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Show Coast Batteries Not Fir-i ing Probably Been Withdrawn. HUNS APPLY TORCH Blowing Up Materials and Burning towns as They Go. WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN BELGIUM, Oct. 14. Enemy resistance in Flanders which at first appeared to be exceedingly heavy, is reported to have been broken. After the British, French and Belgian advance today there were indications that the enemy was withdrawing the remainder of his material from the coast of Belgium. Reports were slow coming in but most significant of all the features of the battle was the fact that the German Ger-man coast batteries were not firing. Coast Guns Withdrawn. The artillery reacted heavily south of Roulers after the allied attack was launched, but north of the city this fire was' very slight, indicating that the German guns had been withdrawn. The German rear guards -were overcome over-come and further north the enemy re sistance finally grew lighter as tho assault progressed. Among the prisoners pris-oners was a complete regimental. staff and a battalion commander. The cnemy has begun blowing up material which he could not remove and the torch is being applied to the toi ns. There have been four explosions explo-sions near Beerst. Only a thin enemy barrage was encountered en-countered by the British during their attnek. South of Lichtervelde the British Brit-ish have driven well to the east. They have passed through Roulers and are Jstill advancing. They are also operating operat-ing quite a distance east of tho main Roulers road. ! j British Receive Wilson Note. LONDON. Oct. 15. The text of President Wilson's reply to the German Ger-man peace offer, received through press channels, was placed in Ihc hands of Hie members of the British government early this morning. The council mot shortly after 11 o'clock lo consider the president's response. j i Raiding Near Lille. LONDON, Oct 15. Raiding operations opera-tions on several portions of the British Brit-ish front, notably near Sainghin-en-Weppes. southwest of Lille, are reported re-ported vby Field Marshal Haig in his official statement today. Prisoners were taken by tho British parties. AMSTERDAM, Oct. 15. The German Ger-man government has proposed to France that in common with her nl-lies, nl-lies, France undertake to refrain from bombarding the large towns of northern north-ern France and enter into an agreement agree-ment with Gormany to permit, at any rate, a portion of the population of Valenciennes to pass into the French lines, says an olllclal statement from. Berlin. The German government in making this proposal represented itself as unable un-able to prevent, the eastward flight of the population of Valenciennes, owing to their fears that the allies would b.6mbard the town. The proposal was mado through the Swiss government. |