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TWO BATTLEFIELD NOISE IN FRANCE NOW IS LACKING; DEADLY HAND GRENADES FIGHTSINTRENCHES Prisoners Profess to Take Gloomy Views on Failure of Ger man Strategy—Rattle of Machine Guns Only Sounds After Cease of Recent Cannonading—Subterranean Life of Troops—Use of the Hyperscope Below Ground London, 11:45 a. m.—The Press Bu reau today Issued a report from an eye-witness at the front covering mil itary operations during the days from November 26th to November 29t.h, in clusive. This report is summarized as follows; ’■General inactivity is recorded along the English front, with the Germans pressing the attack in one quarter against the Indian troops, who have been extending their trenehea in an endeavor to get in close quarters with the enemy. There has been some shelling of the rear of our front line south of the Lys, hut this form of an noyance diminishes daily along the whole front. Sniping, however. Is carried on almost incessantly. There seems to he little doubt that the Ger mans are employing civilians, either willingly or unwillingly, to dig the trenches; Homo civilians have lieen seen and shot while engaged in this work. Profess Gloomy Views. ■'■\Vhile It Is necessary to accept the evidence of all prisoners with caution there is a change in the views ex pressed by some officers captured re cently which appears to he genuine. They admit the failure of the Germun strategy and profess to take a gloomy view of the future. At the same time It must lie confessed that as yet there is no sign that their view is that gen et ally held hy the enemy, nor has there been nny definite indication of a lack of morale among the German troops. "The highways of northern France are crowded with men responding to tlie various mobilization orders issued by the French government. Thousands of such troops were encountered In the course of a short automobile trip. The strange procession Includes a cu rious mlxturei of types. A consider able proportion of these new drafts are composed of middle aged men of good physique and likely young men from the countryside. Noise Decreases. "The change within the last few days of what may he termed the at mosphere of the battle field tins been marked, '.'be noise of cannonading has now decreased to such an extent that for hours nt a time nothing Is heard but the infrequent boom of > no of the heavy guns of the allien; the occasional ratlin of machine guns, and the Intermittent fire of snipers on thetr side. Ho far ns the of explosives Is MACK 1Y LEAD THE YANKEES! Connie Negotiating For Block of Stock in Club---Club Own ers Meet Continues. New York.—National nnd Interna tional League club owners continued their annual meetings here today while American I-cague magnates and club owners, at Informal gatherings, dis cussed trades that nre expected to strengthen weak teams In the Junior major league by a more equitable dis tribution M etar players. Further developments in the move •>n the piyt of President Johnson lo arrange for the sale of the New York Yankees lo Col. Jacob Huppert were expected. In connection with stories about the change In the ownership of the New York Americans Is a report that Connie Mack Is also negotiating Tor a block of the stock in the club and that if the deal goes through the maker of world's championship teams will lead the Yankees In I#lß. In confirmation of this report the trading of Collins to the Chicago White Sox is eltod which It is said is in line with n new policy on the part of the Athletics' owners to reduce expenses hy breaking op the high-salaried in field of which Collins was a pillar. Retrenchment Policy. This policy to retrench Is not con fined to the Philadelphia American l.rague club, yesterday's meeting of the National la-ague magnates devel oping a similar attitude in the adop tion of resolutions limiting the num ber of players and cutting short the spring training season. Further moves along this line were expected today. The International l.eaguc hHd be fore It today a plan to reduce that circuit to six club hy dropping Jersey City nnd Baltimore, although the transfer of these two dubs to Rich mond and Syracuse still was an un settled problem. TWO HEIGHTS IN THE MOST POPULAR DUDLEY 2H inches NORMAN inches HOLIDAY RATES —Via- ATLANTIC COAST LINE .. Phones £>2s and 661 concerned, the greatest activity is found In the real attacks with hand grenades and short range Howitzers The enemy has practically ceased his efforts to break through the line of assaults and he is now devoting his energies lo the same type of siege operations whleh have been familiar to the allies since the beginning of the battle of (he Alsne. Subterranoan Life. "Subterranean life is the general rule In the neighborhood of the firing ling Even those men not actually engaged In fighting live In under ground quarters. Some of these quar ters, called "funk holes," are quite elaborate and comfortable and contain many conveniences not found in the trenches on the firing line. "They communicate with the firing line by zigzag approach trenches, which make enfllndlng Impossible Attacks are made on the firing line hy blinded saps which are constructed by a special earlh borer. When this secret tunnel reaches the enemy's Irench, an assault In delivered amid a shower of hand grenades. The stormers endeavor to hurst their way through the opening and then try to work along Ihe trench. Machine guns are quickly brought up to repel a counter attack. At Close Range. "Most of tills fighting takes place at such close range that the guns on either side cannot lie fired at the en emy's infantry without great risk of littting their own men. Bombs have come lo take the place of artillery and they are being used in enormous quantities The short range Howit zers nre of three types and those used hy the Germans have come to be termed (tie '.luck Johnson' of close at tack. The smaller bombs and gre nades thrown hy hand although local Inaction Hre very unpleasant particu larly In (he enclosed space of a trench. These grenades are thrown continu ously hy both sides and every trench nssaull Is first preceded and then ac companied hy showers of these mur derous missiles. This kind of fighting is very deadly and owing to the dif ficulty of observation, it Is nt times somewhat blind. This difficulty has in a measure been decreased hy the use of hyperseope, an instrument which works very much like the peri scope on a submarine. It permlta an observer to look out over the top of a parapet without raising Ills heard above the protection of the trench." GARDNER WILL FIGHT FOR HIS INVESTIGATION Representative Who Declares United States Unprepared For War Says if Resolution Pigeonholed, Wants Record of It. Washington. Posplte the refusal of majority of the House Rules Commit tee to grant his request for a hear ing on Ids resolution to direct a special In quiry Into the military preparedness of the United States. Representative Gardner, of Massachusetts, was de termined today to continue his fight for such an Investigation, hi a letter which he sent to Representative Hen ry, chairman of the committee, Mr. Gardner dedared that lie would accept a refusal to grant a hearing only from a meeting of the full committee. Letter in Answer. His letter wu In answer to one from Chairman Henry advising him that hi* proper forum for n hearing l was before the regularly constituted commute* of the houee, which were In session considering matters pertaining to the military and naval strength of the country. "If you desire to pigeonhole my res olution Without a hearing." Mr. (lord lier wrote Mr. Henry, "you undoubted ly have the votes to do so, but you must first cflll a meeting of your com mittee and at that meeting Congress man 1 .enroot of Wisconsin, will require you all to go on record." Full War Strenth. Measures dealing with the army now pending in congress Include the hill passed by the senate at the last ses sion authorising the president to re cruit the army to full strength when ever in hi* Judgment complications with foreign countries warrant. An other senate bill awaiting action in ihe house, is that revising the articles of war. In the senate- the militia pay bill, providing compensation for na tional guardsmen who participate in maneuver*, still Is pending Sen ator Chamberlain, chairman of the military affairs commutes, said today ha contemplates pressing that meas ure as of utmost Importance tn build ing up an army reserve Military Training. He also hss In mind a proposal re quiring military trlning In all colleges snd schools receiving government or state aid and possibly extending to high school cadet corps as a method of training civilians for commissions as Junior officers In case of war. The senate military committee will meet Friday to take up matters pend ing before It. Several, bills. Including the Chamberlain national defense council measure have been/referred to this committee. Sick Two Yesre With Indigeetion. "Two years ago 1 was greatly bene fited through using two or three bot tles of Chamberl in's Tablet*.'' writes Mrs. S. A Keller. Hilda. Ohio. "He fore taking thepi I was sick for two years with indigestion." Sold by all dealers. - It requires good tobacco to make good cigarettes, and good tobacco is expen sive. Only the inexpensive, practical wrapping enables us to offer 20 Fatima Cigarettes for 15 cents. “Distinctively Individual ** 3v&tcca Car. BOMBARDMENT DIRECTED BY TELEPHONE When Town Was Too Strong to be Taken by Riflemen, the Support of Artillery Was Given. Berlin.— Newspaper correspondents, ns Is well-known, have seen almost nothing of the actual fighting in this war, Hut on the German side, there is now one account of a battle written by one of the men who watched it from the headquarters of the com manding general himself. This was a recent engagement fought on the Kast-Prusslan frontier in Russia, and It was dezerihod hy Captain Rchlokert, the war correspondent of the Rerlln I.okal Anzeiger. What he saw from the observation post of General von Morgen is thus reported: “The battlefield was spread out be fore us like a panorama. A slightly rolling plain stretched away toward forests on the horizon. We could clear ly see the movtfhients of the Infantry In a depression to our right Mak ing good use of the covering at hand, a battalion was moving forward to re inforce Its riflemen, whose thin battle line was only Just visible through our field glasses. It advanced in closed formation at double-quick across the hack of the ridge. How important this movement was just at this mo ment was shown hy the bursting of Russian shrapnel over that ridge, hut some time after our men had crossed it. ‘Just like on drill,’ said his Ex cellency with a smile. Closely WatchecL "But the Russian urtillery needs to he closely watched. 'A call from the V. Regiment,' was announced from the telephone. ‘The commander asks for artillery support as the Russian en trenchments have proved too strong to he taken by Infantry.' From a booth in another shelter pit, where the com mander of the division to which the regiment belonged had taken his po sition, tve heard Captain < iestereich give the telephone order to change the aim. Then he rushed to the nearest field telescope to watch the bursting point of the first shot fired at the new point After that he sprang beck into the pit and shouted: 'Twenty shorter.' With rapt attention wc watched with our glasses the further dcvelo|rments and saw how the ohrapnel expinslm moved closer and closer to the south ern edge of the village, almost oh scaring it with their smoke.. His Ex cellency looked nt his watrh: ‘Just eleven,’ he remarked 'almost lunch time.' We saw the ring of German riflemen drawing up closer and closer around the village. Fire Stopped. “A good quarter of an hour later a voice shouted from the telephone pit: ‘The commander of the regiment asks to have the artillery fire on W. stop ped, as he wants to take tt hy storm.' Captain Oesterelch gave the corre sponding order. "Another quarter of an hour, and the telephone rang again ‘The regi ment has taken W.l* “Brave regiment!* murmured Ills Excellency to himself. Now, General, strtke In further to the right,' he said, turning to the next protected pit. 'Battery open flr«V ordered the general, nnd Cnpt Oeste releh repeated It through the telephone. "Another telephone call: ‘‘The regi ment that took W. Is under fire from a heavy Russian battery and nsks for support.’ This time the remedy was not so easy. ‘Where is our nearest heavy battery.’ asked His Excellency. The captain pointed it oqj on the map, and His Excellency continued: ‘Then Useful Xmas Gifts! For Men, Slippers, $1.25 to $2.00 For Women, Slippers, 75c to $1.50 For Children, Slippers, 75c to $1 Come See Our Xmas Display ' SPECIAL NOTICE Coupons given on the $15.00 Doll and Pony and Cart On all accounts paid before 24th. FREE $15.00 DOLL. FREE PONY AND CART. FREE $15.00 DOLL. FREE PONY AND CART. wt nr i >AM'i>'siu t _ R. L. GARRETT. M^r. We Give Purple Stamps and Votes Pencils Free. Gome Get Yours iHE AUGUSTA HERALD, AUGUSTA, GA. telephone at once that it must shell the Russians.’ "This time it was like a prize guess ing contest for us to lyirl the position of the Russian battery. Only after we had been repeatedly helped hy the experts were we able to discern the well-concealed point. A captain of hussars stepped up to His Excellency and asked: ‘Does your Excellency or der luncheon?’ The General looked at his watch and asked: ‘Can we have It soon?’, he inquired. ’lt can he brought up in a quarter of an hour,’ was the answer. “At the appointed time orderlies ap peared with steaming dishes. But the Russians made no pauses for lunch. The advance of our troops further to the right was much hindered by that Russian fire, and our battery repeat edly had to take a hand. It was not till the shades of evening were draw ing over plain and forest that the can nonade seemed to die down. His Ex cellency turned to take leave and wished the commander of the battery ’ success. We followed In his suite 1 'Now, Captain, we shall at last have ! quiet,’ remarked an Austrian col league. -’A great mistake, my friend.' answered the captain, ‘toward mid night the Russian batteries squander an enormous amount of ammunition' And with a smile he waved us a r;■■re well salute.” — * | Al. H. Wilson in “When Old New York at the Grand Saturday, Matinee and Evening. FREE $15.00 DOLL. FREE PONY AND - CART. FREE $15.00 DOLL. FREE PONY AND CART. The Wise Dry Goods Co. Christmas Spirit on in full Force! I Quite an Elaborate Display of Useful Gifts x Handkerchiefs in Holiday Boxes, at, per box: 20c, 50c, 60c, 65c, 75c, 85c, SI.QO, $1.15 and $1.50. Dolls, decidedly the best line in Augusta, and they are going fast. If you nc3d a Doll for anyone, this is certainly the place to get it-from 25c to $25.00 Holiday Umbrellas from $1.50 to $7.50 All Woo! Holiday Blankets, each in an individual box, in the most delicate plaids imaginable. Come and see your saving. Ladies’ Holiday Neckwear, in fancy Christmas boxes; the very latest... 50c, 75c, SI.OO and $1.25 Holiday Linens in a profusion of beautiful designs, in center pieces, scarfs and table covers. See cen ter table display. One of the most beautiful showings in Mesh and Leather Hand Bags, also party boxes at wonder ful savings for you, if you will only come after it. Silk Hosiery galore at 89c and 98c Nice Juicy Florida Oranges at, each : lc Nice Juicy Sweet Apples at, per dozen oc " 1 • < « Are You Helping Your Con testant in the Great Wise Refund Contest? GET BUSY AT ONCE! TRY WISE FIRST-IT PAYS STORE OPEN IN EVENING UNTIL 7 O'CLOCK Wise Dry Goods Co. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER