Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-10-24
ALLIES ABLE TO
HOLD POSITIONS
French Official Statement
Says the Battle Front Is
Not Much Changed
GROUND IS GAINED
TO OFFSET REVERSES
Little News From Right of
Line; Slight Success Is
Claimed in Center


Paris, Oct 23.-The Official an
nouncement given out at the war Of
flee this afternoon says:
"On our left wing the very consid-
cradle German forces whose presence
was reported yesterday have con.
tinued very violent attacks in the en-
tire region between the sea and the
canal of La Bassee.
Generally speaking, the situation of
the allied forces has been maintained.
II the allies have had to yield at GER
tain points, they have advanced at
others. The enemy also has evidenced
very great activity in the region Of
Arras and on the river Somme. To
the north and south of this stream we
have progressed, particularly in the
region of Rosieres.
In Santerre, in the region of Yer
dun, and in the region of Pont-A-Mous-
son we have had some partial sue
cess. On the rest of the front there
is nothing to report.
ITO sum up: The enemy appears
to be undertaking, along the major
part of the front and particularly be-
tween the North sea and the Disc, a
new effort making use of corps made
up of new organizations. These are
composed of men recently drilled
some of them very young and others
middle aged. and have staffs drawn
from various parts of the army.
TN h. ~ %I@
lea, the Germans still hold the Wis
tula river with the exception of the
inehfrom Ivangorod to Kozielide This
Russians.
'All the efforts made by the Aus
trians to cross the river San to the
north OF Jaroslau have been repulsed,
and the Russians are undertaking the
offensive in this region"
Losses Are Heavy.
London, Oct. 23.-The only rock
bottomed fact which Englishmen are
able to point to today as basis for
their belief that the climax has about
been reached in the sea, land and air
battle across the channel Is that ar
mics, however numerous, cannot in
definitely face the defamation of their
ranks which has marked this. the lat
est. phase of the great campaign.
For nearly week now this tripar-
tite combat has ragged with unabated
fury between forces up to the pres
ent time so equal in strength that the
fronts have swayed back and forth
without either being able to register
a decisive victory. That the slaugh-
ter in these fierce efforts and counter
efforts to break through the opposing
lines transcends anything heretofore
seen in this campaign, is admitted by
both Sides Nevertheless, neither the
terrible effect of the long range
British naval guns over flat lands Of
ferings no natural defensive positions,
although vouched for both officially
and unofficially, nor the onslaughts of
the allied forces on land has yet sue
ceeded in stemming the hacking
through" tactics of the Germans.
English news dispatches make
sweeping claims of annihilating sue
cesses, German advices assert con-
tinued progress, and Russian kilograms
report great victories. but well defined
evidence to support these various con-
tentions is lacking. and the real facts
appear to be that in neither the east
ern nor the western arenas of the war
has the tide yet turned decisively.
French Warships Aid.
Vessels from the French navy have
crept around the coast and were to-
day standing by the British monitors,
which are hurting shells landward be-
tween Ostend and Nieuport on the
Belgian coast in continuation of the
fierce battle for the possession of the
North sea and channel ports.
For the first time since the war be-
gan aircrafts and warships are aiding
simultaneously in the movements Of
land forces; thus the struggle is be-,
ing waged in the air, on the sea and on
the land at the same time.
The Germans are hurrying forward
fresh troops and heavy guns, the lat
ter to make reply to the damaging fire
from the ships, and although they
have been pushed back at certain
points they appear to be holding their
line between the sea and La Bassee
without however, making noteworthy
progress.
Communication Cut?
That the German line south of
ne+ond ha g thaan ont and that a retire. |