Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-07-30
WAR Of NATIONS
STARTS THIRD
YEARS. PERIOD
Estimated More Than Thirteen
Million Represent Total
Causualty List
s8
GERMANY OCCUPIES
ENEMY's TERRITORY
Allies Celebrate Closing Of Sec.
ond Epoch by Smashing
Drive

The second year of the world
war closes with the Battle OF
Europe" concerted effort of the Al
lies on three fronts to crush the
Central Powers, which has developed
into titanic struggle, before which
superlatives, already exhausted, are
completely beggared.
No definite figures can be given of
the cost of the great war in blood
and gold but the most reliable esti-
mates present figures so vast that
they become practically meaningless
In March, 1916, the United States
General Army Staff estimated that
the total losses in men to all the bel
ligerents since the war began were
1905, 900. OF this number France
was debited with 100000 dead. Ger
many $4,000 dead, Russia 100000
dead. On June British government
estimate of German casualties, stated
to have been compiled from official
German causalt lists gave the total
of 3,O12,637. AS all the belligerents
have ceased issuing casualty lists for
public consumption the exact figures
for any country are unavailable.
Cost Figures Reliable
AS to the money question figures
are more reliable but still vague. They
present sums which are so beyond
anything previously known to inter.
national finances, so impossible Of any
human comparison that they become
little more than q tumble Of figures.
InsMareh, DR.. Karl HelfetTich, Secrc-
tary Of the Imperial Treasury OF
Germany, estimated that the war was
costing all the c0mbatants $S75; ;OOO,.
900 week or eleven and half bill.
lion dollars year. William Michael
Is, another German financial expert,
putt yearly cost at the vaster sum
Of fifteen billions and other finan.
cial authorities gave higher figures.
PEACE RUMoRS
On July II Reginald McKenna,
British Chancellor Of the ExcheQuor,
stated In the House of Commons that
the expenditures for Great Britain
alone were $S0,000,OOO daily. He did
not say, however, how much of this
incredible sum represented war ex.
pense.
Within the last few months there
has been some talk of peace in Ger
many and considerable peace activity
bv unofficial bodies in various coun.
tries, but there has been little indi.
cation that the chancelleries of Eur.
Ope are at present seriously consider.
ing close of hostilities.
France and Great Britain in the
west, Russia in the east, Italy in the
south are hurling waves of armed men
on the TeutOnic lines, together with
an avalanche of shells and bombs
such as the world has not known up
to the present time. For the first
time the Teutons are, temporarily at
least, on the defensive on the thous.
ands of miles of the existing battle
fronts.
The change In the situation which
the year has brought is striking, al.
though the results so far have been
more potential and spectacular than
radical A year ago the Germans,
continuing their great drive against
the Russians, hurled the Slaves back
along the entire eastern front, captur-
ed Warsaw, the great fortresses of
Kovno, Novo Georgievsk and Erest-
Litovsk and established lines far in
side Russia territory which they main
tanned virtually unbroken until with
In the last three months. They seiz-
ed all Poland, great slice of Russia
to the south Of that country and ex-
PEELED the invaders from Galicia and
Bukowina. Field Marshals Won Hin
denburg and Won Mackensen were the
heroes Of these great successes.
Changes Small
On the western front the changes
In position during the year were COM
paratively small /, but the twelve
months were marked by three events
of interest: The battles Of Cham
payne and Verdun and the opening
of the great Franco British offense
on the Somme took place in this
period.
The battle Of Champagne opened
on September Is, after a weeks ter
rife bombardment of the German
lines by the French, British and Bel
gians. In. a week of the bloodiest
lighting that had been known up to
that time the Allies announced that
they had taken twentv miles Of
trenches, six towns Of $4,000 prison
ers. But there they halted. They
could not break through the mighty
German wall and the grim deadlock
which marked the western front for
40 many months was resumed. The
Eattle of Champagne marked the re-
moval of Sir John French, the Brit
ish Commander-in.Ch Chief from the be-
ginning Of the war up to that time.
In December, 1915, It was announced
that he had resigned to take home
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