Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-06-10
AREA OF OCCUPATION
Ienoir Boy Describes Things AS He Sees Them In
Germany.
Young Frank Grst at Coblenz With the American Army
of Occupation, Has Been Noticing Ihlngs as lhey
Appeared in the Country Surrounding.

a 12-inch gas pipe line. Also on one
side is about five feet of space rallied
off for pedestrians. There is vehicle
traffic on this bridge. About 15o
feet from either end there are bases or
pillars setting about one-fourth or the
rivers width from each bank. These
two pillars support steel arch about
800 feet long. The pillars are built
at least so feet above the surface or
the track on the bridge and are looked
upon as a very fine piece Of workman
ship by the average observer. as they
are finished on the top in very ar
tistic castle-like manner About 10
feet from the top on both sides OF these
two pillars are three windows about
two feet high and three feet long. The
openings slope inward into the struc-
ture a distance of about three feet and
leave an opening Of about six inches
by two feet. Quite thick wall for
artistic ideas, isn't It?
There were two other fellows along
with me, and as there was door open
in one Of the pillars I suggested that
we go in and look around. We had
to Jump over hand railing, which was
very easily done. and then cross the
two railroad tracks on the bridge
This done, we entered, and about the
first thing in sight was a steel circu-
lar stairway. Being sightseers. we
went up the stairs and found very
spacious room in the place where the
windows above described were, also
several little anterooms. and when we
looked in them we found they contain
ed several German army barracks
beds. BY this time conditions were
becoming more interesting and upon
making more thorough observations
we came to the conclusion that the
pillars that we had admired from be-
low for their artistic touch were moth
ing more than German hells built for
machine guns.
When we came down after about 80
minutes we found German in uni
from sitting in a little room opposite
where we entered the pillar, and as one
of the party could speak German he
got into conversation with him and
learned that he had been in the en-
ployment of the imperial German
government as watchman on this
bridge for 10 years Che is now though,
serving your Uncle Sam), and he told
us that before the armistice was sign
ed there were 26 German soldiers in
this tower with machine guns. The
tower near the opposite end of the
bridge was also armed and manned
in the same manner.
There are many forts along the
Rhine and minor fsrtifcations all over
Germany. 1t was these things, no
doubt, that got it into the heads Of
the Germans to be Huns. but I do not
think that will last much longer, as the
civilized world is about to put the
finishing touches on something that
people who proved themselves bar
barians started.
The American army Of occupation is,
useless to say, very homesick. The
main question is, when are you 60
ing home" and If the reply is made in
way that would not mean pretty
soon" you can see long faraway look
in his eyes. But if the fellow who is
answering the qestion has some hopes
of going back to Gods country" in a
short while he generally smiles from
ear to ear and makes such a joyful re-
ply as when l get behind the Statue
Of Liberty again she will have to do
an about face to look in my eyes" 1t
is very plain that the men Of this
mans army" will be better home
lovers" when we come home than
we ever could have been. in any other
way. I will, for one, know.
A great many nen in the army of
occupation do not get much reason
for the u. S. army Staying in Germany
at the present time, but it is as nee
essary for us to have big armed
force in Germany today as it was nee
essary to send our greatest to France
in the past two years. If there Is any,
one who doubts the necessity of send
ing such an army to Europe when we
did he is either plain damn fool or
| is absolutely ignorant.
Suppose that the forces of America
and the Allied powers should succumb