The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-04-26
BOTH SIDES ARE PROBABLY Ex.
HAusTED AND arg BRING
ING UP FRESH TROOPS.
BATTLEFIELD IS QUAGMlRE
Rain, sIsst and Cold Adding TO Al.
ready BAD Condition Of LOwiands--
Talk o. Counter Attack contIn.
ues-ItaiIans on West Front

Over the battlrfieIds Of France and
fianders. where terrific struggles have
been waged almost without Inter1nis.
sion since March II. there has come
what appears 10 be luil.
OFFICIAL reports tell little ~ actual
conditions. They say TINT the sItua,
ton i unchanged. which may lndl.
cate that both sides are exhausted by
their exertionS Ia the engagements that
have bern fought or that they are busy
bringing ar artillery and fresh troops
70 renew tile struggle.
Correspondents at the front tell Of
miserable weather cold and rain and
sieet--to add 10 the already known
bad conditions OF tho lowlands. which
are virtually quagmIres through which
men and materials can be moved only
with difficulty.
The opposing armies have been
fighting In fiat, marshy country
since April Q. and this ground, diff.
cult enough under normal conditions.
has been made stlIl more nearly i'm.
passable by rains and Tie tempest OF
high explosive shells that has blasted
roads and fields
BFltons Hold Canal.
u appears, however. that the Ger
mans have not repeated the thrusts
along the line running north Of Be
thune, where they met with san.
culinary renulse Wednesday and Thurs
day, They employed about 10000 men
along a line yariousiy reported 10 be
from sl& O. 10 miles Ia length, but
gained little or 80 ground. The La
hhsgee canal front - stlll In British
hands and bridges flung across Il by
the reutons have been swept away by
the allied artillery fire.
Talk Of Counter.
The blow aimed by the French at
the very apex of the German lines
In Pcardy IN front II Amlens, np-
parently has not been followed up. IL
II difficult to believe that the allied
counter offensive. when II comes, win
be launched Ia this sector. Adviccs
from France would seem Ia Indicate
that the blow will be struck az an
ether part ~ the battle line.
Outlet in South.
The southern end of the battle
front IN France hns shared IN the
aulet thar has enveloped other sec.
tors 81 the line. Only raldlng opera
lions mud artillery ,luels are reported
there.
An Interesting dispatch tells of the
moving OF Italian troops To France.
This would point To- one Of two de-
veiopnentS Either the Italian front
~ Ia no particular danger ~ the pres.
ent moment OF else General Foch II
calling every available man To swell
the army he viii hurl At the foe when
the moment for battle arrives. Il II
possible. however, that the forces OF
Italians en- route 10 the front IN com.
paratively small.
Belgian Positions shelIed.
The German torpedo boat flotnla
has been active along the coast sector
OF the battle line aud has shelled Rel.
khan positions there. This may fore
shadow German attempt To drive
westward through Nleupart The long
range homhardlncnt st Paris ceased
Tor two days and Il was hoped that
the French had fuuad the exact loru.
uon ~ q heavy German gun aud put II
out OF action This hope. however,
failed when the homhar,lment Of Paris
was resumed Friday evening,
The Turks are continuing their ad.
vance la Cancasla and are approaching
kaFs, the leading rity of one az the
districts given Ia Turkey under the
hFest'laioSsk treaty, They are already
In control of Batum, where they cap.
fured 3lu0 men Of whom ulO we're OF.
ficers,
Ia ITALY, Maee,lonia, Palestine and
Mesopotania there has been no r.,
eent fighting reported.