Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-10-05
GERMANS FELT SECURE
IN DUGOUTs NEAR LOOs
Trenches Captured by British Made
Comfortable With Electric Lights
and Arm Chairs.
PEOPLE TOOK TO CELLARS
Some Humorous as Well as Tragic
Sides to Sudden Encounters Which
Occurred During Recent Severe
Fighting In West.

RI T S II HEADQUARTERS IN
FRANCE, sunday. October 3. via Lon
don, October 4--The scene of tho
British attacks in the Lens region is
nat mining country-sag heaps. mine
pits. ruined buildings. splintered and
felled trees and earthworks churned by
explosions. with slightly rising ground
toward Loos and Lens.
Nothing is visible except the soft
puffs Of shrapnei bursting and volumes
OF black smoke from British and Ger
man high explosive shells, marking
positions where the British troops are
organizing their gains and the Ger
mans are preparing new defensive
line.
II is with infinite satisfaction 10 the
British. who had long looked at the
cye-sore twin towers Of the mining
works at Loos, that they now have in
their possession this German position.
The church at Loos. which had been
used as an observation post. is a heap
Of stone as the result Of the lombard
ment preceding the attack.
The normal population at Loos is
10000 miners and their families Three
hundred OF these remained during the
battle. taking shelter In the cellars Of
their wrecked. miserable homes.
WOMEN WOUNDED BEFORE
THEY REACH SHELTER
AS tho skirm!sh line approached tho
town II saw six women and child
coming toward II in the midst OF the
battle. Some OF the British soldiers
n hut bet
could get the women to a shelter two
or three were wounded.
An elaboratcrcss and permanency Of
the German trenches Indicated the APP
parent conviction Of the Germans in
the security Of their line DuCouts
often goo feet deep. were ce,nen,ed.
and electric lights and arm chairs were
placed In them.
The British hombardmcnt cut the
wire In front OF the German trenches
TO bits, and battered the firing trench cs
and ;raverses into irregular piles OF
earth. Under such Il failing Of shells
II was suicidal for the Germans to at
tempt 70 remain outside the dugouts or
TO try TO man their machiu" guns or
use their rifles
when the artillery work was per-
fccted. the British infantry spranE
over the parapets ~ Il given moment.
SprintinG toward the German trench
they arrived almost withou, opposition.
Then the German trench was theirs.
with tho Germans who were alive hud :
died IN ;heir caves. Some Of the dug
outs had the openings blown in hy
shell explosions. and their occupants
were either buried or suroCa-cd
when a durout had been unh. rrl.sl
tho British soldiers. with bayonccs
fixed or hoEbs ins hand, appeared a,
the entrance - amn LID rierpraus still
inside or perhaps just stnr,ing out
if,'1
on the other hand. II British soldier
started TO enter or even showed him
self he was received with = fusilladc
In case OF refusal 10 surrender. born bs
were thrown into tho durout. The Ger
mans surviving tho explosion usually
gave in though not always. ror some
Of them died 10 the last man.
HUMOROUS INCIDENTS
DURING ENCOI NTERS
Some incidents had humorous as
we'll Is q tragic side. In these sudden
encounters a; close quartz where
tho charging Briton met German
emerging from his dugout. the bavo-
times brought into play in the ensuing
melee.
One difficulty was the gathering and
guarding Of prisoners in such "a CON
fined space as the irregular. wrecked
trenches. With rifles aid bombs living
.
lating. were likely TO seize them and
rush to the cover OF traverse trench
or into shell crater and renew the
fight. .tE -5.
The British are keeping to the tao
teal plan undertaken hy them to gain
n certain amount of ground with each
attack
The Germans fought desperately. and
the viciousn"ss Of their couutcrattarks
apparently was due to rag" over tho
loss OF their comfortable dugouts. and
tho unpleasant prospect OF Il winter in
the mud. hu!.i!n; new caves
The rear of the army during the ac-
ton presented wordrous varied
scene. which was the more concentrat.
ed because Of the narrow front OF the
operations. There were slightly wound
cd walking back; tho steady tramp OF
fresh regiments going forward: pro
ccssions OF swift motor ambulanccS
whose burdens would bc back in Eng
land In twcnty-four hours: longer and
seemingly endless professions of motor
trucks loaded with shells 20 feed the
evcr-t LAUNDERING unseen guns: troops
OF the reserves in the ficlds or beside
the gorEed roads waiting their call.
while the French population stood in
their aoorways and asked for the latest
news from officers and men, who knew
nothing except concerning their own
parts in the big scheme OF things.
CHILL AUTUMN RAIN
COMES AFTER ATTACK
Sunday. after the attack succeeded.
a chill autumn rain fell. covering the
field with mist and making artillery
observation difficult. The troops fight
Ing in the new line were drenched to
the skin. Dead and wounded British
and Germans lay side by side where
there had been eddics of fierce con-
fict
AT place near the front a park OF
captured guns guarded by n pacing
BRUSH sentry seemed an attraction
more symbolic of success to the in
habitants than the parties of German
prisoners. Perhaps the most interest
Ing trophy is Russian machine gun
taken by the Germans from the Rus
slams on eocterp pro,, o,,l 49,.