Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-01
100000 LOCKED
In DEATH GRAPPLE
IN EAST WAR ZONE
Germans Held Back in Po-
land and Silesia Russians
Move Against Cracow in
Two Parallel Columns.
VIENNA, Oct, /

VIENNA, oct. /.
Four gigantic battles and two fort
bombardments, involving fully 100000
men, are in progress in the eastern thea
tire of war today. At no point has there
been any decisive result and It will be
several days before the fighting WI!
reach o crisis. ...
General Rennenkampf, with 100000
Russian first-llne troops, is endeavoring
to resist the efforts of General Won Hin
denburg's army to cross the Niemeu
River between Drusstenki and Grodno.
The fighting along this line is of the
most severe. character. Up to the pres
ent 1t has been impossible for the Ger
mans to break through.
Another German army is engaged with
100000 Russians in the big pine forest of
Augustowo, which is "a miles long and IS
miles broad, and is filled with small lakes
and canal that connects the Nlemen
and the Vlstula. This German army
was driven from the village of Angus
towo and is now being used to protect
Hindenburg's flank and rear.
GERMANS FoRT1FY sILEsIA.
The great Russian central army, in
the direct charge Of the commander-in-
chief, Grand Duke Nicholas, Is made up
of one million fresh troops, who have
been mobilized in Russian Poland to move
against the main German army, which
has been feverishly fortlfying the entire
line of the Sileslan frontier. This force
was today reported in contact with the
German advance guard, which has been
pushed forward to protect the lines of
communication to Cracow. This fight,
now little more than a skirmish, Is ex-
pected to develop into the greatest bat
tie of the war in the East, as the Ger
man troops engaged are those which were
Withdrawn from the West to try to stop
the Russian advance.
Meanwhile there are between a million
and a million and a half Russians in
Galicia moving in two parable lines. The
northern column, which has enveloped
Przemsyl today had completed the in
vestment of Tarnow, 50 miles east of
Cracow. The fall of Tarnow is antici-
pated here as the Russians far outnum-
Der the Austrian garrison, but there eX-
lists no good strategic reason for trying
to hold the city, as the troops that would
be needed there will be of far greater
value in Cracow. The second Galician
army, traversing the southern line and
overflowlng into the passes of the Car
pathan Mountains, mounted Krosno
after a desperate resistance, in which the
Austrian garrison inflicted enormous
losses Oh the Russians.
The combined German-AustrIan armies
in the theatre of war do not number
g. 900, 900, including all reserves, while the
Russians have more than 100000 al
ready on the scene. Yet at no point have
the Russians scored a distinct victory
since the opening of the battles. In the
north the fighting is entirely in Ger
man territory while in the south, in
the Austrians have withdrawn
toward Cracow for strategic reasons
An official statement issued here says
that the entire situation is satisfactory"
hat the garrison at Przemysl maintains
is advantage iniicting great damage on |
the Russian besiegers in sorties, ana that
while Cracow will be besleged it "can |
DC expected" to hold out indefinitely.