New Britain herald., 1916-07-26
KAISER ENJOYS GOOD
 HEALTH DESPITE WAR
PunCtuateS His Observations
 With R0OSeYeltian Gestures

1 Headquarters of the German Armies on the Somme, July A by Courier to Berlin, July 25, Via London July 26, 12:5S D. m.-Emperor William in his l talk with the Saxon and Baden mili- 1 tary plenipotentiaries today, when he | described the impressions resulting from his recent visit to the trenches, punctuated and emphasized his dis | course with vigorous gestures. With | the freshness of his color and general vivacity of energy his bearing showed plainly that his health had not suf- | fered under the long strain of the war | The EmperOr's departure for the l eastern front. accompanied by General l Erich VOn Falkenhayn, chief of the l general staff, immediately after the religious service at army headquarters l is taken IS a sign that the responsible heads of the army consider the stua- l ton on the Somme front now we'll in hand and that there is no occasion for apprehension.
 The Associated Press correspondent spent part of the morning at an artil- lery observation sta ation near Peronne waiting for the weather to clear suffi- ciently to permit military operations 70 begin. Noon, however, saw no lift 70 the clouds, which hung low until l they joined hands with the fogs of the SOmme flats and as there was no pros 1 rcct of witnessing anything interest | irg important the watch was | abandoned.
 Sees Battlefield From Treetop. l The weather was not so thick, how l ever, as to prevent the general line of l the opposing positions being traced ] from this observation point. From the rustic platform, built on top of an l elm tree on a commanding height, the wide expanse of battlefield, with good glasses, could be swept; directly op- | posite, and seemingly almost at the | observers feet, was the point of the wedge which the French had. driven 1 against PerOnne.
 Biaches on the west bank Of the Somme, which the French for time
 occupied but which now again was in
 German hands, could not be seen as the town lies too low in the valley but the height of La Maisonnette crowned
 by farm buildings and a little wooded
 park stood out plainly against the 1 Backgrounds of clouds. A Bomeric
 struggle for it's possession had been
 Waged for long days. It's ownership
 now was shared, the Germans hold
 Ing the park while the chateau on the
 southern edge remains in Branch
 hands.
 Even on this day of inaction shells
 and shrapnel were seen frequently
 kursting over La Maisonnette and a
 new struggle for complete possession
 Of the height, which is considered the
 best advanced post for artillery ob-
 servatiOn, evidently was about to
 begin.
 From La Maisonnette, the line ran
 generally south to the village of
 Pelloy, the corner bastion on which it
 bends almost directly westward to
 Soyecourt where it enters the original
 front before the beginning of the
 offensive.
 What details could not be made out
 with the eye, assisted by the occa-
 s1onally dropping shells, were sup
 piled by an artillery observer who
 stated that the village of Barleux, which the French repeatedly had en-
 deavored to storm, was in German
 hands, while Belloy was a French stronghold and the village Of Estrees
 was divided in possession.
 The French had this morning twice attempted to push forward the lines
 here by attacks with hand grenades and bayonets but without success Barleux and La Masonnette were the storm centers in this sector judg- ing from the evidences of artillery activity.
 , Slight Damage at Peronne. To the northwest the square tower
 of Peronne cathedral arose from the
 valley. The houses of Peronne which
 is completely in German hands and
 separated by the river from its natural l French owners, also were discernible to the observer. Officers who recent
 ly had visited the city stated that
 Peronne was remarkably little dam
 aged in view of it's proximity to the battle front. The French had
 plenty of shells for the railway station but obviously were desirous
 Of sparing the rest of the city
 as much as possible. All civilian in-