The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-08-12
Battle At LIEGE
GERMANS MAKE FIERCE ATTACK
ON BELGIAN FORTS
ESTIMATED Loss 5000

For Two Days Gun Of Kaiser's Have
Battered the Walls of Liege-At-
tackers Suffer Heavy Loss on the
First Day but Renew Battle With
Great Vigor on Next Day.
| After having suffered a serious
check and heavy cauialties at the
hands of the Belgians at Liege We'd
Inesday the German troops Thursday
returned to the fray with redoubled
ardor, and Thursday night were
pounding away at the forts with
siege and field guns and rifles.
In the fighting Of Wednesday the
estimates of the German casualties
run as high at 5000 men, The inYa-
ders also are said to have lost a large
number of guns.
In one attack a German infantry
division supported By cavalry, march
ed onto mined grounr. The Belgians
detonated the mines and an entire
( battalion Of Germans were killed.
Wounded Germans to the number Of
1000 were picked up on the battle
field. It is estimated that in the fight
ing 100000 Germans were faced by
$4,000 Belgians.
In the attack on Fort Parchon,
| northeast of the city, the Belgians
| permitted the Germans to draw up al
most to the walls Of the fortress. They
| then turned loose their gus and the
slaughter is reported to have been
appalling. Under the terrific fire here
and from the other forts the Germans
| were forced to retire all along the
line.
A detachment of Uhlans penetrat-
ed the city Of Liege Wednesday night
with the intention, it is suspected, OF
capturing high officials. They mad ar
rived at the building where the Of
fcers had quarters when they were
surprised and all of them killed.
German shells Thrsday preached
the walls of two Of the fortresses,
which were captured. From the 9th
er forts, however, the Belgians COM
tinued to pour a deadly rain of shot;
and shell into the advancing Ger
mans.
The Germans were able to use
their light siege guns against the
forts of Liege, which are 80 years old.
Two of them are holding out. The
Belgians are making determined
resistance before their city.
1t seemed certain that the fortifi-
cations could not stop the German
army, and the only question was
whether its advance could be delay
ed. The Notifications already had
held for thirty-six hours and the
fierce struggle the Germans had
made, and would still have to make,
It was believed, would compel them
to pause and reVictual.
If the German army succeeds IN
destroying Liege it will find itself
confronted by an entrenched camp
at Namur, at which the Belgians are
preparing to make stand as fierce
as that at Liege. The Belgian army
was brilliantly fulfilling its task of
delaying the German advance, and 1t
appears certain the German plan for
campaign in Belgium would be him,
dered by the obstinate stand OF the
Belgians.
Despite the heroic resistance Of the
Belgians it is felt in Brussels that the
invaders, by reason Of their great
great strength, can not much longer
be denied and that ultimately they
must gain the city of Liege, whence
they are expected to press onward to
Namur in their effort to cross Bel =
gium to the French frontier. At
Namur, which is strongly fortified,
it is asserted the Germans will meet
resistance as strong as that at Liege.
The strategic Importance Of Liege
is many sided. Principally it is the
most strongly fortified obstacle to
the supposed plan of the Germans to
cut across the lower half OF Belgium
into French territory, but in addition
to this the city is of itself prize in
many ways Liege is the Pittsburg
of Belgium.
For miles to the southwest along
the river Meuse there are scores OF
blast furnaces, pudding furnaces,
rolling mills and forges. 1t is the
site of the famous Cockerill Works,
said to be the largest mandatory OF
machinery in the world. Liege proper,
with population of 10000, lies at
the junction of the Meuse and the
Ourthe in basin margined by hills.
All around the city is a wealth Of
coal and iron ore. The mines extend
even under the city and river. These
natural riches, in connection with the
favorable situation of the city at the
| junction of two navigable rivers,
have given rise to the extensive man
ufacturing industry in the city itself.
The products are varied, but the
principle ones, and that which would
make Liege a valuable prize of war,
is that of firearms. More than 49,
900 persons are employed in the
manufacture of guns, ranging from
small arms to the largest Of modern
weapons This is the royal cannon
factory and small arm factory also in
the suburb of St. Leonard.
In wars of the last century Liege
has played only small part, but to-
day the city is well defended with
modern Notifications. It's strength,
it is said, is far greater than gener-
ally has been appreciated by strate-
gists. In 1888 the Belgium authori-
ties decided to adequately fortify
both Liege and Namur, the two i'm