Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-08-30
German Shells Make Fortress
of NoyO GeorgieySk a Seeth-
Ing Furnacei Thousands of
Prisoners Taken,
SURROUNDING PLAINS
LIT BY RED GLARE
0'DonneII Bennett Gives Graph
ic Description of DeSoIatiOn
Wfoughton Russian Strong
hold by KaiSerS Men,
nv JAMES oDoNNEIL BENNETT


fBv JAMES O'DONNEIL BENNETT)
tcopvrieht 1915: by The Chicago Tribunel
Novo Georgievsk, Russia, Aug 20
fNidpight. BY Courier TO Warsaw and
hv Military Telegraph to Berlin)-
The fortress Of Novo Ge0rgievsk is
n roaring furnace. The hamlets
around the forts are bedded with live
Goals. and the barracks, chapel. bake
houses. and armory buildings stretch
ed along the heights a hundred feet
above lhe waters Of .he NareU and
the Vistua. are in flames.
The fire has reached the nunition
chambers and the stores which the
Russians could neither move nor de-
strov are exploding in ceaseless vol
leys. Bullets are thrown a hundred
feet from the windows by these eX-
plosions and come swishing and pat
terng down among the trees by the
river side like a hailstorm,
The fire is raging for blocks be-
hind the walls seven feet thick and
the chill night wind is driving the
flames steadily forward and is fore
ing them in crimson streams through
the sally ports ventilators and CHM
neys.
Already some of the walls have be-
gun TO melt and are sinking slowly
into the craters created by the fire Of
the Austrian thirty and a half on
tlmcter motor batteries. The glare
lights up the plain for miles around,
and the prisoners streaming slowly
across it by a dozen roads turn slow
ly n their weary march Go catch
qlirRse- qf tbe most terrific spectacle
this war has brought
Now the fire is breaking from the
barracks and administration buildings
on the other side of the river on
this side flames are moving along
with jumps from the topmOst win
dows of the siX-story armory ON the
cliff
Roar a Ceaseless Crash.
The roar Of the explosives no long
er comes in volleys, but in a ceaseless
crash. Gratngs constructed Of iron
bars as thick as a mans arm are
melting and falling inward to the
depths of this fortress furnace
The walls are so thick that there
are still some high vaulted passage
ways cool enough to enable one to
80 through them ana thus reach the
inside Of the fortress.
Taking one Of these passages, ]
penetrated to the great paved court
before the garrison church. the gild-
ing of which catches the glow of the
flames leaping from the powder
vaults and casemates.
Just before the chapel lies a dead
Russian soldier. Somebody has had
the time mercifully to- throw q coat
over his face. but in the glare his out
spread hands show greenish white
against the eobble pavement. He lies
here all alone, forgotten and unbur-
led. but never had a man more
heroic funeral pyre. and the emperor
brought his hand TO the salute when
no passed the body.
Germans Pour Into City.
some landsturm are pouring into
the court now carrying trusses OF
straw TO bed themselves in the chapel
Ior the night one of them STUN
hies over the dead Russian and an
other throws down the truss Of straw
bends over the body, and lays the
dead hands upon the breast so that
they shall not be trampled by the
passing Of many feet.
The fire is rolling upward to the
citadel tower whore the Red Cross
nag is flying. l passed two Russian
nurses, the only clean women ! have
seen In two days and a Russian otfl-
cen Of the field hospital, and asked
mem what madness prompted the
bedding of the wounded on the edges
oi this roaring he'll of ammunition.
~ Was q mistake" he replies.
ilamcs Menace 10 Wounded.
Whether any OF the wounded are
SUN In peril / can not learn. / think
not, but, whatever the situation, the
IRE soon will make all questions su-
perfluous.
lt is rolling near the citadel tow
en- and one far flung brand hits the
hed Cross flag. but does not ignite
it The wind has risen a little and
the flag floats valiantly and con-
stantly.
New fires are starting and occa-
s'onally you catch the aromatic odor
from the green birch trees whose
lops are scorching under the ammun-
Hiun blown from the sixth story Of
,ne arsenal Far up both banks OF
Doth rivers are spots of fire from
the burning farms.
Russians Abandon Munitions.
Machine guns lie mired in the sta
rye Yards and whole trainloads Of
smells stand on the sidetracks lead
tNs INTO the fortress Some of the
bridges We're so indifferently blown
apart that already the Germans are
swinging them back TO plumb.
Zig zinc boxes OF unexploded mines
ne all along the way, and uninjured
rifles viii be gathered by the hundred.
In many a place you could walk
a'ong the muddy roads for two miles
~ Front Of the fortress and hardly
SON your boots because the ground is
slfeWn with overcoats. belts, cartridge
boxes and rifles
u is no exaggeration TO say that In
spots the ground is absolutely car
peled with wreckage Of equipment.
hefe and there the soldiers had time
~ nuin Or break the rifles, bul more