Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-09-23
Desperate Struggle Is in Prog
ress for Possession of Strong
Position of Tower HamIets
in Belgium.
BRITISH WARSHIPS
B0MBARD 0STEND
Teutonic Replies to Pope's
Peace Note Make No Men,
tion of Reparation or Re-
storation of Territory.

10Y NoSSho JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED ~ rFi
In the midst of Russias internal
troubles has come another German
stroke on the Russian northern front,
resulting in the capture of the bridge
head and town of Jacobstadt, on the
Dvina, and the enforced retirement Of
the Russians to the eastern bank of
the river.
The Germans gained possession Of
new territory on a front of approx
mately twenty-five miles and six miles
in depth, enabling them to push their
lines to the west bank of the Dvina
in this area. They took only 400 pris-
oners. but gathered in fifty guns from
the abandoned positions.
Dramatic as this suddenly developed
operation was, it seems unlikely to de-
velop anything comparing in impor-
tance in its effect upon the general
military situation with the desperate
battle on the Flanders front.
Costly 10 Germans.
Loath to give up the valuable ridges
lllc DIltlSH Wlt6lSu lioIil tllciH lhut
day, the Germans continue desperate
counter-attacks. This fighting has
been very costly to the Germans and
the London official statement lays
stress on their severe losses.
The German command seems par
ticularly reluctant to surrender the
slight elevation west of Gheluvelt,
close to the Ypres- Menin road. Fierce
fighting developed there Saturday, the
engagement centering about the POSI-
ton known as Tower Hamlets. Press
dispatches indicated that up to mid
afternoon there had been no cessation
of the struggle, the tide of battle flow
ing back and forth within a narrow
area.
No Ground Recovered.
Berlins official statement makes no
claim Of any ground recovered from
the British. 1t records the fighting
of Friday, the day following the ini-
uation of British attacks along the
Langemarck-H Hollebeke front. which
were repulsed, and described Satur-
days engagements as fighting of a To-
cal character with German successes.
Regarding the air fighting Thurs
day and Friday the customary COM
parison is given by Berlin of German
and entente losses in machines. Thir-
ty-nine hostile machines were shot
down by the Germans ii is declared,
while only three German machines
were lost This varies notably from
the British official account, which
mentions sixteen German machines
destroyed. The probable loss Of ten
British machines classified as missing
Is admitted.
Ostend Bombarded.
Meanwhile, as a complement to the
land fighting in Belgium. British war
ships of the Belgian coast patrol have
bombarded Ostend, where German ma
val works were shelled with results
pronounced satisfactory. British avia-
tors continued their extensive bomb
ing operations behind the German
lines, Ostend being one of the points
successfully attacked by the aviators
az we'll as the fleet.
The complete text of the German
and Austrian replies to the papal
peace note shows that neither lays
down any definite terms as a bssis
for peace. There was no officially
expressed comment IN Washington but
1t was unofficially indicated that such
examination as had been made of
the documents revealed no reason for
alteration of the position of the United
States, its aims or its intentions.
An unofficial expression from the
British foreign office pointed to the
lack of any mention Of PREPARATION
or restoration in the German reply.