The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-11-23
CRA0FAs CAPTURED.
/ EBY TEUTOh ARMY
Roumanian Army Is Cut Off When
City Falls.
FATE OF NATION AT STAKE
Rctreatino Forces Of Ferdinand
Threatened With Defeat by lnvad-
ers-Town Seized by Germans
Is Big Railway Center

London, Nov. 22.-Craioya, vital
nerve of the strategic railway net OF
western Roumania, fell TO the army OF
General Won Falkenhayn at noon. It's
loss Is the most serious blow suffered
by King Ferdinand's army since Rou-
mania,s intervention on the allies
side.
In the grip of a wise of steel whose
only exit leads into impossible swamps,
a deep thrust out into the Wallachian
plain whose products feed its people
the most fertile area of the Balkan
Kingdoms today seems face to face
with certain doom.
(Craiova is a city of $1,000, known
as the capital of western Wallachia.
II has been predicted that with the
fall of Craiova the Roumanian army
would be placed in a serious positionD
Teutons 12s Miles From Capital.
AT Craiova the Teutons stand 40
miles due west of Bucharest. In con-
troll of four of the most important
rails of communication their headlong
advance toward the heart of the king
dom continues swifter than ever. That
advance holds menace of striking the
greatest strategical blow of the war.
1t threatens the bulk of the. Roumanian
army still battling south of the Tran
sylvanian Alps and particularly the
forces around Orsova, near the Iron
gate" with being completely cut off
from all avenues of escape.
Russia Admits Retreat.
For these sorely shattered forces, a
last desperate stand in an open battle
against overwhelming odds in num-
beers of men and guns-or surrender
is the only alternative unless a miracle
happens.
The whole fighting in northwestern
Roumania as the result of the Teuton
dash into Wallachia, has assumed the
character of a race for the railways.
In jul and Mortru valleys the Teutons
won the race when they reached their
main goal, Craiova. Ominous indica-
tons that the feat is about TO be Ne
peated further to the northeast is con-
tained in the Russian war office state
ment admitting that under pressure
of the enemy Roumanian troops are re-
firing slowly southwark in the Alt
valley" Moreover, this Petrograd bull
letin is n belated one, for in another
paragraph it placed the retreating Rou-
manianS in the region of PilliaSh. That
point is 40 miles northwest Of CraiOva.
A few hours after receipt of the Rus
sian statement, Berlin officially an
nGunced Craiova's fall.
"On the Alt river" said the Ger
man war office in an earlier official re-
port from Berlin, "SOme important
towns and intrenched heights were
captured by us from the Roumaniuns
In severe struggles"
Series of Battles Now On.
Through each Of the TranSylyanian
passes Truton troops are being poured
some in pursuit Of the retreating Rou-
mRnians, others in sweeping thanking
movements against those Of King Fer
dinand's forces as are still grapplina
for every inch of ground in vain hopes
to turn the tide Of battle.
. With Craioya captured. the complete
overrunning of WaIIachla. the south
western part Of Roumania, is partly
accomplished. The fate of Roumanfa
is being decided in n series of huge
battles whose scene is one Of the most
fertile REGIONS Of EurOpp