Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1916-01-08
Big SHIPS AT SEA
DESTROYED BY SUBS
PRESIDENT WILSON RETURNS TO
CAPITAL TO TAKE CHARGE OF
NATIONS AFFAIRS.
JAPANESE CRUISERS TO SUEz
Heavy Fighting Continues Along the
Russian Front, Russians Being on
the offensive-on other Fronts
the Fighting Continues.
! ,test From All War Fronts.

Washington from Hot Springs, Va, to
take personal charge Of the nations
foreign affairs in the new crisis
brought about by the sinking of the
British steamship Persia with a loss
of at least one American life and pos
sfbly a total of more than $50 lives.
The situation is regarded in official
circles as being the most serious to
confront this government in regard
to submarine operations Of the cen
trail powers
Dispatches from Cairo to London
Sunday state that the British steam
ship Persia, sunk in the Mediterranean
off the Island Of Crete on Thursday,
was torpedoed without warning and
sank in five minutes. Between $50
and 100 survivors have been landed
at Alexandria, Egypt.
Robert n. McNeely, American con-
sui at Alden, Arabia. is believed TO
have been drowned.
The Peninsular and Oriental Com
pany, which owned the Persia. an
nounced that 1913 survivors had ar
rived at Alexandria. The survivors
comprise the chief officer, second Of
ficer, seven engineers, twenty-seven
seamen, sixty-three Lascars and fifty
nine passengers.
A Lloyd's dispatch gives the num-
Der as 153, made up of fifty-nine pas
sengers, of whom seventeen are
wounded, and ninety-four members Of
the crew. including fifty-nine Lascars.
The survivors include ten military
officers and eight persons who are
not British subjects.
The ship was struck amidships on
the port side at ITO p. m.," says the
report. she had disappeared COM
pletely by lis.
Survivors say it was little short of
a miracle that anyone was saved.
There was no panic. Four boats were
launched with the utmost prompt
tude."
The British steamship Glengyle was
sunk Sunday. The Glengyle had on
and crew. All, with the exception OF
three Europeans and seven Chinese,
were landed. So far as is known no
Americans were on board. She was
homeward bound from Shanghai and
was sunk in the Mediterranean Sun
day. This was only her second voy-
age. She carried valuable cargo Of
$4,000 tons and was valued at ELS, 900.
The British steamship SIS. Oswald
also has been sunk. The ct. Oswald
was in the service of the British gov
eminent and presumably was sunk in
the Mediterranean. Her movements
had not been reported since October
Is, on which date she arrived at Mu-
dros Island from Alexandria.
Announcement was made Monday
that squadron OF Japanese warships
will sail for the Suez Canal, presum-
ably to protect Japanese shipping. 1t
is said the armored cruisers Kasuga,
Tokiwa and Chitose have been assign
ed for this service.
The reported decision of the Japan
csc government to send a squadron
to the Suez Canal follows the sinking
Of two Japanese steamships in the
Mediterranean. The passenger liner
Yasaka Maru was torpedoed off Port
Said on December 81. The freighter
Kenkoku Maru was sunk by a subma-
rine on December 90. These on board
both vessels were rescued. The JAP
an Mail Steamship Company, which
controls the bulk Of Japanese ship
ping, has abandoned the Suez route.
Russian advices indicate a power
full offensive movement by the Rus
SLAMS in the campaign in Galicia and
Volhynia along a front of nearly 800
miles. The Russians have made con-
siderable progress and their efforts
are considered as tending to relieve
the situation in the Balkans and like
ly to have an influence over the fu-
ture attitude of Roumania.
There has been no fighting In the
southern part of the Balkan PENN
sula. and at Saloniki the entente al
lies have made good use of the period
OF quiesence to add to their defensive
position. In the Dardanelles, Con-
stantinople reports continued engage
ments.
London.-The Austrian reply to the
second American note on the Ancona
states that the commander of the Aus
trfan submarine has been punished for
not sufficiently taking account Of the
panic aboard the Ancona which rem
dered Decentralization more difficult.
The Austrian reply further ex-
presses the hope that Washington will
be able to supply the particulars of
how the American citizens were az
fected, but in the event of such evil
dence being lacking and the United
States being unable tn state how the