Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-04-16
holland HURT
and HELPED BY
EUROPEAN war
Money Flows Into Little
Country from Her War
ring Neighbors.
ARMY OF 100000
KEPT Modified
Queen Wiihelmina and Subjects Ready
to Offer Desperate Resistance
to Any Attempt at
Invasion.

OF 100000 men, trained TO fine point
since the great war began, its two
defens We water lines and their barrier
fortresses and the formidable coast
guns, Hollands 6,25G,000 brave in
| habitants are ready to offer a des-
pirate and effective resistance to any
enemy
Two things only Holland lacks
ammunition and food.
If cut off from the outside world,
the doughty little state would soon
suffer from lack of coal and iron
mines to supply the industrial needs
of war and from lack of the farm
ing land capable of feeding all he;
people,
No wonder the months since Au
gust 1, 1914, have been worried ones
for Queen Wilhelmina and her a
vise:s. With both England and Ger
many ready to buy almost anything
offered at a high. price. money has
flowed into the Golfers of many
Dutchmen. The shipping companies
have grown rich despite the vessels
lost.
But TO counterbalance his, a great
portion of the male population has
been kept under arms and SO with
drawn from fruitful labor, great tax
levies have been necessitated by the
mobilization, and the constant fear of
embodiment with one or both of the
warning alliances has caused sleep
less nights and restless days.
An attack on Holland from the sea
is almost. impossible. The coast for
the most part is low and sandy with
a great stretch OF shallow water
which prevents large boats approach
ing nearer than half dozen miles.
The few openings at the ports are
protected with cunningly planned
forts, where great guns could pound
hostile squadron to pieces without
themselves being in serious danger.
Unique Defense System.
But the unique features of Hol-
lands defense system is on the land.
If attacked from the East, the Dutch
would almost imme diately abandon
the eastern half of their country. No
large cities stand here, and the land
is of little value compared with the
western half.
Wilhelmina's armies would retire
W hat hAO IL do thC A$CW
Holland Water Line. A stretch of
country starting from the south shore
of the Zuider Zee and extending south
and then west until it reaches the
Holland Deep, just west of the mouth
of the River Meuse Cor Mass. would
be flooded to depth of one foot.
On the west edge OF this gigantic
moat stands line of strong fortresses
commanding it. The only ways across
this moat are roads, ra lway lines and
river banks. These are higher than
the sea level, while most of the land
is we'll below the sea, in some places
as much as 20 feet. All these cause
ways could be raked by narrowing
fire from the barrier forts
The Dutch could flood the country
much deeper. but they do not wish to
dc so. A foot of water prevents navi-
cation even in flat-bottOm boats. 1t
also prove nts wading for several rea-
sons. The ground below the water
becomes soggy mass. in which the
feet sink and are held The country
is cut up with many canals, ponds
and other depressions, into which SOL
diers of an invading army would fall
ana peflSH.f -
The Dutch have plenty of men to
defend this line--for an enemy could
only use few men against them
Even if the enemy, with incredible
labor could build enough PASSAGE
ways across the water line to storm
the defenses in the rear, the Dutch
would not have to yield. They would
then retire to a second and stronger
water line, starting at the same place
as the first and making a great circle
to the westward and northward to
terminate on the Zuider Zee again.
Amsterdam IS about in the center of
this water line.
Dutch ammunition factories have
been working night and day since the
war began, and quite large store Of
shells has been piled up. Large
quantities have also been bought in
Norway, Sweden and the United
States.
The Holland war department has
concentrat It's supplies in four great
centers, one for northern army, one