The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23
WAR ECHOES

Benjamin Hallet, Belgian business man, has done excellent work as an amateur correspondent in a graphic narrative of the storlning of Liege As soon the German arrived within sight of Liege, their commander, Gen. eral von Emmich advanced under a flag of truce to demand that no resis- tance be made by Belgium in the pro- jected invasion. His barley with Bel gian officers being unsuccessful he re- turned. MT. Hallet. as quoted by the New York Tribune, said:
 General von Emmich had barely rid den back across the bridge over the River Mouse, and was still In sight, cantering across the beautiful valley, when there was a long roar, a crack ing crash and splash. The bridge had been blown up. General von Emmich was seen to turn on his horse and watch the cloud of dust which went up into the air far above the cloud of smoke from the explosives.
 The next hour was, I think, the busiest I have ever seen. Women and children, weeping, were hurried away In every possible kind of vehicle and many on foot. staggering along, trying to run and hardly able to walk be- cause they were carrying so many things The men, and many women, too. were taking up positions to which they were sent by those who were in charge. The soldiers were hurrying at the double to their positions. Then came an astonishing silence. The Ger mans were coming.
 From the tops of the old disused Actresses from almost anywhere in the city, in fact. because Liege is on a hill. the German troops could be seen approaching. Just as the first line came into view, the guns of the German artillery, posted somewhere far behind them, started booming. The shells could be heard coming as they hrmmed through the air. They were not aimed at the city. but at the forts which lie in crooked line quite some distance out. Some of the shells went wide buried in the earth, and then kicked up vicious, spiteful kick. Some hit the forts. but buried themselves in the sand outworks and sputtered out. ihc iOi iS Niu iOt itPis.
 | Ahead of the German column galloped some wagons. They pulled up alongside the river, near the wreckage of the blown up bridge. The soldiers, locking in the distance like busy ants at work. seemed to be tearing their wagons to pieces and throwing the bits into the river. Other
 men picked up the bits. and in what
 seemed an amazingly little while . pom toon bridge began growing in jerks acrosa l the river.
 | "The Liege forts all this time seemed
 dead. I believe the Germans had come to
 the conclusion they were to be allowed
 over and into the city without opposition
 The Liege gunners were waiting, and all
 the time they were waiting they were get ting the line on that pontoon bridge. | 1.-The first rank of the German soldiers
 crossing the bride, were about 20 feet
 from the Belgian side, swinging with the
 bridge. and had just broken from a
 quaint, slow, waddling march into a
 run. when the Liege guns let go. When
 the frightful roar stopped, the only part
 of the pontoon bridge left was about 5C | feet of it on the side where the Germans
 were, and the surface of the river was
 wiggling with German soldiers, struggling
 horribly to free themselves from the dead
 and the shattered and swim to the side.
 ''At the same time Liege sharpshoot-
 CTS picked off, one by one, about dozen
 German sappers who had stayed on the
 Belgian side after finishing the bridge and had lain down under the bank. Some
 of them ran to try to find shelter under
 the ruins of the old stone bridge. but they were shot down as they ran. i.
 i The other German soldiers appeared to
 take no more notice of what had hap
 pened than if it had been part of the
 arranged programme. Another ret of wagons galloped up and another pontoon
 bridge was thrown across the Mouse. Be-
 fore it was completed at least 100 of the men building it were shot. As they fell into the river others took their places and went on building the bridge. The