The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-07-03
BLEEDING TO DEATH
IN BLAZING SUN
Continued from page y

hourly growing more vigorous and
have checked and bent back the
British left, which advanced rapidly
into the village OF Serre when the
offensive opened Saturday morning
The British center, north Of Albert,
is making slow, methodical gains.
though under terrific counter attack
East OF Albert where the extreme
British right links up with the
French left, the bfoodiest struggle is
going ON. Driven out of LaBoisselle.
cFricourt, Mametz, Contamination and
Montauban. the Germans are fight
ing with desperation to save inn
portant highway lines OF communica-
ton which imperl both Baupme and
Peronne.
South OF the somme. the French
placed themselves within bare
ture of Dompierre, Frise and Becquim-
court.
The British public, far from being
Intoxicated by the early successes. Is
prepared for the development of a
campaign lasting perhaps several
months. The people Of England are
content to await a grinding advance
with small gains. They expect heavy
German counter attacks and some al
lied reverses.
General Haig. according to all dis
patches from the front, is carefully
conserving his men, preparing the
way for each attack with the most
tremendous artillery attack ever seen
in any war.
Critics here unite in declaring that
the allies now have larger munition
reserves than the Germans.
In some spots behind the German
lines shells were bursting at the rate
of ninety per minute, one correspond
emit reported. They fell in streams
on the village Of Thiepval, which was
blown to pieces.
The Germans, waiting nervously in
their iugcuts for the blow they knew
was about to come, sent up hundreds
of rockets throughout Friday night.
They lighted the whole front in or
der to catch sight of the first lines OF
advancing British infantry.
The British soldiers, hugging their
trenches under the steady torrent of
shells that poured over head, wrote
letters home and went to sleep early.
They knew without being told that
the intensffying Of the bombardment
meant the order to attack would
come shortly after dawn
The British reserves began coming
ND after dawn while the artillery sud
denly let loose hellish fire upon the
German works.
British and French aercplanes be-
gan taking the air, disappearing In
the clouds Of smoke toward the Ger
man lines. Then the order to attack
came. Men leaped from the trench
psrapets and went stumbling out
through the chaotic mass OF things
that had once been concrete armored
German trenches.
The French moved forward at pre-
cisely the same time.
[By Ed l. Keen, United Press STAR
Correspondent
LONDON, July 3.-The arrival OF
German achievements has temporal
lily checked the British offensive
north of the Somme except at one
| point, but the French continue to
smash back the German lines south
of the river.
These facts are indicated in the Of
fetal dispatches from the German and
French war office this afternoon and
by press dispatches from headquar-
tiers of the British army. The French
last night scored the most important
success of the last twenty-four hours
of great allied offensive. They bat
tered in the German lines on a three
mile front directly south of the Som
me. The disorganized German reei-
ments were driven rapidly eastward
the French advancing to within. five