Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-08

of Europe to De cleaneO Wy lAe tooA
bia, It knew that Russia could give
but little aid and the others were too
far away. It was choice morsel to be
deyoured at leisure. The house clean.
ing has commenced The forcing OF
the passes on the Austrian side has
polished up the kitchen. The crossing
of the Danube on the southern frontier
cleans up the sitting room The TAX
ing of Bucharest probably an accom-
plished fact by this time) will mean
the renovation of the dining room. All
that is left to do is shake the door mat
nv taking Ploesci and sweep down the
front stairs by occupying Jassy on the
northern Russian frontier. The home
will be painted with the blood OF an
ignorant. care free, fun lowing people
and furnished with poverty, lonesome
ness and devastation.
Much has been written IN this coun-
try in regard to Rumania and It's army
in both magazines and press. A re"
facts may be interesting. Rumania IS
a country. 50,72O square miles IN ex-
tent. of rich farm land. the greater
part Of which is underlaid with OIL.
For it's size 1t Is one Of the richest on
producing countries in the worlo. lns
principal farm products are corn anu
wheat. It's population is 7,5Oo,ooo anu
is of two distinct types, one falr nalreu'
florid and blue eyes, and the othei
dark gypsy type The Rumanlans ue-
nv that they are Balkan race put
claim to be descendants of Roman leg.
ionaries of the ancient province OF
Dacia. They regard themselves as tne
Frenchmen Of the east and Bucharest
the capital aspires to be miniature
Paris.
The majority Of the people belong 70
the orthodox Greek church tine STATE
religion) but there are many Honiah
Catholics, Protestants, Jews and MO.
hammedans among them. Bucharest
is a fortified city and contains thirty
six forts, an arsental and barracks lot
10000 troops. The army Is composed
OF 75O, 900 men, on paper. It's war 1901
ing is about 100000. 80.
No nation was more acquainted WIN
the personnel and equipment IMAM Yer
many. 1t was German drilled. German
equipped, but not German deadly. for'
as I remarked in former article IN
these columns, the Germans by an oV'
ersight or a foresight, l don't know
which, failed to forward the ammuni'
ton to the guns.
The paper army of 100000 dwindled
on mobilization to about 100000. con-
centrated for winter campaign III
summer clothing. The rifles were OF
three different patterns. its heavy ar
tillery corresponding to our HELD artli.
lery. Siege guns. trench mortars ana
armored cars were conspicuous py
their absence and without aerial ser.
vice whatever. The only aeroplanes
saw were those loaned Rumania py the
Austrians and Germans for our enter.
tainment in Bucharest. Ill trained. Ill
officered, disorganized. it's hospital and
ambulance facilities far from ade'
auate, it's railways in the hands OF men
who knew little or nothing OF rapid
of large bodies OF men and
material. left regiments Of Russian IN.
fantry and artillery stalled at different
points along the road while $4,000 Ru-
manian troops at Turtacaia were cut
off and wiped out to a man by Bu!'
garian troops three days after hostill'
ties commenced.
With one-fourth of the Rumanian
forces lost, train load after train load
of wounded troops poured into Bucha-
rest. The country was, stunned. para
lyzed, for it was at the mercy OF inc
foe It had received vital. punish
ing blow before the contest had fairly
begun. The enemy failed to follow up
its successes on this line, no one
knows why. 1t is only now, three
months later. that they have crossed
the Danube and are marching into
Bucharest
The Austrian frontier had been for
titled while the Bulgarian line was LETT
unguarded until few days before the
war. Where passive resistance was
expected they met with crushing de-
feat. Where stern Austrian resistance
was looked for. they met with none.
Through the unguarded western
passes, the army poured with a rush
across the Hungarian plains OF Tran
sylvania in a straight battle line with
out tanks or proper rear communities
tions. Victory on the west. crushing
defeat in the south Ruschik. Silister
and Constanza fell into the hands OF
the Bulgars.
The latter city. one Of Rumania's
largest and most beautiful cities, has
been completely devastated. first. by
the artillery of the German and Bull.
garian forces and secondly by the two
commandments of the Russian Black
sea fleet. In the taking Of Constanza.
immense stores of grain and military
booty fell into the hands of Germany
Thousands of tons of wheat, millions
of gallons Of OF. 500 railway cars tons
of ammunition, 1S9 machine guns,
horses, wagons. $4,000 prisoners. and
1872 ships lying in the harbor fell into
the hands of the enemy. So rapid was
the advance that the Rumanians had
no time to remove or destroy the
stores left behind.