The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-17
MILITARY. AWATORS THROW BOMBS 0N FORTRESS
Details of Daring Exploit At Metz Received In Of ficial Communication
 to Paris

fafls' August 16-f4;1O D. m)-De- lalls Of a daring exploit at Metz. car Tied out by French military ayfators We're given today in an official com mumeation issued by the war affice which says
 At o:so on Friday evening Lieuten ant Cesari and Corporal Prudhomme llylng in separate aeroplanes, left the French fortress of verdun with orders to reconnoiter and if possible destroy the dirigible balloon shed in the Ger man fortress at Metz.
 Lieutenant Cesari flew over the fortress at height of nearly 5000 Feet, while Corporal Prudhomme re- mained at the lower altitude of about $500 feet. A terrific fire was directed on the two aviators from the fortress garrison and during the fusillade the motor of the 1ieutenant's aeroplane stopped. As he did not wish to fail in his mission he began to volplane and while doing this threw a bomb with marvellous coolness. Shortly afterward he succeeded in getting his motor started again.
 Tn the meantime the corporal had hurled his projectile also.
 ''The smoke over the city prevented the aviators seeing whether they had been successful, but they believed they had achieved their purpose and flew away amid a rain of shells from quick firing guns. They returned safely to Verdun."
 Troops Engaged Near Dinant
 The onlcial communication contin-
 Belgian and German troops were re- ported to be fighting today near Dinant to the south of Namur, Belgium. French troops also were in the vicinity.
 More than 300 German soldiers were taken prisoners by the French when they occupied a number of mountains in the vicinity of Donon or Rougemont, on the border of German Lorraine Fri day.
 "The Dutch troops in the Netherlands provinces of North Bra bant and Linn burg are showing discontent against the Germans whom they accuse of be- ing responsible for the actual situa- ton. Dutch officers are finding diff culty In controlling their men.
 Further tales of the fighting around Rlamont and Grey Sur Vezouze in the French department of Meurthe- Mos elle show the Germans were strongly entrenched behind earthworks near Balmont when Friday evening the French divisions began their attack The German outposts repulsed the French. who at daybreak the follow ing day resumed the offensive, sup ported by artillery. They succeeded dur ing the afternoon in taking Blamont Ifl- ~ occupied the heights to the north from where they were also driven. The Ger man casualties were severe.
 All the German and Austrian SUD- jects resident in Morocco have been ex- pelled by French authorities and it is alleged they have extended their in- trigues with the natives since the be- ginning of the war.
 '"rhe transportation of troops and provisions in France prevents for the moment the resumption of normal rail- road traffic. but later 1t will be pos sible to increase the number of trains.
 General Riddle Dead
 "The German troops while evacuat ing a number of villages in southern Alsace committed many acts of bru- tality. Our troops found many houses burned and corpses riddled with bullets in the streets. notably at Dannemarie. near Altkirch. in southern Alsace."
 A dispatch from Rome received by the Havas agency today says the Tri- buna asserts it has learned from a good source that Greece has decided to de- mand explanations in Constantinople about the concentration of Turkish troops on the frontier of Thrace and that If the Turkish governments re- ply is not satisfactory Greece will mob ilize her army
 At Belfort, Jean Cruppi former French minister of justice, has gath cred together hundreds of children or poor reservists, now at the front, and will take care of them on his estate while the hostilities last.