The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-09-16
MASTS OF SHIPS
were STICKING
UP OUT OF WATER
Herbert Flint Sees German
Victims in Havre HarbOr.
Outer Waters Infested with
Wrecks of Boats.
All RIISlNESS FOR THE WAR
Nothing But Determination on
Part of the Allies.
State Journal Correspondents
Account of War Sights.
Outer Waters Infested WIN
Wrecks of Boats.
ALL BUSINESS FOR THE WAR
Nothing But Determination on
Part of the Allies.
State journal Correspondents
Account of War Sights.
BY HERBERT FLINT.
Estate Journal Special Correspondent
in EurOpe.)


rondon Aug. Swell, here I am
IN london after receiving the hrst reaI
thrill I've had so far. This came WheH
7 crossed the Channel from 1aVfe 70
Southampton on the night OF August
rolled into Havre about $3.50 the
ax,anir0 If August 4. expecting TO take
a boat about 1890 that night. l I0uno
the woods simply running full OF ENG
lish Tommies-a welcome SCUM es
we'll as sight, you bet, after trying TO
make out the French jabber Tor
month. and outside the CITY saw
great camps of Tommies, Tor TINS Is d
great place for landing troops from
across the Channel
Rut as you know, there YVES Ter
man submarine operating in the Chah-
mel the day before 1 got to HaVre, anu
the survivors of one ship We're !andeo
there. So 1 was delayed a whole Gay
in HaVre while the English cleared inc
Cbannel started out the morning or
the 5th to see what could see. ABOUT
thu first thing l ran onto was cap
tured German submarine lying IN Inv
harbor near my Channel boat IL was
an uglv but very business-like looking
fish about sixty feet lorg, ana seemed
10 have seen a good deal of service:
French mechanics were climbing all
over and into it and tearing It apart 10
see how the critter worked, but When
looked ont toward the outer harbor l
There about mile from the sheltered
harbor proper 1 could see seven OF
eight rnasts barely sticking up out OF
the water-evidence of the work OF
nerhaps this very boat early IN the
war The outer waters We're SIMPLY
infested with wrecks, and in the inner
harbor I could also make out a Dig
boat with "a gaping hole in It's sioe
that had evidently been raised ana
brought in for repairs.
"a
idea of the naval side of this war that
1 have yet seen.
Red Gross Liners.
lust across from where I stood were
two great Atlantic liners made over
into Red Cross hospital ships; Thcy
were handsome big fellows with row
of green lights extending their entlre
length and a big red cross in the mid
die, so that when they made their
nightly passage they could be recog-
nized for miles as acknowledgements.
Next to these were three transports
loaded to the guards with troops,
freshly arrived that morning from
England.
could family hear from time to
time the chorus of Keep the Home
Fires Burning" and '"Tipperary as
the men waited for breakfast.
Then, of course, during the day, !
saw battleships and destroyers and
any amount of smaller commercial
craft There was also a seaplane sta
ton on the wharf. And at the narrow
harbor entrance 1 could just make out
a long line of black buoy-floats, indi-
eating the presence Of net OF mines
closing the harbor. Late in the day a
small boat went out and cautiously
pulled this barrier back and traffic
was resumed--the coast was clear
again.
Saw German Prisoners.
I also got a glimpse at real German
prisoners for the first time at Havre
Here they suddenly appeared down the
main street. about five hundred or
them, dressed in the regulation heavy
boots dirty war-worn uniforms, and
the odd little round rimless hats they
wear in the trenches. L stepped up to
within twenty feet of the marching
men and took good squtnt at them.
They seemed to rue in every way first
class fighting nen-healthy, of aver
age size, and intelligent looking. IN
fact, 1 thought L spotted couple OF
university professors in the lot. They
did not seem at all downhearted, but
rather were inclined to grin good
deal and joke among themselves as
they swung along at a half goose-step,
paying less attention to their guards
than the guards paid to them, which
was almost none at all, it seemed to
me.
Well, our boat suddenly decided to
try the passage about 1890 the night
of August 5. 1 carried my baggage be-
low, looking for a stray berth.
Lantern as a Light.
The boat was simply jammed-and
swhen 1 got on deck again. cropping my
sway about N the all but Stygian dark
ness, 1 found the lights of Havre dis
appearing behind me. Our little boat
was extremely fast, making at least
twenty-five miles per hour. Our only
Hight was small lantern on the stern;
Indeed, we on deck were given orders
not even to light a match. AS "a
Further preo aution, the boat constantly
sailed a ziz-Zag course. About five
snileS out of Havre black object sud
denly passed between us and light
tbuoy-the ether channel boat arriv-
ing from Southampton, we guessed.
Ahead of US, just before l went below
to get some sleep, saw two big hos
pital boats, blazing green from end to
end, and cloven in the middle by a
bloody red cross-at once handsome
and terrifying sight, for we knew they
were loaded to capacity with wounded.
slept the sleep of the sinful that
night, and when I crept on deck just
as dawn began to break, the boat was
swinging quietly off the south end of
Southampton waters awaiting a pilot
TO take us in. After another hour OF
miles of shipping, battleships and
patrol boats, we entered the mouth
of Southampton harbor proper. while
two small row boat it the mine
field for US, and was in England.
Business of War.
By noon I was in London. Natur-
ally I am still contrasting France and
England, to the detriment of the lat
ter The first thing l noticed from
the train was that all England seemed
10 be nothing but a park. In place
of the fields of grain right up to the
+railroad, which | had ssh between