Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-30
Three Engagements Prevail
at Many Points Along the
Western Front.
NEWPORT AND Melville
CHIEF STORM CENTERS
Allies and Germans Struggle Hand
to Hand as Artillery Plays
Strange Medley of Death.
nv OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

constantly playing their resouhoihs i'eo
lev of death, tens of thousands OF hVes
have been offered up on the altar OF the
war god Mars by French. br1tish' BEL
gians and Germans on the western oa'-
tie front reaching from the Nosses 10
the regions Of Belgium during the past
seven DAYS From one end OF line
stretching through riddled country 10
a noint more than 200 miles away the
allied and Teutonic armies have been in
a death grapple practically every moment
During the daylight hours attack after at
tack has been launched and counter Oh
fensiyes planned and carried out When
day has faded the blackness of night mas
been made day again by the couii,iess
rockets sent up by the contendins forces
that they might better see iiieii way ~
kill, tear and rend.
The Germans are reported 10 nave
initiated the present great struggle. harY
in the week the huge German cannon
which have made vast sections OF rraiee
and practically the whole of Belgium
shambles began hurting their missiles OF
destruction into the allied lines Nleu-
port and Neuville st. WAIST were the nrSt
points to feel the terrible effects OF tne
sustained fire AS has been the case in
previous periods of the present conflict,
this heavy artillery fire itself gave warn
ing to the allies. who In recent months
have been enabled to thoroughly prepare
for an offensive of any character. Inc
big British cannon answered those OF
the Germans. The Belgian artillery kept
up murderous fire in the dlrection OF
the enemy, while the French were forced
to make a reply from the Flanders 'front.'
to the southernmost point on the western
front These artillery duels are said to
have cost both forces millions of dollars,
it being declared that at Newport alone
10000 shells were expended by the Ger
In rat hours
At Neuville st. Vast, the French
anticipated the attack. and when the
German infantry
Fierce Struggle in forces launched
Melville Region. murderous rifle
and machine gun fire greeted them.
Despite this, however, Berlin de-
clares that three lines of French
trenches were captured over a front OF
about five hundred yards. Eight sue
cessive counter-attacks by the French
are declared to have been repulsed.
The men at this point engaged for
hours in vicious hand-to-hand hghung-
Countless times the soldiers of each
side were forced to give ground under
the murderous machine gun ire, caus-
ing fearful casualties of dead and
wounded. French say that much OF
the territory in this region has been
retaken from the enemy, but this is
denied in Berlin. Both are agreed.
however. that no fiercer fighting has
been witnessed in the present war
than that at this point.
While the infantry fighting has been
most marked at Newport, severe but
shorter engagements have been fought
at other points. The artillery of the
along that section Of the line held
down by the British. Severe damage.
IL Is declared. has been done to the
German works over practically the
whole of the User canal region, par
ticuarly in the vicinity of Boesinghe,
Het Sas and Steenstraete.
In the ArtoiS, west of the highway
from Arras to Lens, there has been par
ticularly heavy fighting of all kinds.
the French claiming to have been uni
formly successful in repelling the at
tacks of the enemy, which have been
numerous. Trenches of the Teutons
to the north of scissors have been
wrecked and in the region of Rheims
artillery fire proved to be very de-
structive.
Although the most strenuous effort to
break the allies lines. up TO the pres
ent, has been directed toward Melville
St WAIST and Newport, the Artois is
expected to be the scene of a great
battle of somewhat decisive character
This is the region that has been re-
peatedly bathed in blood since the
great struggle started.