Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-12-22
nuNl TELLS ABOUT
FAIL OF ANTWERP
Writer Was in Antwerp When
Things Began to Happen
- in Earnest.

were h%urrying by in every direction.
The panic was indescribable. Old and
young, in little coVeys OF tours, fives,
half-dozens, dozens, ran along the
sidewalks, slipping and crashing over
the broken glass. Whenever a shell
snarled unusually rear the groups foil,
covering on hands and knees against
the nearest houses. Women covered
their heads with their shawls aid
waited, breathless and m%otionless for
the smash and roar Of the explosion.
I saw a shell burst in the avenue with
in a few yards of some of these fugi-
tives. A woman dropped her baby
and al on without it. TWO old. men
dragging a heavy bundle OF household
goods between them abandoned it in
the street and fled screaming. A
priest ran plump into me, completely
u7lnerved. The shell had struck just
at the corner of our street and had
torn a hole through curb and cobble>
stones and earth three feet deep and
seven feet in diameter
In the house just across the street
from ours a shell had gone into the
front d%oor-sill and had blown out the
entire hallway. On our side of the
street, four doors away, a shell had
burst in the third story, completely
wrecking the top Of the building.
F. I stood in the. middle of the street
and watched the gray sky in hopes Of
seeing a shell. The idea was absurd,
yet I felt an odd sense Of FLEEING cheat
ed Of part OF the spectacle. l want
ed to see something. l, could hear the
shells so plainly, it seemed rid1cu-
lous not to see them. '@ %"
Belgian soldiers began7to pass, hur.
rying westward. Their eyes were
CLASSY. Often they were breathless
and staggered as they walked. One
Of them pushed into our open door
and asked me a question in Flemish.
l caught the word este and told
Thompson the man was cold and was
asking for a waistcoast to wear under
his uniform. Thompson brought the
garment, but the soldier shook his
head. 7"Kleeding' (c%lothing); he said,
and showed us by signs that he want.
ed a suit. The rout had begun. Sol!
diers were deserving already and at.
tempting to escape from the city IN
civilians clothes. "
AT headquarters things were in a
chaotic state Weeping women and.
excited civilians had stormed the
place to ask dvice. 1t took me. more
than half an hour to find nv Belgian
major, and. when 1 did find him he
had no time to make out the formal
pass for me. The sentries were worn
out; the officers were disspirited, the
whole atmosphere of the place was
one of despair. l knew that if |
ere arrested il Antwerp without a
pass, might be shot as, a spy; but
there was too much misery and anxi-
ETY. there at Headquarters for me to
intrude myself further. Consequent
ly, I never was officially admitted to
Antwerp, and there is nothing at all
on my passport to show that l ever
left Germany.
| was walking down the street in
front of the kings palace, when G
German Taube flew directly overhead.
1t was like a beautiful bird sweeping
across the sky, but the sight Of it
terrified the crowds beyond measure.
In less than a minute the street. was
deserted. Shops and banks and hall!
ways were suddenly crammed with
people, their faces blanched, eyest
staring with horror, their mouths
open. The Tanbe flew ~serenely away
and the streets gradually filled again,
but people walked closer to the build
ings and hurried as they crossed OK
posed spots.
Shops and stores were rapidly clos
ing. BY afternoon less than half Of
them were open, and by 5 clock III
the evening several hotels had shut
their doors. From the southeast came
the incessants boom boom boom
boom Of the big gu1s.-Edward.
Eyre Hunt in the January Metropol-
itan. ID