Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-02
SERB CAPITAL
DESERTED EXCEPT
FOR THE SOLDIERS
Associated Press ConeSpon-
dent Tells Impressions of
Belgrade After Capture by
TeutOnic Forces,


belgrade. Dec. l.--Wcrc 1t not fo
the soldiery Belgrade would max,
the impression Of a deserted city. Al
! Associated Press correspondent, til,
1 flrst American permitted TO visit The
city after its capture, was surpriseC
( TO learn that nearly or quite one-fiftl
, Of the inhabitants are still here Bel
grade had nearly 100000 inhahitant.
, before the war, and there are now
some 20, left. As a result, the bet
ter sections of the city are really de-
serted in the fun meaning of Tho
word, and the observer may wander
| through the main streets for hours
without seeing score Of civilians
In comparison with many cities IN
! East Prussia. Poland and Belgium
Belgrade did not suffer greatly from
the two bombardments which il I'M
idervent. Little damage was done in
ttho main business section Here and
there g shell damaged building
more or less--none was totally de-
Islroyed-and a few houses bear the
marks of exploding shrapnel shells
Considerable damage was done to fac
tory buildings along the banks of the
Save.
The chief destruction is confined ia
that part of the city south of the
fortress. This section comprising
from One-fifth to one-fourth of the
entire city is all but utterly destroyed.
\ fierce hnttle ragged here for two
days, following the landing of the
Hungarians below the citidol The
Austro- Hungarian artillery at first
dropped great number 306 cent?
meter shells into this section to make
II impossible for the defenders to hold
their ground. on the second day Il
report came that q Serbian division
from ObrenoVac, about twenty-five
miles west of Belgrade, was marching
to the support of the troops in the
city. Thereupon the Austro-EIun-
garian batteries laid their lines fur
thor back to curtain off the approach
ing rcinforcements.
All Buildings Hit.
The destruction thus wrought was
most thorough. In the whole section
under fire there is hardly q single
building which was not hit fairly at
least once and most OF the very few
thus undamagcd wero crushed by the
terrible air wave resulting from che
explosion of the shell from the "thir-
ty-point five" one of these great
projectiles penetrated four floors and
the roof of building before explod-
ing AT some points n stencil hetrays
bodies still under the ruins
Most OF the damage done in the
principal part Of the city dates from
more than a year ago. and is mainly
the result of shots fired IN answer 60
occasional shots from the Serbian hat
leries Tho damage to the old and
new konaks, the king palaces, dates
from then No shots fell in this dis
Irict during the last bonbardment
one large shell has fallen into the
ballroom of the old konak. but tho
destruction is not so great as one
would expect. y small shell has
made a hole IN the new konak, and |
.hrapncl has marked it somewhat.
Two trolley lines are in operation |
n the city, directed and manned by {
he military The two drugstores still |
lpen under militry direction, with
-apothecaries in charge. Two |
n three moving picture shows are I
ilso being run by the military author
ties. The proceeds Of the drugstores |
md shows are divided into equal |
larts. one Of which is kept for the
'wner. for the event that he ever re-
urns to claim it,. and the other half
5 devoted to taking care Of the poor
# the city
About 7.00a Serbians receive a dali
y ration from the militay authorities.
mother 1000 are employed on vari-
ur public works such as paving.
treet cleaning. etc. It is declared
hat the city is cleaner today than il
las ever been before.