24 Feb 1916
Page 1
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Newspaper
The Mobile Item
Location
Mobile, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Feb 24, 1916
Page
1
British steamer Westburn reported sunk outside Santa Cruz harbor after German prize crew landed 206 prisoners from six vessels captured by the Moewe. Prisoners included crew from Flamence Horace Clan MacTavish Cambridge Edinburgh and Luxembourg. vessel sank after release.
Advices report the Westburn, departed Liverpool January 21 for Buenos Aires, arrived at Santa Cruz Teneriffe flying German colors with a German prize crew and 206 prisoners from various ships. Prisoners include men from Clan Mac Tavish sunk by the raider Moewe, suggesting similar fates for Flamence Horace Edinburgh and Luxembourg.
Secretary R G Cobb of the Chamber of Commerce receives a nearly 700 page transcript with over 150000 words in three volumes. He will study the stenographer minutes to inform a forthcoming brief to the interstate commerce commission. The aim is to argue mileage as the leading factor in cotton rate determinations.
T. P. Phillips a deputy sheriff from Grand Bay Alabama was arrested early Thursday by Sergeant John Lincoln and detectives on a general charge for refusing to pay his fare and being taken to a jail cell.
The state harbor commission did not meet Thursday due to lack of a quorum. Present were WW Taylor T J O Connor and J C Rich while other members were detained. A separate note reports fines for violations issued to Dock Wolff a Black man fined fifty dollars and costs in jail by emergency charterers on Thursday.
President Wilsons preparedness drive gains 2300 young Philadelphians as members of Biddles Brigade. They commit to support Uncle Sam and the national defense effort.
Sheriff Holcombe seeks a taster to identify contents of an aged demijohn seized at Battle House. Deputies disagree on whether the liquid is brandy wine whisky or vinegar. The scent taste and touch fail to reveal its true nature, suggesting it may be a relic from old Battle House stores.
Report from the western front describes a massive German push along a twenty five mile front north of Verdun with over 250 000 troops involved. Both sides sustain heavy losses as German forces penetrate toward Haumont Wavrille wood while French defenses hold elsewhere. A separate note mentions the Westburn prize crew sinking her near Teneriffe after disembarking prisoners in the Canary Islands. Lisbon reports thirty six German and Austrian vessels in the Tagus river.
More than fifty Know Your City committee guests toured Mobile and Ohio and Southern Railroads export wharves. A thunder shower delayed departure but guests remained cheerful, enjoying a lunch on pier 8 and applauding the hospitality of E. L. Davidson and staff.
More than a hundred employees of the Southern Bell Telephone Company will attend a meeting at the Cawthon Hotel Friday night to witness awards for exemplary service. Atlanta manager T L Woodruff will present gold service buttons with five year increments. Names of longest service include S J Crippen J E Delhomme Jack Worthington W B Hahn C M Wilson and J D Andrews.
Paris reports intensified fighting near Verdun with German gains northwest and northeast of Beaumont and the forest of Herbe. French losses admitted but line remains unbroken. Brabant Haumont Samogneux captured. German positions extend toward Verdun.
Paris reports a large scale battle along a 25 mile front from Etain to Malancourt near Vardun as German forces under the crown prince press to seize key roads into the Meuse. French heavy casualties are reported with no clear gains yet as the fight begins.
The day in Congress saw debate resume on the water power bill after a noon meeting. Objections blocked Gore from proposing measures to bar Americans from armed ships, while a Brandi nomination to the Supreme Court was noted. The House kept up post office bill discussions and a Foreign Affairs hearing began on Representative London's neutral peace plan with Winslow and a rear admiral testifying in executive session on national defense.
In city court on Thursday the February criminal term set trials including Edward Roche for first degree murder in the Thomas McMahon shooting outside a Royal Street pool room. Roche's habeas bail started at 10 000 then 5 000 but was not posted. Other key cases include Lizzie Johnson and Elvira Winbush hearings March 24 and Aleine Jones for second degree murder March 2, with numerous others set for March 9 11 23 25 27 28 30 31 and March 1 4.
A Louisville man Joseph Hall and his wife Della Hall shot each other at their 800 East Washington Street home. Hall and their 13 year old daughter Geneva Deilla died. Della Hall was mortally wounded with four bullets and lies in city hospital. A mysterious private detective and two other men are being sought for light on the tragedy. A strange young man watched the home all day, and a phone call preceded the deadly supper table gunfire.
The Forrest Highway Association held an opening session in Brewton Alabama with Captain John Craft presiding in Massey’s absence. Bruce Kennedy and other speakers urged progress, signaling strong momentum toward completing the highway project amid forecasts of fair weather in Alabama and Mississippi.
A meeting of the executive committee of the Chamber of Commerce Naval Shipyard Committee is called by Chairman A J Parsons. It will be held in the Battle House at noon Friday. The notice follows a letter from United States Senator Bankhead supporting Mobile as a shipbuilding site and referencing a February 7 Mobile Item clipping.
Mrs. G H Mathis of Gadsden spoke to farmers and business men in Greenville urging abandonment of the one crop idea. She tours Alabama promoting crop diversification and is a field agent for the Alabama Bankers Association and an official of the state agricultural department.
Panama to Salina Cruz steamship service to be established by the Pacific Steam Navigation Company of Liverpool. The firm recently bought the steamers Acajutia and Salvador from the Salvador Railroad Company, London, for passengers and freight.
Weather bureau ordered storm warnings from Cape Hatteras to Boston as a central storm mass moved northeastward from the lower Mississippi Valley. Forecasters warned of increasing intensity and potential high seas as the system tracked toward New England.
Senator Gore proposes resolution to warn Americans on armed merchant ships and a concurrent resolution opposing actions against Germany, but Brandegee blocks the move while President Wilson remains firmly opposed. Senate and House delay progress as administration support remains uncertain and Capitol agitation grows.
The export ing and importing firm Gaston Williams Wigmore Inc announces the incorporation of a five million dollar Gaston Williams W Steamship Corporation. The new company will operate a fleet of steamships flying the flag and link New York with Far Eastern ports. Several vessels have been purchased and more are under negotiation.
The Kiel Zeitung reports the small dinghy from the cruiser Nernburg drifted from the Falkland Islands engagement to Friesland area, then southwesterly toward the Iceland coast. German observers view the event as a hopeful omen for the war effort.
A brief notice highlights items found or misplaced in a classified section. Reads like a typical local newspaper caption pointing readers to a page with listings for lost and found items across various categories.
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