Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1914-10-23
Correspondent GIVES A GRAPHIC
DESCRIPTION OF FALL OF ANTWERP

damaged A shell struck the house
occupied by an American named Hunt
and the Dutch consul and blew the
entire second floor into smithereens.
"A Zeppelin lowered over the city
during Thursday mornings lombard.
ment, dropping occasional bombs.
Though the German shrapnel Gre
ated enough havoc, 1t was childs play /
compared to the damage done by the
siege guns. When 3 42-ca=timeter |
shell struck a house 1t not merely |
blew a hole in it, it simply demol |
ished 1t, the whole house collapsing |
into ruin as If shaken to pieces by an
earthquake"
Almost as much damage was caused
by fires resulting from the lombard
ment as from the shells themselves.
The entire west side of the Marcheux
| Souliers from the head of the Place
de Meir to the Place Verte. including
the Hotel de Europe, the Cafe Royale
and line of fashionable shops oppo-
site the Hotel st. Antoine. was de
stroyed. A quarter of a mile of build
ings in the Rue van Bree. including
4 IhG ndh0DO0lCGl dPaA tAA1At5 "a 1AG
city, are nothing but charre1 walls.
The handsome block in the Rue de la
Justice is completely burned. In ad-
dition several hundred dwellings scat
tered through the city have been
burned to the ground,
Dynamite Saves Cathedral.
AS the city is without water, ex-
cept such as can be pumped from the
river the firemen were powerless to
check the flames. That every building
on the Place Verte and very probably
the cathedral itself, was not burned is
due to an American resident, Charles
Whithoff, who, realizing the extreme
gravity of the situation, suggested to
the German military authorities that
they dynamite the surrounding build
ings.
At ten o'clock at night word was
sent to Brussels and at four o'clock in
the morning six automobiles with dy.
Mantle arrived and the walls were
blown up, the German soldiers stand
ing on the roofs of neighboring build
ings and throwing dynamite bombs
1T was lively night for every one
concerned" says the writer
, 81 was just sitting down to my first
meal in 80 hours when the police burs
! in with the news the city was burn
ing" he goes on. Il found an entire
block opposite the hotel in flames
, and as there was no water the firemer
: were powerless to check them. Whel
/ discovered the block immediatel!
| ok
! struck me 1t was time to change m!
= quarters.
r After wandering through pitch
q black streets for three hours, slipping
on broken glass and stumbling owe
fallen masonry, and occasionally cha
= lenged by German sentries, | saw
I light In a building In the Bouleyar
9 Leopold. l rang the bell and wa
: taken in by poor little consumptiy
II bookkeeper.
II Takes over Consulate.
+ Upon calling at the consulate 1
/. the morning found that Consul Ger
a. eral Diederich and Vice-Consul She
Ia man had left two days before for part
IL unknown. AS there was a large nun
j. Der of frightened people clamorin
"a for reinsurance and protection, and q
. there was no one else to look afte
a them, opened the consulate and a
40 sumed charge.
y THE proceeding was wholly irreg
). lar and unauthorized, Of course, an
"a will probably scandalize departmel
a of state officials in Washington, but
= was no time for red tape.
of 81 Immediately wrote letter to Il
German commander. informing hi
that In the absence OF the consul &c
an eral l had assumed charge of Il
tb American and British interests
N. Antwerp and expected the fullest pr
,s lection. received a courteous rep
I'm Immediately. saying that every pr
m. lection would be afford,I foreigners