The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-10-28
BATTLING To Death
BRITISH EARSHIPS AID ALLIED
FORCES In BELGIUM
GERMAN ATTACK Strong
Invaders Renew Their Attempts to
Break Through Allied Lines
Fighting in Belgium and Around
: Coast Described as of the Fiercest
Characteristic Result Obtained.

There has been no cessation of the
battle. in Belgium and northern
France. All official communications
declare the fighting is of the tercest
character character and that the Brit
ish warships continue to aid the Al
lies with heavy she'll fire. One re-
port has it that the British feet is
being assisted by French squadron,
. The British admiralty praises the
work on the warships and reports
great damage to the Germans from
their fire. 1t adds that the naval
losses have been small and that the
German artillery is having difficulty
in finding the range. The operations
Of the British warships are under the
direction of Rear Admiral Hood.
Germany officially reports that a
British torpedo boat destroyer OF the
Belgian coast has been put out OF
action by the German shells, and re-
fers optomistically to the progress OF
the battle along the whole front.
Evidently the Germans are taking
a strong offensive, because the
French official communication in re-
ferring to the violent engagement
which has been going on for several
days says the Germans have not been
able to force back either the Belgian
army or the Franco-British troops.
Belgian villages along the coast
north of Ostend are suffering severely
from shell fire. Lying, as they DO,
between the German lines and the
British warships off the beach, some
are reported wiped out and others
badly damaged. 1t is believed, how
ever, that virtually all the inhabi-
tants fed wheL the Belgian army re-
tired behind the User River.
The British squadron of the coast
of Belgium, which now forms the ex-
treme left wing of the allied line, has
performed effective service in the last
few days. The warships have played
a great part in the severe fighting
near Newport.
A correspondent of the London
Times reports that on Monday the
beet was attacked by German sub
marines, but a patrol Of destroyers
came I'D in time to drive of the sub
marines. The engagement took place
while the British cruisers were firing
on coast batteries.
On Saturday night, according 20
correspondents in Belgium, the war
ships observed that the Germans were
digging trenches along the coast,
flares lighting up their operations.
This enabled the ships to get the eN-
act range. and at daylight, they she'll
ed the German positions. A CORE
spondent of the Daily Telegraph in
Belgium says the warships effectively
bombarded villages along the coast
which had been occupied by the Ger
mans. Between the ships and the
Belgians the Germans found them
selves caught in a trap and lost heav-
lily.
..The rattle of machine guns sup
plemented the noise OF the naval
guns" says the correspondent. The
Germans, caught between two fires,
began to waver and slowly gave way
before the pressure of the infantry.
The strength o. the attack was then
increased, and soon tne whole Ger
msn line resting on the coast was IN
full retreat"
The British admiralty announced
Thursday that the monitors Severn,
Humber and Mersey have been en-
gagged on the Belgian coast, firing on
the German right flank. Owing to
the light draught of these vessels,
they were able to contribute mater
tally to the success of the operations.
abundantly pustifying their acquisi-
ton at the outbreak of the war. De-
tachments with machine guns were
landed and assisted meritoriously in
the defence of Nieuport. The casual
ties were one officer killed and twelve
men wounded and missing.
It is reported that British warships
silenced six German batteries and
Germans lost 1900 artillerymen kill
ed or wounded. The fighting in this
region, network Of canals and small
rivers, is taking the name Of the bat
tie Of the canals. 1t is conjectured
that the British are using small tor
pedo boats and gunboats in these
canals, supplementing with this force
their larger cruisers off the coast.