Omaha daily bee., 1914-10-24
TEUTONS CONTINUE
HACKING THROUGH"
Neither British Naval Guns Nor On
slaught of Allied Armies Sue
ceeds Against Germans.
BATTLE TIDE NOT TURNED YET
sweeping Claims of Victories OF
Forces of Entente Not Con-
firmed in Either East
or West.

LONDON, Oct. 2S.-The only 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
the armies cannot indefinitely face the
decimation Of their ranks which has
campaign.
For nearly a week now. this trlDartite
combat has ragged with unabated fury
between forces up 20 the present time
SO equal in strength that the fronts have
swayed back and forth without either
being able to register decisive victory.
That the slaughter in these fierce efforts
and counter efforts to break through op-
posing lines transcends anything hereto
fore seen In this Campaign is admitted
on both sides. Nevertheless neither the
terrible effect of the long range British
naval guns over fiat lands offering no
natural defensive positions, although
vouched for both officially and unof-
ficially, nor the onslaughts of the allied
forces on land has yet succeeded in stem
ming the hacking through" tactics of
the Germans.
English news dispatches make sweeping
claims Of annihilating successes, German
advices assert continued progress, and
Russians kilograms report great vic
tories, but we'll defined evidence TO sun
port these various contentious is lacking,
and the real facts appear to be that IN
neither the eastern nor the western
arenas OF the war has the tide vet
turned decisively.
The great haul OF merchant ships by
the German cruiser, Karlsruhe, now fully
confirmed from Las Palmas, has been a
rude shock to those who have contended
that the Atlantic ocean was held safely
by the British navy but the apoloRists
have lost no tiNSe In pointing out that
the fleet cannot at the same time convoy
hundreds Of transports and safeguard
every merchant ship. The sinking of
merchant vessels without loss of life. It
Is remarked, involves no military injury,
while the capture OF group of trans
ports would be q disaster. Chambers of
commerce, however, are agitating for a
sweeping operation sufficiently wide TO
net both the German cruisers. EInden, in
Indian waters. and the equally successful
Karlsruhe.
German Movement Partly Succeeds.
PARIS. Oct 2a.-"The invaders. having
first failed before Albert and Roye, and
secondly before Arras. in their attempts
to envelope the French left wing, are be-
lieved to have been more fortunate in
tn region OF Bethune, Merville, BailleuI
and Armentieres," sayE a Habss agency
dispatch dated Before Le Bassee in
October"
For this reason. after pushing to-
wards HazebrOuck, Uhirty-two miles
northwest OF Lille), and Aire, on the Lys.
they undertook October II an offensive,
following the Lys river. German cavalry
crossed the river toward Erquinghen. and
supported the right wing of the bulk OF
the German army, which proceeded south
and southwestward with the evident in
tention of turning Bethune and seiEing
the railroads. which the Germans believe
have been used for supplying the left
wing Of the allies.
I'VE defeated this maneuver. and then
occurred serious cavalry fighting. which,
owing TO the nature OF the terrain. left
the issue confused. The district in which
these interesting operations occurred is
an extremely difficult country. 1t is es-
sential agricultural and Is interspersed
with rivers. canals and deep depressions.
The properties are divided by hedges and
rows OF trees, making communication
from one field TO another difficult, but
excellent for ambuscades. Nevertheless
the allied cavalry fought successfully at
Estaires, Fleurbaix. Laventie. VIeille
Chapelle, LACoutTe and Richeboum.
The battiefields bear numerous traces
OF the severity of this fighting. At
Vieille Chapeile a German cavalryman
and q French mounted rinemAn. after
losing their horses continued their en-
counter 10 a neighboring cottage. where
with drawn swords they fought a duel in
the kitchen. Both were mortaliy wounded
and their graves are now side by side in
the cemetery in the village church. Here
the tombstones have been knocked down.
while the church itself shows shattered
stained glass windows and is without
steeple and roof"