The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-08-20
RUSSIAN ARMIES
IN GREAT PERIL
kovno Falls and Novogeorglevsk
About 10 CapItuIata
BREST.LITOvSK UNDER FIRE

Wilma and Bialystok Also to Be Aban-
doned to the Enemy, Who is Push.
ina His Advance Energetically.
Loss to Russian Military Accoutre-
ment Through Capture Of kovno Re-
ported Enormous.
London, Aug. 49, The Russian
crmes are probably in more desper.
ate situation than they have been
since the war began. Kovno, one OF
the greatest Russian fortresses, is
list. Brest-Litovsk is under the fire
of Germany's destructive siege pieces.
wilma, far to the east, is being strip.
ped of its industrial equipment and
the civil population is fleeing. Prep
arations for the evacuation of Bialys.
tok continue. The German artillery Is
ell but in range of Bielsk, railroad
town of little less Importance. Novo-
Georgievsk, with it's treasure of war
material and it's enormous garrison of
close to 100000. is about to capitulate.
1t would appear that the long pre-
pared Kovno- no-BrestLitovsk line of re-
sistance is about to crumble almost
before its defense has been begun.
The most optimistic oe the British
critics can find nothing of brightness
in the Russian situation. Even the
Petrograd dispatches mint at the PROB
ability of the fall of such important
roints as wilma and Bialystok 10 pre-
pare the allies of Russia for the worst.
Kovno was captured by the Ger
mans by storm. 1t was another VIC
tory for the heavy German siege
weapons. It's fall had been expected,
but not for several days, perhaps
weeks The loss to Russia in military
accoutrement can not be minimized;
1t was enormous. Berlin claims that
400 cannon were taken.
With Kovno, the northern pivot Of
the Kovno-Brest-Litovsk line lost,
there is only the slightest hope that
Brest-Litovsk and the intervening
forces can retain their hold on that
front. The distance from Kovno to
Brest-Litovsk is about 200 miles due
south.
But If there were nothing threaten
ing the security Of Brest-Litovsk be-
sides the fianking movement made In
evitable by the fall of KOvno, the in
tegrity of that point would still be In
serious doubt because Of the huge
German army already at its outskirts.
| Eerlin reports that the troops of Cen
eIal Won Mackensen have driven the
( Russians across the Bug and into the
cutter Notifications, which already are
under fire from the heavy German
siege artillery. Farther to the south,
as told in the official statement from
Berlin, Wlodawa is being surrounded
by German troops, who have crossed
the railroad running to Cholm and
penetrated to the east
The fall OF Kovno leaves Russia but
one Of her four major forts originally
built and located to withstand just
such an invasion as the Germans have
performed The three already lost are
Warsaw, Kovao and NovogeOrgievsk.
the last still holding out, but entirely
isolated and far to the west Of the
German lines. The remaining fort of
the original four is Brest-Litovsk. now
seriously threatened.
AS an offset to the German sue
oesses in the east, the French official
communication reports further gains
for the French troops in the Vosges,
while General Ian Hamilton, COM
mander of the allied forces on the Gal
lipoli peninsula, announces an ad-
vance by the new forceof allied troops
which landed at Suvia bay, and the
repulse Of Turkish attack against
the right flank Of the Australians. The
Turks, on the other hand, say that all
the British attacks were repulsed.