Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-03
wy JAMES o'DoNNELL BENNErTJ

tBt JAhES oDpNNIisis bf.N NBIil
Copyrights 1915; BY The Chicago Tribune
Bolimow. Russia, March 4.-Here
are the dimensions of the triangles of
death within which Germans and
Russians have been shattering one
another in uninterrupted field sieges
since Just before the first of this red
year
From the town of Lowiez a line
run southeast to the smaller town OF
Skierniewice, twelve and half miles
away, will for great part be paral-
leled by the river Skierniewka, which
passes in front of Lowiez near Area
dia one of the splendid seats of
Prince Radziwill.
boundaries of Triangle.
Run a line fourteen mics north
east and you strike the town of So
chaczew, which lies about five miles
below zelazowa VIOLA, where Chopin
was born century ago. Along the
inside of this northeasterly line the
river Bzura goes struggling.
Join Skierniewice on the south and
Sochaczew on the north by twenty
mile line and you have the base of
the triangle of death, and that base
roughly indicates the battle front.
Warsaw and is less than thirty miles
from the heart of that city.
The northern half of the triangle
is much cut up by the rivers Rawka,
Sucha and Pisia, where they wind
and straggle across ii to empty into
the Bzura on the northeast. In few
hours the Rz1ra has carried their
waters to the mighty Vistula, into
which it empties, opposite WyszoBrod
some dozen miles north of the north
ern point of the triangle.
When you read in the dispatches of
operations to the left of the Nistula
they are likely to be taking place in
the neighborhood of the triangle of
death. The whole value of the triangle
lies in the fact that its fanlike spread
comprehends the approach to War
saw.
Irightful Cost.
"YoH Will cover the twenty miles
that lie between you and the War
saw Qualifications" said a Russian
prisoner to German officer. Yes,
| think you will do it. But at what a
cost The road will be paved not with
bodies but with skulls. But | sup
pose you will do it,"
All this region. which is cut up by
the Rawlka, the 'Sucha, and the Pisia,
Is bad offensive but good defensive
country y-~making hard work. in other
words, for the invading army and rel
atively easy work for the troops fight
ing on their own soil. To the west of
the three rivers are few forests
only great stretches of fiat forming
country till you strike into the Skier
niewice, where rises the ears hunt
ing forest
Imagine the Illinois prairie in
blizzard and you obtain very fair
idea of the landscape which stretches
out in front of Lowicz to the battle
line. Imagine the prairie dotted with
the shallow graves of soldiers and
with unburied horses, and you put
the mark of war ON the landscape.
Arms Thrust Upward.
Mark the prairie with mile posts
painted in broad stripes of black and
white and flinging gaunt arms to the
right and left. and you add lust the
touch that recalls the desolation OF
Napoleon's Moscow campaign.
When the snow drifts high around
them the gaunt arms seem to thrust
upward, like. something human and
ominous--like the arms of dead men
who are trying to give wild warning
of more dreadful desolation to be
faced further on.
Beyond the Rawka. beyond the
Sueha. beyond the Pisia, the Russians
have cut up the country with their
wonderful trenches To the east they
lie for miles upon miles. hidden in
thick forests, sheltered in ravines,
and constantly making mastery use
of every advantage the lay of the land
offers them. They, in a word, are in
the good defensive country.
The Russian Moies.
"They are like moles, these Rus
sians,' says German officer. Let
them assume 3 position and in half
an hour they have burrowed. They
are cleverer and quicker than we are
at this kind of thing, ana we have lost
many men by not initiating them
earlier.n
This matter of speedily intrenching
and doing your lighting from trenches
is partly constitutional The German
soldier is trained in advancing and
fighting.
This burrowing and waiting is dis
tasteful to his mind. He wants to get
on and finish the business. But he
has learned his lesson now, and that
is the principal reason why the war
goes more slowly.
He fatters himself, though. that if
the Russians taught him something,
he has bettered the Instructions
All the Comforts of Home.
Our trenches are more sanitary,