The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-02-24
King Albert, Backed by Every
Able Bodied Man,
Is Making His Last Stand Along
the User.
Determined TO Die THERE
Before Yielding Another Inch
to the Germans.
Trenches Are Built Up Instead
of Being Dug.
fBv william Philip simms.)

(By william Philip Simms.)
With the Belgian Army HeadQuar-
tiers, Feb. 24-Did you ever. In the
most hideous nightmare of your life,
dream Of what hell is like. with the
River Styx running with dead bodies
floating In the stream, and miles and
miles of ooze and mud. and stencil
and ruin and desolatien all along its
shores? II you have, you can picture
what things are like here along the
User where the Belgian army is fight
ing the oldest, grewsomest and most
frightful battle the worlds ever has
seen.
trenches there is slush and mud. for
this winter has broken records for
rainfall, and everywhere the troops
are suffering war at its worst But
the worst conditions at other points
would be the best In Flanders. where
the whole country is one vast marsh.
full Of wreck and ruin. dead men and
dead animals, all purifying together,
where few months ago were beautl-
full farms not to be bought for 5000
an acre.
Grimly determined to drive the
Germans out of their country a new
Belgian army has sprung up. 1t gets
its inspiration from King Albert, who
refuses now, dS ne mas Ie1OSSQ oil
along to acknowledge defeat. To free
Belgium or die under it's floods lie the
kings slogan, SO his men say, and with
him stands every able-bodied Belgian
| facing this scene of SURPRISING desc
lation with a fervor almost uncanny.
The king has become almost a God to
the Belgians. patriotism a religion,
the army a church, death a glory to
aspire to. The Belgian story of the
battle of the User. still in progress. is
%a~ MOS
told me by one Of the kings principal
aides.
| Following Antwerp the Belgian
army of $4,000 men Of all arms re-
tired down the, coast of the North sea
closely pursued by the Germans. The
Belgians were given no rest. They
had no reserves and with a light artil-
lery could do little against the heavy
German field pieces. Also the Ger
at this time by their own official re-
ports 10000 men.
When the User was reached the Bel
gfans were ordered t. hold their posi-
tons for three days at any cost until
the allies could. send reinforcements.
three days they held out for six. 1t
was 1fege all over again with the Bel
gians bearing the brunt- On tho s22nd,
the Germans broke through by sheer
WcASAt OI nuuDcIS.s On the ZSTQ tUe
French came up to Lombaertzyde. but
Belgians worn out though they were,
instead of resting, fell back on their
own center and aided in checking the
Germans.
1t was now decided to flood the
country. The User is small Missis-
sippi in that its bed is higher than the
surrounding country. The sea too, is
higher, so the gates in the dykes were
raised and the water was let in flood
ing and running thousands Of fertile
farms for years to come. Slowly but
surely the waters rose trapping the
Germans who bravely fought forward
instead of saving themselves as they
SO easily could have done by retreat
ing. Belgian officers make no pre-
tense of hiding their praise and ad-
miration for the Germans for this feat.
Left Thousands OF Dead.
| For two weeks in the rising flood
the Germans tried to advance to high
ground on the allies side of the river,
leaving Thousands of dead, much am
munition, and stores Of all sorts. can
non and transports, to be covered by
the encroaching river and sea. A let
ter found on the body of a dead Ger
man officer described the fighting as
far worse than anything he had seen
during the. battle Of the Marine.
1T was simply HE'LL he said. THE
flood was all about us. getting deeper
all the time; the enemy in front shoot
ing; we dying in punches and no help
for 1t at ALL"
This was how the Germans were
checked. Reinforcements brought up
| on both sides haye not materially
changed the situation beyond the
steady but necessarily slow driving
back of the Teutons.
| Today the floods have reached
their highest. They extend tens OF
miles in every direction from the
User. Roads. built higher than the
countryside. criss-cross the inunda-
lions like strips of crust across a pie
ruins, occupying islands scarcely above
the water. Most Of the trees are now
prone in the mud and ooze, the
ground having become too soft tt
hold the roots firmly. An occasional
windmill, like q dead thing, Is seer
lying on it's side in the water. Wag-
ons, carts. caissons Of cannon, hay
mows, and what not dot the waste
but as one looks about over the .ex.
panse. he does not see a single living
thing save a few water fowl.
This Is the scene of the fighting II
Flanders. Both the Germans and thu
Belgians have built up rather thai
dug. trenches along the roads and ev
Throughout the day the artillery Il
the infantry come into action SO loni
as the daylight lasts. When they d.
1t Is to fight in water waist deep will
occasional tumb1es into the drainag'
ditches."
! FOR MORTGAGE FEES.