The Seward gateway., 1915-09-27
FRANCE DELUGED IN BLOOD

LONDON Sept 27.-The great allied offensive to drive the Germans out of France and Belgium is rag ing the most mighty struggle of all history proceeding hundreds of thousands of the flower of EOpes manhood are flying at each others throats; northern France is shaken by the thunder of countless guns and the charges of titanic armies The day has arrived for the launching of the whole power of France and Britain against the common enemy and this dispatch sent the fate Ot Europe is hanging in the balance The greatest artillery attack in history proceeds and blowing 10 0S SeconS of the German trenches in France and Flanders and at the same time the new terrific drive of the Allies IS smashing forward toward the railroad by which the TeutOnS hold their positions on Belgian and French soil The great battle opened on Saturday after days Ot artillery
 fire and since that day it is estimated that more than one hundred thousand Germans have been killed and wound ed The terrible battle is raging almost along the whole front from AarraS to the sea with awful intensity ragged all through Saturday night and Sunday and IS still gOing on while all Europe waits with baed breath for the outcome. The allied batteries are delugmg the German works with blasting fire along the whole Hne ana thlS artillery thunder IS accompanied by aSSauSO1 unpaIa leled fury The allied infantry has been sent forward m spite of the whitening fire from the TeutOnc trenches and in countless cases the struggle has resolved itself into hand to hand fights where the bayOne the only weapon used The French have succeeded already m dllyng the Germans out of the village of SOucheZ and m taking pos session but thousands of dead and wounded O both sides are now lying thick in the burning village and the stench of burning bodies is arising all over the plain
 Hill Seventy charged by the British m tremenG- ors force and at this moment its slopes are covered Wh thousands of bodies of the dead and wounded me slaughter at this point has been something awful and the British people are shudderng in anticipation of the tale that the next list of casualties will tell It has not been stated whether or not troops succeeded Ill tEer at tempt The French have captured the advance Oermah trenches in the Argonne and the captured trenches have been found literally choked with the German dead whose bodies in many cases have been found mangled by the terrific fire of the French guns. Similar bloody slaughter is reported from the other principal positions along the
 line westward and it is made evident that all Northern France is abaze and that the long expected offensive o1 the Allies is general At Lens the Germans have rushed great renfocements through Belgium and are now pour ing frightfu fire at the heights held by the Bntsh m the effort to prevent troops from bringing up the gns The Germans admit reverses and losses already but have now begun to attempt to deal hurried counter attacks The chief object of the great allied advance IS believed to be violent smash at the army ot the crown prince to drive him out of his position before Verd
 The London newspapers this morning ask the pu3nc to be moderate in the expression of their opinions re
 ng the great drive They admit that the British losses have been frghtful without doubt The German posi- hons which it was necessary to attack are powerful ana strongly manned and the task of taking them IS the most terrific which has been allotted to an army, The full account is being awaited with tremendous anxiety