Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-25
FR|GHTFUL CARNAGE
WROUGHT AMONG TURKS
They Are Slain by Thousands in
Their Supreme Effort to
DislOdge Allies.
BATTLE FIELD IS SHAMELESS
Company After Company Moved
Down by MerciIess Fire, but Still
Wall Of Ottoman Forces Moves Up
in Face of Certain Death.

Especial Gable to The Times Dispatch
LONDON, July 24.-An Australian
trooper of the brave little antipodean
contingent which is holding a bit OF
coast on the west side of Gallipoli Pc
ninsula at Gaba Tepc writes as fol-
lows to friend here
Under. cover of darkness the Turks
drove two saps TO within four yards
of our lines. The da wn revealed 10 us
the two danger points strongly fortified
by sandbags. The situation having
been reported to brigade headquarters,
the Instruction came back that the saps
be destroyed. Special men were Sc.
lectcd to form the two storming par
ties, which carried with them tools for
demolition work. Al o'clock thirty
men swarmed over the trench top and
were greeted with whitening fire.
Half dozen fell back dead or wounded
and the rest endeavored to cover the
paltry four yards TO, .hc sap heads
Another dozen were Knocked over
during the scramble over the. bodies
of the dead which lay. ON that twelve
feet. One party turned the Turks out
OF sap and were then compelled TO
retire. leaving the demolition work to
be done later. The second party
bayoncted the occupants of the point
1t assaulted destroyed the sap and oc-
cupied Its head.
NO news came from the nine or ten
men here for several hours. Firing
at all points was inccssant. and com
munication by word OF mouth was inn
possible. Al last a message was
thrown ba ok in a cartridge case from
the lieutenant in charge, saying that
he had several wounded men whom he
would endearor to get back after dark.
The officer had the satisfaction OF ac-
compishing his purpose.
The terrible carnage amongst the
Turks during their supreme effort TO
dislodge us on May 10 put great heart
INTO our ranks. Ever alert. tho colon
ia's were ready TO meet the strain
when il came. The sight of seemingly
endless masses OF the enemy advance
ing upon them might well have shaken
the nerve of'the already tried troops
ATTACKERS MOVED DOWN.
BUT WALL SWEEPS ON
Our machine guns and artillery
moved the attackers down i'm hundreds
and still the advancing wall sWept on
On still! Would the ranks never waste
in strength? Not till the wave was nj
pointblank range from the middle trig
gers did ii break and spend itself
amongst our bnrbed wire entangle-
mentS.
Turks were shot in the act OF Jump
ing into our trenches Corpses Law
with their heads and arms hanging
over parapets. Our fire gradually domf
mated the ground in front. Those who
turned to ny were moved down before
they could go a dozen yards The Ger
mans sent their supports and reserves
forward in droves. II was sick ening to
behold the slaughter our fire made
amongst the massed' battalions as they
issued from concealment into open
space.
These unfortunate Turks scrambled
along towards us over oiles ~ dead
,, bodies. In an instant Il company would
he enveloped In the smoke Of a shrap-
mel salvo. When the air cleared that
company would be stretched or with
ing on the ground, with another COM
pany approaching and ready to share
It's predecessors fate.
IT became question, not Of the
success or otherwise OF the attack.
but how many Turks we could kill.
The wastage OF life continued long
after the failure OF the assault had
become apparent. A green patch OF
cultivation on our right center was a
shambles. On. these few acres our
burial party. working during the ar
mistice which followed. counted no
fewer than 1000 Turkish and German
dead. Our losses were. probably not Il
tenth of the enemy's.
The Turkish re-cnforcements seem
more than TO keep time with their
casualties