The Holly chieftain., 1915-01-01


the autumn. the greatly outnumbsred
TeutOnic allies began to show s1gns Of
declining Offensive ability.
Tho japanese confined their mflitnry
operations entirely to Asia. They i'm.
mediatsiy procesdsd against the 0ssuas
forts at KiaucAau. China. which were
taken b. assautt after ten weeks attack
Russian and Turkish fseets have been en-.
ga9ed in the Black sea. there has been
dghting on . small scale In Egypt, and
the Portuguese In Africa have made sew
eral attac1es upon German colonists. In
dian troops have been engaged with Tur-
kish forces In an effort to keep the Sue,
Canal open.
From the hrst. there has been q prac-
tical deadlock In the naval situation. The
British feet sailed under sealed orders Au-
gust I. and big naval battle In the
North sea was confidently expected by
the waiting world. II soon became ap-
parent that Great Britain's purpose was
TO deal fatal blow At German commerce,
safeguard that OF Belgium, France and ita
own and render the enemy's feet inopera-
tive BY holding 1t in the Baltic. A week
later, the port authorities OF New York
were notified that the Atlantic lines were
unohetructed. and . few days afterward
the Pacific lines were pronounced .'open
and safe" SIXTY British war vessels
guarded the exit OF the Kiel Canal and
prevented the thirty German battieships
anchored there from coming out. Within
q few days. more than thirty of the great
0erman ocean liners were interned In
neutral waters and a 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,
preyed successfully upon allied and neu-
tral commerce until the former was put
out Of action. During the past three
months the Germans have destroyed q
number Of British cruisers by means Of
torpedoes. In an action on the coast of
Chile. squadron Of flve German war
ships sank the Monmouth and Good Hope
with all on bosrd. On October N-ai-
though It was not known to the public
for fortnight afterward-the British
super-dreadnauEht Audacious was sunk
by mine on the coast OF Ireland. Short
ly afterward. the British admiralty de-
ciafed the North sea 4 closed military
area
On December the German cruisers
6charnhorst, Gneisau. Leipxig and Nueru-
berg. under Admiral Won Bpee, were sunk
BY Britieh squadron under vioe-Admirai
NRtAl = h0AAcNAGR 0kMxV60s OII lNd r 0lkl8n0
istahdA Tho German cruiser Dresden a.
capped. badly damaged. December II .
German deet bOnbArded the English coast
towns Of Hartlepool. Whitby and Gear
borough. killing 150 and woundinK 800 citi-
Gems and causing much property damage.
Three British merchant vessels were sunk
BY mines laid by the bombarding feet.
At the close Of the year operations In
the west seem practically at standstiil.
t>AV ttre rIov~
tory In Poland.
As a result OF the immediate paralysis
In the financial world due to the sudden
embodiment OF the European nations,
Americans abroad were subjected to
great Inconvenience and not little actual
hardship. Much relief was afforded the
Belgian sufferers and large sums of
money for the purpose We're raised all
over the country
The American Red Cross sent the relief
ship Red Cross to European waters.
with full equipment of physicians
nurses and supplies. on September Il.
Chaotic Conditions In Mexico.
Early In the year foreign nations began
to be critical OF the administrator
'hands-off" Mexican policy and to insist
that the job Of pacifying Mexico belonged
logically to the United States. victo-
rtano Euerta had held the provisional
presidency for year and boasted In his
cups that he would hold his once longer
than President Wilson would remain In
the White House. Meanwhile the bandit
chief Pancho Villa was steadily gaining
ground In the north. The hercest battle
Of the revolutions, which was fought for
almost two weeks, ended In victory for
the rebel forces.
There was an appalling loss OF life in
this long continued nght, and more than
four thousand fugitives crossed the Rio
Grande and took refuge in American ter
United States authorities.
On February 5 President Wilson re-
voked an order by his predecessor in Of
nee to put . stop to the shipment Of arms
and ammunition into Mexico by citizens
Of the United States. On April II, 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 tho Mexican
the American nag a. an essential feature
of an apology for an unwarranted arrest
and Imprisonment Of several American
biuejackets 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, II
to comply with any request OF the Wash
ington authorities. however politely and
even delicateiy 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 q Admiral Fletcher
seized the custom house at Vera Cruz.
The Mexicans resisted the occupation Of
the custom house and the result was a
fight. in which 10 Americans were killed
and n wounded. General Mas, in COM
mand OF tho garrison, withdrew and left
the Americans in possession,