Sunday's Attack Futile.

New York Times 100 years ago today, November 19, 1912:
Turks Held Their Own, and Correspondent Hints of New Movement.
Special Cable to The New York Times. Dispatch to The London Times.
    TCHATALJA LINES, Sunday Evening, Nov. 17.— After having sent off my message to-day, I returned to the point of observation to see the progress of the Bulgarian demonstration against the salient points to the south of the Turkish positions.
    The firing had lessened a little toward midday, but increased heavily toward 3 o'clock, when the Bulgarian batteries to the south of Izzedin, three miles northeast of Tchatalja, opened a continuous fire against the twin works of Hamidiyeh.
    Here the Bulgarian infantry had debouched into the plain and taken possession of the village of Izzedin, from which they were driven by the Turkish artillery, and in a little while the village burst into flames.
    From what I was able to see the Turkish troops were easily holding the enemy at bay. Through my long-distance glasses, I could not discover any sign that the Turkish reserves had left the positions where they were in the morning. They had been grouped together a little more at the back of the slopes to avoid the shrapnel with which the enemy was sweeping the hills.
    On the immediate front, where the railway winds its way through the Karasu Valley, the Turks had felt but slightly the pressure of the enemy since midday.
    The Bulgarian batteries, cleverly intrenched at the edge of the plain, were unmasked by their flashes, and had to bear the fire of the heavy guns of three warships, booming their broadsides from the sea. This fire, directed by signals from the hills, seemed to be effective, but from time to time the angry flashes of field artillery seen through the mist of smoke and dust, made by the naval guns, indicated that the Bulgarian artillerymen were still courageously serving their pieces.
    Thus the artillery combat ebbed and flowed till the sun went down in a crimson glow amid a wet fog, drawn up by the fire.
    Just before night fell the rapid battery fire was renewed with much more energy on the part of the Bulgarians against the Hamidiyeh works. The response of the Turkish gunners was as energetic.
    I thought for a moment that this hell of shrapnel bursts presaged an assault, but it seems I was wrong, as with the setting sun all signs of the fight disappeared save the flames of burning villages. It was as if the battle had been cut short by the touch of an electric button.
    Thus finished the first day of the Bulgarian preparation to discover the salient in the famous lines at Tchatalja. The Bulgarian General Staff must have learned much to-day, and certainly learned not to place too much confidence in the depreciation by amateur correspondents of the morale of an army lately in retreat, but now well established.
    It is impossible here to inform you of what is passing in the direction of Buyalik.
    Here and toward the north of the lines the troops in occupation are seeing the enemy for the first time.
    From what I have seen the Bulgarians have not made any headway here. Perhaps they will attack us by moonlight.