Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-11-12
10000 IN
MAL|NES
STARVING
BEAUTIFUL LITTLE BEL
CLAN CITY IN TERRIBLE
COzDITION
WINTER WILL mean DEATH
Bombardment of Ger m a n
Wrecks Famous Buildings;
Populace Flees.

Malines Nov. 11.-Rarcly 10000 Of
Malines' former residents 5elnain in
this ruined city and thousands who
are still here cannot stay after the
bes;nning of cold weather unless out
see funds are provided to repair shat
tered roofs and walls cracked by the
German field guns.
Before the German invasion NAL
ines had 10000 inhabitants and was
an important art and manufacturing
center. St. Rombold cathedral, one
of the most interesting medieval
church buildings in Eurobe, dates
back to the fifteenth century, and
contained an altar piece WHICH was
one of Van Dykes masterpieces. st.
Johns church and the Church of Our
Lady contained paintings of Rubens.
The historic palace of justice was
once the home of Margaret of Aur.
Malines is half way between Ant
werp and Brussels, on the principal
stone roads connecting the two great
cities of Eelgium Excellent fortifi-
cations flank this central highway on
the east and. vest at was along this his
central artery and sStthe two Ranking
roads that the. Germans moved
against Antwerp, sweeping every OBJ
stacle which afforded a refuge to the
opposing Belgians.
Like most ancient cities, Malines
has narrow streets. The main trav-
eled street, along which nearly all
traffic moves in passing northward to.
ward Antwerp, is scarcely 80 feet
wide from curb to curb, and has
many turns in it. which made the pas
sage of an enemy exceedingly diff
cult. Stone and brick business
slouses and residences three or four
stories high, built in continuous
line, stood along this street. Many of
these were battered down completely
by the German artillery and the de-
bris filled the street so completely
that only enough has been cleared
away in places to permit the passage
of single automobile.
Soldiers BiIIeted.
Where fire did not spread to the
wrecked buildings, the ruined stocks
of merchants and the broken furni-
ture of their living apartments in the
upper stories may still be seen. /, Such
food supplies as were useful for the
army were taken, by the German Off
GERS, and soldiers are billeted in the
houses which are still fit for habita-
tiOn.
Malines is intersected by several
arms of the River Dyle and is practi.
cally surrounded by canal and wide
boulevard. Visitors entering the city
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.
Target for Artillery. -.
The historic cathedral stands in the
very center of the town, in sort OF
triangle. It's tower at least 800 feet
high, was very evidently target for
the German artillery, whose aim was
not sharp enough to bring down the
massive gothic pile of stone. Corners
of the tower were Clipped by shells
but the foundation and walls suffer-
ed no serious damage. However, the
main portion of the church was less
fortunate. 1t stands in such way
that it presented its entire south
side as a target for the approaching
army. AS the windows were riddled,
the south wall was hopelessly shat
tered, SO badly shattered, in fact. that
it is feared the entire main portion
of the building must be torn down.
All the furnishings of the cathedral
were buried in the crushed tile. stone
and mortar from the damaged roof
and walls.