Licking Valley courier., 1917-09-13


minO by Cadorna's forces. In fact, a
general retirement of the Austrians on
that front was predicted. In the bat
Ties on the Bainsizza plateau the ltal-
ians captured immense quantities Of
arms and munitions for the enemy fed
In haste and disorder. Nearer the
coast, the fortress on Monte Hermada
still held out against furious attacks,
keeping the Italians from advancing
on Trieste by that route.
Riga Taken by Germans.
Riga has fallen. the kaiser rejoices
and the war-tO-victOry party In Ger
many has new argument. But this,
like the Galician affair, is rather
cheap victory over "A disorganlzed
army, and was expected. The Russians
have retired beyond the River Aa,
lighting fairly well as they went, and
the fierce bravery of the Battalion of
Death enabled them to prepare u new
line of resistance.
The taking OF Riga gives Germany
complete command OF the Baltic and
the way lies open for an advance on
Petrograd by land, but Ii is not at all
pertain the kaiser will go on to the
Russian capital. The route Is long and
threggh Jfiflcalt eoapsfs. AID the ati.
tantages of possessing Petrograd
might be Offset by such an extension
of his lines sist as winter is at hand.
| .ft the time cf(wrlting, II appears like
~ that +ie German, Baltic fleet will
meet the Russian sea forces in battle
In the Gulf of Finland 1t Is believed
the fortified island of 0sel at the head
Of the Gulf of Riga and the port OF
Reval, which guards the entrance to
! the Gulf of Finland, cannot hold out
long, and the Russian fleet thus Is like
ly to be cooped up under The guns Of
KrOnstadt, the great fortress that pro-
tects the port of Petrograd,
Part of the German fleet already has
been sighted at the entrance to the
Gulf of Finland
Germany's offensive against Russia
appears to have been timed to coincide
with an expected counter-revolution
planned to restore autOcracy In Russia
The plot, however, was uncovered and
many arrests of grand dukes and 9th
erS have been made.
General AleXlefT, former commander
In chief, and General Vassilkovski
commander of the Petrograd garrison
agreed Thursday that the fall of Rigl
did not threaten Petrograd and was o.
moral but not strategic Importance.
On the Western Front
In France and Flanders the weel
brought little change In the position
of the opposing armies, though tn
lighting was uninterrupted. The Brit
ish deluged the German lines In Bel
glum with shell fire that indicated an
other drive, and there We're report
that Crown Prince Ruprecht was pre-
pairing to execute another "strategi
, retreut" to the Courtrai-T -Thourout lin
and thus give up strip of terrltOr
east of Ypres from ten to twenty mile
deep. This would help the allies o
their way toward the German submi
!, rine bases at Zeebrugge and 9th,
> ports on the Belgian coast.
. The Germans made several air ralt
, on England, killing number of pc
, sons, especially at Chatham, and OF
of their U-bOnts shelled ScnrborOug
q The British press exhibits some u
). easiness lest the Germans have "g
y the Jump" on the allies In the matt,
4 of increased air forces. The Unite
b. Stutes, however, Is coming fast In tn
u respect, building machines as rapid
:. rs possible and training big army
q avlators, here and abroad
l. Again on Thursday night the Ge
+. man avlators devoted their attentl,
o to the French hospitals behind d
n Verdun lines, bombnrdlng them for $
il and half hours and killing 10 soldle
4. who nlrendy We're severely wounded,
Ir If a cablegram fpom Shanghai is
'e he believed, China is about to ent
{. into active participation In the WI
le The Twenty-fourth army corps, co
n. posed Of $4,000 picked troops from t
le northern provinces, is said to be mol
Il lzed fer immediate departure for
rope, probably through Siberia to {
b eastern front to assist the Russla
~ aud Roumanlans The corps lnclut
a. several companies Of engineers o
t. cered by Chinese gIMduates of Anne
III can colleges, and an aviation col
te trained by American and French 0
an men, These troops Would be the Il
ly Mongollons to fight In Europe since I
te time Of Genghis Khan, 500 years ug
re Argentine two weeks ago was rejo
is Ing over supposed diplomatic Wet,
OIL. over Germany In the matter Of