The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-11
SEES GERMAN
MACHINE GUNS
NOW DOWN FOE
"Mighty Little Fuss in This
Business of Killing"
Says Witness.
WATCHES FIGHTING
IN RUSSIAN POLAND
Ru rnt.d P,e,, stnr cor,c.pondcnt

Bv United Press stag Correspondent
On the firing line near Fest Wirballen,
Russian Poland. Oct. 9.-tBy courier TO
Insterburg, thence via Berlin. The Hague
and LondonD
The German artillery beat back the
Russian advance to-day. Yesterday
saw an infantry engagement. To-day
Il was mostly an artillery encounter.
The infantry attack is the more CHASTITY
but the artillery the more awe inspiring
As on Thursday. Fridays battle opened
at dawn. with two German officers as
signed as my chapcrons | had been at
tsched overnight to the field headqunr-
tiers. / slept well. exhausted by the
excitement Of my first night Of modern
war. but when dawn once again revealed
the two long lines of the Russian and
German positions the Russian guns be-
gan to bark their loads Of shrapnel at
the German trenches.
Stones spout Like Geysers.
The Russians did not have the Ger
man range. All of their shells flew
screamingly 1000 yards to our left.
Through my glasses | watched them
strike. The effect on the hillock was ex-
actly ms though a geyser had suddenly
spurted up. vast cloud of dirt and
stones and grass spouted, and when the
debris cleared away a great hole showed.
While We watched the Russians
seemed to tire Of shooting ho;es in an
inoffensive hill They began TO try
chance shots to the right and left.
1t was not many minutes before
realized that standing near a battery.
the execution OF which must have been
noted on the Russian side. had a
fine chance of experiencing shrapnel
bursting overhead. 1t was queer SEN
sation to peer through field glasses and
see the Russian shells veer a few hun
dred feet to the right. saw one strike
"A windmill shatterng the long arms
and crumplng it over in n slow burn
ing heap. Then we beat a retreat fur
Their toward the centre.
Russians Not In sight,
We had been standing behind a slight
declivity. I had not caught a glimpse
OF the Russians. Shells were the only
things that appraised us of their near
ness. But as we passed out on an open
field. considerably out of range OF the
field guns. could see occasional flashes
that bespoke field pieces a mile or SO
away. Behind us, on the extreme left
i was told the Russians were attacking
the German trenches by an infantry
charge, the German field telephone SER
Vice having apprised the commanders
along the front.
With glasses we could see a faint line
OF what must have been the Russian in
fantry rushing across the open fields. We
passed on to the centre, going slightly
TO the rear for horses. As we arrived
at the right wing we witnessed the last
OF Russian infantry advance at that
end. The wave Of Russians had swept
nearly to the German trenches, situated
between two sections Of field artillery,
and there had been repulsed.
Russians were lying in front OF these
pits. dead, dying or less seriously
wounded. cut down by the terrible spray
Of the German machine guns. got
up to the trenches as the German fire
slackened because OF the lack Of targets.
The Russians had gone back. Strewn
In the trenches were countless empty
shells, the bullets of which had, as II
looked to my inexpert eye, slain thou
sands. AS a matter Of fact. there were
Hundreds OF dead In the open field
ahead
German infantrymen spat on their
rapid firers as We reached the trench
and delightedly called our attention "a
the sizzle that told how hot the barrels
we're from the firing. The men stretched
their cramped limbs, helped few
Wounded to the rear and waited for
breakfast
II was not long in coming. Small lines
OF men struggling along under steamine
buckets came hurrying up to the ac-
compartment of cheers and shouts
They bore soup that the men in the
trenches gulped down ravenously
Meanwhile men with the white brassarC
and the red Geneva cross We're busy Out
IN the open lending succor to the Rus,
sian wounded. The battle seemed L
have come to a sudden halt.
Russians Begin BOmba RI ment.
But even as / was getting my soul
the artillery fusillade broke forth again
inc huSSlahs apparently had enough o
the infantry charging. They were set
Ting down to a bombardment Theil
siege guns battered away, hurting hug,
shells all along the German positions
The infantrymen slipped back into tibet
trenches and crawled under little shelve
they had followed out in expectation o
the shrapnel they had learned from ex
perience would be coming along shortly
1t happened. however that this hail o
shrapnel did not come until nearly moor
whom we had gone back again To IN