The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-04
TRIP ON BALKAN
EXPRESS DESCRIBED.
This is Through Train Run
ming From Berlin to
COnstantinOple

London, August 0.-(Correspondence OF
the Associated Press.)-An American who
recently made the journey from Berlin
to Constantinople on the celebrated Bal
kan Express writes the following letter
OF the trip to the London Times
Twice a week a train of seven cars
pulls into Berlin. 1t is labeled in foot
high letters throughout all it's length
'Balkanzug.' This is the much lauded
Berlin Constantinople Express which
conveys military officers and officials to
and from the Turkish capital.
THE obtaining of a permit to travel
on the Balkan Express is matter OF
extreme difficulty. Every passenger.
after a thorough examination, is pro-
vided with train ticket like a passport.
which, in fact, it really is 1t bears the
portrait OF the traveller and all particu-
lars of use to the police and the military.
The particulars are written in German
| and Turkish. The train is a Turkish train
when it is in Ottoman territory, but i'm
| mediately it leaves it becomes a Ger
| man train. All the train attendants are
German.
with characteristic thoroughness the
Teuton has effaced all the notices that
were printed in English or French. For
tH6 UOLlCeS as TO not air Tor the
heaters which hitherto were printed in
English, French and German, have been
altered. the English and French being
BACKED out and q Turkish translation
added All through the train there are
| notices warning the travellers as to talk
ing of military matters and suggesting
that spies arc everywhere.
las the train passes through the va
rious countries along the route the popu-
immpnSalV n cd
are short, none larger than 20 minutes:
at Dresden only seven minutes are al
lowed. Passengers may not leave the
station, but are expected to keep to the
platform. For the most part the travel
ers are German and Austrian officers
and officials, but few Turks use the
train for journeys as far even as Ber-
lin where now the tarbush may be seen
in the Streets
Running through Servia the most i'm
pressive signs of the German occupation
were the encampments of the troops
alongside the permanent way. There are
| huge notices up at all stations warning
the inhabitants to keep away from the
| railway. No one is allowed on the plat
forms because the whole country is still
| infected with typhus, and there has to be
the most rigorous supervision for this
reason. All along the line may be seen
the trenches and the rusty k4fssd wiEs
entanglements that tell Of NN= lighting
| months ago. AT each little fortified q
campment German soldiers have planted
vegetable gardens over which may be
read the legent Kriegsacker (war gar
DEM. There were no signs of their hav-
ing planted any wheat or grain.
| Through Servia nearly all the bridges
| OF any size had been destroyed, at least
! partially Often whole spans had been
blown out. In many cases the Germans
had replaced these. moving them bodily
| to their old positions. In some of the
other bridges, where the Orders and way
were SO badly damaged as to defy repair
! temporary bridges on wooden trestles has
| been built. These structures may serve
| during the summer season, but they
could not stand even a moderate flood.
The work, therefore, still goes on, and in
| time the old bridges will be reconstructed
| "A whole day is spent in the journey
| through Bulgaria.
Along the whole line from Berlin to
Constantinople and even down into Syria
there are thousands of Belgian railway
| cars. These are easily recognizable, for
| they still have the Belgian marks on
them To these the imperial cipher and
| the eagle have been added. Troops are
on the move in Bulgaria, as elsewhere
but they seem to be mostly away from
the line of the Kalkanzug. There is not
the briskness that is evident Immediately
one enters Turkish territory. At Adrian
| ople there are signs of great activity