Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-06


for the various branches of the ser
vice.
Movements Not Reported,
There have been no recent reports
of Earl kitchener's movements. He
was last mentioned in the cable dis
patches of Friday when he went to
Westminster palace to be questioned
bv members of the house of commons
who were not ratisfied with the con-
duct of the war. No intimation was
given that he intended to leave Eng
land.
Went Down OF Scotlands Coast
The Orkney islands off which the
HAMPSHIRE went down are off the north
coast of Scotland. The Hampshire was
on her way into the Atlantic and
around the northern end of the Scandi-
navian peninsula into the White sea.
Earl Kitchener probably intended to
debark at Archangel.
The Hampshire was one Of the De-
vonshire class of six cruisers. She
was built in 1908 and normally car
ried 655 men. She displaced 10,S50
tons, was $50 feet long 6S15 feet beam
and drew 2512 feet. She was armed
with four rs inch, six 6-inch, two l.
pound and twenty 3-pound guns and
two torpedo tubes. She cost $780,
900.
The Hampshire has been in use as
a scout boat and for carrying officials
on various missions, having ample &C
commodations for the latter purpose.
In f1n nj 10 toll nj
fighting line. When the war started
she was in the far east and was re-
ported to have been worsted in a fight
with Germans in the south China sea.
She was one of the British squadron
which was sent to this country for the
jamestown exposition in 1907.
Raised Greatest Army.
OF several things that entitle Earl
Kitchener to place in world history,
the most notable is that he organized
the largest volunteer army the world
has ever seen, in the greatest war of
all times
Within year from the sudden out
break Of the European war in August
1914, the ranks of British fighting men
| were quadrupled by an increase from
less than 100000 to nearly 100000
All other great powers that entered
the war had huge standing armies and
compulsory military service Great
| Britain alone faced the issue with con-
fidence that its people would readily
| respond to the call of king and coun-
! try without cOmpulsion, and the pre-
! cipitous developments that led to the
war found both the people and the
government unanimous in the verdict
| that Kitchener of khartum was the
4 man to lead in the recruiting and or
ganization of the necessary army.
1t was not sentimental clanor, for
though Kitchener was a proven hero
Of many campaigns, his personality
was as impenetrable as hardened steel,
and he was not hero that could be
| loved; even the war office had no pro-
nounced liking for him; but on all
sides there was profound respect for
! his military efficiency and for all he
had done to extend the domains of the
British empire.
! BY mere luck Kitchener happened
to be in England on one of the COM
paratively rare visits that he had paid
to London during his long career
abroad, when the European war broke
out. He had just come home from
service as British agent in Egypt, had
accepted an earldom from King
| George, and was being talked of as
viceroy of India. Within a few hours
! after England's declaration of war,
Kitchener was appointed secretary of
! state for war and Immediately took
full charge at the war office, where he
worked day and night to overcome the
handicap which the central powers
! had over England in the matter of
fighting strength.
| He grimly told the British people
they had bigger war on their hands
than they realized and one that might
last longer than they expected, but it
was to be faced with entire confidence,
and he, unsmiling, almost like de-
| humaniZed machine, set about to make
| things hum. He had scarcely moved
into Whitehall street when he made
numerous changes in the personnel of
| the war Office, which was said to be
| honeycombed with social and political
favoritism
After dispatching few hundred
| thousand regulars to France and Bel
GUM to help check the onrushing
Germans, the war secretary began re-
cruiting and organizing his army OF
millions. The British Isles were COW
cred with signs and posters urging
young men to join the colors. kitch-
ener went through the country super
intending the drilling Of the army.
From time to time were reports indi-
eating his failure to get the number of
men he wanted, but within a year af
ter the war opened Premier Asquith
officially announced in parliament that
about 100000 men had enlisted in
the United Kingdom alone, and almost
another million in the overseas do
mlnlonS.
Was Criticized.
Kitchener, however, was the object
of no little criticism. There was much
grumbling because of the strict CEN
sorship he imposed on newspapers and
his utter disregard for war CORE
spondents Notwithstanding this, the
British newspapers gave him active
support prior to May, 1915. During
the winter months the war secretary
had announced the big drive" would
begin about the first of May The bat
tie of Neuve Chapelle occurred in May,
and England believed this was the be-
ginning Of the big drive. Shortly af-
terward reports reached England that
the drive had halted owing to a short
age of munitions, especially high-ex-
plosive shells. A section of the Lon
don press then declared that kitch-
pner had made a seriOus mistake in