The chronicle=news., 1914-12-24


thes In the Arsonnc; in the forest
( of AprcmOnt, and near st. Die.
Fog prevented fighting near Arras
and Ncrdun. and there has been ar
tillcry activity southeast of Amiens.
near Villc-Sur-Tourbe, and in the
forest of ADremont.
/ The text of the communication fol-
lows:
From the sea to the Lys we made
progress by sapping operations in the
dunes and we repulsed an attack in
front of Lombaertzyde. At Swart-
ellen to the southeast of Ypres we o.
cupied II group OF houses and We
drove back as far as the southern
part of this village a counter attack
of the enemy. This was done in spite
of very spirited fire from the Ger
man artillery.
The Belgian army pushed for
ward certain detachments along the
right bank of the User to the south
of DiXmude and organized a defens-
i've work protecting the head of
bridge.
In the region of Arras the fog
still made all operations impossible.
TO the east and to the southeast
of Amiens. especially in the suburbs
of Las Signy there have been artil-
lery exchanges.
In the region of the Aisne, the
Zouavcs during all day yesterday
held back brilliantly a number Of at
tacks: they remained master at a
Mt 10 nj Iisln of
the German trenches occupied by us
Dec. u.
In Champagne we strengthened
the positions taken by us in our adj
vance of the night before in the re-
gion of Craonne and Rheims.
In the vicinity of Pcrthes, all the
counter attacks of the enemy on the
positions conquered by us December
% were successfully repulsed. To
the northwest of Mesnile Les Hurlus,
we occupied German trenches for a
distance of 400 yards and we drove
back counter attack. The Germans
endeavored to-, take the, offensive in
the direction of Vile Sur Tourbe,
but our artillery dispersed them.
In the Argonne we took posses;
sion of Il piece of ground in the for
est of La Grurie, and in the vicinity
of BaGatelle We repulsed a German
attack.
Paris, Dec. 24.-An official COM
municatiOn issued today by the
French minister of marine says:
| An Austrian submarine fired two
torpedoes at a French armored
cruiser in the striat of Otranto, one
of them exploding forward. The
damage done to the vessel was I'M
important None of the cruisers
crew was injured
| London, Dec. 2i.-An official bull
letin issued in Paris today says that
an Austrian submarine torpedoed a
French battIeship in the glof of or
ranto.
The battleship was damaged only
slightly. No one was injured.
Paris. Dec. 24.-General .Ioffre,
the French commander-in-chie said
to Colonies. Ignatieff and Yarde-
Butler the Russian and English mill
tary attaches at the field headQuar-
ters of the French army, three or
four days ago:
Come with me and you will see
isomething never seen before in war. y
The military attaches accompanied
the general TO place near the lines
mot far from Arras. There 500 piec-
es of heavy artillery were placed in a
position so as to bear upon COM
oaratively short pleNus of German
lentrenchments. The ranges already
had been found.
Upon a word from General Joffre,
repeated by his aides telephonically.
the 600 pieces opened sustained
fire upon the German works and the
spaces Just behind them.
| After quarter of an hour the
French infantry charged. Not hos
tile shot met them. Not a bayonet
CLEANED over the edge of the works.
The trenches actually were torn to
1