The Detroit times., 1915-10-29

Of silence, and family the sound died
out near Arras.
The vindicstion Is q bit late for
the Waterloo pamphleteer.
1T IL utterly impossible for the
Germans ever TO break through In
Belgium" said an observer who has
just returned from that part of the
front.
IF the Germans were ever able
to smash through the English and
French lines there. all the defen-
ders would have toedo would be to
fall back 10 or - miles" said he.
land then touch q button. All Bel
GUM IL mined, Il seems to me. The
greater part OF the Belgian army
has been Withdrawn from the front
line and has been set to digging
mines. Il seems TO me that con-
cealed mines were everywhere. A
hostile army upon that ground
would be literally destroyed"
repeated that conversation to q
friend who Is an sirman. He said
that the observations OF the visitor
were quite accurate.
only" said he. i've flown over
every inch OF that ground. ! think,
and SO far AZ I can see the Ger
mans are doing the same thing. How
are the other fellows ever going to
break through In their turn? And
what will happen when they do?"
Three months ago ! was In Dun
kirk. II was then a pleasant. srath-
er empty city. Twenty-Five or thirty
houses had been destroyed--I have
not the exact number-by the great
German howitzer which is concealed
% miles away. and which at inter
walls DROPS a few 1,600.pound shells
into the place. Most Of the inhab-
itants have left. but few brave
souls held on. This week an ac-
quaintance visited the town.
1T is deserted" said he. mo
one is there except the few who
have a valid reason for staying
such as serving the soldiers In some
way-and the soldiers themselves.
1t has been pretty well banged to
pieces. The cathedral has been
shot full of holes. and hundreds OF
houses have been destroyed. The
destruction was not what appalled,
me. 1t was the utter loneliness or
the place. Dunkirk was once a
town Of 10000 people, and busy
port"
The big gun doesn't fire every
day. Sometimes weeks go by with
ont a shot. Then 1t will pour n
dozen shots In an hour and stop.
The reason for this intermittence Is
that the French and English air
men are trying desperately to To-
cate IL, that an attempt at silencing
may be made. The shots must now
be fired almost surreptitiously, when
no prying fiiers are in the sky.
La Panne is the only happy town
on the Belgian front. That Is be
cause the queen Of Belgium lives
there.
No German shell has ever been
dropped in La Panne. It's activities
20 on almosA in normal way, with
the addition of those interests pc.
culiar to war. The lights burn at
night. La Panne's ladies take tea
cheerfully at 4 o'clock. The young
err women go about the streets fear
lessly In pretty costumes. just as
though II were not within hearing
distance Of the German lines.
The other towns along tho Bel
gian front have been almost de-
stroyed. Dunkirk Is being system
atically banged to pieces. Pathetic
little Bergues Is mass OF ruins.
Elverdinghe has been obliterated. 1t
is no more. It is doubtful II a sec
ond story remains to any house In
town. OF the beautiful Hotel de
VILE only a portion OF the gateway
remains, on which is chiseled the
fact that II was erected in the six
teenth century. Poperinghe Is
gone. One might go down the list
Of these frontier towns, and after
each one write:
destroyed in 1915 by shell fire."
Only La Panne remains un-
touched and unfrightened, although
It 10 nearer the German lines than
any Of the others mentioned. The
reason Is that the queen OF Belgium
lives there. She IL q Bavarian by
birth.
A neutral observer recently Wis
tied the part 81 the Belgian front
held by the French. He was per-
mitted to talk to the crew Of a
great gun that had been humping
away persistently all morning.
what were you firing att" he
asked.
I'VE don't know" said the oftcers
| In command. I'VE get our orders
49, A>v>~A~@AW