Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-05-08
Neutral Observer Is Stunned
With Evidence Of Complete
Preparedness Of Fortress at
Graudenz,
GERMAN TH0R0UGHNESS
AGAIN EXEMPLIFIED
Combination Of First Class
Hotel, Coal Mine and Fairy
Village Is Presented by
Scene Witnessed.
ny JAMES opoNxELL BENNETT.

Copyright; 1915: by The Chicago Trlbunc)
Graudenz, Germany, April 16.-l
have Just had the privilege OF making
an inspection of the new fortifica-
tions which girdle the rich city of
Graudcnz, one Of the key places of
the frontier of West Prussia, owing
TO its superb situation 200 feet
above the waters Of the Vistula.
The trip from point to point in the
maze of defenses and munition de-
pots was made by automobile and on
foot. II lasted from $3.50 o'clock in
the morning till i30 in the after
noon.
The three officers--two Prussians
and a Saxon--who acted as guides
appeared to have no wish to leave
anything in obscufity Nothing was
concealed and ] was not asked to
omit from this dispatch anything i
had seen.
Nothing Is Hidden.
Everything was thrown open, from
the bomb proof retreats In the low
lands on one side of town to the
masked batteries on the heights on
the other side. The new system Of
connecting trenches. the electrical
signals and alarm bells, the military
line stock stations, the railway con-
nectiOns. and the forest Notifications
all were examined and | was allowed
my own time at every point we Wis
tied.
Several times when we reached
new and especially important point in
the defenses the officer in command
at that point would be asked by the
guide to explain interesting features
of the work being carried on under
his direction.
With puzzled glances at the visitor
from America he would begin his ex-
plantations, falter out few sentences.
and then come to stop with the
question; But is this permitted ?"
Freely permitted" the officer in
charge would reply and then the ex-
plantations would become fluent and
explicit.
Much of the Information was strict
" technical and will be omitted
here. The purpose OF this letter is
rather to give picture of an eastern
German city that has been made
ready to face the threat of Russian
invasion.
Observer Duly Impressed.
The secret of the opportunities af
works that are guarded by scores Of
sentries may be that the military au-
thorities in the Graudenz region We're
not averse to having neutral OBJ
server stunned by what they were
going to show him.
If that was their wish they got il.
And, granting that such was their
purpose, ii was perhaps just as Wen
that the visitor should be a layman.
He would give the large impression
of preparedness and not the minute
technical details which would be of
surprising interest to a military crit
ic. but which the public could by mo-
possibility be persuaded to read.
So passes fluttcred down and for
tress doors swung open and telephone
bells tinkled under ones feet in re-
mote thickets, and dynamos insur-l
ing the perfect ventilation of bomb
proof retreats were set humming.
Every Detail Perfect.
The impression, then, is over
whelming, which is precisely what
the authorities wanted il to be. At the
end of a day in the new works the
large impression one takes away Isl
of the combination of tirst-elass
hotel, coal mine, and fairy VII
lage.
New roads connecting crucial
points, have been cut through great
reaches of municipal forest Bar
racks, kitchens, stables, wells and
water tanks have been hidden away in
glades through which one might
pass without detecting any unusual
feature in the landscape. SO cunning
~ have the roofs Of many of the
structures been sodded over 70 con-|
ceal them from the enemies flyers.
In one place yoa come unexpected,
ly out of winding galleries in. held
and confront mass of steel ma con-
crete that looks as If it would outlast
the pyramids Entering into the mass
by tiny door you are amid brightly
lighted corridors, bathrooms, dyna-
mos. ventilating fans, telephone eH-
changes, cleaning copper kettles,
electric cook stoves, and the latest
devices in sanitary plumbing,
Ammunition in Cellars.
A few kilometers further along IN
this ring of steel one climbs throush
thick woods to the battery POSITIONS.
The ammunition is piled in cellars
excavated at one side Of the guns.