Page
THE
WAR.
PROGRESS OF BATTLE IN WEST.
FRENCH PREMIER'S STATEMENT.
TRANSPORT SUNK BY SUBMARINE.
ABDICATION OF FERDINAND DEMANDED.
WAS THE MALOJA" TORPEDOED
FRANCO-BELGIAN FRONT.
{THROUGH AIUTER'S ADENOI.]
FRENCH PREMIER ON THE SITUATION,
STRUGGLE MAY CONTINUE FOR SOME DAYS
PARIS, February 29th. M. Briand says the Military situation is good. The troops are full of enthusiasm, Our reserves are powerful and ready to roceive the most vigorous shocks. More over, the German attacks have diminished in vigour. Military circles are persuaded that the Gorman offensive has not ended, and that the struggle may continue for some days,
[THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY.]
ORGY OF BUTCHERY,
BRANDENBURGERS FALL INTO DEATH TRAP.
PARIS, February 29th. The main battleground of Verdun is now on the heights four or five miles north of the town. The chief heights are Douau mont, 1,200 feet, Talou Crest, 830 feet, and Poivre Ridge, 1.000 feet. The French line has been withdrawn about three miles in the course of the week's fighting. The evenness of the rotirement shows that the French commanders never lost command of their units, the French considering the lest ground not more important than the losses in men. The German advances were RE-CAPTURE OF DOUAUMONT, |made by sacrifices which, when known,
|will make Germany abiver with horror. HOW FRENCH TURNED THE
Scarcely a tree remains of the woods on TABLES.
the battleground. The French bed Dou- sumont against an unparalleled doluge of giant shells, reducing to powder the trees. and rocks. When the air cleared the Ger. man masses were perceived advancing. A hurricane of French artillery burst forth, the grey uniform making splendid targets against the snow,
FOUGHT WITH "ABSOLUTE TRENZY."
PARIS, February 28th.
The French Premier, M. Briand, in the Lobby of the Chamber gave a graphic description of the recapture of Douat mont. The enemy had advanced to Champ Neuville and Douaument," he said, "and- thought they had captured a formidable
When the French artillery fire came to
TAR HONGKONG DAILY PRERM. THURSDAY, MARCH 2ND. 1916.
(THROUGH BEDIER'S AGENCY.] FRENCH DEFENCE UN- SUAKEABLF.
FURTHER DESPERATE GERMAN ATTACKS ABORTIVE.
PARIS, Febroury 28th. To-day's communiqué enys:-North of Verdun the bombardment was continued intensely, especially in the central sector and toward, the right.
THROUGH BROTER'S LOUNCY.]
THE "MALOJA" DISASTER.
EFFECT OF TREMENDOUS EXPLOSION.
LONDON, February 28th. Further marratives by survivora of the Maloja show that the explosion blow a They were girl and child into the air, not seen again. One man had his head
On man blown off. One of the propellors was blown off, causing the engines to race, Many were cut by falling glass from sky- The rafts slipped off the decks.
There was no fresh attempt at Poivre Hill, but at dusk the Germans made several attempts to carry the village of Douaumont, Their efforts broke against lights. the resistance of our troops, who were uncatily and in the circumstoners were much sbakeable by even the most furious assaults.
rounded.
ניי
Koore useful than boats.
OVER 150 LIVES LOST, The situation is unchanged at Fort It is officially announced that the Douaumont, which remains closely, dur-following were enveri :-Passengers, 12; European crow, 92; Lascars, 97. The Fighting is less furious on the Plateaux following are missing: Passengers, 49;
European crow; 20; Lascars, 96.
Brigadier-General McLeod was among the saved.
northward of Vaux
The Germans were more active in the Woovrs on Sunday evening. The railway station of Eix was taken and re-taken, and now remains in our possession.
THE LINER'S MAILS. The Haloja's mails contained only a few Ay attempts to drive us from Hill 256, letters, specially marked "ria Sea route," south-east of Eix, failed.
but there werts considerable quantities of commercial papers, newspapers, samples, and also parcels mails,
German attacks further to the southward against Manhoalles failed completely.
Our artillery is energeticality coping with the enemy's bombardment along the whole, entire front as a
We bombarded several enemy cantonments in the Vosges, and also German organim. tions facing Stevnstraste,
A German coup-de-main succeeded in penetrating some elements of an advanceal trench and a support trench at Navarin Farm, Champagne,
VIOLENT LOCAL ATTACKS RENEWED,
PARIS, February 29th, To-day's communique says:-North of Verdun the bombardment continues, being more intense in the sector castward of the
Mouse:
There were violent local attacks in the
futur night-time. They were renewed several times at the village of Douaumont, and
WAS THE MALOJA".
TORPEDOED
At the inquest on the victims of disaster, the Chief Officer said it was hit opinion that the liner was torpedoed.
WHY THE LINER SANK SO
! QUICKLY.
LONDON, February 9th. The Dovor correspondent of the Daily. Telegraph says that one of the reasong for the rapid sinking of the vessel was the jamming of the doors of the water-tight compartments, as a result of the damage caused by the explosion which threw up a column of water 150 feet high,
An extraordinary case of rescue is brought to light. A baby was found floating on its back, well wrapped up. The mother was picked up later uncon scious. Only four boats get away safely. Several were amshed, and in one CAR) &
(THROUGH KRUTER'S 'AGENDY.} MESOPOTAMIA CAMPAIGN. ENEMY CAUGHT NAPPING AND SUFFERS HEAVILY.
LONDON, February 25th. It is officially announced that in Mesopotamia on the morning of the 22nd inst. Major-General Aylmer's forces bom- barded the enemy's camp on the left bank of the Tigris. The enemy was completely surprised and lost heavily..
Our aeroplanog obtained useful informa tion,
A anaali punitive cohms from Nasriyeh attacked a hostile concentration four miles to the north of that place. The enemy fed after sufering severely,
Major-General Ayimer continued opera- tions on the 23rd with the object of secur- ing a forward position on the right bank, in order to get a reverse fire on the enemy's position at Hannah."
A telegram sent on the 28th says tho effective bombardment of the camp at Hannah is proceeding.
[TEBOUGH - REUTHRIS (AGINION,}
ARMY APPOINTMENT.
LONDON. February 28th. The following appointments are gazet ted:-
Colone] A. Skeel, to be Brigadier. General, and to be seconded to the General Staff
Second Lieut. Donald Wilson, Bombay Volunteer Rifles, to be temporary Second- Liout, while employed with Maxim do- tachment,'
OBITUARY.
LONDON, February 28th,
The death is announced of the fabious novelist and playwright, Mr. Henry
James.
*OUR BUSINESS TO KEEP KILLING GERMANS."
FATHER VAUGHAN ON BRITAIN'S DUTY,
A strong speech-one which he said he knew would produce a batch of jetters ask-
Two aeroplaney on the 25th few from ng if he were a priest of God-was made at the Mansion House recently by Father Basra to Major-General Aylmer
Bernard Vaughan
The river is rising and a flood is expected to a few days,
A second disturbance between Turkish troops and the populace at Nejf is redid not want it. ported.
GENERAL.
`{THBOVGK - REUTER'S AGENCY.]
ABDICATION OF KING FERDINAND DEMANDED.
PARIS, February 29th,
A Salonika telegram says that meetings held in Sofia demanded the abdication of King Ferdinand, the enthroning of the Crown Prince, and the withdrawal of the Gorman troops.
BRITISH CREDIT UNIMPAIRED EXPENDITURE HIGHEST OF ANY BELLIGERENT.
LONDON, February 29th..
The "music" aur men at the front had to face, he said, was the most highly. organised war machine ever made. It was made in Germany, and that was why, wo
(Laughter.) 1 Prus sianised Germany would play the game according to the rules laid down by in- ternational law he thought they would all command our admiration as well as ojer respect. But they had failed to play the
game.
"Our business," he cried vehemently, is to keep on killing Germans, Some- body has to be killed and do you think we ought to be killed in view of the motive! we have goua forth to fight for? I say we have to kill a sufficient number of that tremendous army, to entitle us to dictate terms of a peace that should be rooted in victory, to be heard shouted from Petro-
metropolis."A grad to Rome, from Paris to this mammoth
After referring to the German atroci- ties, he said he was sometimes told that were exaggerating. His the papers answer to that always was that if the Ger- rans had not done what was charged against them they were failing to carry out the laws laid down by their War Lords to leave the women and children nothing but their eyes to weep with,
We were up against this sort of enemy.
Do what you will, you must other crush or tame the enemy, or he will leave
At a luncheon of the Associated Cham. bers of Commerce representative of the whole Empire, Mr. McKenna armed you nothing but your eyes to weep with."
its climax the whole valley had been turn resulted in hand to hand encounters Allboatload of people crashed on another boss that after 18 months of war our credit was
position, at the cost of enormous sacrifices,ed into a volcano, the exit of which was when they were suddenly swept by a
stopped by the barrier of the slain. It French curtam of bre and fusillades from
was an orgy of butchery. The French at machine-gune.
one point laid a trap for the enemy. They "Then a Corp, which had been held in revetye and was quite fresh took the evacuated a position covering 24 miles, and 1,500 Brandenburg infantry rushed up Germans by surprise. The enemy attack was stopped dead, and the fighting assumed and occupied the position. Then 29 guna Titanic propertions, Thrice the Germans were trained on the spot and fired When the came back, and thrice the heroic French, incessantly for 40 minutes.
French charged they found Dight fighting with absolute frenzy, drove them
survivors beneath the dead Branden back.
burgers,
"The French batteries, heavy and light, ploughed bloody furrows in the enemy's
The importance the Germans attached to
were repulsed by our troops,
The Germany succeeded, in Woevre, after intense artillery preparation, in seizing the village of Manhuelles An immediate counter-attack brought ug back to the western edge of the village, which we hold under our fire.
The Germans in Lorraine penetrated into un advanced trench, from which they were instantly driven out. MINOR ATTACK ON BRITISH.
LONDON, February 29th.
A British communiqué says:—Wo re
in the sea, a sumber being thrown into the water or injured,
THE NEAR EAST,
(ZHROUGÉ REFERRʼN KOURCE. I
DECISIVÉ SUCCESS IN EGYPT.
BRILLIANT CHARGE BY DORSET YEOMANRY.
LONDON, February 28th, Lieut-General Bir J. Maxwell reports
unimpaired. We had thrown our immense financial power into the common stock of the Allies and would use it to the full. Our expenditure was the highest of any belligerent
RECIPROCAL TRADING. RESOLUTIONS BY CHAMBERS OF
COMMERCE,
THE "SAMPLE" FRAUD
GERMAN MISUSE OF MAIL TRAFFIC.
A party of neutral journalists were given facilities by the British postal cen sorship authorities to see for themselves zome of the contraband goods and enemy exports which have been found in the maila carried by neutral shipping.
The exhibition," said one of the party later, 41 was one of the most amazing. I have ever seen. It showed clearly to what lengths, the Germans are prepared to go in abusing letter-post facilities to keep some part of their export trade-alive, and, At the same time, in sending their pro to consult with the Dominions regarding pagandist literature (for the most part
Lompon, February 29th.
of Commerce the Government
The Associated Chambe passed resolutions
ranks, till, exhausted and mown down, the Douaumont is apparent from an order found Pulsed a small attack south-east of Albert that Baturday's fight ended in a decisive reciprocal trading, the regulation of trades registered letters) not only to neutral During the night, the enemy sprang a Success Nuri Bey, who is a brother of ing with enemies, and the control of enemy possessions. That the efforts which the Germas lines broke. The French furiousjon an officer, stating that the position mine south of the I Bassee Canal, and the Turkish Minister, Enver Pasha, was businesses in the Empire, and also asking|ing the last few months to stop this traffic
counter-offensive canie,
unawares.
Theunst be carried "at all costa."
During the battle the town of Verdun Germans abandoned Douaumont, Champ Neuville, and Poivre Hill, and the French has been steadily bombarded, sharing the
fata of Ypres and Rheins. The popula tion and evacuated the town before the | battle began, USA AMB
resumed the advantage and were masters of the field
*GERMANS FORCED BACK
BY FRENCH.
DAY OF FRENCH RECOVERY
PARIS, February 28th. · The Temps says that the battle of Verdun
has reached a critical point.
hás ceased to advance
The French setimate that the Germans concentrated. 1,100 guns of all calibres on the narrow Meuse heights.
GUNS STILL BUSY BEFORE VERDUN
The enemy HAND-TO-HAND FIGHTING NEAR were attacking
at some points on Sunday, when the enemy was forced to give way. It was the day |... of the French recovery. We are justiñed in saying that events are taking a tum in our favour. The enemy will re-attack, but not with the same dash.
VAST ENEMY
OFFENSIVE
DESIGNS.
IMPORTANT EFFORT EXPECTED IN
CHAMPAGNE.
LONDON, February 28th... Bombardments along the entire Western
front show the vastness of the GermGAM
-offensive designs.
DOUAUMONT,
PARIN, February 20th
The evening communiqué says:-North of Verdun the opposing artilleries are still most active, except west of the Meuse, where the enemy bombardment has some
what slackened.
The Gerzsang during the day attempted several partial attacks which were. re pulsed by fire and counter-attacks,
Our troops west of fort Douaument engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, dislodg- ing the enemy from a small redoubt which he had occupied.
caused some damage to our trenches,
commanding the enemy, and was killed, His Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Canfar, To-day there was some artillery activity was wornded and taken prisoner. about Aubers and the Ypres Comines
enemy left over 200 killed and wounded, on Canal
the ground,
GEBMAN THRUST IN CHAMPAGNE
AMSTERDAM, February 28th. A Bertin communiqué claims a gain of a front of 1000 yards at Navarin, hd to have captured 1,000 prisoners, machine-guns, and one mortar." RAVAL ACTIVITIES.
[TEROWIE KRÜYES"G, ADKBOY.j FRENCH AUXILIARY
TORPEDOED.
OVER 900 TROOPS LOST.
PAB18, February 20th,
The
The enemy hold a strong position. General Peyton reports that the attack of the South African Light Infantry under Brigadier General Lukin was completo y andressfitl.
The charge of the Dorset Yeomanry was brilliant and most effective. It was in this charge that Lieut. Gaafar was wound. oof and taken prisoner and Nuri Bey killed. One thachine-gun was captured. The telegraph between Matruh and Bar- sami is not completely restored, go further details are as yet unavailalže,
It is officially announced that the auxi- liary cruiser Provence, whits transporting troops to Salonika, was torpedoed in the Central Mediterranean on the 28th inst.-, Of the 1,800 aboard, 870 were saved.
"ADVISER ON BLOCKADE QUESTIONS.
LONDON, February 20th.
PERSIA CLEANED UP.
MORE STABLE FUTURE FOR COUNTRY
LONDON, February 28th, Reuter learns that official telegrams from Persia show that the Russian capture of Kermanshalt ends a series of operations which have entirely relieved that strain
the Government to provide preferential reciprocal trading between parts of the Empire, reciproca traile between the Em. pire and her Allies, favourable treatment for neutrals, and the restricting by tariffs of the trade with steny, countries after the war in order to prevent damping, and to stimulate hope industries on Park
countries but also to British Colonies and
British authorities have been making dur.
have met with a very large measure of stacks of goods and literature seized success we could see from the immense aboard neutral vessels. The bulk had been sent as registered mail matter, involving, of course, enormous expense in postage. Here is an instance. A German firm sent by registered post to & firm in Brasil 600- vielin strings, the value of the whole being about 500 marks (525). The postage cost smounted to over seventy marks (23 10s.). The strings were all addressed to one firm, The Chambers of Commerce appointed The usual German procedure seeps to
labelled samples, without value.
„Committee to dram, up é možăm regarding || be to send large consignments of goods to the appointment of a Minister for
HOTCO.
LORD CHELMSFORD.
neutral firms other in Holland or in Scan- dinavia, which firms then forward the goods by registered post to the United States or Bouth Ameries as the ease may be neutral ships being generally chosen, Among the articles thus forwarded we *LONDON, February 29th, were shown costly jewellery, gold chains, parses, and aluminium rings, all register- Lord Chelmsford has been sworo in asd as samples without value. The well-
a member of the Privy Council at, Buck ingham Palace
NISANGUR
CASUALTIES AT SALONIKA.
Lonnor, February 20th,
In the House of Common"'" Mr. H. J. Tennant announced that the casualties, at Balonika to the 20th inst, were 37 officers
and 1.340 men,
VISCOUNT FRENCH,
LONDON, February 28th. Field-Marshal Viscount French took his
In the House of Commous Mr. Asquith to which the Allied interests in Persist in the House of Lord, to-day.
The attacks at Fresnes, in Woerre, announced that Rear-Admiral de Chair | veze subjected by German intrigue. The JAPANESE AT THE SALONIKA failed
completely,
would be the flag officer advising the For Our artillery was most active in Loreign Office on Blockade questions, in which
made in his practical exper
The small thrust in Champagne may be raing, and followed by others
Argonne.
amistance. (Cheers.)
previous anxiety has disappeared, and there is every reason to prod et s morN -natisfactory, and more stable future for
Persia,
...
FRONT
PARIS, February 29th. Japanese officers are rising the Allied front at Salonika.
Known Leipzig, músic-publishing house of Peters attempted to forward huge quanti ties of music in the same manner.
#f. The vast stacks of propagandist litera- ture that have been seized farm a most convincing proof of German thoroughness, The pamphlets, hooks, and papers are printed in all manner of languages, even in the least-known dialects of India, Bo- called British atrocities are described in the usual (ferman, manner while many pamphlets have obviously been prepared with the object of cansing troubla in Ire land and in India. All the goods seized will probably come before a Prize Court in the near future in order to establish the illegality of the employment of the letter mails for trade and propaganda purposes. In the mails seni jo neutral European countries From, kha. Uzitoni E and South America have Coed, large quantities of rubber, wool, etc. Listempts on a large scale by German-Americans t send foodstuffe to German- through, the
mails have been foreseen by the Britis anthorities and the measures taken.”