The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-08

your eyes ana nave any lQed WHAT
they look like? No, | can't say
that / can either, for of course they
wouldn't take me as a soldier and
so | have never crossed the Allan
tic But they are simply, or | don't
suspect they are very simple, since
they have to be built so very
strong, but at any rate they are
great banks which are built up to
prevent those little countries,
whose borders are below the level
OF the ocean, from being flooded
over by the waters of the ocean
and the rivers that are near it.
DO you remember reading the
story of Peter and the bikes, which
tells the story of brave little boy
who was going home one evening
when he saw a tiny leak in the
bikes, and then he stopped it up
with his hand and stayed there all
night until some one came and
found him, and SO he saved all that
part of the country from being
flooded?
Well, back in 1914, they saved
the lives of the people of these lit
tie countries by doing something
entirely different to their dikes. 1t
was On the 25th of October and
things weren't going so very well
for the Allies and it looked as ii
their battle line would be broken
Before that time there had been
heavy rains and the little river
User was trimming full. The Bel
gians decided to take the last re-
sort to save their little country
SO they went to work and soon
damned the lower part of the User
canal And on the morning of
October %, the User river over
flowed into the fiat meadow lands
that lay around it. The Germans
tried to keep in the few dry patch
es, but their guns became water
logged and they couldn't do much.
Then the Germans built what they
called table tops" which were
just great broad planks on which
they floated across the parts where
the water was deeper.
Then the Allies opened up great
holes in the bikes all around that
part of the country, and there are
lots OF them, which made the mud
dy brown waters of the User pour
forth in great waves. This deSper-
ate attempt succeeded in stopping
the Germans, and so their attack,
that a few days before hod looked
SO dismal to the Allies, had failed.
In the northern part of France is a
pretty little French city. 1t is a
very old little Flemish town, and
once was the center of the wool
trade of picturesque Flanders. The
name of 1t is Ypres. The
Cloth Hall is one of it's most i'm
portant buildings and dates back
TO the 18th Century.
Very few towns of it's size can
boast proud history. Sand
ing as it does on the tiny stream
Yperlee, it has seen many interest
ing things happen in the long years
of it's life. 1t has been the scene of
uGeuS tutl WSlc NCIy AmpOI (oAl "
the British as well as to the
French. But poor little Ypres!
This last war has given the little
city very, very hard blows.
Ypres was on the way of all the
main routes of travel. The Ger.
mans were anxious to get it in their
hands. So in the latter part Of
April, 1915, a battle right in the
vicinity of Ypres was seen to be
coming soon. The Allies line was
made up of the French and the Ca
nadians, and in fact this battle,
called the second battle of Ypres is
always associated with the Cana
dams, for the great courage they
showed during this battle. Prin-
cess Pats regiment was among the
Canadian regiments stationed here.
DO you remember her picture that
was in the Junior last week?
About midnight of April %, the
fighting began. Almost immediate
ly there came a strange, sickly
smell of gas, which grew and grew