BELGIANS REPEL AN ATTACK BY MOTOR-BOATS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2328, 9 December 1914, Page 7

BELGIANS REPEL AN ATTACK BY MOTOR-BOATS

FANTASTIC BATTLE.UNDER, THE SEARCHLIGHTS. ' (Rec. December 8, 8.35 p.m.) , ' , ~ Dunkirk, December 8. ' The Germans at dawn yesterday made another desperate attempt to pross the floods south-east of Ramscapello, ■ by means of three powerful motor-boats 'fitted with searchlights, towing a number of rafts, each carrying fifty men, and fitted with machine guns. . The Belgians lined the edge of the flood'waters, but the 'searchlights dazzled them, and prevented accurate shooting. This enabled the Germans to maintain a murderous firo from their rafts, As the Germans wore landing, the Belgians hurried up their' own searchlights, which in turn made it difficult for the German machjne guns to fire with accuracy. The fantastic battle with searchlights continued for some time, and gradually the Germans were driven back, the massed men huddled on the rafts making effective tarA lucky shot brought down one German searchlight, and the men on the rafts attached to the motor-boat were flung into tho water, and surrendered. Another motor-boat was beached, and the Germans, knee-deep in the water, fought from the shelter of the boat. The Belgians rushed into the water, and a fierce strugglo ensued, until tho Germans backed the boat out. ~ Finally, "the French 75-centimetre gun got the range, and the first shell forced the motor-boats to fly. Two escaped in a sinking condition. ■' t GERMANS BOMBARD COAST' TOWN -NEAR NIEUPORT. . (Rec. • December 8, 9:25 p.m.) • Paris, December 8. Official —"The Germans bombarded Oostdunkerke, four kilometres (roughly 2i miles) west of. Nieuport. . ■ There has been a maritcd advance in the region of Le Quesnoy (8 miles south by east of Valenciennes). GERMAN VANDALISM IN THE ARGONNE. V : ' ■ (Rec. December 0, 1 a.m.) •Paris, December 8. The French Government" arranged for a visit of journalists to the fortress of Verdun and the surrounding district. The journalists report that the whole district of the Argonne, particularly the route of the Crown Prince s retreat from' the Marne, is in utter desolation Every vil age was ra«d to the ground the work of deliberate liicfindwriam, f«qilitat<>4 b.r light »otBf.««f» ( equipped with petrol, pump, and nose, .