The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-10-29
FORTS DOOMED;
L|EGE SAID II:
MAUBEUGE, TOO
JAMES o'DoNNgLL BENNETT
TELLS HOW CONCRETE AND
STEEL cRUMsLE.
AZ CM. GUN 4 TITAN
DEALING IN AvALANCHES
mine Gun" Mysterious Engine Of
Death and Destruction-Trees Cut
on Like Corn staIks-Shells Pierce
to subterranean Corridors, Then Ex.
pIode-crush Forts Like Toys.
(By James O'Donnell Bennett)

(By James oDonnell Bennett.)
Maubeuge, France, Oct. 1O.-This
war brings the end Of the fortress.
Liege said it. Maubeuge confirms IL.
Within the tremendous ring Of steel
and concrete that less than a month
ago girdled Maubege, France had 49,
QUO soldiers, 400 cannon, large guam
tlties or munitions, including, to my
personal knowledge, at least 10000
dumdum bullets, for l have seen and
counted the thirty-two boxes contain
ing these frightful missiles and have
helped to open and photograph one Of
them.
Two days finished this fortress of
the inst class" as it was called in
books Of reference published SO recent
" as 1909.
What Gen. Leman said at Liege the
French repeated at Maubeuge. His
words were:
1T is finished. There is no fortress
in the world that can resist the -
centimeter gun"
MAJ. Max Bayer, present command
ant of Brussels, who led the troops into
Liege, repeated to me Gen. Leman's
words.
Maubeuge Won in Two Days.
One day of artillery and one day of
infantry broke the Maubeuge ring.
The work of those two days was the
work of Titans dealing in avalanches.
Today I spent half an hour studying
the effect Of one shot launched against
Boussois, one of the premiere forts of
Maubeuge. 1t lies four miles to the
northeast of the city proper, rising
from softly undulating tract of tur-
nip fields.
Five other forts on the east, south,
west and north, and extensive inter-
mediate works complete-or were de-
signed to complete-the tremendous
gfrdle of this ancient city of st. Aide
gonda, whose reputed veil and sandal
are preserved in the principal church
of Maubeuge.
The truth is that the girdle was new
er finished, and some of the forts exist
only on paper.
Heard eu1S ross Belgium.
This eVening\ is standing nm the
north parapet OF Boussois. To my
ears came the rumble of the German
siege guns at Antwerp from all the way
across the kingdom of Belgium, dis.
tance of eighty miles.
Before me was vast pit measuring
twenty-five feet across and driven by
a single shot through five feet of ma
sonry, through forty feet of solid earth
and through the metal roof of pas
sage that leads along the north side
of the fortress and opens on its inner
court.
One shot had done the work.
Already it is known at Maubeuge as
the great shot," and as "the great
shot" it will be recorded in the annals
of town that counts 1900 years of au-
thentic history. Lightning might do
such work as this shot did.
"Mine Gun" a Terror.
The gun that fired the projectile is
called "the mine gun" A German sol
dier started to describe this mysteri
Gus engine, which, in the case of the
appalling execution at Boussois, was
fired at distance of not less than
eight miles.
Explain not that" said the officer
who was guiding the party. The SOL
dier did not hear. Explain not that"
the captain repeated. The second time
he shouted. The soldier saluted. The
captain called him aside and there
was animated whisperings.
Many parts of Boussois are utterly
as parts of a fortress.
They are merely debris-mere mess
and mounds of earth, shattered con-
crete, and twisted steel bars.
Continued on Page Five.)