Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-08-20
Narratives Indicate Sc
:. robustness of War
!. : Now Sweeping
T. az . + Europe
Passengers of Red Star Liner
Tell of Escape from War Rid
den Belgium--See German
Spy Pursued Over Housetops
Lie in Ditch During Skin
mish at Liege-Pitiful Pro-
cessions of German Refugees

FEL- aaN-sEa
- New York, Aug. ls-First han,
stales Of the fight at Liege and grin
narratives of the seany side of tn,
war spirit sweeping Europe came int
sport today on the lips of American
refugees from the continent ABOARD
the Red Star Liner Finland. Many OF
the Americans aboard were without
money or baggage; some had been hello
as spies; others had made their way
on foot from the interior of Belgium
to Antwerp amid the scenes and dan
gers of warfare and nearly oil had
stories of hardships encountered IN
their fight,
With q Dutch pilot aboard, Captain
Barnnan steared his ship through a
Elittle-used channel Of the harbor or
Antwerp TO the North sea, where he
found the horizon smudged with the
smoke of British battleships. In his
perilous passage through the mine
strewn waters there were no buoys 10
guide him. His way lay over the shall
lows. and he had to tighten the ship
scf all her water ballast to make the
course without scraping the bottom.
Time after time the ship was stopped
by war vessels, although she few the
:, America flag.
{ .anles A. Patten of Chicago ana
Mrs. Patten, passengers, said they
were in Carlsbad when was was oe-
cleared between German and Russia.
They left for Nuremberg in an auto
nibile and, arriving there, were tax
an TO the guardhouse and rigidly
. cross-examined before they were al
! lowed to continue. They boarded a
crowded train for Ostend but got no
further than Bologne. There they found
themselves in vortex Of mobilizing
troops and marching citizens which
checked the streets.
: After long delay they managed to get
aboard another train for the border, but
rot no further than the little town OF
Herbsthal, near the frontier. which they
reached at 10 O'Clock at night in down
pour Of rain.
: I'VE managed to make our way to lit.
lie cafe" Mr.. Patten said. land there
we got one slice of bread apiece--our first
meal for the day. Next day, I hired q
horse and cart to take us over the Bel.
gian frontier to verviers. Three othei
Americans were with US.
ION the road we passed the most pitifu
Of German refugees fieetins
from Belgium. Some were in vehicles
but the majority were trudging in tht
dust, pushing or pulling their baggage II
carts. Women with babies at the hreas
were walking under the MONDAY sun.
From verviers we proceeded by an
other cart toward Liege. We had no
three miles when we cam
upon a party of Belgian engineers engag
ed in mining the road. They had grea
piles of dynamite stacked there ready Il
plant in the bitches they were digging
across the roadway They advised III
we had better go to Liege by anothe
road. We 7astened to do so.
Two hours later another party o
americans were halted at that very spo
by a skirmish between Belgians an,
'Uhlans. They were forced to lie in
ditch while the Belgians fred over them
Next day 1000 Germans were killed by tn
mines we had seen the engineers plant
ang.
+, We arrived at Liege at / o'clock OF
the afternoon Of Aug. and managed t,
get train for Brussels two hours later
But we did not leave before we heart
the thunder of the forts cannon repulsin,
the first onslaught of the Germans. TIL,
clown was cold with fear