The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-09-18
(By E.. Alexander Powell. }

By E. Alexander Powell. }
ANTWERP, Sept: 17.-This was
originally intended to be the story oil
the taking Of Verde. Owing, however
Ito circumstances over which neither
the Belgians nor / control, Verde re.
mains untaken.
Sunday morning four Belgian
divisions pressed along front extend.
ing from Aerschot nearly to Alost, a
distance something over thirty miles
The Belgian center rested on Sempst
rwo miles south of Maine it's objective
oeing the town of Weerde on the An.
Cwerp- Brussels railway, point of con-
siderable strategic Importance.
Belgians Shoot All Day.
It was known the Germans occupied
Verde in force, so throughout the
day the Belgian artillery, masked by
neavy woods, pounded away incessant-
ly.
By noon the Germans guns ceased
20 reply, which was assumed by the
jubilant Belgians to be sign that the
enemy's artillery was silenced. Don
aid Thompson, the Kansas photogra-
pher, appeared and we arrived at the
headquarters of the First division at
5empst early in the afternoon, leav-
ng our car at the gate Of a convent,
over which Red Cross flag was fly
ing. This promised, therefore, to be
lairly immune from shell fire.
Work Way to Farm House.
Thompson and l, accompanied by
Roos, my military driver, by keeping
an infantry evacuated in their ad-
vance, succeeded in reaching a farm
house which stood quite by itself in
the middle of a field.
One hundred yards in front of the
farm house stretched highway which
runs from Brussels to Antwerp. Ly-
ing in deep ditch bordering our side
of the highway was brigade of in
fantry which formed the Belgian firing
line.
Like Seat In Bleachers.
Ascending to the garnet of the house
we broke hole through the tile roof
and found ourselves looking down up
IN battle precisely as one looks down
On a game Of football from an upper
row Of seats in the Harvard stadium.
In the immediate foreground were
Two regiments of carbineers and two
regiments Of chasseurs, crouching in
the ditch or lying prone on the ground.
Five hundred yards along the other
side of the highway we could see
through trees the red pottery roofs
md whitewashed walls of Weerde.
Musketry Rattle Heard.
A short distance beyond in heavily
wooded park was large stone chat
eau. The only sign that the town was
occupied was a pale blue gray vapor
which hung over it, and the constant
crackle of musketry issuing from it.
In the late afternoon word was pass
ed down the line that the German guns
were put out of action, and that the
enemy was evacuating the town in
disorder and that at $3.50 sharp the
whole Belgian line would advance.
Under cover of artillery fire, so
heavy that it sounded like thunder in
che mountains, the Belgian infantry
climbed out of the trenches, and,
throwing aside knapsacks formed be-
hind the road preparatory to making a
grand assault. A moment later a doz-
en- dog batteries cams*trotting up and
fantry. %%
At $50 to the minute ne hi whistles
took position on the left Of the in
Of the officers sounded shrilly, and in
a long line the chasseurs in blue
and the carbineers in bottle green
swept forward, cheering. They scram-
bled across bitches. They pushed
through hedges until they were with
in a hundred yards of line of build
ings in the outskirts Of the town.
Belgians In German Trap.
Then hell itself broke loose. The
whole German front, which for an hour
had replied feebly to the Belgian fire
spat continuous stream of lead and
flame. The rolling crash of musketry
and the ripple snarl Of machine guns
was stabbed by the vicious pom, pom
pom, pom, pom, pom of the quick
firers.
From every window of the three
stored chateau opposite US lean muz.
Zles of mitrailleuses poured out their
hail of death.
l have seen fighting on four con.
tinents, but never have / witnessed
so deadly a fire as that which wipec
out this head Of the Belgian columns
as a sponge wipes out figures on 9
slate. The Germans had prepared the
trap and the Belgians had stumbled
into it.
Three minutes later the big batterie.
came tearing on the dead run. Tha1
should have been the signal that i
was high time for us to 20, but il
spite of the fact that a storm wa!
brewing we were waiting to see tn,
ninth inning.
Things began to happen with be
wildering rapidity. Back through tn,
hedges, across the bitches over road
ways, came the Belgian infantry
crouching, STOPPING and running TO
their lives.
Bullets began smashing tiles abov
Might Be Late for Dinner.
"This is no place for two little in
nocent American boys" Thompson re
marked, shouldering his camera. can
besides, if we don't hurry we won
get back to town in time for dinner.
The Belgians bumped their head
very hard indeed for the Germans ha
in action upward Of $4,000 men. Til
casualties have not been announced
AS have since learned, we happene