Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-14
Big Guns Alone Active.


The French official statement, given
out in Paris this afternoon, reports
comparative quiet in Flanders. and ar
tillery exchanges of relatively minor
Importance elsewhere. In the Meuse
German batteries are said to be moving
to the north. In the Woevre district
the French captured trench and re-
pulsed two counterattacks. The adj
vance Of the French line into Alsace
has brought it to a point north of Alt
kirch, and about ten miles to the east
of the frontier.
dispatch to the Times from Bou-
logne says that one of the greatest OBJ
stacles to the advance of the allied
forces in Belgium and northern France
is the extremely bad condition of the
| roads. The efforts of an army of
French soldiers working in the mud to
past week having proved futile, it has
been decided to remake the roads.
Orders have been sent to England for
| 200 tons of spades, picks and wheel
barrows.
The surface of the roads will be
| ties.
Civilians Fire on Germans.
Correspondents In northern France, who
| anticipate a general advance by the al
lies shortly. point out that the situation
is fraught with the greatest danger to
the civilian population Of the towns oc-
cupied by the Germans. The sympathieS
of the civilians, the correspondents think,
are likely to lead them to attempt to as
sist the allies, thereby compelling the
Germans to take severe measures for their
self-protection.
Such situation, in fact. arose around
Roulers last week, according to the cor
respondent of the Daily Express. who
says: when the allies attacked Roulers
the Germans learned that civilians were
whereupon they warned the Inhabitants
that the town would be destroyed and
every inhabitant killed unless neutrality
was maintained. Roulers was evacuated
too hastily to enable the Germans to
carry out their threats. although the
populace. openly hostile, began shooting
at the retreating Germans from cellars
and killed struggling Germans with pitch
forks and other weapons"
No Let-Up in Battles.
The battles in Poland continue al
most without intermission. and while
both Russians and Germans announce
successes, and the capture of prisoners
and guns, apparently no decisive result
has been reached in any series of con-
tests. The Germans are still deliver
ing heavy blows at the Russian center.
where, they assert. they took 1000
prisoners and forty machine guns:
while to the south of Cracow, where
the Russians are on the offensive.
Grand Duke Nicholas records the cap
ture of 1000 prisoners, four guns and
seven machine guns.
Another Russian force is holding the
passes of the Carpathians and is thus
preventing the Austrians from sending
relief to their army in Galicia. There
is no news of the German troops who
are advancing south of Mlawa, with
the object of attempting to turn the
Russian right. since Petrograd report
ed a partial success over them.
Bulgaria, according to Paris report,
has expressed to the powers of the
triple entente her desire to remain
neutral. This means that Roumania.
if she so wished, would be able to join
the allies without fear of being at
tackled by Bulgaria.
Thrilled by Naval Feat.
The feat of Lieutenant Commander
Holbrook in diving under five rows of
mines in the Dardanelles and torpedo
ing the Turkish battleship Messudieh
is described here as perhaps the bold
est marine exploit of the war. The sub
marine presumably was not scratched.
She escaped gunfire and the pursuit of
torpedo boats in a manner truly re-
markable. and 1t was necessary for her
crew to endure the ordeal of remaining
under water for nine hours on a stretch.
Russian guns have from time to time
inflicted some damage on Turkish war
ships bombarding Russian ports. but
the disaster reported today robs the
porte of its first big ship. The loss of
life is not estimated in the brief an
nouncement Of the episode given out
by the British admiralty. but il the
Messudteh was manned as other Turk
ish ships have been. then there were
a number of German officers on board.
Decisive Victory Claimed.
PETRoGRAD, December II. via Lon
don. 2:20 p.m.-Reports reaching here
operations OF Russian forces north of
Warsaw. partial success of which was
announced last week, have now re-
ing pierced the German front beyond
and Przasnysz. The Rus
sian success on this front, according to |
these advice;, has been c1inched by q |
wide swinging movement of the ad- |
vancing Russian left on the main high |
way from Plock to Mlawa. concluding
in heavy cavalry engagement at Ju- |
rominetna, seven miles southeast OF
MlAWl
Russian successes Of this nature would !!
nave three important vesults-the i'm |
medi tie pressure north or warsaw I.
would be relieved and the German
threat against The railroad lines leading
east from the city would be answered.