Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-31

COUNTRY is DEVASTATED
Exploding Shells and Dropping
Bombs Never Cease
Their Horror.

FURNES. WEST FLANDERS. Janu-
AIRY 3o.-Along tho road from Calais to
Newport almost as straight as the
crow flies, the commerce OF peace has
been banished so completely that from
end to end il Is truly a highway Of
war.
While the Associated Press CORE
spondent, making a round trip over
this road, was picking his way through
the churchgoinS crowds OF Calais in a
Belgian military car. German BIZ
DliRc wheeled over the city In the
bright winter sunshine the acroplano
looked to be SO close that the observers
paid little attention to H. believing it
TO be one of the allies craft. 1t seemed
to poisc for Il moment over the great
lighthouse which throws its beams
across the Straits OF Dover. and panic
seized tho crowd when a sinister oblong
object was seen dropping from the
machine. This bomb missed it's target
and exploded with dcafcninG noise in
the inner harbor. within Il few yards
OF four French submarines at anchor
there.
The machine then headed for the
English shore, while the military au-
| tomobile swung out through the bar
ricaded gate OF Calais and past the
barbed-w wire cntanGlemcnts prepared to
welcome the Germans when their com
ing was believed TO be certainty
Notwithstanding that he ard 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 Identified =
ton. They swung past the earth GOV
cred arsenal on the famous battlefield
of tiravclines, which two months ago
was considered archaic, but whose soft
carihen walls are now believed to Of
fer better resistance to the big German
siege guns than do concrete and stone.
The car bowlcd along over n we'll
paved highway. as straight AS an ar
row. lined OH either side by the tall
Doplars which grow TO great height
in the low countries. The road was
marked by continuous procession OF
motor cars, going in both directions
Officers. In what had been luxurious
limousines. whirled by. FOLLOWED, by
small squadrons OF armorcd motor cars.
while heavy transport motor truck $
snortcd along, skiddinE now and then
from the slippery paved surface Into
the deep mud At each side of the road
from which they were eXtricatcd. onlv
after much profanity in many Ian
Suagcs. y car filled with British naval
officers bound FOR tho naval base at
Dunkirk passed at express speed.
SHELLS COULD III: SEEN
BURSTING IN SUNSHINE
Jus; before Dunkirk was reached
shells could be seen bursting in the
bright sunshine above the scacoast. and
when the smoke noatcd away lazily n
German Taube was iii sight, evidently
attempting TO reach Dunkirk At the
same moment, a French biplanc rose
from the allies aviation ground at Dun
kirk. The Taub" did not accep, the
challenge. but turned and threw ont
smoke balls 10 cover its flight Soon
the Taubc vas a spcck in the Sky to-
wards the western horizon, and the
French machine gave up the pursuit
few moments before. the Belgian
aviator. Dcs Champs. in showing an
aviation bomb TO some friends. had
dropped il, with terrible results. the
aviator and fourteen bystandcrs being
killed.
Dunkirk is a French military base, n
British naval base and an aerial base
for the allies. BEYOND Dunkiri the
road followed a large canal, which bore
enormous barges, carrying supplies to
the front. The fields TO the loft were
crisscrossed with trenches built to he
defended from either direction in case
the Germans broke through on either
flank. Miles OF barb wire cntanrlc
ments were strung up. with the same
object in View
long train of artillery horses
bringing back caissons without tho
guns. lined the road for 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 marty
came within sight of real warfare. All
along the horizon towards Nieuport
shells were bursting. Within sight of
Furnes squads of weary soldiers. drag
ging ud-encrusted boots. struggled
back from their thirty six hour watch
In the trenches. Just at dark the rar
swung into the historic SQUARE Of
Furnes, where the allied rulers mot i'm
conference several weeks ago TIL.
square was packed with motor cars
and transport wagons of all descrin
tions. while winding through n massage
kept open for 1t, the French 4 rrican
army. with it's MISUNDERSTANDING trans
port or carts. each drawn by three desert
mules, marched through on it's way to
shell-swept Nieuport.