Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-07-08


clock face were still unframed. And they
said "The Cloth Hall still can be restor-
cd'-thc.e stubborn Flemish who would
not let shell fire drive them away from their
old town
The next time The Associated Press
correspondent went TO Ypres there was not
a single house left on the Grande Place
that re,embled a house any more than a
rubber bag with the gas out of it resembles
a balloon. In the second battle of Ypres
when the Germans had another try for the
Channel ports the sensation OF their at
tack with a~>phyxiating ca- over,hadowed
what they did with guns. Heretofore their
practice on Nri,> had been comparati> ely
teasing riaN ulIasS. Tli- time they went
AZ tic job If obstruction Systematically.
ijampii,g from cnc space on the checker
board to another, they smashed Ypre~
section by section.
A. they meant to take the town this
seemed poor policy for they would find no
roofs for shelter when they moved il. But
their object was confusion FOR British re-
Inducements hurryine M along road
crowded with refugees; wholesale death
for men in billct~ in town and destruction
and delay for supplies and munitions c"m-
ing through the streets. This was excel
lent theory which did not work out IN prac-
.ticc. The British were not hillctin. troop
70 any extent in Yprc~ and you could count
the number Of army wagons hit on the
fingers Of ono hand. One shell in the Brit
i~h trcnchc~ accomplished more than ter
into Ypres. The main result waS that
the homes and offices and cafes Of cigh-
teen thousand people were destroyed.
The - centimctcr az in mortarl had
it, part in the work. When "A seventeen
inch she'll struck a house the remains of
the building not distributed on the pave
mcnt were IN IN enlarged cellar. Debris
in the streets still remains where # fell.
There l. no purpose IN cleaning il up IN IN
nninhahitcd town. Paving stones are seat
tered about from the explosion of a seven
teen inch ~hccll which struck IN the cen
ter Of the Grundc Place and made 4 crater
about fifteen feet across aud ten feet deep.
This two thousand pounds of steel and
powder did not kill anybody - far ~
could be- learned. IT, would not take u pay
ing gang long 10 make repairs. Another
which could have brought down a rnthr-
dral tower dug 4 still larger crater IN the
soft earth at the cathedral grounds. hi.
SHELF OF little she'll. they do not count un-
les they hit. ON The principle that light
cnin. never -trikc~ twice IN the same plar"
probably the safest cover Nuu could find
III c:i~c ~ another hombar,iment - Nprc~
would bc - ii IN the bottom Of one ~
those cratcr-. Another hoinbardmcnt
would seem H. buotie-- a. failing last
vcrr'- straw or kicking . dead dog. How
ever the Germans keep 81 THROWN. shells
INTO the wreckagc at intervals ~ ii they
could never be satisfied that they had
properly finished the job 1T chaos. Every
standing wall was clipped with >hrapncl.
II there wa u house which looked from
the outside a. il /; were unhii. il would H.
found that il had been evi-ceratcd bv a
shell through the roof.
Vet only one oi the figures of that gold
en- cluckiacc bad been bent and three ont
81 the four turrct> hold their place IN
touched IN relief against a genial after
noon -un On June above the dc~olation of
that dead city.
well. what H. YOU think Of Yprc>. a.
a place Of residence" asked an officer
who rode by.
pretty rotten the visiting correspond
.cnt replied.
II know one that l. rottcncr.'' hc ~
piled with - Suggestive nod back toward
the trench line bcvond Ypres.
Were the turrct~ still holding Out The
visitors could report that they were. 10
the German grinucr- they must To- like the
high apple nn the tree that will not come