The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-04-16
POSSESSION OF THE PLAINS OF
WOEVRE MAY YET BE SCENE
OF GREAT STRUGGLE.
THE RUSSIANS STILL ADVANCE
Kron Prinz Wilhelm, Another sea
Raider, Comes into Newport News
Belgian Relief Ship Sunk
Activity In DardanelIes'
Latest War News From Front.

only in that territory, but 10 the
north. in the neighborhood of Albert,
around which many engagements
have been fought during the war.
The important strategic position Oh
Les Esparges, which dominates the
plains of the Woevre, has been free
from fighting since the French occu-
patton of two days ago, but as the
Germans are reported to have SET
great store by this position, it Is more
than likely that the lull presages a
reinforcement of the troops who were
compelled to withdraw after the last
French attacks.
Berlin reports the capture OF three
villages on the User canal and the
failure of French attacks in the Ar
come. But the French claim to have
captured section Of German trench
in that region. The French admit the
loss of some trenches, previously cap
tured from the Germans, in the Mont
mar wood.
Details of the latest operations in
the Carpathians are lacking, the Rus
sian official reports being largely con-
fined to the defeat two days previous
of the Austrians, in which the Rus
slams captured a battalion, and the &C.
cupation Of several heights near
Uzsok pass, in which they captured
more than a thousand men.
The German auxiliary cruiser Kron-
prinz Wilhelm, following the example
of the Prinz Eitel Friedrich, has slip
ped into Newport News with the rec
ord Of having sunk fourteen vessels
since last August.
The sinking Of the British steamer
Harpalyce in the North Sea remains
somewhat of a mystery. The Har'
palyce, which carried gifts from the
American people to- the Belgian sui
ferers, recently arrived at Rotterdam
and discharged her cargo. It is un'
derstood that she was on her way to
Newcastle when she either was tor
pedoed or sunk by a mine.
More than half Of her crew OF fifty
three were rescued, but only meagel
details of the disaster have so fal
been made public. It is not known
whether the vessel still carried hel
permit of exemption from attack un
der the charter of the commission fol
the relief of Belgium.
Count Won Bernstorff, the German
ambassador at Washington, has made
public the text Of the note he recentl.
presented to the American state de
partment. In this note the ambassa
dor points out that a great industr.
of war materials of every kind is be
ing built up in the United States, ant
says:
eff the American people desire t
observe true neutrality, they will fin,
means to stop the exclusive eXporta
ton of arms to one side, or at least t
use this export trade as means t
uphold the legitimate trade with Gel
many, especially the trade in fooi
stuffs."
The allied fleet has, according t
unofficial reports, been bombardin
the Dardanelles forts from the Gulf q
Saros. This doubtless is being don
to prevent the Turks from repairin
the forts, for it is not believed a
London that the big attack will be n
sumed until the land forces arrive.
Heavy losses in men are being II
Cured on both the French and Ca
pathian fronts. Paris says that
the forest Of Montmare fifteen Ge
man attempts to retake trenches cal
tured from them were repulsed, an
that heaps Of German bodies lay upo
the ground afterward, while in Chan
payne the Germans were moved dow
In a similar offensive movemen
Vienna makes no denial of Petrograd
claim to further successes in the Ca
pathians, but says the Russian front;
attacks are being made without r
gard to loss of life and that high hear
of dead or wounded mark the battl
field
The Russians, having carried IL
!, SUBMITS of the principal chain Of IL
Q Beskid mountains, in the western Sc
ton, are coming down the ruggt
s slopes to gain possession of the sout
: ern slopes, some of which they hal
: already captured.
A French corps from Africa, und
command of General d'Amade, hi
been landed at Alexandria, Egypt, al
J. there awaits orders to proceed to II
. support of the allied fleet and the
/ expeditionary forces in their oper
tons against Turkey.
An attempt has been made by a n
!. tive Egyptian to assassinate the 81
|. tan of Egypt, Hussein Renal, but Il
g bullet went wide and the sultan's q
l. sailant was seized.
There were persistent rumors
i London Friday night that German
either had declared war on Holland