The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-05-30
GERMANY'S ALERT ARMY
THIRTY THOUSAND MEN READY TO
MARCH IN THIRTY MINUTES.

houIs, BAH n Millton In Three DAYS,
Two and one-Half Million In Week
As all the world knows, Metz and
Strasburg, the outposts of the Ger
man army, face watchfully toward the
west, says correspondent of the Lon
don Nail. From the gates of Metz the
roads to Paris taper through wall after
wall of entertainments, which ends in
the heights above the stricken field of
Grayelotte. Thence to tn. frontier of
France is only a short walk across the
grsve-coyered ground, walk that in
the course of some investigation for
the Daily Mail have lately made.
When you have been half an hour in
Metz and Strasburg you see that You
are IN the entrenched camp of an army
ready for war. Infantry. cavalry, ar.
tillery and the rest of two complete
army corps are all equipped as if for
instant active service. What General
LebGuf untruthfully said of France in
1870 is true of Germany in 1899
mot shoelace is wanting"
Touch the right button in Berlin.
and in half an hour 80, 900 men will be
marching from Metz, and within
twelve hours 100, 900 men-the from
tier field force of Alsace- Lorraine
will be crossing the border; while the
system in accordance with which the
railroads tap all the great environments
of Germany, and then converge on to
the frontier, will land half million
men near Metz in three days. In A
week two and half million men will
be on hand beyond the frontier; IN n
week four :hillion Germans will be I'M
der arms.
In Metz and Strasburg stores and
food aud fodder lie ready in the maya
zines, the transport animals stand
haraessed by the wagons. All the ap
planes and munitions of modern war
are to hand, and would be on the road
IN few minutes. When the troops
go route marching" they carry with
them three days food and three days'
ammunition; their clothes are in their
knapsacks. They can carry no more
in war.
The German army is ready for de.
fence, too. Metz and Strasburg are
really nothing more than comfortable
European "zarebas" (stockadesl. On
three sides of both are the most per
tected of entrenched works, ending
everywhere in glacls Ia gentle slopel,
smooth and tended as a lawn. gently
slopin9 downwards towards the west.
while on the fourth side is a river:
and In reserve, in rear of both camps.
is third modified army corps across
the Rhine; and in rear of that all the
organized resources of the Fatherland
stand unobtrusiyely ready. The out
side circle of defence at Metz is n chain
OF forts, some of them all but invisi-
bic. These are armed with mona
know how many heavy guns-for none
may enter but the great staff itself,
This circle is three miles from the
city, its centre; the forts are about
three miles apart, and so the fire from
each would cover the space which lies
between them. That is to saw. ex
cepU You pass through the fire-zone or
smash one of the links of the chain
you can assurelly not enter to attack
Metz itself.
NO enemy can approach within
four miles of the chain of forts unless
he first demolishes the forts. and as
these are dug from the inside of the
hills and offer no broader target than
the muzzles of their guns you will
conclude that Metz is practically i'm
pregnable. / approached one of these
forts as closely as a sentry would allow
me. The garrison of two regiments
OF infantry and one regiment of artil-
iery live i'll an excsvated barrack W hicb
Is entirely underneath the surface of
the ground and completely hidden
from view. As seen from the French
side, nothing whatever shows except
one long mound, from which protrnde
rows of loophoIes of various sizes
Even as seen from the rear you can
get no more idea of what is within
than You know what are the contents
of coal mine when you have only
stood above the shaft.
Surprising that you are an invader.
and that you have passed this chain of
forts, you find yourself in a space of
open ground some two miles brond.
Even then you are only on another
glacis, for you are now within the fire
zone of the batteries in the first line
OF the entrenched works. which i'm
mediately surround the city itself In
the front lines of these works are. AZ
Strasburg, the heavy siege guns n
feared to ask how many; the eunners
live within the earthworks themselves.
while on either flank and Immediately
IN rear are entertainments and infan.
try lines; in rear again, more en-
trenohments, and the lines Of cavalry
and field artillery. Close TO each are
their several magazines. which con
tain all they need, while i'm rear of all
are the engineers, with their depot
aud park tho commissariat and
telegraph and hospital corps. with
their depots, tho artillery workshops.
Tn Strasburg lie the stores and i'm
pedimeuta Of two army corps for two
years. And thus, in the midst OF the
CIRCLE Of rifles and cannon. the civ
iIian clement considerable Mt Stras-
burg, small at Metz-p ursues its life.
the shopkeepers and merchants 90
about their work i'm the old French
cities. But If you, among the ahops
of Strasburg, are ever inclined to DENY
that You arc i'm n camp Of troopsreadv
for instant war, then walk far enough
IN any one direction and Won will soon
come up to the gray and blue circle Of
soldiers in which Won are