Abergavenny Chronicle

I ENEMY'S HEAVY LOSSES IN UNSUC- I CESSFUL ATTACK. The Press Bureau have issued the follow- ing messa ge from Eye-Witness." Present with General Headquarters in France, "Eye- Witness tells of the desperate attack on the British lines near La Bassee, how the enemy came on five times, only to be re- pulsed with heavy looses. On Saturday, January 23, on the left, good results were obtained hy our artillery, whole stretches of parapet in the German trenche6 being swept away. On the rig-ht, in the neighl>ourhood of La Bassee Canal, our trench mortars landed several bombs in a German gap. Our guns also forcod n observation balloon to descend and drove (1ff two German aeroplanes. A new type of machin-e approached our lines. Its novel shape evidently misled the German gunner, for on its return they opened fire on it until it signalled its identity by star-lights. MET THE ENEMY WITH COLD STEEL. I Sunday was fine, and there was a con tinued fall in the level of the River Lys, which a few days ago had risen to the maxi- mum height it has attained this winter. There was considerable artillery activity sooth of La Bassee Canal. On the right -centre one of our shells blew up a German magazine. On Monday, the 2oth, the comparative quiet of the p,t few days wr.s broken by a sudden assumption of the offensive on the part of the euemv. Early in the morning the German artil- lery opened a heavy fire upon the right of our line and the area behind it. This bom- bardment was evidently the prelude to an attack in force, and our guns replied by shelling La Bassee and the railway tri- angle. At 8 a.m. the German launched an assault against the British and French on the south of the canal, and at one point penetrated ouf lire. Al»out the same time they also attacked heavily our troops in Givenchy, north of the canal, and, parsing over our front trendies, temporarily gained a foothold in the place. But as their infan- try surged forward through the village our men met them with cold steel, killing 100 with the bayonet. FIVE TIMES REPULSED. I Fighting then proceeded for some hours at close quarters, but by noon we had reoceu- -pied the whole of our original trenches round the village. The Germans s howed the utmost determination in this quarter, de- livering no fewer than five attacks on tha north-east corner of Givenchv. In these their losses were very heavy, several scat- tered bodies which had succeeded in pene- trating our line being killed practically to a man. Our casualties in this part of the fight -were comparatively light. Meanwhile, on the south of the canal, the struggle was fiercely contested throughout the day. The Germans advancing along the main road were caught by the fire of our machine guns and left the ground littered with dead bodies to the estimated number of three hundred, and as they came along the railway embankment were also subjected to machine-gun fire, and suffered greatly; but, as has been said, they managed to penetrate • our line at one point. By a counter-attack, however, undertaken at one a.m., in co- operation with the French, the Allies drove them back. Though we did not win back our original* position, we established our- selves in a fresh line close behind it. ENEMY'S HEAVY LOSSES. I A great part of the area where this fight- ing took place consists of brickfields. where both si(W. fought hand to hand. During the day we captured fifty-three prisoners, in- cluding two officers. The total casualties of the German? are reported to have amounted to considerably over 1,000 in their effort against our line. Against the French, also, to the south of us their attacks were re- pulsed with slaughter. They showed considerable activity at mnnv other points on our front. Thcv subjected our right centre to a heavy bombardment by trench mortars and artillery, and also made an attack in some strength on the French east of YpreR in the neighbourhood of Zonncbeke. Here they were repulsvd with ease, in an abortive attempt at a surprise, leaving 30D dead bodies hanging on their .wire entanglements. y REAL BRITISH PLUCK. I In Givenchy village the fighting was of a most desperate nature, being in many in- stances at close quarters. Our men in many cases fought with bayonets in their hands, and even knocked out many Germans with their fist. A story is told of one man who broke into a house held by eight Germans, bayoneted four and captured the rest, while he continued to sudt at a clay pipe. On the whole, it may be said that January 25 was a bad day for the enemv in this portion of their line. They paid very dearly for the one small gain in ground they achieved. ORGANISED PILLAGING. I Tuesday, the 2oth, was quiet, except for artillery fire at ditfere.it points along our line. The evidence as to the methods and be- haviour of the enemy which is obtained from inhabitants inul necessarily be ac- cepted with caution, but there are certain reports which appear to be corroborated from various sources of information. One of these is that in many of the districts occupied by the Germans pillagino, is car- ried out on an organised system, the houses being ransacked and their contents loaded on to trains and sent to GIrmaiiy. Another is that men of military age have been seized and sent to Germany, and that civilians in many cases have been forcibly employed in military labour. LOOKING AFTER SOLDIERS' GRAVES. j The care that has been taken of British Koldiers' graves by the inhabitants in this part of the country has already been noted but it is net only in Flanders that we arc indebted to them for this service. Officers -who have travelled along the French lines and across the districts traversed by citr Army in the retirement and advance to the Aisne bear witness to the touching endea- vours of the French peasants to tend and beautify the la6t resting-places of their Allies, it being apparently a point of honour with them to bestow as much care on them as on thce-e of their own dead. When it is remembered that ruin and misery have been caused to the country-folk in the track of the invaders, the fact that they should have the time and energy to rise above their own suffering in order to bestow this attention upon our dead is all the more remarkable. Over these graves, which were hastily dug and on which no record was placed originally, wooden crosses have been erected bearing the simple in- scription, "Soldat anglais.' Often a khaki cap is hung on the cross, and the grass mound is beautified with cut flowers or arti- ficial wreaths.

SURGERY BY TELEPHONE. How the telephone can be brought to the aid of the surgeon, even after the X-rays have failed exactly to localise a foreign body, was the subject of an address by Sir James Davidson. A headgear receiver is used, and a small piece of platinum, attached to one end of the telephone wire, is held in position against some portion of the patient s skin. A disinfected silver wire or thread forms the -other end of the telephone wire, and it is attached to the surgeon's probe or needle. In searching for a metallic object such as a bullet an unmistakable sound is transmitted to the ears the instant the probe comes in contact with the metal. In one striking instance a fragment of shell had been located by telephone at the back of the eye cavity.

A volunteer training corps of over 250 members has grown up rapidly in Hereford for home defence, and in response to an ap- peal for funds £ 300 has been collected, in- cluding L35 from the City Council. At another inquest upon the victims of the Bulwark at Chatham, two more bodies were identified, namely, Murdo Meritshie, twenty- nine, a seaman, of Glasgow, and Henry Thomas Dunferd, twenty-two, a seaman, of Taunton. A verdict 01 "Accidental death" was returned.

OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF AIR RAID ON l EUNKiRK. The Press Bureau have issued the following message from an "Eye Witness present with General Headquarters in France. He tells a thrilling story of the air raid on Dunkirk, of how three British airmen beat twelve of the enemy's aircraft, and brought one of them down. On Tuesday, the 19th, the ciiief event was a successful aerial raid carried out by us against Ghiatelles, some twelve miles to the west of Biugv-s. In spite of very misty weather and a certain amount of wind, our aeroplanes reached their destination about dawn, and Hy- ing very low dropped several bombs on certain 8hz ds ilLieh formed their objective. Exactly what damage was done it is not possible to state, but it is known to have been consider- able. On our right we made some excellent practice with bombs from trench mortars against the Germans attempting to repair their parapets. During the night the enemy op- posite the fame part of our line were busily occupied in bailing water from their trenches. On Wednesday, on our right, our guns in one place damaged a German redoubt, and in another drove the occupants from a trench. Our al-o were active. and made good practice against the enemy's saps and trenches and some houses. I GERMAN BATTERY SILENCED. I On Thursday, the 21st, all action was con- fined to that of the artillery proper and the short-raJ1c ordnance. Bv the former a Ger- man battery was silenced, a single gun was knocked out, and a pumping station was forced to cease work. The trench mortars again did considerable execution against some of the enemy's saps, their effectiveness being much heightened by subsequent shrapnel fire from the fic'd guns. Friday, the 22nd, was sunny, with some frost and not much wind; in fact, as perfect a day for aviation as can be expected at this time of year; and the Germans took advantage of the weather to mrlce an aerial raid on a large- scale against Dunkirk. The details are as follows I THREE BEAT TWELVE. I One of our aeroplanes—a single-seater—"was on patrol duty when the observer saw several hostile machines approaching. lIe at once -c-ave chase to the first hostile machine and opened fire on it. Meanwhile two other British machines started from the ground. It took them some little time to ascend the height of 6,000ft., at which the action in the air was pro- eeeding, during- which the British machine which had been on patrol had succeeded in driving off with its fire the two leading German machines. Ten others, however, had come up by tin- time that the three British machines were a'l in action. After the Germans had dropped several bombs over the harbour and town, the whole turned and flew back towards their lines. Our areoplanes pursued and brought down one German machine by a bullet through one of its cylinders. The aeroplane was captured, together with its pilot and observer and eight unexploded bombs. The observer was armed with a double-barrelled pistol for firing chain shot. In face of the heavy odds against them, this feat on the part, of onr aviators was distinctly meritorious. The damage done by the raiders was slight. E EMY'S AERIAL TORPEDO. I On some parts of our front it has been noticed that the Germans are firing a new type of high-explosive she' its visible characteristics being that it detonates with a cloud of thick white smoke. Their minenwerfer, also, oc- casionally throws a very large bomb or aerud torpedo. It is 3ft. Din. in length, nearly lOin. in diameter, and, with its bursting charge of about 1001b. of high explosive, weighs just over 2001b. Though much has been said and written about the artillery that is being used against us, some description of it may not be out of place. It consists, like our own, of guns and howitzers. To take first the class of ordnance which is most numerous in every fic1.d army—the held artillery. The German field gun is a quick- firing piece of 77 millimetres, or 3.03in. calibre, which is much the same as that of our own 3.3in. It fires both common shell and shrapnel. The former is filled with high explosive which is detonated by either time or percussion fuse. I The shrapnel is burst in the game way. HEAVIER GUNS. I Heavier guns, such as those of 10 and 13 centimetres calibre, though classified as siege artillery, are used by the Germans in the field. The latter is drawn, by motor and is trans- ported on and tired from a special carriage. The w heels of this are provided with a "whetfi belt," which consists of a series of feet arranged so as to distribute the pressure pro- duced by the shock of discharge. Of the howitzers, to the employment of which in field warfare the Germans have devoted so much attention, there are several sizes, the smallest being hitherto alone called a field piece. The light field howitzer of 10.5cm., or 4.13in., calibre fires a projectile known as the "Einheitsgeschoss of universal shell. This ifl a shell carrying shrapnel bullets and a high- explosive bursting charge and capable of acting in a dual capacity, citiier as shrapnel or com- mon shell. • The heavy field howitzer of 15cm.. or 5.9in. calibre, fires common shell loaded with high ex- plosive. There are also two pieces which are called "mortars," though they are really howitzers. The "21cm. mortar," of 21cm. or 8.27in. calibre, fires common shell containing a high explosive charge. The carriage of this piece also has belted wheels. The Krupp 28cm. mortar, a howitzer of 28cm., or 11.2in. calibre, is employed not only to bombard fortresses, but in field actions. It fires common shell loaded with high explosive. In addition to the above there is the now celebrated Krupp siege howitzer of 41cm., or 16.8in. ca li bre. This fires a. common shell loaded with high explosive and has a consider- ably greater range than the 28cm. mortar. THE "WOOLLY BEAR." I The nicknames bestowed on the various pro- jectiles by our soldiers have not. been allotted scientifically nor on any definite system, and it is not exactly clear to which they apply. For instance, the shells of the 8.27in. and llin. howitzers are indiscriminately termed "Jack Johnsons," "Black Marias," and Portman- teaux." But it is without doubt the "Einheitsgeschoss of the 4.13in. light howitzer burst by time fuse that goes by the name of the "Woollv Bear." The essential difference between shrapnel and common shell is that the former contains a number of round bullets or balls, and the latter does not. Both types have bursting charges, shrapnel either of powder or high explosive, and con- mon shell of high explosive. In the employ- ment of shrapnel, which is most effective against troops in the open, the object is to burst the shell by time fuse above and in front of the target. The balls are then shot forward in a s howcr over the troops attacked. Common shell is employed for the destruction :)f buildingt1 or cover, and is usually detonated by percussion fuse or impact with the target.

DEATH OF MUTINY VETERAN. Lieutenant-General Sir George Bryan Mil- man, K.C.B., who for forty years was major ;)f the Tower of London, has died at his resi- dence, 53, Drayton-gardens, London, S.W. He was ninety-two years of age. He joined the 5th Fusiliers in 1839, a-nd served with them twentv-six years in the Ionian Islands, at Gibraltar, in Mauritius, and in India during the Mutiny. He waa present at the relief of Lucknow.

Several small factories for the manufac- ture of toys, hitherto imported from Ger- many, are being established in Swansea. British popularity in Russia is evidenced by the great demand in all the military hos- pitals for the works of Scott and Dickens. On a number of Belgian estates in Suma- tra, in the Dutch East Indies, the Belgian managers have dismissed their German em- ployees. The military authorities at Brun6wick have forbidden the publication of the Social Democratic paper Volksfreund," on ac- count of its having "disturbed the political truce by articles of an inciting nature." Flax yarns to the value of £ 180,000 have been seized at Ghent by the Germans, who had already appropriated and sent to Ger- many more worth of cotton which was Mrs at Ant'.re ID.

SUBMARINES OFF LANCA- SHIRE. BRITISH MERCHANT STEAMERS BLOWN UP. I FOOD SHIP TORPEDOED OFF HAVRE. A few weeks ago Grand Admiral von Tirpitz threatened a submarine war ul,on British commerce. He is doing what he can to make the threat good. On Saturday German submarines appeared in the Irish Sea, and saiik three British merchant steamers. The crews in each case were given ten minutes to clear into the boats, and the hips were then sunk by bombs placed on board. The most serious loes is that of the Ben Cruaehan, 3.092 tons, with coal from Cardiff to Liverpool. The Lin<la Blanche, of Angle- sea, with a general cargo from Manchester to Belfast, and the Kilcoan, of Liverpool, both small colliers of under 500 tons, were the other victims. In the Channel, off Havre, the British steamer Tokomaru has been sunk, apparently by a torpedo. She brought New Zealand's gifts for Belgian refugees, her cargo in- eluding 97,000 carcases of mutton. The Ikaria, also torpedoed, has been taken into Havre. I "SORRY—BUT THIS IS WAR." I The crews of the Ben Cruachan and the Linda Blanche, numbering twenty-three and eleven respectively, were landed at Fleet- wood on Saturday night. The Ben Cruaehan was fifteen m iles north-west of the north- west lightship when a submarine suddenly arose to the surface on the starboard. Its nationality was at first in doubt, but pre- sently a German flag was hoisted, and a gun trained on the steamer. On being ordered to stop, the captain, John Heggie, at once complied, and two German officers came a board. They asked to see the ship's papers, and questioned the ca ptain. The submarine commander then said:— "I am ven- sorry to inconvenience you, but I shall have to sink your boat. This is war." He added, "You will have ten minutes to clear off the steamer. Get as many of your belongings as you can and your money together." The crew hastily gathered together theii clothing and their personal belongings, end packed them into their bags, the German officers meanwhile looking on. In less than ten minutes the crew were away in their two small boats, and as they left they saw German sailors carying what looked like ex- plosive shells to the steamer. The crew had been away from the steamer about ten minutes when there was a terrific explosion, and the steamer shook from stem to stein, lurched forward, and sank. The submarine then disappeared below the surface. An hour later the men were picked up by a nshing vessel and landed at Fleetwood. I CIGARS AND CIGARETTES. I The German submarine was next seen I about 12.30, when it arose a quarter of a mile to the starboard of the steamer Linda Blanche. The same process was gone through as in the case of the pther steamer, though in this instance the German officers ordered the captain to come aboard the submarine, and bring his ship's papers with him. Meanwhile the submarine drew along- side the steamer, and while the ship's papers were being examined the German crew handed cigars and cigarettes to the crew of the steamer. The ship's papers having been examined, the captain was informed that he would have ten minutes in which the crew could collect their belongings and get clear of the ship. The crew launched their two small boats, and got into them, the German officer tell- ing them to proceed to a Fleetwood trawler, which was fishing two miles away. As the crew were leaving the steamer they saw German sailors place a couple of explosive shells, with time fuses, on board, one being placed under the captain's bridge and the other in the forecastle. Five minutes later there was a terrific explosion, and the ship I heaved over and sank. I UNKNOWN STEAMER BLOWN UP. I When last seen the submarine was going in the direction of two steamers which were approaching the English coast. The crew of the Linda Blanche were conveyed to Fleetwood on board a trawler. The captain of the trawler, John Burch, said that he saw a big steamer blown up and sink five miles to the westward. He reached the spot in a quarter of an hour, but could find no signs of the crew, al- though there was an immense quantity of wreckage, consisting of ship's furniture, floating about. None of this, however, gave any clue as to the identity of the ship. The captain picked up a large case for life-belts, of which it could have held forty. From this it is assumed that the steamer blown up was a large one, carrying thirty or forty hands, who, it is presumed, were blown up with the ship, a torpedo, apparently, having done the damage. There was no confirma- tion of this report up to a late hour. I GERMANS AT THE SALUTE. I All accounts agree that the Germans be- haved with kindness and consideration. The quartermaster of the Ben Cruchan said "The German were very decent to us. They told us where we could find the trawl- ing fleet. The chief officer of the submarine shook hands with our skipper and said: I am very sorry, captain, but war is war.' When our skipper got off the submarine into the lifeboats the German crew stood at the salute, and the chief officer shouted: 'I hope you will all get picked up before the bad weather comes on.' The submarine dis- appeared, and we were left to do the best we could. It was a mercy that we were picked up by the fishing smack." Another officer said: "It was a barefaced thing the way they did it on us. They were not submerged at all. They simply steamed up to us on the surface—they were very gentlemanly; I'll give them every credit for that-and we were only 2-i hours off port. In fact, the captain was dressed ready for going into Liverpool. He never expected to see Lu enemy submarine there." One of the crew of the Linda Blanche said that the submarine was the U21. THE THIRD VESSEL. I Eleven members of the crew of the steamer Kilcoan, of Belfast, were landed at Douglas on Saturday night by the steam collier Gladys. The Gladys left Garston on Saturday with coals for Douglas, and at about 2.30 in the afternoon,. when about eighteen miles north-west of Liverpool Bar, she was hailed by a German submarine which came along- side. The German officer in command ordered that the Gladys should follow him to another steamer close by, which proved to be the Kilcoan. They found the crew of this vessel in two boats, which the Gladys took in tow. A German officer then boarded the Kilcoan from the submarine, and after re- moving all her flags and papers, blew her up. He courteously expressed regret to the Kilcoan's master for having to take this course. The master of the Gladys wanted to land the crew at Liverpool, but the sub- marine commander insisted on his proceed- ing to the Isle of Man. The German officers offered the Kilcoan's sailors cigars, but they were refused. The submarine apparently had no number. She carried one gun. The Kilcoan was a steamer of 456 tons, owned by Messrs. W. J. Harbinson and C. L. UacKea 11. I PASSENGER SHIP'S ESCAPE. I The Belfast Company's passenger steamer Graphic, which arrived at Liverpool on Saturday evening, was chased by a sub- marine, but escaped by steaming head to wind and using her superior speed. The Graphic was making for Liverpool, and came upon the scene while the submarine was destroying one of the three lost steamers. "Captain Porter, her skipper, quickly realising the danger, outwitted the German commander by clever manoeuvring. The submarine was only about a mile and a half away at the time. Lifebelts were served out to every soul on board-about 200, including' the crew—-tlie lifeboats were got ready, and the boilers were put to the greatest test they had ever had. There was an exciting chase for seven miles. The nominal speed of the latest sub- marine on the surface is greater than the Graphic could possibly do, but the British captain knew that the underwater craft cannot battle with a strong sea and wind when not submerged. The Graphic, there- fore altered her course head on to wind and sea, and at length the submarine had to give up the pursuit. The Graphic arrived safelv at Liverpool only an hour late, although her course had been altered. TORPEDOED IN THE CHANNEL. I The ships torpedoed in the Channel were the British steamers Tokomaru and Ikaria. The Tokomaru was sunk seven miles west- north-west of Cape Antifer by a German submarine. Her -crew were saved by French torpedo boats. The Tokomaru had on board 97|000 car- rases of mutton and merchandise and cloth- ing from New Zealand for Belgian refugees. The Ikari;t, which was torpedoed fifteen miles west of Cape Antifer, did not sink. Escorted by French torpedo craft, she was towed into Havre. The Ikaria is a steel screw steamer of 4,335 tons, built on the Tvne in 1900, and belongs to the Leyland Shipping Company, Ltd., of Liverpool. The Tokomaru is a vessel of 6,084 tone, built in 1893, and owned by the Shaw. Savill, and Albion Co., Ltd.

TERRIBLE GERMAN LOSSES. I KAISER WITNESSES FAILURE OF GERMAN ATTACK. From a trustworthy source I have the following details as to the fighting at La LLssee (.says a special correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph"). After having concentrated an important number of their forces between La Bassee and Festubert, the Germans attempted to pierce the lines ard reach Bethune. The attack commenced at 6.30 on Monday morn- ing. The enemy was backed up well by its artillery, and an armoured train that managed to make much headway, even being able to -,t near enough .to Bethune to open a fierce fire upon the place for over two hours. The attack had been prepared several days in advance, and the Kaiser himself supervised the whole operations. The Ger- man Emperor is said to have been at La Bassee for two days, during which time he was in constant council with his generals. The enemy's plan was to draw the Allies towards Festubert by a vigorous attack, whilst two regiments of infantry were operating a turning movement along the La Bassee-Bethune road. But this plan was discovered by the Allies, and when the Ger- mans launched their attack in massed com- pacts they received a hot welcome. Taken betweeu the English artillery, which bom- barded them from the front and the French guns, which kept up a fierce fire on the llank, the Germans suffered terrible losses. The two German regiments who were charged to advance on tho La Ba&see- Bethune road were allowed to march till within less than 500 yards from which the "75's" opened fire, and the enemy once again fell in their hundreds. Those who were not killed were made prisoners; net a man escaped of the two regiments. The Germans tried five times to pierce our lilies; they managed to reach the Givenchy- La Bassee" Church, but five times they were repulsed by bayonet charges. The carnage was terrible. The Vermelles, Givenchy, and Cuinchy plains were strewn with German dead Towards five o'clock in the evening the combats came to an end, after an afternoon of comparative quietness. At half-past three the enemy opened fire on Bethune and about forty shells fell on the town. An important convoy of prisoners just managed to escape being hit by the fire. Bbtbune itself has not suffered very badly from the bombardment. ENEMY EASILY REPULSED. I On Saturday afternoon the Press Bureau issued the following message:- "An attack was made in some forca yesterday near Cuincliy, but the enemy was easily repulsed. Over 200 German dead were counted in front of the trenches occu- pied by the British, amongst whom the casualties were small."

GERMANS ON THE YSER. I NEW OFFENSIVE IN PREPARATION. I There is no question but that the Ger- mans are preparing an offensive on the Yser (says a special correspondent of the "Chronicle in the North of France). In fact, they have, with astonishing persever- ance, dug drainage canals to draw off the flood waters from the inundated area. For some time the water, thanks to these works, has been flowing off northwards into the sea, and much of the lately flooded ground be- tween the two armies is at this moment dry land again. Great consequences may be ex- pected, especially in view of the fact that the present spell of frosty weather and absence of rain renders hand-to-hand fight- ing possible once more. I hear that the German reinforcements that have been ar- riving behind their advance lines number about 30,000 men. Up to the present, however, no great changes have occurred along the front. The troops are to all intents and purposes just where they were a month ago. No important advance has taken place at Pervyse. St. Georges is a stretch of ground not occupied either by the Allies or the enemy. The site of the village is high and too ex- posed. At Violet Farm, to the east of Nieuport, the Germans are making great efforts tc build bridges for the passage of troops and artillery. So far they have had no success At Fffrne3 the situation has become in- tolerable. On Tuesday the Germans had succeeded in bringing up one or two 30J millimetre (12-inch) pieces by the railway which runs from Ostend to Dunkirk. At a point some six miles, as the crow flies, from Furnes these heavy guns have been taken fff the trucks and embedded in cement bases >n the edge of the sand dunes. A single shell from one of these formidable weapons is capable of blowing a fair-sized house into the air. Fortunately our airmen have tracked down these guns in their lair among the sand hills, and for the moment they have been reduced to silence.

Private Laurence Osborne, of the 5th Notts and Derbyshires, son of Mr. Joseph Osborne, a Midland Railway engine-driver, of Stapleford, Notts, has gained a reputa- tion for boxing, wrestling, and running. Before the outbreak of the war he was a constable at CresweM, Derbyshire. He re- cently won a 28-mile race at Dunmow, lus time for six miles being 36min. Two clays later he ran -against -48 others, and again came in first.

I CREW LINED UP AT ATTENTION. I H.M.S. Arethiisa has added to her laurels by the part she played in the North Sea battle. She was in action for seven hours. Shells fell all around her, but she was not hit. She gave the Bliiclier her mortal blow, and rescued eight officers and 117 men from the German cruiser. A thrilling description of the Bliicher's last moments afloat has been given by one of the crew of the Arethusa to a representative of the "Daily Chronicle." "There came a time when the poor old Bliiclier wasn't worth any more powder and shot from the Indomitable," he said. "There was no need to be extravagant with our metal, so the word was passed to us on the Arethusa to set to work with torpedoes. We could not miss her, for she was almost stationary. Our second went right into her. fair amidships. She had a terrible list even before this, and she had thrown up the sponge. "Her crew were game to the last. We saw them lining up the taff-rail, standing to atten- tion. It was a thrilling moment. No man with any feelings could fail to admire such coolness. "When we had launched our second and last torpedo we knew that the end would come quickly. We steamed within 200 yards of them, and we could see the torpedo making for them. They would have met their deaths standing rigidly to attention had not a warning been sent to them. our "Whipping up a megaphone one of our ofHcers shouted in German. They understood him, and waved their caps, and after shouting Hurrah,' they all took headers' into the water. "We lost no time with the rescue, and when we saw that the Bliicher's crew—or, rather, what was left of them—were struggling in the water, we threw overboard some hundreds, of planks. They clung on to them until our boats picked them up. To do this we had to dodge the bombs whicli two aeroplanes tried to drop on us. "In the meantime, our torpedo had got home. The explosion had appalling results, and not a man of the crew would have sur- vived it if they had remained standing to attention. The Bliiclier sauk like a tin can filled with water "The Germans wore indiarubber air-bags, which I consider to be superior to ours. Theirs is a bag fitted in front of their chests, but ours encircles our necks. Anyhow, the first thing the poor fellows .did when rescued was to present us with their life-saving apparatus." The Arethusa has landed her prisoners in the Firth of Forth and rejoined her flotilla. —— ——

I THE CHAPLAIN'S STORY. I I THANKSGIVING SERVICE AFTER THE I BATTLE. A naval Chaplain's story of the fight, told in a letter to a relative, appears in the "Daily Mail." The Chaplain says:- "At 9.40 the enemy's cruisers tried to make an attack, but we beat them off with out Gin. guns. Three of the enemy's ships by this time were badly hurt, and smoke and flames were issuing from them. At 10.45 the guns of four cruisers were concentrated on us. "The noise of our own guns and the shots falling on us was terrific; we had by this time got much closer in range, and two of the enemy's torpedoes missed us only by a few yards. We fired two torpedoes, one of which was seen to hit the Blucher, and a great flame shot up the centre of the thip. She was now in flames fore and aft and settling down, and eventually capsized, but not before our destroyers had rescued about 200 men. "At the commencement of the fight I was on the starboard side of the lihip and read Kenneth Grahame's Dream Days,' while another fellow beside me was reading f Plain Tale." from the Hills.' Suddenly a shell struck the armour, and a report rever- berated, just as if someone had let off a pistol by my head. I am afraid I jumped up very quickly, and then roared with laughter as an Irish boy went to a cupboard to see if the shell was there I then noticed the shells were falling on the starboard .side, and as the action was much more intense I I went to see if any men were wounded. "I met a stretcher, which I helped along a. dark passage, with the noise of shells bursting in a perfect hurricane of frag- ments, and then, getting a light, we found our poor sailor burden was dead. I then went to the medical distributing station— and I am not going to describe the sights that I witnessed for nearly an hour. It was awful: the only comfort was that ten had been killed outright; they never could have survived their injuries. I was so glad to be of some use, and helped the doctors clean and bandage the wounded. "It was a great relief when they sounded 'Cease action' at 11.40. We got on deck for a breather again, and many saw the Bliiclier disappear, though I was not up in time my- self. The other three cruisers managed to get away, as we were unable to follow them through their own mine-fields; we also thought they might have submarines in at- tendance. "I did not feel the strain till about lour o'clock in the afternoon, and then I had a splitting headache, but I was determined to be fit for the service in the evening. We had a voluntary attendance, and the battery deck was crammed, and the men realised their gratitude to God that night, I think. On Monday we buried five of our poor fel- lows at sea, and the impressiveness of the scene was very great. We held it on the quarter-deck. Nearly the whole ship's com- pany attended, and the five stretchers were placed, along the side of the shiu covered with Union Jacks. I read the burial service with the'special prayer for burial at sea, and on the conclusion we sang Peace, perfect Peace.' Previous to the service we had prayers on deck, and I read the short thanksgiving service that is in the Prayer- book for a victory. "The public would have loved to have heard the cries of the men as they loadec1 the guns. 'That's for Scarborough,' 'That's for the child-killers' then 'Tipp-erarv,' and the enthusiasm was intense. They Are splen- did fellows, and I just love them. I think God really sent me here because He knew I could help them and they help me too. "God has been good to us, as we escaped so very lightly considering the risks we ran. Such a dear officer was killed-the engineer- captain—always so cheery and bright, and loved by all. Two young officers were beside him, and one was dreadfully cut about and the other scorched. "I am sure we will win."

H.M.S. KENT'S FINE FEAT. I How H.M.S. Kent, in the Falkland Islands battle, succeeded in overhauling the Nuern- berg, which was three knots faster, is told in a stirring letter to Sir Thomas Esmonde, M.P., by his sixteen-vear-old eon, who is a midship- man on the Invincible. "The Kent, a 21-knot cruiser," says the mid- shipman, "was ordered to chase the Nuernberg -a 25-knot ship, and also a much more modern one than the Kent. She had only a few hun- dred tons of coal on board to catch the Nuern- berg with. The old Kent set off, and they worked up to 22 knots: more than she had ever done on trials. "Then the word was passed up that there was hardly any coal left. Well,' said the captain, 'have a go at the boats.' So they broke itp all the boats and smeared them with oil and. put them in the furnaces. "Then in went all the armchairs from the wa-rdrooms, and then the chests from the officers' cabins. They next burnt the ladders and all. Every bit of wood was sent to the stokehold the result was that the Kent's speed became 24 knots! And she caught the Nuern- berg, and after a stiff fight, in which several men were killed, the Nuernberg was sunk."

A goods train ran into a passenger train at Kinsale, twenty miles from Cork. Two lady passengers were killed and many others were injured, though not seriously. Mr. John G. H. Halkett, the newly- appointed Greenwich police magistrate, at his first sitting complained of the quality of the ink, and said if he could not be given better he would bring his own.

PROGRESS IN EAST PRUSSIA AND THE CARPATHIANS. Satisfactory news comes from East Prussia, where Russia is still making progress. Fight- ing continues north of Gumbinnen ard Pill- kallen, and our Allies are steadily gaining ground. On the other extreme flank, in the Bukovina, the retiring movement has evidently reached its limit (says the Petrograd corre- spondent of the "Morning Post "), and outpost encounters presaging larger conflicts have begun. But the main events are now taking pLC0 in the Carpathians. Besides the Hun- garian corps and other Austrian forces, there are two German corps operating with the Austrians in the endeavour to draw off the Russians' attention from the other fronts. The Russian right wing is steadily moving forward on a front of fifty miles extending westwards from Ludoviski, and the Russian position along the whole Carpathian front is declared by the Grand Duke to be perfectly satisfactory. I FIGHTING IN POLAND. In Poland Germans and Russians have been engaged in hand-to-hand fighting about Bor- jimoff, between Sochaczew and Lowicz. A. section of the Russian trenches which the Ger- mans had succeeded in occupying was attacked by the Russians during the night, with the usual results. Furious fighting, in which almost for the first time on this front the Ger mans ventured to cross bayonets with theii foes, ended in the Russians bayoneting two companies of Germans and retaking their captured section of foremost line trenches Three ofifcers and sixty men were taker- prisoners and one Maxim captured in this desperate encounter. From stories told by prisoners, it appears that the Germans had brought up against this section of trenches nc fewer than four infantry regiments, namely, the 5th Grenadiers, the 128th, 129th, and thf 175th. belonging to the 17th Army Corps. Their losses were astounding, amounting tc fourth-fifths of the men engaged Among the prisoners were men forty-two or forty-three years cf age, who explained that the German active army is now being kept up to strength. by drafting in large num bers of Landrsturro jjien who have only a fortnight's training. There an as many as forty men per company of these middle-aged, untrained Landsturre troops now serving with the active army. I UNTRAINED GERMAN TROOPS. This evidence of the straits to which the Germans are reduced to keep their army at: fighting strength is important (says the "Post' correspondent), particularly in the case oi Germany, for her practice and principle was to keep her active army free from anything like imperfectly-trained intermixtures, and only stern necessity could have brought her tc depart from a practice which must react upon her field tactics. I have previously noted how Germany used her untrained troops as mere food for powder, sending them in advance tc exhaust the ammunition of the enemy, while the trained troops waited their opportunity., bought at the price of certain death to their predecessors, before delivering the real attack Now, however, it appears that troops of in- ferior quality are incorporated with the best trained men, and this unspeakably savage, method of attack must be modified. It only succeeded at best with young or raw troops, as. old soldiers long ago learned the value of re serving their ammunition, and do not fire away so wastefully, but look out for opportunities of using the bayonet. After twenty-four hours of almost ceaseless hand-to-hand fighting about Borjimoff the net result was that a small body of Germans-, still retained possession of the head of one of the Russian saps, but the entire line of the Russian foremost trenches is again in the hands of the Russians, and matters are pre- cisely where they were six weeks ago. In other re.spects, however, matters are becoming desperate for the Germans. They have called to the Colours recruits who will not attair the Service age for two years to come, apart from drafting all available men. irrespective 01 age. Contrasted with the Russian army state, this spells disaster for Germany. Russif has called up fewer recruits than usual, even it peace time, and much less than half ot those attaining the Service age in the present year. She has not nearly exhausted yet her first-Reserve men, all of whom have had mili- tary training, -nd the last-summoned draft 0: these alone provides another million and a haU: of splendid troops.

BATTLE IN A BLIZZARD. TURKISH DIVISION ROUTED IN CAUCASUS. The Tiflis correspondent of the "Novoe Yremya" (^quoted by the "Times "), reports great successes on the part of the Caucasian Army. The only Turkish division which had escaped the fate of the three shattered corps has been routed in the direction of Olty. At the outset we took the Divisional Staff quarteis by storm, capturing the general and his entire staff of twenty officers, who offered no resistance. We then repelled the furious Turkish charges and consummated the defeat of various units. The battle took place during a blizzard, our troops marching over the snow- covered mountain pass. We seized valuable stores of provisions, ammunition, and military supplies, as well as several guns. Almost simultaneously we own a victory over the Turks in Azerbaijan. The enemv in the region of Tabriz were utterly incapable of checking our advance. The Persian authori- ties who had hitherto been hand in glove with the enemy and guilty or great tactlessness towards Russia, promptly changed their tone after our victorious advent and the flight cf the Turks. The successful movement of our column in th( region of Khio is being continued. Th< situation of the Turkish troops is critical aF. the Kurds, angered by failure, have begun tc. loot their comrades in arms. Panic reigns in Trebizond. and the in- habitants are fleeing from the city. The Ger- man officers are strengthening the defences from a south-easterly direction.

FRENCH PRESIDENT'S POSTCARD. Shortly after the Scarborough bombardment,. a Scarborough schoolboy, Master Gordon t Holmes, who resides at 3. West Park-terrace, Scarborough, wrote a letter to the French, President in the following terms:— My name is Gordon Holmes, and I am J twelve years old. j I attend the Gladstone-road Board Schoolf!. Scarborough, and I wish respectfully to tell you that when the German warships fired at Scarborough they sent a shell into our t school. If it had been half an hour later many of my school-fellows would have been killed. They killed a little girl one year old near our house. so when I am old enough I am going to be a soldier. ( I hope the French soldiers will stick to the [ English soldiers, because they are brothers now. I am, yours respectfully, GORDON Hourst. In reply, the French President has sent to I "Monsieur Gordon Holmes" a ipicture-post- card, enclosed in an envelope, with an aero- plane, a battleship, and a submarine upon it. jI The postcard also contains these word, Accept my greetings, with many thanks. I I J. PoixcAaa. I

I MOTOR-LORRY OVER A BRIDGE. I I A greasy road was responsible for a shocking tragedy at Wolverton, Bucks, on Monday. Near the London and North-Western Railway carriage factory the main road through the town passes over a bridge, and whilst crossing' this a brewer's motor-wagon, heavily laden, skidded and crashed over the bridge, turning » complete somersault before landing on the -rail- way track inside the carriage works, ovef I thirty feet below. The driver. Joe Griffen, and" Harry Stanton, both of Newport Pagnelb. were crushed beneath a mass of wreckage, StaAton being killed. —————

A ch<?ckins? discovery was made in a h?u<-? above a smaH sw?ot shop in Liverpool, recently. A mother and daus? I ter named Fol?y, who keep the  and live in tho Toom above, were found d'iV^ in bed, having been asphyxiated by g-e? from a gas jet which, it was thought, h?* been accidentally turned on.