in the event of war
«o pnt the building energies of the coun
try to quick construction of submarines
and submarine ch iters.
Virtually all ship builders and many
munition plants have already reported
to ih* navy department their readiness
Co take up any policy* the government
proposes.
President Wilson today issued a
pmcia mat ion under the authority of the
recent shipping act. prohibiting Ameri
can ship owners from transferring their
vessels to any other registry.
He then returned to the White Hoose.
While officials refuse to admit that
Austria's formal announcement of her
* adhesion to Germany’* declaration of un
restricted submarine warfare has been
received officially, there is reason for
believing it ie now before the govern
ment and that appropriate action is be
ing considered.
Despite the severance of diplomatic
'relations with Germany. President Wil
son believes his long struggle to pre
serve the country’s peace has not yet
been lost, lie still hopes not only that
hostilities will be avoided, but that other
neutrals, adding their voices to that of!
the United States, will unite the major
moral force of the world to compel peace j
in Europe
It had not been revealed today wheth-
• er any responses had come from the
suggestions to neutrals, presented with
notification of the break with Germany, j
that they follow the example of the
United States and thus bring to bear;
to end the war the united pressure of i
the whole neutral world. The president,
is known to be very hopeful that this.
new stroke for peace will hasten the
end of hostilities
DISPATCHES WATCHED
With distinct anxiety cable and wire
less dispatches bearing on Germany's
newly announced war plans are being
watched for the first indication of Amer
ican lives lost or ships sunk without
1 warning.
Officials today heard with considerable
satisfaction the reports that the Gar- 1
man government had ordered the imme
diate release of the American sailors
•aken from British ships by the Ger- ;
man raider in the Atlantic, as demanded
by the United States This action was
interpreted in some quarters as an in
dication of a conciliatory attitude since
formerly Germany had maintained these
men were legally prisoners of war. hav
, Ing accepted service on armed belliger-i
ent merchant vessels
The state department is making ef
forts to get a guarantee of safe conduct
from the allied powers for Count von
Bernstorff to return to Germany with
his staff, and preparations were under
way today_ to turn over affairs of the
embassy here so the Swiss minister. Re
quests that German consuls in this
country be accorded full protection have
been sent to governors of states and
territories by the state department.
RED CROSS PREPARES.
.■ , «. of —.e «<»ru Cross throughout
the United States today had orders to
prepare hnmediately for relief work.
Transportation of Belgian relief sup
plies was temporarily suspended, but;
th* Spanish iirtassaAir in Berlin wae
expected to present an urgent request
today for guarantees of immunity from <
atta/k for vessels chartered by the
Belgian relief commission.
Government officials authorized a
statement denying reports that seizure
of German war-bound merchant ships
in American harbors is contemplated
It was explained, however, that steps
have been taken to prevent the obstruc
tion of harbors by the blowing up or
sinking of any of these vessels.
The department of justice also is mak
ing secret preparations for forestalling
depredations which German sympathiz
ers might commit on munition factories
or public works. In Washington, the
capitol and state, war and navy build
ings are closed to visitors and careful
ly guarded, and additional police have
been placed about the White House.
NEW YORK FIRST
U. S. STEAMER TO
QUIT DANGER ZONE
(Steamships Philadelphia and
Finland, Both of American
Line, Have Arrived at Port
of Liverpool
(By Associated Press)
NEW YORK. Feb. s.—Official* of the
American line received a cablegram to
day saying that the steamship New
York, carrying passengers, left Liver
pool at a p. m. Saturday. She is the
first American passenger ship to sail
since Germany promulgated her new
submarine warfare.
The American line steamship Philadel
phia arrived at Liverpool at 11 p. m.
Sunday, according to caibelgram re
ceived here this morning by officials of
the International Mercantile marine.
The steamship Finland, also of the
American line, arrived at Liverpool at
8 o’clock this morning.
Officials of the International Mercan
tile marine officially anounced this
morning that the American line steam
■ ship £t. Louis would not sail today.
German Ships at Manila
All Damaged by Crews
MANILA, Feb. s.—lt is reported that
virtually all the machinery and engines
of the twenty-three German steamers
lying in Philippine ports have been
damaged by thtir crews. Seventeen of
these vessels are interned at Manila,
three at Cebu and three at Zamboanga
Damage in some cases is said to have
been done thirty-six hours before the
first report of the break in relations
between the United States and Ger
many. The Filipino crews of the steam
ers have been discharged. Crews of
the steamers at Cebu have been exclud
ed from the engine rooms.
The government has redoubled pre
cautions concerning the ships, but there
have been no seizures.
The American squadron has returned
to Manila from target practice and is
patrolling the bay.
American Ship Eurana
Arrives at Liverpool
SAVANNAH. Gl.. Feb. 5. —The Ameri
can steamship Eurana sailing from Sa
vannah for Liverpool January 17. reach
ed her destination in safety Saturday
morning, according to a cable received
by Strachan & Cb.. her owners.
Japanese Ship’s Crew Forced
To Boats 200 Miles From Land
GALVESTON, Tex., Feb. 5 —Captain
Anderson, of the Norwegian steamer
Agereon. which arrived here this mom-
I ing from Gibraltar, reports having picked
I up, on January 5. the captain and crew
of forty men of the Japanese steamship
Chinto Maru, 220 miles from the near
est land. '
The Chinto Maru had been sunk by
submarine shell fire ori* January 4, ac
cording to members of the crew.
WMIEM
i FOR SERVICE IN 11. 8.
——
(Os These 10,535,945, It Is
Estimated, Up to Physi
cal Standard
By Associated Press.)
NEW YORK. Feb. s.—ln a serious
emergency nearly 18,000,000 men are
available for military service in the
United States, according to an estimate
made by the executive committee of
Mayor Mitchel's committee on national
' defense. There are now physically fit
. for service in the field, it was said. 10,-
535.940 men the ages of eighteen
I and forty-five years
Upon the basfs of actual experience
I of other countries, where universal mil
itary service prevails, the eommmittee
has calculated that out of 900,000 men
annually reaching military age in the
United States 690,000 are fit for military
j service, according to the French stand
ard of 1910, and 459.000, according to
the German standard of that year.
The committee, in estimating the na
tion's resources in men between eighteen
and forty-five years available for mili
tary sendee after deductions for "mor
bidity." physical defects, industrial ne
cessities and dependency of families,
places the number at 4,778,050.
"Now that war is on us.” former Pres
ident* Taft told an audience at the Brook
lyn Ristltute of Arts and Sciences last
night, he believed the people “would sup
port congress in enacting a conscription
law making provision not only for the
preesnt. but for the future after/he war
shall end."
••Conscription was needed.” Mr. Taft
said, ”to teach native American young
men respect for authority and our mil
lions of newlv created citizens loyalty.”
—
Seven of 10 Stranded
On Elephant Island
Saved; Three Dead
WELLINGTON. New Zealand. Feb. 5.
—(Via London.) —Seven survivors of the
Shackleton antarctic expedition, who
were stranded on Elephant island, have
been rescued by the relief steamer Au
rora, whinh arrived at Cape Evans Jan
uary 10 with them on board. ,
Captain Mclntosh and two other men
of the stranded party perished.
im
TO 5 AS ICY GALES
WRIP ENTIRE SOOTH
Blizzard From Northwest De-
moralizes Traffic—Wind At
tains Velocity of 63 Miles an
Hour—Due to Moderate
The unexpected cold wave which
swept down on Atlanta at 6 o’clock Sun
day afternon, bringing a gale sixty miles
an hour and a temperature as low as
5 degrees. Is due to moderate somewhat
Monday afternoon, but it will not begin
to get much warmer until Tuesday, ac
cording to today’s forecast from the
weather bureau.
Atlanta shivered in a temperature of 8
degrees at 8 o'clock Monday morning.
The mercury rose gradually as the day
advanced, but the intense cold was ex
pected to keep the tempertature rather
low throughout the day. The weather
man predicts a minimum of about 12 de
grees Monday night. ,
This is somewhat warmer than it was
Sunday night and there will be none of
the snow or sleet that made Sunday
night so bitter, he says. Fair and warrn
er is the forecast for Tuesday. Condi
tions in the northwest, whence the two
cold waves in succession came, have
cleared entirely and after Monday At
lanta wrill see the last of near-zero
weather for a time at least.
SUNDAY’S STORM.
Coming on the heels of the previous
cold weather, the wave struck Atlanta
like a prize fighter strikes his antagon
ist recovering from the effects of a
stunning body blow. The city had just
got on its feet, and - -straightened up
when out of the northwest came the
second blizzard with the suddenness of
a lightning dash.
And a peculiar thing about the sec-1
ond blizzard was that lightning and j
thunder actually accompanied the gale (
and the snow and the drop in tempera- '
ture.
Plate glass windows were shattered,
trolley car traffic was demoralized, tele
phone and telegraph communication was
shot to pieces, electric light and elec- j
trie power was switched off and on with
fitful frequency, and water pipes be
ginning to thaw from the previous bliz
zard were frozen again before the
plumbers could stop the leaks.
The following temperature readings
from the office of the weather bureau
give the story of the blizzard at a
glance: I
MERCURY TUMBLES.
At 12 o’clock noon on Sunday the tem
perature was 42 degrees, and from that
hour until 8 o’clock Monday morning
the range of the mercury was as fol
lows:
1 o'clock—43 degrees.
2 o’clock—4s degrees.
3 o’clock —47 degrees.
4 o’clock—4B degrees.
5 o'clock—49 degrees
6 o’clock—43 degrees.
7 o'clock—23 degrees.
8 o’clock—lß degrees.
9 o’clock—l 4 degrees.
10 o'clocldi—lo degrees
11 o’clock—9 degrees.
12 o’clock —(midnight—B degrees.
.1 o’clock, a. m.—7 degrees.
2 o’clock—6 degrees.
3 o’clock—6 degrees.
4 o’clock—s degrees.
5 o'clock—s degrees.
6 o'clock—s degrees.
7 o'clock —6 degrees.
, 8 o'clock—B degrees.
9 o’clock—lo degrees
10 o’clock—l 2 degrees.
11 o’clock—l 4 degrees.
12 o'clock—l 6 degrees
1 o’clock—l 9 degrees.
WIND VELOCITY
The highest wind velocity recorded
by the instruments of the weather bu
reau was at 6:10 o’clock Sunday after
noon. when the gale was roaring down j
from the northwest at the tremendous i
rate of sixty-three ‘miles an hour.
Sunday morning was fair and pleas- }
ant. Between 2 and 3 o’clock gray j
clouds began to pile up in the sky and
the -wind shifted into the northwest. It
looked as if the warm weather was go
ing to bring a rain. But around 5
o'clock the wind began to get cold and I
the first flurries of rain were more ice !
than water. The temperature began to I
drop and the wind began to rise. At 6
o’clock it was snowing and the gale was
howling like a pack of wolves.
In the midst of the snow and the
howling gale came flashes of lightning
and roars of thunder, punctuated by<he
crashes of heavy plate glass windows
that caved in and fell to the sidewalks
in a thousand pieces.
Pedestrians left the streets. Auto
mobiles scurried home. Street cars
moved with difficulty, rocking on the
tracks like cradles when the terrific gale .
took hold of them.
Coming ahead of the snow, the rain
froze when it struck the cold pave- 1
ments and made a place for the snow to ;
stick and freeze as fast as it fell, so
that a coating of thin ice was laid over ■
the city. Neither the rain nor the snow
amounted to much in inches, but ail of I
it froze and stayed, making all kinds
of traffic exceedingly difficult and dan
gerous.
British Ships Floated
NORFOLK. Va_. Feb. s.—The British j
transport Hannington Court, which went ■
ashore off Cape Henry Saturday night. I
was floated about 8:45 o'clock this morn
ing. The released steamer passed <n
the cape* and jroceeded back to port.
ATLANTA, GA., TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6. 1917.
THE KAISER’S MOVE
(AILw&HtT)
’ 1 WILLIAM,--L
/WX i irs
ggg; AX. MOVE J
■ 'jaawMaaEia
> K i Zr
•'» r-T
I ll— imh I!d ■■ ■— ■ ■ ».1 f d > 1
ILLGERMAN tOWSULS
TO GO WITH BEBNSTOBFF
Party of More Than 300 to
Leave United States Via
Cuba and Spain
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5. —Arrange-
ments are being made tor all German
I consuls and consular officials in the
i United States to accompany Count von
Bernstorff and the German embassy
staff out of the country. The whole
party—mose than 300 in all —probably
) will go via Cuba and Spain.
Under the tentative plans, the con
suls and their families will go to Ha
' vana ’via Key West from various parts
; of the country, while the embassy staff
will go directly south from Washington.
( From Cuba the party probably will go
. to Spain and thence to Switzerland.
I Dr. Paul Ritter, Swiss minister now
in charge of diplomatic interests here,
is conducting negotiations for the de
parture of the. German staffs. It was
said that plans for departure were being
I delayed only while Information of steam
-1 ship and transportation facilities being
gathered. The first step is to mobilize
all the German consular forces in time
to join Count von Bernstorft’s party.
There is understood to be some ob
jection by American oflicials to the Ger
man party going byway of Cuba and
Spai n because it would be necessary for
them to pass through France or Italy,
I both hostile countries and that might
make some difficulties in securing the
safe conducts.
An effort is being made to get the
party to sail from New York on a ship
which would take them to Denmark or a
Scandinavian port
STATE WrdWoHDER
IS HELD IN READINESS
Two Units, Ready to Leave
for Home, Are Stopped
at El Paso
(By Associated Press.)
FI. PASO. Tex.. Feb. s.—After the
South Carolina 1 and Tennessee units sta
tioned here had already entrained today
, for home an order was received by Gen
; oral Funston suspending the return of
all state guard troops here.
Pershing Heads Troops
As Boundary Is Crossed
(By Assocsted Press.)
COLUMBUS, N. M., Feb. s—Major
General Pershing rode out of Mexico at
I 10:15 a. m. today at the head of more
I than 10,100 soldiers of the American
punitive expedition.
Orders for Homeward
Move of Troops Cancelled
<By Associated Press.)
SAN ANTONIO. Tex., Feb. s.—Orders
’ for the homeward movements of the
Second Wisconsin infantry, at San An
, tonio, and the Fifth Maryland inrfantry
, at Bagle I'ass have been cancelled-
BEAMS OF FOUR STATES
TO POSE AT LAND SHOW
Seven Atlanta Girls Will Be
Among Bevy to Appear
Before Movie Camera
Beautiful girls of Georgia, Florida,
Sot»wi Carolina and Alabama, in the role
of real actresses, impersonating by cos
tume the various characters of fiction
and the drama, will pose before the mo
tion picture camel's, on the stage of the
auditorium Monday night at 8:30 o’clock.
This event, for which extensive plans
have been under way for weeks, is ex
pected to be the red-letter feature of
the Southeastern Land Show an<L Mid-
Winter exposition, which opened again
to the pwbllc Monday morning after
Leing closed over Sunday.
The day has been designated as “Mo
tion Picture Contest day.” It has been
widely heralded for weeks over the four
states represented at the show. The
contestants represent the most beautiful
and most popular young women of their
respective communities and their elec
tion as candidates in the contest was
held by popular ballot at one of the
motion picture theaters in their respec
tive home cities.
ATLANTA GIRLS TO COMPETE.
Seven Atlanta girls are among those
who vfill compete. From the outside ter
ritory, forty-two young ladies have been
enrolled of which number thirty were re
ported to have been in the city Monday
morning.
It will be the first time in their lives
that these young ladies have undergone
the thrills of posing before the motion
picture camera Their appearance is ex
pected to draw an usually large attend
ance of relatives and friends.
The stage at the auditorium will be
flttted up to represent a motion picture
studio. The powerful arc lamps will be
iin evidence. It will present a most daz-
I zling spectacle.
The rivalry between the contestants
■is very keen. In addition to the honor
; attached to the contest, the winner will
; receive, at her own option, either a
handsome Chevrolet automobile or a two
weeks’ trip to some high-class motion
picture studio where she may receive in-
I structions, all expenses to be paid by
the show management. A handsome
j diamond ring and a silver service will
be given as the second and third prizes
■ respectively. In addition there will be
' four state prizes to be awarded the
I contestant making the best showing from
I her state.
Not a single detail has been overlooked
to make Motion Picture Contest day
' the big event of the show. The whole
-program, from choosing the contestants
several weeks ago, up to the present time
has gone forward wtih a display of en
' thusiasm which only can mean success.
Port Collector Malone
At New York Discovers
Bomb Under His Home
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5. —Customs Col
lector Malone at New York reported to
the treasury department today that he
had found a bomb under the steps of his
home.
FLORIM’S KBETIBLE
CHOP PMCmil GONE
Nothing Left but Potatoes,
Says Letter From Fort
Lauderdale Grower’
Atlanta produce dealers Monday
morning found themselves dependent
upon other sources than Florida for sup
plies of fruit and vegetables, as the
result of the damage to crops in Gor
gin's sister state.
A typical instance of the ruin which
the freeze wrought and its effect on At
lanta dealers is found in the following
letter to T. A. Lovelace & Co., of Atlan
ta, from W. H. Marshall, a vegetable
grower at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which
is situated on the lower Atlantic coast
and is the furthest southern shipping
point for truck farming products.
The letter was written on Fort
derdale stationery headed with the cap
tion, “Warmest climate in America.” In
part it says:
“I want to state, Mr. Lovelace, that
whatever you have on hand in vegeta
bles grown in Florida next Monday
morning just ask any price you want to,
for Florida is frozen out. I have been
here seventeen years and this is the
eighteenth winter and it is the coldest
weather that 1 have ever seen here, it
is not a ijrost, but it is a plain freeze.
Everything that was not covered is
frozen and a lot that was covered is
frozen. Cabbages have burst open, and
you know what it takes to freeze cab
bage. • • • I had hoped to do a
nice business with you the remainder
of the season, but it will be some time
before we have anything but potatoes.
• • • The state is damaged to untold
millions ”
Falling Tree Kills
Two Young Business
Men of Statesboro
ißy Associated Fres*.)
STATESBORO. Ga.. Feb. s.—lnman
Donaldson and F. Pierce Register, two
young business men of Statesboro, were
killed last night while returning in an
automobile from Woodcliff, where they
had been visiting. Their bodies were
found this morning nine miles from
Statesboro still seated in the car. A
tree had fallen across the car and had
killed both the occupants and stopped
the car. The bodies were found by the
father of Donaldson, who, uneasy at
the failure of his son to return home, j
went out to search for him.
U. S. Seizes Seventeen
German Merchant Ships
Anchored in Manila Bay
MANILA. Feb. s.—The naval authori
ties at 6 o’clock this evening seized the
seventeen German merchant vessels an
chored in Manila Bay. All the German
crews were removed.
Customs officers, aided by navy ex
perts, have discovered that every one
of .the seventeen German ships anchored >
here have been extensively damaged.
NUMBER 36. ;
NEW 11-BOAI
MOEB WILL
SIH US
ISSUED
Reratification of Treaties Giv;
ing Nationals Nine'Months
to Laave Hostile Countries
Be Proposed, Is Report
(By AuociaXed Preu.)
BERLIN, Feb. 4.—(Via London, Fel
5.) —Peaceful continuance of Gertnai
American relations after the departur
of the respective embassies at Washing
ton and Berlin in the sense indicated b’
President Wilson in his address to con
gress, appears to be very slight, judg
ing by all the information, some of tb
highest authenticity, gathered by the Ai
sociated Press. 4
It was stated positively in high pc
litical circles that the German ordef
for the conduct of a submarine war couf
not, and would not be modified, that i
Germany the determination to enforc
the prohibited zone order was absolu
and final and that the only security fp
shipping was in avoidance of ths prohit
ited zone.
Germany, so the Associated Press wa
informed, resorted to thia measure afi
er the "shameful** rejection by the et
tents powers of peace csret liuea and onl
after the fullest determination and a
the imperative weapon in defense of it
threatened interests; Germany oannot
linquish this weapon the only one pron,
ising a speedy end to the war—reluctaq
as Germany was to take this step. f
The government had hoped that tig
United States would see it in this iigh
and was and is actuated by no animostt
to the United States in its determtoi
tion. Germany therefore, so the hig
informant of the Associated Press coe
tinued, is very keenly disappointed an
grieved by the terms of Mr. Wilson/
metisage, but the government canni
alter or modify the course upon whic
it has determined. This official added:
"We can only hope and trust tha
American ships and American citizen
will avoid the danger zones laid down i
the German memorandum."
The .Associated Press learns author:
tatively that Germany will propose t
Ambassador Gerard a special refafifka
tion of the Prussian-American trestle
of 1779 and 1812, allowing nations 1
case of war nine months in which t
settle their affairs and leave hoetl'l
countries. This step would positivel
insure Americans in Germany and Gsi
mans in America against internment 1
hostilities break out and would preven
a precipitated exodus from either coun
try such as was general in Europe whs
the war began.
A representative of the foreign ol
fice pointed out to a correspondent o
the Associated Press that the anden
treaties between the United States an
Prussia were still in effect and coa
tained a clause, contrary to the usua
rule, that they should not be invalidate!
by the outbreak of hostilities. This of
ficdal said that so far as he was ill
formed Germany certainly would hoi
to these treaties and that there woul
be no question of interning American
in Germany in case of war.
In official quarters there seemed t
be anxiety to reassure the few Ames
cans still here on the question of totem
ment. Several of these Americans ar
in a highly difficult position with n
prospective means of return to tb
United States except by the trans-S:
berian railway or possibly by a rounc
about route through Switzerland (
Spain and by Spanish steamers to Cub,
Scores of Americans have applidfi sine
Wednesday for the necessary mill tar
permission to leave the country but thi
involves a delay of at least a fortnigiv
Others, including long time resident)
whose entire interests are in German’
plan to remain no matter what ha*ppem
Ambassador James W. Gerard t>J
morning received instructions to
his passports.
His plans for depar|*jre are not y<
decided.**’
United States Ambassador Gerard ha
practically decided to return to tn
United States from a Spanish port. Til
plan to have American interests takd
over by the Brazilian minister has bee
abandoned and it is not known who Wil
represent America in Berlin after Mi
Gerard’s departure. X
The news of the breach of
relations between the United States a;
Germany was made known here tod?
through newspaper dispatches.
Ambassador Gerard was on his way"
keep an appointment with Foreign Se
retary Zimmermann at noon today wh<
an Associated Press corresponds
showed him dispatches giving details I
the president’s speech. The ambass
dor declined to make any comment. I
conferred with Chancellor von Bed
mann-Hollweg yesterday, but neith
official had then any information in r
gard to the president’/ decision, ai
their conversation was general in ni
ture. The chancellor apparently ask<
Mr. Gerard to call in order to learn
he had any information as to his go
eminent's course, news of which he
been eagerly awaited here.
