Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-11-21


/ PARIS. November 2O.-Thc battle
front In Flanders and In France, from
the North Sea to the Mcuse. is storm
bound.
What tho two greatest war machines
ever assembled I'm the history of the
wars have failed to accomplish with
their ultra-modern engines In destruc-
tion. the elements to-day--in the phrase
of the War Office rcports--brought 10
successful conclusion. Both great
armies are silenccd.
: Tho rival battle lines. which ~ week
ago were great towers of strength
waging titanic struggle for the gain
OF II few hundred yards. only TO lose It
again ns the vanQuished OF the morn
tng's conflict by supreme effort be-
came the victors with the coming of
night. to-day remained two impotent
! masses. Great numbers were stricken
down before the fury of a terrific bliz-
zard. which levelcd the trenches. en-
reioped the big guns and chilled the
4; marrow in the bones OF the hghting
men.
THOUSANDS OF CASES
OF PNECMoNIA RE:PORrED
Thousaiids, or cases OF pneumonia
/ have been reported from tho front,
and every train 10 the rear from the
allies lines In Flanders and along the
iOise and the Aisnc today bore great
continSents OF officers and men in
ralidod back by serious illness.
| The midnight official report from
Bordeaux states, merely that there is
nothing notable TO announce" This
negatively confirms the unofficial re-
ports from the front telling OF the
! terrific effect of the billiards.. Tho
midnight report ordinarily contains the
DEVELOPMENTS Of tho current day
I The hreNity ha i,
part due to the paralyzins of the tcle-
graph lines connecting tho headuuar-
ters OF the general STAFF I'm the neld
with the headIuarters of the corps
commanders Reports OF any possible
Developments for this reason may have
failed to reach General Joffre
Army signal men are busy erect
ing the broken lines OF communication
as their maintenance is or primary i'm
portancc. The stress Of the storm has
prevented reconnoissarceS by the avia-
tors. and isolation of detached bodle.
OF troops by surprise attacks possible
under these extraordinary conditions
is feared.
The afternoon communique gave evi-
dence of the waning strength of the
rival armies. On Wednesday the ar
tillery fire OF the Germans had per-
ceptibiy diminished. and during the
day of Thursday there was almost n
total absence of infantry fire exchange
between the lines, while the artillery
fire had again slackened noticeabiy.
The User Canal from Ypres to Nieu-
port was flooded. particularly the ter
ritory to the east of DiXmude, where
the German detachments which occu-
pied the ruined town more than week
ago are isolated.
The Germans have lost number Of
guns in the floods. In front of Ram
acapelle the French troops recovered
from the water two i6.5-centimetre
mortars which had been abandoned by
the invaders
Up to Che time the storm reached it's
greatest height on Thursday night the
Germans had been maintaining a fairly
intense artillery fire to the south OF
Ypres.
In the Argonne. according to the
delayed report. three successive in
fantry attacks were repulsed on Thurs
dag morning.
The greatest activity of Thursday
was reported from the region of Ver-
dun, where 1t is officially admitted that
the French wedge has been driven back
to Its old position.
FRENCH FORCED BACK
AND GERMANS CROSS RIVER
Tho French, who occupied the west
ern part Of the town Of Chauvincourt.
across the Afeuse from ST. Mihicl. ef
fectively dislodging the Germans from
the western banks OF the Meuse, have
again been forced back, and the Ger
mans have recrossed the river.
Dynamite was the agent the Ger
mans used In dlslodging the French
troops. When the French occupied n
portion of the town tho Germans were
driven from their barracks. These
tho French troops occupied Eut the
Germans had previously mined The
barrack buildings and during tho
frrf,t rSf aIy4 III
barracks killing many OF the occu-
pants. Then followed a charge by tho
invaders. and the survivors Of tho dis
aster were compelled to withdraw.