CITY'S SHARE IN
ARMY HUTMENTS
FIXED AT $2,000
Salvation Ariuv Proposes to
Erect One Hundred Huts
, Immediately
Announcements have been made by
Commander Kvangeline Booth that
the Salvation Army proposes to im
mediately erect fifty additional hut
ments in France to be administered
by 100 American Salvation Army of
ficers, mostly women, and 500 lav
workers. This will cost about st,-
"('O,OOO, of which Harrisburg's share
to be raised is $2,000. Commander
Rooth announced that the hutments
already in operation h'ave become so
1 opular with both officers and men
that she sees no limit to the amount
of work that the Salvation Army
will be called upon to do.
linker Approves
In commenting upon this work.
Secretary of War Baker recently
wrote: "We are very glad to ob
serve that the Salvation Army is
lending its powerful and in many
ways its unique .aid in the general
' 1 -operation of the community at
large with tile military activities of
tile country. This co-operation is a
1 ( w thing in the world's history and
!he War iJepartment welcomes and
grateful for such help as you and
\ our associates can give."
Quite as interesting ay the leters
that come from men serving their
1 mintry in France. "1 am hanging
out at the Salvation Army hut most
of the time." writes one boy to his
mother, "and the four American
<vomen make it seem more like home
than any place I know. They serve
cake and chocolate every evening.
All of the fellows like it!"
Army I.assies Give Aid
When the first snowstorm of the
season swept down upon the Amer
ican camps the Salvation Army
lassies stayed up all through the
night, making steaming hof coffee,
which they carried out to all of the
Harrisburg
Chamber of Commerce
/
Dauphin Building—Market Square
PHONES 4120
Free Evening Smoker Meeting
8 O'clock, This Evening,/ Feb. 23
BOARD OF TRADE—FREE
FREE TO MEMBERS OBTAIN TICKETS
FROM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
SPEAKER
MAJOR W. A. GARRETT
General Manager, Remington Arms Co.
1 he man who is making the new F.nfield rifles for our
forces in France.
Major Garrett has been in
France recently
lie was sent abroad by our Government some time ago as
A member of the Commission of railroad executives charged
with determining what railroad facilities would be needed by
Pershing in France—from the port to the battle lines.
Majqr Garrett returned tired with the same spirit that ani
mated Dr. Hillis when he was in Harrisburg last fall.
He is an eloquent speaker. New York and Philadelphia
newspapers give him first page publicity when he talks there.
The Major is a former P. & R. railroad executive.
EVERY MEMRER WHO HAS A RELATIVE OR FRUOND IX
FRANCE OK WHO IS UOIXK TO FRANCE
SHOULD HEAR THE MAJOR
Members who find it difficult to attend luncheons should
attend this great free smoker meeting
HOW TO CiET YOUR FREE TICKETS TO THE SMOKER:
Call at Headquarters or Phone 4120
Help the Jewish Sufferers
Come to the Colonial Theater
Sunday, February 24th
2 P. M. and 7.30 P. M. and witness the picture
For the Freedom of the World
<1 Rabbi RumanofF will give a talk on conditions in Europe in the
afternoon.
<! In the evening Robert Rosenberg, Attorney, Harrisburg, and J.
L. Entin, New York, will make addresses.
Held under auspices of Workmen's Circle Branch 105.
No Admission Silver Offering
SATURDAY EVENING,
. men on guard duty. "It was hard
work," wrote one of the lassies, "and
we were all cold and wet, but not
nearly so cold and wet as the men
on post, who had to fight their way
fcrward and backward through the
falling snow and wind. You should
have heard them thank us for the
coffee, which we gave them every
half-hour or so."
Twelve liniments Opened
Twelve hutmentH have already
been opened adjacent to camps or
cantonments in this country. Most
of them, in addition to having games
arid eatingrooms, have a number of
comfortably furnished bedrooms,
where mothers of the men in train
ing can be entertained.
Raymond B. FoSdick, who keeps a
very watchful eye upon the social
operations in and about the training
camps, recently said of the work ac
complished by the Salvation Army:
"I can truthfully say that what has
teen done by your organization un
der our general direction has been
well done." Many more of these
hutments are to be erected and those
already in operation will soon be en
larged.
Itrul Itegnrtl For Worker*
Much comment has been made
upon the fitness of the Salvation
Army for this particular work and
r.cne of it has been unfavorable. No
other organization has so many de
voted women thoroughly trained and
ready to sacrifice their comfort and
leave safety and home for the un
certain and strenuous life in war
camps. The Salvation Army girl who
goes to the front goes with the
knowledge that she must face the
same dangers and hardships as do
the soldiers and that she must work
I even harder. It is no wonder that
I the soldiers of the expeditionary
forces regard them with a very real
j and affectionate respect.
| The Kiwanis Club, of Harrisburg.
I have taken upon themselves the task
! of raising Harrisburg's $2,000 Febru-
I ary 28 and March 1, and, since the
j Harrisburg habit has been to go
I "over the top" by more than the re
i quired amount, it will in all proba
| bility do the same for the Salvation
Army.
VISITS HERE
Miss Mylecraine, formerly con
nected with the State Board of Edu
cation in this city, and at present af
filiated with Mrs. Joseph Fels, single
tax school in New York, is visiting
in Harrisburg. Miss Mylecraine was
a member of the Ford peace party in
the winter of ISIIS.
STARTLING FACTS OF
WAR TO BE TOLD
[Continued from hirst I'uge.]
LIEUTENANT SUTTON
eral food administrator of this state.
I Gradually the lid has been lifted
i upon the actual food conditions af
i fecting the allies and those who
| attend the great patriotic rally Mon
i day evening will Ret first-hand in
i formation. There is a disposition in
I the present crisis to lift the veil and
allow the people to see for them-
I selves what is transpiring and what
I must he d(sne to win the war. Even
I greater sacrifices than have been
j heretofore indicated must be made;
there is no longer any choice as to
I what the people of this country must
do.
Indications are that the meeting
| 011 Monday evening will he the great-
I est outpouring of the citizens of Har
i risburg since our entrance into the
|-var. Enough has been allowed to
leak out regarding the sensational
disclosures thai are to be made to ex
cite widespread interest and the 00111-
i mittee in charge announced to-day
! Ihat there will bo 110 admission tlck
| ets. but the general public would be
welcome. A great feature of the
meeting will bie the community
l singing. 1
The singing or "Ole Black Joe,"
"Kentucky Home," "Annie Laurie,"
"Dixie," "Keep the Home Fires
! Burning," "America," and manv otli
: er old-time patriotic airs will feature
| the musical program.
The soldir boys from the Middle
town avi*lon depot and the Tech
i High buys linve been invited to at
, tend.
In a letter to President Wilson.
] made public to-day, Gifford Pinchot
says:
'The war has now entered a stage
iin which the steadfastness of civil
I populations ranks in importance
| with the fighting spirit of armies,
j Abundant supplies of food become a
factor for the first importance In
maintaining the morale of a people
under heavy stress.
"Great Britain, as we know, still
1 relies on the United States and Cana
| da for 65 per cent, of its essential
1 foodstuffs. The Canadians are most
! seriously handicapped in flic effort
i to increase production by the lack
of man power because they have al-
I ready sent to Europe so large a pro
j portion of their men of military age.
j It is well known that New Zealand.
S Austrian and Indian wheat is In
: accessible for lack of ships. The re-
I sponsibility, therefore, rests mainly
i upon the people of the United States.
1 Without the food which we alone
I can supply, not only England, but
: France and Italy, must lose their
| power to carry on the war. *
: "It is not famine we are facing in
i the United States, as some have
j sought to show, but a food shortage
i so serious that it threatens to become
I decisive. As a man of great author-
I ity among American farmers has
I said: 'This war cannot be won by
.the forces of civilization unless the
farmers of the United States can
! substantially increase their produc
j tion of foodstuffs to feed our Allies
and the people of our own country.'
liut we are faced with the certainty
! of a reduction instead of an increase
; unless present conditions are
promptly and radically changed.
I "The farmers of the United States
| are anxious to do their full duty in
'growing more food. Their leaders
] have been active in this matter for
: months prist. But they are hampered
I by conditions which they themselves
j cannot control. Farmers generally
1 are now facing the most unfavorable
condition of farm labor they have
| ever known, in part because more
j than one-quarter of the men who
j have been taken for the National
Army are farmers. They are short of
| seed, agricultural supplies and cred
' it. and they declare that a crop
| smaller than last year's is certain I
• unless these conditions are changed I
■ for the better."
! LERAXON MIXISTER TO BREACH !
New Cumberland, Pa., Feb. 23. •
j The Rev. K. I-. Kerr, of Lebanon,
i will preach at the St. Paul's 'Luth-
I e-ran Church to-morrow during the
' absence of the pastor.
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
SENATE PASSES
RAIL BILL; SHORT
LINES INCLUDED
All Efforts to Limit Wilson's
Power Over Systems
Are Defeated
Washington, Feb. 23. —The admin
istration's railroad bill, which pro
vides for the payment of compensa
tion totaling more than $950,000,000
a year to the roads while they are
under governnlent control, was pass
ed by the Senate last night by a
viva voce vote, with only one vital
amendment.
This amendment provides ail
shortline railroads shall be taken
over by the President and enjoy all
the benefits of the act. It was pro
posed by Senator Cummins, who
struggled for hours for a reduction
of the compensation rate specified in
the bill. This amendment will un
settle the administration's railroad
policy to a great extent, but it re
ceived overwhelming support from
both sides of the chamber, the vote
being 58 to 14.
Loyal supporters of the adminis
tration voted for the amendment,
ab they joined in the opinion ot
many' Republicans that should the
shortline roads be left unprotected
they inevitably would be forced in
to oankruptcy or would become, as
was said, "easy prey tor the great
sj uieiua.
\ ote on Short Roads Amendment
The vote on the Cummins amend
ment to bring the short lines into
the Federal system follows:
For the amendment: Democrats
—Ashurst, Beckham. Fletcher, Uore,
Hardwick, Henderson, Hitchcock,
ouhnson, of South Dakota;
Jones, ot New Mexico; Lewis, Mc-
Keiiar, Martin, Myers, Nugent, Over-
I man, Phelan, Pittman, Ransdell,
| neeti, Uooinson, Shepliard, Shields,
Simmons, Smith, of Arizona; Smith,
| oi Georgia; Smith, of South Caro
j una; Stone, bwanson, Thomas, Til 1 -
j man, Tamniell and Wolcott —33.
i.epuulicans Cummins, Curtis,
• Dillingham, Fernald, France, Fro-
Gronna. Hale, Harding.
| Jonnson, of California; Jones, ot
Washington; Kenyon, Knox, Lodge,
! McCumber, McNary, Nelson, New,
! N orris, Page, Sherman, Smith, of
I Michigan; Smoot, Sterling and War
ren—2s.
Total, 58.
i Against the amendment: Demo
| crats—Bankhead, Gerry, Kendrick,
King, Kirby, Pomerene. Saulsbury,
1 Shafroth, Underwoou and % ardaman
—lO.
Republicans—Kellogg, Poindexter,
Townsend and Watson —4.
Total, 14.
President's Power Sustained
The linal vote on the bill was cast
after amendment designed to limit
I tho President's power in controlling
I the roads, had been defeated. Sena
tor Cummins, who attacked the com
pensation basis lixed in the bill in a
minority report when it was return
ed to the Senate by the Interstate
Commerce Committee, submitted an
amendment late in the'afternoon to
reduce the compensation lo a ilat ;>
per cent, upon the capital stock of
the roads, after payment of fixed
charges.
in presenting the amendment the
Senator declared it was substantially
the same as that which ho proposed
yesterday and which was defeated,
tic said if it was again defeated he
would offer an amendment granting
6 per cent, to the roads, and lie
would continue offering amendments
until he was certain he had ascer
tained the definite opinion of the
Senate on the basis of compensa
tion lixed in the bill.
CITY WORKING TO
RELIEVE LOCK HAVEN
tContinued from l-'irst Page.]'
plorable condition ever expeiiencetl
there.
Receive Contributions
That the '.dea for aid from tho
flood victims of Lock Haven found a
I response in Ilarrisburgers' hearts
was attested by the contributions
that have come in the few hours
since the fund was underwritten.
Contributions this morning are as
f ? IU ,' WS: t 50
Cash * •*"
Washington Fire Company ... •>
Left at Patriot 5
John A. Affleck 1°
Vlenriette A. Disbrow 10
| Henriette A. Disbrow $lO
j William A. Wiesman 2
J Cash *0"
$lB2
Kelief Work Organized
Organized relief work is now un
der way in Lock Haven. Charles
Jobson, superintendent of the New
York and Pennsylvania Paper Com
pany mills, hus been chosen general
chairman of the relief committee,
which has been given $5,000 by the
City Council as an emergency fund.
Word conies here that every town
and city in this section of the state
is raising a relief fund to buy bread,
oil and oil stoves for the stricken
people.* .
As inventory is taken it develops
that the loss will be much higher
than first believed. The loss is esti
mated at three quarter million dol
lars. The loss of the paper com
pany alone is SIOO,OOO.
Fearful of a pneumonia epidemic,
local physicians aided by represent
atives of the State Health Depart
ment are taking all possible pre
cautions. The dormitories of the
State Normal, school have been
equipped as an emergency hospital
with 500 beds.
Suffering in Lock Haven' is acute,
according to a dispatch received here
by the Mayor last night.
"I.ock Haven in great distress.
Most urgent need at this time
for contributions of cash which
should he sent Charles A. Job
son, chairman of the general
committee."
It is in response to tlys urgent ap
peal that HarrisburgersGiope to raise
the SI,OOO subscribed by the Cham
ber of Commerce for Lock Haven
relief. The snowstorm that swept
this section of the state yesterday,
carrying with it nearly zero tem
perature, has added to the intense
suffering of the almost isolated town.
It has been estimated that the ex
tent of the damage may increase
from $500,000 to $1,000,000.
l-'rom Renovo, special (rains of
food and clothing were sent yes
terday afternoon. Pumps to aid in
clearing out the cellars were also re
ceived from the little railroad town.
Williamsport was prompt in sending
food and provisions, the mayor ac
companying the special train to
make a survey of the situation with
a view to rushing more aid.
Beilefonte, Tyrone, St. Marys, Al
toona and Philadelphia are the cities
that, along with Harrisburg, have
pledged themselves to offer finan
cial aid.
315,000 GET
HUNT LICENSES
Remarkable Showing, Consid
ering Fact That Many Hunt
ers Arc in the Army*,
Allegheny county led the counties
I of Pennsylvania in the number of
hunters' licenses issued in 1917, tho
I record-breaking year for issuance of
permits for hunting according to tho
| linal tabulation of licenses made at
| the offices of the State Game Com
j mission. There were 315,474 issued
I to resident hunters and 585 to non
residents. In 1913 there were 305,-
I 000 issued in round numbers and
I that figure has not been touched
I since. As the statfe receives ninety
; cents on eacn license there will be
j funds at hand for adequate pro
j tection of game and for the fur
| therance of tha game preserve plans
and for extensive propagation.
According to the ligures in the
I Game Commission offices Allegheny
j county issued 21,2 46 licenses, twice
j as many as the next highest county,
which was Philadelphia with 10,874,
j although many Philadelphians took
j out papers in counties where they
I went to hunt, swelling the totals of
j such counties as Clearfield, Frank
lin, Adams and others. Luzerne was
third with 10,828, Lancaster fourth
i with 10,698, Westmoremand fifth
with 10,601. Berks sixth with 10,528,
and Dauphin seventh with 9,500.
| Pike had the most nonresident li
| censes with 122, Monroe being next
i with 39 and Lawrence third with
! 29.
The licenses by counties were as
follows, the first column being resi
dent and second nonresident licens
es:
Adams 2.452 5
Allegheny 21,246 4
Armstrong 5,412 o
| Beaver 3,995 7
1 Bedford 3,792 15
! Berks 10,528 1
| Blair 7,567 7
| Bradford 3,267 19
( Bucks 4,618 20
Butler 5,041 5
Cambria 8,656 0
Qameron ' 780 8
Carbon 2,969 3
Center 4.241 5
Chester 7,554 3
Clarion 2,812 1,
Clearfield 6,898 1 1
Clinton 2,822 <i
Columbia 3,391 0
] Crawford 3,477 9
Cumberland 3,304 1
Daifphin 8,500 3
Delaware 3,352 1
Elk 2,845 19
Erie 4.329 2
Fayette 7,2G0 3
Forest 785 10
Franklin 4,858 16
• Fulton 1,251 4
I Greene 703 0
] Huntingdon 4,750 14
I Indiana 5,284 I
I .lefferson 4,304 1
! Juniata 1,375 4
I Lackawanna 6,420 3
! Lancaster 10,698 0
Lawrence 4,086 29
I Lebanon 3,833 0
Lehigh 6,628 5
Luzerne 10,828 1
| Lycoming 5,907 20
; McKean •... 3,160 5
j Mercer 3,821 18
| Mifflin 3,273 7
j Monroe 2,848 39
| Montgomery 7.132 I
j Montour 858 3
I Northampton 5,245 9
Northumberland 4,742 0
I Perry .. . 1,997 1
I Philadelphia 10,874 12
] Pike 863 122
Potter 1.308 16
Schuylkill 8,673 o
I Snyder 1.214 1
1 Somerset 5,377 7
i Sullivan 797 2
! Susquehanna 1,507 20
1 Tioga 1.832 18
i Union 1,403 3
Venango 3,854 6
Warren **
Washington ?
Wayne 1,227 15
Westmoreland 10,601 0
Wyoming 945 (1
York • 8,372 4
315,474 588
U. S. Engineer Parades
Lone Boche Purchased
From Tommy For SSO
With the American Army in
France, Feb. 23.—A score of Amer
ican artillery officers, rich with in
formation and experience from one
month's "postgraduate course" of
training on the British front, re
turned to their batteries in the ac
tive American sector, bringing with
them new conceptions, snap, vim,
neatness and also humor. One bat
tery commander said:
"An American engineer at Cambrai
met a Britisli 'Tommy' with a Ger
man prisoner and said: 'Where did
you get him?' The reply was, 'Over
there,' pointing to tile battlefield.
•Sell him to me; I will give you a dol
lar and a half.' The answer was,
•No.' 'Make it five dollars or one
pound of your money.' 'That is too
bally little. Yank,' was the reply.
Then followed a young financial par
ley, the American engineer finally
paying fifty dollars for the German
prisoner. He paraded his property
through the streets of the French
city of Arras until the British mili
tary police compelled him to turn
the man over to the concentration
camp authorities."
American artillery observers are
now flying with French pilots over
the American sector in French air
planes.
Graduates of Shipping
Board Take Employment
By Associated Press
New York, Feb. 23. —First grad
uates of the United States Shipping
Board training ship Calvin Austin
to-day entered upon their first ship
board employment. The Austin, the
first of a squadron of. training ves
sels for the schooling of American
sailors, firemen, oilers, coal passers,
water tenders, cooks and stewards
for the nation's merchant marine,
docked here early to-day to dis
charge a class of fifty of her 410
apprentices who have qualified for
regular services in these positions.
Engineer on Wrecked
Engine in Critical Condition
Joseph I". Schell, 1512 State street,
the engineer who backed his engine
into the Philadelphia and Reading
Railway station yesterday morning
while carrying an injured boy to the
city hospital, is still in a serious con
dition. His Injuries have deprived
him of the power of speech, although
he has regained consciousness. His
condition is said to be critical.
Theodore Levan, 627 Benton street,
the boy he was taking to the hospi
tal after a car had run over his arm,
bad his arm amputated at t.he elbow.
His condition ie fair.
U. S. Naval Service Is
Attractive to Harrisburger
/
jBIm ll
- mßm S
*1
jginK (;, i
. • X
CAUL/ G. HAMAKER
The Flylnjx Corns and the Navy are
services that attract a great many
of the soya; Harrisburg boys in serv
ice. There seems to be u spice ot' ro
mance and adventure in these arms
that is lacking in infantry work. An
enthusiast, well known here, Carl G.
Mamaker. son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
O. Hamaker, 2227 North Fourth street,
was one of the first to bear the call
for Uncle Sam's great Navy. He is
now stationed at Norfolk, Va.
Stamp Buying Will Build
Character, Says Vanderlip
Los Angeles, Feb. 23.—T0 light
like superhuman beings and to
achieve the seemingly impossible are
requisites for Americans in winning
the war, Frank A. Vanderlip, presi
dent of Ihe National City Bank ot
New York, and head of the govern
ment's war certiticate and thrift
stamp campaign, declared in a state
ment published here to-day.
I'urchase of thrift stamps will not
lessen the buying capacity of indi
viduals, Mr. Vanderlip said, hut by
building character will teach how to
spend wisely.
Back Again!
The Snow King is back Rattan for the sweepers
on the job again, big as is as scarce as hen s teeth,
life! Ships can t bring rattan to
this country when there
It cost the city about are no ships—
s2,ooo to remove part of
the snow from the streets Take car wheels, for in
from the last blizzard stance. /
and Old Sol helped the
good work along in great ' Time was when we used
shape. steel wheels. Not so now!
But not all the snow was Best we can get best
removed. How could it anybody can get—are cast
be? The city and the sun ron wheels.
didn't have a fair show. a 1 v 1
And they can t be gotten
The big snow storm cost in a da y' s or a month's or
us $12,000 more to oper- six months' notice.
ate the cars this January , VT , , , , ,
I.L •. J-J ~ We ve had car wheels
than it did a year ago. , , f ,
ordered ror a year and
And that was for power we take all we can get.
and car service alone—not A wheel might go flat
including the hundred and t ' ie . a y might
one other things needed for run for six months and not
the maintenance of the S° ™at
street car business and iv/i i i
which cost more to buy, . When 11 does-we send
when we can buy them. A T pa "" sh ? p '
And the car has to be
A snug sum, you will jacked up, the whole
sa y < truck taken out, the wheel
taken off the axle and an-
Yes! But it's our busi- other wheel put on.-
ness to give service and we . , , ,
used all means available to That s A a J oh that takes
open traffic. tl , me ' An r d 11 causes a
shortage or cars.
It took tons more coal to And cars can't be biught
get up power and even at f or l ove nor money .
that with the iced rails the
going was slow at best. We want the cars. We
want to give the service.
And the big sweepers And we're going to over
wore away like soap on an come the obstacles the very
emery wheel when they hit best we can with the means
those snow drifts! at our command.
HARRISBURG RAILWAYS COMPANY
FEBRUARY 23, 1918.
Length of Wheelbase
and What Should Govern
The following is from the leading
article by J. Edward Schipper, the
technical expert of "Automotive In
dustries:"
"We should focus our attention on
two matters—wheelbase and dis
placement. Weight per inch ot wheel
base can be materially reduced. We
have been wasteful o£ wheelbase be
cause we have not economically used
space. Every inch of unnecessary
wheelbase means unnecessary weight.
This, in turn, requires gasoline, oil
and tire up-keep. One typical me
dium-priced car was shortened seven
inches in wheelbase three months ago.
The car has equally as much room in
the tonneau and two inches more
room in the front compartment. This
is one example of what can be done,
it is not necessary to sacrifice space,
but to utilize it.
"Why is there no real high-priced
car on the market witli a wheelbase
around 112? Because the public would
expect to see a big car for that
money. This condition is changing.
"Explicit directions for shortening
wheelbase cannot be given for every
make of ear because space is lost by
different cars in different ways. This
is because the wheelbase has been
fixed before the car is laid out and
Is simply utilized because it is there.
Almost universally, engines are too
large. It would be perfectly feasible
to secure all of the good performance
that anyone could demand in a five
passenger car with an engine of 200
cubic inches displacement. An engine
of this size, regardless of the number
of cylinders used, would require but
a short hood. Perhaps one of the
greatest errors the sales department
has injected Into the industry is the
matter of talking horse-power. It has
led indirectly to the use of large en
gines, whereas horse-power means
nothing."
Pf "*V ** 'V V " 'if " V** " If"*j
COLORED HOME SEEKERS!!
;, Relief in Sight For the Poor and Congested'
T Housing Conditions Among the Colored
j People of Harrisburg and Steelton, Pa. '
f A MILLION DOLLAR CORPORATION ,
9 The first series of the PROGRESSIVE WAGE-EARNERS'
| BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION began Tuesday. February 5,
1 1918. Meets every Tuesday evening at 8 p. in. in tho law offices of (
1 J. Robbin Bennett .Esq., 21 North Third street, Harrisburg, Pa., for
ireceipt of weekly dues and reception of new members,
f WALTER S. WILLIAMS
1 SECRETARY ,
121 North Third St. Harrisburg, Pa.
British Forces Capture
Ancient City of Jericho;
Little Resistance Offered
London The British have captur
ed Jericho, in Palestine, the war of
fice reports.
Since the capture of Jersalem the
British have been pushing steadily
ahead, striking out to the north and
east. Official statements from Lon
don in the last few days have re
ported rapid progress, and apparent
ly the Turks have offered no deter
mined resistance.
Aside from its historical import
ance, In connection with the British
plan to free the Holy Land from the
domination of the Turks, the capture
of Jericho is ot little significance. It
consists merely of a group of squalid
hovels and a few shops, with about
300 inhabitants. Its chief strategic
value lies in the fact that it gives
the British domination of the valley
of Jordon. and also control of a net
work of highways radiating from the
town. A further advance eastward
of twenty-tlvc miles, however, would
take the British to the railway from
Damascus to Mecca, which would cut
off the Turks' line of communication
with Arabia and greatly assist the re
volting Arab tribes which are co
operating with the British. Jericho
is near the northern extremity of the
Dead Sea, fourteen miles north east
of Jerusalem.
The ancient Jericho, which was sit
uated to the west of the modern
Jericho, was a town of considerable
size. It was the first Oanaanite city
to be reduced by the Israelites, who,
the Biblical story relates, encom
passed its destructions by the blow
ing of trumpets.
3