Formal Close of Ports; All Food Destined for Germany to Be Declared Contraband

The Day's War News: French and British warplanes began a bombardment of the Turkish fortifications yesterday at the mouth of the Dardanelles. An official statement issued in London says the aeroplanes are co-operating with the warships in the attacks, which had "considerable effect."

Fighting in France and Belgium apparently is increasing in severity. Today's official reports from Paris and Berlin show that the French attempted to break through the German line at several points toward the eastern end and that the Germans made an assault on the trenches of the Belgians without effective important results in any case.

Russians have begun a new attack on the fortified Galician city of Przemysl, whose resistance to the besiegers month after month has been one of the notable features of the campaign in the east.

Russians have gained a measure of success near Dukla Pass, where the Austrians are said to have suffered heavy losses in the last few days.

Uncertain accounts as yet permit of the Russians continuing and has resulted in the winning of several Polish cities and towns. London believes, however, that the first rush of the Germans into hostile territory after expelling the Russians from East Prussia has been stayed.

LONDON, Feb. 20. The third day of the German submarine blockade was ushered in without Great Britain's retaliatory policy, declaring all food destined for Germany to be absolutely contraband, being definitely promulgated through the foreign office. This, in the [...] British reply to the American note regarding the Wilhelmina incident presages that such action will be taken, and as the document points out, Great Britain hopes when it takes this step to meet with no objection from neutral countries.

On the West Front. German movements on the northern extremity of the eastern battle front hold first place in the military situation, particularly so as Petrograd believes that Field Marshal Von Hindenburg is trying to flank Warsaw from the north, a task which the Russians think is rather daring and fraught with great risks unless the German commander's forces are overwhelming.

The Germans now are reported to be locked with Russian reinforcements at many points from the Niemen river below Kovno down to the right bank of the lower Vistula, and military experts in London say it is difficult to victual this position.

The campaign in the Austrian crown land of Bukowina continues, with prospects of developing into a decisive battle on the bank of the Pruth river.

In Galicia the repeated violent Austrian attacks against the Russian positions in the Carpathian passes have been costly to both sides, but they have left the alignment little changed.

In the west the Germans are hammering away in an endeavor to recover lost ground and are reported to be keeping the British troops specially busy to the southeast of Ypres, in Belgium, and elsewhere along their comparatively extended front, but, according to French and British claims, without making appreciable gains.