Paris, Nov. 20.
While complete calm continues to prevail on the West Front, a new element appears, namely floods, due to unceasing rains-in the past weeks.
The Rhine and its tributaries, which two months ago rose to a threatening level, are again so swollen as to interrupt all military activity.—The rise in the Rhine is less felt on the French side as on the German side, for the left bank is higher than the right bank. The Germans have been compelled to build dykes but they also had to evacuate some of their advanced positions, In Lorraine, the Blies and Saar rivers and all smaller streams are threatening to flood the neighbouring districts.
German scouting raids have become less numerous and were more caus tions yesterday, while the only activity on the front took place south of Saarbruecken in the shape of an artillery duel between German and French heavy field guns—Havas, Explosion on Standard Oil Tanker New York, Nov. 20.
An explosion occurred on a Standard Oil tanker here today. Members of the ship's crew escaped injury but a window shattered by the blast a mile away injured a Staten Island woman. Federal agents denied that sabotage weis responsible. Firemen said the blast followed accidental ignition of fumes while the ship's tanks were being cleaned. The ship is under Panamanian registry.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.