Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-05


ress. with the Russians resisting
defense here would mean the earl
junction of the Petrograd-Warsaw
Desperate Battles Raging.
Desperate battles still are prevailing
along the Earew river, with the Ger
mans meeting the stone wall of the
Russian defense. except at point near
Ostrolenka, where they forded the
river. captured several thousand pris-
oners and forced the Russians back to
the outer defenses on the northern
front of the fortress of Lomza.
Russians Hurled Back.
According to the official statement
given out by the German army head
quarters staff the Russians have been
thrown from their position at Blonie,
fifteen miles west of the Polish capital,
back on to the outer line of defenses
of the city.
An official statement issued from
Russian general Headquarters admits
that the Russians have retired from
the BlonieNadarzyn line on Warsaw.
Berlin reports the Germans have oc-
cupied the western portion of Ivan
gorod fortress, but Petrograd claims
that the Ivangorod-Warsaw railroad
still is open.
Germans Massing Troops.
a Petrograd dispatch to the Daily
Telegraph says:
West of the Narew between Ostro-
lenka and Rozan the Germans who
have thrown considerable forces across
the river, are assembling on front of
ten miles compact body of troops
similar to Won Mackensen's phalanx.
AT present the Germans hold a strip
of land about seven miles broad on the
left bank of the Narew and every for
ward step is stubbornly contested by
the Russians.
The Austro-Germans are closing in
on three sides of 1vangorod. and a few
days proba bly, will decide the fate of this
secondary fortress, for the sake of which
the Russians are not likely to make
heavy sacrifice of men"
Do Utmost to Save Warsaw.
grad says:
During the past week the Russians
nave been doing their utmost to save
warsaw, more for the sake of the Poles
than for their own strategy advantages,
but it is feared they must abandon their
gallant attempt. beca use the Germans are
still bringing up reinforcements to the
Narew front"
Although Warsaw has occupied the
main public interest during the past fort
night most of the Petrograd correspond
ents insist on directing attention also to
Fisa, which is almost equally as impor-
tant as Warsaw as an administrative
center in the northern region.
The evacuation of Riga's civilian pop
0iation is proceeding" says the Times
Petrograd correspondent although it is
still premature to say that the surrender
OF the city has been determined upofl
The Germans are anxious to capture Riga
because 1t would place in their hands
the line Of the Dvina river, enabling them
to debouch in the rear Of the fortress
OF Dvinsk and sever the direct lines of
communication between Warsaw and
Petrograd. The Russian troops already
are withdrawing beyond the River Tokau
within fifteen miles Of Riga"
Russ View of Situation.
PETROGRAD. August 5.-A race
against time for the line of Kovno,
Grodno and Brest-Litovsk, in which the
Germans are trying to forestall the
Russians and secure a foothold there
while the summer still favors military
operations. is the view held by local
military authorities.
are regarded at the moment as of less
concern to the Germans than the BUSH
ness OF advancing their wings through
country which with the approach of
autumn will become impa ssable
See Plan to Cut Railway.
Observers see in the German opera
tions to the east of the Vistula river
in the vicinity of Matzievitze, a design
to cut the railroad from Ivangorod to
Warsaw. and to draw a ring about
1vangorod, compel the evacuation Of
that fortress and open the way for
Field Marshal Won hackensen to the
Warsaw-Brest-L itovsk railway. The
Observation-Disclosures operation is re-
garded here as the most important at
the present time.
A relatively early evacuation of Ivan
eorod is foreshadowed by the Russian
press.
The situation at Mitau, the capital of
the Russian province of Courland,
twenty-five miles southwest of Riga, is
not clearly understood here. The Rech
says that judging by the disposition of
the armies of both sides It may with
certain probability be assumed that the
city has been abandoned by the Rus
slams.
Austrians in Advances.
AUSTRIAN ARMY HEADQUARTERS,
August News of the evacuation by
the Russians of the fortresses of War
saw and Ivangorod is expected here
from hour to hour.
While general attention is concen-
trated on the impending. Russian evac-
nations events of scarcely less impor-
lance are taking place on the south
eastern front, namely, the Austrian
Hungarian passage of the Bug river
line and the advance against Vladimir
Bolynsk and Kovel, in Volhynia.
This operation renders the position
Of the Russian left wing in East
Galicia precarious. and will probably
he the determining factor in forcing
the retirement of the Russians from
the Bug. Zlota Lipa and Dniester line,
and in freeing Galicia entirely from
the invading army.
Kovel Possible Destination.
The destination of the Austrian
wedge which crossed the Bug river be-
tween Sokal and Krylow is apparently
Kovel. an important railroad junction
located on the southern edge of the
great Rokitno swamps. The effect of
this advance will be to cut communica-
tion between the Russian armies
operating in Poland and southern Rus
sia and accOmnliab yubaf Eiald q