Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-04-16
BRITISH IN Lens;
GERMANS SEIZE
RELIEF RAT|0Ns
Patrols of English Army in
France Enter Mining Center
Long Held BY Kaiser's
Soldiers.
POPULATION OUT FRIDAY
Civil Inhabitants Leave Before
Teutons, Who Take Sup
plies for Poor.
RETREAT FROM DIXMUDE
RETREAT FROM DIXMUDE

British Headquarters in France
April 15.-The civil population Of
Lens evacuated Friday, The Ger
mans them seized three months
,ations gathered in Lens by the
American relief commission.
London, April l5.-Britsh patrols
entered Lens between a and O'Clock
this morning, according to dispatch
received from the correspondent OF
Lloyd's News with the British army
in France.
Describing the conditions about
lens, the correspondent wires: 4..
Though the enemy is still i'll his
machine gun redoubts in some places,
these are only rearguards, Tor the
main body has retreated.
Lens and Levin had been stocked
with guns and it was certain that at
east $50 were in the network of mines
and pitheads.
From prisoners we know that wild
scenes took place in Lens, frantic cf-
forts being made to get away guns
and stores and defend the line OF re;
treat by blowing up the roads.
Orders were given to destroy the
mines by firing charges into the pits
and by flooding the mine galleries"
London, April l5-Fifteen hundred
German dead were left in front of the
British positions after the unsuccess-
full attack delivered early this morn
ing by strong German forces along
a six-mile front, on Bapaume-Cam-
brai road, according to the official re-
port from Field Marshall Haig to-
night
The British gained further ground
in their advance upon both St. Quen-
TN and Lens. ..
Germans Admit Retreat.
Berlin Via London), April 15.-Re-
cession of the German line north of
the Scarpe on the Arras battle front is
noted in today's army headquarters
statement, which asserts that only
minor engagements accompanied tie
removal, the British suffering heavy
losses in this fighting as we'll as in
massed attacks on the front from
lcwlands of the Scarpe to the Arras-
Cambria railway, which are declared
have failed
In the air fighting the loss by the
French, British and Americans" of
seventeen airplanes is reported. T..
There has been lively fighting north
oi the Bapaume- Cambria road and ar
t'llery duels in the western sector of
the Champagne and along the Aisne
river, according to the official COM
nunication issued by the war office
this evening .
Fall Back at Dixmude.
Paris, April 15.-The French guns
today continued to shell St. Quentin
and the region round about heavily,
says the official communication issued
by the war Office tonight. Belgian
troops penetrated Dixmude as far as
the second German lines, which they
found unoccupied.
Fires In Lens.
With the British Armies in France
Via London), April 15.-Heavy high
explosives shells were pouring into
Lens late today and were undoubtedly
giving impetus to the German plans
to fall back from the central mining
city, which has been in the hands OF
the Germans since the autumn of 1914
together with the mineralmealth rep
resented in the surrounding district
Fires in Lens, seen for the first time
yesterday afternoon, were shoulder
ing today. There apparently was no
general conhagration. Time and time
again explosions could be seen within
the city.
Lens stretches over several miles,
however, and in far distant parts Of
u. =. - - - :. !. -.