100,000 Battlling Along Tchatalja.

New York Times 100 years ago today, November 16, 1912:
Bulgarian Host Are Reported Breaking Through the Centre and Flanking Their Foe.
LONDON INCLINED TO DOUBT
English Correspondent at the Scene Believed the Moslems Could Not Be Driven Back.
CALLS TURKS' FRONT STRONG
Nazim Pasha's Troops Recovering from Defeat and Might Make a Good Stand.
PEACE PROSPECTS LESSEN
Bulgaria's Terms Called Too Harsh for Acceptance — New Hope Seen for Turkey's Cause.
    VIENNA, Nov. 15.— The correspondent of the Neue Freie Presse telegraphs his paper as follows:
    "North of the Tchatalja lines Macedonian volunteers have captured the town of Derkos and are besieging Ak Bunar and Agacla. In the centre, where the railway makes a wide turn to the north, the Bulgarians also have succeeded in capturing various positions and in breaking through the chain of defenses.
    "An artillery duel is still raging. The Turks have about 150 guns of the largest calibre, which, however, are fairly old, so that the Bulgarians are able to compete with them both in quality of weapons and men.
    "On the southern wing the Bulgarians have considerable difficulties to overcome. Their advance is prevented by the extensive swamps of Birjuk Chekmeje Lake, and the Bulgarians, therefore, are directing the whole force of their attack upon the centre. The entire battle line is about fifteen miles long. There are 200,000 men on each side. This means about eight men to every yard, so that tactical movements are impossible and the battle necessarily will assume the character of savage butchery.
    "The losses are enormous, especially on the Turkish side. As the troops are driven back in disorder, fleeing down the spurs on the Tchatalja side of the heights, they are pursued by the Bulgarians, who pour a pitiless artillery fire into them. As the Bulgarian cavalry is too weak, in order to carry through the energetic pursuit the task has been taken over by the artillery.
    "The Turks are fighting with the utmost bravery and desperation. Every soldier is fighting not for the success of the whole army, but for his own individual existence."