The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1914-10-24
CORRESPONDENT GIVES A GRAPHIC
DESCRIPTION OF FALL OF ANTWERP

damaged, A shell struck the hous.
occupied by an American named Hunt
and the Dutch consul and blew the
entire second floor into smithereens.
"A Zeppelin hovered over the city
during Thursday mornings lombard.
ment, dropping occasional bombs.
Though the German shrapnel Gre
ated enough havoc, it was child's play
compared to the damage done by the
siege guns. When q 42-centimeter
shell struck a house it not merely
blew hole in it. i; simply demol
ished 1t, the whole house collapsing
into ruin as II shaken to pieces by an
earthquake"
| Almost as much damage was caused
by hres resulting from the lombard
ment as from the shells themselves
The entire west side of the Marcheux
Souliers from the head of the Place
de Meir to the Place Verte, including
the Hotel de Europe. the Cafe Royale
and line of fashionable shops oppo,
site the Hotel St Antoine, was de
| stroyed, quarter of mile of build
| ings In the Rue van Bree, including
| the hahdsomest apartments in the
| city. are nothing but charred walls.
| The handsome block in the Rue de la
Justice Is completely burned. IN ad-
dition several hundred dwellings scat
tered through the city have been
| burned to the ground.
Dynamite Saves Cathedral.
AS the city is without water. ex-
| cept such as can be pumped from the
| river, the tiremen We're powerless to
| check the flames. That every building
| on the Place Verte and very probably
| the cathedral itself, was not burned is
due to an American resident, Charles
Whithoff. who, realizing the extreme
| gravity of the situation, suggested to
the German military authorities that
| they dynamite the surrounding build
| ings.
At ten o'clock at night word was
| sent to Brussels and at four o'clock in
the morning six automobiles with dy
| Mantle arrived and the walls were
| blown up, the German soldiers stand
| ing on the roofs of neighboring build
| ings and throwing dynamite bombs.
1T was a lively night for every one
SoiSCl iCd says tlio "IltCI
II was just sitting down to my first
| meal In 80 hours when the police burst
in with the news the city was burn
| ing" he goes on. Il found an entire
| block opposite the hotel in flames,
| and as there was no water the firemen
| were powerless to check them. When
l discovered the block Immediately
| behind the hotel was also ablaze, it
struck me it was time to change my
| quarters,
after wandering through pitch
| black streets for three hours, slipping
| on broken glass and stumbling over
| fallen masonry, and occasionally chal-
| lenged by German sentries, | saw a
| light in a building in the Boulevard
| Leopold. l rang the bell and was
! taken in by poor little consumptive
| bookkeeper.
Takes Over Consulate.
Upon calling at the consulate In
| the morning found that Consul Cen
| eral Diederich and Vice-Consul Sher-
| man had left two days before for parts
| unknown. AS there was large num-
| Der of frightened p2ople clamoring
| for reinsurance and protection, and as
| there was no one else to look after
| them, | opened the consulate and as
| sumed charge.
The proceeding was wholly frregu-
| lar and unauthorized. of course, and
will probably scandaliZe department
of state officials, in Washington, but it
| was no time for red tape.
/ IL. I,
| German commander, informing him
that in the absence of the consul gen
| eral I had assumed charge Nof the
American and British interests in
Antwerp and expected the fullest pro
| tectiou. | received a courteous reply
| Immediately, saying that every pro
, lection would be afforded foreigners"