Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-03-18
f,ne Million Men in Death Grapple for Possession of
 Dead Mans Hill.
VICTORY DEPENDS
 ON FIGHTING HERE
wuh Roth Armies Claiming Posses. siou of Dominating Height, Fur icus Conflict Is Believed
 Nearing End.
london. March 1.-The battle of

London. March 1.-The battle of verdun, which more than two weeks ago developed over semi-circular front of 50 miles, has narrowed down to a death grapple of more than mn 900 men on little more than two blody miles. .,.
 tho height knonwn as Dead Mans hill to which both armies lay claim. Tha crest of this hill is the key to verdun from the northwest. Upon lie nossession depends the whole tre- mendous issues of the western cam paign. that the French have hurled 27 di- visions. 54O,O00 men, against the po- sition held by the Germans. Division and corps has replaced corps in this crucial struggle of the war. Victory at Dead Mans hill, it is generally :. recognized here tonight, means vlc- Z tory at Verdun.
 German Statement.
 The statement says:
 "Western theatre. Six British mine eyplosions south of Loos were un- successful.
 Tn various sectors in the Cham pagne and between the Mouse ana the Moselle there have been sustain ed artillery duels. aIn the Mouse region Werdun) the .anlmv sent forward repeatedly fresh division. which as on the 27th advanced on a comparatively small width of the front and was noticed as soon as it appeared against our positions on Dead Mans height. The first attack was without artillery preparation in the nature of sur prise A few companies succeeded Ill reaching our lines, where the fe" unwounded men remaining were talk en. The second attack was stopped by our curtain of fire.
 $ Eastern and Balkan theatres ' The situation is unchanged" FA The Germans have fully as many men engaged as the French, it IS generally believed. The crown prince, assisted by the ablest marshals Tn the German army, is directing the Teuton campaign. From his head quarters, close to the battle line, the kaiser is following every move on this clossal chess board of war.
 Decision Must Come Soon.
 Decision, it is felt, must come soon in this tremendous struggle. The latest statement on the struggle, that issued in Paris at midnight, reports momentary intermission in the 1n- fantry fighting. Both armies, appar- ently, are gathering and concentrat- ing their strength for the final, vital clash.
 The crest for which both armies are fighting is called Dean Mans hill because, from a distance, the topography lends that impression tc the eye. The hill is the mans head and the Corbeaux wood stretches like black cloud.
 The Germans hold the wood and claim the hill. The French assert that the crest, which dominates the plain below in three directions. in Noiving practical possession of Beth
 court to the north and artillery command of the field defenses ant lorts to the south, is in their hands
 Ine battle, which is now at its zenith, has been developing around . nead Mans hill for more than g =. French Statement. West of the Mouse, the lombard ment diminished last night neal Setnlncourt and Cumieres. After thu .loody check to the attack of yester usH the enemy has not resumed his snent on Mort Homme. !. st of the Mouse a recrudescenct a me hombardment was followed a ociock last night by series O. NY violent offensive actions agains - @ village and fort of Vaux.
 riVe successive attacks in larg' sers loers were deliered, but. withou Mcess. Two of them were agains NJ Village of vaux; two others tess ts'nst the slopes leading up to thu . sm an dthe fifth was an effort t. sSssge sS"s1 from a protected roadwa
 ssSeast ss% of the village.
 '" tnese attacks were broken, b;