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EUROPEAN WAR DEVELOPMENTS. The battle in Flanders is as far as ever from a dici.sioii. according to the otlieial communications and judged from stories told by eye witnesses arriving from the battle front. The Germans have made an emphatic denial of the reports that they were in retreat by carrying Dixmude, on the Vser, twelve miles north of "Lpres and on the road to Duukerque, which the Germans are striving to attain. French bluejackets at Dixmude had held the town against them in the face of tierce attacks for the last week, hut Anally were compelled to give way. The allies attempts to drive the Germans out again have failed. On the rest of the front, as far as the river Lys. the situation, according to the latest news, remains virtually unchanged. East and south of Vpres the Germans seem to have hurled fresh masses of troops into the fray, hut the allies appear to be holding their own. The combats around La Bassee and Arras, where the British are operating have shown no derisive change. The ground here has been successfully and steadfastly maintained, the British re-jHdllng attack after attack. Aviators report the movement of troops and heavy guns on a large seale in the interior of Belgium, some going toward Germany, others toward Antwerp and others toward Corntrai. The explanation of tins movement appears to be that solid troops, capable of operating in the open, are being sent to eastern Prussia, their places in the trenches being taken by less trained men. The going of the guns to Antwerp, it is believed, is duei to a desire to have a strong Hank position against the allies, in case they advance on Brussels. An ollicial communication from the general staff of tlie Russian Caucasian army says: "Small skirmishes in the region beyond Tchoruk river, in the neighborhood of the province of Batum. have occurred. We maintained our iHisition at Kopru-keui. Turkish attempts to envelop us resulting in failure. The enemy has been put in disorder, the column which intended to outflank us being dis persed. We captured many prisoners and large quantities of munitions. We have occupied all of the valley of Ala.-chkertsck. According to a Turkish ollicer taken prisoner, the Turkish army, commanded by Hasan Izzet Pasha, is guided by Germans." A Turkish torpedo boat, which escaped from the Dardanelles, has leen captured off Tciiedos. an island live miles olf the northwest coast of Asia Minor, according to an Athens dispatch. A German shell exploded Wednesday in the street opposite the American consulate at Rheims. The. front of the building was cut up by the shrapnel. For six weeks German shells by thousands have been falling into that quarter of the cltv. William Bardell. ilie consul, left by direction of Ambassador Herrick three weeks ago and the consulate is vacant. So far as is known, there is not an American in Rbcitns. Thousands witnessed the sinking, off Deal, near the mouth of the Thames, of the British torpedo gunboat Niger by a German submariue while lviug m The Downs opposite the pierhead. Wednesday noon a loud explosion was heard, dense columns of black smoke were seen to arise and the Niger almost immediately legan to go down by the bows. Though partially hidden bv clouds of smoke and steam, the stern of the Niger was seen to rise gradually in the air until the greater length of her keel was visible. Then it slid slowly and gracefullv beneath the water twenty minutes after being struck. Nearly all of the crew were below at dinner when the torpedo struck, and orders to close the water-tight doors were shouted fiom the bridge. When the crew responded one of them observed the white foam following the course of the torpedo. The explosion followed and a large hole was made just berore the bridge in the forward part of the ship. Boats were immediately launched and the crew, including Capt. Muir and the officers, was rescued. Three of the survivors are injured and it is reported two men are missing. This is the first time a German submarine has penetrated The Downs, where nearly a hundred ships were at anchor at the time of the disaster. "The situation in Smyrna is still panicky." says the Athens correspondent of the London "Morning Post. "Turkish cannon have been placed on tne heights commanding the town and it is rumored that the Turks plan to shell and burn the city themselves if the allies attempt to take it from the sea. Three British ships in the harbor have been taken over by the Turks. The crews of these vessels have lieen made prisoners, but the American consul has been assured that they will be released. Many smaller craft owned by Belgians. French, and British also have been contiscated." An official communication issued at Vienna says: "The operations in the northeastern theater are developing according to plan, without being hampered by the enemy. In the region of cpntral Galicia we have voluntarily evacuated; the Russians have advanced, crossing the lower Vistula by way of Rzes-zow and in the region of Lisko. Przemysl is again surrounded." Petrograd reports that martial law has Itcen declared at Cracow and that the civil imputation lias evacuated the city. Still pressing forward against the German. Austrian and Turkish lines, the Russian armies are continuing their successes at all ioluts. according to a formal statement issued at Petrograd. An official report from the army of the Caucasus declares the Russians have, occupied the entire vallev of Alasobkert. An attempt of the Turks to turn the Russian Hank has been defeated. There have been small skirmishes in the region of the river Tchoruk in the Province of Batum. on the east shore of the Black Sea, in which Russian raiding parties have been successful. "Our troops have approached the eastern outlets of the Mazour lakes in East Prussia." the statement declares. "Fighting in the Goldap, Mlawa and Soldau districts has been successful. The energetic advance in Galicia continues." The German cruiser Karlsruhe is surrounded by hostile vessels between Cape Verde and Pernam-bueo, according to the captain of a steamship just arrived at Montevideo. The Karlsruhe is convoying several captured vessels which she will have to abandon or sink. It is stated that a Japanese squadron composed of three battleships and two cruisers is approaching Montevideo, where it Will coal and then go to the Pacific to pursue German vessels there. According to the Cologne Gazette, the combined strength of the German and Austrian reserves is 18,000,000 men. This gigantic total Includes 2,000.-000 volunteers in Germany and a quarter of a million in Austria and the recruits of the 1914 conscription of both countries, 1,000,000 each. Finnish newspapers describe the heroic sacrifice of the crew of a Russian picket boat in an attempt to save a Russian cruiser which was unwittingly approaching a mine in the Gulf of Finland. The crew noticed the danger signal too late and their boat deliberately rushed on the mine at full speed. A terrific explosion followed and six out of the crew of seven were killed. The louj survivor was severely wounded. Amnesty has been offered to the South African rebels, except the leaders of the revolt, if they surrender before Nov. 21. Tlie French official statement given out in Paris says that the lighting on the left wing continues witli violence and has been characterized by alternate advances and retirements, without importance. Generally speaking, the statement asserts, the battle front shows no important changes since Nov. 10. The text of the communication follows: "On our left wing the lighting continues with violence and has been conducted with alternate advance and retirements without importance. Speaking broadly, the battle front has not varied greatly since Nov. 10. Last night it extended along the line between Lombaertzyde and Nieuport: the Nieuport canal to Vpres: the approaches of Vpres; in the region of Zonnebecke and to the east of Armentieres. There lias been no change in the positions held bv the British army, which repulsed the attacks of the enemy, and particularly an offensive movement undertaken by a detachment of the Prussian guard. From the canal of LaBassee as far as and up to the river Oise, there have been minor engagements. In the region of the river Aisne, in the neighborhood of Vailly, we retained our position against a counter attack, and we strengthened our positions in the territory previously conquered by us. In the region of Craonne, and on the Heurtebise farm, our artillery succeeded iu reducing to silence the cannon of the enemy. Several of their pieces were even destroyed. We also made some progress in tlie vicinity of Bery-au-Bac. In the Argonne, in the Woevre district, iu Lorraine and in the Vosges, the relative positions show no change." A Turkish official report says that the Russians have been completely defeated on the Caucasian frontier after a fight which lasted two days. Tho TKisitions of the Russians are now occupied by the Turks. A Turkish fleet pursued the Russian ships which took part in tlie bombarding of Koslu on the Black sea, but the Russians escaped in the fog. France and Great Britain have warned Ecuador and Columbia in vigorous terms that violations of neutrality by those countries will not be tolerate 1. "The allies have been driven across the Yser at every point." says an official announcement issued by the Berlin war otlice. "The Yser is now clear of the enemy all the way to the North Sea. Our attacks south of Dixmude are progressing. We have captured 700 more French soldiers there and eight cannon. The counter attacks of the enemy east of Ypres have all been repulsed. As to the eastern theater of war, it is announced that German cavalry, operating on . the Kalisch front, in Russian Poland, have repulsed the Russian cavalry. The following otlieial statement was given out at Vienna: "We have stormed the heights of Mircze. The Russian wing was crushed. We took 4,300 prisoners."
