Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-11
2rn1ans EUacuae Lille Dispatch From Bouzogne Announces
titudo OF Italy towards the possible
future coordination OF Italo- Bull
garian interests in tho war.
EYEWITNESS WRITES
OF Ills OBSERVATIONS


OF Ills OBSERVATIONS
Especial Cable to The Times Dispatch.
LONDON, January 10.-"The expert
onces of this war have caused many
profound notifications in the theories
commonly held before 1t broke out.
but no factor, perhaps, was 30 under
estimated ms the effect of high en-
plosivc projcctiles fired by guns and
howitzers."
This Is the conclusion drawn by Col
onel i. d. Swinton In an eyewitness
report issued by the official press bu-
reau to-day, based upon observations
In connection with the operations OF
the British eXpeditionary force In
France and Belgium.
Colonel Swinton In his report says:
Tho allied artillery is gradually as
Stunning superiority over that OF the
Germans This factor Is OF great i'm
portancc in the prosecution of our gcn-
eral offensive"
The official narrative is dated jan
uary S. 1t says:
The weather during the last four
days has been mild. but exceptionally
rainy. On January the encmy's ar
tillery was a good deal less active, al
though there was some heavy Smelling
on our left Our artillery on the right
was especially successful
AN explosion observed in the enc
my's lines to tho south of Lnbassee
caused the blowing UP of an ammuni-
ton wagon. or possibly n magazine, by
our shells. a hostile battery was
silenced to tho northeast OF that place.
GERMANS USE pINPS
TO DRAIN TRENCHES
1T is thought the Germans arc using
pumps to drain the trenches, these be-
ing worked by electricity from the
electric power station Mt Lille. AT somo
places the Germans have been discov-
cred attempting to pump tho water
from their trenches into ours, but they
were unsuccessful
"On the 5th the cannonade again
was more brisk on our left These
positions were shelled heavily. but
with little result. Among other points
the village OF Neuveegliz was n target
for the enemy's guns. In this quarter
our artillery was superior to the enc
mH's and effectually checked the bonn
bardment OF our trenches. There VIZ,
heavy Smelling on the right and right
centre where the enemy's trench NOR
tars were very active
On tho 9Th tho Germans shcllcd tho
suburbs OF Armentieres very heavily,
while on the rest of the line tho day
passed quietly. We continued to make
steady progress on the right, despite
the difficulties produced by the water
according to reports Of avIators.
whole districts OF Southern Belgium
have been flooded. Tho Schcldt and the
Lys have overlooked their banks.
''On the night OF the 9th the enemy
on our left showed unusual activity
Parties were observed moving about in
the rear OF the hostile trenches, and we
opened fire and proba bly, inflicted some
loss. Stretcher bearers were seen later
in the night searching the ground.
ENEMY is DRIVEN
FROM ONE OF TRENCHES
On the 9Th our artillery drove tho
enemy from one of his trenches oppo-
site our centre. and on the right centre
our trench mortars destroyed house
used by the cncmys snipcrs. IT is be-
hcVed the occupants were killed.
The Germans are reported to be col
lncting all the brass possible for the
purpose of extracting copper for MAX
ing fusea The towns and villages be-
mind their front have been systematic
ally ransacked of everything that CON
tains copper. They have seized tho
church bells and all kinds OF household
utensils.
THE Saxon and Bavarian prisoners
not infrequently abuse their Prussian
comrades Information continues to
come in regarding the prevalence of ty-
phoid In the cneny's ranks The mill
tary hospitals i'll Belgium are reported
TO contain many esscs. !!
The Germam-'losses appear 10 have
been very heavy during the fighting OF
the last few weeks. According To
prisoners, the average strength OF TN.
companies in the corps which attacked
inc British on December 20 had been
before that date lo0, but after II they
did not muster more than seventy"