The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1915-04-27
Heavy Loss of Life at Hill
No. 60.
AN EXPLOIT OF THE WAR.
Capture of Important Point Will
Go Down in History, Says
Eyewitness"

Witness" describing British mine ex-
plosions which preceded the recent
attack and capture by the British of
hill No. 60, southeast of Yyres.
"The whole surface of the
ground" the narrative continues,
assumed strange shapes. Here it
was torn into huge craters; there
seen.
"As the reports of the explosions
died away, our men, led by their Of
ficers, rushed across the intervening
space of some 40 to 60 yards lying
between our trenches and the gaping
craters before them, the frontier COW
cred by the attack being only some
$50 yards in length.
Where the mines actually had
exploded nothing was left of the oc-
cupants of the hostile line, but in
the neighboring trenches our as
saulting infantry witnessed an extra
diers, possibly owing to the fact that
they were working, were surprised
while in their shirt sleeves and with
out equipment. Stunned by the ex
plosions and subjected to rain OF
hand grenades, they gave way to
panic
HCursing and% shouting they were
failing over one another in their
Il s1 IL,
communicating trenches. Those in
the rear were driving their bayonets
into the bodies of their comrades in
front Of them.
"Of all this, our infantry had only
a momentary glimpse, before they
fell upon the enemy with the bayo-
net, burst the maze of trenches,
poured into the craters and pressed
on down the communication trenches
until at last they were stopped by
barricades defended by bomb throw
ers.
FEW MINUTES WORK.
The first line OF trenches was cap
: tured in a few minutes and 15 pris-
oners fell into our hands, but it was
then that the real struggle began for
the Germans quickly recovered from
their surprise. Soon the German
gunners opened fire. Soon our
whole position became obscured in
the smoke of bursting shells. Mean
while our batteries had begun to
support the attack and q terrific ar
tillery fire was maintained far into
the night. The flares from the guns
we're SO nearly continuous that they
resembled the effect of musketry
fire. Under this fire our men had to
work, throwing up parapets towards
the enemy, blocking their communi
cations and generally rendering their
position defensible.
"Nor was the enemy s infantry
idle. Advancing up the communica. .
ton trenches they threw hand gren-
aces over the barrjcades and also
into the mine craters on the crumb-
Ing sides of which cur men were
trying to obtain a fno'rol,l
throughout the n'sht the fight
ing continued. eliminating carly in
tie Iuo,ning of the IS. \ in two mass
ed attacks by the enemy. These
we're beaten off. Despite losses
which left the hillside covered with
dead, the enemy continued his pres
sure during the whole of Sunday, un-
til we gradually were driven from
the southern edge of the hill At g
D. q. .reinforcements reached our
front line and swept the Germans
from the footncld they had gained.
Prior to this the close proximity
OF the contendlng sides hal led to n
slackening in the bombardment but
II then broke out afresh and with
sImcst as great intensity as on the
preceding evening. Our position,
| however, was more secure"
LOSS IN YPRES.
The narrative says the lombard
tment was maintained Monday, April
t1s, and that the Germans extended
Their shelling to the entire Ypres
area, including the town itself. in
(which, 1t ia asserted, Is children