Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-10-08
SEES ASCENDANCY
WON BY ALLIES
Secretary Baker Says 1t "Would
Appear Decisive"
TELLS OF U-BOAT FIGHT
Baltimore Boy Gives Graphic Story Of
An Engagement Would Control
Print Paper

American staff officers, indicated when
Secretary Baker. in his third weekly
review of military operations in Eu-
rope, described the present battle as
one of wholly unprecedented scope
and potentialities
| The Secretary says that the Ger
mans have massed their greatest war
strength along this battle front; that
a supreme test of the battle strength
of the contending belligerents is taxi
ing place, and that allied ascendency
would appear decisive" Air control
and shell supply are declared to be
the two Immediately contributing fac
tors of this success. The British are
attacking the Germans at their
strongest point, and this is regarded
by Secretary Baker and his military
advisers as sound strategy
The full success of the Flanders
operations, the Secretary says, means
that the Belgian coast and its num-
erous submarine bases-Zeebrugg
Ostend, and the system of canals lead
ing out of Bruges-will become un-
tenable to the enemy AS result of
the forward movement of the British
war machine in Flanders, which has
| forced the Germans to mass their
greatest war strength on this battle
front, German pressure along the east
ern battle front has been relieved.
Describes U-Boat Fight.
A fight at sea with a German sub
marine, which continued more than
half hour, is described by August j.
Zilonka, Baltimore boy, in letter
| to his former employer, Charles w.
Pentz, Vice President and Sales
Manager of the Frederick w. Lipps
Company In his letter Zilonka
| writes:
| We left on Sunday morning, Au-
gust 10. Passing through the
war zone was passed several life
| boats turned over. One had three
dead bodies stretched across it,
"One thing we can be thankful for,
was passing mine about five feet
off the port side during the afternoon,
and seeing it in time to prevent us
from being blown up, for this GER
tainly would have happened if it were
at night. British destroyers met us
| and conveyed us as far as where we
met a United States and French pa
troll boat
THE British ships and destroyers
then left us and headed for Liverpool,
while we made the run for port. That
was the night of September 5. 1t was
fine moonlight night, one which I
will never forget. as we received mes
sages almost all night of submarine
positions.
| The hours went by like days, and
at exactly 7.10 A. NJ. we had a battle
with two U-boats, which lasted about
thirty-fve minutes We were firing
steadily, and at one time, by zigZag-
going, were almost hit by shell from
one of our own ships. The two wire
less men manned the machine gun,
while our senior operator was sta
toned at the key
I'VE fired about 800 shots, but final
ly had to stop because of the positions
of the other ships. l still have sew
eral shells as a remembrance of our
battle which will never forget.
Reports combined from all our
ships state that one U-boat was sunk
while trying to make a dive"
Would Control Print Paper.
A report recommending govern
ment operation of the print paper
and pulp industries during the war
and arraigning what It calls the de-
fiant attitude of print paper producers,
was filed yesterday by the Senate
Printing Committee 1t will await ac-
ton at the December session.
The report says the Federal Trade
Commissions findings "show beyond
any question that the print paper in
dustry in it's greed for excessive prof
its, has imposed a most unjust burden
on the American press, which faces a
serious disaster if relief cannot
speedily be had from the oppressive
prices now exacted for print paper"
1t adds that the commission, in its
recent investigation, exhausted every
resource at its command to obtain re-
lief for the publishers, but has been
able to get only small measure OF
relief owing to the defiant attitude
assumed by the principal producers of
print paper and lack of authority of
the commission to enforce its findings
as to fair and reasonable price"
Under a resolution introduced by
Senator Smith of Arizona, and report
ed by the committee for passage, the
Trade Commission would be empow-
cred to control the production and dis
tribution of print paper and mechani-
cal and chemical pulp in the United
States. All print paper and pulp mills
and agencies would be operated on
government account and their prod
ucts pooled in the Commissions hands
during the war emergency, and
equitably distributed at a price based
on production and distribution cost,
plus a fair profit per ton. to be de-
termined by the Commission.