The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 1

Th is Paper Is Committed to the Policy of Public Ownership of Public Utilities R.ICATkT 6 PS How a French General Lost a Great Battle Told by Gen. Foch In Next Sunday's "Examiner." THC WJEATUER. GkbM and Tina neept elrmilj of (ocst la tb morn-inc; modxmt frr mint. 0. It MH.LSOV.

Forecutrr. iMcmarrti of REG. U. S. PAT.

OFF. THURSDAY vol. cix. CC NO. 25.

SAN FRANCISCO, JULY 25, 1918 TWENTY PAGES. THURSDAY JL Jfl ffnMWMn zJLru iruLbu UVJ LbLbll My fill 5) nnnn 1 UuUULbLb- Hlllli I III rv VJ ALEXIS ROMANOFF, son of former Czar Nicholas, who is reported dead following execution of his father. i Firing Squad for Agitators in Arms Shops, Woolwich Remedy for Strike Men in, Great Arsenal Refuse to Aid Kaiser's Murderers by Joining Walkout in Birmingham British Capture Machine Guns and Artillery Battery Strongest Shock Troops of Foe Are Hurled Back in Smash Throughout the Ardre Valley U. 4 I I I I III i 11 I. UI UltlMIU IU IVItIV UIL Mr No Annexation or Indemnities in Westj Fate of Belgium to Be Settled at Conference Great White Star Liner Justicia Battles off Irish Coast With Submarines En Route to U.

Uahrertal Senriee Staff Cerrwpeadeiiei. AT THE BRITISH FRONT, July 24. British troops have captured an entlro battery of artillery, 100 machine guns and close to 1,000 prisoners since the fighting between Rheims and Epernay began last Saturday in conjunction frith the second phase of the Franco-Araerican-Italian push. Flanked by strong French forces, the British units, half of them Scotch, are attempting to bend the right sldo of the horseshoe front between Sois-sons, Chateau Thierry and Rheims. The British began their attack Saturday afternoon, streaming through and relieving fagged French and Italian forces.

The Germans anticipated the British attack and met it with their strongest storm troops. Prisoners from five German crack divisions were taken by the British, who concentrated their thrusts upon Franco-Americans Drive Huns Out of Practically All the Chatelet Forest; Keep Going Germans to North of Chateau Thierry Unable to Halt Ally Move Toward Supply Lines British Make Important Advance in Vrigny Wood, Southwest of Rheims; Franco-American Line Passes Courpojl in North (By tho Associated rvess.) PARIS, July 24. Highly important gains by the French and American forces on the Aisne-Marne front are reported in the official statement of the War Office tonight. In the center of the line an advance of nearly two miles was made. 1 To the north of Epieds, the Franco-American line is now beyond Courpoil.

(By the Associated Press.) Treaties With Russia, Rumania Not to Be Questioned; Offer Made Through Spanish Nation Attempt Made to Tow Crippled Ship to Port Fails Because of Persistence of Diver's Fire DNDON, July 24. The White Star liner Justicia, says a Belfast dispatch to-day, was fBy Associated Treat July 24. Desperate engagements have been fought in the direction of Epieds and Trugny-Epieds, which villages the Americans have again re captured from the enemy. LONDON, July 24. (Via Ottawa.) The British gained important ground in Vrigny wood, of Rheims.

4 yq It 1 hip I tf A I I' of 5( 11 vv it i REPORTED By Univenal Semlee.l PARIS, July 24. The town of Coincy, on the Rocourt-Fere-En Tar denois road, has been cap LONDON, July 24. The Woolwich Arsenal workers held as meeting to-day, after which they telegraphed the Coventry "munitions workers as follows: Strike now and you will earn the blessings of the Kaiser and his army of murderers. But you will earn the lasting condemnation of all those who are fighting and working in the allied nations to gain real freedom for civilization. i We warn you seriously if you persist in striking that this government owes it to youf brave brothers who are fighting the Germans with their life's blood while you are fighting with words and full bellies that you be immediately put in front of the firing line and that your leaders should be shot.

Strike and you may go to hell. Woolwich will remain at work and earn the 'right to shake the hand of the soldier when he returns. LONDON, July 24. A -strike of munitions workers began at Blrm. Ingham at 6 o'clock this evening, the hour the day workers finished their work and when the night shift was to come on duty, according ta the despatch to the Central News from Birmingham.

The aggregate membership of the twelve societies affiliated with the joint committee of the engineering trades unions is about 65,000, including about 5,000 women. Officials of the joint committee say they have no reason to doubt that all the workers will be loyal to the resolution to stop work. A number of discharged soldiers, who arc union members, inquired of the officials of the federation of discharged sailors and soldiers regarding their position. They were advised not to cease work under any circumstances, owing to the serious consequences which would ensue to the men in the trenches. At Lincoln, where the strike was to become effective to-night unless the embargo was withdrawn, the workers agreed to remain at their posts pending decision of the national conference to-morrow.

Austrians Abandon Albania Offensive PARIS, July 24 (Havas Agency). Austrian preparations for an offensive in Albania have been shattered by the drive of the French and Italian troops daring the last fortnight, according to tured by the Franco-American army under General De Mitry, the war office announced By Universal Staff Correspondent, ITH THE AMERICANS AT THE MARNE, July 24. (Night) American troops AMSTERDAM, July 24. Germany has made suggestions for a peace conference to the Spanish government, says the Socialist "Vorwaerts" of Berlin. The suggestions are: 1 Germany wants no annexations or indemnities in the west The peace treaties with Russia and Rumania may not be questioned.

-The principle of self-determina-3 tlon of peoples has not been discussed, but may' be settled at the peace conference, where the fate of Belgium also Is to be settled. a The Balkan question is to be set- tied around the conference table, The freedom of the seas, the dis-mantling of Gibraltar and the Suez canal and the right of Germany to use coaling The, colonial queslion is to be settled on the bals of the status quo. The "Vorwaerts" considers this a very reasonable programme. U. S.

Cannot Consider Terms as Suggested tBj Ualmrtal Service. WASHINGTON, July 24. The State Department made it plain today that the United States considers it "impossible" at this time to con-slder any peace feelers rumars of possible agreements which the Central Powers may sponsor. The report that tenders had been made through Spanish channels not only was denied, but it was disclosed that President Wilson has set himself sternly to the task of winning the war by the armed strength of the allied and American armies. There can be no error In the statement that never before was the United States in a more warlike mood than she is to-day.

America Is ln this war to defeat German power and no half-way measures will be acceptable. No more than passing attention was given to the reports of the latest German proposals by any of the foreign diplomatic agencies here. So thoroughly has the belief been driven home that peace talk and German propaganda are one and the same thing, that the German nation will find it no easy ta.sk to persuade (he allies that it earnestly peace. sunk off the north Irish ccast on Saturday morning last. The Justicia carried a crew, of' between 600 and 700.

Ten members of the crew are dead. No passengers wero lost. The Belfast "Telegraph" says that land had just been lost sight of when a terrific exposion shook the Justicia. The crew was speedily mustered on deck, but It was soon ascertained Jiat the damage was "so trivial that the liner would remain afloat for a sufficient period to enable her to be towed to port. A tug pulled alongside the liner for this when two more torpedoes were fired by a submarine which had not been Bighted.

These missiles passed between the liner and the tug. From three to eight submarines are said to have been concerned In the attack, according to the "Daily Mail," which says the fight began at 3 o'clock Friday afternoon and lasted Intermittently until Saturday ing. The ship sank about 1 o'clock In the afternoon after nine torpedoes had been fired. When the liner was first struck the torpedo-boat destroyers which accompanied her raced to attack the enemy and dropped many depth charges, while patrol boats stood by the ship and a tug took her in tow. The second and third torpedoes were fired about five o'clock in the afternoon.

Both missed their marks, one going ahead of the steamer and the other aft. Two hours later another torpedo was seen coming, but when it got close a gunner on the Justicia with extraordinary aim, hit it clean and exploded it. All was quiet until 8 o'clock in the evening when the fifth torpedo was Bighted. The gunners on the Justicia placed their shots so near it that the torpedo was deflected and missed its target Most of the crew by thl.3 time had bn transferred to other ships which bad remained'near the liner all night. the Grman- positions in the.

Ardre valley. valley Is extremely narrow and almost circled by dense woods, making advance, difficult. Despite the handicap Of, the topography, and the fierce German opposition the British pressed forward with indomitable spirit, driving the enemy back foot by foot capturing Gourlon and Rheims Woods and, advancing two kilometers (a mile and a quarter), toward the Village of Marfaux. Scotchmen took seven machine guns in a single "nest" and turned them promptly upon the enemy. Marfaux is bristling with machine guns.

The British yesterday advanced on the right and left flanks, and inview of the powerful German defense and the fury of the fighting they would have done well had they simply held their line. Following the hurried transfer from the French front of British and French artillery, the German strongholds and rear are being subjected to a terrific "strafing." The enemy guns were active last night and to-day. Aerial activity has been Impeded by rain. Last night's German losses are known to have been heavy. Count von Luxburg Reaches Germany LONDON.

July 24. An Exchange Telegraph Company dispatch from Copenhagen says that Count von Luxburg, former German Minister to Argentina, h3S arrived at Gothenburg. He sailed from Buenos Aires on June 9. The dispatch adds that Luxburg proceeded at once to Germany. Irish Question Up in Commons on Monday LONDON.

July 24. Andrew Bonar Law, speaking for. the government announced in the House' of Commons to-day that the motion regarding th Irish question would be debated next Monday. Former Heir-Apparent to Russ Throne Succumbs, to Exposure After Father's Death. the Associated V.

VIOLENT German counter-attacks and rear-guard actions in great strength still fail to serve as barriers to' the advance on the Soissons-Rheims salient. -They have aided in slowing down the fast pace, but on the three sides of the now U-shaped battlcfront important gains have been made. Driving slowly, but surely, south of Soissons, the American and French troops have pushed their fronts further eastward toward that part of the Soissons-Chatcau Thierry railway line that is still in the hands of the enemy, and further south, along both sides 'f of the Ourcq river and the ''road leading to Fere-en-Tardenois, Germany's great storehouse for the supply of her troops to the south, important penetrations into enemy-held territory have been made until the maximum point where the allies are fighting near Coincy. is about ten and a half miles from' their point of departure last Thursday. In the Marne region north of Chateau Thierry the Americans and French have met with the fiercest kind of resistance, for the Germans are striving, hard to extricate large numbers of the forces and save part of the great number of guns and quantities of war materials.

The advantage in the fighting has rested with the allied troops, who have pushed on northward' past the village of tpicdi and ousted the Germans from the greater part of the Chatelet forest. In this region the allies now hold the villages of Epieds and Trugny-Epieds, which were captured, by the Germans and were re-captured Wednesday in a counter-attack by the Americans. Fressing on northward the allies have driven their front beyond Courpoil, which lies about six and a half miles northeast of Chateau Thierrv. Along the Marne at several points, notably in the region of Chartcvcs and Jaulgonne and further cast at Treloup, the allies have put the northern bank of the Marne further bchiu4 passing beyond the high road ran-ning from Fere-En-Tardenob southward to Jaulgonne on the Marne bend to-day gained a foothold ln the forest of Riz. The resistance they encountered this afternoon was mere stubborn.

Armored cars and tanks were used to destroy the machine gun nests issuing volleys of crossfire. The advancing troops refused to await the field guns. They sniped and their way through the German machine gun defences. American and French cavalry effected a junction and dashed forward in columns, charging down the roads and flanking the German machine positions. Franco-American troops have practically cleared the enemy from the Chatelet forest Batteries of Krupps continued today to shell the American pontoons across the Marne, and German aviators tried to attack troops on the march with bombs and machine guns.

By Universal WITH THE AMERICANS ON THE MARNE, July 24. What an enormous price in life the Germans paid during the battle of Btlleau woods is testi- AMSTERDAM, July 24. Alexis Romanoff, the former heir apparent to the Russian throne, died from exposure a few days after his father, the former emperor, was executed, says a dispatch from Moscow to the Berlin "Lokal Anzelger." British Steamer Sunk by Torpedo tt UMvwmJ Swvin.1 LONDON, July 24.The British steamer Iyasowe Castle was torpedoed and sunk on May 28, it was announced to-night. The Leasowe Castle waf a stefl twin Hcrw stetitner of 3,737 tons EroRS. Shp was built in 1516 and ailed from London.

Thp VPfSfccI was owned hy she Union CvMlle Mail Steamship Company, Ltd. the report to the Tetit Parisien" from the Albanian front Enemy munition depots have been destroyed or captured. The Franco-Italian lines have been strengthened and their light columns continue to advance alonj the banks of the Devoli, (Continued on Page 2, Column 7.).