BALKAN WAR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1712, 1 April 1913, Page 5

BALKAN WAR.

BATTLE AT CHATALJA.

TURKS REPULSE BULGARIAN ATTACK. HOW ADRIANOPLE FELL. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Rec. March 31, 11.30 p.m.) - . London, March 31. . Air. Martin Donolrue, the "Daily Chronicle's" . correspondent, writing from Hademkoi beliind tho Turkish lines at Ghatalja, says twenty thousand Bulgarians attacked and; carried advanced positions at the point of the bayonet in a rainstorm .on Friday night. Tho Turks at daylight bombarded and captured a position making it impossible for the Bulgarians to entrench. Then six thousand Turks in blinding rain gallantly crossed a plateau exposed to a withering fire, stormed up, a muddy slope, and a desperate bayonet fight resulted in tho Bulgarians being driven down the other slope* A fog prevented further, fighting. Constantinope, March '30. Tho Bulgarians maile a night attack on the Turkish advanced, position at BoyukChekmeje, at the Sea of Marmora end of the Chatalja line. The Turks retired, and made a counter-attack on the left 'wing. Aided'by the fleet, they drove off the Bulgarians, whose attack on Mouradli Hill was also unsuccessful. It. is officially stated that tho Bulgarians left 1000 men at Boyuk-Chekmeje.

STORMING OF ADRIANOPLE. ■'. TERRIBLE LOSSES. . (Rec. March 31, 10.15 p.m.) Belgrade, March 31. . The Servian soldiers state that the sufferings of the. besiegers at Adrianoplo were worst in January;, and February, when six feet of snow lay on the ground. Many were frost-bitten and, cut by the sharp ice, but they stormed the first entrenchments, and captured 800 Turks, and 3000 more surrendered. The besiegers were unable to advance owing to - the concentrated firo of three, forts being directed upon'them. They remained" entrenched until night, when three attempts" rfe're -made,' to storm Papastepe, and the walls were scaled under fire. . Twenty-four .-Turkish machineguns at Papastepe were captured on Wednesday morning. ' ,- - ■ ; Early on Tuesday tho Danubian division, when, within five hundred yards of the, Turks, was' discovered, and a. terrible .fusillade from the Turkish machine guns forced;the Servians; to entrench under ■ fire. One battalion lost thirty per oent. of iits inen, despite-the fact that the Turkish fire'lacked precision.

The Dariubian division at eleven o'clock at night renewed tho attack, though the Bulgarians at first refused to do so owing to their terrible losses. • Servian bomb-throwers, who were with the officers ' ten paces, before the com- , panics,. crept on with . cat-like stealth until tho Turks discovered them too lato. bomb-throwers then, rushed the tranche's, and tho Turks, though at once reinforced, were expelled. '. •'!<■ The Bulgarians, who lost all their officers;'. were. commanded by non-commis-sioned officers. ■ ■'! The' Bulgarian • retirement exposed the Servians, who * retreated to the Maiitza River, to a position from whioh they, were '/unablo to escape owing to the bridge having bben broken. ' - In the meanwhile the Timok was' in a Vseriqus plight at Fort Tepelar. When the division was five hundred yards distant from the fort mines exploded, killing hundreds, and the regiment of Bulgarians retreated, leaving the; Servians alone and in great danger. . Tho Turks brought eight machine guns within fifty yards of the, Servians who made three counter-attacks until they forced the position 5 , on Wednesday, when the Turks fired the stores and ammunition and abandoned .Fort Tepelar. ■ . •

" ALLIES LOSE 12,000 MEM. SIXTY THOUSAND PRISONERS : . v ■ . TAKEN. Sofia, March 30. Shukri Pasha and seven of his generals showed deep; emotion during their reception by the Commandant of Sofia, who praised their bravery, and.' conducted them to his residence, where they are in captivity. . The army headquarters' hero estimato that the Bulgarians lost 11,000 killed or wounded at'Adrianople on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday , last, and tho Servians 1200. Sixty thousand prisoners were taken. They include 833 oTficers, of'whom thirteen are generals; Six hundred, and fifty guns were captured: \ t Belgrade, March SO. -'.It.'s officially stated that Shukri Pasha and 172 officers were within the Hadurluk, fort,at Adrianople when the Servians captured it. They were not molested for a day ( in order that t>ey might formally surrender to General Ivanoff. (Ree. March 31, 11.30 p.m.) . ' Sofia, March 81. Shukri Pasha states that ho could have held out for twenty days longer on reduced rations. General. Ivanofit has re-established oixkr at . Adrianople. The Turkish - losses are estimated at ten thousand; \ . , BOMBARDMENT OF SCUTARI. AUSTRIA MASSING TROOPS ON FRONTIER. . , Cctinje, March 30. Despite the Collective Note, the Montenegrins are heavily bombarding Scutari. (Rec. March 31, 11.30. p.m.) - i Vienna, Mnrch 31. Austria-Hungary lias three army corps massed on tho llerzegovnian frontier, bordering Montenegro. ' ' BULGARIA AND THE POWERS. TERMS PARTIALLY ACCEPTED. London, March 30. i Renter's Agency states that Bulgaria agrees to the Powers' recommendation except in regard to tho Enos-Midia lino and an indemnity, but is prepared to 'accept a Midia-Gulf of Saros line, leaving (lie Sea of Marmara', and the Dardanelles Turkish. , Bulgaria will, however, insist on an incloinnity if sho is mado responsible for a portion of the Ottoman debt.