The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-07
CRyMRLING WAR
"a " - MACHINE EVIDENT

Rrurss. Belgium, Nov. by courier
-. par,sS-~fpeIaved.) -~- The Ger
mans. retreating before the conquei
inr BeIrians. left behind plennful ~
danec of the cruribltng OF thelF We,
machine. evidences when Sho" ne ne
this machine is now falling apart pe-
fore the assaults OF the aiiies oe'"eS''
the North Sea and the Meus"' -
The still fresh hattl"felds an me
~,,y from ypres IL BruEes, fought
ever during the last two weeks are
uttered with wreckngs7 Of Luden-
aorfrs beaten armies. Ammunition
dumps are still smoking Tnere ~
huge piles OF German suppnes iel'
intact. half demolished aerodrornes'
and uncounted dollars worth 1T sheet
steel. trackage and fodder
Accompanying Some Belgian ON
Gers. rode today through seven y :
Ave miles OF territory where .she o. !
h,ood soaked terrain along the 1pres
canal merges with the new battle
grounds from which the Germans
have been driven since october.
First we passed through some
localities near Bru%es where German
graves mark the site OF tire Ger m
ixfrnpCholds Of ter GAYS ago, = nv
sudden transition from the unsecured
outskirts Of Bruees into the desert o!
tsN new hattlefields around Thofohf
was like a boundary between gar
den and city DUMP.
Two l.iometers north of Thorout
she'll holes terin 10 mark the pee'
neidS. testifyinr- Ia the steady drench-
iry h,. y atgieT rams. With regular
fnte-vafe wenty feet stretches a
line Of he giant footprints, occasion :
Ally souarely smashing house OF
ahattering n huge tree.
Here the German rear guard 'rleo
Aesperately 10 hold up The BeiFlah
waves while Rruges was hetng eVacu'
ated. In the outskirts OF IhoFou'
vartiv demolished aerodromes mar
Fhe flying base. whence airplape at
tacks against Dunkirk and caialf
we're launched during four bitter
wears. Thorout is only half Gemoi-
ished In q nearby village we saw a
crowd before store where the BEL
rian relief commission Is now WORK
ing distributing food.
I'm I,snrcrnarck and Poelcapeile the
war desert grew more stern. fiei'
the track Of the retreat was noft
cluttereA There are no trees save
occasional blasted stunps; no villages
except mounds Of bricks, name pos,
ed on a eign-board at the cross"roaas
ms often German rs English
~ Indrf the gray NNF 'ifN
stretches Unfortunately, pitted ~
water-filed shell holes and hum
mocks, with iron-roofed dugouts II
between. Everywhere there arr
graves. come of them fresh, with un
rustei helmets hanging from woodef
crosses. others the relics OF battles
fought early in the war.
Splash Of Cold.
A startling splash of gold IN thl'
dreary expanse is furnished by Ger
man graveyard in which each gra''
is planted closely with marigoids
AS we were approaching fpres
which was again under FIRE during IN
last week Of September, when IN
great Flanders push began. we say
many mud -crested monsters rea
from the march along the road. the
were British tanks stuck in the MIR
or struck by. heavy shells,
Then we reached Roulers. Wei
rome, Brave Soldiers," reads a rougl
arch over the main street. through
which shows the church that was ono
thu nride of the town. now reduce'
70 Z brick heap. The town was pom
harded by the Germans and was IN
ecene Of heart-breaking house to
hcuAe combat In which men du'
through walls to get nj each other.
Yeti saw children sliding down tn