The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-06-19
President Sees Ruin
 Wrought in Belgium
tContinued from Page 1.)

From time to time the cavalcade halted to permit the visitors to study at close range some piece of destruc-
 ton that was unusually thorough. Newport was the first halt Presi- dent Wilson, who was riding with King Albert, followed Queen Eliza beth and Mrs. Wilson, who descend ed from the next car, and walked through what had been the city of Newport to the rulns of the canal. The only houses that were intact or even habitable were one or two frame shacks which were recently erected for the entertainment of tourists
 From Newport eastward along the old line of trenches to Dixmude, where the lines at one time almost touched each other, the party alighted at one or two places to examine the nature of the trenches. It then went on toward Ypres. All that part of the ride was in an almost deserted country. There were very few refugees and there could be seen little attempt toward retaining the soil.
 It was like a dead country. Here and there a civilian was encountered but always his face expressed seem ing hopelessness. Ypres, however, showed a somewhat greater display of animation. Notwithstanding the terrible destruction wrought there, a few former residents have found their way back and a dozen or more frame buildings have been erected to serve as hotels, restaurants, drinking places and small shops. They reflect the only industry in the place, catering to tourists, both official and unoffi- cial
 A semblance of civil government has been restored in this district, and the burgomaster appeared before the President. thanking him for what America did for Belgium. The British garrison and a number of British nurses added to the crowd that gath cred to welcome the party. The work of salvaging war material on the Ypres battlefield is almost completed, but enough remained to add to the depression of the King and his guests. Scores of battered and broken tanks on both sides of Ypres served to jus tify its characteristic tion as the tank graveyard"
 The party Iunched in picnic style in Holthust Forest. This piece of woods like all others in that zone is but a skeleton of a forest It was well back from the German line In Menin, where the work of destruction was less marked, the people gave the party its first real greeting fo the day. The town was decorated and apparently all the inhabitants were in the streets. The word had gone out that the Kings guests were Pres ident Wilson and his wife, and after this time whenever the party passed through a town it seemed that every man, woman and child was in the streets.
 Schools were dismissed, or the pupils were brought in a body to join in the demonstration. It seemed there was at least eight children for every adult and, although MT. Wilson failed to respond to all the cheers, it was only rarely that he failed to answer the cries of f'Vive L'Aneric- que" and ''Vive President Wilson from the youngsters.
 The visit at Ostend was most in teresting. MT. and Mrs. Wilson were taken out to the Mole, which was broken last April by the British, and from there saw the rusting parts of the hulls of vessels which were sunk in the channel to the sea. At Zee bruggee, Captain Carpenter, former commander of the British battleship Vindictive, which figured in the at tack on the U-boat base and which was later sunk at Ostend, met the party and with Captain NevinS, senior officer, accompanied Mir. Wilson, at the request of the King, explaining how the attack was made.