The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-30

clinical congress III LOnuo' ids'
month was DIR. II. s. Baketel.
editor Of the Medical Times How his
subsequent trip through Europe was cut
short by the war he describes In an
article he has written for the forthcom-
ing issue of his paper.
IL was while in the beautiful city OF
Frankfort. says DR.. Baketel. a place
where medisevalism and modernism are
so delightfully."- blended, that we learned
that war between Germany and Russia
could only be averted by miracle.
Even then no one outside OF those ION
the inside" believed England and Bel
GUM would be involved and even the
participation of France was only a pos
siblity.
We watched the preparations for war
with eager interest. All day We saw
soldiers. soldiers, soldiers. Fine, up
standing young chaps. clean cut and
erect. they marched by as gayly as II
on their way to maneuvres. For the
nonce war lost it's srimness when one
looked into the happy. smiling faces
OF those rosy checked German lads. In
fsntry. cavalry, field artillery In count
less array passed TO entrain. They we're
on their way to the Russian and French
frontiers. and sad II is TO think that
some Of those brightly uniformed, happy
go lucky boys are among the $4,000
Germans who were sacrificed In the
terrific fighting around Iiege.
Deeming II Advisable to leave Ger
many before any actual declaration Of
hostilities, we boarded an express
steamer at Mainz for Cologne. only to
learn after sailing that Germany had
declared war on Russia that very day
and that our steamer was the last
which would go down the Rhine.
The voyage along that wonderful river
| Is memorable. Not for It's natural beau
ties. the glorious old castles that sur
mount its peaks, or the ghost haunted
ruins, whose walls II they could speak
would reveal almost unbelievable tales
OF war. rapine. plunder, love and in
trigue, not for tho beautiful views OF
| hill and valley. of vineyard and quantity
nestled village. but because stern Wis
aged war was brought directly to our
attention.
| on an island below Mainz were
mounted peculiarly shaped guns, espe-
cially designed to shoot aeroplanes.
Every island in the river was carefully
guarded. At either end OF every rail-
road tunnel on each side OF the river
were infantrymen, who waved a genial
salute as the steamer sped by. All quays
were held by troops and every bridge
had It's full quota. The signal corps
could be seen stretching wires and field
artillery was being mounted in adyan-
tageous positions.
At Coblentz and Bonn companies of
soldiers were drawn up on the tops of
buildings. intently gazing heavenward.
| They were watching for hostile aero
planes, recognizing that they would play
an important part in the war OF to- day
At Cologne soldiers were posted In
the topmost peaks OF the cathedral tow
ers scanning the skies for French air
men. Crowds OF people thronged the
square about the cathedral. with necks
GRAINED as IL to tighten the lsbors of
: the "rubberneck" soldiers.
II was In Cologne that our troubles
commenced. Much criticism has been
directed against German civil. military
and railway officials in English and
American papers by tourists In Cologne
We must confess that while We were
given much transformation 1t was UNI
Intentionally impaired. 1t was a time
| OF greatest stress. Germany was at war
with one great Power and on the verge
1
IL seriously threatened. The military
was in control of the city and the rail-
ways Confusion reigned and all men
were irritable. We found that ques-
lions civilly asked were civilly answered
and that the much complained Of AFRO
gance on the part OF German officials
was often due to incivility on the part
| OF the tourist.
| We were advised to abandon any
thought OF reaching London via a
French or Belgium port and to go TO
Rotterdam at once, In view OF the prob
ability of Hollands neutrality. To our
| CONSERVATION we learned that all pas
senger trains would be cancelled that
| night in order to make way for troop
| trains. With the aid OF an intelligent
hotel porter we fairly fought our way
into the passenger train. 1t was packe I'd
with a sweating. swearing mob. repre-
senting almost every nationality. each
person wildly anxious to leave the beau
| tiful empire. whose grain laden fields
and wonderful vineyards had only that
day seemed the very harbingers of
peace. Despite wrong directions given
us the faithful porter found train
lust pulling out for Amsterdam. He
pushed us aboard. even though 1t did
not seem as II an infant could squeeze
into that crowded fourteen carriage
train. Men were hanging on 'by their
eyebrows" as it were, and despite the
possession OF first class ticket we
were delighted to stand up In q third
class corridor tightly wedged in between
two odoriferous Dutch women OF gen.
| erous proportions
The beautiful scenery lost its attrsc-
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