The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-04
BREST.LITOYSK CITY
Of BLACKENED RUINS
Russians Used Petroleum to
Burn the Town Before
Leaving IL.
STILL FINDING THE DEAD
\, JAMES O'DONNELL BENNETT.

have passed since the RUSSIAN city or
Pr st. Litovsk was reduced to ruin by
Russian troops. The town II etili Civ.
ing M its dead. and such of the ma
five inhabitants as remain In the region
authorities interesting facts relative to
the preoccupation days.
In their work of removing unsafe
walls and chimneys the Germans still
unearth charred human bones. The
work of destruction was 80 swiftly
done by the Russians that some Of the
r.ople we're unable TO escape from the
town. They fled TO cellars, the fire swept
over them. and they perished. The
confagration was not the result OF bom-
hardment. but of the systematic firing
Of the houses. Hence the town pre-
scr,s an aspect unlike that OF any
other destroyed city ! have seen in
the war area. II Is = gaunt. not q
crumpled ruin.
The walls Of almost every one Of the
hundreds of houses. stores and fac
tories which were burned in this city
OF nearly $4,000 inhabitants still stand.
window panes. doors. floors. roofs and
furniture have vanished In smoke and
fame, but the walls seem az clean and
solid 80 II the builders had just fin
ished them.
In a word. Il was In every instance q
Are set from the inside. usually by
means OF cans OF petroleum.
10000 Made Homeless.
The idea Of the Russians seems to
have been to make the Brest-l.itOvsk
region impossible for occupation by the
Germans. Nothing like that happened.
sixty thousand men. women m chill
dren were driven from their homes, a
PROSPEROUS city was ruined. vital sec
tons Of an important fortress were
blown w. And to what end?
The weather was warm when the Ger.
mans closed in OH Brest. The fire ragged
and the Germans sat down In the fields
and woods around the city until 1t had
cooled. Then they marched in. cleared
away the bpiies Of humans n horses
removed such walls as threatened safe
massage and settled themselves In tn,
citadel. which had not been destroyed
and which made comfortable quarter
whom once II had been cleaned anC
vhitcwashed.
To-day they are so thoroughly at theil
sasa in the ruined city that they fount
me and opportunity to set up rows o.
Venetian masts n wreath them with
evergreen for the King OF Saxony's visi
30 the town.
Why Brest-Litovsk should have faller
without a prolonged siege is still a mat
Ter Il among German officers
since they occupied the town and for
uess they have had ample opportunities
g. study the Russian defences.
The estimates Of German military cx
rer,s are the authority for the state
men, tina, the Russians had used $4,000.
pN0 running meters Of barbed wire In tn
er'anrlemcnts which girdle the inne
fo-s Of Brest in a circumference o
~.ic9ty-iour kiloineters (about mt!
m''osJ and hat 1t required t~wenty-thre'
,-erh trains Of ff,y-fve cars each 4
or,ng IN that amount OF wire.
UcTruc~. Cost Mig sum.
Another .iarniau estimate is that on,
u-tiou Of the Brest defences-the section
pnich Fort kuweijany comprises-mus
fave cost Is. oo0.o 200 marks 'more tina
100000 hy peace time estimates o
~yalucs). exclusive of the cost or IN
ground on which the Notifications stanc
W their explorations of the countr
,ie l;.rm,ns found trains OF burned fla
cars. and in the wreckage OF trucks an
wheels lay cracked and melted field gum
o'her guns dragged out Of the fortres
- rytCuation-an evacuation decide
rrau az n result of the fear that vas
bodies Of Russian troops would be GU
~-were removed TO points where n
doubt they still are useful.
AT this loss and destruction AZ bres
ives support to the assertion or a rus
.ar Niplrt.r IT state hat The Gran
f,.. %.,lolns's order that towns ar,
~ . l,..s I'm front Of the German ad
vance snnurl he destroyed has cost IN
I'm. an Empire not less than S~."OO.ooo
mn rnuhl-s $4,000, 00o. 000p, And agai
70 what end"
no Germans are In the territory an
,N,, IRE comfortable. The RUSSIAN po
.,, that ruined Napoleon has not rune
-, Germans. The reason Is simple. an
'ra' reason H. railroads. The ''ermar
20 -nouer established themselves IN
devastated area than food. timber an
ammunition come promptly TO them fro
Germtuv,
have spoken Of secrets which sue
occupied regions as Brest-Litovsk civ
W I, the invaders. What j mean
''.s.
Tho local merchants and capitalists
10 occupied Russian arca-esperiaiiy
'hov arr Jews or Poles-hecome con
rullcttiye when good relations haN
teDu established between them and II
German invaders.
For example. according 10 the stat
'f4l- hl ln'Ee lll'n, q No1iiiii'S''oh =
Frcuc, officers was in Brest In Octobe
pli, and advised the Russians
strengthen the dofences Of the fortres
tbs was done.
Less than Il year later japanese of
~rs We're in Brcst-Litovsk. n they a.
Nsou "a" Russians to evacuate u
fortress and fail back to Pinsk. Al
til was done
trnft In E~xacuntlOn
r" present Governor of Brest. speal
''g Dc tNe labored English which he en-
poys as a courtesy to correspondent
rom America. said "And-I-think-
dear
-r"ry stupid"
TIE usual eruption Of graft. which Re
IN Russia seem to mind or to consid
. scandal attended the evacuation
81 4 ibl ihltants making an ear
U'puluro before the birning Of the tov
va Infinitely decided upon were pc
United II" AXE their furniture.
Later flgltives were not, except In
lev Instances where the payment OF
trlh" won tho favor OF petty off1ca
when III" Russians a drawn the lin
tsn' a permit to leave the threatens
'owl cost q hundred roubles $500.
"he. tho Germans occupied tho ci
Wey attached to their information b
ttsn several citizens who appeared
oe well disposed. II 1t was a case
uecldirg what citizens could be trust
u r-main IN Brcst these fellow cltize
were asked can this man be trusted
on, yrs,' they would reply. In
.e" GAYS It was That these I