The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-01-28


played n"trt.rrri e classical. popular
and rnEtiIn" :'"l"rrinus upon Il piano III
| the theatre. IN such fashion did Christ
mas Eve pass quickly until midnieh:
when "rrryh"dy ,hrongcd Ia tho chapel
for tn" opening christmas s"rvicr.. Re-
for" IN" war th" vicar general had been
/ famed ns n El"h"-tr"it"I! lea, sine" III.
first German attack he las nat lrft Yer
dun.
At & o'cl",'li TINS ,n"vnins with thu
colonel :ur 4 1:II.' W, wrrr in :, mill
tLry automobile iiyiur from rhr cIrau.I
in tn" direction "f !h" outer ring l.
l"rtS. am mo- going :" say which f.
doubts were visited nor am gnnIg IN
h''srrIh" th' hig GTu" saw. their size
: ur their hrchaniSinS. ['rnhui;y they mr..
IN" most "H"rtiE" engines al d"Siru"-
: tion In tt" w"rl,I: i5'll"HIiI ..nrh fort
was II reptile" al the underground gal
l"ri"S "f tn" .":tnd'i. less elaborate. ia
SOME instances. yet TEIl" rs snug and
SAFE. The danger lie. IN getting from
on" fort |" an"ih"r. Tor while the re-
doubts ar" competed ny wirrS. th"y Az.
not all linked together with tunnels
W. lid n"i <" INTO IN" forward trenches
whr"' ll'' her.: ii frnnc. were hang
ing "n griml: throughout bitter cold
, Christmas lay.
Taking u commanding position urmn
n prominent knoll from which tn. whul"
panorama 1T N"r'lun WAS Visible, Cot
on! l'"hay told IN" story II I'll" sue
ccSSiN" Tights. tud"ubr"ily N"rduu is
; IN" greatest battlefield m ia. history
at The world. towering oyer both Gctty~-
hurg and Waterloo. H.. Indicated ;hri
lIn'' rf r"dNuhr"
MI tn. Will" thor" w"r. l,rnwl, and
whit" bursts IN every dlr.rtinn H-Id
wat"hful nirrlaiI'S w,r" rlrri:ng IN ihr
Air above. III" 'irrmnm lines w"r,. dis
tin"lly NISih. Til, c',Irn"l .:'pUl;" very
RAPIDLY after Tn" fashion II his rae.
with emphatic gestures. and | got only
a mn" "f what H. said hut from tho
; rhnngin% expression "n his face nj the
vari"IS Stages If ms rr;,lnrIvr knew
when tn" French had l"...n driven lack
AMI when they had r"unt"r-llIark"d
dragging forward ih"Ir M'luv",I seventy
Ilv':-rrntIm"irr guns. \ few y"nrS AMI
, ltark"TS from tn" tourist Hg"hri"A will
he retailing il nil I" plHtu"nS Of sight
Sncrs. liut fr"ru ihc lips Of tho French
colonel cam" history h.furr IL was writ
ten.
Tho lust l;rriEan WAS driven from The
mutrr Ilrf"nSr% If N"rtun in August If
this year. Tho irI""lur is Supr"m"
again "m N" mighty fortress If N-r,lur
= The battlefield. rs saw IT, is Il mass Of
torn and broken ground covered with
. patches of SNOW. Every inch ur tho
, earth had been opened ~ unc tim" rr
another. un"" il WAS a great forest
Now il is II vast cemetery. with Tn"
'irlnrS sill IN guard. determined and
desperately unyirldinG
com" let us go down into tn "ciiy."l
concluded the colonel. w will visit
it's ruins
thurn"d int" 4 broken and dilapidnt,d
ugly thing by tn" pun"iual shells. Suinr
coming Il diStaHr" nj twcniy-SiX Iuil:S
tn" beautiful little city "f Nrrdun stands
today aS the browning achievement At
German culture. Til" hnnds Of The clock
of IN" cathedral in the upper part Of
til" tow7I--an '.dfir" that dates from IN"
eleventh century mark tho hour. 49,"
OH llI" morning of February -. lglG
WHEN III" rain Of iron was ut its height.
'rh" interior If Tn" cathedral is ~ sham +
hlr III stone. brick ana mortar. although
much nf ;ho debris has brcn cleared out
IF the aislrS during III" intermittent
p"ri"d$ of relief from the she'll drop
pi1gs.
W. visited the hish"r's ralnrc anil
thu Grand S"rnInair". with lis Ir"nr-
rnadc Il" IA Roche. adjoining ~ cath"-
dral. All were In ruins
The interior uf the church ~ ST. Sal-
v"ur bnggars description n demolition
scarce furty-ciGht hours old \ 4"G-cni-
,im"t"r she'll had "nt"rrd it's roof and
thu fragments had riddl"d the rows OF
saints upon either side of the p"ws. st.
I'Huf almr" was mnnrkcd and unscratcd-
hr. All If thr others wrrc hatt"r"h
som" torn from their hnseS. others EaSh-
I'd and disfigurrd.
In, 10
Vii" had been entered Ivy n shell -, In"
sam" day III its southeast corner. rip
ping the structure from end In ':nd
Long ago the public library. from which
~, nnn volumes nmd valuable manu-
ycriuts had been removed WAS l"vcied.
I, TN" ti"atr.: On tn" Quail dc In Coincide
overwhelming tn" once. attractive" l'rnmr-
mad, Il" Ia niqur. WAS c"mPlct"
wreck.
In Fact. W. walked along rows and
row srt empty. ruined buildings down
dozens nf deserted strrts piled nigh with
hrnrt-nrhing debris. Once II day Of fW-
600 inhabitants. Fcrdun is an evacuated
scene 81 nlvur. One single citizen. u
member OF tn" city council. lives IN in
| the. place. No one Else" Little was said
during the Inspection pf the dcsOlntl0n
Words were unnecessary. Al n point III
the !'hulurna,lr dr. Ia Roche tho colonel
paused tn indicate n rl"ft mad" ny
CLINT sl"ll which had exposed TO View
! portions Of tn" Qualifications of The old
! Roman city which h"fnrr had not been
! Known tn"xist ny tho present generation.
! II WAS nS it IN" shell nt the German
! Kaiser had found its resting place In tho
| dark ago % whirh Il and It's master he
| long.
| During single week the Germans
| threw five million shells into the region
| north OF the city. which rrojertilcs had
] Il total weight of $1,000 tons. Ono days
| grist In thr city itself was 1926 shells.
| There is enough iron in tho ground near
J Ncr,Iun 20 build 4 railroad fnur times
! across the american continent the