Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-29
Stories of the War
From Berlin to .Co1stantinonEs.

An American who recently made the journey from Berlin to COnstantinoDle on the celebrated Balkans express writes the following letter of the trip to the London Times:
 twice a week a train of seven cars pulls into Berlin. IL is labeled in foot high letters throughout all it's length 'Ha!kanZug.' This is the much-lauded rlin-COnstantinople express, which conveys military officers and officials to and from the Turkish capital
 'The obtaining of permit to travel on the Balkan express is a matter of extreme difficulty Every passenger, after thorough examination, is pro- vided with a train ticket like q pass port, which in fact 1t really is It bears the portrait of the traveller and all particulars of use to the police and the military. These particulars are written in German and Turkish. The train is 9 Turkish train when it is in Ottoman territory but Immediately 1t leaves it becomes a German train. All the train attendants are German. With chaTaCt Cteristc taorCUghness the TeutOn has effaced all the notices that were printed in English or French. For instance. the notices as to hot air for the heaters which hitherto were printed in English, French and Ger man, have been altered, the English and French being blacked out and Turkish translation added. All through the train there are notices warning the travellers as to talking of military mat ters and suggesting that spies are everywhere.
 As the train passes through the various countries along the route the pOpulaCe is intensely interested. The stops are short, none longer than 20 minutes; at Dresden only seven min utes are allowed. Passengers may not leave the station, but are expected to keep to the platform. For the most part the travellers are German and Austrian officers and officials, but few Turks use the train for journeys as far even as Berlin, where now the tarbush may be seen iR the streets. Running through Siberia the most impressive signs of the German Cccu- patton were the enCampncntS of the troops alOnkside the permanent way. There are huge notices up at all sta tiOEs warning the inhabitants to keep away from the railway. No one is al lowed on the platforms 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 barbed wire entanglemenIS that tell of the fighting months ago. At each little fortified encampment German soldiers have planted vegetable gardens over which may be read the legent, 'KriegsaCker CWar Garden). There were no signs of their having planted any wheat or grain.
 Through Serbia nearly all the bridges of any size had been destroyed, ct least partially. Often whole spans had been blown out. In many cases the Germans had replaced these, mov- ing them bodily to their old positions In some of the other bridges, where the girders and way were so badly damaged as to defy repair temporary bridges on wooden trestIes had been built These structures may serve dur ing 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 recon structed.
 "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 recog- niZable, for they still have the Belgian marks on them. To these the Imperial cipher and the eagle have been ad- ded. Troops are on the move in Bull garia, as elsewhere. but they seem to be mostly away from the line of the BaIkanzug. There is not the brisk ness that is evident immediately one enters Turkish territory. At Adrian ople there are signs of great activity"