Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-04

to confirm that by certain knowledge. In \
any case. however, the British far for
ward from their own line of yesterday and
from ruined villages like Salome. and they
are staring at the chimneys and roofs OF
Lille. which seems near, though perhaps "a
river of blood away If We tried to take it now.
Battle for Cambrai
Meanwhile. further south, in the real
storm center OF the present fighting, Cam
bral still remains in German hands. within
close girdle of British lines. North of the
city the Canaxlians did not attack yester-
day and are holding theiv gains against that
mass of men which the German high com
mand concentrated there in order to safe
guard their line between Cambria and Douai
which would be Of deadly consequence If
broken through
South of the city English and Scottish
troops are in the suburbs and streets close to
the Faubourg st. Sepulchre and the Fau-
bourg-de-Paris. and drew closer last night
by the capture of a red0ubt near the last
named avenue, from which there comes the
patter of machine-gun bullets.
The enemy has organized a strong ma
chine-gun defense of Cambria under some
commander who knows his job and posted
his gunners on the roofs of Cambria. with
a clear field of fire over the glacis below
them. where the British have to move in
the open. There do not seem to be many
troops apart from these machine gunners In
CambraL
After eisgraceful orgies Of looting in
which officers Joined with their men. the city
was put out of bounds to all German troops,
except the garrison Of defense. Several new
fires were started yesterday and are burning
today their flames red among the houses.
and there are also big ere in the neighbor-
ing villages. like Niergnies and Cauror.
The chief lighting yesterday a good
deal south of Cambria, where the English
and Australians made an attack shortly
after 6 o'clock
he had Gfr Hafp nsiX
line which Is part of the Beaurevoir- Mas
nleres line, broken further north. and In
front of It. there are a number of villages,
all strongly fortified for machine-gun de-
fense and able to bring IN eniiiading fire
from one to another-vert terrible position
to attack and not easy to hold.
one village called Sequehart has been the
scene of fierce fighting for two days
more by the men Of the Thirty-second and
Forty-sixth divisions. Twice they captured
it's garrison of 200 men. and now once again
II has been taken The troops fighting
here have advanced successfully and taken
nearly 1000 prisoners.
Beyond Verges and north of them the
Australians have gone forward south of lie
Catelet and Gouy toward the Beaurevoir
line. having hard fighting round the village
Of Wiancourt
troops captured Gouy and lie Catelet, which,
by error, had been claimed in some papers
as already in British hands. Three thousaiu
prisoners at least have been brought back
today and If the British break the Beaure-
vor' line there is not much to hold them
hack from LeCateau where the old Con
temptibles" fought on their way down from
Mons in the first days of the war.
on the right of the line above st. Quen-
tin. the French army was moving Wednesday
at / o'clock. but know nothing of its part
in the battle.
Il is wonderful weather, with sunshine like
| liquid gold In the fields and sky of un-
| cIouded blue Even the ruins of the battie-
| fields have "A spell of beauty in this light,
| and | noticed how their broken walls, daz-
| zling white, and all the rubbish heaps of
timber and bricks and twisted iron were
| touched with a kind of glamour.
The sun is shining over the sweep of bat
lie from the Asne to the sea. and on the
| British front the steel helmets of the men
| are all agtter as they move forward with
| "A sense of victory,