Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-04
BERLIN CLAIMS BRITISH
USED GAS IN ATTACKING
Declines to Admit Recent Successes
Due to ANY Soldierly
Qualities.
NOT AFRAID OF THE RESULT
Germans, Warned, However, Not to
Hold Too Lightly Offensive
by Allies on the West
ern Front.

PARlS, october 4, 2 rs PM
French troops have continued to
make progress to the north OF
Arras, according to the an
nouncement given out by the
French war office this afternoon.
There has been almost con-
tinuous fighting between the
trenches, accompanied by artil-
lery exchanges in the vicinity of
Nouvron and Quennevieres.
There has been also artillery
fighting in the Champagne dis
trict.
A squadron of French aero
planes has thrown down some
forty shells of heavy caliber on
the railroad station at Metz.
Took "Impregnable" Position.
A field correspondent of the Havas
Agency in a dispatch received today gives
further details of the struggle between
the French and the Germans for Hill No.
191, one of the heights of Massiges, In
Champagne, Which was captured by the
French in spite of the German staff orders
that it must be held at all costs.
The hill, the correspondent says, was
believed by the Germans to be i'm
pregnable The position was taken Sep
tember 25 by the colonial troops.
Germans Quick to Surrender.
Down the other side of the hill,'' says
the correspondent, the allied troops ad-
vauced methodically, reaching Mount
Tetu, toward the north, and then east
ward As each trench was reached the
Germans in small groups held up their
hands. One officer who was made prisoner
said: We can't make them move except
by the use of the cudgel or revolver
During the fighting 5000 grenades
were captured and used against the
enemy, as well as two seventy-sevel
guns. each with a supply of $500 shells
A French officer said he could not find
men to conduct prisoners back to the
line, as all of the men wanted to stay
with the advancing forces"
British Success Explained.
LONDON. October 4, $40 p.m.-Ex-
planning the reasons for the recent
British success against the Germans in
the region of Lenz, the official state
ment issued today by the German head
quarters army staff says: 1T was not
by any soldierly qualities of the Eng
lish attack, but by successful sur
prise and by gas attack"
German papers reaching London in
their comments on the fighting on the
western front breathe an air of conh-
dence' concerning the results of the
Anglo-French offensive. after the hrst
days surprise attack
Not Yet Exhausted.
The German people realize the
frightful seriousness of the bloody
struggle" says the Frankfurter lei
tung, but Germany is not yet exhaust
ed. as her enemies would like to be-
lieve. We have at our disposal a suffi-
cient number of free reserves who can
be thrown in at any time and at any
place without weakening our fronts
elsewhere. We shall force our adver-
saries to recognize this fact"
The Berlin Tageblatt says that MOTH
ing would be more foolish than for the
German people to take light-hearted
view of the terrible seriousness of these
battles, but that confidence should be
drawn from "the brilliant proofs of the
courage and power of resistance the
Germans previously have displayed
against a numerically superior enemy"
British King CongratuIates
Field Marshal FrenCh's Army
on Gains Made in Offensive
BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN
FRANCE, via London. October 4.-The
following special orders of the day
have been issued by Field Marshal Sir
John French:
The field marshal, commander-in-
hA falJ