Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-09-14
TANKS CARRY OUT | TASK OF PLOTTING OUT BIG SALIENT
lfS THAN 24 HOURS WORK ASSIGNED TO THEM HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, AND PERSH|NG'S MEN WERE
 LOOKING ACROSS INTO GERMAN TERRITORY
Associated Press Summary.)

(ASSOclated PreSS Summary.)
 Americas first army has carried out the initial task assigned to it. the levelling of the famouse St. Mini. el salient in Lorraine.
 In little more than "A hours not only had the work beeH accomplished but General Pershing's men had all the important towns, villages anG strategic positions in the sector with in their hands and were standing on the banks of the Moselle river at Pagny, looking across the stream into German territory.
 Four Miles From Metz.
 And the southern otter fortifica- tions of Metz, the great German stronghold in Lorraine, were only 4 miles distant
 Large numbers of Germans had been captured, more than 1900 had been counted and others were still on theor way back to the prisoner cages, and many guns and machine guns and great quantities of ammu- nition and other war stores were in American hands.
 Close Mouth of Sack.
 From Nationwide. on the north across the salient eastward to Pagny, the Americans have closed the mouth of the big sack that extended south ward to St. Mihiel, trapping within it by their fast advance all the ene- my forces who failed to take refuge in flight when the greaat lombard ment of Thursday morning heralded the approach of the offensive.
 a1n ct6 of the heights north of Hattonville, the Americans have debouched from the hill region and are astride the railroad running from Commercy 10 Verdun.
 In American Hands.
 Likewise the Thiaucourt-Metz and railroads are in Ameri- can hands.
 Beginning in the northwest and crossing the salient eastward Fresnes Les Eparges, Nationwide, Preny and Pagny, and all the ground lying be- tween them are in American hands.
 The towns of Vigneulles. Thiau- court, !Pont-A-Mousson and St. Mihiel are far in the rear of the present line.
 Montsec, the dominating height in the center of the salient and from which much, trouble had been expect ed, fell without fighting.
 Among the numerous prisoners ta- ken were men from Austro-Hungari- an armies.
 Although the operations of the Americans has been described as hay ing limited objectives," it. cannot but have most important bearing on the future of the war.
 In Splendid Position.
 From the strengthened line grow ing out of the obliteration of the St. Mihiel salient the Americans now are in a splendid position to act with their brothers in arms in the sector eastward when the time is ripe for a strike into the German'c direct.
 Also, they now are aligned on ter ritory from which. it is possible to get behind both the Mouse and Mosel- le river and thus make nil the, re- ported plans of. the Germans to sta bilize their front along the Mouse should they be unable to hold the allies in the west in check.
 Airmen Are Busy.
 Already allied airmen are heavily bombing the Moselle region around Metz and it's outlying Qualifications having dropped many tons of bombs on the strategic railways leading from the great fortress, and it seem ingly is not without reason to ex- pect that with apparent supremacy in the air Metz and the surrounding country henceforth is to be badly har- assed by the allied flying squadrons
 Meanwhile the maneuverings on the west front around Cambrai and St. Quentin should not be lost sight of by reason of the present Amert- can offensive.
 Here the British and French daily are enlargine their gains in the pro cess of outflanking and capturing these two important towns which are an but within their grasp.