Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-10-22
Gen. Beseler Found Easy VIC
tory Where Hard Fighting
Was Expected, Resistance in
stead of Open Road.
RELG|ANs D|SHEAA TENED
City Suffered Less from Bonn
bardment Than Had Been Be-
lieved, although Evidences of
Damage Were Widely Scat
tered about the Town.

Antwerp. via London, oct 10, 1880
D. m-On his arrival in Antwerp the
correspondent Of The Associated Press
Found guarding the city bluejackets
md marine tnfantrYmen from the
German stations at Kiel CuXhaven and
Wilhelmshaven. They were smelling
The salt water again after campaign
of more than a month through Belgium
and awaiting further orders. De-
tachments of sailors among them re-
rruited from the German mercantile
marine were armed only with cutlasse
and revolver. They had lain several
weeks behind the army, taking no part
in the fighting, and evidently are
destined for sea duty after the capture
of port.
The German staff officers assured
the correspondent that the German
commander General Won Beseler. in his
campaign had found easy victory where
hard fighting was expected and des-
perate resistance where little trouble
had been Appreciated. The officers
said Antwerp had fallen eight days
earlier than was expected, the Belgians
evidently being disheartened by their
nine weeks of defeat and also because
Of the easy manner in which the for
Hfied positions behind the River Nethe
Here carried October and l.
As the correspondent drove through
niles If the streets Of Antwerp the city
,ecmed to have suffered less from the
bo1nhardment than had been believed
Indications Of damage wrought by the
German shells were observed i'm all quar-
tiers of the city, but the destruction was
rsr,1l,, continual ia i,,di,.id,io1 horsos at
,,.,all,. sco,+o,.o1 i,,tor,ols
HEAVY GUNS NOT USED.
At tba German bood,,i,ort.,s if was
said this fact was due to the definite
plan of the Germans to convince Ant
Werp with a minimum Of damage that
the city was at the mercy o' their guns
and that further resistance was useless.
The heavy l. and il inch guns, It was
stated. were not used AGAINST the city
nroner but shells from the smaller NOR
lars were dropped throurhout the place.
a few i'm each section. until every quar-
Ter had been SYSTEMATICALLY visited
How ap.u,at.i, th. ,t+.iic brildi,, ~
,yaro ovoido,1 seemed to hov,. bnco nrn,r.,
~ q sheu hole n, a movement nj the side
,ntrence of rho CITY. bo1. aud in the de-
,tructIon of q house across tho street
from that buf1djnr The C'hnrch of our
LADY. the nridc of Antworr. has n hol,
cgh+ or 10 feet in diameter in one transept
window and in an adjoining wall 80 feet
,bove tbe floor OthcrWfs. tnts odinr,
VAS NOT dauagod
The artillery mark Of ~. Germans hc-
,ore Antwerp was stronger than was gen
.rallv known. In addition to their widely
humber of Pinch siege guns they had
two Austrian automobile batteries of u
guns which made the victory at Antwerp
IN Austo-German one.
ID" '->' ~ "
The effect of the big guns 1T Antwerp ,
outer fortificatons was more striking than
at Liege. Two armored turfets at Fort w"
Wavre-St Catherie were put out of action
With n single shot, their steel beds hein'
broken IN two and the heavy masses #
metal hurled five or six yards away IN
another fort the concrete embankmont
was pierced like an egg shell and the steel
turret uprooted sun another turret was
completely upbended and lies with Its
base pointing skyWard and its gun buried
beneath
Behind fort Naelhem WheH" a i inch
We'll penetrated the magazine heavy
Neam engine Whlch FURNISHED power Tor
me iight pant was pioWn ~ yards from
us base ne 'H'ire toP Oh tne tort mere
was TORN Oh anu ~ men OF the garrison
are sald |" nave "'e' 'UrI'" Hhoerhea'h
'he oeoils'
'e' ""h e'n" on''eiS say mat Wheh
t"o ''F'' N'",r was ''oa9eu 'il' peisia nan
"'iens' 'i'u"HS 'o''"Pneu' ne heIs'ahS
','""""'''" '"''i n'aNH "'''tte'S anu ma
t""e suns "!''io '''f ''''i'''''' 'H-
" ''''7 "
or EN ~ oOi'hh-N b'-N'
The officers declare that after eighty
German shells had been dropped in var
ious quarters of the city Of Antwerp,
the white flag appeared on forts six and
seven of the inner Girdle of forthca-
Mons The hurgomaster of the city then
ralne out and offered to surrender Ant
werp but was told that the terms of
captulation could only be conducted