The Daily Colonist, June 1–7, 1915
Sun, 2015/06/07 - 9:18pm
« previous next »#dailycolonist1915 - The news out of Victoria, British Columbia, 100 years ago:
[You'd almost think this week's news was a steampunk fanfic and not the actual news from 100 years ago. We've got submarine and Zeppelin pirates, a secret submarine base in Asia Minor, Zeppelins bombing London, the king's birthday, and earls being knighted. We also have the begginings of foced labour in Canadian concentration camps and the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. But we wrap up the week with good news from Denmark.]
- Tuesday, June 1, 1915
- Acts of piracy by German submarines and Zeppelins. German submarines chase the White Star Line passenger liner Megantic as it departs off the coast of Ireland. 40 people are killed in a Zeppelin raid on the Finnish coast. A Danish steamer, a Russian ship and three British steamers are sunk by submarines while one other British steamer narrowly escapes two attacks.
- German reply to American condemnation for the sinking of the Lusitania defends and attempts to justify the action, with "technicalities."
- Jitney by-law goes into effect in Vancouver requiring insurance and certain safety standards [representing the beginning of the regulations ride-sharing outfits like Uber seek to undermine and circumvent.]
- A secret submarine base is discovered in Asia Minor and shelled by British warships. Meanwhile the Gallipoli meat-grinder continues to chew up Aussies, Kiwis and Turks by the thousands.
- Full text of the German reply to the American "Note" on submarine warfare.
- Wednesday, June 2, 1915
- Zeppelins reach London. 90 bombs dropped in the night, killing a child, a man and two women. The headline "Zeppelin Raid Comes at Last" and the tone of the article seem oddly relieved that the waiting is over and the emergency procedures proved adequate.
- Entry of Italy into the war is said to have affected the morale of Turkish troops and the Germans are having difficulty supplying the Turks. However, Armenians are being massacred, with the death toll exacerbated by typhus and famine. Men are being killed wholesale, "women, if old and ugly, were murdered or beaten; if young and pretty they were taken away. The children generally were spared, but a few were put to death for pure amusement."
- The filling of the False Creek mud-flats [the area from Science World to the hill up to Clark] and the construction of a station and facilities for the Great Northern Railway Company is approved [and now you know why the 2nd Ave between Main and Clark is "Great Northern Way"]. Work is expected to be complete by 1917. Meanwhile, C.P.R. Western argues against reducing rates for freight to Nanaimo.
- A short article describing the modern technology in torpedoes that allows an expert torpedo officer to "hit a large vessel practically every time up to range of one mile".
- Thursday, June 3, 1915
- King George V's 50th birthday. There is a large photo of the king on the front page with the caption "God Save the King!" An accompanying article listing those receiving knighthoods, including Field Marshal Earl Kitchener (in charge of the British Imperial army) and several Canadians. Other articles [not reproduced here] announce that the mayor of Victoria has declared a half-holiday and all shops and business should close by 1:00 p.m. to allow people to celebrate the king's birthday.
- Meanwhile the Gallipoli meat-grinder continues to chew up Aussies, Kiwis and Turks by the thousands.
- Friday, June 4, 1915
- Provincial police have been busy rounding up "alien enemies" in northern Vancouver Island. 34 new prisoners were sent to Nanaimo, to be sent on to the concentration camp in Vernon.
- Saturday, June 5, 1915
- Prisoners at the concentration camp in Vernon are marched out to Arrow Lake (about 150 km) to build a road to service an American-owned gold mine. 600 prisoners are expected to be forced to work. There are reports that two men were bayoneted, with one seriously injured for refusing to work. Others were marched out at bayonet point. [Bear in mind that these men are, by and large, ordinary farmers and labourers who are not allowed to leave the country, not allowed to become citizens, and not allowed to work because they were born in the wrong place. Many are ethnic Ukrainians from Galicia that fled persecution under the Austrio-Hungarian Empire.]
- Sunday, June 6, 1915
- Germany official declares war on Italy in response to Italy declaring war on Austria.
- Denmark passes a new constitution that grants women's suffrage and abolishes unequal social and electoral privileges for the aristocracy.
- Monday, June 7, 1915
