WAR NEWS FROM AMERICA

Evening Star, Issue 15968, 23 November 1915, Page 8

WAR NEWS FROM AMERICA

UNDERSEA DRAMA WITH GERMANS. OFFICERS CUT THROATS TO AVOID CAPTURE. [From Out; San Francisco ConiiESI'ONOKNT.J October 26. A 'fruitful source of reliable information of the, war arena is provided in the arrival at New York of prominent Britishers: and 'Mr Chester Thompson, who has just reached New York Irom "North Africa by way of Italy. France, and England, stated that the British Navy has dealt the Gorman submarine its death blow. Mr Thompson is general manager of the potash mines in Abyssinia, in which the British Government have had a large concession for many year*, and is in the United States to purchase pumps and other machinery for operating the mines ami' producing the substance which ic; essential to the manufai-Lure of all ammunition for the Allies. "Only the cold and (lawless verdict of .history will record the full measure of J-he marvelious achievemoms wrought by Jbo British Navy.'' said .Mr Thompson. " France is just beginning to realise the wonders ])erformed on tiie sea by her Ally. For months the French were dissatisfied with the part Etickuid placed on land. But to-day. with, the Knjlish land, line lengthening hourly, and Britannia's sea, - opren iacy asserting itself more positively. Franco is aiiiow with enthusiasm over the accomplishments of lier powerful partner. .'■' /i' the hrsr; time since the war be_"an the Allies are acting in concert with organised eihC.-ray: in fact, the co-operation hc- '■•'■'•'• - 1 It. :'.•: and !•'ranee is remarkable 'They are fighting as a unit. "Hove ..-o.u-U ct energy. enterprise, in-gr-Loiily. ;..i:d persistent, daring was re-. f|ii;i''o ■:.;' Great Bi'itain 10 smash Germany s submnriiie campaign it will take the world years to apreeiate. " The grandeur of the sway of Britain's mercantile, marine did not dawn ..n anyone while Germany was sinking dim of every 45 vessels; traversio;: Lritish waters, which was the highest decree of .lestm,-' tivouess attained by the' Tomoub- ?übmarines. Yet when*44 of 45 vessels pass to and fro in safety, what ground is there U>r saying Itritain's comn.ieree has been seriously interrupted ? " And the, percentage ~f vessels sunk nowadays by German submarines is even more negligible. " In the last seven weeks 19 German submarines ), ; ,ve been raptured bv the British with the piano-wire nets they have woven a.s ;l , shroud over the crave'of the Kaiser's hopes. "Two weeks auo three submarines were caught in these nets in <,n,. njcht in the river Forth, near Glasgow. When thev were brought to the surface only one man wiio had not cut his own throat to escape capture, mid. he had Idled himself wit), poison. " Tt- is an inypin'mr sick; to observe the despatch with 'which vessels ~,-,... i„ iM }.,,! and milonded at Liverpool, Loudon. :;>,,! Portsmouth. Shipniiej; a,-! iv :'■>.- i on; innes at those ports w'h'h seeminejiv utt.'r' indifference tn the fact. thai. .•; ■■!■<■:,■■ war i» being waged. '' But- London is nor without its "■ha.stbexhii.its of war. I was there just' a fie'r a rei-ent Zeppelin raid, whhh h.ad for ; is objective (l,e Batik of En-dami. Tie. '/.■■>•. pelin missed it hy oujv three blocks' The LtveriKvol Street- Railwav .Station ;Loud.-r'. was < lest roved, and not'one of 49 p ; ,-«.< waiting for a train escaped ahv-. ' l"o' ; v 500 persons were killed in that raid ' "' "'["he English are Jl!o ie sniiiineey ~,n-fidem. fidem. than ever tliat even! tialiv thev w:h win an<l trample in' '.'je'diis l ' But there is a feelin-z that trr'meudoi's mistakes ha.ve been made. ai:<l that mue'" of the best blood of the Hum ire, has been poured out unuecessarih-. (,'t v t | 1(1 ;.,[„,.!. ing classes seem to lack ;i ?.-'-• ns., ~'r t i., seriousness of the situa.Mon.

"Tim demand- f or potash for rxplosiv, s necessitates our ine>easin-_r the ' prod net :vrcapacity of the North AfricTm mines tenfold and we nm.it have .American machinery to do n. Define the war Omianv produced 99 per <-«,!. of the world's outpt, of ,„-,:- ash. and Japan, less than 1 i-, n - ( n,,: Americans had bought min-v, in i ,er-„;>.ny. ■■•iiiy to have ;:n euihaigo 1 laced upon <h-:-m. The- piico oi potash has -ldvanc-d i'.-.;m 13 doi!.,r.s ,0 275 dollars a ton." 1 he contracts ir.,- the equipment to he placed by -Mr Thompson will be distributed anions the T'.e'thlehem Steel Company, the American and British Manufacturing Company, and other munition ouoern.s. The American and Jinti.-h "Company wdl make the pumps. 200.0C0 SCOTS AT TDK- l-'KOXT. -Mr J. C. Uaig. of Kdinbuvgh, win. is now J n America in the interest of the Ro.-ebcry Royal Scots war emoigenry iur.d. the purpose >f v.-'lich i-s to asisist rclor:n:;(o----«hid 'invalided f-oldieis in . TelnhiiitruiiiT' themselves in civil life, said at Xew Y-» k that- Croat. Dritain now had at [cast ..,,,,. million men ii. l-'rcncc and livlgiiiiu. of whom more than 200.000 woie" S--otc!i. Moie men v.er,? (joint- forward cvei v day, he added, and th-' si//' of th-. mimv that Creut I'.rirain would c\.-n;.naliy put-'in the field ji-jain.st, th- Teutons- was' ind ; cat<'<l by tiie fact that Lord Robbery ; :ll d oilier.interested in the ni'wc-uieut to aid re-'uru-

ill-.: so!di>\'s. weiv convinced tillit- ,-if:<-r the war jit ]e.;.?t 2.590.000 men wouifl !.<• in Kill of Mich assistance ns 1.Mi.l Rnscbciy and his aids to provide for them.

I Mr Haig (who is a- relative of Sir Douglas Ilaig one of the' British commanders in I'landei-s) paid that, he believed that after ! the war was ended thousands of Scotch'men, ior the most part returned soldiers | would emigrate to foreign lands, and that meet of these men would go to Canada and the United States. The IWberv I fund would ~lso extend aid to the deseiv- | :ng among tl,e*e. Mr Ilaig directed atlen--:o;i to the fa.et that.the military orgardea--1 turn famous throughout the world a« &e Royal Scots Regiment, numbered, when enhsted to full strength, about 25,000 men H :s divided into 17 battalions, each of which is the size of the regular roe-iment and i.s administered and officered as such ' " Ho-y about the Scotch in battle''" Mr Ilaig w;us n.sked. "They have been frightful." ho re.plird "and whole regiments have been terribly cut up both in ami at the DarI danelles. (It the Fourth and Seventh Bat itanoiis or Boyd ,Scot e ,.who went to the I Dai dandles, four-iifths of the officers and j prohal>ly two-thirds of the men were lost I In Flanders veiy few of the orieinal perj sonnel of the Camerons and Gordons are | lett. lhe losses of the Black Watch and i other Seoten commands have «tso h<vn j very L'teat.''

In answer to another question Mr HaiV Kind that only one Scotch command is nghtmg in tho national uniform of Scothind, the kilt.-.. That command, bo said was the Ninth I%i m eut. of Edinbliro.li' AI! Ino others wear the regulation field uniform of (he British regular service "What of conditions "in. Scotland—<So t-'iey i»vl lhe pinch of war yet';'' Mr Hah' v as asked. " Cp to the present, time." Mr Ilaig replied, -the economic situation in Scotland t ye:y good. J'oo.l is a bit dearer, but taking everything into consideration the -•ctnation is ;,.; jrood, if not better, tbati would he expeeled in such a time as this. B will ',,(. after ih-j war, when the thousands of vohliers rettitn. that times will ho hard, and that is when (h* Rosebe, v limd and similar funds will have thei'r chance io <!o the greatest, .coed."