Evening journal., 1915-01-07
BY WILLIAM PHILIP sIMMs.

WITH THE FRENCH ARMY AT
THE FRONT, NOV. 29.-(By mail TO
New York; Just how thoroughly the
Germans were prepared for this war
does not really sink in on one until |
one cris-crosses about the war zone. !
The stories one hears of their prepar- T,
ations are amazing and If tenth oi
them are true, one can not be sur
prised at the rapidity of their invasion
at the beginning of the war.
French army officers were dumb
founded. for instances, at the rapid
crossing of the Marshes Of Saint-Gond'
northeast of Paris, by the Ger
mans. These marshes are miles and
miles in extent. covering the lowlands
in the region of the source of the Peut
NORM. The marshes resemble from
distance a beautiful meadow, but
even the natives of the region do not
dare venture in the tall grass for fear
of being swallowed up in the ooze
Perhaps a half-dozen guides know the
swamp's intricacies and these make
living leading hunting parties through
them. For an unguided person to at
tempt to cross the marshes would be
as much as his life is worth.
Nevertheless the German troops
crossed the marshes without the
slightest trouble or delay. They did
not even hesitate. The native guides
were all well known and accounted
for; they did not lead the German sol
diers over How did they escape the
bogs?
Well. here's a story told by a civil
officer of the district He had had a
part in the deal and he ought to KNOW
About three years ago company was
formed in Germany for the purpose
of buying up and reclaiming swamp
land. The first land this company set
its heart upon was the Marshes OF
Saint-Gond. These lands belong to
the Commune, or County-or rather
to several counties and the officers
representing the Communes were ask
ed to get together for a deal with the
Germans. The German company pro-
posed to drain the swamp and turn the
land into the richest of farms, which
/ farms would be sold off in lots 10
French farmers.
How much would the company give
for the swamps? The company would
make an offer as soon as the proper
estimate of the cost of drainage could
/ be made out.
A score of German engineers, there
, fore began work in the marshes. Ev'
cry rod of the district was explored
, sounded and chartered; every island
2 and tree and hummock duly mapped
e every road, bride path and pigtail in
!; dicated, and every possible detail Sc
down.
Then the German company made IL
offer 1t was small, ridiculously small
The Commune officials laughed at tn
offer and the deal fell through, ant
, forgotten-until along towards tn
= close of last August, when the Ger
= many army advanced across tn
: marshes of Saint-Gond without losin
!, a man.
! Another story I heard, from anothe
n source. was that some years ago
o German bought a country home 70
! himself near Paris. Upon a command
y ing ridge stood his house and upon tn
house was a pointed spire To tn
right and left of the house, he plant
n ed a single line of fir-trees. wit
~ graceful, peaked tops, and, down th
# slopes a few hundred yards, a tenn
h court in cement and asphalt was lai
is The German seemingly took SUI
- den dislike to his country home abol
. the time he had finished improving
N for he went back to Germany and di
4. not show up again-until war was d.
r. clared.
o Then he was wearing a uniform, I'll
m uniform of a German officer of arti
n lery.
1r The tennis court was nothing MOI
70 than a foundation for heavy guns; d
country house, with its pointed tn
ret was the center of a sighting sy
TEN, of which the fir trees to rig
90 and left were adjuncts (notches). TT
go story has it that had the Germans a
q vanced to this point they could ha'
10 planted their heavy artillery on Il
he Observation-Disclosures, used d
bo turret and fir trees to sight by al
"a dominate every quarter.
PARIS. Jan. 7.-While insistil
that in his opinion Germany, as
empire, is doomed, as is the HOhe
zollern regime there Rev. Charl
Wagner, author of the Simple Lif,
w believes that the war is a blessing
~ disguise. He believes that out of
~ there will come a return from I
~ materialistic to the spirftualistic
80 all mankind. An Alsatian by biri
~ Pastor Wagner is intensely pT
AZ French. despite the fact that he h
~ always been most cordially w
ny oop,od 10 Corpanv Tact Eaqfar