The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-12
Onlooker Gives Graphic Description of Terrific
 Night Engagement
MIGHTY PILLAR OF
 FLAME OBSERVED
Great Shell Falls Before Altar in Cathedral, But Fails to Explode. Incident Regarded as Modern
 Miracle by Russian Devotees

Berlin, September 11.--tvia London.l | September 12, 12:37 g. m.)--Details of 1 the capture of Grodno are given in a dispatch to the Lokal Anzeiger from 1 it's correspondent, Dr. Stephan Steiner.
 who entered the city with the Ger mans.
 The correspondent approached the
 one day before it fell. The air was
 thick with humming bullets and tho explosion of shrapnel shells. the metal
 rattling sharply on the walls of the
 houses.
 The night scene at the waters edge
 was one of unparalleled grandeur" says Dr. Steiner. "The river, skirted by rows of houses on bluffs 130 feet high, | was illuminated by exploding shells.
 Suddenly a mighty pillar of flames shot up on the other shore, producing a gigantic rain of sparks and burning fragments The terrific detonation drowned the roar of the cannon It was the explosion of some Russian ord nance depot It caused numerous con- flagrations in its vicinity, which Hum mated brightly the ruins of the gi- gantic Niemen bridges lying half in the water"
 The bombardment continued through out the night. growing unusually in- tense about o'clock In the morning. when the Russians on the north side of the river attempted a counter at- tack. He returned to the city before dawn and found heavy German guns brought into position during the night shelling the Russian forts six or seven of which still were defending themselves vigorously
 Heavy Artillery Fire
 The Russian artillery stationed on the northern heights also kept the southern suburbs under heavy fire, and a rain of rifle bullets still was in cessant Nevertheless. the German pio- neers succeeded under cover of dark ness in putting a pontoon across the river. Several German battalions and batteries gained the northern shore to support the other troops which had crossed further down the stream
 As the correspondent approached the bridge he found the bodies of fallen soldiers everywhere along the streets These and the dead horses were pushed asied to make room for the advance of the troops, who were crossing the pom toon bridge in great numbers. A man occasionally dropped from the ranks but his body was pushed aside and ths column moved on. The river on both sides of the bridge was spouting flame from fallen projectiles
 The Germans searched the houses as they went and brought out Russians arrayed in the most motley uniforms who had concealed themselves in the buildings. A big church, ignited by . Russian shell, burned rapidly.
 Modern Miracle
 Civilians everywhere appeared on the streets, but peeped with bianched faces from cellar lookouts or withdrew with terror from the scenes outside Many people filled the cathedral, occupying all the room. some kneeling, some lying | with their faces pressed to the floor 1 A heavy shell penetrated the wall, but | did not explode. falling harmlessiy be- fore the altar It was accepted as | miracle, causing fresh accession of fuBittves from other churches
 The correspondent found a hotel and was assigned room where he stayed while the. hottest fighting continued In nearby street. Two machine guns, mounted on tables, were peppering house 500 yards away assisted by a cannon. The commander of the post ex- plained that 10 minutes previously tho Russians made q sally, but were re. Ii pulsed by this cannon and the machine | guns at 45o. paces, leaving the streets lined with dead Russians.
 Palace Taken
 The German loses also were heavy. III The Russians barricaded themselves in t| the house and shot from the windows II and the garden walls. II
 Bloody hand-to-hand fighting occurred In the capture of the old palace, the res- idence of the governor. The Germans attacked 1t during the night, and after several hours fighting drove the Russians from the palace and the park. The corre- spondent, visiting the palace, found the smoothly polished floors covered with bodies and the walls and windows pierced by shells and bullets. The palace was slowly burning. having been set on Are by shrapnel
 Toward 6 o'clock tho correspondent ! heard detonations in the direction of forts No. and No. and saw pillars of Ire ascending. meaning that the commander had ordered them blown up. The rail- way station and barracks still were in Russian hands, hut these also were cap. tured before 8 o'clock Half an hour later the writer inspected the streets leading to the station and found them thickly strewn with dead. The Russians had counter attacked with death -defying courage. and had made frightful sac- rif1ces of life. Russian prisoners were brought in from l all directions. and the Germans continued their pursuit of the fleeing Russians into k.A (opo nf kA oaA