Logo

Logo

100 Years Ago | 29 Aug 1918

On this day a century ago, these were some of the news items The Statesman readers got to read about India and the world.

100 Years Ago | 29 Aug 1918

OCCASIONAL NOTE

The correspondence now appearing in our columns on the subject of what is called the “traffic congestion in Chowringhee” arose out of a definite case in which a motor cyclist came into collision with a taxi-cab wheeling off the stand in front of the Grand Hotel.

This particular abuse bears no real relationship to traffic congestion. Were Chowringhee widened to the Ochterlony Monument the danger would remain unless the police did their duty in regard to the taxi-cabs using the ranks.

Advertisement

A correspondent yesterday saw no fewer than five taxi-cabs wheel simultaneously off the rank in the hope of seizing what proved to be an abortive “fare” who had made his appearance on the pavement.

For four or five minutes these taxi-cabs lay across the road like a fleet at manoeuvres and traffic in both directions was accumulating until they were once again in their places on the rank. To facilitate this mad rush across the road the “taxis” habitually remain on the stand with their wheels turned well out into the road.

No sooner does a possible “fare” make his appearance on the pavement – whatever be his object – than the taxis wheel towards him. The drivers do not look behind them before wheeling and they make no signal of their intention to approaching traffic.

The abuse could probably be stopped tomorrow by the police enforcing rotation in leaving the rank and immediately suspending the licence of every taxi-cab leaving it out of turn.

ASTRIDE THE SCARPE

Last night’s communiqué says: We again attacked astride the Scarpe. The Canadians penetrated deeply between the Sensee and the Scarpe, captured Cherisy, Vis-en- Arto and Bois-du-Sart, taking many prisoners. On the Canadians’ right the Scots crossed the Sensee, seized Fontaine-le- Croisilles and established themselves on slopes southward of the village, taking hundreds of prisoners.

Other Scots took Roeux, Greenland Hill, and Gavrelle. English troops took Arleux-en-Gohelle and the old German line south of that place. Between Croisilles and Bapaume, and to the south, English and New Zealanders were again heavily engaged and repulsed many determined counter-attacks, inflicting heavy casualties. Despite the enemy’s efforts we stormed Beaugnatre and made progress at several points between Beaugnatre and Croisilles.

THE FIGHTING ROUND ROYE

Reuter’s correspondent at the French headquarters, wiring yesterday afternoon describing the fighting in the vicinity of Roye, which is now encircled, says that the captures of Fresnoy, Grosette wood and St. Mard constituted a considerable achievement because the fighting occurred at the old fortified lines which the enemy had reorganised.

The Germans were surprised at Fresnoy where four hundred prisoners were taken, including a battalion commander. The bridges over the Avre during the last few days were seized by the French, whose infantry were fighting for hours waist deep in water and withstood all attempts to retake them and secured six hundred prisoners.

THE EXTENDING LINE OF ADVANCE

Reuter learns that General Debeny’s advance was between Crapeau Mesnil and Hallu, south of Chaulnes. The line now runs east of Liancourt and Hallu, east of Herleville, to the Somme and the outskirts of Dompierre. We have captured Maricourt. Thence the line runs to Flers. North of Bapaume we have reached the outskirts of Vaux-Vraucourt.

Thence the line goes to the outskirts of Ecoust-St Mein, whence it bends back to Croisilles, which is still in German hands. From Cherisy the line runs to the outskirts of Roeux. Heavy fighting has occurred in Delville wood and also at Longueval. Military experts attach the greatest importance to the Somme offensive, because it affects the Hindenburg line.

EPIC FIGHT IN NIGHT

The newspapers point out that the British position is even better than the communiqués make out. For example the British never claim to have captured a place until it has been consolidated. French correspondents on General Byng’s front describe an epic fight in the night when there was a great clash of Germans and British with bayonets and hand grenades in the light of some flaming tanks whose petrol was burning as the result of shellfire.

The spurts of flame were ninety feet high and lit up hundreds of airmen, who, in spite of torrential rain, machine-gunned the enemy while thousands of men were engaged in a deadly grapple. Two German divisions here were annihilated and the ground was strewn with thousands of bodies. It was a gigantic tragedy ending in the utter defeat of the enemy.

Advertisement