Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-31
French Claim Capture Of
Half of AIsatian
Village.
GERMANS STILL HOLD
TOWN, DECLARES BERLIN
Buildings Wrecked b.
SheIIs-Entire French Com
pany Wiped Out.
RUSSIANS CLAIM VICTORY
OVER TURKISH FORCE
Vienna Declares czar's Troos
Have Been Repulsed at Car :
pathian Passes. E
BY the United Press.

BY the United Press. -
PARIS. Dec. sl.-The Trench
occupied one-half of the vdlias -
Steinbach, In upper Alsacs. fcs
ing one Of the most desperate
gagements Of the war to date -
western front They had Hterak o.
battle their way from house to hdk,
meeting raking machine IRE n
the raptd-frers the Germans Ia
posted on rooftops and IN Wlndoml
The losses on both sides were ver3
large. Occupation of this position il
declared officially to be Of the most
strategic Importance. opening as Il
does the ways to the roads that run
to Altldrche and Muelhausef.
Announcement OF this advance fer
the forces Of General Pau was tie
chief feature OF the afternoon ofHcias
communique. Il was stated at milf
tary headquarters that the Germans
were defeated only after hours Of
the most desperate fighting IN which
the French essayed half q dozen
bayonet charges Repulsed they
came back again and again, until
they finally gained a foothold on the
very outskirts of the village. They
then advanced from house to houss
using their own machine guns to dis
lodge the Germans.
The fighting IS now confined to tine
centre and right wing of the Fre4lcfs
lines. From the sea to the Aisne tfe
situation was reported quiet todas
The snow and rains have made actiya
operations impossible, The troops ake
lsre1slaaaSfE IN their 4kere'e afss
thssf q 6, keep aEyaE<a-
North kfesniiIes- Ezr1us tfit
French have taken the offensive ami
they have captured number OF the
German trenches in that region. To
the north of Beause-Jour farm q Ger
man counter attack was repulsed and
the Germans were driven back on
their own secondary lines.
Slight gains are reported in the Ar
gonne region.
BERLIN. Dec, 81 Cby wireless to
London, 3 p. n.)-The German Of
fcial statement given out In Berlin
this afternoon relates that In the vii
lage of Steinbach. in Alsace, house
after house was destroyed by the
French artillery, but that the com
munity is still in possession of the
I
pany was annihilated on the northern
end of the line; French at acks
south of Rheims were repulsed; n
the Argonne the Germans occupied
several French trenches and captured
$50 prisoners, and their artillers
broke down French attacks in uppeE
Alsace.
! The situation In East Prussia.
north of the Vistuia and on the Pill
1 l. a1-rr erna4
while east Of the Bzura river the
fighting continues.
/ BY the Associated Press.
AMSTERDAM, Holland. Dec. q.
via London. 452 p. m.-What is de-
scribed as an unofficial telegram. baf
/ which, nevertheless. was issued to-
| day by the German army headauar-.
/ ters, has been received here. It reads
"Our troops In Poland are pursu
1 ing the enemy. After the bait es OF
| LODI and Lowicz We took more than
! s., 900 prisoners and many cannon
/ and machine guns.
The entire booty since the begir
ming OF our offensive in Poland IL
! November totals 10000 prisoners
machine guns.
| BY the Associated Press.
| LONDON, Dec. s1-FroIn the frzS
mentary and conflicting official rs
ports Of the war today two naasa
tendencies are observed. In the vest
along the entire front from Aisaee to
the North sea, the allies are exerting
steady pressure. and. according to
their claims, some Of which have not
been disputed by Germany. they have
made a slow progress almost every
where In the east the defeat of the
| Austrians in Gancia is not denied.
but Vienna declares that the efforts
of the Russians 70 force the Car
pathian passes have been repulsed.
The German forces IN Poland appear
to have found It extremely difficult
to continue their advance toward
Warsaw. Berlin states that further
progress is being made. but Petrograe
believes the German offensive has
broken down.
Claim Turks Defeated.
An official communication from
IPetrograd indicates that one OF tho
most sanguinary battles of the war,
lin proportion 10 the numbers inz
volved, has taken place in the Trans
lCaucasus. The Russians state that q
Turkish column was dispersed by ar
tillery and that the Turks lost hali
Iof their number.
There are increasing indications In
the opinion of British observers q
events on the continent that q sefio0=
allied offensive movement against the
whole German line in the westef
arena OF the war win be postponed
until such time as larger contingent
of Lord Kitchener's new army take
the field.
PETRoGRAD. Dec. 81 delayed II
transmission).-The following com
munication from the general staf C.