HOW THE CITY FELL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8965, 12 October 1914, Page 5

HOW THE CITY FELL.

GERM AKiS'-: /CONCERTED

OPERATIONS

ENDLESS PROCESSION OF

REFUGEES

SCENES UNPARALLELED ■ FOR

CENTURIES

AMSTERDAM, Oi-totxsr 10.. A Belgian staff officer states that the Wavrc Saint Catherine Fort (one of the outermost, ring) offered the most stubborn resistance. A Zeppelin gave the range to the Germans, and dropped bombs. |n^ commander of the fort pretended that the fort was on tire, whereupon the Zeppelin signalled to the German infantry to advance. When they reached the glacis, the Belgian guns and quick-firers mowed down 8000. When the position became untenable) owing to the 180-pound shells, the commander blow up the fort. While the main force of Germans

:was::!it,ttactarig , tbo fortifications in tho .neighbourhood of Lierre oh Thursday, a heavy bombardment of the inner fort line was proceding from the direction of Boon. As the fight progressed, large infantry* bodies were flung against the redoubts of the inner circle, while other troops feigned attacks in the direction of Termohde and Duffel and elsewhere for the purpose of diverting attention from Lierre. .The south-eastern and eastern forts, including Lierre, ceased; firing on Friday morning, enabling the Germans' to force their way into Antwerp, where the Belgians blew up the fortifications. The Civic Guard was disbanded, and the majority of the.men immediately voluntered for the Regular Army. The Dutch are behaving with fine; cenerosity. Rotterdam, Maastricht. Tilburg, Middleburg, Amsterdam, and Bordrecht are all taking large contingents. At Essechon • a thousand fugitives are, camping along the railway lines) stretching rough covering from telegraph poles as protection from the weather, and living in railway coaches.

The, region from Ghent to the sea is still free of Germans.

Many of the refugees prepared to go to Bruges."Ghent; Ostend, and the coast towns. Endless processions canipine' throughout Thursday and Friday night/soon exhausted the food in the wayside inns 'and farms. .The scenes were/,-unparalleled 1 .sinew the Spaniards ■sacked- Antwerp in 1586. ; V