New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-14

with no little pride, an order for safe
conduct from the German authorities.
permitting him 10 go 10 Brussels and
return unmolestcd 70 Holland.
Accompanied by NJ. NJ. Langhorne,
secretary of the American Legation
at Brussels, and Mr.. Wyman, an
American resident, In an automobile, I
followed this odd fotilla Of mercy ms
IL threaded its way from canal TO
canal and from lock TO lock. At
Hanswert. town on the Belgian
Dutch frontier, anticipated some
dltticulties as 10 this first consignment
OF relief. On the contrary, the Ger
man officials were fully informed, and
there was no delay whatever.
Sealed Hstches Never Opened.
From thence TO Brussels the Ger
man arrangements FOR getting our
cargo through expeditiously were per
feet, The sealed matches of the barges
were never opened or touched all the
way to Antwerp. Malines and Brus-
sells.
The country people came running
TO the banks of the canals. where they
stared at our fotilla as if il were n
mirage. For week not single barge
had passed where formerly there were
a thousand hourly.
TO the Belgian country folk il was
at first just God-sent dream TO re-
mind them OF the peaceful days pre-
ceding the nightmare of war. When
they found that there were real barges
bearing food their great thankfulness
found ready expression.
ION Wednesday morning. Just one
week after the ship left London, we
Grove up in front of the American
legation at Brussels and told Brand
Whitlock, the American Minister 10
Belgium, that the relief barges were
safely moored in a pocket of the main
canal. few minutes later Mr.. Whit
locks automobile brought the Marquis
de Nillalobar, the Spanish Minister, and
the heads of the Belgian Central Re
lief Committee. The marquis was all
enthusiasm. He graspcd my hand, ex-
claiming: What splendid news! You
Americans are wonderful. When you
take thing in hand you certainly do
and do il quickly
News Spreads Quickly.
There was no need for the newspa-
pers 10 spread the report of our ar
rival. In one hour all Brussels knew
and reJoiced. Many people had feared
that we would never get the food into
Belgium. and that if we did we would
not get by the wall of soldiers sur
rounding Brussels.
we drove back to Holland by way
OF Louvain, Aerschot and Thourout to
Bre6a on the Dutch frontier. We
found several villages in the Limburg
district that had been without salt for
a month. At almost every bridge we
met men with boxes soliciting relief
from travellers from more fortunate
districts. This looks like begging, but
there are some conditions justifying
anything. We met few Belgian men.
Eighty per cent Of the people in these
country districts are women and chill
dren. VIC saw them eating green vege-
tables, beets and apples. They had
little else.
There were thousands of children,
all afraid TO laugh. Like their
mothers. they seemed spellbound by
The melancholy fascination of the ruins
in which they found shelter. The con-
trast between them and the contented
song loving German soldier is appal-
ling.
treated us with tne greatest courtesy
and consideration, are clearing the
debris from the waterfronts so that
the shipments of relief supplies from
America can be landed in the various
towns without difficulty. They also
are working on the canals, and promise
US by November II to clear the water
way to Liege, which at present is very
hard to reach"
MIR. Bell will return to Rotterdam on
Saturday TO continue the work of rush
inc the emergency food supplies into
districts where they are most needed.