Evening star., 1915-10-27
Description of War Activities in
Part of Belgium Con-
q troIIed by Allies.
TELEPHONE is EMPLOYED
TO DIRECT THE GUN FIRING
Territory Defended by French, Eng
lish and Belgian Soldiers-View
of Ruin Wrought.

Il D
map of Europe the portion of Belgium
that remains to the allies is not large.
but now it is such a busy part of the
world that one who whirls through it
for several days in a military motor car.
as an Associated Press correspondent is
now doing. is likely to think that it is
a very large part OF Europe. The VII
lagos are so full of French. Belgian and
British soldiers: there are many camps,
hospitals and bases of one sort and an
other-here an aviation camp. there an
ambulance station, and SO on-that to
visit the country is to realize the many
sided activities of warfare as one per-
haps could not realize them in any other
way. For one man in the trenches there
seem to be fifty carrying supplies and
ammunition, building roads, repairing
bridges, stringing telephone wires and
constructing barb wire entanglements
This trip comprised almost two hundred
miles of travel in what may be roughly
described as triangle. with Nieuport,
Dunkirk and Ypres at the three corners.
Il don't suppose we can go into 1pres:
asked the correspondent.
You would be fool to try and you
would be dead man if you got there,
was the chauffeurs answer.
Every Form of Demolition.
Between Dunkirk and Ypres one can
dnd all grades of demolition. What hap
pened to Dunkirk by the action of
Krupp gun over twenty miles away al
most everybody in the world knows now.
But what happened to that gun it would
be of greater interest to know. and
neither the French nor the Germans are
saying anything about it. But the people
of Dunkirk know that it has not been
in action for two months.
AS one travels inland from Dunkirk
toward the southeast through Bsrgues
he can readily appreciate why France.
Holland and England are full OF refu-
gees wearing their hearts out with
thoughts of their demolished homes, Tor
there are to be seen lttle Viidages
with not a building inha bited. hardly
one unmarked by shell fire. Handsome
sixteenth century facades. modest
brick structures, artistic little churcnes
have all gone into wars mei!lns POT.
The streets are devastated as the
sections of San Francisco or Baltimore
after their CONGREGATIONS.
The French are holding the dunes
along the coast, then come the pei
gians. then more French. then the Eng
lish, then still more French. then the
English again. and finally the long line
of French reaching to Switzerland.
It is not often pointed out that tne
French are sandwiched IN between
their allies in this fashion.
Firing Directed by Telephone.
Stopping before a l05-millimeter gun.
cleyerly concealed in a grove. gun
which had been silent but few mo-
ments and was doing its Bit in an ar
tilery action spreading over 100 miles,
a correspondent asked the lieutenant In
charge when he intended to fire again.
Whenever they telephone u.s., was
the reply. I'VE have fred only twice
this morning"
When the line of action is as long as
the route from New York to Phila-
delphia, each gun has an easy time OF
it and there is plenty of opportunity
for conversation. Indeed, when the
correspondent approached the group
they were laughing at a story of the
lieutenant. He was telling them OF
devoted orderly. The lieutenant mad
been sent to the hospital as result
of poison gas. Il should have left the
hospital after three days" said the
lieutenant. but my orderly would not
let me-.
Have any shells burst around here
YETI"
Not very near. this gun is pretty
well concealed and If the enemys avia-
tors see il we can easily move it
You can't see any Germans from
here can you?'
"I have been at the front eleven
months" said the lieutenant. Il have
seen many dead Germans and many
German prisoners. but l have never
seen a German in action, except the
man in the taube.'
Seemed to Be Remote.
A half-doZen privates gathered round
and the conversation became general,
being interrupted occasionally by visits
to the observatories in the trees. where
the correspondent was shown the Ger
man lines and could see the shrapnel
bursting over both sides. 1t all seemed
too remote. The correspondent OBJ
served: 1T does not seem very close
to US.
perhaps not just this minute, but
in the road there not over nifty feet
away they blew up one of our cais-
sons few days ago. and you can go
out and pick up some souvenirs IL you
wish to-"
These observatories would be fasci-
mating additions to Adirondack camps
being successive flights of stairs with
strong landings, winding round the
highest trees. painted the color Of
trees and covered overhead with foli-
age. There is no military secret about
this, for it is well known that both
sides have the same kind of lookouts.
Confident of Victory.
you men all seem very happy" said
tha