The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-08-16
But Insists That Frontier is
Intact at All Points
and Reports
Victories.
AEROPLANES WORKING
Germany's Reply to Charges Of eru-
s taIity Say Other Countries
Must Take the
Blame.
lBy VIM. Philip SImms United Press
Staff Core espondent.l

10y oulkS0 1000
Staff Correspondent.l
PARIS Aug. 15.-Four develop.
ments tho result of serious fighting
since tho opening of the war, were
published by the war office tonight.
which declared them Of estlmabIe I'M
portance to the cause of the allies.
They were:
many's plan for sudden rust, toward
Paris; first by the penetration of the
French frontier by the army of the
MoselIe from Metz through the gap In
the Notifications between Toui and
Epina, made impossible by the
French invasion Of Alsacc and seizure
of the vosges mountain passes; sec
ondIy, by the lasting check and re-
verses due to the heroism of the Bel
sian field forces.
Second-The perfect and swift
mobilization Of the French army with
complete munitions and equipment,
making possible coordination with the
allies.
Third-The complete domination Of
@SSoS''o W SSt N'0uSJ ss'0o S'SSN'
ing the sending Of Austrian reinforce
ments either against France or Rus
sia.
Fourth-The control Of the seas by
J the united French and British fleet
which nsures the rcvitualing o,
France and England.
The war once now admits that the
iosses in the tahting In AlEace in the
passes Of the vosges mountains and
! the region on the frontier extending
from luneviIIe northwest to Mont
medy have been large. But it insists
that the French frontier is intact
everywhere and that The road is now
open SO that an advance in force on
| Strassburg, the ancient capital Of
Asaee-Lorraine, can be pushed early
next week.
| In the frontier fighting, The aero
plane corps has indeed proven the
! eyes Of the army. Time and again
advancing German raiding columns,
inten ded to surprise the French out-
posts, have been loo ated and an
initiated. Two instances of this were
dweIt on in the official reports today.
One was in the fighting that gave the
French forces control Of the Saale
PASS which dominates the valley of
the Drushe, an affluent Of the Rhine.
German forces were entrenched in a
very strong position but the French
airman mapped the forts, locating all
the defense guns and the French, ad-
vancina in force, supported by artil-
Iery, placed their guns so they were
able to get The range Of the German
guns right from the start. The
French artillery proved far superior
to the German according to the war
office reports and were able to dis
able most of the defending guns.
Then the French charged the Ger
man front and carried Il at the point
Of the bayonet, driving the Germans
completely through the pass and into
the open country beyond. The second
was when a very strong German COL
unn was sent from Metz toward the
French frontier defenses. Lou. be-
foe they had reached the French
border an attacking column of French
infantry, supported by cavalry and
motorcycle detachments and several
batteries of artillery had taken up
position fronting the advancing Ger
man lire. The result was complete
check to the Gsrmans who were driv-
en- back on Metz with heavy loss. Dur
ina this engagement a German avia-
tor flew over the French advanced
base and droppco three bombs, none
of which did any damage to the
troops who saw the aviator coming.
He was pursued to the German line
by French ,-'ators but made his
escape.
Field Marshal Sir John French, the
commander in chief of the British
army now on French and Belgian soil,
who yesterday joined General Joffre
at the French concentration base,
spent today in Paris. He conferred
with the chiefs of the army general
staff and also paid his respects to the
president. The presence Of the Brit
ish commander in chief was taken as
Indicating that the first British ex-
redi.ionary force, the strength OF
which is carefully withheld. but which