The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-10-01


For the past several days the
enemy has resisted every EFFORT 10
!. completely clear him out
The Boches always reappeared al
| some unexpected point, leading TO the
. theory that they were using tunnels
: from the main line, but today's ex-
perience resulted in the belief that
instead. they were filtering in through
deep rayines.
For their success in capturing Bel
licourt, the Americans paid much less
than they expected in the form OF
casualties. The number of wounds
proving TO be slight was one OF the
satisfactory features of the hgnung.
Progress Slow Eut Sure.
by Fred S. Ferguson United Press
Stan Correspondent
/ WITH TEa AMERIGAES WEST
OF vERDUN. Sept 30.-tnight)-in
heavy fighting throughout today, the
| infantry was forced to operate VIZ
tually alone, because heavy rains pre-
vented aerial observations for the ar
! tillery.
| Toward evening, however, the
weather suddenly cleared Airplanes
/ hurried over the German lines, signal
/ ing back TO the gunners, who cut loose
| in way that Indicated they were de-
| termined to make up for lost time.
Bombing squadrons aided the artllJ
| lery by showering explosives on en-,
envy concentrations. At least half
dozen new Boche divisions appeared
| in the fighting. including guards, Ba-
yarians and landwehr The PennsyF
vania and Missouri troops again bore
the br7Int OF the counter attacks.
The miserable weather, the open
nature of the fighting and the difficult
terrain are calling up all the re-
sourcefulness Of the Americans.
Regiments, battalions, companies
and even platoons, became separated
in the rain and fog. Often the fight
ing is carried on by mere groups. De
spite the bad ground. the tanks con-
tinue in aiding to clean up machine
gun nests.
Progress is slow but sure. Patrols
moving forward in the Brfeulles re-
gion report heavy machine gun de-
lenses being established along the
notwithstanding lines. 1t is OBJ
vious that the Germans Intend to
make the most desperate resistance
in defense of their vital com1nunica-
ton in this region.
Progress Continued.
HAVRE, France, Sent. 3O.-(delay-
ed)-"Despite torrentia1 rains Sun
day night, we with the French Co
operating, continued our progress,
captured Amersveld. Staden and Cos
tnieuwkeSke." the Belgian war Office
announced today
I'VE passed many points on the
a. To fN -,
from Roulers to Menin. We took con-
siderable booty. Our aviators con-
tinued harassing the enemy with
bombs and machine gun fire. Satur-
day, two German balloons were
brought down In flames"
New York Troops Hold Line.
by Lowell Mellett, United Press
Staff Correspondent
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN
FRANCE, Oct New York troops
today are securely holding the main
Hindenburg trench system. leading
southwark from LeCatelet. They sent |
back $50 additional prisoners last
night
The New Workers. reached Gouy
(adioining LeCatelet on the east, the !
final objective, yesterday morning.
The Australians. who followed the
same path In the afternoon, are still
engaged IN a desperate fight with the
Germans who had sprung up in great !
numbers, preventing the Americans
from going right through.
The uncanny appearance OF the
Boches is explained through the dis !
covery OF a system of underground
tunnel passages, feeding the terri I
tory between Gillemont farm 1.-TWO I
miles west of LeCateleD and the
trenches of the Hindenburg first line. /
The New Workers, keeping pace
with the troops from Tennessee and
the Carolinas, failed to discover the
traps, but the Australians waded d.
rectly into them. The Australians at
first thought the Americans had been
cut off and fought coolly. under the
incentive of rescuing their Yank COM
rades.
Germans from the crack Eighth and
Fifty-fourth divisions continued pour
ing in from the left, giving the WFls-
,tralians one OF the stifrest fignus O
their crowded careers.
In the meantime the New Workers
held tightly to their principal objec-
tive and the Boches were unable to
IUe DTedtu III IHSIT
When the New Workers. were delay
ed by the native of the resistance
which was developing the southerners
realigned themselves, making the
whole advanced front safe.
The southerners then deliberately
mopped up the whole great tunnel.
The first Germans showing them
selves at the entrance were ordered
to instruct the others to come out.
The bag numbered more than 200. In
vestigation revealed that water run
ming through the tunnel floated barges
OF every description. These were
used as billets, Offices, ammunition
storehouses and one even h<d a movie
machine rugged up in 1t. The barges
extended inward half mile to point
where the tunnel Is $50 feet below
| the surface.