Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-04-17
SIGHTING AT MEssINEs RIDGE.
Britons Holding Tenaciously--Amer-
leans Rcpnlse Heavy Attack.


Cling to push forward In the area
southwest OF Mcssincs Ridge, tho
key point to the British line In Elan
ders.
Messines Ridge itself has been tho
objective of desperate frontal at
tacks, and the Germans are reported
TO have pushed on to the ridge seve-
raj times during the fierce hand-to-
hand hghting. Each time, however,
the British came back at them with
effective counter attacks. and to-day
were still holding the ridge.
West Of Armentieres the enemy,
struggling in his deep salient. has
pushed the nghting to the limit. and
at one time succeeded in driving
some three miles beyond the River
Lys to La Creche. In this situation
the British likewise reacted strongly,
and by vigorous conter attacks GUST
cd the Germans from La Creche and
other neighboring terrain
Wystschaete, south OF Messines,
was also the objective Of heavy Ger
man attacks, and possession Of 1t
changed several times, but this morn
ing found Field Marshal Haig's
troops holding the town.
Without Stratcgical Value.
There was similar hard fight for
Lcstrom. at the western tip of the
EcrmSn salient OH the River Lave.
The Germans worked their way into
this place yesterday, but were una
BILE to move further and ultimately
were driven out Of it and back across
the Lave.
The evacuation or Armentieres had
been forecast and discounted, as the
place is without strategical value.
What is left of the town Is full Of
gas, hanging there from the copious
gas shell bombardme
North Of Armentieres the British
position hinges on Ploegsteert and
Ploegsteert wood, which is the line
bsected this morning.
There was no let-up In the ell:
gagement to-day. the battle continu-
ing on the entire 25-mile front from
La Bassee north to the Ypres-Coml-
nes canal, just below Ypres.
U. S. Troops in Action.
With tho American Army In
France, April 10.--The Germans at
tempted an attack against the Amer
can positions northwest OF Toul just
before sunrise this morning and
were completely repulsed. Two Ger
man prisoners said the enemy plan
ned the attack with force Of soc
mon, but that it was stopped In its
full strength by the effective fire of
the American artillery.
The Americans lost no prisoners.
One OF the German prisoners died
later Of wounds.
The attack was the heaviest yet
made on an American force. Bril-
liant work by American gunners dis
persed the German infantry before
they reached the wire entanrIc,u0n1a,
and those Of the enemy who rot mtp
the wire were acrouHttG Tor Wlth
machine-gun and rlr Gre.
Three D>ys' Buu,hardmyut.
The C"gunn mtorh came alter
violonl artillery nouAardment OF
tn &c days. A lNreo number Of the
enemy n" ceIicsed to have been kill
ed or wouAded during the attack,
which continued for nearly two
hours
For - hours bafora tbo;r offor.
the Germans had been firing an in
creasing number Of shells at the
American positions and making ex-
tensiye use Of gas shells. At noon
yesterday the enemy began a harass-
Ing fire against one OF our strong
points and kept it up throughout the
night, dropping hundreds of shells Of
all calibers on both front and rear
positions. The American artillery
replied vigorously, the men in some
batteries working with their gas
masks on for two or three hours at
q stretch.
About 5 o'clock this morning Ger
man infantrymen in the front line
signalled their batteries for a bar
ago and started for the American
front line. The American gunners
laid counter barrage almost imme-
diately.
Barrago Catches Attackers.
The attackers, who were especially
trained for this operation, were Sc
leCtei from tho hest MON In thraa