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Newspaper
Washington Post
Location
Washington, Washington Dc, United States of America
Date
Feb 16, 1917
Page
1
Germany releases 72 Americans aboard the Yarrowdale to avert a peremptory demand and ease commerce crippled by submarine warfare. The cabinet will study the situation today while the president plans a Congress address before adjournment. hope remains for avoiding hostilities if Berlin shifts its attitude toward the United States.
Berlin reports that 72 American seamen captured aboard the British steamer Yarrowdale have been released. A formal demand for their release prepared with President Wilson's approval. The State Department seeks to resolve the crisis as sub naval actions threaten U.S. rights and air relations. Cabinet meetings and economic impact discussions continue as diplomacy intensifies.
London report via Reuters says Emperor Charles of Austria names Archduke Frederick second in command while the emperor assumes supreme command from the main headquarters. The Austrian ruler also appoints the German emperor as grand admiral of the Austro-Hungarian navy.
London reports Cilicia Ferga and Margarita sunk in U boat zone with crews landed. Overseas News Agency notes seven steamships and three sailing vessels totaling about 22 000 tons sunk, including grain cargo and coal cargos, plus a 4 300 ton coal steamer for Italy.
The Times military correspondent urges Britain to reject plans for more divisions while warning Germany could field up to 160 divisions in the west. He argues a Napoleonic use of the navy and keeps home defenses strong, noting uncertain German deployment and the limited impact of submarines.
Washington faces a sugar shortage with prices rising to 10 cents a pound and shelves bare. Grocers and bakers scramble for stock as Philadelphia refineries and New York shipments battle delays amid a Cuban revolution and refinery strikes. Retailers conserve, limit customer purchases, and plead for priority deliveries while Philadelphia refineries, strikers, and labor officials negotiate.
Representatives of the American relief in Belgium will stay in occupied Belgium and northern France on the previous footing. Germany permits Americans to continue relief work and participate in central management, with Brand Whitlock directing supervision, as ships and routes remain tied up and six weeks of supplies exist.
The British steamer Turakina arrived in Newport News from Plymouth after narrowly escaping a German submarine attack and a mine. Fifteen days at sea, she carried 200 passengers including ten British army officers returning home on sick leave. A sister ship was torpedoed nearby. In New York, gold shipments to Britain totaled 12.6 million dollars from Canada, with 25 million received earlier.
The House voted decisively to back a 6 and 10 percent pay raise for all government employees, defeating the Smoot amendment on the Indian appropriation bill. A 215 to 130 vote opposed the amendment, and 279 to 69 favored the House plan, signaling resolve across multiple appropriation measures. Page of North Carolina said he would fight for the higher increase in conference, while a list of 59 members opposed the pay raise was noted. Continued on fourth page.
Reports from Rio de Janeiro say the British cruiser Glasgow did not engage but the Amethyst battled three large German raiders off Fernando de Noronha near Brazil. The Amethyst chased the vessels as night fell. one raider was seen sinking and another beleaguered, with possible beaching. The Amethyst sustained minor damage, with several wounded and one killed.
A gentlemen's agreement among 36 railroads and the Interstate Commerce Commission imposes an embargo on export shipments through Eastern ports until backlog clears. Domestic eastbound traffic will be cut to food and coal with empty cars redirected westward in solid trains. The plan aims to ease flour and coal shortages while rail centers like New York and Chicago brace for impact.
Reports to the American State Department from the American embassy detail the brutal sub submarine campaign. Crews suffer extreme cold in open boats with little clothing after torpedo attacks. Survivors recount being forced into lifeboats during squalls as ships were sunk.
Reports from Havana and New York reveal a large Cuban insurgent movement led by Commander Fernandez and Lula Mola occupying Santiago de Cuba on February 12. Officials say the plan aimed to seize the capital, free prisoners, and threaten the Menocal government, with arrests of police and military figures in Havana.
A concise listing notes that Germany releases American captives, with other brief items on Belgians to be fed and related wartime actions. The page highlights political moves, such as the House firmness on a pay boost and ongoing embargo extensions, plus international and domestic notices.
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