South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-10-23
WAR ON WESTERN
BELGIAN COAST
IS SPECTACULAR
Land and Sea Forces of Allies
Use All Science Known to
Military to Check German
Advance.

LONDON. oct 23.-On the western
Belgian coast there is being fought a
battle. which. for display Of advanced
military and naval science, for spec
tacuIar effect. for ferocity Of action
and appalling losses is a realization
~ the most fantastic drawn picture Of
the war Of the future" ever put on
paper or canvas.
The admittedly strongest army in
the world is being held impotert 10y
one OF the weakest numerically.
The Germans. heavily reinforced by
fresh land troops and by "a naval bril-
gade of 10000 men have extended
their base from OsterA TO Mariskerke
and Aiddlekcrke, half way between
Ostend and Newport. and from these
positions are Smelling the Belgian line
which extends from Newport south
along the river User. a distance of Is
miles with their left flank resting on
tho coast
The Belgians arc being aided by the
French land forces. the British war
ships on the sea and the British mon
itors and small GunbOats i'm the canals
and rivers
When not directing the fire Of their
huge 17-inch guns against the Bel
gian position the Germans are reply
AAiH AN Alif fdnlAUUdulHE OF the BIAll<H
dreadnaughts which today added their
strength To the British fleet.
The fire of the British guns is di-
rccted and corrected constantly by OBJ
servers in captive balloons and aero
planes. The flying machines circling
low about the German positions. risk
ing death at every swoOp. in order to
he within effective observation dis
lance.
Submarines and AeropIancs
While from the air the British ships
are being aided by the daring flyers.
beneath the surface of the sea even
as they fire ON the German positions.
German submarines with deadly tor
pedoes charged for their destructive
thrust resting ready in their tubes.
are constantly menacing the hulls Of
the great fighting ships-tO prOtrude
their periscOpes for but "A moment
about the surface TO hurl their en-
gines Of death and to disappear in 4
twinkling
The forces of nature itself are being
employed for tOday's reports that the
dykes have been cut and the banks
for considerable distances lave been
flooded while stretching away in the
direction Of the attacking German
front at high tide the land is so mum
dated as 90 effectively preclude the
possibility OF any advance in force.
The continued rains had already
made the land between the two lines
swampy and with this added inunda-
ton the Germans today found they
were unable TO progress even far
enough for effective range against
the British ships.
The ferocity of the three-cornered
bOmbardment continued undiminished
today. The losses on both sides are
reported TO be terrific. The Germans
are reported to. have left 10000 dead
and wounded on the field.
Slype Is Destroyed.
In the British naval bOmbardment
today the town Of Slype which was
held in force by the Germans was ut
terly destroyed and the house occupied
by the German headquarters staff
was blown 10 bits
one of the balloonists while signal
ing the range to the ships was killed
10y the fire from the German guns.
\ wireless dispatch from Berlin
claims that the German artillery dis
abled one of the British destrOyers.
So accurate has been the fire of the