The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-03-17
IN THE FATHERLAND
INTERESTING BITS OF NEWS
FROM THE GREAT GERMAN
EMPIRE.
WHAT'S DOING In OLD HOME
Summary of the Most Important Hap
penings in the Land of the Kaiser
Timely Items for the German
Readers.

Timely Items for the German
Readers.
Admiral Won Diederichs replied in
print to the statements made by Ad-
miral Dewey regarding the exciting
incidents between the American and
German naval commanders in Manila
bay during the Spanish-American
war. 1t is alleged that Admiral Dewey
threatened the Germans with war If
they did not cease their interference
with the blockade regulations, and If
they refused to permit the Americans
to make the inquiries necessary to
establish the identity of neutral war
ships. Won Diederichs says: "Ad-
miral Dewey gradually talked himself
into a passion. He said: Why, l
shall stop every vessel, whatever may
be her colors. And If she does not
stop l shall fire at her. And that
means war, do you know, sir?' When
The phrase If Germany wants war,
etc occurred again took my leave
| was under the impression that this
in itself trivial incident put a match
to mass Of explosives which long
had been accommodating in Admiral
Deweys mind from suspicion, rumor
and newspaper reports" Admiral Won
Diederichs denies statements made by
Admiral Dewey in his book describ
ing conditions preceding the battle Of
Manila in which it is charged that
the German warships in the harbor
Hjcn1aund fr.ia fno1ino
ward the Americans.
The offices of the imperial navy of
Germany have been removed to the
new building, which has been put up
at a cost of $3,400,000 at Bendel and
Konigin Augusta streets, Berlin. The
building has two facades. The Of
fees, which were scattered among
II different buildings, will henceforth
be located under one roof. There are
LAO rooms grouped around 25 court
yards. Grand Admiral Won Tirpitz
fought for years in the reichstag be-
fore he got enough money to complete
the building, which Is now admitted
to be an ornament to the imperial
capital
At least II men were killed and
others fatally injured in an ex-
plOsion which destroyed an extensive
aniline dye factory in johannesburg,
a suburb of Berlin. There were 400
employees in the building at the time
of the explosion, which was heard all
over Berlin. The fremen were I'M
able to enter the building, owing to
poisonous fumes and it was not pos
sible to ascertain the full extent of
the disaster.
Professor Schwalbe of Eberswalde
university announces that fine grade
of white paper, especially suited to
printing purposes can be produced
from bamboo cane and rice straw,
which can be had in particularly
large quantities in India by a roast
ing process. A fbrous pulpy by
product is obtained, which can be
shipped to Europe cheaply and easily
converted into raw material for paper
making.
The latest military air cruiser, Yep
pelin %, has been accepted by the
army, and will be stationed at Trier.
The trial trip from Friedrichshafen to
Berlin was splendid success. Count
Zeppelin himself was at the helm. The
gondola carried the acceptance COM
mittee consisting of representatives Of
the ministry Of war and other high
officials All the defects of the older
Zeppelins had been eliminated from
Zeppelin %.
The movement in the reichstag to
abolish "saber rule" by the army has
collapsed. The dissolution was an
nounced by the committee which had
been considering various bills for pro-
hibiting the intervention of the mill
tary without q requisition from the
civil authorities, forbidding the use
of arms by the soldiery, except in
self-defense, and subjecting soldiers to
civil jurisdiction.
The foreign Office declares en-
phatically that there is no truth in
eminent has criticized the attitude Of
the United States toward Mexico. Ger
many maintains, now as before, that
the United States ought to straighten
out the Mexican tangle single-handed.
A fortune, amounting to $1,000,
has been left to the Hungarian Pro-
vincial Society for the Prevention Of
Cruelty to Animals on condition that
it shall erect an asylum for wornout
horses. The man who left the money
had for his motto, "One horse is
worth more than ten men,"
Berlin has reduced her motor car
| casualties by compelling every driver
to be equipped with a license. The
most rigid sort of an examination
must be passed by the candidates for
| licenses in Berlin.
Minister of War Falkenhayn called
forth a storm Of protests from the
! Socialists in the reichstag by accus-
| ing them of carrying on a systematic