Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-22
PICTURE DRAWN
Of KR|V0LAK IS
NOT ATTRACTIVE
Debarkation Point Of French
Armies a Small UncIean
Village With Little to Re-
deem It's UgIinesS,
Associated Press corrc,pondencr.)

(Associated Press Correspondence.)
krvolak. Serbia, Dec. 25.-krivo-
lax is the debarkation point of the
French armies in the field in the Bal
kan campaign--as village, it is
small and unclean, with more the
character Of Turkish or a Bulgarian
than a Serbian town. There are no
accommodation for anybody. The
railway station, with It's chimney
Knocked down by BULGARIAN shell,
is the most imposing building. TO
the east is the Vardnr, still swollen
with rains. shifting, uncertain. mar
/ row, deep. To the north where the
| Nardar bends in "A westerly direction,
IL what the French call "The English
! bridge '--a pontoon structure for the
! building of which the British army
lent the men and the materials TO
the southeast is a HILL commanding
as an artillery position every nook
and corner of the curve Of the river.
To the north beyond The Vardar is
the key of the whole French position
the mountain of Kara Hodzah.
, Strong as the point Is naturally
and the French Balkan campaign so
far has almost confined Itself to the
tactics of occupying and holding, If
possible. the maximum number Of
strong natural positions---it is open
10 hostile bombardmcnt from the
hills on the opposite shore of the
river a few moments ago half
dozen large calbre shells fell in the
river near the English bridge. Just
now one has fallen on the hillside TO
the southeast of the station Con-
stantly the bridge, the station, and
the railroad are the mark Of llulgar-
ian long range artillery But the
mark is too distant The Bulgarian
ARTILLERY fire generally is excellent,
but 1t lacks the scientific accuracy of
the French and as yet the Bulgars
have no aeroplanes TO verify their
fire, as the French have. So Krivo
lax remains unframed. Shortly the
hills to the east are to be cleaned
of their batteries. Then Krivolak
! will be tranquil.
Single Track Railroad.
The journey from Saloniki to Kriv-
Iolak, by the single track railroad,
seems interminable. Fifteen hours
to do seventY-five miles. The French
complain bitterly that the delay is in
the Greek end of the line. Already
French engineers are double tracking
the railroad from the Greek-Serbian
frontier, north.
There are no fixed train lines Ev-
erything is subserviated to the trans
port Of troops. munitions, supplies.
ION the return journey, it is the trans
port of the wounded.--of armies
needing repair, of empty rolling stock
Of which there is too little There
is but one passenger coach on the
train, crowded with officers charged
with the communications Of the vari-
Gus armies engaged-for the tele-
graph wires are also uncertain--with
sanitary Officers, medical officers,
commissary staff and few civilians
bound for Greek VILLAGES between Sa-
loniki and the frontier. The station
at Saloniki is a military one, cot
pie of miles from the town. in The
midst of fields Towering with the
tents of the British, finally beginning
ia move towards the front.
The train is long--all freight cars
save the one reserved for the more
! distinguished. But almost all of the
freight cars have their human load
as we'll The men sleep on straw on
/ the floor throughout the wearsome
! journey
At Strumtsa station a Serbian of
ficer comes quietly down the cor
ridor. AN lights out" he ordered
From here on the railway is within
range of the enemy. They generally
drop a few at passing trains il they
see them" The order seems super
fluous in view Of the fact that the
car is not provided with any lighting
/ system--or at least any that works.
/ But few men have provided them
selves with candles and il IS these
! that must he extingushed.
! Crossing shaky Bridge.
( Slowly the train approaches lilom-
eter IS where The railway crosses the
Nardar to the side of the 3ulgarans.
| The bridge was destroyed three years
ago in the last Balkan wars ana has
not been properly rebuilt since. The
train creeps across it. The swirling
waters of the Nardar are white in
the moonlight Against a sandhar
the current has washed three black
objects Logs As the trains pass
close to them, those who have looked
out of the train windows see that one
of the black objects ends in II white
oval--a face upturncd to the moon.
The eyes are black Swallowed holes |
The mouth is wide open. A mat of
hair alternately covers and reveals
the wet glittering forehead in time
With the little hackwaters Of the river
from the sand bar
Good God. what are those?"
some of BabounslSy's acouaint- !
ances" says the French officer. Ra- !
bounsky is a Serbian guerilla. He |
has no standing in the laws Of war |
but he isn't a bad sort, and he ad- |
ministers a very rude but a very eff /
fective sort of justice hereabouts. \ |
good many Of the Inhabitants OF this |
part of Serbia are Rulgars YOU know |
and there is no end of spying and |
general hwlcssncss going on Ba- !
hounsky locks after that. A lot of /
Serbs have fled leaving all their hp- /