Evening Star Newspaper, November 21, 1914, Page 1

WEATHER Fair tonight and Sunday, with warmer temperature Sunday; Mght west to southwest winds. Temperature past twenty-four hours: High, 36, at 2 p.m. today; 10 p.m. yesterday. For full report see page 13. low, 26, at Che Evening Star. No. 19,778. WASHINGTON, D. C., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1914-TWENTY-TWO PAGES. ton who re: Star. About every one in Washing- ads at all reads The ———— ZAR’ BIG ARMY IN GRAVE DANGER, IS BERLIN'S VIEW Von Hindenburg Expected | Soon to Score Decisive Vic- tory on Eastern Frontier. SUCCESSES FOR RUSSIANS CLAIMED BY PETROGRAD Germans Declared to Have Been Se-| verely Checked in Attempt to Break Through Line. BATTLE RAGING NEAR LODZ Experts Think Its Outcome May | Have a Decisive Bearing on the | Campaign Along the Pol- ish Border. BERLIN, November 21 “(by! wireless) —“Germany has great} expectations concerning the out- come near Lodz,” says an official | nouncement handed to t 1 today “It is generaliy} taken for granted that the gigan-| tic Russian army, in spite of its] great numerical superiority, is; seriously threatened by Gen. von, Hindenburg’s ingenious strategy} and his spirited offensive move-} ment. “The retreat of the Russians is made difficult by the fact that the: Germans destroyed all railroads, | bridges and highways. A Rus- sian defeat here may decide the! entire campaign in the east, as} the Russians are without reserves) and lack arms, ammunition and officers.” Germans Are Encouraged. The steady progress reported day by day from the eastern theater of war ig most encouraging to the military eritics and the public, and little anx- fety for the safety of the frontier dis- trigts is now manifested. Maj. Moraht, military expert o: Pe Sera expects full Peon tee von Hindenburg and Dankl. He Sbiake the heavy Russian losses ess in and prisoners has shaken the morale of the Russians. 7 continuance of the concentric attacks on the north, west and south, he holds, places the Russians in an un- enviable’ position. The troops which threatened the East j Prugsian frontier at Soldau and its vigigity are continuing their retreat, | apparently toward the crossings of the Vistula and the Bug at Novoe Geor- giewsk. The wintry weather in the war thea- ters is considered to be of the greatest importance in the fleld operations, es- | pecially in the inundated districts of Flanders. Today's ‘reports show that! it is colder in the southwest and in the! northwest. Both Metz and Brussels | report a temperature below the freez- ing point. The snowfall in the north- west has ceased, but is fairly general in the east. Decisive Victory Expected. The opinion was expressed in. mili- tary circles here today that notwith- | standing the great number of Russian troops in Voland, estimated at 900,000 excluding th in the Schirwindt region, Gen. Von Hindenburg would ve able to report a decisive vic- The position of the Russian is considered unfavorable, both on account of the nature of the ground and because such large forces are con- centrated within « comparatively small territory. Interest in the situation in the west is momentarily eclipsed by that in the east. Reports from Vienna tell of successes in Galicia, including the oc- cupation by the Teutonic allies of Tar- now and Wieliczka. According to these reports 7,000 p were taken, Russian Claims of Victory. PETROGRAD, November Army Messenger, the official org: an of| the general staff of the Ru: summing up recent operations i eastern « of hostilities, publishes} the following: “The Germans are making fresh ef- forts to penetrate our front between Lowicz and Skiernievice with the ob- ject of marching on Warsaw. It seems that the enemy threw important forces} in this direction. The effort of the] Germans to march on Warsaw by pene- trating our front betw. i Radom resulted in’ tots our troops forced the alon front to retire ys in its| As retreat, the German army lost enor- mous numbers in dead, wounded and prisoners, as well as provision trains, artillery and war material. “On November 18 important Austro-| German forces, suporting themselves | on the fortified ‘country between Czens- | tochowa and Cracow, undertook an en-| ergetic offensive movement against our troops. Repulsed on ull this front with! heavy losses, the enemy endeavored a fresh offensive movement, but again our forces, by @ counter-attack, drove them back with losses as heavy as those which attended the first repulse. We took a large number of prisoners. “It is announced that there is furious | fighting in the region of Cracow, the! Germa realizing that this position, | with its strong fortifications, is their last protected position on this front.” Severe Check for Germans. LONDON, November 21.—“The Ger- man attempts to break through the Russian armies in Poland have sus- tained a severe check, which, accord- Ing to present indications, is likely to have decisive consequences for the en- emy,” says a dispatch from the Petro- grad correspondent of the Times. The message continues: “The official report of the capture of a battery northwest of Lodz is ex- tremely significant, suggesting the probability of a successful Russian hee <|make the trip, a jhis. PRESIDENT HOPING FOR BRIEF VACATION May Not Be Here for Pan- American Mass Thanks- giving Day. HAS PROMISED TO ATTEND IF HE REMAINS IN CITY Farmers Ask Reimbursement for Losses by Cattle Disease—Suf- fragists Seek Audience. Conflictin Wilson's pro reports as to President able presence at the pan- | American mass at St. Patrick's Church {1 n= day brought the infor- | mation from White House officials to- lday that if the President is in the will attend the serv- church, but that-if public permit he is most likely iting ives at the S Mrs Si Francis B. h ity is that he will go to V liamstown Wednesday night, main the ome time. Mrs. Ss know urged her ther for y her a visit at her} many Weeks to home, and he h He has been unable to get away from Washington up to this time, but hopes that conditions will permit his absence toward the end of the week. Member: of the President they, too, de: ays with “Mrs. end a few yr rn ident to be with them. If the President remains in the city, as stated, he will attend the St. Pa and his family will stay shington. Prime Turkey for President’s Table. South Trimble, clerk of the House, has ordered from his Kentucky farm a forty-pound turkey for the White | House table, this bird having been un- der special care for a long time, hav- ing been fed celery and chestnuts. Mr. Trimble is also to send turkeys to members of the cabinet and to-Secre- tary Tumulty. _ The White House received from the live stock exchange some days ago a elegram asking that the President use influence to have appropriations made to reimburse farmers who lose their catt'e trom the 4 n i disease now prevalent in many states. Secretary Tumulty informed the offi- cials of the exchange that the matter would be laid before the President later on. This has not been done so far, and the President probably will not give the proposition consideration until Congress assembles. Suffragists Want an Audience. Women’s democratic organizations are again making efforts to see Presi- dent Wilson in an effort “¢o™fitérest him in the movement..for a constitu- tional amendment conferring the rigf#, of suffrage upon women, -but:so far the matter has not been brought to’ the at- tention of the President by Secretary Tumulty. Mrs. George A. Armes, pres- ident of the Wilson and Marshall League, headed a committee which call- ed at the White House to ask to see the President in December, but it is not known whether Secretary Tumulty will make the engagement. White House officials feel that the President has several times made his attitude on this subject clear. He has told numerous woman delegations that he believes the question of woman suf- frage is one for the states to deal with umd if he received visitors again he would make the same statement. If the President were to give his time to all the suffrage organizations or indi- viduals who desired to call on him he would have little time for anything else, according to those who know the situation at the White House. President Plays Golf. Following his long-established cus- tom, President Wilson today did little work and took most of the time for himself. Early in the morning he went te golf, enjoying his game with Dr. Grayson. He made no engagements for the day and if he desires to see any officials he will send for the person wanted. LARGER ARMY FOR JAPAN. Premier Okuma Also to Press for In- crease of the Navy. Correspondence of the Associated Press. TOKIO, Japan, October 30.—A larger army and more ships for the navy were recommended by Count Okuma, the prime minister, at a meeting of the governmental parties called to arrange their program for the imperial diet, | which will assemble December 5. “After careful consideration of the problem of national defense from the viewpoints of diplomacy and finance,” said the premier, “the ministry has come to the conclusion that the inter- national situation does not permit the postponement of an increase in the army.” The premier admitted that the greater part of the money saved by economies effected in recent years, which had been intended for hgme ‘un- dertakings, has had to be used for war expenses. Nevertheless the cabinet fa- vored two more divisions in the army and an increase in the navy. A Good Habit Reading advertisements is a habit of Star readers, because they know that the first news of the bargains is almost invari- ably in The Star. The news of the stores for the past week has been more com- plete in The Star than in the other three papers combined, the stores using more space dur- ing the week in The Star than in all the rest of the papers to- gether. Tomorrow's Sunday Star will be brimful of news of all that is best and newest in the stores. Be sure to shop early flanking movement from the direction of Piotrkow. “News was received last night of the arrival of large Russian reinforce- (Continued on Second Page.) Monday morning for comfort and satisfaction. long wanted to do so. | family urge him to} INSURANCE AGENTS ADJUST FIRE RATES Form Underwriters’ Associa- tion to Regulate Risks and Charges Here. BRICK HOUSE POLICIES BOOSTED 50 PER CENT Contents of Dwellings Will Be 25 Cents a Hundred and Up—City to Be Surveyed. There has been « fire insurance reor- ganization which affects every one with} Ja dollar's worth of insurance in the! District of Columbia. The rates paid by property hotders against fire losses have been s 2 “board” or un- derwriters s been formed! with broad to reduce the fir sks everywhere throughout the city, and a centralization has been effected] which will place Washington in the} I class with other large gities regurding | fire risks, fire insurance premiums, fire prevention and the many other features | of the conduct of business in connec- | | tion with this class of insurance. H | There have been rumors of many kinds throughout the city as to the} real effect of the reorganization and | the formation of the Underwriters’ As ocittion*of the District of Columbia, | and one persi: | fire insurance Owing to the ance busine: many ent rumor has been that rates are to be trebled. ct that the fire insur- compiex, there being ds of rates ‘us there are} | classes of byildings, sses of con- ents, classe$ of neighborhood and| lclasses of care and carelessness inj i keeping the premises clean and free! rom fire-making conditions, it is ex-| j tremely difficult to answer categori- | cally the question which was put to the leading insurance men of the town: “Have the rates, gone up?” Rates Are Advanced. The one big class of risks in which perhaps 80 per cent of the population fof a city is interested is the brick dwelling house. The Underwriters’ As- sociation, October 23, decreed that here- after this big and profitable class of business should be charged for at 15 cents. That means that for every hun-| dred dollars’ worth of fire insurance on| an ordinary brick house the premium will be 15 cents for one year, 30 cents; for three years and 45 cents for five years. ae ‘ This 15-cent rate is an increase of about 50 per cent in practical pocket- book “results. According to. insurance men_a rate of 25 cents was established by the old board, which has been de- funct several years, but this 25-cent rate existed only in theory in the later years. Policies on the ordinary dwell- ing houses have been written at 10 cents’a hundred, it is safe to say, on the average; but there seems to be no method of finding out how nearly gen- eral that rate has been. One of the most actiye and best known fire in- fsurance of local men claims that the 15-cent rate is a reduction. Insurance Commissioner Nesbit says it is actually an increase. The insurance agent |Speaking of the paper rate on which no business is done, perhaps; and Mr. Nesbit was speaking of the actual amount of money which property own- ers pay for insurance. Dwelling Contents Rate Up. The rate on the contents of dwelling houses of the ordinary kind will be henceforth 25 cents a hundred dollars for one year, with reductions for three and five year policies the same as the houses they are in. The rate on frame dwellings and their contents is to be 35 cents; an increase over the average premiums which have been collected under the recent disorganized insur- ance methods which have made the un- derwriters’ association necessary, in the opinion of its members. Insurance rates to be paid by business houses, apartment houses, hotels, of fices und every one outside of the or- dinary brick dwelling house class will depend on specific individual cases to a great extent; and the explanation of these rates and changes up or down is really the explanation of the under- writers’ association Itself. Objects of Association. This association describes itself in the constitution of the organization: “The object of this association shali be the reduction of the fire waste in the District of Colum the establish- ment of just and fair rates, whereby the cost of fire insurance may be equit- ably distributed among all classes of manufacturers, merchants, _ private householders and others, and the pre- {vention of discrimination between one property ow: nd another; for these purposes this association will establish a system of schedule and minimum rat- ings, giving the best risks, the lowest rates, and adding specific “charges for all deficiencies from required standards, making reductions from such rates when the deficiencies charged for are eliminated, and also provide rules and plans for ‘regulating the practices of jthe business of fire underwriting, in- cluding commissions and brokerages in the District of Columbia.” The association has established offices on the tenth floor of the Woodward bulid- ing, with E. R. Hardy as manager. Survey of City. One of the first of the associatien’s ac- tivities was a survey of the city to see what sort of fire protection Washington has in the eyes of an expert. Two en- gineers rom New York who visited the water department found that Supt. McFarland had the facts of the system at his fingers’ ends and the experts ob- tained in two hours or less what they expected to get in about two days. They went away with glowing praises for Supt. McFarland and the system. Part of the investigation was a midnigt test in the business section of the city to ascertain what amount of water is available for fire-quenching purpose: Incidentally, it may be said that the assoclat.on manager, Mr. Hardy, is ex- tremely interested in the subject of a high-pressure water system for downtcw. Washington, just such a system as The Star has advocated for many years. Man. ager Hardy says that fire insurance rates would be reduced perhaps 6 per cent in any area affected by a high-pressure sys- tem. Method of Rate Fixing. ‘The association will survey every build- ing outs’de of the standard dwelling class to establish rates based on the physical characteristics of every building and the risk involved in the business or activities carried on there‘n. They will build up the rate on each structure on a series cf “points,” and will raise or lower the rate in accordance with the good and bad ele- (Continued on Fourth Page.) | TODAY'S AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD. | WAR NEWS IN BRIEF. | | Important advantages, though; not of a decisive nature, are! claimed today by the French war office. Germany’s new attack to- ward the eastern end of the battle line across France, with the sup- posed purpose of isolating the important fortress of Verdun, is said in’ the French official state- ment to have been thwarted, at least temporarily. There was irreconcilable con- flict in the reports from Petrograd Facts Concerning Manufacture to Be and Beriin concerning the fight- ing in the east. said officially that great expecta- tions are entertained of a decisive In Berlin it is) defeat of the Russians. The con- flict spreads over many battle-; \fields, from the farther end oj \f Galicia almost to the Baltic, but the most important fighting is now at Lodz. offensive at Lodz has made prog- ress, and that in the region of Plock the enemy is still in flight. {to the House naval affairs committee, j fully. The new attempt to close: y: P ;trio which has supplied the navy with ‘steel for years past. failed, with heavy losses for the! i Semi-official reports from Petro- grad, however, state that the Ger- mans are being opposed success- in on Warsaw, it is said, has Teutonic allies. Servia has broken the silence’ she maintained for several days, to deny the Austrian claims to a great victory. The Servian lega-; tion at Athens, while admitting! that the Austrians compelled a! retreat from Valjevo, states that the Servians withdrew in good or- der without any serious fighting, and that they are now occupying advantageous positions, ready to engage the advancing Austrians. The Khedive of Egypt, Abbas Hilmi, who was reported several days ago to have cast his lot with the Sultan of Turkey, his spiritual leader, is said in Paris to have joined the Turkish forces in Pal- estine, preparatory to leading an invasion of Egypt. BLAST FURNACE IS BUSY BURNING BODIES OF DEAD LONDON, November 21, 9:20 a.m.—The newspaper Independence Belge, which has been published in London since the occupation of Brussels, has re- ceived news from Charleroi, Belgium, _jS proposed to leave this city for Pitts- The German mili-: itary authorities state’ that their! that the large blast furnace near there is running night and day incinerating the corpses of German soldiers killed along the Yser line. The bodies of the soldiers are being brought to Charleroi by rail. The coal] mines of Charleroi! have been re- opened and the miners there are work- ing two or three days a week. TOFIND CUT COST OF MAKING ARMOR Official Government Commis- sion Will Visit Steel Milts in Pennsylvania. TEMPER OF CONGRESS IS FOR FEDERAL PLANT Obtained by Tillman, Padgett and Strauss. © The official congressional and naval investigation into the cost of maintain- ing a government-owned armor plate plant will begin probably Monday, as the special committee composed of Senator Tillman, Representative Pad- gett and Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss burgh tomorrow night. i The first plant to be examined will, be the Carnegie mill, which has cov- ered the sides of many an American ship with the toughest modern shell- | resisting material. Elisha Theall, clerk will accompany the special investi- ating commission. Following the examination of the Carnegie plant the commission will ex- amine the costs of operation and the output at the Bethlehem and Midvale the other members of the big Will Study Steel Making. The commission will make use of the material bearing on the cost of armor production ulready collected by the Navy Department and laid before Con- ress when it was announced that the! inquiry to be made now would not be limited in any way by what has gone before. A close study of every one of the practical phases of steel making will be made, with special reference to the difference between the govern- ment requirements in the matter of naval steel and those laid down in commercial process.. A mass of in- formation already has been gotten to- gether regarding the cost of armor plate production abroad, which is ex- pected to serve a useful purpose and basis of comparison. Not First Investigation. i { This is not the first aceite into the costs of making armor plate! which the government has prosecuted.‘ There have been other investigations, but the temper of the present Congress seems a little more inclined to the actual establishment of a government- owned plant. Every time the cost of a ton of armored steel is mentioned in Congress it is more than likely to pro- duce an outbreak in favor of owning a steel plant, to be operated by the Navy Department. The present contracts are | at about $425 a ton for steel armor, which is slightly lower than previous: contracts. Members of the House naval! affairs committee are of the belief that! the price allows a very considerable margin for profit. Congressmen interested in a govern- ment-owned plant do not believe it would be wise to have all armor steel made there, but that it would help to reduce the prices paid by the govern- ment for steel bought at the three big works. Mines Make Pilots Necessary. LONDON, November 21.—The British admiralty announces that owing to the 2xtension of its mine system after No- sember 27. pilotage will be compulsory n the Humber and on the Tyne river, in the Firth of Forth and the Moray Forth, and in the. Scapa flow, | an i i Special Features Tomorrow in The Sunday Star ‘London optimists. predict that the great war will be over before Christmas. Our special corre- spondent in London contributes un article which tends to sub- stantiate the above surprising statement. You may not agree with the prediction, but you wilt at teast find the article interest- ing. Would you give up a salary of 25,000 a year because you could not believe in the European war? An English cabinet min- ister, the celebrated John Burns, has done so. He resigned his position rather than compromise with his convictions. The war in Europe aids the back-to-the-scil movement in America. PROF. MILTON WHITNEY, a government expert, believes that thg extraordinary demand for American foodstuffs will stimulate interest in agri- culture in this country. The article is written by ASHMUN BROWN. “Turkey to Be But a Pawn of Europe After the War? is the title of an article by CHARLES M. PEPPER. FRANK CARPENTER writes of Deutschland, a strange country in southern Chile owned by the Germans. All Europe fears the Cossacks. STERLING HEILIG tells in- timate stories of the Czar’s famous fighters. Despite Europe’s war THE OBSERVER. finds reasons for Thanksgiving. Several veterans of the civil war tell their reminiscences of Thanksgiving day on the battle- field. “SAVING THE THANKS- GIVING TURKEY” is the story of how Uncle Sam is endeavor- ing to prevent a decrease in the supply of our Thanksgiving day fowl. In The Sunday Magazine “ERUCATION FOR BUSI- NESS PURPOSES” is the title of an article by ANDREW CARNEGIE, in which he dis- cusses the value of @ college course. “4 CASE OF NOBODY HOME,’ by SEWELL FORD, describes the planting of a seed of kindness, in Mr. Ford’s char- acteristic vein. ) “HONEST JOE,” by ROY NORTON, is a charming tale of @ poor old westerner who re- fused to surrender. “THE GRUNT OF THE PIG- SKIN,” by WALDO ADLER, sets forth the intricacies and simplicities of the latest de- velopments in foot ball. “THE MODEL CHILD,” by RICHARD DEHAN, tells what a child culturist did with a help- less infant. In The Sunday Star ee | Me | vindication” at the polls. FIRING BY TURKS NOT HOSTILE ACT. Capt. Decker of Cruiser Ten- nessee Reports on Shot Sent Across Launch. SAME INFORMATION GIVEN IN MESSAGE NOV. 18 Withheld by Secretary Daniels, However, as It Appeared to Be Contradictory. Capt. Benton C. Decker of the cruiser Tennessee reported to the United States government today that the firing on the ship's launch by the Turkish forts at Smyrna, Asia Minor, November 17, was not iytended as a hostile act An official statement, covering this de- velopme: made at.the White House retary Tumulty after a conference with President Wilson. ' Following this announcement Secre-| tary Daniels gave out a statement that! a portion of the first report made by; Capt. Decker last Wednesday had not} been made public when received because | it was: considered contradictory. He| announced that Capt. Decker’s dispatch| reporting the firing contained the words “act not hostile, but unfriendly.” The statement given out by the N Department omitted the contradictory phrase, according to Mr. Daniels, in order to verify it, and today came) word that the message Was correct d originally sent. Secretary Daniels w: unable to explain its meaning, and said | that it seemed to him an expression of opinion by the captain of the Ten- nessee without exact knowledge what took place on shore. | At the White House the statement | issued said Capt. Decker had reported | the firing as “not an hostile act,” the! view being taken that the first part! of the phrase meant that the shots! were not aimed to take effect, but as} a warning, because the port of Smyrna was mined and closed. White House Statement. ‘The statement given out at the White. House today is as follows: “The public already knows what hap- pened, namely, a boat from the Ten- nessee tried to enter the harbor, a har- bor which the Turkish’ government had declared closed. A shot was fired across ner bow to stop her. The captain of the ‘Tennessee reports that it was not in- sended as an hostile act. “A fuil nvestigation of ‘the matter is being made and explanations have veen asked of the Turkish government. Previous attempts to communicate with Ambasyador Morgenthau, in Constan- tinople, have led to delays of as much as a week.” Secretary Daniels said that he had re- ceived no further messages from Capt. Decker since the first report and that he assumed the commapder was awalt- ing investigation by Ambassador Mor- genthau. Sapo Mr. Daniels 'does not think Capt Decker could possibly know what oc- curred on the shore, as his launch im- mediately turned back. He said the of | i =| contradictory phrase had been omitted in his announcement because it seemed only an expression of opinion which in itself was inexplicable. Oraers Only Temporary. Mr. Daniels stated that the orders is- sued to the commanders of the North Carolina and Tennessee prohibiting them from taking any action without specific instructions from Washington was merely of a temporary character until the State Department had com- pleted its investigation of the particu- lar incident connected with the firing on the Tennessee's launch. He said the usual wide discretion imposed on naval officers by the navy regulations would be in effect again iater. There is no intention of withdrawing either vessel, as some of the American residents are said to be disturbed over the general conditions in Turkey. It was suggested in high official quarters today that some of the American con- suls may have given the Turkish au- thorities the impression that in. caring ‘or British and French interests they ere obliged to extend protection to the subjects of the entente powers. The task which the American gov- ernment has undertaken for the bellig- erents in all countries, it was pointed out today, is merely a courtesy and extends simply to the point of ex- ,ercising good offices as between the belligerents, but does not obligate the neutral nation to afford any protection whatsoever. BRITISH MADE TO SUFFER. Austrian Government Adopts Rigor- ous Policy in Retaliation. VENICE, via Paris, November 21.—The police of Vienna are adopting much more severe measures against English people remaining in that city. During the past few days many Britishers have been arrested and interned, and the rest, irrespective of age or sex, are now forbidden to leave their homes between 8 o'clock in the evening and 6 o'clock in the morning or to visit cafes or other public places. An official announcement states that these steps have been taken “in view of the wretched situation of Austrians and Hungarians interned in belligerent states, especially England,” and that 2s a consequence of the condition of in- terned citizens of Austra-Hungary. the treatment of citizens of hostile coun- tries who are residents of Vienna, par- ticularly the British, will be much more severe. The statement says that these meas- ures will be enforced “so long as there is no certainty that Austrian subjects in England are being accorded better treatment.” It is added that foreigners who are interned will: be well treated. SCHMITZ SEEKS VINDICATION. Former Mayor of San Francisco Will Again Run for Office. SAN FRANCISCO, November 21.—| Former Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz, cen- tral figure with Abraham Ruef in a series of graft prosecutions following the earthquake and fire of 1906, is; homeward bound from New York with definite intention of entering on an active campaign for, election as mayor. next year. This announcement was made by a brother of Schmitz, who said the former mayor would “seek “My brother is an innocent mai said Herbert Schmitz, adding that the former mayor had been victimized by Ruef, who conducted grafting opera- tions without his knowledge. Twenty-seven indictments found against Schmitz after he was thrown out of office later were dismissed. 2 ONE CENT. FLANDERS BATTLE BROUGHT TO HAL BY COLD WEATHER Only Big Guns Continue Activ- ity, According to the Of- ficial Reports. FRENCH SAY THE ALLIES NOW HAVE UPPER HAND Rumor That Germans Are Preparing to Move Huge Army to East- ern Frontier. SEVERE WINTER PREDICTED Belgian “Oldest Inhabitants” Fore- cast a Repetition of the Terrible Cold Experienced During Franco-Prussian War. LONDON, November 21, I p-m.—Winter’s first onslaught, coming with unexpected severit appears to have halted all activ ties of the armies in France and Belgium, except that the artillery duels continue. The German war office, in its statement today, says the allies are showing greater activity with their big guas, and the French official statemeat appears to con- firm this, making the claim that ‘the artillery of the allies has se- icured an advantage over that of the Germans, both in Flanders, around Nieuport and further east in the region of the Aisne and in Champagne. At Hollebeke, according to the French statement, two assaults by the Germans were immediate- ly repulsed, and at Argonne cer- ‘tain of the enemy’s trenches were !blown up, but elsewhere along thebattle line there appears to have been a suspension of all opérations except that of the ar- tillery. Village Retaken by Germans. On‘ the French right wing the Ger- mans have retaken the village of Chauvoncourt, part of which they blew up a few days ago. The activity of the Germans in vicinity of Rheims has slackened. A new crop of stories has arisen that ithe Germans are sending heavy guns and submarines by rail to Belgium, jdestined for-the coast. while other re- iports declare that trainr capable all ‘told of moving 200,000 men are being ‘prepared to take German reinforce- j ments to the eastern front. A dispatch today fron Bruges. gium, says: “According to the best information {reaching here the fighting on the Yser front has completely stopped The severe cold weather continues and the old inhabitants fear that there may be a repetition of the notoriously se- vere winter of 1870-7: Rest for Prussian Guard. The Prussian guard has suffered so severely in its attacks on the Britis! lines, says the Daily Mail’s Dunkirk correspondent, “that it has been with- drawn from the fighting line and sent to the rear to rest. “In addition to a strong line of de- fense from Brussels to the Meuse the Germans are prepaying another stron defensive position’ on the line from Eceloo through Ael Tere, Thielt and Roulers to Menin, seven miles south- west of Courtrai.” The Nieuve Rotterdamsche Courant's Berlin correspondent asserts that all attempts made by the French to re- store communication between the coast and Ypres have been frustrated by the German artillery. Heavy fighting be- tween the French and German in- fantry for possession of the woods near Bixschoote continues, says the cor- respondent. The bombardment Rheims continues. Reports Heavy French Losses. BERLIN, Germany, November 21 (by wireless). — Reports received today from Holland, according to informa- tion given out in official circles here, are to the effect that in the fighting Bel of near Dixschoote and Dixmude the French lost 20,000 men, and that 1,500 British were drowned in the Yser canal. ‘The correspondent of the Zeitung Am Mittag visited Dixmude while that town still was r heavy bombard ment. In a dispatch tells of the things that he observed there. The sky was literally covered with smoke rings from shrapnel, he says. The enemy was commencing to waver under the steady succession of assaults. The allies’ fire was no longer well directed and, as the German preparations were well made, the German losses in the as- saults usually were relatively small. ‘The captured trenches, says the cor- respondent, were magnificently built of reinforced concrete, with sand-bag breast- to his paper he works, staniis for machine guns and a novel type of revolver cannon which throws " short-range grenades. Such trenches cover the whole country, and when one is captured the enemy retired to the next. The fighting is often at such close range that hand grenades are employed most effectively. The presence of the latest French and Eng- lish newspapers in the trenches, says the correspondent, shows that the allied sol diers are being kept informed. French Successes Claimed. Success of the French in repulsing the German attack in the Argonne is re- ported in official dispatches to the French embassy liere, received last night. Destruction of the German earthworks and supply trains in the vicinity of Rheims 1s also reported. The dispatch follows: “From the sea to Hetsas there was neither cannonading nor infantry fire from the enemy the entire day. Our artillery, on the other hand, succeeded 4