El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-02-16
BRITISH ARMY
RESTORES KUT
Scene of Townshend s
Heroic Stand Was for
Months City of Dead.

Kut Mesopoiamia. Feb. IS CORES
pondence Of The Associated Press -
This city. the scene OF the British
Mesopotamian army's greatest re-
verse. after lying for many months a
city of the dead. abandoned by even
its native population. has gradually
been rebuilt In the past six months.
and is now a thriving town Of nearly
as great population Is IN days OF
peace.
Il was too important a center to be
neglected. It was a link between the
Euphrates and Persia. and according
y. after Il had been deserted for more
than two months. q British officer ar
rived here 10 take charge Of the work
OF reconstructinE Il.
The first thing to DO was TO clean
the place. The debris was dumped
cut OF the house into the streets; the
accumulated filth was buried or
burned. the bsrricades were pulled
down. the dugoUts and trenches were
filled up
Baznars Are Rebuilt.
An imposing cJlonuade bazaar was
built along the river bank. A begin
some retail shops for the builders.
who for a long time were the sole
population. Skilled masons, natives
who had been employed by the Ger
mans In connection with the 5agdad
railway, were collected and set to
work They rebuilt and reroofed the
old bazaars. widened the old streets
and built new ones. repaired the
mosques, the baths and the ice fac
tory, put new engines into the flour
mill, and converted the fats and
shoals In the middle Of the Tigris into
vegetable gardens.
Though still partly In ruins. Kut
today is a cleaner and better town
than ever before in its history Most
Of the people are back again behind
thronged. And the people are more
prosperous than ever. for there Is
abundant labor for everybody In the
neighborhood Some OF the promi
nenf people OF the town will never
come back Eight Of them. Including
the sheikh and his sons. we're hanged
BY the Turks. and 40 others we're
shot
The house which Gen. Townshend &C.
cupied during the siege has been re-
paired. but the roof and balcony are
stu pitted with shrapnel- Seven shell
holes have been filled with plaster.
The memory OF the general and Of his
principal Officers survives in the
names OF the new streets. There is
ToWnshend road. DELI main road. Meliss
menfs are recorded in Dorset rOad.
Norfolk street and Mahrat tia Row Ev-
cry associa ton in the nomenclature
Of the Kut Is reminiscent Of the men,
cry Of its former defenders.
Turks Respect the Graves.
Especially the cemetery. The long
drawn agony of the garrison which
fought and endured here so stsunchly
to the edge OF starva tion makes one Of
tie most tragic stories In British mil
itary history Nearly 1900 soldiers OF
tie British army died OF wounds and
disease during the siege. and are
enclosed BY a mud wall with a few
starved palms in Il, and hueless feso-
iation all sround-buf thet Is Meso-
potamia- The Turks dug trenches all
around the cemetery. but they re-
Epected the graves
Volunteer parties Of blue5ackets
from passing Eunb0ats have landed |
which are as c'ean-cut and neqt now
as in an English churchyard a hr OK
vail IL neing built around the enclos-
ure. The place Is CRASHES, II Is true
bit the sOmber aspect will disappear
when water is brought to the land
and the scrub palms are fertilized
and cared for
Three miles below Kut Is the only
snemy relic In the neighborhood. an
Dbelisk put up BY the Turks IN COM
nsemoratso n Of the fall Of Kut II is
kind Of CIeopafra Needle on a sduare
plinth. al OF kiln-dried brick p'astered /
DTer An cd converted British --cnw-
gun" stands as a trophy IN each side l
Dne OF the guns has tumhled forward !
and the plaster and brick are already /
Erum bling. The monument was never