view raw text
; a 1 ; 1 ! 1 . 1 1 1 EUROPEAN WAR DEVELOPMENTS. 1 1 The following was glveVa out for the press in ! official quarters at Berlin: "Advices from Rome are to the effect that iu the fighting at Ll Arls.i, fortified Egyptian town on the Mediterranean. 1 the British suffered heavy, losses. Constantinople reports further victories, near Azov, Salinas, and J Zavatlar. It is also said that in consequence ov 1 the advance of the Arabs, several of the govern- s mental departments of Port Said, Suez and Is- mnilia have been transferred to Zauazlg. an Egyptian town forty miles from Cairo. The information , comes from the Turkish military headquarters that ; the fighting in Transcaucasia is proceeding favorably. The Turkish troops have been reinforced by Persian tribesmen." The Temps correspondent at Rhodes states that the khedlvc of Egypt is trying to reach Damascus overland with the purpose of being present at the Turkish camp the moment the Turkish army corps commences its invasion of P;ypt. The correspondent adds: "It is notorious that the khedive joined hands with the Young Turks and the German military authorities Ini- mediately after England refused to allow him to J return to Egypt. Two hundred thousand Turks are concentrated between Damascus and Mahau, according" to a Turkish statement." The Temps correspondent estimates this force at between 60,000 and 70,000. He says that the khedives idea is to arouse the Arab population and conquer Egypt by means of a rebellion. Two big battles, either or both of which may have decisive results, are being fought in Poland, and a third contlict of almost equal importance is progressing in East Prussia. Of the three battles, that which is now at its height between the Vistula and Warta rivers and in which the Russians claim partial success is exciting the greatest interest. The Germans, it is believed, have brought up by their line of strategic railways in Poseu and Silesia at" least 500,000 men in an effort to break the Russian line at this point. The other battle in Poland is taking- place on the Cracow-Czenstochowa. front, and both the Russians and in-j Germans claim it is proceeding satisfactorily for them. Berlin declares that a concentric attack is being made on the Russian center, the German armies coming from the west and northwest, while Austria is sending a force north from the Cracaw region. Petrograd, however, states that the offensive in western Gallcia is still under way and that Cracow is bellved to be invested on three sides, leaving only one line of . rail communication open. In East Prussia the Russiau advance is moving slowly through the country surrounding the Mazur lakes, which is difficult of passage. In eastern Galicia the Russians are seizing the passes of the Carpathians. The following official statement was issued at Petrograd: "The efforts of the Germans seem to be aimed at trying to break our front between the Vistula and the Wartha. Our offensive on November 19 met with partial success. Northwest of Lodz we captured a battery of heavy artillery, ten machine guns ami several hundred prisoners. Stubborn fighting, on the front at Czenstochowa and Cracow is developing normally. November 17 and 18 we took 3,000 Austrian prisoners. Iu Galica we have occupied Wisnlcz. Gorlice, Dukla and Ujok. In the Caucasian campaign the Russian ships have bombarded Thopah, where the Turks made an advance along the valleys in the Transtchovoks Ter-ritorv. The port barracks were destroyed, the customs house was struck and a quantity of ammunition stores blown up. A warehouse was also destroyed bv fire. In the valley of the Oltychai the Turks have been driven back near Lrzerum. A Russian column defeated the Turkish forced at Jous-veran. Elsewhere the situation is unchanged. The official communication given out in Paris reads as follows: "The day of November 20, generally speaking, was similar to the preceding days. In Belgium our artillery at Nieuport secured the advantage over that of the enemy. From Dixmude to the south of the Ypres there was intermmitteut cannonading on our part and theirs. At Hollebeke two attacks of German infantry were immediately repulsed. From the Belgium frontier to the Oise there was nothing to report. In the region of the Aisne and in Campagne the advantage gained by our batteries over the artillery of the enemy has become more marked, and. has prevented the Germans from continuing the construction of certain trenches begun by them. In the Argonne we blew up certain of the enemys trendies. In the vicinity of Verdun and in the Vosges we have made progress. At certain points wo. have established our trenches at less than thirty yards from the German position." Fighting along the Frauco-Belglau front is no.v confined to artillery fire. There arc signs of renewed activity of the British from Arras, however, in a movement which has for its object the piercing of the German line of communication. Terrible suffering of the men in the trenches In West Flanders overshadows the fighting going on there. .The advent pf damn., and bitter cold . weather, with the disease and privations iucident to its coming, promises to make this part of the war area a scene of terror hard to describe. The Nleuve Rot-terdamsche Conrants Berlin correspondent says attempts by the French to restore communication between the coast and Ypres have been frustrated by German artillery. Heavy fighting between French and German infantry for the possession of woods near Bixschoote continues. The Russian attempt to make a grand assault on Przemysl. the Austrian fortress iu Galicia has been repulsed, with heavy loss to the enemy, it is officially announced at Vienna. The allied German-Austro armies in Russian Poland also have been successful in their campaign, it was stated. The official statement says: "The attempt of the Russians to bring reserves nearer the southern side of Przemysl and to make a grand assault on that fortress has been repulsed with heavy loss to the enemy. The Russians were forced to fall back and our troops are following up their advantage. There has been no decisive battle in Russian Poland, but everywhere our troops aud the Germans have been successful in their advance." A large force of British, Australian and .Taoa-nese warships, are mobilizing on the Lower Callfor nia coast, fishermen report. The Japanese armored cruiser Idzuma and the British protected cruiser Newcastle coaled from the blue funnel liner Pro-tesllaus and another commandeered merchant steamers of the Gaudalupe Islands last Tuesday. The Japanese battle cruiser Hizen previously Was reported off the Lower California coast. Two four-stack warships were sighted forty miles north of .Magdalena Bay Wednesday. It is believed the fleet is mobilizing to attack the Germau squadrou under Admiral von Spec. Prom a high diplomatic authority it is learned that Japan lias made a proposal to the triple entente that it be taken into their agreement not to cud the war with Germany until all of the powers now fighting the kaiser are ready to make peace together. Russia and Prance object to the acceptance of Japan into the councils of tho triple entente. Great Britain lias attempted to persuade Japan it Is not fitting. The Nippon kingdom, however, insists that it has the right to be there. The London Posts Petrograd correspondent says: "The Germans are advancing along both banks of the Vistula and have gained points within a few marches of Warsaw. As far as we know, the Russiaus will continue to retire until the place fixed upon by Grand Duke Nicholas for the final effort is reached. Meanwhile the Germans are engaged on enormous military engineering works tj defend Berlin, fifty miles east of the capital, at Kustrin, where the Warta Uows into the Oder." Khedive Abbas Hilml of Egypt has definitely thrown in Ills lot with Turkey in the war, according to the Petit Parisien. The khedive, who was absent from Egypt at the time of the declaration of war by the allies against Turkey, went straight to Constantinople, says the paper, where he was won over by the young Turk leaders. He has now joined the Turkishforces in Palestine, it is added, and is preparing to attempt to invade Egypt. A dispatch from Saloniki to the London Post says extensive military preparations in Thrace prove that Turkey feels uncertain as to Bulgarias intention. A large force which encamped between San Stefano and Buyuk-Chekmeje has been moved to Adrianople, while the newly enrolled troops at Tchataldja are being disposed at Ipsala, Denio-tika, and other points along the Maritza and Er-gene rivers. Constantinople reports that a Turkish army is advancing Into northern Persia, having crossed the frontier of the province of Azerbaijan. Turkish troops have advanced 150 kilometers ninety miles into Egyptian territory, their attacks being successful everywhere. Tiiev also re;iort success iu Trans-, caucasia. Shat-el-Arab. Persia, is defended against British attacks by mines and sunken ships. The American steamer Sacramento, which until a few months ago was the Germau steamer Alex-, andria, has put into Valparaiso. Captain Jacobson declares that his steamer was seized on the high seas by a German warship aud taken to Juan Fer-. nandez Island, belonging to Chile. Here lie was obliged by the Germans to turn over, his provisions ; and 0,000 tons of coal. It was officially announced by the Army Messenger, the organ of the Russiau general staff at Petrograd. that the Germans were beaten on the road to Warsaw with heavy losses and were repulsed iu two big tights, one on that road and . the other between" Czentochowa and Cracow. Tho Russians took a number of prisoners. The advance of the Russians luto the Mazurian lakes region of eastern Prussia, near .Tohannisburg, and Arys has revealed the extent of the preparations 1 1 ! 1 J 1 s , ; J 7 made by the Germans to resist iuvaslbu. The whole legion is described as a gigantic fortress, facing to the east and south in the form of a huge semicircle, ninety miles In extent. The Central News correspondent at Constantinople has sent the following dispatch by way of Amsterdam: "The civil authorities of Suez, Port Said and Ismallia, at the south, north and center, respectively, of the Suez canal, have left for Zagazig, seventy-five miles west of the canal, owing to the advance of the Bedouins and Arabs." The. Chilean authorities announced that no vessel of the Kosmos line will be permitted to take on provisions or coal in a Chilean port pending an investigation of the departure without clearance papers from Chilean ports of the German steamers Luxor and Memphis. . , . Because the German auxiliary cruiser Berlin, now interned, was able to pass Fort Trondhjem, Norway, unchallenged, the commandant of the fort has been removed and an inquiry- instituted. Tue Germans have ceased to build fortifications at Nauiur, but they continue "the erection of intreneh-ments at other points along the . Franco-Belgian frontier. The British admiralty has taken further steps for the protection of Englands cast coast ports by an extension of the mine field. Dispatches from Petrograd via Loudon say the Russians are surrounding Cracow and are now" about twenty -five miles from the city. The Austrian-Lloyd steamer Metkovitch struck a mine off the Dalmatian coast and foundered.
