The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-15

He hastily Allied in the blank =
printed form and gave 1t to ono o, t
dozen Boy Scouts who sat on q h .i..
awaiting orders. We followed the ut,,
Chap-bare kneed and clad I'm the hla,.
and gray uniform which the kinE ua.
approved-through what seemed l''
miles Of corridors.
We were at last received by dig.
nined Major in khaki I'm an Office fur.
nishcd with Spartan simplicity lie
spoke to Us in a perfunctory, tired way
but grew more Interested when he rcad
the Vice Consul's letter. He called In
another officer, a Lieutenant Colonel. ai'
after they had conferred n moment f.r
second officer led ny to an Office whI..
seemed one of the important bureau.
Of the Intelligence department.
Two Captains were In charge he.p
Several stenOgraphers sat At desks. ald
papers with elaborate fling marks vet,
scattered over large tables For 'vu
hours the officers questioned VI ana 20.
ferred to maps. one of them meanwhHs
making notes In quick, nervous shor'-
hand.
A. the beginning I was intensely To-.
! terested. Before they had finished 7 W.
amazed. The German line officers hal
talked To- IN Belgium seemed 10 know
everything that was going on In Eng
land how many lights were burninL
IN piccadily. what was playing In the
theatres what ports were closed, nov
many recruits were in each OF tho trair-
ing camps These officers specialists In
the British intelligence department,
knew very little about a hostile arm,
which. though over seas. was vet almoS'
near enough for England to hear M.
sound OF its guns.
Did the German seem tired? Did ".
notice II they wore iron crosses on th..i
caps? Where did they get their food
How many do YOU think there were7
These and similar questions they asked
cudcavored to cover ground quickly
"Thc Germans we saw did not we.-
CROSSES" said I. They were your.
soldiers OF tho first line. not OF the
I.andsturm. They were IN tho mites
possible condition. Tho mounts uf The
cavalry were fresh and well fed. Tho
transport and commissdrv wcrc excel
lent The infantry had fought at Metz.
Nancy Liege. Louvain. Brussels and
Antwerp
The first two infantry regiments IN
OStend were the Th!r,v-SiNth and Th.r-
tecnth. They had marched from Eru-es
on that day. but they came in SINGING
and with hfps and drums playing
There were no stragElers. About 2o.pun
troops Of al, arms pa ssed ;hruu-h D.-
tend and about 5000 with ;hrco e.v
gun field la tcrics remain {, .u.d
the town.
THE troops which passed through arc
ntronching at Newport. Tn" object We
of the my - Dunkirk and then calais
- fft ron 1Nt.f lf
being brought to he placed behind Tho
sea wall They are the guns VIII b
were used a, Antwerp, II inch how,'z.
'rs There are non" Of the Il inch how
tiers with this army.
1T is expected that the harbor ,.
OStend shall he used as base for 'he
operation of submarines The Germans
are treating ovcry one we'll They are
urging tho refugees TO return and a--
surfing shopkeepers Of protection. Thev
have started the trans running and
have lett tho Belgian flag flying ove
jhc city hall"
"Nou summarize quite clearly" said
on" of the officers. May ! ask have
Nuu given mis- Information elsewhere
1--WE sent il to my paper" said |.
"Nh, yes said he. Thank you. Now
how do tho Germans expect to take sub
marines To- Ostend?"
by rail said I.
Tho silence which followed was 80
dense that it was almost language. The
Officers politely refraincd from pursu-
ing the subject. So did |. I knew what
they thought.
one more question which was asked
fairly stunned me.
DO YOU think the Germans have SUI
iioent railroad equipment at Ostend 70
4 move considerable number of troops"
one Of the officers asked.
II think they have" said l.
! one Of the sights in the railroad Yards
, az bstend since the beginning 81 the
war has heon the 300 locomotives and
4 long lines of cars which were gathered
, there from an over Belgium So wa.
, they might lee safe thcr,-frum cap
ture 10y the Germans.
"Did the Belgans blow up any Of 'Ne
railroads or bridges when they lcr'"
was the final question.
They did not" answered th.LN
. this question more than any other a.
tonished me, II was five days since the
Belgians had evacuated Ostend without
blowing up any bridges or railroads
As the officers courteously bid us good
, udN inc llttle hoy scout came forward
from the gloom OF the corridor.
I've got your paper here" said h.
on can't get out without it,"
- ! read the DdilU Nail at breakfast the
: next morning In n prominent position
- ! found an article by tho Maths mllitsrr
expert commenting upon the STORY
given the paper on the previous dan b.
: Mr.. Downic and myself II explained
y at length and with an array Of figure
! that II would he impossible TO trauspur
e submarines by rail--eNCept, perhaps
e very small boats, built especially for 'he
purpose which could he carried on So
n g,e cars
2 The expert concluded that II was vow
@ probable that the Germans would s'
p tempt such a thing. The British pub.
II was assured that there would be NJ su..-
marines at Dstend and that Rr.ta..'i
supremacy OF the sea would never ~
; endangered
y ON the same page under a mode
heading | found an official bulletin p'
- tn" War Department 1t announced
, That British destroyers had been co.
u gagged by German submarines off Ostrri
II ana that the submarines, after iucnc.
tIlIlN dlSpharuinp tornednes had uyItN