Evening star., 1914-11-14
STRICKEN BELG|ANS
REJOICE OVER FOOD
American Relief Cargo Finally
Reaches Scenes of Ut
most Desolation.
PARALYSIS OF COUNTRY
COMPLETE AND TRAGIC
Germans Assist in Safe Conduct OF
Stores for Distraught
Population.

Rell of New York who, on behalf OF
the American commission for RELIEF IN
Belgium, assisted in the distribution OF
the first cargo of relief supplies sent TO
the Belsians, has given the Associated
Press a description of conditions in the
stricken country. Mr.. Bell said:
Nothing that has been written could
exaggerate the misery of Belgium. we
drove for miles through graveyards
Stakes, on some of which were SOL
diers' tattered coats and helmets. were
the mbstones-deserted fields are
cemeteries AS we entered the villages
women and children sought refuge In
the ruins of roofless homes, terrified
lest we were some fresh visitation of
war Their faces were drawn and
lined, and If you could only see the
grewsome surroundings in which they
are struggling for existence you would
not wonder that they fail to smile.
Peasants Have No Homes.
THE Belgian peasant has in many
districts no home in which to sleep. no
seed to SOW, no implements with which
to work, no transport to reach a mar
ket and, finally, no heart to struggle
against the inevitable. 1t is unbeliev-
able that war ever produced such
complete and tragic paralysis as we
saw in many parts of Belgium. 1t can
not be attributed to lack of courage
on the part of the civilian population
or to the inhumanity of the conqueror.
1t is simply war up to date, civilized,
Christian war.
The American relief steamer Cob
lenz, carrying more than 1000 tons OF
foodstuffs. arrived at Rotterdam from
London at o'clock Sunday morning.
The Dutch government with great
LII ir@r no1a fn nc
rigid rule against working Sunday. The
labor unions made equal concessions
with the result that Monday morning
eight barges towed by four express
tugs left Rotterdam en- route for Brus-
sells with relief supplies.
Barges Garry Notices.
On each barge was a large printed
notice certifying that the cargo had
been sent by the American commission
in care of the American minister to
Belgium. On the door of the captains
cabin in each barge was 4 copy of Gen.
Won der Goltz's proclamation instruct
ing all German officials to give safe
conduct and assistance to the Ameri-
can relief cargo. Gen. Won der GoltZ is
the German military governor of Bel
gium.
THE crews of the barges and tugs
were Dutch and each man carried with
no little pride an order for safe con-
duct from the German authorities per-
mitting him to go to Brussels and re-
turn unmolested to Holland.
Meet With No Delay.
Accompanied by NJ. NJ. Langhorne.
secretary of the American legation at
Brussels, and Mr.. Wyman. an American
resident. in an automobile. I followed
this odd fiotilla of mercy as it thread
ed it's way from canal to canal and
from lock to lock. At Hanswert.
town on the Belgian-Dutch frontier,
anticipated some difficulties as to this
first consignment of relief. On the con-
trary. the German officials were fully
informed and there was no delay what
ever.
Thence to Brussels the German ar
rangements for getting our cargo
through eXpeditiously were perfect.
The sealed matches of the barges were
never opened or touched on all the way
to Antwerp. Malines and Brussels.
THE country people came running to
the banks of the canal. where they
stared at our flotilla as if it were a
mirage. For week not a single barge
had passed where formerly there were
= Thousand hourly.
Like God-Sent Dream.
ITO the Belgian country folk it was
at first just a God-sent dream to re-
mind them of the peaceful days pre-
ceding the nightmare of war. When
they found that there were real barges
bearing food their great thankfulness
found ready expression.
"Wednesday morning. just one week
after the ship left London, we drove
up in front of the American legation
at Brussels and told Brand Whitlock,
the American minister to Belgium, that
the relief barGes were safely moored
in a pocket of the main canal. A few
minutes later Mr. Whitlock's automo-
bile brought the Marquis de Nillalobar,
the Spanish minister. and the heads of