New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-16
Nv JAMES ODONNELL BENNETT
80. - ~. rStr.ro Tribune

Russia.
Mlawa. Russia. March s. Germany
"a nov doing the intrenching OF us
fron,ier on Russian territory as wen az
on ;ts own. From south to north the
Great kev cities Of the eastern borders
If the empire -Breslau, Posen' Thorn
! Graudenz and Koenigsberg are pro
| tccted and connected by marvellous
system Of field fortihcations which
make the whole region practically I'M
pregnable.
/ And far to the east and 10 the south
! Of the curving boundary the helds OF
! Russia are being cut up with trenches
! bv German troops occupying such I'M
| nortant towns as Mlawa, which lies
/ four miles over the border. ..
The plains TO the south and east OF
Mlawa have been cleared of Russians
for a good ten miles. The distance is
being increased by a few kilometers
every few days. and the boom OF the
guns grows fainter and fainter.
German Drive on Prasnysch.
So far as can gather the situation,
tho Germans are driving the Russians
hack on the fortified town Of Pras-
nvsch. some twenty miles to the east
and a little south of US. The more l
studv this northern scene OF operations
in connection with the activities sew
entv miles TO the south. whence ! have
inst come. the more | begin to wonder
whether the Germans are not plPnnlng
TO take Prasnysch. clear the ground
we'll TO the east Of that point and then
drop southeast and come in on the back
Of Warsaw.
That would relieve the troops in the
Rolimow- Rawka region the triangle
of death") of carrying the whole OF the
terrible burden of the drive against
Warsaw "a drive that, if it is directed
solely from the west, must Involve
heavy sacrifices Of men.
Prasnysch is only fifty miles north OF
Warsaw If the troops now clearing
the ground TO the east of Mlawa can
get we'll beyond PrasnysCh and then
make a grand circle to the south, and
perhaps be Joined by attachments OF
Silesians and Austrians under General
Woyrsch which, | suppose, are now
living we'll to the east of Petrokow ana
the Rier Pilica, the stupendous thing
would he done and an ingathering far
surprising the Tannenberg harvest
would be effected.
Looks for Something Tremendous.
In any case a chapter of wonderful
war-making seems bound to be recorded,
for the various drives eastward can
hardly fail to eliminate in something
tremendous at one point or another.
Meanwhile, in the Russian territory
it has already occupied, Germany is
looking TO it that there shall be no
Russian drives across the German from
tier That is the meaning of the heavy
intrenching now going on in the snow
covered but soggy fields two miles to
the south and east of Mlawa.
This precautionary work is being
carried forward simultaneously with
the fighting in progress seven or eight
miles further east and south. and the
grunts of the shOvellers keep pretty
good time with the distant volleys.
For its significance and for the amaz-
ing rapidly with which it is done the
work is worth a closer view. So | rode
out this morning to the new trenches
with Won Rieben, of Berlin, who did
not at all care for his job and wished
his commanding general would not be
so laundering solicitous that corre-
spondents should "see everything"
lady, who now is in England, and part
of his days work is to write her cheer
full letters telling her how safe and
well he is. lie speaks admirable Eng
lsh, and so was able to coniide to me
his opinion of Americans who like to
90 founderine over bad roads and
through an icy rain TO see earthworks.
Meet General Won Wernitz.
It was in truth villsnous weather,
with worse roads alternate freezing
and thawing of both-but on the way
we met a rudy, smiling old gentleman
who did not seem to mind either.
He was riding at the head Of a great
retinue, but he was wearing a weather
beaten overcoat of gray, differing in no
detail. except that it seemed older,
from those the private soldiers wear.
SO | could not make him out at all.
But when our car drew near his horse
and the old man had waved a CHEEKY
salute in our direction, Won Rieben
half rose in his seat and said: "Guten
morgen, eXcellenz."
Excellent" said I. "Then why the
private soldiers oyercoat so much the
worse for wear"
Zone of his whims," Captain Won
Rieben replied; always wears 1t. It's
old General Won Wernitz, and ! don't
suppose there is a man in the army
loves his soldiers as much as he does.
Maybe the overcoat is one of his ways
of showing it. Anyway, he always
wears it,"
Other riders we passed Spanish
riders" the soldiers call them-gigan-
tic sawbucks, made Of logs and spars
dashed together and interlsced with
strands of barbed wire. They are
thrown across roads along which an
enemy might advance, and nasty OBJ
stacle they make. Copies, | suppose
from the name, of the light defences
Alva used in the Netherlands.
Reaching iLtrenched fields that slope
briskly TO the south, we walked dry
shod and warm through hundreds Of
rods of winding and connecting
trenches, which had been dug and
sheathed with wood in just three
weeks-a remarkable record when you
took into account the numerous stormy
days and the frequent csving of the
sandy soil.
Trenches Dug Very Deep.
A man can walk almost upright in
them without being seen from the
fields.
About every twenty-five feet OF each
trench had been scoOped out near the
top to admit a neat bit of carpentry
in the form of box. into which the
men could reach for hand grenades in
case an enemy should become too
familiar with them. Other boxes were
provided for ammunition.
Dug in the side OF the trench a foot
shove the level of its floor are numer-
Gus recesses where the men can sit be-
tween whites of firing. The wooden floor
of the recess is provided with cleats at
its outer edge, so that the men Will
! not have 70 SIT with inaLr LeCs sflckIng