Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-26
ASSOCIATED Press Correspondence


Furnes, West Flanders, Jan. 6:-Along
the road from Calais to Newport, almost
as straight as the crow flies, the COM
merce of peace has been banished so
completely that from end to end it is
truly highway of war
While the Associated Press cores
pendent. making round trip over this
road, was picking his way through the
church going crowds of Calais in a Be-
gian military car a German biplane
wheeled over the city. In the bright
be so close that the observers paid little
attention to it, believing it to be one OF
the Allies craft. 1t seemed to poise for
a moment over the great lighthouse
which throws its beams across the
straits of Dover, and panic seized the
crowd when a sinister obong object was
seen dropping from the machine. This
bomb missed its target, and exploded
with deafening noise in the inner har
Dor within a few yards of four French
submarines at anchor there.
The machine then headed for the Eng
lish shore, while the military automo-
bile swung out through the barricaded
gate OF Calais and past the barbed wire
entanglements prepared to welcome the
Germans when their coming was believed
to be a certainty.
Notwithstanding that he and other
newspaper men in the party had a per-
sonal pass from the Belgian king and
authorizations from the British War
Office and French authorities, they were
stopped frequently for Identification
They swung past the earth-covered ar
sena! on the famous battle ield of Grave
lines, which two months ago was con-
sidered archaic, but whose soft earthen
walls are now believed to offer better
resistance to the big German siege guns
than do concrete and stone.
The car howed along over a we'll pave
highway, as straight as an arrow, lined
on either side by the tall poplars which
grow to a great height in the low coun-
tries The road was marked by contin-
uous procession of motor cars going in
both directions Officers, in what had
been luxurious limousines. whiried by,
followed by small squadrons of armoled
motOrcars, while heavy transport motor
trucks snorted along, skidding now and
then from the slippery paved surface in
to the deep mud at each side of the road,
from which they We're eXtricated only
A car filed with British naval officers
bound for the naval base at Dunkirk
passed at express speed.
Just before Dunkirk was reached,
shells could be seen bursting in the
bright sunshine above the scacoast and
when the smoke fioated away laXily a
German Taube was in sight. evidently
attempting TO reach Dunhirk. At the
same moment a French biplane rose
from the Allies aviation ground at Dun
kirk. The Taubc did not accept the cnal-
lenge, but turned and threw out smoke
balls to cover it's flight. Soon the 1aube
was q speck in the sky towards the
western horizon, and the French ma
chine gave up the pursuit.
a few moments before. the Belgian
aviator, Des Champs, in showing an
aviation bomb to some friends. had
dropped it with terrible results. the
aviator and II bystanicrs being killed.
Dunkirk is French military base, a
British naval base and an aerial base
for the Allies. Beyond Dunkirk the road
followed a large canal, which bore enor-
nous barges carrying supplies to the
front. The fields to the left were crisis
crossed with trenches built to be
defended from either direction in case
the Germans broke through on either
flank. Miles of barbed wire entangle-
ments were strung up with the same OBJ
ject in view.
A long train of artillery horses bring
ing back caissons without the guns, lined
the road for a mile, while foot soldiers
began to appear making their way back
to the bases.
The frontier was passed without the
usual customs inspection and the party
came within sight of real warfare. All
along the horizon towards Newport
shells were bursting. Within sight Of