The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-06-08
~ WILLIAM PHILIP sImms

BY WILLIAM PHILIP siMmS
United Press starr Correspondent
WITH The BRITISH AR.
MES IN THE FIELD. June 8.
Six thousand prisoners 40 far
counted 10 the score 20 date In
the great Flanders offensive.
SO complete 10 the success
with which the drive was atill
progressing today that Brit
ish cavalry went into action.
The British turned loose every
man.contrivod engine OF destruc,
ton 20 sweep forward In victory
along this I . mile front. from Ypres
To Armcntlcrcs. yesterday morn.
ing
\ vast upheavai OF 600 tons OF ex.
plosive was the beginning Scat.
tered over miles o. front and touch.
ed or. this vast force tore up the
earth like a volcano.
Flames Shoot Up
7 was standing on the mas.
siVe top Of dugou, when this
shock came. For several sec.
onds u felt as tho the whole
earth had eaved In. a minute
before the explosions the air
was staanant. The conclusion
produced q breeze that twisted
the branches OF trees for miles
away. Great. Jagged forks OF
flame shot toward the sky. like
tongues OF lightning
Then began the artillery roar.
roar such as was never before heard
on this or any other front The
harrage battered ahead OF tho nrlt.
ish troops like a hail Of great steel
stones.
Signal for Help
A storm OF red rockets arose
fror, the darkness ahead as the
Germans slgnalcd madIy for
help. A moment later white
rockets told that the British
had s~ep, over the treneh--and
were going on.
lie 20 today the enemy's elastic
rs had not been evidenced In any
swapping back into line OF that frac
ture Apprised now % the trcmcn-
ions strength 81 the drive. tho Cor /
mans were massing PUSHES and /
Hereby opposing every step OF the /
British advance.
Most Powerful Drive
The great city OF Lille and the i'm. /
portant Industrial towns OF Tourco-
ng and Roubaix arc directly men
accd by the uewest-and probably
The most powerfui-of the British
drives The three cities are the
centers % Frances Industrial sec.
lion OF tho north The fighting IL
over Belgian soil. but the detectives
sought are In France
In this locality the Franco Bel
gian line twists In sharp dip form
Ing a triangle whose point 10 just
above Armentieres
Hcnin. Weryick and warneton
arc along one side OF the triangle
being the Belgian border cities
the hypotenuss OF triangle
whose upright line runs from Yprcs
and Nessines 90 near Armentieres
LILLE Ia six miles distant from Ar
mentieres II Is 10 miles from
Messines. further up on the triangle
line
The capture OF tho low.lyinK ridge
from Messines 10 Wytschaote. how
ever. makes the Messlnes victory
important. even n u is farther dis.
tan from Lille and Armentleres This
promontory dominates the flat Bel.
gian French fields in this sector
I, offers an ideal observation
base. Moreover. Il gives an advan.
tageous strategic position from
which 70 turn tho flank Of the enc
my army just above Armentieres
At the time this lie esbled
the British are attacking local
~ Oxygen trench" where
pockets OF Bsvarian troops are
holding out In strength.
No details Of the fighting az
this point have yet been re-
ceived at headquarters.
Successes Of yesterday and
today make the Germans POSI-.
ton 10 the east Of the Mes
slnes ridge critical. The River
Lys and the comr,ines canal
converge there. meeting at
comr1ines. " the Germans sue
coed In crossing these waters
they will have TO undertake the
operation under shell fire and
must lose heavily.