The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-08-16

British Front in France and Belgium, August 15.-After the brilliant advance this morning in which the Canadians captured Hin 70, and then swept on north ! west of Lens, the attackers were in {. close grips with the Germans in the western part of Lens late today. The attack began at 4:25 o'clock, just as the first gray streaks of dawn were ap- bearing. All night the British big guns had been pouring a steady stream or high explosive shells into the German positions great detonations overlapping one another like the rapid cracking or machine gun fire and swelling into mighty volume of thunder that shook the earth and stunned the senses.
 QUIET FOLLOWED STORM
 Then. d short time before the hour or offensive had arrived, the batteries ab- rliptly ceased and a strange, almost op- pressive stiffness, fraught with the por- tending cataciysm which must follow, crept over the country which until then had been an inferno of death It had been raining and gray clouds still hung low over the trenches where crouched the Canadian infantrymen waiting eager ly for the arrival of the moment which would summon them to attack.
 HURRICANE OF SMELLING
 Suddenly. 10 minutes before the time set for the attack, every British gun within range broke out with hurricane of shelling and solid lines of crimson lightning belched from the German trenches as the explosives broke about them To this lurid picture was added the unforgettabie spectacle of the burn ing oil which the British threw on the enemy lines Great clouds of pinkish- colored smoke rolled across the country from the flaming liquid and the murky sky threw back myriad colors from the conflagration below.
 The moment of attack arrived and, as the British guns dropped their protect ing barrage in front of the Canadian trenches, the clouds parted and the vel low crescent moon appeared. Under the light of this beacon the Canadians leaped over the parapets and began their me thodical advance behind their barrage fire.
 BARRAGE WITHOUT FLAW
 The British barrage was without a flaw Behind it the Canadians mounted IIin 70 and swept along the rest Of the line On the crest of the hill where so much blood had been spilled before heavy fighting might have been ex- pected, for the position was well manned with machine guns. The resistance here, however, was not strong and 1t was not until the dwellings in the outskirts of the suburbs were reached that vigorous fighting occurred The ground over which the infantry advanced was honey combed with British shell holes and the barbed wire defenses had been leveled so that they gave little trouble.
 The first serious resistance from the Germans was met at a point where the enemy was entrenched strongly in con nected cellars and here sanguinary fight ing occurred.
 LENS MASS OF RUINS
 The place is ! sample of other sub- urbs about Lens. The city is sur rounded with colliery communities which are so close together and so near the city proper that they really form one large metropolis Lens be- fore the war had a population of So.- GOO, but it is now mass of ruins.
 Following their usual tactics. the Germans had carried out systematic Instructions of the houses and had constructed strong underground de- lenses The whole city is undermined with tunnels and dugouts, which have been reinforced with concrete and most of the ruined buildings have been turned into machine gun emplace- ments
 It was in such difficult surroupd-