30 Dec 1917
Page 1
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Newspaper
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Dec 30, 1917
Page
1
North Vernon December 28 wreck leaves eight dead after a head on collision on the B and O line. Earl Austin of Decker Indiana a passenger in the smoking car is among the dead. Automatic block system failure blamed for the crash. Twenty injured as seven railroad men also die in the disaster.
Seventy to eighty percent of Guatemala City was destroyed by quakes starting December 26, with forty deaths and thousands homeless. Martial law is in effect as the American Legation and Consulate were damaged, but officials report safety for diplomats. President Wilson sent condolences and offered aid.
Director General McAdoo orders immediate pooling of traffic and terminal use to relieve congestion. Alfred H. Smith and Walker D. Hines named temporary assistants to oversee trunk line transport, with ICC inspectors and Congress to review freight conditions. Union demands for a 40 percent wage increase are denied. labor weighs next steps.
A head on crash between westbound Baltimore and Ohio and an eastbound train near Seymour Indiana leaves seven dead all crew members and about twenty injured. Conductor Shaner and McEvilly of Cincinnati are among the injured with others identified from Cincinnati and Jasper Indiana. Wreckage traps victims as rescuers rush to the scene.
Cincinnati weather report notes fair to cold conditions in Ohio and Indiana with possible snow and rising temperatures. Forecast includes Kentucky and West Virginia trends, plus current highs and precipitation from multiple stations and a December 1917 record comparison.
Washington December 29. Secretary Baker issued an order ending the practice of dishonorable discharges being used to avoid military service. Soldiers who earned dishonorable discharges for offenses will now face imprisonment and other possible sentences, as the army fights a wave of desertions and losses.
Cold weather and snow hamper European fighting with little movement except in Northern Italy near Monte Grappa west of the Piave. Italians claimed an offensive but German War Office says defense stopped it. Treviso air raids damaged no monuments but left casualties. Padua and nearby towns spared. Petrograd reports show mixed reactions to peace talks as Germans expand propaganda and Bolsheviks face doubt.
Senate War Inquiry Committee probes canceled cloth scrap contracts to S. Basel Sorting Co of New York. Witnesses claim potential profits reached hundreds of thousands yearly. Charles Eisenman and Samuel Kaplan drawn into testimony. Officials argue delays and shifted wool procurement policies affected supply and costs. General Sharpe cites Council of National Defense and shoddy wool as causes of delays. weeks estimates a $150 million government loss. Next week, ordnance hearings wrap up with Crozier and Baker invited to reply.
L A Snead head of the Fuel Administration distributing agency testified before the Senate committee on the coal situation. He predicted government control of mines and labor conscription to coordinate effort and said 60 000 000 tons could not be produced this year. He cited hoarding and distribution failures as causes of Capitol shortages and noted 1 000 tons were diverted to the Capitol building. Hoover to testify on sugar next.
Fire Marshal Brophy credits arrest of Joseph Tausan in Bristol, Pennsylvania, with advancing probes into multiple mysterious water front fires since the war began. Tausan allegedly confessed to setting a lighter fire but denied involvement at Morse Dry Dock and Repair. The arrest at Merchants Shipbuilding Corp. is named the most important in pier fire cases to date.
A man who showed a United States army discharge to a guarding soldier was allowed to board a lighter. He allegedly claimed prior employment on the vessel. The fire started shortly after Tausan boarded the craft.
Three British torpedo boat destroyers were sunk by torpedoes or a mine near the Dutch coast on December 23. Thirteen officers and 180 men died. The incident is widely cited as the probable cause of Admiral Jellicoe’s dismissal as First Sea Lord. Sir Eric Geddes met the King at Sandringham on Christmas, signaling urgent Admiralty matters.
China protests Tokyo over Japan replacing military rule with civil administration in Shan-Tung territories seized from Germany. Delegates in Peking publish a memorial alleging torture and killings, urging withdrawal and immediate settlement through proper interpretation of the Lansing Ishii pact.
The State Department released Petrograd dispatches denying Bolshevik charges that US representatives in Russia engaged in revolutionary activity. Letters and telegrams from Red Cross leaders and the American Minister to Romania counter claims about sending automobiles to Kale edines and Don Cossacks. The ambassador asserts such allegations are unfounded and notes American sympathy for Russia, citing recent goodwill gestures including a floral tribute and efforts to ship boots and shoes for railway workers and families.
General Pershing commander in chief of the American expeditionary forces visits King Albert of Belgium at the royal residence after arriving at a North Belgian front station. The King with staff and guard of honor receives Pershing and hosts luncheon before he departs for further courtesies.
United States weather observers report temperatures plunging to 48 below zero at White River Ontario and 32 below at Winnipeg and Cobalt. The cold spell spans from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic as it moves eastward.
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