New-York tribune., 1916-02-29

and capturcu nine ina'"'"'
one mine thrower.
Paris admits the loss OF the Ma
val-in farm. and says
In Champagne, in the res'on OF
the Navarin farm. 10 the nortn OF
Souain. the enemy was successful
by surprise attack IN occupying
certain trenches Of our advance hne;
they also took supporting trench.
In the Woevre. also. the German
attaxks have assumed greater IN
,ensStv. The railroad station nj ElN
has changed hands several times
bu; tonight finally remains IN the
possession of the French. Attempts
70 take Fresnes. Paris likewise dc
clares. have failed. The oficia! state
ment says:
"on the plateaus to the north Of
the village Of NauX. in the "ocvre
district. the enemy yesterday even
ING ard last night assumed an atu-
tude Of greater activity. The rail-
road station at Elk, captured and re
captured several times 10y the at
tacks and counter attacks Of the two
opposing forces, now remains IN our
possession.
"Ai, the attacks against Hill No. zoo
90 tho southeast Of Elk. we're iutno'
ceiling 20 dislodcc our troops.
"Fnr,her 20 tho south German az
..ck against Manhcullcs resulted J"
complete failure H..
Rcrlin on the contrary. claims tnat
German troops have pushed 10 tne ~
os the important Cote Lorraine NJ
French base I'm the NoeVVe region "'
statement says; Co.o
"In the Nocyrc. The loot o. 10Y
Lorraine Was reached from INC oSS' a.
seversl places. ,.a ,ho No,se
The Germans have cleared 'ho MeuSe
neninsula Of enemy forces. -,
"Tbn Germans advanced thelr Ines
furtbcr i'm the direction Of \acherau-
Vile and Bras. .,,
paris also reported ss follows;
In tho Arsonne our heavy batteries
.rd feld guns shellcd the roads OF ac-
~oSs NJ the enemy. particularly IN tne
~e,,ior OF thc Cheppy Wood. ms
morning a. Hill 2S5 we exploded
mine the crater of which We oceupieo'
IN Lorraine our artillery has as
PLAYED marked activity IN the Sso.U'S
Of Reillon. Domebrc and Badonvlller'
The British official communication IS
sued tonight also reports iresh "ei
man attacks. .,, cor.
Last night VIC repulsed small Ger
,r et,sct southeast OF Albert. Dur
ING the night the enemy sprane hliHe
south OF La Bsssec Canal, causing soi'o
damage 20 our trenches. .,
"To-day there has been some artii-
rnr,- activity abou. Aubers and the
lpres-Comlues Cana.
Tbc fight for Verdun goes on multi
plying The dead and wounded 10
noint that the losses have got beyond
calculators.
l. is impossible to verify how many
rejnforcements the Germans nave
brought up, but the military critics pc
Neve that Of the 100000 men tnat pc
gan the attack, few VIII be ieft al inc
end Of the frst lighting.
T.rdun. the object Of all this sacrl-
fee. is now nothing but IAN ancien'
fortress" according 20 authoritative
Information. and If the Germans take
= tbev vlll ind IL but an empty smell
Fort DouaUmont. before whlch such
.9cridce in lives has been MADE Dy
its assailants. holds neither cannon
nor garrison. L is six months since
the French. putting into practice ,he
lessons of the war showing tHa'
fortresses are more vulnerable than
cid works. UNBIASED" Nerdun. ana
all its provisions, arms and munitions
as we'll as those in the surrounding
forts. were sent to the rear.
Eighty thousand men ana seNelai
hundred cannon would have been the
trophies o. a conQues- Of inc place !"
September 1914. ,...-
TO-DAY Ncrdun also is not 2 fortress;
L. has neither cannon nor garrison ana
has no provisions except for the cur
rent needs Of the population. ne
value OF the town itself - scarcely
more than that OF any one OF the WI
lagos 10 the north taken By the Ger
mans in the last six days, since ~ was
never anything more than miii'arF
stronghold.
The attitude Of the people and press
IN France is Of calm confidence, when
il heightened by pride in the heroic
counter attacks the French are making.
Reliance is placed. lot 10 \erdun nor
in anv other stronghold. but III the
army which the Germans must destroy
before French confidence IS shaken