Norwich bulletin., 1922-08-05

, work of repairing is steadily going on, tradesnen working twelve hours a day'l because of the scarcity of labor. It will
 be years before the work is completed. Visited the Hindenburg Line
 On July 9th, there was heavy rain I storm but undaunted we started out
 from Rheims up the old Roman road to
 the Hlndenburg line. In the distance
 was the hill held by the Germans, and all
 about us we saw the horrible desolation of war which became more in evidence
 as we neared Hill No. 1O8 held by the
 French. Where Hill No. 10S once stood, today there is miniature volcano 1 crater, for it was here that the Ger l mans tunneled beneath the French hold ing the hill and blew up the hill with l high explosives, causing the death of over 900 French soldiers No attempt has been made to smooth out this hill 1 which will always be a memorial All I about us now were trenches, dugouts, and
 evidence of the terrific contest waged over these very fields We were now on the famous Hindenburg Line. Nothing 1 has ever been done here to clear up the refuse of war or to blot out the devas- tation. As far as the eye could see were trenches dugouts and twisted lines of barbed wire which the Germans held
 impregnible to the Allied armies It was mass of tunnels, shell holes, and
 craters where big shells had done their deadly work It looked as though it would be impossible to repair the land
 here for crops. This famous line is
 never to be removed and cleared up, but
 will be left for memorial purposes, but another five years will see all other lands cleared and fit for tillage. All morning long we followed through the trenches, or rode beneath the brench-
 es of dead trees that once were beautiful shade trees, many of them over 100 z years of age.
 At noon we arrived at Soissons which was almost on the line during the war and as crucial point was twice taken by the Germans and almost entirely destroyed. Here the people were at work restoring the city and clearing away the tons of ruined houses, but il | will take years to complete the work ! and wipe out all vestiges of war. 3 On Marne Battlefield
 5 In the afternoon we continued On to. s wards Paris and were soon on the scene Q of the battle of the Marne where $50 .00C r French soldiers were killed during tha e terrific struggle, and the Germans suf r feted even a greater loss of manpower
 In this region were French, English ant e Italian cemeteries all well kept Ancu t us was open country, fields having beel u cleared of battle refuse, wreckage bein, e piled in great heaps. The fields we- : covered with produce giving evidence 0 r bountiful harvest in the fall. Som |, 200 American tractors were seen al l. having been used to plant the harvest y The shell holes had been filled in, an s the ground leveled off. We soon reache D the point g miles from Paris where a d imposing statue has been placed, deli Y cated last year to mark the spot wher e the German advance on the Marne wa d stopped. From this point on to Paris tn Is trip was beautiful but uneventful, an
 we were again back at the Continenti l. hotel.
 Id We were told that many of the Frenc n villages destroyed during the war wi T. never be rebuilt as they have been mine
 under and the risk of reclamation is tC
 great. France has done great work four years, much of the land damage Ia during the war having been reclalmt ,d and filled in, now bearing produce ,r loss to France, however, that will W years in repairing, is in woodlands, ., being estimated that fifty years will
 necessary to bring the forests into shal ry and have trees alonge the roadsidas ,i, before.
 m French Have Done Wonders h. From what appeared an almost hop ry less task, the French with determin an | tfon to repair their country have do u- wonders France had 3,337,00O nectar Iy of land devastated by war, but by Ju l. 1st last 3.149.34S hectares had be- as cleared of shells, barbed wire al
 trenches had been filled in. France h an 2S5,244 homes destroyed by the war al as 410.7s1 damaged homes, but today 20 l CT stored and 1S1,422 partially repair m. and patched up. The task of rebuildi ns the damaged cities Is a great one al
 in Rheims where thousands of hom
 have been destroyed, the work of clea
 ing the wreckage was alone a hu a, n problem, which the French have n at with remarkable success. French indl a tries were badly crippled by war, 22,1
 ' mills being destroyed. By July 1st la aS 12,783 of these destroyed mills had be oH rebuilt, and are now in operation. " French has made a superhuman effc ,.+ to bring things back to prewar con @ tions and with another five years aS ,.s work, the country will be nearly
 a stored The cost of the work howeN in is reaching enormous figures, and + December 1st last the government h ,;U expended 45,163, 100000 francs. 5n France is busy, labor Is scarce, a oy man-power inadequate, but in spite ~, her handicap this country has obtain aS l results in restoration that are mary e ;sS ous.
 ,.s Leaving Paris we went by rail to \
 where we spent two days. Here VI ,-v the vineyards in bearing the picturesc ,r1, Italian Alps. A trip of interest V
 5 made by automobile over the Cornit iei road to Monte Carlo famed as pie MS ure resort. We also went to Cannes 2 1s saw It's beautiful villas.
 om Visited Milan Cathedral. Ds Again by rail we went via Genoa a Milan. We had our first taste of Ital ": 'on railroad service which we found poo 'Ni than In France. The roads were
 by the government and were slow, 'eu last year were operated at a loss , 10000 900 lire by the Italian gove . .Sn ment At Genoa hundreds of ships " .ne | at anchor in the harbor, a strike be
 .. on among the shipping men. The trip | Milan included two days of sightseei in in- The most beautiful sight was the far ars Milan cathedral begun in 1497 and
 yet finished. Here were the co .,o+ church jewels on display all clos ell. suaroea. me calneurs noo vel
 terested us immensely. The wonde '4 bronze door, inscribed upon which Is
 life of the Savior was there, and
 four wooden doors, some day to be ms, placed by bronze, were open. The M with art gallery, many of the works of ion. from which are not yet returned, wa the sight worth seeing. while in the cloi heir of a monastery was the original pa orn ing of The Last Supper. which Is We tied by hundreds of travellers ey oon week.