Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-10-25
Graphic Description Of Scenes
en- Route From Mayence to
Vicinity of ST, MihieI
Conflict
COUNTRY DESERTED
EXCEPT FOR SOLDIERS
Modern FortresSeS Fall Before
Heavy Guns Of Invaders;
Vast Scope Of Country Torn
Up by Military Trenches
,,,oeia,ed Press correspondenee)


fas,ocisted Press torresp0ndeneeD
WIN the German Army, Befora
N,ety Sent. 90 (by courier TO Holland
and mall to New yorkJ--A fiVe-day
min In the front has taken the CORE
enonden, OF The Associated Press
through the German fortresses OF
MAyence. saerbruecken ana Metz
through the frontier regions between
Metz and the French fortress line
from Verdun to Toul. into the actual
battery positions from which German
and Austrian heavy artillery were
nonndine their eight and twelve-incli
shells into the French barrier forts
and INTO the ranks of the French field
army. which has replaced the crum-
Ming Notifications Of steel and e.
ment with ramparts Of flesh ana
blood
Impressions at the end are those OF
some great industrial undertaking,
with powerful machinery in full ope-
ration and endless supply trains bring
inc un the raw materials for fabrica-
ton. rather than of war as pictured.
survey of Battle Front.
From a point of observation on a
hillside above st. Mihicl, the great bat
tie field on which German army Is
endeavoring to break through the line
Of barrier forts between Verdun and
Tout and the opposing French forces
could be surveyed in its entirety. In
the foreground lay the level valley OF
the Meuse, with the towns of st. MI
hiel and Bannon Cour nesting on the
green landscape Beyond and behind
the valley rose a tier of hills on which
the French at this writing obstinately
hold an intrenched position, checking
the point of the German wedge, while
French forces from north and south
beu on the sides Of the triangle try
ing to force ii back across the Meuse
and out from the vitals of the French
fortress line.
Actual Warfare Seen.
Bursting shells threw up their co.,
umns of white or black fog around
the edge of the panorama. Clouds OF
white smoke here and there showed
where q position was being brought
under shrapnel fire An occasional
aefoplane could be picked out, hover
ing over the lines, but the infantry
and the fields battery positions could
not be discefned even with a high
power field glass. so eleverly had the
armies taken cover. The casual OBJ
server would almost have believed this
deserted landscape, rather than the
scene of a great battle. which, if sue
ressful for the Germans. would force
the main French army to retreat from
Us entrenched positions along the
Alsne river.
Forts Fall Easily.
About three miles away across ths
Meuse, quadrangular mound 81
black, ploughed up earth on the nil
side marked the location of Fort Les
Paroches, which had been sllenced by
the German mortars the night before
Fort Camp Des Romanes, so named
because the Roman legions had cen
turtles ago selected this site for stra-
tegic encampment. had been stormeo
by Bavarian infantry two days earlier
after its heavy guns had been put ou'
Of action and artillery officers stated
that Fort Lionville, fifteen miles &c
the south and out of range OF vision
was then practically silenced, only one
of its armored turrets continuing to
answer the bombardment.
Travels With Royalty.
The correspondent had spent the
previous night at the fortress town OF
Metz sleeping under the same rooi
with Prince Oscar of Prussia. inva-
lided in from the field in state OF
physical breakdown, Prince William
OF Hohenzollern, father-in-law or ex'
King Manuel and other officers either
watching or engaged in the operations
In the field, and travelled by automo'
bile to the battle front thirty-tlVe
r miles to the west For the first par'
OF the distance the roads lead througt
the hills, on which are located the
chain of forts comprising the fortress
of Metz. but although the genera
staff officer in the car pointed now
and then to a hill as the site of this OF
mat fort, traces of the fortificatlon'
could only occasionally be made OUT
Usually they were so skillfully mask
ca and concealed by woods or BLENDED
with the hillsides that nothing out Of
'he ordinary was apparent, in strikint
contrast to the exposed positions o.
the forts at the recently visited for
tress of Liege, which advertised thei'
presence from the sky line of th'
comprising hills and fairly invited
bombardment \
Bathed In Absolute Peace.
The country as far as the frontier
town of Core seemed bathed in an
solute peace. No troops were seen
rarely were automobiles of the gen
eral staff encountered and men ane
women were working in the field ane
vineyards as If the war were milllof
miles away instead of only next door
Beyond Gore, however, the roac
reading southwest through Chambley
81 Benoit Vigneuilles to st. Mihiei was
crowded with long columns of wa
CONS and automobile trucks bearing
reserve ammunition. provisions ane
supplies to the front or returnine
Empty for new loads to the unnamed
ruiiroad base in the rear Strikinsly
n