The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1915-02-26

10 N1ta - NAANfN fNAANAN - - -
not 10 be bought for $500 an
oriu,ly determined 90 drive
/. tho Belalans out o. their
country, a new Belgian army
] has sprung up.
I Il gets It's Inspiration from
King Albert. who refuses now,
as he has refused all along, 90
acknowledge defeat.
To free Belgium or 10 die
! under ito flood is the kings
slogan. his men say. and with
| him stands every abiebodied
Belgian. facing this scene 81
/ surprising desoiation with a
fervor almost uneanny
The king has become almost a
god 60 the Belgiaus. patriotism a
religion. the army a church. death
a glory 10 aspire 10.
The Belgian story % tho battle OF
the User. still IN progress. Ia cot
forth for the first time II was told
me by one OF the kings aides
Belgian Army PursVed
Following Antwerp. tho Belgian
army 81 10000 men OF all arms re-
tired down the coast OF the North
Sea. closely followed by the Ger.
mans. The Belglans wcr- given pc
rest
They had no reserves. and with
light artillery could do little
against tho heavy German field
pieces.
Also tho Germans had pltted
against the Belgiaus az this time by
their own official reports. 10000
men
When the User was reached the
Beigiang we're ordered 10 hold their
positions ior three days at any cost
until the allies could send reinforce
menta.
This was on October ~.
Instead OF three days. they held
out fnT six
Belgians Bear the Brunt
Il was LieEc all over again. and
the nolriaus bearing the brunt
on the 22nd tho Germans broke
through By sheer weight OF mum
beers. on the 23rd the French came
up M iomhacrtxydc. but the Bel
gians. worn ont though they we're
instead 81 resting. feli hack on their
own center and aided tn checking
the Germans
II was now decided TO food the
country. sThe User Ia a small Mis
sissippl. In that It's bed II higher
than the surrounding country. The
sea. too. is higher.
So the gates IN tho dykes we're
raised and tho water was let IN
flooding and running thousands Of
Z fertile farms for years 10 come.
Waters Trap Germans
The waters rose. trapping the
Germans. who bravely fought for
ward. instead ~ saving themselves
as they easily could have done by
retreating
I For two weeks. IN the rising flood
I tho Germans tried TO advance 20
{ high ground on the allies side OF
| the river. leaving thousands Of
dead. much ammunition and storef
Of all sorts. cannon and transports
90 be covered by tho river and sen
. y NFNNfN lWNNN NA tNf NNlI VT TT
German officer described the fight
/ ing as far worse than anything h
had seen during tho battle Of the
Marnc.
at was simply hell" he sald.
I The flood was an about Us.
getting deeper all the time; tho
I enemy In front shooting, and
we were dying In punches, and
no help for H."
\ This Il how the Germans were
\ checked Reinforcements brought
up by both sides have not material.
Ily changed the situation beyond the
I steady hut necessarily slow driving
back ~ tho Teutons.
Floods Extend for Miles
To-day the. floods have reached
7 their highest
They extend tens of miles in ov-
I cry direction from the User.
\ Roads. built higher than the cnun-
\ tryside, criss.cross the foundations
!. like strips Of crust across a pie
I Here and there are farm houses in
ruins occupying islands scarcely
above the water.
\ Most OF the trees are now prone
|. in tho mud and ooze. the ground
| having become too soft 10 hold the
roots firmly An occasional wind.
| mill IS seen lying on its side In the
water.
n Wagons, carts. caissons of can
non. haymowa. and wheat dot the
wastes AB one looks about the ex-
panse he does not see a single liv.
ing thing save water fowl
Artillery Pounds Away
This is the scene OF the fighting
In Flanders Both the Germans
and the Belgians have built up.
rather than dug. trenches along the
roads and nj every intersection 10
a small fort
Throughout the day tho artillery
ls pounding away. bat very seldom
does the infantry come into action
30 long as the daylight lasts
When they do. II is TO fight I'm
water waist deep. with occasional
tumblos into the drainage bitches
with which the always somewhat
wet farms were literally cut before
the war
Wounded Stranule In Water
The slightly wounded man falls.
stranRllng. I'm the water. Infantry
engagements, because Of the floods,
must necessarily be along tho
roads, whore machine guns play
havoc.
Surprise attacks are practically
Impossible unless q commander
wishes 10 SEQ bis men annihilatei
nark ayau otpYrug pgWbta ~,