Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-10-03
BELGIUM SCENE
| OF DISSOLUTION
Member of the British Parliament
Writes of His Trip Over the
Country.
TERMoNDE IS DESTROYED
Houses Looted and Bombs Placed I'm
Each One-Trees Cut Down
and Large Areas Flooded as
Means of Defense.

LONDON, oct IA graphic picture OF
the desolation of Belgium was brought
to London today by ]. II. Whitehouse,
member Of Parliament from Lanarkshire,
who has just returned from a tour around
Antwerp to assist in relief measures.
Having always regarded war as the
negation OF all that is good eaid Mr.
Whitehouse tonight, II desired to see
what its ravages were in a country ex-
posed to all it's fury and what steps were
possible to mitigate them. l do not think
that any one here has realized the plight
of the civilian population of Belgium to-
day. and can attempt to give picture of
1t only by describing some of my own ex-
periences."
Mr.. whltehouse made the journey out
side Antwerp with two military cars, at
tended by Belgian officials. In describ-
ing the damage which he says the Bel
CLANS had to infiict upon themselves to
supplement the defences Of Antwerp, he
said:
Hundreds Of thousands Of trees had
been cut down SO that at some points of
our journey we had the impression Of
passing through a wilderness OF roots.
The tree trunks had been removed SO as
to afford no cover to the enemy. All
houses had been blown up or otherwise
destroyed. Later we passed through the
| country which had been flooded as a
! further measure OF defence. The dam
! age resulting from these precautionary
measures alone mounted to ten million
pound sterling CsS2.OOO.oOO).
I'm the villages all ordinary life was
! arrested Women and children were
standing or sitting, dumb and patient, by
/ the roadside. Half way to Termonde we
| could plainly hear the booming of guns
and saw many evidences of the battle
which was then raging.
DesoIatiOn at Termonde.
"I had read newspaper accounts Of the
| destruction of Termonde and had seer
| photographs, but they had not put II
mind any realization of the horror of wha'
actually happened Termonde a few weeks
ago was beautiful city of about 5000 in
habitants, a city in which the dignity o.
its buildings harmomzed with the natura
beauty of its situation, a city which con
tanned some buildings of surprising in
! terest.
Il went through street after street
square alIer square, anu Iounu ever,
| house entirely destroyed with all its con
tents. 1t was not the result of lombard
ment. 1t was systematic destruction II
each house a separate bomb had beef
placed which had blown up the interior
and set fire to the contents. All that re
manned In every case were portions Of tn,
outer walls. which were still CONSTANT!
falling, and inside the cinders of the con
tents of the buildings. Not a shred o
furniture or anything else remained.
"Of the population 1 thought not a sou
remained. was wrong, for as we turne'
into a square where the wreck OF wha
had been one of the most beautiful o
Gothic churches met my eyes, a blin'
woman and her daughter CROPPED amonl
the ruins. They were the sole living crea
lures in the whole town.
SHOPS, factories, churches and house
of the wealthy. all were similarly de
stroyed. One qualification only have t
make of this statement. Two or perhap
three houses bore the German commant