The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-01-08
/, {, ENGINEERS MAKING
RUNE D BELGIUM NEW
Resourcefu Skill Of Americans Establishes Railroad from
Bruges to Brussels-Devastation OF Roads Almost In
describable- German Stock Captured.

To Essen workmen. Things arc so FAR
advanced that three trains arc now
running daily each way between Ost"nd
and BruGes Tho service is still pri'ni-
tive and tentative. but remarkably
punctual.
Belgian Grit Praised
The most extraordinary triumph. how
ever. Of Belgian grit and the resource
full skill Of the army railway engineers
IS established by the SinEie-track con-
rection with RruEcs and Brussels via
F.ecloo. Client. Trrmonde and MallneS
Throughout She greater part OF the
route especially tn" E"cloo-Terrn"nd
section. tho permanent way. sidinEs,
cuiEcrts. bridges. s!Sna-S. station build
ings and other railway works hav" been
wrecked out Of all recognition by the
rstrcating Germans. y clue TO the
method by which this devastation was
wrought may be seen in tn" large un-
exploded land mines lying sing!y or in
pairs in the bitches and hedges every
50 or 100 yards along the caStcrnmost
sections Of tho track. Some are rusty
and Undiscovered: others still preserve
their gray war paint. with green and
black lettering AS these lie most thick
~ just OFT Of Trcmonde, many wcre
probably dug up again by the Germans
themselves after The conclusion OF tho
armistire.
But from Eecloo through Client. es-
pecially the important suburbs Of
Ghentbrtlggc and I.cdeberE. 10 Schclle-
heile. where the lines "a Ternonde and
AloSt diverge. the mines have done their
work with an effective in many cases
with malvol"nt dcstructiv"ness, which
is hard 20 parallel anywhere in the war
area. The whole permanent way IS
rent and pitted. tn" rails are broken
and spl:ntnred like rotten wood. OF
twisted Xix. wirs INTO every imaEina BILE
contnrti ion. in some places sticking up
right. in others sRrawling apart. ard in
others again flung into The adjoining
fields. Tho tall iron latt;co-work sig
nal mastss hav" fallen in their racks
all ben, ana broken. and tn" equally tall
iron electric light standards have also
been brought down cverywhcr", while
for long sections the double telegraph
poles have been fcl!cd with some in
strumcnt az precision.
Bridges Are Wrecked.
Tho whole track is Uttered with shat
tered fishplat"S ticplatcs. nuts. bolts.
screws. insrlators. and seemingly mex
tricablc festoons OF wire. Signal boxes
engine houses and goods depots are
either reduced To heaps OF powdered
brick or mere Stoves Tho bridges OVER
the Srhnldt and other rivers and canals
for III" most part Il" IN broken sections
n tho water whence they emerge end
wise. while the overhead bridges have
suhs:d"d bodily across the track, and in
Some cases 'hc macadarn roadway dips
down at an angle o! IS degrees.
Through this painless waste. working
day and night III" Brlg AN engineers
have carried their single track to
Brug"s apd Brussels. The wrnckagc has
been hauled aside. new Sle"pcrs laid, cui-
v"rts repaired. temporary bridges rig
god. and wh"r" necessary. a passage cut
clean through the ruins Of tho fallen
arches. The line still looks and feels 4
bit wavy, but tr!umphanriy bore today
The weight of a train Of sntnc thirty
coaches - Nil varieties which IN" en-
gincS OF the Rclglan army now pulled.
now pushed at Il walking pace TO its
destination
Wiz TWO slight hr,lkdowns. ut Ma
lines apd outside brussels. tn" Who'll"
Journey occupied about fourteen hours
The success Of this plucky experiment.
coupled with the equally successful rr-
opening Of the connection with Paris
deserves every communication. It ~ sat-
.Ssactory n learn that German prison.
rrs az" bong sent Ia III" User district
10 wort: GA tho railway. and H. IS hoped
that their labor will o." largely employed
whrr"v"r els" III" i;"rn!an genius Cor
instruction has been HC';|". In view
"f ~" we'll known German irup"ns;ti"s.
tn" Strirt"si inquiry Sh"'ih h" mad" into
III" plea t.: military il"C'$S''% behind