Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-12-13
COLOGNE BITTER
But Curious to See Ar
my of Occupation
Great Crowds Of Civilians Eager to
Get First Glimpse Of English Tom
mies-Bridse Leading to City Is
EiaborateIy Fortified

/ Cologne, Dec. s, Sunday .-British
! troops today were in possession Of all
! the great bridges across the Rhine
at Cologne as result Of the sudden
and unexpected withdrawal OF GER
man SentriCs from the eastern end Of
! the crossings during the night Brit
, ish solI:ers Yesterday were patrelling
! two-thirds OF each bridge while the
/ Germans were keeping their beats
over the remaining third. About 10
O'clock last night it was noticed that
! the Germans had disc ppeared and in
! Ncstisation showed that they had de-
parted, presumably to rejoin the re-
! firing Teuton army The Germans cut
| the electric wires in the towers of
| their end Of the bridge, leaving the
eastern side in darkness. There was
no other reason for this, according
to army officers. than to cause annoy
! ance to the British if possible. The
| arrival OF Scotch infantry in tie city
! late today caused the greatest excite
ment among the siShtscers as the Kill
| ties swung through the streets beside
| their waiiing h3gpipes. Thousands Of
! folks hastily collected 20 sec the
| strange soldiers i'll skirts OF whom
| Cologne mad heard with unbclieyiEg
! elfs.
So eagerly did the people press for
ward that at times traffic was prac
| tically halted. Certainly for moment
the crowds came as near forgetting
Their hatred T.: the Allies as they mad
at any time in four years Cor the
lliShlanders made a great hit and
drew a SIrIlc to many ha-d faces.
Cologne, Sunday. Dec. Shy The
Associated i'ress) While feeling
considerably grievcd over being I'M
der British rule. Cologne is still eX-
hibitiEg keen interest in the proceed
ings OF the troops of occupation. To-
day being Sunday. thousands of the
people. dressed III their holiday best.
throngcd the streets and wherever
officers or soldiers appeared one could
see great crowds OF civilians eager to
set their first glimpse of the men in
khaki. Ii was the same sort Of Gu
riosity which might be seen in almost
any large city. 1t drew the people
about the enemy troops, and even
though there might be bitterness in
the Germans hearts. the uncontrol
able inQuisitiveness of the inhabitants
won over all else. The crowds eXhib
tied no hostility and in some cases
! were inclined to be friendly.
Traffic of all sorts is now passing
over the bridges across the Rhine, es-
pecially over the big Hohenzollern
bridge which reaches street car lines
and has massive towers at the ends.
This bridge was found to have been
deliberately prepared for defense.
From the design of the towers they
appear to have seen built with steel
shutters through which were loop
holes. The western end of the bridge
is a veritable fortress which is now
being occupied by British soldiers.
whose machine guns dominate both
the bridge and the road to the cathe-
dral. Almost under the InuZZles OF the
rapid firers stands mammoth ques-
TRAN statues of former Emperor Will
liam and Prince Bismarck. The troops
guarding the bridge were the first to
cross the Rhine and also fired the
first shot in the war for Great Brit
ain and Belgium and killed the first
German accounted for by the British.
Cologne presented a decided holiday
air with throngs in the streets crowd
ing the passage ways. The stores are
offering a great assortment of goods
and their brilliantly lighted windows
might be those of any other big town.
The British troops will probably move
still further forward eastward from
Cologne on Tuesday.