Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-11-02
SAMNIES SHIFT Trench
WITHOUT ALOSS
Battalion Reaches Camp, Tired,
Wet And Muddy
MASTERING THE U-BoATS
Goddess, Speaking Before Commons.
Says Nearly Half In Service
Have Been Sunk.

The first battalion of Americans in
the trenches have been relieved by
others. Relief, which is considered
one of the critical periods, when the
enemy by shelling the approaches to
the positions may infict heavy dam
age. was accomplished successfully.
Apparently the enemy was not aware
Of what was going on
With the men back in billets, it is
now permissible to mention for the
! first time that the casualties were
4 negligible. In fact, more men are
suffering with trench feet" than with
wounds.
From a military standpoint the ex-
perience gained by the Americans is
considered OF very high value in
the training of contingents which are
yet to arrive on French soil II was
tired, dirty wet, mud-caked body
of men that returned to billets. The
men had only two clear days while in
the trenches. They were muddy from
tEeir hats to their shoes. Before any,
& ing else they required bath, first
with gasoline and then with water.
Today the sun was shining bright
iy. and the returned soldiers spent
igost of the time summing themselves
and their belongings. Some of the
fields in this section of France are
covered with blankets, parts of uni
terms. and equipment. Clouds of red
dust arose in these places when later
tic owners started to brush up.
Citizens of the State of New York in
The American Army will cast their
ballots next Saturday in the State
elections. Those of the command who
are not able to vote on Saturday will
do so on Tuesday, when the polls will
be especially opened for them The
troops now at the front will not be
allowed to vote, as time off for this
purpose cannot be granted A supply
Of official ballots has been received
al headquarters.
One Trench Casualty.
General Pershing has notified the
War Department of the injury of First
Lieutenant DeVere H. Harden, of the
Signal Officers Reserve Corps by
moderate sharpnel wound and the
death of two private soldiers from
natural causes. The statement fol
lows
First Lieutenant DeVere III. Har-
den, Signal Officers Reserve Corps.
suffered moderate shrapnel wound
in the lower left leg on October 2s;
emergency address, Mrs. Josephine
Harden. A Pitkin street. Burlington.
VT.
Private William j. Johnson, infan-
try, died on October 80 of natural
causes: emergency address, William
z. Johnson. 80 Madison street. East
Weymouth, Mass.
Private Joseph T. Couture, infan-
try. died on October 25 of natural
causes; emergency address, Mrs.
Emily Couture (mother). 20 Ham
mond street. Burnside.
Striking statistics as to the results
of the German submarine war and
England's efforts to combat it by ma
val activity and acceleration of ship
construction were given by Sir Eric
Geddes, First Lord of the Admiralty,
in the House of Commons yesterday.
Unusual Importance attached to his
statement, which was the first he had
made in Parliament, because of recent
outspoken criticism of the navy, es-
al r.fva 4Gd
attack on a convoy in the North Sea.
Near the outset of his speech Sir
Eric announced that between 40 and
so per cent of the German submarines
operating in the North Sea, the Arctic,
and the Atlantic since the begin
ing of the war had been sunk Dur
ing the last quarter, he added, the
Germans had lost as many sub
marines as they lost in 1916.
Enemy submarines were being sunk
TO an increasing extent, but the Ger
mans we're building them faster than
they had done hitherto.
Referring to the question of pub
fishing the tonnage of British mer-
chantmen lost through submarines.
he said he had made a careful inves-
tigation and had approached the sub
ject with the idea that if ought to be
possible to give the public figures, be-
cause, he added, "it is hardly con-
ceivable that the enemy does not
know what he is sinking
He regretted to say, however. that
he had not found it possible to ar
rive at any form of publication which
would not convey valuable informa-
ton to. the enemy. which he did not
Tow possess, if information were
given in regular sequence for specific
periods