The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-05-03
American Cunners Die
in Ship Sunk by U-Boat

An American. armed steamer-the
oil tanker Vacuum-has been sent to
the bottom by German. submarine
and it is feared that an. American ma
val lieutenant and some of his gun
grew of nine men persisted in the dis.
aster The captain. and several OF the
crew are known to have been drowned
While returning to the United States
From trip to Europe, the Vacuum en-
countered off the coast Of Ireland the
submarine. Scant details of the SILK
Ing are available, and it is not known
whether the Americans were able %
bling their gun into play or II the YES
Gel was tOrpedoed and sunk unWarned.
This is the second armed American
vessel that has been sunk in the war
zone, the steamer Aztec having gone TO
the bottom April l, as the result OF an
explosion. Whether she was the VIC
tim Of torpedo or mine has not
been definitely established. One men,
Der of the American naval crew on
board the Aztec was lost.
The expected battle in the Cham
pagne region of France, following days
Of acute gun preparation by the
French. which was answered almost
shot for shot by the Germans, at last
has broken Seemingly synchronizing
II with the somewhat lessened activity
e,n the part of the British against the
Germans on the Arras front, tire
French Monday, eastward from
Rheims, launched an attack over a
front Of about four miles from the
south of Beine to the east of Mont
Carnillet and captured several forti-
6ed German trenches.
Delivered at midday, the offensive
was sharp and at it's conclusion the
French line had been driven forward
into territory previously occupied by
the enemy to depths ranging relative
~ from 500 to 1000 yards. Stimuli
taneous1y to the eastward thrust by
the French northeast of Mont Haut
melted them gain of about two-thirds
Of a mile and placed them virtually
xstride the Moronvillers-N aurav road.
That the fighting in this region has
not yet been brought to a conclusion is
indicated by the official statement of
alie Paris war Office which, announces
that artillery duels of violence are
still going on.
There also has been a continuation
Of the great artillery activity from St.
Quentin to the Disc and along the
t;Aeaain: DRseDdme northeast of Sois>
sens
Little news concerning the situation
aFeng the front from Lens to st. Quen-
tin, where the British for several
weeks have made notable gains, has
been yoHcnsafed in the latest official
communication. London merely men,
s7oned the repulse of a German at
tack east of Arras between Money
Le-Preux and the Scarpe river. The
Berlin communication dismisses the
Arras sector with the assertion that
Monday saw only an artillery en-
gagement of varying intensity, but it
goes into considerable description of
the sanguinary engagements of Sat-
urday at Oppy, which it is asserted
still remains in German hands, and
north of the Douai-Arras road. Thd
British casualties in this fighting are
declared to have been more than 5000
while more than 1000 prisoners and
40 machine guns were captured and
ten tanks" were destroyed
The airmen continue their spectacle
lar battles in the air behind the fight
ing lines. Many gallant fighters on
both sides have been brought to earth
IN aerial fights. Berlin claims for one
Of her fighting aviators total of So
aircraft shot down since the com
mencement of the war.