1915-03-22 — Page 5

THE

WAR.

GERMAN AERIAL ACTIVITY.

THREE BATTLESHIPS SUNK IN DARDANELLES.

BRITISH CREWS SAVED FRENCH LOST,

THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 1018

[HAVAS SERVICE. Į

RESULT OF GERMAN ACTIVITY.

NO PROGRESS AND CONSIDERABLE LOSSES.

PARIS, March 18th. Although they delivered numerous counter attacks, the Germans could not dislodge us from our positions, which Wo maintained in the Arras, Albert and Champagne regions. The only result of the German activity was that they oua- tained, everywhere, considerable losses.

NAVAL ACTIVITIES

[THLOUGH BEUTER'S AGENCY.]

[TREOUGH REUTER'S AGENCY:]

Suandere, Hamidich, Kidilbahr, Medji dieh, and Siimenlik, which replied Vigorously but unsuccessfully Clouds of black-smeh at 2 o'clock in the afternoon rose from a fort near the town of Dardanelles, suggesting that a magazine had exploded.

REWARDS FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY.

Loynor, March 11th. The London Gazette dimounces that ten Distinguished Service Orders and fifteen Military Crosses for officers who die played conspicuous. gallantry and marked ability, have been conferred also large numbers of Distinguished Conduct Medal to the rank and file and Particulars of the battleships which the Indian Order of Merit for gallantry have been sank are as follows:-

and devotion while serving in Indian corps.

Irresistible-Displacement, 16,000 tons completed, 1001-0s armament, four 12-in. and ** Grin,; spred, 18 knots.

Ocean-Displacement, 12,850 tons, com- ploted,, 1000-02; armament, four 12-in. and 12.0in; speed, 18, 2 kanta. "

Bouvet-Displacement, 12,000 tons; com pletod, 1890-98; armament, two 12-in., two 10,8-in, and eight 5.6-in, speech, 18.1' knots; complement, 620

The Henri IV, which replaces the Bouvel,

pleted in 1902. Her principal armament is composed of two 10.8-in and seven 5.5-in.

CORRESPONDENCE. “AFFAIRS IN PORTUGAL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE " HONGKONG DAILY PRESS]

WHEN THE ALLIES ADVANCE.

THEIR PROBABLE LINE OF OFFENSIVE.

WHERE THE RHINE MIGHT BE FORCED.

A well-known American war correspon dent, who went through the first

and second Balkan campaigns, gave it as his opinion the other day that the Allies would and the task of driving the Ger- muns out of Belgium practically impos sible. His reason for thinking this was that he could see no opening for them to deliver any but frontal attacks which his experience in the Balkans led him to think would prove hopeless. Ho pointed to the | Germans attempts to reach Calais by the same methods, which; no we all know, have resulted in nothing but a position of Stalemate. It seems to me, he concluded, Sin, I am in receipt of advice from the that the present immobility of the oppos

victory will be won on economic and not. as being entirely without foundation the military grounds two telegrams about the state of affairs. in Portugal published in your well-known journal on the 18th inst. The country is tranquil, and I shall be pleased if you contradict the statements published. I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient

RUSSIAN FLEET OFF BOSPHOROUS. DISASTERS AT DARDANELLES, 3 of 8,807 tons displacement, and was com Macao Government in which they refute ing forces may go on indefinitely, that

KARLSRUHE

"BELIEVED TO BE SUNK.

AIRSHIP ACTIVITY.

[TEROUGH LEUTIR'S AGENCY.}

-AIR RAID ON BRITISH

SHIPPING:

BOMBS FALL INTO SEA.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ LONDON, March

A German aeroplane appeared over Deal and attempted to bomb. shipping. All the bombs fell into the sen. A British patrol boat fired it the intruder, and British airmen are pursuing him.

ANOO-BELGIAN FRONT.

THROUGH REUTAR'S AGENVY,]

VIGOROUS FIGHTING ALONG FRENCH LINES.

LONDON, March 19th. 6 p.m.

Today's Paris communiqué says :—

At Notre Dame de Lorette we have taken:

communication trenches towards the

village of Ablain, Wo killed, drove out, or captured the defenders,

There has been most violent fighting between Bolante, and Four-de-Paris. We

BOMBS DROPPED ON PARIS. advanced 150 metres.

LONDON, March 21st.

A Zeppelin dropped three bomis on Paris, causing a fire in the suburb of Neuilly

LATER

Apparently there were two Zeppelins, which dropped at least fourteen bombs on Paris in the western suburbs, starting unimportant fires.

Seven persons were injured, ons soverely.

RUSSIAN FRONT.

THROUGH REUTER'S AGENNOY,

RUSSIANS FORCING BACK THE GERMANS.

THE CAPTURE OF MEMEL

LONDON, March 21st. An official announcement at Petrograd to-day says:-

The Germans, after a fight at Tauroggen, have been forced beyond the frontier. A Russian detachment, im- petuously advancing, reached Memel at o'clock on Thursday evening and cap- tured the place after some street fighting in which the inhabitants participated.

DETERMINED SORTIE FROM PRZEMYSL.

RUSSIANS TAKE 3,000 PRISONERS.

LONDON, March 21st.

It is officially announced at Petrograd that the Garrison at Przemysl mande n determined sortio, but were repulsed after aine hours' fighting. The Russians took 3,000 prisoners,

RUSSIAN CAVALRY PURSUING GERMANS.

LONDON, March 20th..

3:40. X

A Petrograd official communiqué says: On the left bank of the River Niemen the

Russians have captured Veysa. Cavalry are pursuing the Germans, who are retur. ing to Seyne.

Fighting for villages and isolated heights continues in the directions of Prasnysz and Ostrol Oatrolenka

RE-INVASION OF EAST

PRUSSIA.

AMSTERDAM, March 19th.

A German official communiqué days

repulsed a counter-attack in the

** IRRESISTIBLE,” “OCEAN" AND “BOUVET SUNK.

SPLENDID WORK AGAINST THE FORTS.

LONDON, March 19th.

11.35 p.m.

The Official Press Bureau says that in the course of a general attack on the forts in the Narrows of the Dardanelles Straits, the French battleship Bouvet struck a

and sent in three minutes Almost all hands were last owing to an explosion aboard.

Floating minos also struck and sank the British battleships Irrenstable and Ocean. Practically the whole of the crows were removed, despite a hot fire. The Gaulois was also damaged by gun-fire.

PROGRESS IN MINESWEEPING.

Mine-sweeping has been in general pro- Forest of Consonvoye, and maintained all gress during the last ten days inside the the ground gained,

Straits, and a general attack by the Anglo-French Fleets commenced yesterday on the fortresses in the Narrows..

We stormed a salient eastward of a position which has been hald by the enemy since last month, and repulsed counter. attacks by day and night.

FUTILE GERMAN

ATTACKS.

LONDON, March 21st.

2 mm. The Paris evening communiqué says... The Germans, flur a heavy bombard ment, attempted night attack

At

Boiselle, to the north-east of Albert, but they were repulsed.

Heavy fighting has been going on at Eparges, where the French hold the greater part of the German, position. despite five counter-attacks The Ger- mans left numerous dead.

A LACONIC COMMUNIQUE.

LONDON, March 20th, 5.35 p.m. To-day's Paris communiqué says:- There is nothing to report.

BRITISH TROOPS" DASH AND GALLANTRY.

UNIMPAIRED BY SEDENTARY

TRENCH WORK,

LONDON, March 18th, Field-Marshal Sir John French, in his bi-weekly Bulletin, says:→

An isolated attack by 200 Germans against St. Eloi was casily repulsed, and

two-thirds of the attackers were killed or

wounded,

The enemy expended much artillery emmunition in the region of Neuve Chapelle with insignificant results.

The gallantry and dash of the troops in the battle at Neuve Chapelle, under the able and determined leadership of General Bir Douglas Haig, proved conclusively

At 10.48 6.m. the Queen Elizabeth, Agamemnon, Inflexible, and Lord Nelson bombarded fire forts, while the Triumph and Prince George aimed at three batteries of howitzers and field guns, which replied heavily

BRITISH CASUALTIES.

LONDON, March 20th.

It is oficially announced that the total casualties for the week include 515 officers (1).

Bervant,

JOSE C DE OBALDIA, Consul General de Panama, encargado de los intereses de Portugal, The telegrams referred to are appended

this is an Admiralty announcement, and. It is not stated in the massage whether we are in some doubt as to whether the mesango relates to casualties in the Fleet operating at the Dardanelles, especially as the message roade $15 officers and makes Now Yoan, March 6th. no mention of men. We assumo, in the absence of any indication to the contrary, that it refers to the Dardanellas operations and that the announcement should read "515

officers and men.

FRENCH OFFICIAL ACCOUNT,

LONDON, March 20th.

3.40

According to a news agency dispatch from Madrid, at a Congress of Democrats held at Lamego, General Antonio Zavier Correia Baretto has been proclaim: President of the Republic of Northern Portugal-Reuter-Kokuser

LONDON, March 8th. Indirect telegrams vi Madrid repre- sent the situation in Portugal as becom ing neste, owing to widespread dissatisfaction with the present regime There is even talk of an independent A Paris official announcement, says that republic in northern Portugal. The Minister of Finance, who resigned form the Allied Fleets were subjected to severally, has pronounced in favour of fire in the Dardanelles, mud the Gaulois is national Cabinet combining all parties temporarily out of action. The Henri Quatre, which is now off Syria, has been ordered to replace the Bouvet

RUSSIAN FLEET OFF THE BOSPHORUS.

PANIO IN CONSTANTINOPLE.

th.

Pages LONDON, March 20th.

An offcfel Petrograd communiqué says. that the approach of a Russian Squadron in the Northern Bosphorus has created a panic in Constantinople.

At 12. p.m. Sugren, Gaulois, Charle magne, and Bouvet advanced and engaged the forts at close range. Four of the for replied strongly, but were silenced by ten battleships inside the Straits. All the ships were hit.

FORTS SILENCED.

At 1,98 p.m. all the forts ceased firing, and the Vengeance, Irrésistible, Ocean, Albion, Swiftsure, and Vajestic advanced to relieve six old battleships inside the

As the French Squadron, which had engaged the forts most brilliantly, was passing ont, the Bouver was blown up and sank in 28 fathoms of water to the north of Arenkivi village.

The relief battleships renewed the attack on the forts, which re-opened fire. The attack was maintained while mino sweep-

ers were operating.

At 4 o'clock and 0 o'clock respectively the Irresistible and Ocean struck mines and sank in deep water.

The Inflexible had her forward control position struck by a heavy shell, and requires repair.

The bombardment and mine-sweeping terminated as darkness fell

SPECIAL MEASURES AGAINST FLOATING MINES.

The floating mine danger will require special treatment. The British casualties are not heavy considering the scale of the operations.

A report regarding the damage done to that the sedentary work in the trenches has the forts will be issued later

The opera not impaired the original fighting tions are continuing with ample Military qualities.

FRENCH FINANCES.

PARIS, March 18th. The Chamber of Deputies, after a speech delivered by M. Ribot, the Minister of Finance, has voted the issue of Treasury Bonds up to a limit of four milliards and

half francs.

M. Ribot stated that the financial situa tion of France is satisfactory. He thanked

and Naval forces.

* Vice-Admiral Bir R. Curden was on the 16th inst incapacitated by illness, and he was succeeded in the command of the operations by Rear-Admiral de Robeck. STORY OF REUTER'S EYE-WITNESS,

Reuter's representative ab Tenedos, which is just off the coast, cables that he watched the bombardment on the 18th instant from a bill on St. Elias It began at 11 o'clock in the

Weak Russian divisions have forced the small capitalists for their support, and morning and ceased at 5 o'clock in the their way into Memel. Counter measures affirmed the absolute probily of the French evening. Sixteen battleships in groups of will be taken.

financial policy.

three in the Straits-fired at Forts

FATE OF THE “ KARLSRUHE,"

REPORTED SUNK OFF THE WEST INDIES.

LONDON, March 10th.

|

•Reuter

ALLEGED FRAUD ON HOTELS MONEY STILL NOT FORTHCOMING.

The case in which Frank Carlisle Castle maine is charged with obtaining credit by frand from the proprietor of the Astor House Hotel, Hongkong, was again men- tioned at the Magistracy, before Mr. J. R. Wood, on Saturday.

Mr. Gardiner, for the defendant, said the money was at presens not forthcoming, but the defendant still had hopes that would turn up very soon.

The February. Fortnightly Review con- tained an exceedingly interesting article advance, as everybody believes they will on this very subject. When the Allie

try to do a very short time from how, what will be their plan of campaign t The writer puts the idea of frontal attacks in Belgium on ole side at once. The country, he says, has been converted. by the Germans into a gigantic field for- tress with line after line of entrenchments. armed with heavy guns in position. Accordingly, all that will be attempted here will be a steady pressure with, of a constant readiness to push through any sudden weakening in the take place from eastern France. eneiny's defence. The real offensive will

course,

The two main routes from eastern France into south Germany are through the Belfort roues into Baden and through the Kalatinate inte Bavaria. The more. natural, direct and historic line of inva sion passes through the plateau of Lorraine on the what side of the Northern Vorges mountains Between the Hundenück and Harde mountains, and an advance along this route would have for its first objective Mannheim, which is admitted to be the weakest point on the

THE HOAD TO MANNHEIM, DE

Rhine frontier; To reach this point, how ever, will not proso easy. Supposing, as is considered probable, that the French concentration took place on the Upper Moselle between the entrenched camps of Toul and Epinal, the line of advanco through Lord would have to pass between the fortresses of Metz and Strase burg which are eighty miles apert and are both plices d' armes of the first magni- tude. It would be necessary either to subdue or mask these fortresses before moving on to the Rhine and siege opera- thons on a scale commensurate with the size and armament of these strong places would use up at least half a million men.

Moreover, the Saar being the first line. of German defence against an invading army coming through Lorraine from the Mozelle base, the Germans have very naturally been strengthening it. Tho

bank of the river coinmands the left and is so precipitous as to be practically unassailable by troops crosting over from the loft bank, And as the neutrality of Luxemburg has been violated, the French

His Worship intimated that there was difficulty in regard to the legal position

Mr. Hind, for the prosecution, said that he intended now to offer further evidence in respect to alleged frauds that the defen dant had perpetrated on four other hotels;teft flank would be assailable from there, the Carlton, Tokio, Stag and Nemura, He would call evidence to prove that the

fact which would make it necessary for the French to secure all the passages over

á

The Admiralty announces that there defendant had acted in a very suspicions This would mean a subsidiary campaign

reason t reason to believe the the German cruiser Karlsruhe was sunk off the West Indies in

November

ARMED MERCHANTMEN'S DUEL.

BRITISH SINKS. GERMAN.

LONDON, March 20th.

5.15

manner, and two witnesses would say that when they asked defendant for the money he said that he would pay ur the day following. After the additional evidence he thought the case would develop into one of legal argument.

His Worship asked Detective Sergt. Wills if he was still prepared to keep the defendant in custody

The officer replied that he would do so if the Magistrate made an order to that effect.

K.

The officer said that there was the

A New York despatch from Valparai

His Worship said that he could not make states that the arned merchantman Oramay order without consent. fought and sank the German armed liner Navarre in November off the River Plate, possibility of a congestion in the number and rescued the crew.

of prisoners. He was very busy now and was put to

ut to some

some inconvenience to The Orama was built in 1911 for the Orient attend in the cast, as he had been Steam Navigation Company. She is of transferred to Vaumati since the case was 12,027 tons gross, with a speed of 18 kuues. The Navarra belonged to the Hamburg-first mentioned. He would consent, but if there was a congestion he would apply to his worship:

Defendant was remanded formally until to-day, and the additional evidence will be taken on Wednesday.

america, line:]

LATE TELEGRAMS.

[FROM SOUTHERN PAPZIS.]

GREEK NEUTRALITY.

KING IN FAVOUR OF ITS MAINTENANCE.

LONDON, March 8th. Telograris from Athens state that the King accepted the resignation of M Feni zelos because he considered that it was not to the country's interest to abandon the attitude of neutrality. A crowd demons trated in favour of war ontside the Russian, French and Serbian legations. The British Minister on visits to the Foreign Office as several times recognised by the populace and ovated,

LEGION OF HONOUR.

LONDON, March 14th. Capt. Perey Arthur Clive, M.P., of the Grenadier Guards, has been awarded the Legion of Honour for bravery in the trenches. He was anonymously mention- cd in a recent Eye-witness report as crawling with another British officer into a German communication tranch and returning with information he was sent to obtain,

......

the Moselle from Meiz to Troves,

which would have to be undertaken from the Verdun base simultaneously with the more sent into Lorraine. Mannheim, clearly, would not be gained easily.

WHERE ITALY COULD HELP.

The attempt to reach it by the route indicated would have to be, supported by an offensive movement in Alsace. This could be done with a subsidiary army based

on the entrenched camps of Langres and

Beacon, possibility which lends such great interest to the brief but numerous references which the official communiqués make to the fighting in this area. And it is hero that Italian co-operation would be so decifively important.

the article in the Fortnightly Revie

If the Taliaus, declares the author of

wake up their minds to throw in their lot with the Allies, there is room for a co-operative movement directed against Stuttgart and Munich. Though the Black Forest does not lend itself to the rapid movements of troops, it is no longer the impenetrable barrier it used to be between the Rhine and the Danube Thres lines of railway lead from the upper Danube to the valley of the Rhine, one from Donaueschingen to Frelburg another to Offenburg and a third to Garlsuhe. It may bo that in two months' time we shall re a repetition of Napoleon's strategy in 1805 and another French descent into the valley of the Danube with the intention. of giving a hand to an Italian invasion of Bavaria through the Austrian Tyrel That would entirely alter the position of stalemate which stems so unending

BOY SCOUTS PARADE.

At St. Joseph's College compound on Saturday afternoon, Cordmodore Anstru

YANGTSZE INSURANCE ther, IN, presented badges to the senior

ASSOCIATION, LTD. and junior troops of Boy Scouts. Lady

Messrs Shewan, Tom's & Co, ogeste May was among those occupying seats on the dais under the saluting flag during the of the Yangtze Insurance Association, match-past, and others present included Ltd, have received a cable from their Bishop Pozzani, Commanderasil Taylor, head office in Shanghai, informing them R.N.. who was in command, Major Bowen that the directors have resolved to recom- (Chief Scout), Licut Col Chapman, Mr med 2 dividend of 30 per cent at the and Mrs. Skelton, Mr. and Mrs. E. Ralphs forthcoming meeting of shareholders. the Chilian Minister to Japan, M. Liebert and the Mises Lacher, and Brothers Aimer, (director of the College), Alphonse, and Cornelius.

TROUBLES IN SZECHUEN.

A Japanese telegram appearing in a Shanghai contemporary says

The troops on parade were the Peak Wolf Cubs, under Hon. Scoutmaster G. Roylance; Wolf Cubs, under Mrs. Raynor; St. Joseph's junior troep, under Assistant-

The British Legation in Peking received Scoutmaster J. M. Braga, and the St. Joseph's Senior troop, with band, under the effect that a Briish Vice-Consul and

a telegram from Chengtu in Szechuan ta Scoutmaster A. J. Edwards Assistant French father were captured by Chinese Scoutmaster Farrel attended the Com- troops at Taohienlu on the 11th March modore, who, wo understand, will shortly The British and the the French Ministera become Commissioner of the Hongkong to Peking have demanded their release af Aascelation

the Waichinopu.