The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-23
SEA AND LAND FORCES
JOIN IN OPERATIONS
British DreaGnoughts Add Their
Strength to Belgian Attacks
or Germans.
AlRNIEN DIRECT FIRE OF GUNS
For Spectacular Effect. Ferocity OF
Action and Appalling Losses Battle
Is Realization OF Most Fantastic
Dream Picture.
Especial to The Times Dispatch.l

Especial to The Times Dispatch.l
LONDON. October o2.-On the wes-
tern Belgian coast there is being fought
battle which, for display OF advanced
military and naval science, for spccta-
appalling losses is IA realization Of the
most fantastic dream picture of the
war of the future" ever put on, paper
or canvas.
The admittedly strongest army in the
world is being held impotent by one of
the weakest. numerically.
The Germans. heavily reinforced by
fresh land troops. and by Il naval bril-
Eade of 10000 men, have extended their
base from Ostend To AIarlakerke and
Middle Kerke, halfway between Os-
tend and Newport. and from these po-
sitions are s,lelling the Belgian line.
which extends from Newport south
along the River User, a distance of
eighteen miles, with their left flank
resting on the coast
The Belgians are being aided BY the
French land forces, the British war
ships on the sea. and the British moui-
tors and small gunboats In the canals
and rivers.
When not directing the fire OF their
huge seventcen-inch guns against the
Belgian position. the Germans are re-
ish Dreadnoughts, which to-day added
their strength to the British feet
The fire Of tho British guns is di-
rected and corrected constantly by OBJ
servers in captive balloons and aero
planes. The flying machines circle low
about tho German positions, risking
death at every swoop, In order to be
within effective observation distance,
BRITISH SHIPS AIDED
BY DARING FILTERS
While from tho air the British ships
are being aided by the daring nlers, be-
meath the surface OF the sea, even as
thoy fire OH the German positions, Ger
man submarines, with deadly torpedoes
charged for their disastrous thrust.
resting on the tubes, are constantly
menacing the hulls of the great ships,
TO protrude their periscopes for hut n
moment above the surface, to burt their
engines of death and TO disappear IL. n
twinkling.
The forces of nature itself are being
employed. for to-day's dispatches re-
port that the bikes of the User have
been cut and the banks for consider
able distances have been flooded, while,
stretching away in the direction of the
attacking German front, at high tide.
the land is SO inundated as to effective
ly preclude the possibility of any adj
vance In force.
the land between the two lines swampy.
and with this added inundation, tho
Germans to-day found they were un-
able TO progress even far enough for
effective range against the British
ships
The ferocity of the three -cornered
battle continued undiminishcd to-day.
The losses on both Sides are reported
10 be terrific.
The Germans are reported to have
left 10000 dead and wounded on the
field.
In the British naval bombardment
to-day the town OF Slype. which was
held I'm force by the Germans. was
utterly destroyed. and the house oc-
cupied by the German headquarters
staff was blown to bits.
Ganeral Won Trip and his. staff at
Middle Kerke are reported in a news
agene. dispatch TO have been ami
hilated by shell from the British
ships
One. of the British balloonists, whilr
signaling the range to the ships. was
killed by the German guns.
The Germans for the first time in
the lighting on the coast are declared
to be on the defensive