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IN THE ARGONNE.
FIGHTING.
: Paris, WednesdayA -: ;: 1 wounded -
Erencli, officer,j describing the at
tack ,in::,tlio A rgoiino: by Crown
.Prince, - declares- that it - was . the most
-furious" of theiwar. - There was a tre
mendous bombardment, to which the
French guns replied with little effect.
-The .French parapets molted away;, but
the ".French never .flinched.- The Ger
man guns abruptly ceased. A ? new
kind of liquid fire, a mixturo of tar and
petrol, was -projected" into the trenches,
making tlyem Talmost -unbearable" with
the heat. The French stood ? thoit
ground. ~ Suddenly the German infan
try loomed up. the intervals be
tween the liquid fires" wo" poured in
streams of loadj but the human wave
slowly reaehod our "trenches. Bloody
hand-to-hand fighting followed. In the
douse smoke we were obliged, to fall
back. / Ouiv reserves dashed forward,
but wore- stopped by a curtain of lachry
matory -shells. They put on their re
spiratofs~but .they were unavailing.
Nothing daunted, they dashed through
the , vapour, holding .their breath. With
eyes streaming',"'they fell in serried
masses on the Germans, who wavered
and broke. Our ~ artillory prevented
thoir supports from coming up. Thus)
af J rer <M hours' fighting, the enemy re
tired-to'his trenches." Though -they
held some ofjmrs here.and there jwrtly,
they are only 100.yards or so.
OTHER NARRATIVES.
An oflicor of the Ghurkas states:-- i
"Neuve Ghapello was trifling cnnipar
od with Saturday. The men Iny in the
trenches on Friday night, but were un
ablo to sleep owing'*to the awful crash
of artillory. The Ghurkas wore dim
ply burning at daylight when the' giinsT
gave the German trenches the last ten
niinutcs of hell at G a.m. Then, with ;i
hurricane ,of yells, we raced 300'yards
to the trenches, which were practically
blotted out. The 13th Bavarian. , ? throw
down their arms and surrendered ' all
along the line. So we went on to the
second line, where a full blast of ma
chine-guns met us.. I dropped, but tho
Ghurkas gained the second line."
Anothor'wounded officer narrates that
a Gorman at point-blank range shot a
Britisher in tho jaw, then flung up his
hands and shouted, "I surrender." The
Wounded man leapt up and put his bayi-!
net through saying, "I cannot
give fiends like that mercy."
"- A wounded corporal said.: "I have
never been in such~a holl before. On
Saturday>l had charge, of a bombing
party of nine, of whom seven wont
down* before we were within bombing
distance, but wo flung 130 bombs on
the German second lino. The enemy
rained grenades, and my chum and T
were wounded." v
COMMENTS ..BY CRITICS.
All -accounts rtgrce that the British
"continue to progress on tho Artois, and
a big battle is proceeding in the Cham
pagne, while the Allies are preparing
for another spring. Critics, express
the opinion that efforts to hold the - Bri
tish and French immobile, -while socking
a decision in the east, have been definite
ly frustrated. Tho Germans are now
facing a double effort, which has been
tho prime object of thejr stmtogy to
avoid. Tho enemy is likely .to un
cover portions of his front in ordor to
accumulate large forces at threatonod.
.points. The Allies will not miss the
opportunity of attacking weak points;
henco fighting is likely at places not yet:
mentioned.
The "Pall Mall Gazette" comments
on the sobriety with which this gratify
ing success has been received as a trl
buto to Britain's military. ..education.
We have ceased to think of war ju
terms of melodrama.
-Recruiting officers aro making a re
newed effort to stir up slackers. ? Great
recruiting rallies have .boon fixed ? for
Saturday. Recruiting sorgcanls admit
that Sir John French's despatch has
done more in 48 hours than all tho sil
ver-tongued oratory of tho country's
leaders. They aro doing their utmost
to profit by tho outburst of patriotism.
Lord Kitchener and- Mr Asquith ad
dressed a joint labor board upon tlio
military situation. ? " Tho necessity for
such appeals was proved when Mr
Lloyd Gcorgo in tho llouso of Commons
announced that 1700'men engaged on
warship construction at "Thorneycroft 's
Southampton works, wont on strike as
a protest against tho employment or
non-union men, who had boon released
from tho colors,* with the union's au
thority. Tie a,ddod that proceedings
woro being commonced against the men. j
Mr Asquith's gravo appeal showed I
that tho House of Commons and the Go
vornmont realise tho critical nature of
tho prosont operations. Mr 11. J. Ton
nant (Uiidcr-Secretary for War), ques
tioned, as to whether soldiers who hail
been long in the trenches could be giv
en leave, aroused loiyl cheers by reply
ing that soldiers at the front did. not
wish to be baulked of a glorious oppor
tunity, for which they had waited so
long.
In Paris critics explain that the largo'
captures of prisoners was due to tlio
French advance in the. Champagne be
ing so rapid. - ; The bombardment so dis
organised the lines that the German re
serves in the contro were caught be
tween the jaws of pincers as they clos
ed, and cut them off. Colonel Mar
chand, the Fashoda hero, was wounded
in the abdomen on Saturday in the
Champagne. Though serious, the
wound will (probably not prove fatal.
T.ho German newspapers are evidently
inspired, as they are unanimous in stat
ing that the Allies aimed at breaking
the German front, and securing a final
decision; so the Allies failed.
In Petrograd there is profound satis
faction at the commencement of the of
fensive in the west, "But it is realised
incscsant blows will alone shakodho
German .defence foundations. Demon
strators cheered the British and Fronch
Embassies. The Czar telegraphed to
President "Poincairc, congratulating the
valiant armies on their greai -success.
M. Poincaro replied that the magnificent
valour of the Russians had excited th'o
admiration of the world. ~ '.
In New York, the enthusiasm of the
allied offensive is ;reflected in _the' ex
ceptional activity of the > New,!--York-
Stock Exchanger , ?. ?" - >,' :-^
Wounded men from La Bassee; ar
riving in Glasgow, pay a tribute to the
manner'in which the wounded'are,clcar
.ed from the front." The hospital"trains,-
they .say, ran as "regularly as coaches in
a Lord Mayor's show. ? ' , f
The first official warning" of .the offen-'
sive was given when , the attackers
paraded on Friday, and heard Sir John
French's stirring appeal that he'relied'
on every man to do his utmost. -
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