THE EUROPEAN CONFLICT.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 4945, 19 September 1914, Page 5

THE EUROPEAN CONFLICT.

SECOND EDITION.

BATTLE AT ‘SOISSONS. MOTORS ABANDONED. GOOD WORK BY TUROOS. NO PAUSE IN SEVEN DAYS. Electric Telegraph—Press Association. Copyright. (Received this day at 12.15 p.m.) London, This Day. Mr Davis, war correspondent, says it was imposible to count the motor trucks and automobiles abandonea along the twenty miles of road for lack of petrol or break-downs. The Germans smashed or fired cars before abandoning them. The shattered remains of two German airships were also seen. When Mr Davis reached Soissons the Germans had abandoned the hills on the south and left, the rearguard to protect the sappers who were destroying the bridges. The French ordered the Turcos to clear the town. The black-fellows crossed in boats, followed by the engineers, who endeavoured to repair the bridges. Meanwhile the German guns were bombarding the hills and pounding the roads in order to retard the French advance. From the heights it was possible to see Compiegne and thirty miles northward of Saint Quen. tin, beautiful panorama of the wooded grain-clad country was a track of hurtling and bursting shells and smoke. The battle could be followed for 15 miles, including a section to the right, where the British were fighting. From time to time shells 1 set fire to houses, haystacks and piles of grain. A gale was fanning a fierce 1 blaze. Siege guns sometimes dug holes twenty yards in circumference. Tho French disregarded them ana slept peacefully in German trenches or under haystacks. They had been fighting for seven days without a pause. Lat© in the afternoon the firing ceased and the Germans retired. Mr Davis saw little wanton damage and nothing comparable to the hor--1 rors in Belgium. Other observers, however, state that during the siege • of Meaux a German general and his j staff occupied the historic Chateau of j Guie, at Oougis, filled with art treasures and priceless tapestries, of j which little now remains but the bare ! walls, broken pieces of Buhl furniture, stained and tattered tapestries which the Germans had used, and slashed remains of old masters. GERMAN NEW GUINEA AUSTRALIANS MISLED. | BY THE GERMANS. t (Received this day at 11.5 a.m.) Sydney. This Day. I The censors having removed the prohibition on the publication of the ■ movements of the Australian fleet in I New Guinea, the Herald states that it transpires that the town of Rabaul was twice captured. The town offeied no resistance when the Australian warships visited it early in August ■ and the German flag was hauled down by the residents. The first visit 1 was made while the warships were searching for the whereabouts of the German cruisers. After sweeping the approaches to the Simpsonhefen Harbour for mines the ships entered in the early morning and prepared to attack the enemy s ships, but there were none there. As the chief object of the Australians was to capture the German warships, and the destruction of the wireless stations they oould not then afford to land a 1 force and hold the town. The Governor informed Commander Patey | that there were no wireless stations. , fortifications or men. The Australian , ships then left and found that the Germans at Rabaul had in the meaii- , time been busy. Trenches had been | dug, the roads mined, wireless erected and other preparations made which t necessitated a second attack and a consequent loss of life. The Herald ; adds: It is stated on good autho- • rity that when the first visit was | made a number of German soldier* j were concealed in a German merchantman then in the harbour, and 1 it is surmised that after the departure of the Australians these prepared for the resisting of the landing of the Expeditionary Force. The paper also states that Commander Patey re- : ceived assurances from the Governor lof German New Guinea that there j would he no resistance to the Expedi- | tionary Force.