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

~ n mammoth fortified ROCK ana J.,
was through n deserted sac' NV ''
specter Of city under inc Hlan'u'
snow and darkness w" m"toren ia'e ~
the afternoon and drew up Il, inc P"F-
tai Of the citadel. which Is the n""'c
given for the scoop"d-"ut interior VI
the rock
Nerdun. from the days OF the Romans
has been q famous CiIH. In inc 'Hiu"''
Ages n princc-b bishop had his Scat hHr"'
The Constable d" M"rtmnr"n"E' ~ t""
reign Of Henry H.. conquered II Tor
Lrnncc md under Louis XIV. Naubain
fortified il with his peculiar system ~
hus,ions, ravclins and bitches. In mod
srn times. rs the junction Of nv" ran =
WAYS tho meeting piac" "i IN" great
road from Paris eastward ana me
highway which follows the McuS". ina
IT'S location but Il days march. from ;h'.
German frontier and tn" fortress "i
Metz It WIS Il prize most dearly CIV
cled by the German Kaiser.
Altogether There are thirty-slN 20
doubts, Inner and outer. circl!ng Nrr'ihh'
Tho KEY position Is tho citadel. from
which run telephone and telegraph lines
IN the most advanced positions. mere
fore. the flrst thing Colonel DELAY dio
uDnn MY arrival was III exhibit map
showing the chain of concrete ann St'"4
forts before csc"rting m" through thr
citadel Itself The intricncieS pt TN"
systrm If defense wcr" simply barring
10 tho lay mind. and demonstrated ih''
scientific heights 20 which war I'M" "'''n
carried.
Then started walk through III"
ci,,d.,l Imagine III" New York subway
for SAL twenty blocks hr"krn up int"
rjrccs half 4 block long. rlac" III"
nicrcs go :ha; they are inh feet apart.
and cross each other NJ right angles
and YOU have some conception "f IN"
ujau Of the galleries ami what ;hrE look
like Now, ms; e;td OF tracks with trains
running in them, conceive nf tho tunnels
being transformed into stationary
usugc--ronms drawn out IN tn" SsnGlc
dimension Of length. and y"u hav" YER
dun citadel. Their" were bakeries anu
telephone rooms. mess hnlls anu dorn''-
lrri.s engine room and hospital. thea
ter and cCmmissary stores. III TACT
everything that goes to- make up Il culIi-
nlpte army barracks stairs connect IN"
easements with the gun positions above.
but the guns that shoot arr In IN" uth"r
forts.
Enough bread is baked IN IN citadel
10 feed sc, 900 soldiers stationed through
IN" string &c outer forts and in IN" first
line trenches. Eight thousand C"nvcrsa-
lions lake place daily through the
citadel trlrphunr switch board. TIL" daily
sales from the ccmmiSSary stores aver
ar. from. 70. nuN frames - G0.N0n francs.
Thrrr thousand soldiers can sleep her"
and il takes 5nn soldiers Rit"g"th"r /"
operate Il citadel.
.rhc soldicr In charge nf III" engine
runm urnv"d most interesting. II" had
,hrr.. bird cages hung up near E"' boil
crS containing 4 canary and Nv" Themes.
II" aid: MY home was over i'll The city
\ German shell destroyed II s" | brought
inr birds here.
ON i!,r iah" in tn" cnlon"l's room !
snw n volume of poems hy ila"a Eurr"t.
,hc American. lie said HAT II" f"Gh'l
limo Ia read them h"tw"n tn" h"mh:hE
Of the cannon. lie was quit" lame. anu
| learned that only iw" days ago inc
colonel had been slightly injured by IN"
COMMISSION from 4 shell dropped ut tho
worry entrance nr III" CITADEL II appear
cd that the KAISER had visited the Ger
mann lines opposite N"rdun three days
ann and addressed his troops: in his
hnrnr aUi shells were dropped into inc
,.i,v of Vrrtiun during tn" succeeding
tw"n'E-'""r ho"rH. ,,,., ,''' ~ jI.IIn onI
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N''''''"S ~ -" ,,r,,n,, y,,tur If
rl""'N -" " ,r r.r,un dis
it,ulllSii-d in the seventeenth century TOT
h'S 'hl""t' anu "''''' rr .,+,
'"' '"i'h"I, '''"e"' ra.,,I IN tho
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