The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-31
FRENCH REFUGEES
FLOCK TO HOLLAND
Almost 5000 Arrived From
Valenciennes, Douai and
Other Towns Friday.
FOOD DEPOTS AT BORDER
Fugitives Had Been on Road
From One to Two Months
Weaker Ones Died.
FOOD DEPOTS AT BORDER

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 80 (delayed) When
the German retirement In Belgian F1an-
ders began 1t was expected that 100000
refugees would seek safety in Holland.
Up till Saturday night however. only a
small fraction Of this number had ar
rived. At that time about 1000 had
passed through the wire gates marking
the Dutch Belgian frontier. On Friday
alone 1896 arrived. All but thirteen
valenciennes, Douai, Cambria and Ques-
noy.
There is no congestion, as In 1914,
when the mass of refugees from Belgian
threatened to overwhelm the hurriedly
organized bands OF willing helpers.
This time the stream began to trickle
IN slowly. At first several hundreds ar
rived each day, but the number has now
increased to thousands However. there
has been time to organize at all frontier
centres OF the Dutch provinces of Bra
bant and Limbourg food depots In
charge of committees cooperating with
the Dutch Red Cross. Doctors and
nurses also were sent to the border, and
they are being assisted by Sisters OF
Mercy from the converts in the southern
provinces of Holland.
Two Main streams.
30 far there have been two main
streams. some thirty miles apart One
point Of entry is where the Dutch prov
inces Of Brabant and Limbourg meet
and the other is across the Mouse River
into Maastricht. the capital of Limbourg
province At these points the fugitives
are registered by the military authori-
ties and must undergo a physical exam
tnation.
The spectacle of the weary. travel
stained war victims toiling through the
mud and rain was moving and the suf-
ferings Of the old and infirm men.
women and children on the $50 mile
tramp were intense. Most of the French
civilians had been on the road a month,
others six weeks or two months. All
the French spoke Of the kindness of the
Belgian people, who shared their food
with them.
On the passage the refugees slept at
night on the bundles they carried. The
motley professions consisted OF all
classes and a remarkable number OF
grandmothers of so or 80 braved the
Indictment weather in wheelbarrows
pushed by the more able bodied.
Some Travellers succumb.
much for some Of the travellers. The
weaker ones died on the way and few
others succumbed soon after reaching
the hospitable soil of Holland. Many
of the refugees are suffering from grip
and bronchial affections.
To distribute the fugitives in Holland
the Government last week ordered the
Burgomasters of Deventer, Assem-, Zut-
phen and Anthem and other provincial
towns further north to arrange to ac-
commodate refugees to the extent OF 2
per cent. OF the populations OF the towns.
To these centres the fugitives are now
being taken, on fourteen special trains,
each carrying 1000 persons.
The French Minister at The Hague
has been investigating the possibility OF
repatriating the refugees to France
through the liberated section OF Belgium.
but the plan il not yet feasible as
bridges have been blown up and the
railways and tramways are In no condi-
ton for use. Meanwhile scheme Tor
repatriation by sea is being considered.