Bisbee daily review., 1917-06-30
NEAR
 CAPTURE BY
 THE BRITISH
Bitter Fighting Is Under Way Around Coal Center; Eng fish And Canadians Ad- vance Under Cover of Ar tillery.
(By Review Leased Wire.)

n RITISH HEADQUARTERS IN R FRANCE. June 29.-(BY ASSO- D GATED PRESS)-Under cover
 of intense artillery bombardment which stretched from well to the north of Lens to the north bank of ! the river Scarpe, the British success fully carried out last night several operations against the German lines and positions comprised within what may be termed the Arras battle front.
 Both north and southwest of Lens, there was good hard fighting and the German situation within the great French mining city was made much more precarious. Further south at Oppy the British took more than mile of German trenches and are once more at the very edge of the Oppy wood, in which there can still be seen the remains of a ghastly white chateau, roofless and windowless but still affording cover for innumerable enemy machines.
 Raid Enemy Trenches.
 In the Oppy advance the British were opposed by soldiers of the fifth Vavar- ian division and found them full of fight although 25O of them eventually were taken prisoner North of Lens. however, the German morale did not seem so high, for near the famous Hill e5 the Germans fled as soon as the British barrage shut down. Scores were killed in flight
 At some parts of the comparatively long battle line the British troops took advantage of a fianking artillery bombardment to raid enemy trenches. They met with stiff opposition at some places and the fighting became des perate. The British advanced more than half mile through Avion, whicE is one of the largest suburbs of the Lens mining district. Here the fight ing ragged among the debris of the collieries. Pit derricks and other paraphernalia were found about the coal mine settlements, all smashed by the continuous artillery fire.
 Driving In Patrols.
 The German machine gunners are gathered in a position known as Posse 4, which is a mine pit mouth, and are still holding out. But ''mopping up" work is in progress. The British were also busy late today driving in Ger man patrols which had been left in front of the new positions, to the back of which the enemy had formed.
 The most pathetic figure among the prisoners was a wounded Pole who said he had recently been in Germany on leave and where he had heard ab- solutely nothing regarding the fighting on the western front. He had re- turned to the trenches with the hope that the situation had improved, but said he had heard only that the Ger man losses had been extremely heavy and were growing daily.
 Aerial Activity.
 Viewed from the eastern slope of the Vimy ridge, which is now over grown with green weeds and wild flowers, including brilliant red pop pies. the bombardment which covered the attacks of last night, was a bril- liant spectacle The big guns had been going in desultory fashion all through the afternoon. while black storm clouds were gradually closing in from the west. About o'clock in the evening the cannonade died away to almost complete silence. The storm continued to gather, however. and soon there was a play of lightning in the sky and a distant rumble of thunder
 Under the storm clouds scores Of British airplanes were patrolling up and down in aerial brigade formation but no German airplane showed itself. In the distance four or five German observation balloons could be seen.