Evening star., 1915-02-17
CLAIM $4,000 PRISONERS
AND MANY GUNS TAKEN
Berlin Celebrating Won Hinden-
burgs Victory as One of the
Most Important of War.
AUSTRIANS SCORE SUCCESSES
Reported to Have Enemy in Buko-
wilma Enveloped, and Great Bat
tie Is Believed to Be
Imminent.

LONDON. February y. I:so
p.m.-Berlin is again celebrating
the success of Field Marshal Won
Hindenburg as further details OF
the East Prussian operations are
received.
1t IS officially claimed in Ber-
lin that $4,000 Russian prisoners
were taken, while all dispatches
agree that the Russians are still
being pressed further eastward,
fighting rear-guard action in an
endeavor to prevent the Germans
from surrounding their wings.
In the Carpathians the fighting
is yet to reach a decision. The
western end and the center of the
Russian line is holding. notwith-
standing repeated and violent at
tacks, but in Bukowina the Aus
TRANS have pressed on to within
twelve miles of Czernowitz.
West Waits on East.
1t is believed that a recurrence of tho
general German offensive in the west
ern theater depends largely upon the out
come Of the present eastern situation.
Opinion here is divided whether the Ger
mans are planning a great invasion OF
Russia or whether their chief desire is
simply to free Austrian territory of
hostile forces and make secure their
lines in central and northern Poland.
The Daily Chronicles correspondent
with the Russian army in Bukowina
sends a description of the desperate
fighting around Czernowitz and the
flight of thousands of fugitives. His
dispatch is dated from Novoseluza, on
the Russian frontier. February Is.
Attack With Huge Force.
The Germans and Austrians" says
the correspondent, in overwhelming
numbers attacked the Russian posi-
tions from three directions. their
forces numbering at least three army
corps. They crossed the Sereth river
at two points fifteen miles apart while
the third column advanced down the
valley of the Pruth river from Wash
kivitza.
Despite the terrible losses inflicted
by the Russian artillery, the first two
columns succeeded in crossing the
Sereth and threatened to cut off the
Russian retreat from Czernowitz. The
fighting became desperate and contin-
uous all about the city. the Russians
putting up magnificent rearguard
action.
THE Russian position in front Of
C1ernowitz was on a snowclad plateau.
The Germans crossed the valley to
this plateau this morning. losing thou
sands of men whose bodies are plainly
visible on the surface of the snow
The survivors flung themselves, fight
ing desperately, into the Russian
trenches" The battle here was still
going on when the correspondent left
the city. He gives description of the
flight of the fugitives across the
Roumanian frontier. but says this road
of escape was cut off by the Austrians
later in the day.
Russian Army Enveloped.
BERLIN, via London. February IL.
10 20 am-The Russian army in Buko-
wilma has been enveloped by theAustro-
between the Pruth and Sereth
rivers, a correspondent of the Tageblatt
SAYS in a dispatch from Bistritz.
One Austrian army pushing the Rus
slams from the south now has reached
while another Austrian
force, having advanced eastward from
Marmaros against Wfsnicz, now stands
in the vicinity of CZernowitZ.
A general battle may be expected. there
fore. south and east of Czernowitz. The
Russian army has halted twelve miles
from that point, the Tageblatt is informed.
having met reinforcements
Reports $4,000 Prisoners.
Fifty thousand prisoners besides
many cannon and machine guns were
captured by the Germans when the
Russian 10th Army was defeated Ia
the Mazurian lake district, East Prus-
sia, according to a statement issued at
general Headquarters here today. The
text of the communication follows:
in a nine-day battle in the Mazuriau
lake district the Russian 10th Army,
of at least eleven infantrH
and several cavalry divisions, not ONLY
was driven out Of strongly intrenched
positions east of the Mazurian lake
plateau but was forced back across the
frontier; ont tr,, a.,..,ad .,u
point, only the remnants of the army
to reach the woods east OF
Suwalki and Augustowo. where they
are being pursued The number OF
prisoners taken has not been ascer-
tained, but certainly exceeded 10000.
More than fifty cannon and sixty ma
chine guns besides an unknown guam
tity of war material were captured
Kaiser Witnesses Battle.
Emperor William was present dur
ng the decisive fighting in the center
,f our line. The victory was won By
veteran East Prussian troops, assisted
ny other troops who Wera youpr for