The Cambria Daily Leader

I 5.30 I Edition.

'j f, t$1- ¡¡; "1 Dt'.L&I:' n' QI!! T H IlØ'BY" E S.. H I P 1 !ff'J I' s; m ¡. II" I." I L' FormidafeSe Goes Down in the Channel. MINE OR SUBMARINE ? 71 Survivors Picked Up By Cruisers. London, Friday. The British Press Bureau issued the following statement this afternoon: The battleship Formid- able was sunk this morning in the Channel; whether by mine or submarine is as yet uncertain. Seventy one survivors have been picked up by a British light cruiser. It is possible that others may have been rescued by, other vessels. The Formidable was com- missioned at Chat harD on April 4th, 1911, Capt. Philip Nelson-Ward, M.V.O., being appointed to the vessel. She had a crew of about 800. She was the fifth vessel in the British Navy to bear the name, and when commis- sioned was attached to the Atlantic Fleet. She was a I twin screw battleship of 15,000 tons, and was com- pleted in 1901. 1 Her main armament con- sisted of four 12in. -guns, and twelve 6in. guns. I Her speed was 18 knots an hour. I Since the outbreak of the I war she has been attached to the Fifth Battle Squadron of the Second Fleet, to which the ill-fated Bulwark also be- longed. The flagship of the I squadron is H.M.S. Prince of Wales. Enquiries made by the "Leader" this afternoon tend to show that no local men were serving aboard the ill-fa £ ed battleship. Most of the naval men hailing from this district make Devonport their depot. 1

WAlFISGH BAY RE-OCGUPIEO. —- UNION FORCES SUCCEED TWO CLASSES OF SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL RESERVE CALLED OUT. BOTHA'S NEXT ADVANCE. Cape Town. Wednesday.—The Press frpeoial correspondent with •the Union F(>T(.rF m' South-west Africa' re]K>rt« that Walfi^h Bay -was re-occu- pied on Christma.6 Day by a strong for- Union troops. Landings wero effected simultaneously j at the bcri.tlement and at the Wharfing Station. There war; no opposition. National Reserve Called Out. Pretoria, Friday.—The Government proclamation yesterday calls out rlarees 1 and 2 of the National Koserve in the wholo of the Transvaal except in 11)1? Wjtwat-'Ttfrand area, and also in the north-iMt of Cape Province up to tho Oerman border. The proclamation moans that all citizens in the areas mentioned; between the ages of 17 and 45 years, not serving in any I portion of the ]\«Penee Forces, may be tailed upon. iiiwj J» ■ —■■■■mimmtmmmimm

AUSTRIAN LANDSTURM CALLED UP. I Berne, Dec. 59.—In Hungary and Croa- tia the Laudsturm of 1887 to ISM, both in- clusive, have just been railed out, and be ready to teke the field by January Iti- The inhabitants of the Carpathians are exempted, the Austrian Lamlsturm of tt.e? Years havi8' bn f'aUod out in OctooH last, and being already in the ()c?o'n,7,r last, au(i ?,,e i -,ig a lreadv in the

NEW MILITARY DECORATION. I "London Gazette" an- nounces that the King had instituted a ric,, -c, decoration, "The Military Crops," ranking after tU? Y.C. It is to be a cross of silver, having 011 each arm the Im- perial erown, and bearing in the centre the letters "G.R.I." and ia to be awarded for distingui-Jiod and meritorious ser- vices to captains, commissioned officers cf a lower grade, warn.nt officers in our ■Armv, or the Indian and Colonial mili- taiy lorq> It will be awarded only to officers of n.c a}xw; ranks on a reeom- ?udation of the Senetray of State for .War.

ISLANDS ANNEXED: I GERMAN COLONIES PASSING INTO BRITISH I POSSESSION. Melbourne, Dec. 31st.fr. Pearce, the Minister of Defence, announced at mid-da i- to-day the annexation, by the Australian administrator, at Eabaul, on December 9th, of the German island of Bougainville, the largest of the Solomoill I Group. The British flag was hoisted, Before leavTrig the Germans san a I i steamer in harbour, and the Australians are now raising the vessel. The New Possessions. This notable group of Melanesian Islands in the Indian Archipelago, lie directly east of New Guinea, north-west cf the v New Hebrides, and south-east of the Eismarck Archipelago. They have j been hitherto partly English and partly German, the larger islands of the group being German aud the smaller ones] British. I Besllks Bougainville, the enemy has ?hilf] possession of Choiseul, Isabel and hAir ckpendpllcles. The British-owned islands, to the south, consist of Yella- Lavella, New Georgia, Russell, Guadal- canar, Remiel] and San Christoval. Bougainville, after whom the largest island is named, was the re-diseoverer, in 17'?8. of lands already found and named by Mendana just tl)O years earlier. The climate is not healthy; the rain- fall is about five finals greater than that i of England. Several of the islands are of volcanic formation, others are coral. Cannibalism is rife. The trade is chiefly copra and vegetalde ivory. The total area of the thickly-wooded islands is I about 17,000 square miles.

mED ON PARADE. I 1~ Mfljor C. H. Lord, commanding- B Com- panv of the 10th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusilier?, InlleiterJ at Bournemouth, dropped dead while roperintending field, training. In n double march on the bat- talion parade ground a. little earlier Major -,ijt ffil't ont, in spite of his years, although severei ot hers felt compelled to do w

GHAMOPHONES FOR WOUNDED. I The British Red Cross Society have ar- ranged with the Columbia Gramophone Company to send twenty instruments and records for the amusement of our wounded soldiers in the base hospitals at Dieppe, Havre, Boulogne, etc., and a fur- tcr twenty instruments and records for the Indian wounded in hospitals. The j Columbia Company have generously pre- sented outfits of two dozen records to go |. with each instrument. The first consign- ment were shipped to France in order to reach the hospitals in time for Christmas use.

A Lloyd's agent at Flamborough Head y?stprday xay?:—A Jarse steamer, nam and nationality unknown, blown up and punk by a mine in the North Sea. The ',),- L in tlif, -N,artli Sea. (,, the Nvwi latinclied to try and rescue I

END IN SIGHT | II SERBIAN CROWN PRINCE'S ORDER TO HIS ARMY. POLITICAL LIBERTIES GRANTED. i Nlsh, Wednesday.—The following order f of the d'l, has been addressed to the I Serbian Army by the Comma nder-in- Chierf, the Crown Prince Alexander:- Ii Soldiers! I am proud to announce to you that the territory of the kingeoti-i of Serbia has now been cleared entirely of the enemy, whom we harf driven out, sorely <f: f"d. í i'hi r, wbl-n the vio- j torious Serbia,n flag is again tioa?E.? over J our proud city of Belgrade. I "ish before all to accomplish a dniy of gratitude. In this third war are fighting, shoulder to shoulder with you, our brothers whom we have delivered from the Turks. You are witnesses of their heroism and of their love for the Fatherland. I Proved Themselves Worthy. I The soldiers of Kossovo and of Vardar, of J eg la gov at. z, and of Bregalnitza, of Bitoli and Pooretch (i.e., Kossovo and Macedonia)., have proved themselves worthy of their brothers of Choumadia, and of the Danube, of Podrinie and the Morava, of Tiniok and of Oujitze. I wish to give them a visible proof of this undoubted proof of their great un- selfishness and the magnificent way in which they have carried ouj: their most difficult duty of Serbian citizens. With great enthusiasm I now announce that they will in future enjoy the same political and constitutional rights as Serbia, the liberator, herself enjoys. In its first sitting after the conclusion of peace the Skupstina will take all the necessary steps for the putting into force of this decision. The End in Sight. I Soldiers! Soldiers! The ring of steel of ¡ our puissant allies is pressing round our common enemy more and more closely each day, and, fearful of the grave eonse- quenees that will eusue, he is fighting desperately and obstinately. But all hi? efforts are in vain. The number of hii soldiers is becoming less and less, while onr allies are bringing new armies into the neld of battle. The end of this gigantic struggle can already be seen, although a successful conclusion has not yet been reached.— Reuter.

FOR SOUTH AFRICAN TROOPS. I Johannesburg, Wednesday. Lady j phillips has received a letter from Lon- don intimating that her Majesty tli- i Queen is sending 15,000 pa i rs of socka as a personal gift to the troops in South Africa. Her Majesty's kindly interest is very much appreciated here.

M.P.'S SALARY. I Mr. W. A. Mount, M.P. for the Newbury Division of Berkshire, has disbursed bis I quarter's salary as a member of Parlia- ment by presenting each of the non-com- j missioned officers of the 5th Service Bat-j tation of the Royal Berkshire Regiment with prismatic glasses.

TRAWLERS FOR MINE SWEEPING. AiK>ther batch of a down steam traw- are being taken over by the Admir- i alty thfs week for mine sweeping. These are owned hy Messrs. Sellick, Morl-ey and Price, the largest lirm at the port, who new have practicaHy the whole of their ?,?,ot on war scrvicr-' There are now abon 50 vessels from Milford Haven in the hands of 1ne Admiralty, and about iOD men. Yesterday the Naval Depot was full of men enlietirg for the Trawler Reserve.

COST OF THE WAR. I A statement issued last night by the Treasury rlioive that during the last quarter of 1914 the revenue of the Unitell Kingdom increased by £ 9.>1,403, com- pared with the corresponding quarter of 1013. while the expenditure rose from .Ua!),07 ,2&3 to an increase of £ 380,682.009. Income-lax receipts increased by tl,960,000, but Excise receipts decreased by S!,305,MO. and postal by ?810,060. The expenditure on '??Jpp?y services '1 û" C)Q- 0,) rose from ?115,?9?287 tn £ 290,321,037, ac- rof,e fro-ra for t"tie wii4)lo of ??9 increase. 

WAR TAX ON BELGIUM. [ lIane. Wednesday.—M. Tail de Vyvere, Belgian Minister cf Finance's, has received news that the official journal, which is published in German. French, and Flem- ish, gives notice that the German Gover- nor of Belgium has impos-ed a war tax of £ 11,200,000 on the country to he paid in twelve instalments. The provincial councils of each region hare been notified hy the military that they will be held jointly responsible for this sum. They have, however, received the assurance, which has been confirmed by Kerr von Bethmann-Kollweg, that after this indemnity j. paid the Germane will at once honour all their requisition note.?.

AERiAL ACTiViTY. j Rotterdam, Wedue-sday.- Fronti r re-! ports to-day tell of resumed activity of the aeroplanes after the great storm, bi- planes being seen near the Dutch frontier flying in a scuth-weerterly direction. Fierce fighting continues on the Yser. and a trainload of 2.00U Germans wounded | near Ypres arrived at Ajx-la-Chapelle yes- terdi-iy. An. Aardenburg correspondent, j relating a conversation with a Gk-rma-n soldier, says that during thQ Ia,t few days the Germans have lost more men on the Yser than at any time during the war in Flanders, and he thought that many more thousands would fall in vain. We have done all that nion and sol- diers can do," he said. "We have attacked day and night, we have hurled ourselves against hell's gates, sometime making pro-: gross, often beaten back, but always defied by the bidden English, well armed, 11"('11 ¡ fed, wdl dotlH"d. Sometimes we tll?ught, we had beaten them; but the silent voices of our dead told us the truth. They had jj fought and dM in vain." 

SHOCKING RAil DISASTER. i 0.- EXPRESS CUTS LOCAL TRAIN IN -f wo. TEN KillED AND 20 SERIOUSLY INJURED AT ILFORDL I AGONISING, SCENES. I Ilford was this morning the scene of a terrible railway accident in which ten people were killed, twen y seriously in- jured, and a number of others slightly! injureù, The trains involved were the. 7.6 Gre4.ic Eastern express from CiH< ton-on-Sea to Livprpool-street and the ,W local train i from Romford- The latter was passing on to the mam line west of Ilford, when the express dashed into it., smashing several carriages and overturning one. while the express engine was derailed and thrown down an embankment. Most of the injured wero apparently in the local train. The driver of a third train was able to pull up promptly withiu a yard of the wreckage. Passengers ard soldier guard- ing the line immediately Vtlt in a hand at rescue operations. Among the dead is Mr. George Maylam. of the Chief Traffic Manager's OSice, Great Eastern Railway. The lines were completely blocked, traffic to Ilford having to be temporarily diverted via Woodford. An Awful Stcne. I Dr, Collier, of Manor l'ark, who was r called to the scene oë the accident, stated in an interview with a Press Association representative that the spec- tacle wai too awful tor words, but from what he could gather the Clacton ex- press had rnn clean through the ordi- nary train. After passing through the ordinary traiu. the engine of the Clacton train pitched over the embankment, overturn- ing ypveral of the carriages. Most of the dead were apparently killed by the force, of the im- pact of the large engine !td the ordinary train, and several of iho bodies were found lying underneath the bogey of the engine. The scene was indescribable, and the bodies which were recovered were un- recognisable. The station platforms quickly presented an jwnearsnce remind- ing one of a hospital surgery. Every doctor in the district was called upon. and they did a large amount of work in the open-air by the sia- of the wrecked trains. Breakdown gangs am' also the fire I brigade assisted in extricating the un- fortunate persons piui •" d beneath the wreckage. Drivers Jump Clear. I Another IIford pra(,:hJner. Dr. J. B. Cox, told a Press Association rep1''?senta-¡ tive that when he arri? 'd the local train and the engine appeared to be l'yjn completely on its side. The driver and fireman, he understood, jumped clear in time. and were unhurt. The express traill bad apparently passed through the middle portion of the local train, several ttrst-elass compart- ments being wrecked It was a shocking affair," said Dr. Cox. I have saen things on the pictures, but never anything so terrible as this. Whet) I car o away after at- tending to a number of cases on the lines there werp still two or three bodies be-j neath the derailed e-press engine, and energetic efforts wen being made to! extricate them. As far as I could gather, the nUmb0¡ of dead* was eight, while there was a large number uf Ílljllcd, Wrecked Carriages. The Clacton express usually passes Ilford Station first, but this morning tho j local (rain came first, and. a.6 it was rrossin? dip points, th3 pxpross, coming along at a great spe&.? met it and hit it ?ijong 3t I g!'(,.ii. Met ii-I carriages. I The engine of the cxprens left the raiis. ) and the front part of it fell into a coar siding, burying, it j." said, a man and a cart horse, while two or three carriages of both trains were -vetturned. The accident was nested by nearly a thousand people wlv were waiting for their train to town The station was cleared immediately, and the Pos1 Offi •? ■ was besieged with persons wishing to j despatch telegrams. Another local train, was struck by the falling carriage-. j A Slight Fire. Liverpool-streef Stition presented a re- mark-able appearance shortly after the accident. Usually one of the busiest Clt London stations at this hour, it became deserted, traffic being almost entirely sr.— p ended. Tlie local fire brigade did svime very gocd work the >cene of the disaster. They extinguished a slight fire about the woodwork of the «T> of one of the loco- motives, and then put ofat the fire in the fire-box of the express. The firemen afterwards assisted in rescue work, using the ambuLancc equip- ment on ^nsines. Official Statement. The following othcial statement was issued this afternoon by the Grea t Eastern Railway Company:— At 8.?0 a.m., at liford station, th'? r 4on breakfast train ran into the i side of a local Itomford train, wh\ch was at the time passing from the up local line to the up through line. So far as C'1lJl be at present ascertained, the signals were ?et for the local train, About ten passengers have been killed and 211 seriously injured, while a number of others received minor injuries. Ail of the ofifcers were promptly on the I ground, and their attention was given ji to the injured. Several carriages were seriously damaged, as well as the engine of the Clacton express. There Ü. not much damage to the permanent, way. The line! will lie partly opened in 2; hours, and entirely restored by tlie evening. Among the injured wasCaptain! Whiff en, chief recruiting officer at Old! Scotland Yard. He waR found with a compound iraccrue of tile le.

I AVIATOR SAFE 1. — j COMMANDER HEWLETT PICKED UP AND LANDED iN HOLUHQ. ] I I STEAMER DELAYED. I A m<qtàam, Thursday.—A telegram irom } muiden st?t.M thai a st&am trawler landed there the British airman, 1 light-C-ommander Hewlett, who was mi«=ing after the British raid on Cux- haven. He was picked up near Heligoland, and remained on board tbo steamier &»ven 'lay s. Owing to bad w<v.i her the trawler conJd not t-mpr p"rt earlier.—Renter. was one of the seven daring naval airmen "who car- iF out the raid on Cuxhaven on Christ- nW8 Day. Three returned -af-ly to the "hips whkh conveyed them to a point ol the German coast, three otheN WIT picked up by British submarines, but Commander Hewlett failed to return, and his wiecked machine was seen eight miles from Heligoland. He is the son of UN lIf>wl(>U, 'the a ir-woman, who taught him I to fiv, and of Mr. Maurice Hewlett, the novelist.

ANOTHER HARTLEPOOL DEATH. I Mn:, Thomasina Seirr, Weei Hartle- pool, succumbed on Thursday in Cameron HGSpital to wounds received in t?p bom- hardment of the Hartlpp?lg, thua making T? victims. At a subsequent inqup?t th? evidence showed that deceased was hurry- ing with her daughter along Sandring-j ham-ivjad during the bombardment when a ?MH burst near, and a fnigment struck her in the baek and passed right through iier body. A verdict similar to that in other cases was returned.

A NEW FLYINC BASE. I Amsterdam, Wednesday.—The Hari- d, eisbiad learns from Sin is that the mili- tary commander at Bruges refuses to i^sue any more passports from or to places on the (x?r. All tba fronilM- ?uarus hav? been strengthened. Movements of -tw>om on a large scale to and from the front a.re taking plt?ce. and yf-t?rday 10,000 men. iito,3tll aT,- rived at Bruges for the front. Th? Germans are now establishing a new flying at Ghistel, an hour's walk from Ostend. It is i-pi)-oi-tecl lbaf the reserves of petrol are getting exhausted, and th^t ordinary petroleum is b<?ug used by the Germans for thMf ?otor-c?rs.—P'-p? Association ————

ITALY MAY JOIN 1,11. I An interesting and significant letter has been received by a prominent Cardiff Docksman from a friend in Italv, whose l firni is of the highest repute in the world's commercial circles. The writer, under date December 19th, says:- Here in Italy we follow the fortunes of the Allied forces in the field af battit, with the keenest interest, and it is almost superfluous to pay that ru. country's sympathies are wholly with! England and her Allies. We ipri,enti- hope for your linal complete N-ict ry. We are neutral at present, but the! gpn?ral fpDdancy j not far remaining ?o for !?ng, and I anticipate that in the early spring we shall join 'yOU in thpn?ht.

I TIMES ARE SERIOUS. —— —— I KAISER'S MESSAGE. I I I REMARKABLE NEW YEAR'S ADDRESS TO I HIS FORCES. CLAIMS OF VlGTCRfESL Amsterdam, Frida.A Brtín tele- gram says the following official statement has been issued from the German Chief ¡ Headquarters. The total numher of prisoners of war interned in Germany, not including civilian prisoners, is 8.11a, £ 77,875 men. The figures do not inchido the number of those taken prisoners in the course of the pursuit in Bus-si an Poland, nor those at present on their way to concentration camps. The num- ber of interned prisoners is made up as follows :— i'reach: 3,159 offk^rs. including seven generals 215,.>05 men. Russians: 3,575 officers, including 18 generals, 30i,2ffi men. i Belgian: 612 officers, including thr .elier,tl,s, .36,852 British 492 oiffcer?. 18,82* men. The Bussian statement, alleged to have; been issued by the Russian War Minister that 1.140 German officers and 134.7001 men have been captured b1" the R-ussians is incorrect, as the Eussian figures in-, elude all the civilians arrested on and since the outbreak of the war- The numher of actual prisoners of war is not; more than 1.5 por cent, of these figures, Kaiser's Message. On Thursday, on the erosion of the New Year, the Emperor William hasj issued the following address to the German Army and Xavv:- "Alter five months of severe fighting we begin a new year. Brilliant battlee have been WOJl and great successes gained' almost everywhere. The German armies j are on hostile territory. Repeated at- tempts of the enemy to overrun GErman territory with their great armies havol failed. "On all seaa my nhipe have gained! honour, and their c.rews have proved th?y can not only be victorious, j?ut a!so) know how to die heroically when crushed by superior force. Behind my Army and Navy gfandsj the German people in unprecedented t unity ready to sacrifice itp best for the sacred homes and hearths which we arei di lending against mai:c;ous attacks.! Much ha? been done in the old year, but still the enemy is not yet subdued. Fresh masses are continually coming up against our armies and of our ally, but! their numbers do not frtphten us. Though times are serious, and the task before us severe, we can look into the future with firm confidence, trusting in God's wise guidance. I also trust in the incomparable j bravery of mv armv and raw. and know that I can rely on the entire German people. Therefore with courage into the ew Year, to fresh deeds, to fresh victories, i for beloved Tatherlond. i (lgned Wilhelm, I.A. .I'-8"rL"WI'-

.? m'Hlam. D. 31 .—"i?e Tvd Ifarn« from Sluis that the sluices at Zee- brugge are now in good working order, and that submarines are continually j leaving that port.—Reuter.

"JiI: _7 Lt Is a 1"1 j GREAT ANNUAL I! Winter SALE1! f t.Ð"I IS NOW ON. ?l s OIX 01 11 A great event at which un- a paralleled sacrifices are being made in all Departments. j I We still hold the reputation I for VALUE,, A visit to our ¡ I Establishment to purchase any I of our numerous Bargains I will prove a most profitable j investment. I 27,28,29. High Street 5??A?E?. I Lewis Lewis (Swansea) Ltd. | !?!<n!«MM.m.m!!m !J!UL!i!H!m.?——Mm,mj_ .?_ I BOMBS DROPPED ON ¡:. :'I;(Û l.I r: v 3 I fclETZ. FAhlS, Friday. I J Úè fallowing official commuruvie I wa- issued this afternoon:— _a the sea to Rhe-ime there Las beer, scarcely anything else but artil- lery duels. Tho feoemy bombarded vit'nout r ecu it- the villages of St. Georges and tho bridgehead organised by the i??l?l?nc to the wrath of D:xmude. „ live'y ccnnonad? turned to our ^u-^e nerwren La Bass^e ,.cd <. :c-rcy end between Alben and Eoy^ jn te regies b?t? vee n 3nd of Bl?nc- p. ? i;is Ii?t poiLt, W6 have besides d-molisJied soi S e Gsi3n«»n earthworks. region of Perthes and cf Beau- eeiour we have mainta-red our gains of of the opposed artilleries was the whole of tb 31st. r, i w'Ti-e the energy made a. ery • '-•I'm'.Pr-attafrk in ^he Bois d" 'a o nearly the whole fr'o: at certain points gained abou l-1) ,ij■: ..re?, but was at one couii'cr- airj: In rhe region of Verdun there hiiv& Lcen > icl: t artillery duels. Between the Meuse and the Mos^ile, l0 tne north-vre^t oi Fiirev, the Ger- mans during the night of the 30th and during tho morning of the 31st, made eix violent counter-attacks -n order to re-take the trenches taken by us on the 30 th. i" ",holt.) of these countor-attuoks wc. :• briiliactjy rPptlkeO. the night our av:iters r- I railway f^a^itn of Mfz Arnevi.lt. -nvnuo ti. t»f>jrro55 by foot. At i -.eit!bach, the ereaiv's orii.k-ry during the mor^irr- of "ha U9;> aeu-:i*r, but duriLj, -:0 a;a-r^:oxi our batteries z gsii:v-i t^; i -r-rr x'.er.d- i-orr,ildable's Crew. ,i!iu;i!)io carried a irer cf 761 v h.crs ;«a am tu, and was bu,lt a' iWu" uio'.ah ac a cyst of £ 1,022,7li. Captain Arthur N. Loxley wias cai'tuin, end tho C Oil ili u adcr was Commander Charles F. Ballard. The Railway Disaster. Six holies, including that o a h-i-iy. have so for been re"("()Yf'd .t'(Ill te wT-'ckThey remain unidentified. B?'-? b'n? R?Trrs 1. Ph?elo '?':?c? ?. H.Z?T S-?r'KE ?. IZESIA? CHIEF 3, T 'p PI'X G ?TOyTB 3,-18 ran. Ee,g 10-? to 8 Flrrt Sm?ke. 13 ? STcr- piac Chief, 100 to 7' Stewing Stone. TlilULDOil 1. Kl^a OF THE SCAiiLETS 2. JACK TniOfTg rcn. MONEEITH FINISHED alone -2 ran. Betting: 4 to 1 Thraldom.  ■i  A E.P -?A? 2