The Detroit times., 1915-12-14
Press Agents of Tiny
Powers Bask in Glow
of Limelight
.SALONIKA NOW
is BUSY PORT
Great Ships Fill Har-
Dor, Allied Troops
Fill Streets
BY wILLIAx @. sHEPHERD.

(Ston CorysspomdeHt United Pyess.)
eALONICA, Nov. I.--(By NALL
Here's the World War news center.
At last the stormy little Balkans
have come into the worlds eye.
Correspondents from al corners
of what used 10 be civilization nock
here to DO near the great German
push 400 miles north OF ~.
There are other lesser correspond
ents hanging around the hotels Of
Salonica, mostly Queeriy dressed
chaps with queer habits and man
ners. newspaper men from European
countries who have spent their lives
In the Balkans rying to get the busy
world Interested In their little a.
fairs: men who have lived In queer
Balkan cities and nave dashed mad
ly to tho Balkan telegraph oflices
In times past with news items which
hey themselves thought tremendous
ly important but which were honor
ed with tiny headliaes In the news
papers Of the world.
These Balkau-fan journalists knew
that some day the Balkans would ex-
plode. The day has come. The ex.
plosion has occurred.
At last the feet of European
armies are pounding the Balkan
Highways; European cannon. ma
chine guns and rifles sound through
lshe Balkan bills and European
spades eat trenches in the Balkan
soil.
n the Olympus Palace hotel. on
the water front, gathered around the
tiny tables N the cafes, are the
Iofncers Of the British, French, Rus
eian and Greek armies. melangs
Of color and language. And these
Balkan journa!ists--English, French
and ftalian--caatteF gaiiy. wisely o
tAs great day which has come a
last
/ Salonica harhcr is filed with grea
boats. warships, torpedo boats, hos
pital ships, aad two or three boats
which have huge American flag.
painted on their sides ano which arr
making small fortunes for their own
ers running the submarine gauntlet
with supplies for the Balkan Allies
Thst busy harbor of itself Is
enough to delight the soul Of the
Balkan Journalist. But Las: evening,
just at sundown, came the climax
Of his excitement. An aeroplane was
scoring over the bay OF Salonica.
Behind II. across the harbor. loom.
ed Mount Olympus. where the old
Greek gods used to live and cut their
capers.
Just to see an aeroplane with
olympus, which has been peaceful
and quiet eve, since the gods died.
as . background. was enough to
prove to the Balkan experts that the
great day really had come at last.
To top It OF, the engine OF the
aeroplare weakened In its stroke, the
machine came nearer and nearer to
the water. II had wheels instead
IL boats beneath It's planes and when
its momentum vas gone and Il came
TO the surface Of the bay, II dug its
nose 15 or 20 feet into the water.
pilot and all, and then stood on end
with It's tail in the air.
Here was catastrophe Of the
world war. right at the foot OF
Olympus. The Balkan experts watch
ed the sviators come TO the surface.
climb into the half sunken planes
and wait for three tug boats In the
harbor to rush to the rescue.
| Then they went back TO the Olym
pus Palace cafe where the French
old timers In the Balkans orderet
absinthe-which one canpot buy II
Paris-and the others ordered whjs
Ky and soda, ever which they fresh
ed out the whole problem of the val
ne Of aeror,anes in Balkan warfare
happy at last 10 be able TO say:
"The eyes Of the world are not ol
the French front or on the Russisl
front. They are on the Balkans. a
have always said they would be
. and Mere the world war will b
, threshed out"