Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1919-11-06
VOL. XXI.
CKATEAU.TRIERA.

S''' NV
Col. Wade H. Harris, editor of
the Charlotte Observer, now in
France, writes thus interestingly
of Chateau-T -Thiera, WILDLY re-
|ynemberd by many Wataugab boys:
Nm The little French town of Cha.
'feau Thierra, the town which
which American soldiers have
made forever famous in the his
Tory of the great war, will re-
mind the American very much of
the North Carolina town of Fay
setteville, so far as Typographical
characteristics go. TO the east it
has the same rise of hill t h a t
Fayetteville has to the west, and
with like reversal of position it
has the same level stretch of
#plain There are the same excen-
t jcltioS in direction of streets,
water courses meander here and
there and the river Marne flanks
the town in. the same manner
in which the Cape Fear flanks
! Fayetteville. AS a matter of fact,
were the Cape Fear stream of
liquid blue, it would be a fairly
good match for the French river
as it rolls it's sluggish way from
Fayetteville to Wilmington. The
rivers are about the samein depth
and width, differingonly in color.
And again, there is a striking
similarity in the size Of the two
towns. Chatea Thierra is fifty
nine miles distant from Parisand
and the military road connecting
the two places is of such a fair
order that an automobile may
beat the local trains and give the
fast through train a close push.
The section of the town in which
the depot is located was untouch-
ed by the shells of either Allies
or enemy and hard by, across a
broad plaza, is the typical French
hotel which is doing a rush bust,
ness for the visitors who are now
beginning to go that way. 1t was
at this hotel that The Observer
and party were refreshed while
waiting the arrival of the auto
mobiles that were to give them a
turn over the battle fields, and ii
was here that ourcuriosity about
the famous lightwines the French
are known to indulge in at meals
was tested out. A half bottle, or
enough to fill a tumbler, is provi
ded for one franc and % cent?,
mes. 1t is of a very pale pink in
color and tastes like diluted vim.
egar., 1t is needed to the proper
disposition of the meal that goes
with it that consists of two thin
slices of tomato and a string of
something that was a cross be.
tween bacon and kippered her
ring. This was followed by an ex.
cellently prepared fresh fish, af
ter which the guests were serv
ed q turn of the inevitable roast
beef and califiower. Then after
an unfathomable dessert, enough
fruit was passed out to make ;
show for the charge ofsix francs
Very much of the debris tha
was piled up in the streets of thu
town has been removed, but TIN
people are living amongst confu
sed surroundings. In some in
stances fronts which were tori
away have not been replaced
The owners of such property
have simply swept out and re
sumed storekeeping or housellol
ding with curtained protection
Bricks recovered from the ruins
are stacked up by the pavement
and in alleys; roofs are temporarl
" thatched and the streets are
thronged with soldiers, citizens
and visitors. The town hallstand
at the end of a central stree
backed up by the rise whicI
reminds one much ofFayetteville
l,.,