The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-11-07
.WORDFROM ITALY
is MORE HOPEFUL;
UNDER
GUNS OF BRITISH
Capture of Village of
Passchendaele Opens
Way For Advance
BRITISH CAPTURE
THE CITY OF GAIA
News of Further Advance
of Forces Operating In
Palestine
(Associated Press War Summary

(Associated Press War Summary
Both official and unofficial dis
patches from italy reflect a tone OF
increasing confidence, although the
situation is still admittedly grave.
General Cadorna's withdrawal from
the Tagliamento line and from the
mountainous districts in northern
Nenetia is proceeding in an orderly
way, Rome asserts. Dispatches from
the field seem to bear this out. The
German statement claims the cap
ture OF numbers of prisoners, but
does not mention any guns taken or
indicate any such Generalization in
the Italian ranks as during the pre-
cipitate withdrawal from the Isonzo
line.
General Cadorna in his report
mentions the present withdrawal as
being conducted in the direction OF
the Livenza river. This may indi-
cate he intends to fight another de-
laying action along this comparative
ly small stream, some ten to fifteen
miles behind the Tagliamento posi-
tions before falling back on the Piaye,
approximately ten miles further west.
A semi-official statement from
Rome declares the Austro- German
invasion has failed OF its political OBJ
ject-assumedly the breaking OF the
Italian will to resist and the forcing
of a separate peace.
On Flanders Front.
On the Flanders front the British
spent the night in consolidating the
important gains won by them yester-
day which included the village OF
Passchendaele, crowning the ridge
whence virtually clear field
stretches away to Roulers, five miles
distant and already commanded by
the British guns.
The Germans were apparently worn
out by their furious but futile ef-
forts yesterday TO retain the town
and their remaining hold on the ridge
close by to the north, and did not re-
new their counter attacks during
the night.
Roulers, an important railway CEN
ter, northwest OF Ypres, is now DOM
mated by British guns. Canadian
troops yesterday completed the cap
ture Of the important part of the
Passchendaele- -Gheluvelt ridge by
taking Passchendaele, Goeberg and
Mosselmarlt. The Germans suffered
heavy losses. Passchendaele donni-
mates Roulers and the plain sur
rounding the town.
The Germans had fought hard 20
hold Passchendaeie and several
times recently the British had been
checked in attempts to take IL. The
capture means much to the further
British progress toward the Roulers-
Menin railway, one Of the several
lines entering Roulers.
Each successful effort by the Brit
ish brings nearer the inevitable Ger
man retirement from the positions
directly affected by the ever-widen-
ing Ypres salient. A retreat. how
ever, is a menace to the submarine
bases and Zeebrugge and the city OF
Bruges, the base Of German opera
tions in Flanders and IT is apparent
that Crown Prince Rupprecht, OF
Bavaria, is doing his utmost TO re-
tain he positions now held rather
than to retire and straighten his line.
The American patrol boat Alcedo,
a converted yacht, has been torpedo
ed and sunk by a German submarfne
in the war zone. One oficer and
twenty enlisted men of the AIcedo
are reported missing. The ship,
which carried a crew Of 80 men,
sank four minutes after being struck
by a torpedo.