Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-11-17
FIGHTING LAGS
As SNOW FALLS
Germans, Pushed Back Of
User Again, Ease Up in
Desperate Sallies
YREPARE QUARTERS
TO SPEND WINTER
Russians Warn Allies Not
to Expect too Rapid an
Advance on Berlin

london, Nov. 16.--The armies of the
allies and of Germany remain dead
locked in West Flanders today along
the battle line, where the snow is now
ankle deep There is prospect of fur
ther intermittent artillery duels and
infantry clashes, which for more than
a month, have been swinging back and
forth without definite result. The
snow and the generally adverse wealth
er conditions in Flanders will make
necessary more frequent shifts of men
in the trenches, and there will be more
sickness, especially lung and throat af-
fections
The Germans have not abandoned
their attempt to reach the French
coast towns and yet they have not ad-
vanced. Today. according to the claims
of the allies, the Germans are back on
the right bank of the User, having been
forced to release their grip on points
on the left bank held SO stubbornly
by them last week. This retirement is
described in the official communication
given out in Paris hast night as the
''1nost noteworthy incident of the day"
Fix Winter Quarters.
In the meantime the Germans are
nutt;ng the finishing touches to the de-
fe-,ses stretching row after row from
Ostend to the Dutch border, and should
their present lines be broken. they
probably will endeavor to winter in
these carefully prepared positions.
In the eastern arena the Germans
are exeucting$ similar plans in the face
OF the Russian advance. 1T is said that
great German forces are being con
certrated at Thorn, Posen and Breslau,
with the idea of keeping the Russians
out of important districts in the prov
inces of Posen and Silesia
a word of caution to the allies comes
from Petrograd. This is that they must
not expect the Russians to sweep on
to Berlin over night. as this advance
may take months and even longer. The
Germans occupy the defenses they
have been preparing for years, and in
addition to this they may be able to
spare more men for the operations on
their eastern front. Russian armies
teesmoh aMw All EN-
seem to be gradually converging on
Cracow, and the investment of this
place appears to be not far off. 1t is
suggested that the Austrian garrison
of Cracow might surrender to avoid
bombardment but this can be called
nothing more than suggestion.
Advance in Prussia.
IN East Prussia the Russian forward
movement seems to continue, and 1t IS
said that the Russian generals are I'M
posing on the captured towns hnes In
proportion to those levied by the Ger
mans on the cities of Belgium. These
fines correspond with the population OF
The town taken.
The British operations against the
Turks have spread the conf1agration
to the southern entrance to the Red
Sea. where Indian troops, assisted by
British warships, have taken Turkish
Tort. In the Caucasus the Russians
and the Turks are still at grips, both
sides claiming victories.
The spy agitation in England again
has flared up. Today all persons leav-
ing London for the continent must de-
part from designated railroad station,
where the person and the baggage OF
every traveller is subjected to search
for maps and drawings and anything
else that might be intended for the use
Of the enemy.
Paris, Nov. 16-A semi-official ex-
planation of the French position in the
forest of Argonne was given out in
Paris this afternoon. It said:
''The fighting line has not changed
perceptibly in the last two months
The French and German trenches are
separated at some points by distance
not exceeding fifty yards. Infantry