Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-05
Germans Defy Death in
Heroic Effort to Break
Russian Circle.
SHOT DOWN IN ROWS
Petrograd Reports Ninety Per
Cent of KaiSer'S Officers
Put Out of Action.
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS.

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS.
Desperate hand to hand fighting in
trenches and use of hand grenades
and bomb throwing machines are de-
scribed in British official eye witness
report which also discloses that the
allies are using tunnel to bring up
apparatus for a subterranean approach
on the German entertainments. Re
ports from French and German war
offices make claims of progress on
both sides.
There is little news from the east.
The newest phase of the war indi-
Gated by the days dispatches is heavy
fighting in Alsace, where the French
have maintained foothold on German
territory since the opening of hostili-
ties. Comparatively little has been
heard of the struggle there, but it is
known the French are on the aggress-
i've. The main battle is near Alt
kirch, where the German war office
says the French attacks have been
repulsed.
Dispatches from Petrograd give ad-
ditional details of the fighting in the
seat and indicate that the Germans
who fought their way out of the Rus
sian trap performed valorous feats.
heavy force outside Lodz, which was
hemmed in, cut its way through the
enemy for Is miles in the bloodiest
battle of the war.
Petrograd, Dec. 5-The most tragic
moment of the fighting about Lodz
thus far occurred between Tuszyn and
Brzeziny, southeast of Lodz. Heavy
German forces which had penetrated
to TusZyn were surrounded by Rus
slams and had to fight their way to
unite with the main body. The Ger
mans finally cut their way through for
distance of Is miles.
The battle was the bloodiest and
most pitiless of the war. Ninety per
cent of the German officers were put
out of action and many regiments had
less than 100 men left The fighting
lasted SO hours. The Germans fell in
rows, but their comrades leaped over |
their bodies and hurled themselves |
against the Russians.
Austrian Ranks Depleted.
Petrograd, Dec. 5.-The military |
critic of the Bourse Gazette reckons |
the loss of Austrians in prisoners is
equal to their number of dead and |
wounded and places the fighting |
of Austrians at two-thirds OF
what it was at the beginning of the
war He also points out that the large
numbers of colonels and lieutenant
among the prisoners indi-
Gates decentralization of the Austrian
forces and loss of fighting spirit.
French Report Progress.
Paris, Dec. 5.-Official: North of
Lys we have made perceptible pro-
gress. Our infantry occupied two
lines of entertainments. In front of
PoeseIe, half way between DiXmude
and Ypres, we took house belonging
10 a ferryman, possession of which
had been a matter of spirited fighting
,or a month. In the region of Arras
and in Champagne there have been
cannonades from both
sides. We destroyed some of the en-
emy's earth works. Rheims has again
1een bombarded. In Argonne the con-
est continues hot. We have occupied
several trenches and repulsed all coun-
er attacks. In Lorraine and Alsace
here is nothing important"
French Attacks RepuIsed.
Berlin, Dec 5.-Oficial: French at t
acks yesterday in Flanders and south !
If Metz were repulsed. We made I
progress at Labassee, in the forest l
II Argonne and the region south of
In operations at East Ma I
urian lakes we took 1,200 prisoners. /
Operations in Poland are taking nor I
nal course" /
Venus Damaged by Storm.
London, Dec. 5.-The British cruis- Z
II Venus ran ashore in a storm. The
oremast and part of the bridge were
arried away by an enormous wave. d
he warship was running for a south y
England port when the storm broke. a
The Norwegian steamer Waterloo C
oundered OFF Lizard. Three persons G
'ere saved. The remainder of the g
rev is missing. The Booth liner An C
hony has been disabled by a storm I
ow sweeping over England, and is
I distress 30 miles north of Lizard.
Firing Makes Insane Frantic.
Berne, Switzerland. Dec. 5-Four :,
undred inmates OF a madhouse near 7
ennheim became so frightened by
lie sound of cannon firing they grew
-antic and tried to break out of the
sylum. German authorities con- s
eyed them TO Mulhausen. The sound d
cannonading in upper Alsace has :