Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-01
ELEVEN NATIONS
TAKING PART IN
GREAT CONFLICT
Millions of Men Killed,
Wounded or Cap
tured.
LANDS DEVASTATED
AND CITIES DESTROYED
War in Progress With Unexam-
pied Fury for Entire
Year.
NO DECISIVE RESULTS YET
NO DECISIVE RESULTS YET
All Belligercnts Determined to Pur-
sue Struggle to Bitter
End.

The second year Of the European war
opens to-day. On Auguet /, 1914, Ger
many declared war against Russia. and
the last chance vanished of localizing
the Austro-Serbian War. declared three
days previously by Auatrfa- Hungary.
All the great powers Of Europe were
drawn into a struggle, tn. Ike Of which
history has not heretofore recorded
Eleven nations are at war, and almost
all lands are affected. directly or in
directly. Millions of men have been
killed wounded or carried to captivity
IN hostile countries. Billions OF dollars
have been expended Thousands of
square miles Of territory have been
devastated and hundreds Of cities and
towns laid waste. Half the world is in
mourning for the dead. And. although
the war has been in progress with un-
enampled fury for year, The result
may be summarized in one brief SEN
tence: No decisive results have been
achieved. and the end is not in sight.
Determination 10 pursue the war TO
decisive ending has been expressed
by high officials OF all the belligcrcnt
nations preparations are being made
for next winters campaign and. in
II Is more likely TO increase in size
rather than decrease /, is still an
open question whether Bulgaria, Rou-
mania or Greece will be drawn in
III View OF the immensely OF the
struggle. previous standards count for
little In considering the price the world
Is paying. The iiGurcs involved are so
vast as TO convey little meaning. The
nations at war have poured out their
treasures OF men and gold without
limit The usual standards OF life have
be.m subordinatcd or disregarded and
In some cases social. industrial and
political activities have been virtually
reorgan!zed on militar!stic basis. TO
make all contribute 10 the supreme
necessities OF war.
II is impossible to obtain accurate
sta,!stics of the number of men en-
gagged. the casualties and tho cost
For obvious reasons. the size of the
various armies is kept secret. Most
OF the nations do not consider il ex-
ped!cnt TO reveal the number of cas-
ual;ies; in fact, Great Britain is the
only one which has given out official
totals. As 10 the money expended
there are available only partial sta
t!stics.
More than half the population of the
world lives in the countries at war
The population OF the warning coun-
tries is estimated roughly AT $4,000
600. and OF the countries ut peace at
7s7 100000. The population of the en-
tente nations is perhaps five times as
great as that of their opponents. The
number of men under arms has been
estimated variously, usually in the
ne!Ghborhood OF 200o0.00O. william
M!cha ellis. writing recently in Berlin
magazine, put the number OF soldiers
at war at 2l.77o, 900: for the allies. 12.-
$4,000: for Germany, Austria Hungary
and Turkey 100000.
WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION
OF LIFE UNPARALLELED
No previous war has approached the
present one in wholesale destruction of
life. This is due not only TO the num-
ber OF men involved. but 10 the terrible
efficiency OF modern weapons. Trench
warfare on great scale, with it's
deadly charges, mining operations and
extensive use OF artillery and hand
grenades. has contributed 10 this end.
Whereas in the past il has been calcu-
lated that the proportion OF killed TO
total casualties runs one to eight or
one TO ten. the proportion in trench
warfare. as indicated by official British
statistics. is about one to five.
The battles on the plains OF Flanders,
on the Warsaw front, in the Austro-
German advance through Galicia and in
the Cnrpathians were attended by
frEhtful slaughter. Russian losses in
the Carpathians alone were estimated
unoffcially at 100000. Along the bat
tie fields from Arras, in Northwestern
France, to the Belgian coast whole
fields have been covered with corpses
and at the time of the Germ n attempt
70 reach the English Channel. the User
Canal was choked with the dead. Ac
cording to official British statistics. the
British army alone has been losing OF
late, in killed, wounded and missing.
1000 day On June Premier As
duith announced that British casualties
since the beginning Of the war (ex-
Guiding naval losses of 1850 up to
May 3D, amounted to 25S.069, of which
the total Of killed was 50,342. Later,
however, on July 81, Mr.. Asquith issued
n statement saying that the naval cas-
ual,ies up to July 90 were 9.106 Ap-
parently, Mr.. Asquith's first statement
was based on misinformation. which he
has subsequently corrected.
The losses of Germany. France and
Russia, by reason Of their larger
armies, have been far greater. Tho
ueer und Politik. of Berlin, early In
lime estimated that more than 5,00o,-
600 soldiers Of the countries at war with
Germany and her allies have been
killed, wounded or captured. Hila,re
Beloc. the English military writer. said
Germany's potential manhood for actual
drhting probably had diminished from
,,ucec nv nearly ona-ha1f In, thu