The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-11-14

Rapid Changes Make it Imp0s-
Sible to Give an Idea of the
Present Lines.
ARE 8 NILES FROM MAUBEUGE
Franco-ReIgian Frontier Crossed by
Allies at Some Punishment
cans Cross the Meuse.

London, Nov 6.-The Germans are
retreating on a seventy-five mile front
from the river Scheldt to the river
Aisne
In the face of the German retreat,
the situation changes so rapidly hour
by hour that it is impossible to give
a definite idea of the Allied advance
Roughly, the Allies have crossed
the Franco-BeIgian frontier between
Valenciennes and Bavay, which is
eight miles west of the fortress of
Maubeuge. The Allies are within two
miles of Bavay. They have captured
eastern edge.
Allies Lose Contact.
Then the line runs from Maroilles
to the western edge of Nouvron for
est two miles east of Guise. two miles
south of Marie and along the Serre
river to Clermont river, and then in
a straight line to Chateau Porcien.
Owing to the bad weather, the Al
lied pursuit has lost touch with the
enemy's main body.
French troops have crossed the Ar
DENIES canal on both sides of LIE
Chene and have advanced for a dis
lance of about a mile.
The Americans have forced the
bridgehead south of Dun, on the River
Mouse, but have not yet occupied
Dun.
Another Hun Trick.
On the British Front in France,
Nov. 6.--American troops who -occu-
pied st. Martin-Riviere during the ad-
vance south of LIE Cateau recently
discovered in the belfry of the vii
lage church a formidable charge of
explosives By means of wires the
charge was connected with the mon
STRANGE on the high altar in such a,
way that if the monstrance were
moved an explosion, which would
have brought the church down upon
the heads of the worshippers, would
have taken place. The officer COM
handing the American detachment
made official mention of the matter
in his report to his superiors.
British Headquarters in France and
Belgium, Nov. 6.-The Third and
Fourth British armies and the First
French army maintain their heavy
pressure against the crumbling enemy
defenses. The British this morning
were nearly two-thirds of the way
through the forest of Normal, the in
fantry being east of a line through
Locquignol and Les Grandes Failures.
Normal Forest Cleared.
This advance meant that the Brit
ish had got through the very formid--
able fringe of defenses along the
western side of the forest. Before
them they now have only hurriedly
improvised machine gun posts.
Americans Cross Meuse.
With the American Army on the
Sedan Front, Nov. 6.-The American
army has thrown a formidable force
across the Mouse to the east bank.
The enemy resistance here has been
broken to the point of decentralization
and the Americans are pushing north
ward toward Stenay.
By this afternoon the enemy was in
full retreat northward. He was offer
ing little opposition and the roads to
ward the north were seen to be full
of the fleeing enemy.
The Americans pressed close upon
the heels of the Germans and made
their retirement as difficult as pos
sible.
The American casualties were very
light despite the opposition to the
crossing of the river.
Sedan Under Fire.
With the American Army on the Sc
dan Front, Nov. SIN the face of
stubborn opposition the Americans
took and held firmly the wooded
heights south of Beaumont, the last
German stronghold west of the Meuse.
The advance carried the lines for
ward for an average gain of five kiIo-
meters
The forces on the heights are now
about seven and one-half miles from
Carignan on the Mezieres-Metz rail-
road and about nine miles from Sc
dan, bringing both places within range
of the Allied shell fire.
The days work may be said to have
been complete. 1t was the principal
phase of the American operation since
the neck of the German lateral COM
munications between the armies to
the north and west was narrowed to
the strangling point.
British in Big Gain.
London, Nov 5-Breaking deeply
into the enemy positions along a 90