Abergavenny Chronicle

A WARHORSE'S COLOUR. I Great interest has been aroused in the Army with regard to the subject of the correct hue an Army horse should be. The majority of officials are in favour of bays, sorrels, and chestnut browns. As will readily be seen, a white or grey horse would offer an exceedingly conspicuous mark when silhouetted against a black background-a not infrequent occurrence during war time. That is the chief reason why so many officers object to the widespread use of white or grey mounts. Nevertheless, there are many officers who are privileged to purchase frrev mounts if they care to take the risk of being a conspicuous target. Many members of the General Staff advocated issuing an order to the effect that the use of grey and white borees in the Army should be prohibited.

Lord Saye and Sele is gazetted on hono- rary mrjor in the Territorial Force Reserve. In the King's New Army there are 900,000 married men. This, said Mr. Mar- shall Hall, M.P., at Lambeth, is a fehame on the young men of the country. The practice of serving alcoholic liquor to the South African troops as rations has been stopped. None is now s.od, except medicinally.

FRENCH ARMY'S ACHIEVE- MENTS. BATTLE LINE OVER FIVE HUNDRED MILES LONG. The following account of the achieve- ments of the French Army has been re- ceived from a British Observer present with the French forces in the field:- The Allied Armies have been stationary on the western front for so long that their line, as given in the maps issued by the newspapers, is drawn with considerable accuracy We know that it is something over 500 miles in length; and that from the right of the British line, not far from La Bassee, the remaining 460 miles are held by the French troops alone. Let us first look at that part which extends from La Bassee, past Novon, Soiseons, Rheims, Ver- dun, and St. Mihiel, to the Moselle at Pont- a-Mousson. Throughout this extent of 270 miles the trenches are, practically speaking, continuous. At very few points are the lines more than 300 yards from each other; the close- ness of the combatants in most of the trenches is shown by the large use of hard- grenades, which cannot be thrown more than forty or fifty yards. One is apt to think that these trenches are really a line which is broken once the trench is cap- tured. In reality the trench which one sees is only the front face of a work resembling a small fort, a regular nest of bomb-proof shelters, machine-gun emplacements, and deep communicating trenches; it is this system of forts with the trenches connecting them which is known as the enemy's front line of defence. This line is succeeded by others of similar construction, although pos- sibly less highly developed. I FRENCH ATTACKS; I During the last two months OUT Allies have made a number of attacks at different points in this' first line of defence. But these attacks have not been of the same nature as those that the Germans made in November in their endeavours to capture Ypres. In this case it was the concentra- tion of a large number of army corps, whose force was hurled against the Allied forces, with the intention of pushing through by sheer weight of numbers. These are small local attacks, launched with a view to seiz- ing some particular piece of front trench and of holding it and fortifying it against the enemy's counter-attacks. The piece of trench attacked may be chosen because the fire from it is particu- larly annoying to our own line, because its capture will make it difficult for the enemy to hold on to some other bit, or merely be- cause it is the easiest to assault. But the advantage gained by taking a trench is that you make thel enemy come out of their trenches and fight to get it back. I SHAKING UP THE ENEMY. I Nothing would suit them better than to be able to sit quiet in the trenches, while they collect all the reserves they can for use in some other part of the line; and this is just what they must be prevented from doing. And-to their credit be it said—they have -never failed to put in counter-attacks, sometimes fer several days in succession, to regain lost trenches. Sometimes our Allies have in the end been forced back to their original line, occasionally even behind it; but this does not lessen the satisfaction of having given the enemy a good shaking-up, brought them out into the open, and in- flicted heavy losses. The districts where these small attacks have been most frequent are those north of Arras, between the Somme and the Oise, along the Aisne, and between Rheims and Verdun. In the course of three weeks, be- tween December 20 and January 10, fifteen separate attacks were made against dif- ferent portions of trench in the last-named area; of these ten were successful in that the attacking troops managed not only to take the trenches, but also to hold them against counter-attacks and turn them into a part of their own first line. I PUSHING THE GERMANS BACK I From the frontier on the crest of the Vosges to the Swiss frontier. In this last section the contact with the enemy once more becomes close. The line held is be- yond the frontier. The French troops hold the heads of the valleys running down be- tween the wooded spurs of the Vosges Mountains, the Germans having been gradually pushed back till they now hold the lower spurs only; at some points, such as round about Cernay and to the south of it, the Krench hold the lower spurs, the enemy occupying villages and other tactical points in the plain. A question which is in the minds of most people, whether they put it into words or not, is: "What advantage has the French Army gained during the last few months? Since the repulse of the Germans by the Allied forces in Flanders no battle of great importance has been fought. If the gain in the smaller engagements that have taken place is only to be measured by the amount of ground won, the results are indeed small. Yet the success of the French Army, though not apparent, is very real, and its work de- serves the gratitude and admiration of the Allied Powers in the highest degree. I A EUROPEAN BATTLE. I To appreciate this, one must take a broad view of the, situation. One must remember that the battle now being fpught in Europe is one only; that the fighting in Poland, in Galicia in Serbia, in France, is all parts of the same battle; that to beat the German powers we shall need more reserves than we have available at present; and that, until these reserves can make their weight felt, the duty of the Allied Armies is to pre- vent the enemy from bringing about a de- cision favourable to himself. It is in her full conception of this duty and in the vigour which'she has put into its execution that France and her Army have deserved our ad- miration. By her operations during the last two months she has kept the enemy fully occupied in holding his ground, prevented him from weakening his Army on this side in order to deal a decisive blow elsewhere, and maintained his rate of casualties by forcing him to fight, sometimes for days to- gether, under circumstances which were not to his advantage. That is her first achieve' ment. SIEGE WARFARE. Her second is that during these months her Army has steadily improved, both in personnel and material. It is generally held that long periods of trench-work have a de- leterious effect on infantry; that they lose their activity, theit elan, and require a little time for getting this back if they are to be used for offensive operations. This is mot the case in the French Army. Attacks are executed with great vigour; re- serve divisions have nearly, if not quite, the same value as active divisions, which was not the case earlier in the war; and Terri- torial troops, composed of men between thirty-five and forty years of age, a,re takine a far more considerable share in the active work than they have done hitherto. This siege warfare was at first new to everyone, and the success of the many small attacks recently made has been largely due to the care with which each effort has been studied 'and its lessons com- municated to all, so that the whole Army might benefit by the experience of one com- mander and his men. I THE FRENCH ARTILLERY. I As regards materiel, perhaps the greatest stride that has been made is in the provi- sion of heavy artillery. The superiority of the French field gun has long been ad- mitted, but against an enemy strongly en- trenched, supported by long-ranging heavy batteries, the field gun is not sufficient, and the want of heavier metal has been deeply felt. This has now been provided, and each week the co-operation between artillery and infantry becomes more perfect. It may be confidently asserted that without this pro- gress the operations, even if successful, could only have been carried out at the cost of losses entirely out of proportion to the results obtained.

Walter Thomas Henderson, a woollen merchant, who, in order to help a "brother Scot," signed a false declaration to procure a passport for a man who had been in busi- ness in Antwerp, was fined £ 50 and costs at the Central Criminal Court.

TORPEDOED. TWO BRITISH STEAMERS BLOWN UP. FOUR LIVES LOST. Two British vessels fell victims to Ger- many's campaign of piracy during the Week-end. One, the Cardiff steamer Cam- bank, with a cargo of copper, was tor- pedoed without warning off the Anglesey coast, four lives being lost; and the second, a small coal steamer, the Downshire, of 337 tons, was blown up off the Calf of Man, the crew in this case being allowed to leave in boats. The Cambank was laden with a valu- able cargo of copper from Huelva. She car- ried a crew of twenty-four. The vessel had just taken on board a pilot for Liverpool when she was torpedoed" She was sunk only four or five miles from the coast, and disappeared within the view of the coastguard and several people on the shore. The vessel was torpedoed at very short range, and some of the crew saw the wake of the torpedo as it sped through the water hardly beneath the surface. The torpedo struck amidships, wrecking the engine-room, and within three minutes the Cambank had gone down. Immediately after the explosion the crew made for the boats, but owing to the heavy list and the rapidity with which the vessel sank, it was possible to handle only one. Into this, how- ever, twenty of the crew, including Captain Prescott and the pilot (Mr. Pass), managed to scramble just in time. Two Liverpool firemen who were below- Michael Lynch and Charles Sinclair-were killed outright, while a donkeyman named Quigley, of Glasgow, fell short in jumping into the boat, and was drowned. The third engineer, Joseph Boyle, of Garston, who was terribly injured, was almost pulled lato safety. With his last ounce of strength he was able to clutch the outstretched arm of Seaman Joseph Bun- bury, who made an heroic attempt to save him, but when Bunbury had all but reached the boat, the injured man's grasp failed, and the water closed over him. Both the captain of the Cambank and the pilot saw the submarine's periscope simul- taneously with the wake of the torpedo. A crowd on the beach welcomed the wrecked sailors when they were brought in, and there were some distressing scenes when the villagers learned that four of the crew had been lost. I COAL STEAMER SUNK. The Downshire belonged to the East Downshire Steamship Company. She was stopped by a German submarine off the Calf of Man about five o'clock on Saturday even- ing. The crew of eleven were given five minutes to leave in the boats, and the vessel was then sunk. It is thought that the raider was the TJ21. The crew of the Downshire sighted the submarine first about two miles away. Every effort was made to escape, but the submarine overhauled the steamer in a few minuted. Three shots were fired from a machine-gun at the Downshire, which stopped after the third shot. The sub- marine drew up about fifty yards off, and th-i captain told the Downshire's crew to put out their boats and get into them. The Downshire's boat went alongside the submarine, and the captain and three other men went on board. a Five of the German sailors got into the empty boat, taking a bomb with them, and one of the German officers ordered two of the Downshire's men to row them over to the ship. The Down- shire was then blown up. Her crew were afterwards picked up by trawlers. «

MAILBOAT ATTACKED. CHANNEL STEAMER MISSED BY THIRTY YARDS. The Secretary of the Admiralty made tht following announcement at midnight on Tues- day :— The Folkestone-Boulogne cross-Channel passenger-boat was attacked on Monday night shortly after leaving Boulogne Harbour by a German submarine. "The torpedo passed thirty yards ahead of the ship. "The passengers, numbering ninety-two. con- sisted of civilians, and included among their number some neutrals." ANOTHER NEUTRAL. I Another Norwegian steamer was torpedoed in the English Channel on Tuesday. This time the vessel foundered. The victim was the steamer Regin, of Christiania, of nearly 2,000 tons register. Her crew of twenty-two were saved, although many had very narrow escapes, half the crew having been in their bunks when the explosion, occurred. They were landed at Dover. The Regin was bound to an American port, with a full cargo. She had anchored off the Kentish coast for some hours, owing to foggy weather, and the anchor was just being weighed at seven o'clock in the morning when a violent explosion occurred. Those on deck were thrown off their feet by the force of the explosion, and others who were below were thrown from their bunks. It was soon seen that the steamer had sustained fatal damage, and must founder. The crew left the ship in the boats. Three hours later they were picked up and taken into Dover. The Norwegian seamen feel certain that the vessel was torpedoed, as she had not got under way from the position where she had anchored. They were not given the slightest warning, nor was any attempt made to ascertain her nationality by the submarine. The only man injured was Mr. O. Gjertson, a Norwegian pilot, who was conveyed to the Dover Hospital with a broken kneecap. He declared very emphatically that the explosion was that of a torpedo, as the injury to the ship's hull was too low down for a mine to do so much damage. There was a tremendous explosion right under the forepart of the ship, and the deck and the contents of the fore- hold were scattered about in all directions. I BRITISH TRANSPORT TORPEDOED. I The transport steamer Branksome Chine, of Cardiff, which left Newhaven on Monday night with a cargo for France, was tor- pedoed about twenty miles south-east of Beachy Head on Tuesday afternoon. The crew were rescued from small boats by a British steamer and transferred to an examination boat. They were subsequently taken into Newhaven by the Brighton Com- pany's tug Hauler. The rescued men say they received no warn- ing and saw nothing. The vessel was struck in No. 2 hold. The shock of the impact blew up the hatches and forced the W,1.ter up through the ship into the air.

I IRISH CHANNEL I ENTRANCE CLOSED BY ADMIRALTY ORDER. The Secretary of the Admiralty has issued an order, taking effect from February 23, closing the North Channel leading from the Atlantic to the Irish Sea. All traffic wish- ing to proceed through the North Channel must pass to the southward of Rathlin Island between sunrise and sunset; no ship or vessel is to be within four miles of Rath- lin Island between sunset and sunrise. The area specified in the Admiralty an- nouncement is situated in the narrowest part of the North Channel, i.e., between Rathlin Island on the west and the Mull of Kintyre on the east. The main channel is thus closed to shipping, which must hence- forth proceed through Rathlin Sound. The effect of the Admiralty's new decree will be to bring all vessels entering or leaving the Irish Sea by the northern channel under strict control, as Rathlin Sound is only about three miles wide, and traffic passing through can thus be supervised without difficulty.

I MORE STRINGENT MEASURES. I At Monday's sitting of the House of Com- mons. Lord Charles Beresford asked the Prime Minister whether he could make an announce- ment as to whether the British Government would immediately place all food and raw material used to foster German industries on the list of absolute contraband of war, and whether he would consider the possibility, in order to make this declaration more powerful, of sending a Joint Note from France, Russia, Japan, and Great Britain, all equally con- cerned in ending the war, stating their deter- mination to enforce these stringent measures with a view to hastening the end of the war. Mr. Asquith replied: The Allied Govern- ments are considering what action it would be proper for them to take by way of reprisals against the German policy of attacking and destroying British, allied, and neutral mer- chant vessels without warning and without any attempt to save the lives of civilian and inno- cent crews. Pending such decision, which J hope will soon be announced, I can make no statement as to the nature and scope of the measures to be taken, or the form in which they will be made public. Lord C. Beresford: Will it be a Joint Note, and not a note specially from Great Britain? Mr. Asquith: I cannot yet say that; cer- tainly there will be a Note from Great Britain; I hope there will be a Joint Note.

TERRITORIALS DROWNED. I TRAGIC STORY TOLD AT INQUEST. I The story of how seven soldiers of the 3rd West Riding Territorial Brigade lost their lives by drowning while engaged in testing the construction of a pontoon was told at the inquest which opened at Gainsborough on Saturday. The names of the seven men were: William Dent, Leeds; E. Cockhill, Wakefield; F. Cooks, Wakefield; W. Atheron, Wakefield; A. Bruce, Harrogate; E. Baty, Batley; J. Myers, Dewsbury. It was stated by Captain Harold Hirst, the Officer Commanding the D Company, that he was. in charge of the company of 190 men, and that half a company, or two platoons, went to the pond. There they contructed the raft, which was composed of two waterproof tarpaulins filled with a mix- ture of hay and straw to make floats roughly six feet square by two feet six inches to three feet in depth. He was on the raft when it waA launched, and called a body of men to come on. The punting pole, which was about 12 or 14 feet, was given to an experienced man, and a boathook was held by a man on the bank. They got about a raft s space from the shore, and when about 20 men came on to the raft he stopped more from coming. He only in- tended to take the raft out far enough to test it. He felt a transference of weight in the corner where he was standing, and water rushed across. Then the other side dipped. He gave orders for the men to stand still, but there was a rush, which pushed the raft under the water. Most of the men were thrown into the water, and some made for the shore. He went into the water, and when he reached the shore he saw one of his men dive in and swim to. wards the raft, and save a man in difficul- ties. When he saw the first two men rescued in good hands he sent for the doctor, and had the men sent home. He had the roll call made of the two platoons, and, when he found seven men missing, he sent for a boat and drags. The coroner (Mr. Gamble) expressed his surprise that the work was carried out at so dangerous a placfr. He had previously warned the officers of another regiment against the depth of the pool, but in this matter Captain Hirst and the others were merely acting upon orders. In returning a verdict of "Acci- dentally drowned" the jury added a rider regretting that Captain Hirst and the men under him were inexperienced in raft build- ing, that the area of the raft was insuffi- cient for the number of men carried, and that the provision for life-raving was inade- quate. They wished to commend the efforts made by some of the men to save their com- rades, especially Lance-Corporal Chorley. Lance-Corporal Chorley, who is a Leeds solicitor, enlisted shortly after the outbreak of war. He dived into the pool and saved one of the men.

TWO ZEPPELINS LOST. I OVERTAKEN BY BAD WEATHER. I Two Zeppelins, L3 and L4, have been lost on the west coast of Denmark. The L4 was a recently built airship, and is said to have taken part in the raid on Norfolk. She was overtaken by bad weather while cruising in the North Sea. She became unmanageable, and the crew decided to abandon her. When near land and over the surf at Boersmose, near Blaavand, on the west coast of Jutland, the men jumped from the airship. Two officers and nine men landed, but the other four were either drowned or carried away in the airship, which as soon as it was relieved of the weight of the crew ascended and disappeared seawards. The crews of both the wrecked airships will be interned on the island of Odense. Four large bombs and two machine guns have been removed from the wreckage of L3, which was wrecked on the island of Fanoe. The Copenhagen Meteorological Institute, I discussing the circumstances which led to the destruction of the two airships, says that if the British authorities had not prudently stopped the British weather reports the air- ships would have received warning of a sud- den barometrical change over the North sea, and would have abandoned their reconnoit- ring expedition.

LABOUR DISPUTES DURING THE WAR I The Committee appointed by the Govern- ment to inquire and report on the tjuestion of production in engineering and shipbuild- ing establishments engaged on Government work have issued a report, in which they state they are strongly of opinion that during the present crisis employers and workmen should under no circumstances allow their differences to result in a stop- page of work. Whatever may be the rights of the parties at normal times, and whatever may be the methods considered necessary for the main- tenance and enforcement of these rights, the Committee think there can be no justifica- tion whatever for a resort to strikes or lock- outs under present conditions, when the re- sulting cessation of work would prevent the production of ships, guns, equipment, stores, or other commodities required by the Government for the purposes of the war. The Committee's suggestion that Govern- ment contractors, sub-contractors, and trade unions should be asked to refer any differ- ences which they cannot settle to an impar- tial tribunal nominated by his Majesty's Government has been approved by the authorities, who, with a view of providing the necessary tribunal, have empowered the Committee to deal with any, cases which may arise.

Captain Conley, of Workington, formerly in the Coastguards, who has died at the age of 84, was in Government pay from birth to death. His father was killed while serving in the Navy, and his widowed mother be- came entitled to an allowance for her pos- thumous son. Captain Conley served in the Navy before going into the Coastguard ser- vice. In order to provide a bonus to. employees till the end of the war the Great Southern and Western Railway Company, Ireland, re commend the withdrawal of a sum from the reserve, fund of the company. British operations in German South-West Africa will be greatly assisted by the Swakop River being now in torrent. For ten years it has been a dry course. On behalf of the subscribers of a "Give Cigar Fund," recently opened by Mr. M. de Cordova, of the Jamaica "Daily Gleaner," the West India Committee have dispatched to the military forwarding officer at the overseas base upwards of 30,000 Jamaica cigars and cheroots for our troops in Flanders. Owing to the necessity for clothing the new armies in the shortest time, orders for uniforms have been placed in the United States. One million pounds of the War Loan has been applied for and allotted to the Mid. land Railway Company. Court of Common Council has voted X250 to the Lord Mayor of London's fund for providing bands for the New Army.

THE DARDANELLES. I I BOMBARDMENT BY THE ALLIED FLEEL I On Saturday the following statement was issued by the Admiralty: "Yesterday morning at 8 a.m. a British fleet of battleships and battle cruisers, ac- companied by flotillas and aided by a strong French squadron, the whole under the com- mand of Vice-Admiral Sackville H. Carden, began an attack upon the forts at the en- trance to the Dardanelles. "The forts at Cape Helles and Kum Kale were bombarded with deliberate long-range fire. Considerable effect was produced on two of the forts. Two others were fre- quently hit, but being open earthworks it was difficult to estimate the damage. The forts being outranged were not able to reply to fire. "At 2.45 p.m. a portion of the battleship force was ordered to close and engage the forts at closer range with secondary arma- ment. The forts on both sides of the en- trance then opened fire and were engaged at moderate ranges by Vengeance, Cornwallis, Triumph, Suffren, Gaulois, Bouvet, sup- ported by Inflexible and Agamemnon at long range. "The forts on the European side were ap- parently silenced. One fort on the Asiatic side was still firing when the operation was suspended to failing light. "No BMps of the Allied Fleet were hit. The action has been renewed this morning after aerial reconnaissance. His Majesty's aeroplane ship Ark Royal is in attendance with a number of seaplanes of the Naval Wing." I STRAITS ONCE FORCED. The Straits of the Dardanelles, besides being heavily mined, are fortified on both banks along their entire course of thirty- five miles from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Marmora. The width varies from one to four miles. At the Mediterranean entrance the two forts of Helles, on the European side, and Kumkale, on the Asiatic coast, are separated by two miles. Only once in history has the passage of the Dar- danelles being forced. In 1807 a British fleet, under Admiral Sir John Duckworth, succeeded in getting through to the Sea of Marmora, but had to pay dearly for getting out again. I A TERRIFIC BOMBARDMENT. The eight ships engaged in the bombard- ment carried a total of thirty 12-inch guns, four 10-inch, and two 10.8-inch, with ninety- two smaller guns. Commenting on the bombardment in the "Daily Telegraph," Mr. Archibald Hurd says:— First the forts were bombarded at long range; this phase lasted from 8.30 a.m. to 2.45 p.m., a matter of six and a quarter hours. The target, owing to the "wonder- ful Krupp guns, of which the world heard so much, could not hit back; it was a one- sided action. The British ships thundered away without any fear that they would be struck. We are told that, under the fire of the thirty-six big guns, "considerable effect was produced on two of the forts"; "two others were frequently hit," but, "being earthworks, it was difficult to estimate the damage. Admiral Carden at last decided that the older ships—the least valuable in case they should be hit by the enen)y-should go in closer, so as to be .able to bring into use their smaller guns, of which they possess sixty-six. So these six vessels went in and poured on the enemy a more murderous fire, consisting of twenty-four big guns and sixty-six secondary guns, while the In- flexible and Agamemnon—ships of high military value, which we could not afford to risk—continued to operate at a distance. This must have been a terrific bombard- ment, and it may well be believed that, under the rain of 8501b. (12-inch British guns), 7491b. (12-inch French), 5761b. (10.8- inch French), 4781b (10-inch British), 3851b. (9.2-inch British), and 2001b. (7.5-inch British) shells, not to mention the 1001b. to 771b. shells of the 6.4-inch to 5.5-inch guns, the fortifications suffered seriously. It is only possible to visualise dimly and indis- tinctly the character of this tremendous bombardment by the powerful broadsides of the eight Anglo-French ships, using all their big guns and as many of the lesser guns as could be brought to bear. I WEATHER STOPS OPERATIONS. I The Secretary of the Admiralty issued the; following announcement on Tuesday night:— "Unfavourable weather with low visibility and a strong south-westerly gale has inter- rupted the operations at the Dardanelles. The outer forts were seriously damaged by the bombardment of the 19th.

I VICTIMS OF GERMAN NAVAL RAID. Mr. Asquith, replying to Mr. Kellaway, at Monday's sitting of the House of Com- mons, said the number of women killed dur- ing the recent naval raid on the East Coast of England was thirty-nine. The number of children killed was also thirty-nine. The Scarborough authorities had been unable to give the number of women and children wounded. The numbers at the Hartlepools and Whitby were: Women, 133; children, 137. The figures of killed included those who died of wounds. The total number of per- sons killed among the civil population on the East Coast was 127, and the number of wounded, including the estimated figure for Scarborough, 567.

SEVEN LOST IN TRAWLER COLLISION Two men, the total survivors .of the. crew of nine of the Hull trawler Kestrel, were landed at Grimeby on Monday by the Grimsby trawler Hydra. Both vessels were in collision in the North Sea on Sunday. It is stated that the Kestrel was struck nfar to the coal bunkers, and sank in two minutes. The skipper and crew got into the small boat, but one lashing was left un- fastened, and as the Kestrel sank she dragged the small boat down with her. The nine men were left struggling in the water. Most of them were drawn right under the trawler, and the two survivors only came to the surface. The Hydra was badly damaged.

A "BELGIAN" FORTUNE-TELLER. A young woman, who described herself as a palmist, and said she once read the King of Spain's hand, was sentenced to six weeks' im- prisonment at Birmingham for pretending to tell fortunes. It was stated that she announced herself as Signorina Costello, Belgium's Greatest Clairvoyance, and appealed for pat- ronage on patriotic grounds. So far as the police could ascertain, however, she was con- nected with a gipsy family, and was named Bessie Adams. She had lived in Belgium, and spoke French. ♦

Four Lausanne bank clerks while ski-ing were buried under an avalanche and two of the party were killed. Thirty-four fewer persons were killed on British railways in the quarter ended Sep- tember 30 last than in the corresponding period of 1913. The total killed in the former period numbered 270, and included 30 pas- sengers. Of the 1,846 persons injured 575 were passengers. "Attempts to defraud savings banks by personation of depositors have become un- pleasantly frequent in recent years, and pressure of business at the counters is sometimes pleaded in extenuation of omis- sions to verify signatures," states the In- spection Committee of Trustee Savings Banks. It ia officially announced that General Jcffre has issued an order of the day stating that the French reserve regiments have now acquired splendid fighting abilities, anc* may henceforth be put on the same basis at the active army, the designation of Re- serves being abolished. It is reported from Sofia that the Bul garian. War Minister has asked Parliament for a credit of X200,000 to defray the co-i of "grand manoeuvres in the spring." Thes< manoeuvres, he stated, would allow th' army to make practical experiments of th< lessons taught in the war of 1913 and ol operations now being conducted in, the pre sent war.

THE RUSSIAN RETREAT. LOSS OF AN ARMY CORPS IN EAST PRUSSIA. In the Russian' official story of the retreat from East Prussia, the loss of practically the whole of one of the four Army Corps forming: the 10th Army is admitted. In a despatch from Petrograd on Monday the "Times" corre- spondent says it appears that four corps com- posing the 10th Army were entrenched along the Angerap and the Masurian Lakes, while from preceding official despatches we know that a separate detachment had been operating north of Tilsit. Against this force the Ger- mans about February 10 deployed two armies, aggregating eight corps. The Russians, having- earlier noticed the enemy's concentration, had decided to withdraw on the Niemen and the- Bobr. The great difficulty of bringing up rein- forcements by rail and over roads deep in snow necessitated this precaution. Our men had repulsed the enemy on the Bznra and the Rawka when the odds were far greater, but there we could easily and quickly move up supports. Moreover, here we could place the enemy at great disadvantage by drawing him away from his railways—the principal cause of his superiority. The enemy's extreme left apparently began operations by sweeping east of Tilsit within the curve here described by the course of the Niemen, and threatening to turn the whole of the Russian position. Meanwhile the whole of the German force advancing along the front from Tilsit to Lyck hurled itself against the- Russians. The fighting assumed the sangui- nary character already noted on the Bzura and the Rawka, the enemy coming on in closer formations and being mown down wholesale. The Russian wing corps holding the section between Gumbinnen and Tilsit under the- threat of a flanking movement from the north* could evade it only by anticipating the enemy. Hence ensued the "very hurried retreat" in the direction of Kovno. There- upon the enemy converged across the railway and attacked in overwhelming numbers the flank of the Darkehmen corps, which was already hard pressed from the west. One division of this corps had to fight against five times its number, and its successful with- drawal to the positions it had been ordered to- occupy is regarded as one of the most credit- able exploits of the Russian Army. But it was against the remaining two corps that the enemy's greatest efforts were exerted. From the official report it is evident that large columns of the enemy appeared on their flanks, threatening to surround them from the direc- tion of Suwalki and Grajewo. Both corps succeeded in retreating through Augustowo. Here in the forest fastnesses, amid deep snow, they fought for nine days, and, as the official account says, inflicted severe looses on the- enemy. Truly a wonderful record of stanch- ness and fortitude. I STRATEGIC SCHEME UNALTERED. The "Morning Post" correspondent says: -The Grand Duke's report regarding the- retirement from East Prussia leaves no doubt that the Russians sustained serious losses. They delayed the execution of their manoeuvres a little too late, and snowstorms, by blocking the railways and rendering the,, roads extremely difficult, hampered what we- had been led to believe was a timely, orderly- retirement before overwhelming forces. It appears that the Germans succeeded, by threatening to envelope the right wing of the retiring Russian Army, the Tenth Army,, consisting of four corps, in compelling one- corps to make an unduly hasty retreat not in the direction ordered. This corps retire4 safely towards Kovno, leaving the right flank of the neighbouring corps completely exposed. Finding itself placed in an almost hopeless position, this corps constituted it- self a rearguard to ensure the retirement of the rest of the army. With noble self-sacri- fice this corps faced about to hold off the German onset in overwhelming numbers. Under the circumstances it can only be re- garded as a surprising proof of military skill and fighting qualities that any of this corps got away at all. It is the first im- portant score the Germans have made in the open field against the Russians. The other- corps of the Tenth Army retired fighting ac- cording to orders, and inflicted heavy losses, on the attacking enemy, tvacilrg away with them about a thousand prisoners. The loss incurred in this retirement, how- ever regrettable, in no wise alters the stra- tegic position. The Tenth Army was ordered, to perform a certain manoeuvre, and has ac complished this, but at a somewhat heavy cost. The main thing, however, is that' the- manoeuvre was accomplished. The "Post" correspondent adds: "Looking back upon the daily story of the bulletins which for a couple of months never men- tioned the East Prussian front, and noting the recent extreme activity of the force which now turn out to have been only four corps, it is placed beyond doubt that the Russian plans in East Prussia amounted only to provocation. They have, therefore, succeeded, for the Ger- mans are close upon the defensive lines of the Narew and the Bobr in a force so large that weakness elsewhere is necessarily implied. What use the Grand Duke intends to make of this successful provocation, which appears to be equally operating on the other flank, seven hundred miles away, we must wait and see. The strategic scheme proceeds successfully to its completion, and nothing else in this war really matters."

I FIRST *NEUTRAL VICTIM. NORWEGIAN SHIP TORPEDOED IN THE CHANNEL. The Secretary of the Admiralty made the following announcement on Friday night:- "The Rear-Admiral at Dover reports that the Norwegian tank ship Belridge was stfwik by the torpedo of a German submarine to-day near Folkestone. "Pieces of the torpedo have been found on board the ship. "The Belridge was a neutral ship proceed- ing from New Orleans to Amsterdam." The Belridge is an oil tank steamer of 7,000 tons, only built last year, and owned by Messrs. Wilhelmsen, of Tonsberg. She was so badly damaged by the explosion that it wa» feared she would sink. The forepart was full of water and the foredeck level with the se8.4 Eighteen of the crew and the pilot left the Belridge and had a very unpleasant experi- ence for some hours, as exceedingly rough weather prevailed. They were eventually rescued in the Downs by an American steamer. The Belridge's captain succeeded in navigat- ing his damaged steamer to an anchorage near Deal. Salvage operations have been canied out, and the steamer is to be taken up the Thames. The nineteen men who were saved by the American steamer have now been transferred from that vessel to the Belridge. FRENCH STEAMER TORPEDOED. Early on Friday morning a German sub-e marine torpedoed without warning the French steamer Dinorah, which was bound from Havre to Dunkirk. The ship had a plate stove in near the middle on the port side and below the water-line, but was able to keep afloat. Several fishing vessels, were sent to assist in pumping her out, and the hole was plugged. The ship entered the dock at Dieppe.

I FLASHES TOWARDS THE SEA. Sentence of six months' hard labour was passed at Spilsby (Lines.) on Monday on Bertie Whydale, cycle repairer, for having on February 14, contrary to the regulations made, under the Defence of the Realm Act, dis- played a light "in such a manner as couldi serve as a signal, guide, or landmark." Evidence was given that Whydalohad twice been cautioned. At 11.20 on the night of the 14th he was seen flashing an acetylene lamp from a hill, 250ft. above the sea level, across the fens towards the sea.

An inhabitant cf Watervliet (Flanders) wh-) had been hiding a motor-car which has been discovered by the Germans, has been condemned to one year's imprisonment and a fine of J2400. Glass eyes have hitherto bee& practically a German monopoly. Efforts are now being made to manufacture them in England at lower prices than has hitherto been found possible owing to the cheapness of the foreign article.