The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-12-16
RUMAMANS STILL
AREFALLING BACK
No Indications Yet as TO Where
a Stand Against TeutOns
Will be Made.
NO BIG BATTLES IN PROGRESS
Heavy Artillery Doing Most of the
Work on the Various Fronts
Italians RepuIsed.

Washington, Dec. S.-Latest reports
from the war fronts reaching here to-
day indicate that the Rumanians still
are falling back all along the line east
of Bucharest from the TransylVanian
alps to the Danube. Just where they
will stop and face about and, with its
Russian allies, make a stand against
the Teutonic allies, has not yet be-
come apparent. On the MoldaVian
west frontier, and farther north along
the Bukowina border, the Russian at
tacks against the Austro-German
forces have failed to make any i'm
preston.
On none of the fronts is a sangui-
nary battle in progress. For the most
part the artillery wings of the belli-
gerent armies are doing the greater
portion of the work. Berlin reports
that the Bulgarians have forced back
the British in the Struma river low
lands near Sores, in Macedonia, and
that the Bulgarians and Germans have
compelled the evacuation by the Serbs
of positions they had previously cap
tured near TrnOvo, in the Cerna river
sector.
italians Launch Attacks.
West OF Lutsk in VoIhynia, the leu
tonic allies have captured Russian po-
sitions and successfully withstood
counter attacks.
The Vienna war office reports that
the Italians, after a vigorous bonn
bardment, launched two attacks on
the Carso front of the Austro-Italian
theater, but that both of them were
repulsed.
Artillery dueIs and exploits by raid
ing parties continue on the fronts in
Belgium and France. The Germans
and French are engaged in a spirited
artillery battle in the region Of Hill
304, northwest of Verdun, where the
Germans Wednesday gained some
| ground
Teutons Capture Bucharest.
Berlin, Dec. bucharest, capital
of Rumania, has been captured, it was
officially announced today.
Ploeehti, the important railway juno
ton town, thirty-six miles northwest
of Bucharest, also has been taken.
Little Hope Remained.
London, Dec. THE. fall of Buch-
Arrest and PIoechti, announced in the
German official communication to-
night, has not been confirmed from
| other sources, but the position re
vealed by the previous German and
Russian communicates left little hope
| that the Rumanian capital could be
saved.
No official Rumanian statements
! have been received in London since
! Sunday, but the Russian official re-
| ports recorded the steady retirement
Of the Rumanians before the victor
ious enemy forces. The rapidity Of
! the advance of the Central Powers
seem to show that no attempt was
made to defend the capital and the
actions fought probably have been
only of a delaying nature.
Take Big Oil Center, Too.
The fall of P1oechti, perhaps, is OF
even greater Importance than that of
Bucharest. Ploechti is a railway juno
ton and the center of the great oil
district of the PrahoFa valley. Unless
| the Rumanians have been able to de-
stroy or disable the oil wells, ma
chinery and stores of oil, the Germans
will get a much needed prize More
over, in the Prohavo valley they are
on the line Of retreat of portion Of
the Rumanian second army.
Control $1,000 Square Miles.
Washington, Dec EXACTLY LOG
days after the declaration OF war by
Rumania against them finds the leu.
tonic Allies in control of about 500
square miles of Rumanian territory
virtually one-half of the kingdom
running from the Transylvanian Alps
northwest of the capital, to the Dan
ube south OF it, and a large part OF
Dobrudja, and probably still on the
heels Of the retreating Russian and
Rumanian armies, which have beer
endeavoring to hold them back
Couldn't Stop Teutons
London, Dec. 6.-Hope that Bucha
rest can be saved from the encircIins
sweep of Won MackeAsen,s armies
practically has been abandoned in the
allied capitals. Even Petrograd ad
mits that the Russian attempts t.
break the Teuton lines of communica
tons in the region OF Kronstadt, II
Pennsylvania, are not meeting with
the desired success.