The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1914-12-04
KAISER WILHELM AND CAR
NICHOLAS DIRECT ARMIES
BATTLING IN NORTHERN
POLAND.
ENGLISH AND BELGIAN
KINGS WITH SOLDIERS
Germans Appear to Have Succeeded in
Breaking Through Russian Lines,
But Their Flanks are Still
Harassed by the Cossacks
Losses Heavy.

London, Dec. 3.-The battle in
Northern Poland, concerning the pro-
gress of which there has been so much
mystery, is now being fought out I'M
der the eyes of the German Emperor
on the one side and the Russian EN-
peror on the other. These two mon
archs left for the front so that virtual
ly the heads of all the nations at war
are with their troops.
The King of England is in France;
the King of Belgium, as usual, is
spending all his time with his soldiers,
while President Poincare of France
has started for another visit to the
northern battlefield.
Official news from Poland continues
to be scanty and with both headquar-
ters claiming successes it is impossible
to say how the battle is going. OF its
intensity, however, there can be no
doubt.
Dash into Russian Troops.
The Germans, when they started for
Warsaw, dashed full tilt into a mass of
Russian troops and forced their way
so far in that the Russians closed on
them. This was taken in Petrograd to
mean that some of the German divis-
ions had been cut off, and that their
surrender or humiliation was inevi-
table.
1t appears, however, that fighting for
their very lives and in the knowledge
that great defeat would end the
German offensive and compel them to
fall back on their own frontiers, the
German troops succeeded in breaking
through the Russian lines at one place
and at another in holding their en-
trenchments against all the Russian
attacks. Their TANKS are still being
harassed by the Cossacks, but seem
ingly the Russians are not now in
position to gain the sweeping victory
they had anticipated.
The losses with the desperate fight
ing which has been going on for
fortnight must necessarily be very
heavy on both sides.
Capture $4,000 Men.
Against the Austro-German forces in
gain more decisive results. They are
now in possession of all the Austrian
positions protecting the Carpathian
passes and are said to have arrived
abreast of Cracow, while their cap
lures for three weeks number $4,000
men.
In the West, although the German
official report says there is nothing to
communicate, the French official state
ment notes a somewhat lively cannon
AIDE in Belgium and German activity to
the north of Arras. This may mean
that the Germans have commenced, or
are about to commence another at
tempt to get through to the French
posts. Certainly there are some inn
portant changes in the dispositions of
the German troops, but what they
foreshadow is known only to the Ger
man general staff.
Look for Battle in France.
Military men here, taking opposing
camps, believe on the one side that
the Germans will rest content with
holding their present positions until
the close of the battle in Poland,
where they need all the men they can
get, while the other looks for an i'm
mediate resumption of the battle in
Northern France and Flanders.
The Germans, too, according to
Dutch reports, are strongly fortifying
Zeebrugge, and other Belgian ports.
against renewal of the attacks by the
Allied fleet. The fighting which has
taken place around Ypres was due to
the Allies pushing their lines forward.
Three Battles Raging.
London, Dec. Another day of the
crucial battle between the Russians
and the Germanic allies in Poland has
passed without news of decisive re-
suit The Berlin official statement
says there is nothing of Importance to
report from Poland, while the Russian
government rests upon its warning
against over-optimism.
The facts as cleaned from various
messages of correspondents appear to
be that three semi-independent en-
gagements are progressing between
Thorn on the north and Cracow on the
south, in which both combatants have
achieved local successes without a
distinct victory for either.
German Forces Split.
Some Of the British military experts
believe that Field Marshal Won linden
burg's forces have been split into three
units, one of which certainly is al
most completely enveloped, while the
Russians have driven wedge between