FREEING SERBIA

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 872, 25 November 1916, Page 9

FREEING SERBIA

ALLIES PRESS ON

ANOTHER HOSPITAL SHIP SUNK IN THE AEGEAN SEA

BRAEMAR CASTLE LOST RUMANIANS MAY YET SAVE THEIR ARMIES THE PASSING OF THE AUSTRIAN EMPEROR The Allies are meeting with great success in their efforts to free Serbia from the invader, and have already liberated over 1000 square miles. East, north, and west of Monastir the armies of the Serbians, French, and Italians are making steady progress, capturing new positions and maintaining their hold on them. The British hospital ship Braemar Castle (6318 tons) was sunk by a torpedo in the .ffigean. All on board were saved. This news reads strangely in view of a German claim that if the Britannic bore the red cross it could not have been a German submarine which sank her. Germany alleges that the Britannic was being used for purposes of transport. Spanish Republicans refuse to join in a message of regret regarding Franz Josef's death, holding that Austria started the war. An expert review of the situation in Rumania shows that the armies in Western Wallachia may yet extricate themselves, if they stand firm, owing to the gallant defence of the passes having interfered with von Hindenburg's plans for a great coup.

MACEDONIAN ADVANCE STEADILY CONTINUES.

ALLIES PENETRATE DEEP INTO SERBIA. FURTHER GAINS MADE AND MAINTAINED. High Commissioner's Colic. LONDON, November 24 (3.5 p.m.). A French official report states:—On the Cerna front the Serbians took Budimirca. Violent counter-attacks failed completely. Northward and to the east of Monastir, by stubborn fighting, the Allies are progressing and inflicting heavy losses. Westward of Monastir the Italians have progressed as far as Nizopoli.

SECOND HOSPITAL SHIP LOST.

ANOTHER VICTIM IN THE BRAEMAR CASTLE SUNK BY TORPEDO. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. VANCOUVER, November 24. The British hospital ship Braemar Castle was torpedoed in the yftgcan Sea. All on board were saved. (Received November 25, 10.20 a.m.) LONDON, November 24. The "Daily Chronicle's" Athens correspondent states that the Braemar Castle was torpedoed off Tinos Island. The survivors were taken to Syra by mine sweepers and destroyers.

VESSEL WAS BOUND FOR MALTA.

CARRYING WOUNDED FROM SALONICA. A. and N.Z. Cable Association and Renter. (Received November 25, 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, November 24. Tbc Admiralty reports that the Braemar Castle was homeward bound from Salonica to Malta with wounded, when she was milled or torpedoed in the Mykoni Channel, in the iEgean Sea. All were saved. The Braemar Castle was a steel screw foar-masted steamer of 6318 tons gross register, built in 1898, and owned by the Union-Castle S.S. Co., Ltd. Tinos ami Byra are islands of the Cyelades, respectively 40 and 30 miles east of 1 lie island of Zen, where the Britannic was sunk.

GERMANS SUSPICIOUS OF BRITANNIC.

ALLEGE EMPLOYMENT AS TRANSPORT. WOULD NOT SINK A HOSPITAL SHIP. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received November 25, 8.45 a.m.) LONDON, November 24. A German wireless message comments on the extraordinary number of persons aboard the Britannic, while voyaging to Salonica, justifying a suspicion of the misuse of u hospital ship for purposes of transport. II is declared that, inasmuch as the ship bore the red cross, there can naturally be no question that a German submarine was concerned in sinking her. The Admiralty announced that the HOG persons aboard the Britannic comprised only the vessel's crew and the hospital staff. In a vessel ol ! the Britannic's size (-17,500 tons) this is not unreasonable.

RUMANIANS MAY SAVE THEMSELVES.

r. ——— ARMIES CAN STILL BE EXTRICATED. HINDENBURG THROWS FOR BIG COUP, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received November 25, 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, November 24. Tim correspondent of "The Times" points out that the Rumanians at Orsova have a week in which to retreat 90 miles in order to avoid being cut oil' by the Germans from Craiova. Probably the Orsova army will be successful, though the division forming the rearguard may be caught. Marshal von llindenburg's chance of a great coup depended upon his forcing the passes between the Buzeu and the Torzhurg, in order to deploy on the plain southwards. This might have involved two Rumanian armies in disaster, but the Rumanians held firm to the central passes. The Austrians and Germans are now obliged to attack from the west, and to cross rivers in flood, flowing from the north to the south and south-east. If the Rumanians hold firm, the enemy attack will be constantly at a disadvantage, and he will have to fight ordinary battles instead of throwing for a great coup. General von Falkenhayn, at the present moment, has only his western columns available for action on the plains. The others are hung up in the hills. Though the loss of Western Rumania would be a bad blow r , the situation may be much less black than it appears on the surface.

LAST HOURS OF FRANZ JOSEF.

STAYED IN HARNESS TO THE LAST. TROOPS DISMAYED BY CARL'S MESSAGE. Australian and X.Z. Cable Association. (Received November 26, 10.20 a.m.) LONDON, November 25. The "Daily Chronicle's" Milan correspondent states that Vienna messages show that when the Emperor Franz Josef's condition caused grave anxiety Count von Koeber, Premier of Austria, summoned the Grand Dukes to Vienna, and sought to induce the Emperor to agree to a regency. The, Emperor, on Monday at midday, first expressed a presentiment that the end was near, and sent an urgent summons to the Court confessor, Evelling, who was closeted with the Emperor for two hours. During the night and Tuesday morning the fever increased. The Emperor passed the afternoon in an armchair, tormented by fever, coughing, and spells of delirium, though he insisted on listening to the latest war bulletins, and gave an audience to the Archdukes and prominent statesmen. Through the Papal-Nuncio the Emperor sought and obtained a special telegraphic blessing from the Pope. He relapsed into delirium at 6 o'clock. Then followed a crisis of tears, lie died quietly at 9. Extraordinary police precautions followed his decease, and arrests on a large scale in Bohemia and the Italian speaking provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Emperor Carl's proclamation to his troops produced intense depression amongst the soldiery. The proclamation exhorted the armies to persevere in the struggle for the salvation of the Imperial dominions.

AUSTRIA THE INSTIGATOR OF WAR.

WHAT SPANISH REPUBLICANS THINK. DO NOT REGRET EMPEROR'S DEATH. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received November 25, 9.20 a.m.) MADRID, November 24. The Republicans refuse to associate themselves with the official message expressing regret at the death of Fran Josef. They cannot forget that Austria was the aggressor in the war.