The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-08-20
FURTHER GAINS MADE
IN ALLIED SMASH
Continued from page IL

IN ALLIED SMASH
Continued from page IL
ramparts against the Italian advanc
ling waves
1t was at these spots where
breaches have been blasted In the
Austrian defense line that the hand
to hand fighting was occurring today
The defenders bitterly resisted the
| Italian assaults.
On Russian Front.
BERLIN, Aug. 20.--On the Russian
front, todays official statement re
ported:
"On the western bank of the Sereth
and at Maraseti railway station, 1900
prisoners were taken in stubborn
struggles"
German Official Report.
BERLIN, Aug. 20. (Via London -
occupation of Talou ridge by French
troops. without fighting, was announc-
ed in today's official statement.
violent French assault is in progress
over a front of more than fourteen
miles, according to the war office.
OF the fighting on the northern and
eastern fronts, the statement said:
in the Oituz valley there was
stubborn fighting, the Rumanians re-
sisting attempts to drive them back
toward the Trotus valley"
German. Arren Afraid.
by William Philip Simms, United
Press Staff Correspondent
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN
~ f{ch a
men began to get lonesome, not find
ing antagonists in the air for battle
today and took to Joining the tom
mics in actual assaults on German
infantry.
Scores Of these encounters were
reported The British flyers would
swoop along, barely skimming the
ground. seeking out and spraying
fire on cleverly placed German ma
chine guns, and their crews. Again.
they would scurry along just back of
German trenches, backing UP with
lines Of fire the frontal assaults of
British infantrymen-
The Germans are apparently fol-
lowing out well defined policy in
avoiding battle in the air. They are
apparently seeking to conserve all
their aerial forces, reserving this
branch of warfare for night attacks.
Every night now sees strong Ger
man raids from the air. Early today.
while it was still dark. the Prus-
slams bombed indiscriminately num-
Der Of points behind the British
lines. AS many as thirty planes
were seen in one Of these marauding
excursions. Reports today showed
that at least one hospital had been
damaged by the German bombs.
6,627 seamen Killed.
LONDON, Aug. 20.-Since the start
of the war 6,627 merchant seamen
have been killed by Germanys sub
marine war and mines, Sir Arthur
Stanley, president of the board of
trade, announced in the house of com.
mons today.
| British Steamer Sunk.
AN ATLANTIC PORT, Aug. 90
Sinking of the British steamship
Mooltan by German torpedo In the
| Mediterranean was reported by pas
sengers reaching this port today
| Only one man, a steward, lost his
! Life
Aboard the ship when attacked
were the officers and crew of the
| Mongolia, recently sunk near Bonn
bay.
The MooltaD was steel screw
steamer of 9,723 tons, registered a:
Greenlock, England
Brand New Wrinkle.
LONDON, Aug. 2O.-By sheer
weight of steel, the British forced
| continued recessions of the German
line in the Ypres- Poelkapelle section
today.
| A brand new battle wrinkle greatly
aided the British drive. 1t was the
| use Of tanks equipped with smoke
devices, permitting the numbering
war machines to progress envelopec
| In veritable fog which prevented
| accurate location from the artillery
The British losses have been ex
traordinarily light, considering the
intensity of the drive. The crum bled
shell-torn ground conquered, how
ever, showed heavy German losses.
Tanks Spread Terror.
by VIM. Philip S1mms, United Pres,
staff Correspondent
| WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES II
THE FIELD, Aug. Z. (by MALL
British tanks, so bedaubed with mut
and slime from Flanders quagmire:
that they looked like moving noun
tains, are spreading terror among tn,
Germans. The gigantic mud turtles
lumber and creak through the boys
splitting red flame from their mud en-
crusted guns and creating PAM.
wherever they operate.
One lone tank today reported tn,
capture of sixty Germans near ST
Julien.
While wallowing along to the en-
envy line, the monster encountere
one Of its kind stopped by direc
hit from German anti-tank gun.
The uninjured charged the gun AM
literally sna shad Il out Of com n, l.