The Washington herald., 1914-09-20
.BELGIANS HAVE HARD
time MAKING ESCAPE
Order to Evacuate Forts Not Received
and Kaiser's Troops Surround Them
in Eiege Stronghold.
REACH SAFETY AFTER BATTLE

Antwerp, Sept. IA party Of Belgian
officers who were among those who es-
capped from Leige have Just reached
here. One of them told this story Of
their thrilling experiences:
We occupied ground between Forts
Chaudfontaine and Embourg. We were
900 men belonging to thee First Battalion
OF the Thirty-fourth line. The order Civ
en- in the night Of Thursday and Friday
| to evacuate the positions between the
forts never reached us. We therefore
remained isolated amid the German
troops who were bombarding the forts.
They knew where We were, but they
| dared not attack US because the two
| forts on our sides were very near to each
| other. Our position became daily worse.
Whole columns OF Germans defiled on
every side. However. they were salts
fed now and then to send out scouts to
find out that we were still there. Many
of them were killed or made prisoners,
and We managed also to take much
, booty
| Eight Days Without sleep.
During eight days and nights We did
not sleep. Sometimes one of our men
fell down. with gun in hand, in a trench
| asleep. Sometimes we remained more
and listening. Occasionally kind peas
ants brought US something to eat and a
glass OF beer. Happily we had some cat
tie left to feed our men, and we baked
| bread, for which We used beer instead Of
yeast. Notwithstanding. the spirit of our
men remained excellent. They continual
ly asked to be fighting, and we, the off,
GERS, had to keep them from venturing
| too far.
| ..r a.. -...z.f-,. A.. c.
placed their heavy siege guns in po-
sition and bombarded the forts Chaud-
fontaine and Embourg. and our posi-
/ tion became untenable. An attempt
to escape was. perhaps. going from
Charybdis to Scylla, for We had to
pass through the-German lines, close
to the forIs occupied by our friends,
who might have taken US for enemies.
I'VE left. however. on Thursday last
week. early in the morning, and no
sooner hoo we started than the Ger
mans threw themselves upon US. One
company was taken prisoners. We were
left with about 400 men, but were
Joined by a battalion of another regi-
| ment equally strong. We marched to
the Valley of the Ourthe, continually
harassed. by the Germans. We reached
the Ourthe at Filff, but found the bridge
| destroyed.
1
Fell in with Germans.
the other side of the river. and not know
ing what positions the enemy occupied,
we went in the direction Of Boncelles.
There we fell In with the Germans, who
were making preparations to lombard
/ that fort We drove them away and con-
tinuea our march to the railway bridge
of the Val st. Lambert.
| "As we had to remain under protection
| of the forts, we informed the forts of
/ Flamalle who we were. We then passed
along and took similar steps in the
neighborhood Of the forts Of Hollogne
and Loncin.
'In the afternoon the Germans began
TO lombard Fort Loncin. Our position
was extremely critical, but we decided
| TO make a desperate attempt to escape.
/ and at night we carried out our scheme.
| We had to retrace our steps and pass
along the forts Of Hollogne and Flemalle.
/ Ultimately, after an encounter with Ger
man cavalry, whom we drove on, we
reached HoeL where we arrived on Sat
/ urday afternoon. We had marched six
teen hours without one moments rest,
except for hasty meal