The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-02
Daily BOmbardment of Heights
Protecting PerOnne.
SEVENTY MILES FROM SEA
But Marine GunnerS Serve to
Drive Away Enemy.
Heavy Losses to BuIgarians
Are Announced by London.

With the French Armies before Pc
rome, Oct. Naval forces have join
ed the allies here in the great land
battle of the Somme. seventy miles
from the sea
Ironclad monitors, utilizing Frances
network of canals along the Somme,
centering at Peronne, are participat-
ing ir the daily bombardment of
Mount St Quentin, which dominates
Peronne from the east They ad-
vance slowly on the German strong
hold as the land lines creep forward,
and have done much effective work.
Mount st. Quentin, the key to the
defense of Peronne, is slowly and
steadily being encircled by the French
capture of Combles. The position, a
strong one, stands at the summit of a
hill overlooking Peronne.
Tune Up Guns.
Marine gunners. who serve the
pieces aboard the monitors, go about
their business in the same methodicaI,
clockwork manner. as ordinary work
men beginning their days labors. Af-
ter their morning plunge in the canal
and breakfast, they begin tuning up
the guns.
on land the same mechanical
process goes on. The artillerymen
wash up" eat breakfast. and then,
the officers presence. begin serving
the guns on scheduled time like so
many factory employees beginning
work on the whistle.
IS Villages to Dust
Occasional German shells, falling
near. never interrupt for the single
instant, the routine of their days la
Dor. Only the lunch hour does that.
From an artillery observation post
directly facing Mount st. Quentin. I
watched the French's methodical artil-
lery advance, encircling the village of
Mount st. Quentin. The town itself
! already has suffered the same fate as
the forty-eight villages captured to
date by the allies. 1t is completely re-
duced to heaps of brickbats and pro-
| truding tree stumps- The Germans,
however, still retain strongly forti-
fled positions, especially in the cellars.
Destruction Is Methodical.
The French artillery was completely
encircling the hill of the evillage for the
purpose of interrupting German COM
bination with the rear, while occa-
sional shells were directed at Mount
st. Quentin itself to keep the Germans
busy in their dugouts and cellars. In
variably these shells sent up great red
clouds of brick dust from the pulveriz-
ed houses. The bulk of the artillery
continued it's methodical destruction
of German defenses which still sepa-
rate the French first line trenches
from the base of the hill.
When the proper time comes, Mount
St Quentin will be taken by the
French and with a minimum loss OF
men, an artillery officer told me to-
day. In the final assault the infantry
will dash forward. preceded 100 yards
by a curtain fire of shells that will not
permit the surviving Germans to in
flict any serious losses.
Buigarians Lose Heavily.
London, oct. 2.-''The portions o1
the Bulgarian line on the Strums
front which we captured September 80
included the villages of Zara Zakoi-
bala and Kara Zakoizir.'' says today:
official report of operations on the
Macedonian front Repeated enemy
counter attacks against these place:
were entirely unsuccessful and were
beaten off with heavy loss. All the
ground won has now been consoli
dated. There is no sign of the enemy
for some distance in front of oul
| trenches.
''In addition to the heavy casualtie!
inflicted on the enemy, the number O.
prisoners taken has been increased tt
$50. Our casualties were compare
lively small. Three machine gun:
were cantured ~