New-York tribune., 1917-07-16
Savage Counter Attacks Of
Teutons Near Lomnica
Repulsed
Flooding of Rivers
Threatens Victors
Kornilof's Drive Is Now
Menacing Oil Fields
Near Lemberg


ritory. 1900 prisoners and several guns
were taken by the Russians yesterday
in their westward sweep in Galicia.
They are now more than two-thirds
of the distance between Dolina, one
Of their immediate objectives, and
Starislsu, their starting point. The
expulsion of the Austrians from their
defences around Lodziany, as noted in
the Petrograd bulletin to-day, opens
up the main road to Dolina, which lies
a little more than twenty miles to the
northwest.
North of the Lomnica River the Aus
tro-Germsns are making stubborn
counter attacks, both near Kalusz, the
loss of which Berlin indirectly admits,
and at a crossing of the stream near
Pereshinko. The purpose of these is
to drive Korniloff's forces back TO the
southern bank of the river and check
the f1anking movement which is now in
full swing against the enemy positions
along the Zlota Lipa River, between
Halicz and Brzezany. Thus far the
hostile counter thrusts have been fruit
less.
On the Dobroddiany-No front.
Immediately southwest of Kalusz and
south of the Lomnica, the Teutons are
also reacting violently and several
times attacked the Russian positions.
They lost sixteen officers and over 500
men without gaining anything. An
other thousand prisoners came into the
hands of the Russians after the stub
born engagement in which the Aus
trians were driven from theiy, field
fortifcations around Lodziany.
Rivers Rapidly Flooding
The battles on the East front for
several days have been fought in the
pouring rain. and Petrograd says the
Dniester and Lomnica rivers are rap
idly rising. while the small streams
which flow into them threaten to in
undatc the roads near by. There is a
hint in this that the Russians on the
north bank Of the Lomnica may be
cut off from their supplies. Last year
BrusilofT's great offensive in this same
region was halted by the flooding Of
the Dniester River.
A dispatch from Copenhagen de-
clares that while the Austrian and Ger
man semi-official discussions continue
to treat the Russian successes south
of the Driester as of an unimportant
and local nature and casually call
towns like Halicz "hamlets." the "Tage-
blatt's" correspondent at Austrian
headquarters says it is idle to deny
that the offensive has passed the stage
Of initial success and that the front
north of the Dniesrer is affected by
"the decisive changes south of the
river"
Menace to Oil Fields
Neither Lemberg nor Kovel is yet
threatened, says the correspondent. but
the Russian advance is moving in the
direction of the important petroleum
field al Drohobycz. southwest Of Lem
berg. He adds that it is now clear
that the revolution has affected the
offensive power of the Russians less
than had been believed, and that the
army is better equipped with heavy ar
tillery than ever before.
The Berlin official bulletin discloses
that considerable fighting continues
along the Dvina River. in the far
north. and near Smorgon, but Petro-
grad is silent on these sectors. South
of the Dniester the Russians are said
TO have attacked at several points
"above Kalusz." This is the first ref
erence to the loss Of the town emanat-
ing from Berlin.
There have been signs of coming
movement on the Rumanian front dur
ing the last week, and Berlin to-day
admits further increase Of the cam
nonade there.