Evening star., 1914-11-15
RUINS OF MA[|NES
SHE[TER|NG 10000
Once Beautiful City of 10000
Devastated by Ger
man Shells.
WINTER WILL COMPEL
REFUGEES TO DEPART
Crops Surrounding the Town De-
stroyed Absolutely and Live
Stock Driven Off.

MALINEs, October 30.-Barely 10000
of Malines' former residents remain IN
this ruined city, and thousands VINO arc
still here cannot stay after the pesih-
ming of cold weather unless OUTSIDE
funds are provided to repair shattered
roofs and walls cracked by the Ger
man field guns.
BEFORE the German invasion Mallnes
had so, 900 Inhabitants, and was ap I'M
portant art and manufacturing center.
St. Rembold Cathedral, one OF the most
interesting medieval church buildings
in Europe. dates back to the hfteenth
century and contained an altar piece
which was one of Van Dykes master
n;eces St. Johns Church and the
Church of Our Lady contained paint
ings of Rubens. The historic palace OF
,,,.t;,a u,.s once the home of Margaret
of Austria. arn
Malines is half way between Antwerp
and Brussels on the principal stone
roads connecting the two great ci.tes
of Belgium. Excellent roads hank thts
central highway on the east ana "I
II was along this central artery ana
the two fanking roads that the yer
mans moved against Antwerp, sweep
ing every obstacle which AFFORDED
refuge to the opposing Belgians.
narrow streets. The main Travelled
street. along which nearly all trafhe
moves in passing northward towaIu
Antwerp. is scarcely thirty Ieet wiue
from curb to curb, and has many TURNS
in if. which made the passage OF an
enemy exceedingly difficult. Stone and
brick business houses and residences
three or four stories high, built In a
continuous line, stood along TINS street.
MANY of them were battered down COIL
nrfi
debris filled the streets so completely
that only enough has been cleared away
in places to permit the passage Oh d
single automobile.
Germans Take Food.
Where fire did not spread to the
wrecked buildings the ruined stocks OF
merchants and the broken furniture OF
their living apartments in the upper
stories may still be seen. Such 1000
supplies as were useful for the army
were taken by the German officers and
soldiers are billeted in the houses
which are still fit for habitatlon.
MaIines is intersected by several
arms of the River Dyle and is prac-
tically surrounded by canal and wide
boulevard. Visitors entering the cltS
from the south are challenged by Ger
man soldiers standing guard at the
canal bridge and are again stopped
as they enter the great medieval stone
arch forming the entrance to the main
portion of the old city.
The historic cathedral stands IN the
very center of the town, in sort OF
triangle. Its tower. at least 300 rect
high, was very evidently target for
the artillery, whose aim was not sharP
enough to bring down the massive
tower were Clipped by shells. but the
foundation and walls suffered no
serious damage. However, the main
portion of the church was less iortu- :
nate. 1t stands in such way that IL
presented its entire south side as a
target for the approaching army. All
the windows were riddled. the south
wall was hopelessly shattered, so paoly
shattered. in fact, that 1t is reared the
entire main portion OF the puliaihs
ings of the cathedral were buried IN
the crushed tile, stone and mortar from
the damaged roof and walls
Factories along the river and the
denceS, business houses and churches
The great railway shops were ruined
Hat factories, tapestry factories,
woolen mills and starch factories,
which furnished employment TO thou
sands, We're wrecked by artillery fire.
Trenches in Beet Fields.
Trenches in the sandy beet fields
which flank the highways leading into
Malines and thousands of rifle pits
show how stubbornly the Belglans re-
sisted the Germans. Many of the
trenches are so long they resemble
drainage bitches. They are from three
to five feet deep and about three feet
wide. In many places they are COW
cred with planks and timbers.. upon
which brush and earth were piled TO
afford protection against shells.
The rows of once beautiful elms
which lined the highway were torn
and shattered by the rain of bullets
and shell. Where the trees were obsta-
cles to artillery fire they were cut
down and used as shelter by the SOL
diers. Hedges were moved down by
the German guns wherever they af-
forded a screen for the Belgians. Ihe
small fields, none of which contains
more than ten acres, where the crops
were not burrowed out by the IN
trenching army were SO trampled over
by the rival forces that little remains
of the potatoes, beets and cabbage
which would have sustained Belgium
this winter.
Pastures suffered as badly as the cul-
tivated lands, and the beautiful Hol-
stein cows which afforded Belgium's
milk and cheese supply have nearly all
been driven away by the German army
A few horses unfit for work remain in
the fields and the faithful dogs, which
are harnessed beneath the high two
Whee1ed cartR of the DeaSantO. are