Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-09-21

Drive Down Hill.
me British push was largely down
hill. They put behind them the high
ground whose slopes gave them shelter
Tor their guns and whose crest gives
llenl observation for their artillery fire.
Evidently the Germans did not expect
'le attack considering that the often
SlNe was over and that the British
would settle down for the winter in
their new advantageous positions.
Never probably have more guns been
playing over the same length of front
than along the six miles where the
British made their advance on July l,
and where they have contiGued their
offensive with phlegmatic and logged
persistence. The Germans kept on
bringing up guns until now they have
900, $50 to the mile in that short sec
tor. The Associated Press correspond
ent, moving ovcr tho egion of the de-
Iastated villages and shell torn earth
lnteTsected by new roads. saw on either
hand how enormously the British had
increased their own artillery.
Work Like Machines
S~un-tanned and weather beaten were
the Gunners after their 10 weeks of
work There were lines and clusters
and parks of gun Rows of batteries
were firing with something of the regu-
larity of mechanical workmanship Of
~ VI Il ooll ~ us Iloltl.
Alongside each other We're British and
French batteries.
The gunncrs of neither ally could
speak the language of the other, yet
bot? going on with their parts, accord
ing to charted Instructions.
All Night Bombardnent.
At midnight, the correspondent again
walked about the gun which were going
on with their night shift OF gunners
whose fp3tnT-c Nyprn Illuminated Nv,
flashes. Except for the guns which
know no rest, the army seemed silent
ana asleep for the most part. Every
body and everything was in place and
ready, Including those TRANCE
&fotesque new armoreG cars, which
were to have their baptism of fire in
the morning.
We keep on tearing, we of the new
army said one of the young officers.
and with every shot do a little better.
Battle is the great teacher"
And the guns never stopped their
darkness and darkness to dawn. Now
and then, the keys of that 'strident
piano were struck in a chord. When
dawn came, all the keys began to bang
at once.
But before the general attack began
there had been a hellish little prelimi-
nar,' siGeshuw near Thiepval. The
Germans had there n warren, deep
dugouts and galleries, which they
called their wunder werk." Before
daylight the British got in there under
cover of their gun fire. bombed their
NaE through galleries which became
catacombs, n made themselves mas
ters of the position after hours of ugly
Worh.
Attack Most skilIful.
Then also, before sunup, only an
hour before the time sc. for the British
b 81 20 az tIN. .,.,, So. D., -
the British were coming on in another
big push. made a small attack in the
neiehborhood of MouQuet farm. They
took a section of trench and We're hold
ing it at the omc when that wave
Of British, six miles long, began to
move. The British reserves in that
area swept over the Germans and their
own men who were struggling With the
Germans on the objective set for three
days work.
\ chill autumn morning mist. pre-
ceding a day of brilliant sunshine. hid
the actual attack, which the British
officers think was the most slzillful
the British army has ever made. The
British We're putting behind them not
only the ridge but the old second line
as We'll as the first line trenches which
they had struggled so hard to gain. and
were going against the new third line
which the Germans had been building
under unceasing British shell fire.
Like Prehistoric Monsters.
with tie Infantry went those new
motor cars, across trenches and shell
holes. SO ludicrous are they in appear
ance hat the British soldiers lauehed
at them in the midst of the charge
They cheered them as they PLAYED their
streams of machine gun bullets. Like
some prehistoric monsters they must
have seemed TO the Germans. who had
to seek dugouts, or flight, or else they
surrendered.
SO far as reports Indicate. the Brit
ish everywhere gained possession of tie
new German trenches, except opposite
Glnchy. There the German clllnu with
desperate courage and dog to bone ten
aclty to remain in that bit of high
ground IN that piece by piece defense
of his. There he still keeps up the
struggle, at last accounts.
Again IN High wood he had kept a
redoupt with a nest of Machine guns
which the arTnored motor cars engaged
machine gun to machine gun, while the
British infantry passed around if az
around a rock in n flood.
Capture Six Colonies.
Among the prisoners are six colonies
One Of these had the honor of being
captured by the newest weapon. which
mas added p~icturesqueneSs to present
day warfare. This armored motor car,
which crosses trenches and holes. ran
over the colonels duSOut. He surren-
dered TO the crew, which took him on
Board. and after the fight was over de-
livered him TO a guard Of infantry.
In II case 100 Germans surrendered
in a body to one of the arnlored motors.
Again an aeroplane reported that one
Of the motors was moving up Il street
Of the village of Fiers while wildly yell
ing British infantry followed it. Aero
planes descended very low during the
battle and never We're there more
fights or more vicious ones than those
Of yesterday while the new armored
cars We're parti inating in the infantry
ch2r@es. Altogether the British
brought down - German planes.
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