New-York tribune., 1914-12-24
NEWPORT WRECKED
BY GERMAN SHELLS
Correspondent Who Saw
Fighting Near There
Describes Effects.
TWENTY RESIDENTS
LIVING IN CELLARS
Rest of 1000 Population Fled
Long Ago, When Continuous
Bombardment Began.
tBy Csbls 20 he Tribunal

Bombardment Began.
tBy Cable TO The Tribune.l
London, Dec. 24-"The Daily News"
publishes the following letter from
Furnes, under date of December 21:
For several days l have been in
possession of authorization from the
French commandant permitting me to
penetrate TO Newport. This town has
been under bombardment by the Ger
mans since October 20. There are
days, however, when no shells fall in
the town, and 8 walk in the streets
the other day presented no danger.
ms was by no means the case last
week, when, following period of
calm, considerable event occurred.
The Allies took up the offensive in an
effort to drive the Germans from the
coast and recapture Ostend and Zee
brugge. Along the whole front from
the User TO the sea there were inn
portant movements OF troops. These
| am not at liberty to describe, but
they have for the most part only small
significance.
What can tell you is that for eight
days the struggle has been very severe
or the Gser. Night and day hundreds
OF guns have been sending shells across
the space dividing the two armies.
Since the end of October the Germans
had been established at Saint Georges
and Lombaertzyde, close TO Nieu1ort,
and their trenches between Nieuport
and Nleuport Bains were separated
only from those of the French and Bel
glans by canal twenty yards wide,
which runs from Furnes through Nieu-
port to the sea.
Il left Furnes on a French motor
lorry carrying bread and meat to the
troops at Nieuport For about three
miles the lorry followed the canal,
passing the village of Wulpen, and then
came to a stop. We had arrived near
the pelican bridge. over which one must
pass TO reach Nieuport. Slowly we ap-
proacned the bridge.
What is delaying u.s.? I asked the
chauffeur.
Correspondent Saw Battle.
at is little too warm for the mo-
ment,' he replied.
When a soldier admits things are
warm II is certain that there is seri-
Gus fighting afoot.
TO the right and left over the fields
| could see lnundations on the roads.
Cur soldiers were moving, and the
guns Of the Allies were filling the air
with thunder. In intervals one could
hear the splitting of the quick-frers
and the lesser chorus Of the rifle fire.
Just ahead on a little bridge were n
few soldier engineers busly at work
under the direction Of q Lieutenant.
Suddenly | saw them fall fiat on the
ground. At the same moment a shell
whistled over their heads and buried
itself in the canal bank, only forty
yards from US.
"'Shcltcr your machine behind the
house, shouted the lieutenant, and the
chauffeur did not want second tell
ing. He backed the lorry few yards
to place 1t against the house opposite
the bridge.
AT the corner Of the road from
Ramscapclle left the lorry and stood
with some soldiers close against the
wall. In five minutes fifteen shells fe'l
within q radius OF a hundred yards of
the bridge. but not one struck the
bridge itself. We could hear them
come shrieking toward US, and the only
comment of the soldiers each time was
Here comes another We passed over
the bridge and advanced along the '
canal side in the direction of the Ger .
mans"
"As we approached the trenches near
the Dixmude railway bridge we were |
able to survey The plain OF Saint /
Georges, which is now completely un- /
der water. For the moment the firing
between the trenches had ceased, and /
we were able 10 take a leisurely view
of the scene from the height of the .
bridge. Over an area of half mile /
square there are three feet Of water. .
and in the centre OF this lake stands a ,
farm surrounded by trees. The .
French and Belgian soldiers had .
crossed the water, advancing under .
protection Of artillery fire, ard had /
captured the houses standing on the .
far side.
Returning to BUR motor, we quickly |
reached Nieuport. The aspect Of the /
place is certainly strange. The houses, /
as in all ancient fortified towns. are .
pressed closely one against the other. /
The streets, however. arc wide and reg
uar. They were as empty as the .
streets OF a dead city. I'm the roofs of /
and doors we're destroyed. and the ,
blinds and curtains were flowing out in
the wind.
Living in Cellars.
"To my great surprise, learned that 1
four or five houses were still occupied. +
About twenty inhabitants, was told. /
were still living in the cellars After .
two months of bonn ardment the sol /
diers did what they could to feed these .
people who had declared that rather
than leave their homes they would per-
ish in the ruins. The rest Of the in
habitants about 4.000-hed. taking
with them only what they could carry
in their hands. In every house we
could see broken furniture covered
With dust. In many of them gaping
holes had been torn by shells, while
some of the frontages we're carried
clean away. Bedsteads and wardrobes
we're seen standing awry on the upper
floors, ready to fall into the street. OF
other houses, reduced, one may say, 20
powder, only heaps Of rubbish remain
in which one can distinguish among
the pieces of tiles and bricks and plas-
ter chests OF drawers, pianos, side
boards, sewing machines and so forth.
broken and mixed with what is left Of
household linen and crockery'
Family portraits mockingly remain
hanging in their places and contem-
plating the scene Of ruin. The con-
tents OF the shops have been scattered
over the floors. Whatever has not
been destroyed by shells, shrapnel and
bombs, is left to rot under the rain
which comes through roofs and cell
iugs I saw all sorts Of merchandise
wing about in confusion on the street
paVements.