The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-12-31
STORY OF YEAR MARKED
BY SENSATIONAL EVENTS
Most Momentous Twelve Months of Modern Times
Reviewed-Great European War, Mexican
Troubles and Other World Happenings.

/
the autumn the greatly outnumbered
Teutonic allies began to show signs of
declining offensive ability.
The japanese confined their military
operations entirely to Asia. They i'm
mediately proceeded against the German
! forts at Kiauchau, China. which were
taken by assault after ten weeks attack.
Russian and Turkish fleets have been en-
gagged in the Black sea, there has been
! fighting on a small scale in Egypt, and
the Portuguese in Africa have made sew
! "ral attacks upon German colonists. In
! dian troops have been engaged with Tur-
! lfish forces in an effort TO keep the SueZ
! Canal open.
From the first, there has been a prac-
! tlcal deadlock in the naval situation. The
! British fleet sailed under sealed orders Au-
/ gust A. and a big naval battle in the
! North sea was confidently expected by
the waiting world 1t soon became APP
| parent that Great Britain's purpose WAS
| TO deal a fatal blow at German commerce,
safeguard that OF Belgium. France and its
own and render the cnemy's feet inopera-
| tive by holding it in the Baltic. week
later, the port authorities Of New York
| We're notified that the Atlantic lines Were
unobstructcd, and a few days afterWard
the Pacific lines We're pronounced "open
and safe" Sixty British war vessels
guarded the exit of the Kiel Canal and
! prevented the thirty German battleships
! anchored there from coming out Within
a few days, more than thirty Of the great
| German ocean liners were interncd in
| neutral waters and number of German
! merchant ships were captured or de
| stroyed.
BY the middle Of November more than
| four hundred war vessels and merchant
| men on all sides had been captured or in
termed in neutral ports. The Emden in
| the Pacific and the Karlsruhe in the
! South Atlantic, two German raiders,
! prcyed successfully upon allied and neu-
tral commerce until the former was put
out Of action During the past three
months the Germans have destroyed a
| number of British cruisers by means OF
torpedocs. In an action off the coast of
Chile, squadron OF five German war
ships sank the Monmouth and Good Hope
| with all on board. On October Gal
though 1t was not known TO the public
for n fortnight afterward-ths British
super drcadnaught AudaciOus was sunk
by mine off the coast OF Ireland. Short
lY afterward, the British admiralty de-
clared the North sea a closed military
area.
On December the German cruisers
Schanhorst. Gneisau, Leipzig and Nuern-
berg, under Admiral Won Spec. were sunk
by British squadron under Vice Admiral
Sir Frederick Sturdee, off the Falkland
islands. The German cruiser Dresden es-
capped badly damaged. December 16 a
German fleet bombarded the English coast
towns of Hartlepool, Whitby and Scar
borough. killing 150 and wounding 800 cit-
zens and causing much property damage.
) Three British merchant vessels We're sunk
by mines laid by the bombardng fleet.
3 At the close Of the year operations IN
the west seem practically at a standstll.
December Il the Germans reported vic
tory in Poland.
AS q result OF the immediate paralysis
in the financial world due to the sudden
| embodiment of the European nations.
Americans abroad were subjected 10
great inconvenience and not little actual
hardship. Much relief was afforded the
Belgian sufferers and large sums of
money for the purpose were raised all
over the country.
The American Red Cross sent the relief
ship Red Cross To European waters.
with a full equipment Of physicians
nurses and supplies. on September T.
Chaotic Conditions in Mexico.
Early III the year foreign nations began
to be critical of the administration $
"hands-off Mexican policy and to insist
that the job of pacifying Mexico belonged
| logically to the United States. Nicto-
riano Huerta had held the provisional
presidency for a year and boasted in his
| cups that Ne would hold his Office longer
than President Wilson would remain In
the White House. Meanwhile the bandit
chief Pancho Villa was steadily gaining
ground in the north. The fercest battle
OF the revolution. which was fought for
almost two weeks, ended in victory for
the robel forces.
There was an appalling loss of life IN
|
four thousand fugitives crossed the Rio
Grande and took refuge in American ter
ritory. Here they were cared for by the
| United States authorities.
On February President Wilson re-
voked an order by his predecessor in Of
flee to put stop TO the shipment Of arms
and ammunition into Mexico by citizens
of the United States. On April H. Presi-
dent Wilson instructed Secretary Daniels
TO assemble an imposing naval force at
| Tampico on the Mexican coast. This
was due to the refusal Of the Mexican
president and his military aids to salute
the American flag as an essential feature
| Of an apology for an unwarranted arrest
| and Imprisonment OF several American
buetackcts who had landed on Mexican
soil to obtain supply of gasoline.
| Although the episode was the result Of
a misunderstanding in which all the par
ties concerned shared about equally, IL
was manifest that Huerta was In no mood
to comply with any request of the Wash
| ington authorities, however politely and
even delicately made. He refused to or
der the salute, and the naval demonstra-
tion followed '---'''+'
Congress passed resolution sustaining
! the president in the position which he
! had taken. On April ol Admiral Fletcher
4 seized the custom house at Vera Cruz.
| The MeXicans resisted the occupation of
| the custom house and the result was a
fight. in which lG Americans were killed
and II wounded General Mas, in com
mand of the garrison withdrew and left
| the Americans In possession.
Nelson O'Shaugnessy, the American rep
resentative. was given his passports and
| requested to leave the country. Brig.
Gen. Frederick Funston, commander of
the American forces at Vera Cruz, was
ready 10 enter on avigorous campaign.
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