THE SINKINGS

Evening Star, Issue 16352, 19 February 1917, Page 6

THE SINKINGS

CONFLICTING ESTSMATES.

Tin*: FIRST SKA LORD.

MESOPOTAMIA,

THE FRONTS

[By Ciuticcs.]

I The later cables on Saturday brought £omo interesting figures fbowing the .sinkings for the [Kist fortnight. The second week of the blockade pn.du.ed a lows of 103,097 Urns, of which 20.349 tons wore neutral, and tbe lou-ses for the past fr-it-night have been 202,202 tons, of which 48,000 tons were neutral, the principal neutral ]osts falling upon the Xoiwegtans. This estimate does not square well with the assertion of Lord Charles Beresford, made lii.st Tuesday, that 150,000 tons, had been lost during the past wvon days, of which 105.000 were British. That gives a neutral loss of 45,000 tons -in one week, be sides implying that tbo total looses are considerably greater thai 100,000 tons per week. One would like to know whose estimate is the nearest to the truth. Assuming that the figures cabled on Saturday aie correct, they represent a big total, but hardly a serious cause- for alarm. T'hev moan that the world's shipping is being sunk at the rate ot about 0,u00,000 tons per year; but if only 3.000.000 tons are built to replace losses it will take .12 months to effect a net reduction of 2.000,000 tons in the- total. By that time, it the- sanguine antic ip.it-on* of our leadens are realised, the war should be about over. Besides, the me;wanes of the Admiralty for defence should begin u> take effect within a few weeks, and we have. Lord Charles Beresford's confident asseitiou that the Admiralty will has-e the. meuaee well in hand in six weelcs or two n onths. To <l,-, v Mr Maasey announces that he has beeit authoritatively informed that the submarines are lie-ing effectively opposed. ],,. deed, an engineer of the American s tea mo Mongolia declares that- he counted at Plymouth 187 captured submarines, iiuludm.' t-ho Deut.-ch'.aiKl. the captain and cu-w o? which had bun placed in gaol. 'n, a t engineer isundoubtedly gift-id with a vivid and lumi tous imagination, whatever nuv be thought of his lelia.bility. THK. AR.MKI) MfiROHAXTM f.X.

Perhaps the best sign is the jicncrui eonhdono ot all who ,ie m t j j tt int i \ noli ami «omo insight into tlip <] Misn t me imp u. f th Vumn ill, lh in in liiu maik f i t_s t „]] Ithll j. l\i>, l rid i,ii M Miutl Hut ti <d itts tint chu th i ist lo dams ,t 1 b lt n\ oi K IK llt K" ship and six «, n , Jl j,.,], „ K j, lt weit bunk lie s>md] mmlm ot L I'-ncli \estM-, Hl n' is reitiinls icniukilli c\ cu ilk wing i n the tm din s* , j (h P ] , P1 c „ tonn up lln tot il torn i_s I>r 19T 1 \ ls 1 "62 033 Ins ,c'aincJ\ Mini! toti iis I'mdwrd it po sibh in th» lit ii hj to aim a'l Ik i mu< ' nt ci i't ot in si ui i tht i comn it \c iinmuiiih is mnifi iit il'u t ltioi of i! t nimuit iml <<moi fin ik in keeping how n s \ m )Hl is Kh \< 1 to 1) ibcnt to iin U mu tn itiinii ind f, LtiJin ro iirs hint thit ( , iso wII pitr pit t t i, lis PI PM)\ \\ syl \1 i-I I s

lh-1* n i deminj n < it n p nie s 101 I oid lil 11 to /o Ii k< i th V 1 niirilti lut tup > m \ *h i »1 nt opp< iti n in m tku \ninnl, rid u Jhi \dn ,| xii ll t< lw mi Mfi\ uno ilipii ] no\ is ( ipt n J ->iiibtoii (omni i uled Dm ni\ il it Lad\snith dfLliir tl it it w >uM 1 H an absol ite disistei to thp \ \\ i Io d 1 ishei \cie br ught 1 i<-k L't )! di Ikd lord I win s bCuth lutuii )u lit ,n out bmst n,r t tin lninibti ot < iti eis he hid limed In tins ron c ton it is m uitdoiic jitmst t uc ill th t Vdninl Su Hid\ oitl Mui\ is htfeeS ndtbttd to I onl 1 1 hj i fri his tut though he itnwaid it tit (»pi to (tie lVr> tji d ]nit\ Ik t ■w thtut tnteimg into tln.s< \icotis ppi squahhl s~ it wil l ftihi i to point tint Nt John Jellic f hj pit c ■ t Int Sn I oid Ins disjik ed i msum miity *ibiht\ ind aliK\td wrnsp turns stictt s in mu offin which h L 1 is thus fa lipll His ibihtits ue jipusth tho=e whith lis piescufc tflc* iilKfo ml he his, in ick! < n th" sufitni nd\ ui ti"-e ot po s P u_r tlif ronfi 3 tin oi II partus m tne \u Tl f > t•• ( s th i n dmbl tpi ilit m be n D id' hj wi ik \ ith m\bod\ Ihn is tkuf >u i o nttf ity to le ill Loid I islu i 1 i«.i k ti at oflirpr m spit of u<*it jccohi madp tho nn ti'vt c no his pot in ii ittempt t> di tiU to hf (, win itKiit m i nnttei tnti els In \< n 1 Ins p I( , Mil t Ik tkcliKil to ltsinip li dutir ehi whin < i r 1 It i not dr uibk to loiiniciii i tah ati ii in time <>; oiipiimp intional tnsis i d w'nn t itisin I'nds tnpii nto mi hj niois u. is , 'I tb it t'u\ sJiould njt be g \tn a hint to lej t it thtm

Ml s(jPOJ VMI \

Fresh mctv.-ow are repm !ed from th;Mesopotamia fi out. Vv'c captin ed irenche= on a I.7ooyds fiont on ihe light e.-ntre-at tlic Dahva bend, and b\" diopping luirai's we further extended gain* to a deoth of SQO\-(h on ;i I,oooyds front. Wo captured the whole of the Dahra b-end with 89 officers and 1.906 men, five machine, puns. 250 rifles, and laig; ipiautifi.'-.« of ammunition and .stove-,. On the left centre v.e secured 850 yds of front, an-d on Friday we captured I,2oovds southwards of the Srumrau loon.' We ll0 „- hold the south-west lorner of this hend. Th«se .successes are satisfactory t-> far as they but they are only tai tical. They are of little importance save as the preliminary to some big strategical move. The .diffionlty in criticising at this distance lies in one's ignorance of present local conditions. The area around Knt. is liable to inundation for a great distance. Isut (he cables -say no-thin:,' about Jo< al conditions. It may be that thei=e. small ta,cti<\d successes are for the purpose of fighting our way through the swampy area/ after which really bold strategical manoeuvres will It-e undertaken. But the favorable season is rapidly passing awav. and there is a certain bold, though bv u 0 means dangerous, strategical move opol , to our leaders, which would revolutionise Iho position very swiftly if properly carried out. Looking at his map, the. reader will perceive that the Euphrates flows within 20 miles of Bagdad. It is open to our generals to send a strong force up the Euphrates to where the road from Kerbela to Bagdad crosses the river That is only 30 miles nivay from Bagdad', and a bokl march straight upon the" city would compel the Turkish forces around Kut-el-Amara- to fall back for its defence The strong defensive positions they have constructed would then fall into our" hands without a blow, and we could follow them up. That would be the Napoleonic wav • but it is doubtful if we have a general on the spot capable of rising to it.

iTF f , O\lS

Theie au lttms of tip s of sonit si e ,,i finnce fi ran the sanous fronts -\ le rn i icrorts that the Rui onmimin at tacked po itions s est r f Hisc-tnn shah lies no th cast of the Bu? u Pi ! ]p i,t nig ! pioteed n„ \ Russnn communique announces the captuie if a ejus f heights south west oiOm \ hieh so ;ld he near tne Oitu? P<i=s \ pp , C i t s the Ruf-so Rumanians do not int nd tn lentam idle foi the three nonths diuiif, whih Colonel Remington assetts t 1 dt thp\ can do little Seem,, that thn enenn frreed th ir \ <i\ th roil eh the Carpathian Voun am passts in the dead of winter tleio « e ims ni leison \\h\ otn o\ n sido si ould be (minted In climatic chfTkultus Jh Russo Runiani us cm it least deln (r smashing locil attacl s it < tnous points of tht enormous length of line opposed to them and thus compel tht entnn to ho'd it stiontrh e\tryv\htu undei pain of senoiis defeits By tlu» method thev can renaei it difficult foi th mem, to transfer tioops to the west tiont

■i message from s a l on il a b was n f Rome declare that the enenn s ssinfc m Macedonia Inf. been biol en and the Austnans and \lbauians dispersed

with serious losses. Tin's is important, if true; hut there is no official cotifirmatioii, and. coming through Rome,:' it is more probably not true. Rome also reports that " the general disarmament at' Athens has commenced." Apparently this means the disarmament of the reservists. It is notable that we have received no definite news of the raising of the blockade as yet. The west front sends its usual list of small incidents, the most important of which is the capture of positions by the. British on both banks "of the .Ancre. South of the river we captured a mile and a-lialf of front and penetrated over 1,000 yards, advancing our line to within a few hundred yards of Petit Miraumont. Nort-i of the river an important position was captured on the upper .dopes of the spur to the north of Baillescoiirt Fann, on a 1,000 yards front. Counte" attacks were repulsed. In a late cable on Saturday the Germans claimed to, have stormed' the French trenches in Oiiarnpaijrmj to a depth of 800 metres on a front, of 2,600 metres, tfddng 358 prisoners, and the, Fiench admitted that their positions were penetrated north of the road at the Butte do Mesni], in Champagne.

GONSALEZ OPERA COMPANY

ewerwer

'LA TRAVIATA.'

Violetta Signorina Gonzalez. Flora Signora Belloni. Alfredo Germont ~...Signor Dagardi. Gerrnont Signor Filippini Gastone Signer Barontini Barone Bufol Signor Potrucci Doctor Dervil Signor Cesaroni. Marchese Dcrbiey iSignor Borghesi.

Exceptional counter-attractions told against a good attendant e at Saturday's matinee al His Majesty's. The story ot Cainille, adapted ami ante-dated. b\ Verdi, is a familiar on-e, and naturally the suc-(cr-s <d the opera depends largely on that of the prima donna playing the pivotal character of Violetta. Signonna (Jons-ale/, plays this rcle. To say that she makes a success of it is itating the facts very mildly indeed. The denn-niondaiue aspect of the. character is obtruded so little that anyone in the audience unfamiliar with the plot would never suspect that everything is not quite cumin e il faut. For a variety of reasons Signovina. Gonsalez is perfectly right in this reading. It was an age and a state ol p,;< iety when man ners mattered much and morals mighty little, and when the border line between the grand world and the half-world was hazy to the point of indcfmahility : and, furthermore, the epi-odo dealt with is one in which Violetta conceives the grind passion (for Alfredo Gcrmont). Above all, there if. the elevating infiuento of music which, however hackneyed, is inspired. For theto rea -ons Signorma Uonsile/ as Violetta commanded not only our admiration, bat our whole-hearted sympathies. 'J'hero was not the lopsfc touch' of incoii gruity in the death-chamber seeu-i in the final net being ptcft-uted with a puiity and refinement most moving to witness." Hut hepides this it uas played with Ihe i owe;of a great tragedienne." To mjiiio theatregwr- the ilhidon of the stage is a matter of rare and isolated moments, and this was one of them, no matter how unini-pres-iouablo or cynical the beholder. On thi- firm foundation was fiupcrimpo.-rd ringing of a rare order, in 'Lucia' the public dircovcied Signorina gift of son?, the purity, range, and expressiveness of h-'r voice; and in ■ l/i. Tiaviala' she eonfirme»l every good impression, nhcther in her ?oios I he favoiite 'A fors e lui') or in the contorted numbers.

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Gounod's irnpr-rishablr o] era ' Fauci ' \\ ill 1* presented this eviiing, tlv overture com-noticing at 7.30. Th ■ story o r • Fau-t ' l" too -,el] knovii to need 'capitulation Xuihr-c it to -ny (hat it is vpucrd lls heinone ~f tho most ninvS'-ful op<-i a,- in the (JonsaJez Company'-. <-:,ieiisiv,With Signor Giovanni Gon-sa!?z condu.-l-i"g. Sif'nor BaHioni (t'.niio in ' | J'n ~ liacei ') a.; Fa-tst, Sh-nor Fdtppini ;w. Valentine, Signer Cad-dl-' ,-.,, Mephi-lnphele-, Stgnonna R-i-r, ;\; Sidid. am! Sn/uo.-in ' ( Visoni as Martniei :'te, a flue rcndci'i'u ' of the popular opera should !o Sk"t< • Balboni is said to Ik- ex, epf ioim 11 v ii -p both m bis vocalisation and }>istri(.pi • powers. To-moirow 'La Bohvme '" i, announced, with another very tine east tjidudjng Sirrnonna GonsaW a* Mind.' fl„ V.odnof.day •Carmen.- The plan,* for Ih e last- six nb.hts are now open <it The Brhtol. The following operas will |,- ~,'<,_ rented :—' Carmen,' ' Mignon.' ' Madam Lutterfly." Fau.st,' 'Lucia di L.nnmermoor. 'Rigdettn.'