SCENES IN ANTWERP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15747, 23 October 1914, Page 7

SCENES IN ANTWERP.

HUGE TOSSING FLAME.

WHOLE CITY SWEPT.

11l MI FOR RIVER BOATS.

A (.iblrgram published in the Sydney Sun ilrw r.brs the bombardment of" Antwcip. IV Germans brought their largest g> i■■ into action. Some of them, firing thin " raiijjc of eight miles, poured in IN'ili shells. These exploded with volcanic encTu*. ami Antwerp became an inferno. 'I hi' patients at the hospitals were taken on ii Mid two steamers which were anchored 111 the harbour One of the lust war " respondents to leave Antwerp says that the 1 ....1 of th,. gnus -,„() the shriek of the ti,iN.'',!;i,< shells was so loud that it was at in-1 thought that the Belgian searchlights 1..-I .liM.iwrcd ,i party of venturesome <••• ".ins under the walls of the city, and tli.it the guns had been turned on them. 11. 'ii li- . unceasing, shattering crashes f,.,.n disillusioned the populace in the « ••'»■ ■' hern se, tion <>t the ritv. This p..Hi.'ii of Antwerp was devastated with d,,:;... wr.-. king mansions, villas, and cott'-'- I'h- bright Hashes of exploding fin!!- 1.1 the skv. The guns of the forti"-' -■ lie,d Inn, r,es. and armoured trains ie-;.: led to the enemy's guns in a loud r.'i' i us I e reflections in the heavens looked 1 k.' ■■•'■■ hw-iv, tossing flame. Viewed from «'••' i"..ftops the spectacle was amazing. Pi.'iiiinrnt buildings wore alternately illuii..i..i:ml and dimmed. leaving them blacker than bet-re Thru a shell would be heard tfir:-g ' it the nails and roofs. 'I he gins i nme nearer and swept, the wlole agonised city, wrecking offices, \v.yr!»iii.-i-s. mid hospitals indiscriminately. I he . ivili.uis who remained were dazed. liiev departed, walking the streets, not 1..-I:' 111; the shells which were bursting in their proximity. Crowds gathered t the quaes;. and swarmed on to the barges ii".l ferry boats. People willingly paid 25 fi.in.s for the short journey up the river int.. Holland When flaming oil appeared on the river I "'' I'tri.-ken refugees rushed the boats, whiih hurriedly cast off from the wharves. thousands of people left the citv to make their escape on foot. They carried '•:••< the meanest treasures, one woman being content to rescue rnlv a green parri', win. Ii pen bed on her wrist and ruefully nirvev ed the scene. NEW ZKALAXDKR WOUNDED EXPERIENCES IN ACTION. WATCHING FOR UHLANS. WHAT SHRAPNEL IS LIKE. he firt-t New Zealander to be wounded in a. tion it, Mi. M. Ryan, who, a lew wicks ago, ..vent out to the front as a lane* corporal in the King's Liverpool iwgimrnt. 11,. is a present in one of tii. territorial hospitals at Southsea. "Our battalion left Aidershot tor an known destination," he wrote to a friend. "It turned out to be Havre. Alter disembarking, we marched to No. 2 ramp, live miles away. It was a cloud hss day, and the sun was fiercely hot, but our battalion stuck it well. . . . We stayed here two days and then took train for somewhere near the frontier. We passed through Rouen—a city ot railway tunnels so tar as we were con<em. ,1 'I he l.yttvlton tunnel, New Zealand, is like a culvert compared to one of those near Rouen. We travelled all i itht, and reached a small station on Swday morning, had a hasty breakfast, .ii.ii started our ten mile march to Hanappes, were we billeted for five days. On the 2M we started for the "front," and man bed 18 miles to Landrecies — since shelled by the (Germans. Our platoon was on outpost duty, over a bridge, and get little or no rest. Four next morning taw us on the move again. We marched 01, day through some of the best agricultural country I have ever seen. The roads were dusty though, and, on account of having no sleep the previous night, the major,iv of No. 6 platoon just dropped their [Kicks and fell asleep at once as soon as the billet was reached. 'two o'clock M.ndiiy morning saw us off again, and we marched steadily till 8 a.m., when we had a hurried breakfast. At ten we reached Maubeuge, the temporary headquarters. Here our platoon was again selected to watch the roads for Uhlans who might take a fancy to raid the little town and capture our staff. At two we wore instructed to rejoin our battalion eight miles away, at Givri.

" When we arrived they had just left to cover the retirement of the South Stafford*. We had heard the booming ol guns since daybroak, but now we were among the shells. The enemy employed whit is known as "searching" fire, but our luck «as in; they did not find us. \\ c caught the battalion up, and learnt that oar Cycle Division had been smashed up by the enemy's artillery—ten wounded, Bird fine has died since.

' We retired at dunk, and, dead beat though we were we worked all night enliriirning ourselves. At about 1.30 the enemy a searchlight played on us, and at dawn trio guiiri opened again. Our artillery wan hopelessly outnumbered, and, at this p.i mar place, outranged. The shells were beautifully timed, bursting about DGft above the ground. Shrapnel is about as weird a contrivance as you could imagine. First you hear the niching ol the shell through the air. It makes a r.M'o like a small whirlwind, accompanied hj a droning sound like an electric car rod make* as it is drawn along the wire. Then the explosion, and the 250 bullets contained by the shell are driven downwards, making as they go a sound Bomr-thiiig like a typical Wellington gale i.\ tii., vi ires outside the (J.P.O. To our aurpr.M' we were ordered to retire at 9 a. in

' Another day's marching ensued, and we rescind Bovai about 5 p.m. Our brigade a.ted as rearguard to the expendinary force, and ' I might add the brigad»-i Mir own General Davies, of N<« Zealand—was praised by the 0.0.C. for Ins masterly handling of his troops. Ale g'tit next morning the Germans were at us again. A battalion of infantry and two taialry regiments tried to turn our flajik, ti:r ( : and I) Companies, by a wellcircled fire, held them off. We fell b.'uk again, and tlu'V now turned the guns Oil us.

I was one of the first hit—a shrapnel bullet losing tbtotiqh my left calf. It gaw .i sensation ; mi!ar to what would be caused bv a blow with a hot piece of iron. The.- was very little pun. although you could c«'l two 'fingers in the hole. I had It l,:m.|.,L'-d ''lately and managed to mat' h with tin- rest to Pout an Sonimes, 10 rutin; away. I was then put on an ambulance train and sent to the field "hospital .it Rouen. It has been struck on aio,ii M of the proximity of the enemy, and I ,urived here on 'the St. Patrick. J .-x j,.-. i to be at it again in a couple of Weeks."

THE LOST SUBMARINE.

\\ \* she Minim AT

\ .v ..•! -ei-tion as to the fate of the Am.tr .'-an Kubnuinne AKI is made by the P.ali.-i..' , .i.e., lent of the Sydney Morni. a It, ■ ,1-1 lie savs :--- I). (i , :.f:ein « i> of September 15 the nibn •■• i ,■ v ,« -i.-hted off Gazelle Point, so„ti, ~; Herl.erlsholic. heading in the dl. .'!.•■ ~i i:.,1,,vi! She was never seen a...,.,, \ /lran.-e pat. of oil floating .., ii.,. ~,,,.■! v M ,f i, eof the water, a nameI,- '• ~ ~,:-. with a con -mounting from w':, !: .',,- • i.n was mis-duff, discovered on the e, ~i in tl.mies and sinking—these are 1,,. ~,'., , ! l; „ we possess to the manner in \. i •: the AMI .nine to her end, and tl .-,• ~~lx mi means conclusive. Whethe, ..!„. .vis a.tuallv sunk bv a shot from the r,,.:,iv. whether .m unseen pinnacle of ~„.,! ,i,,,,e<l open her*plates, or the pmii[.« icfii-cd to do their work in bringin'.- the vessel again to the surface after a div.-. ml! probably remain for ever unknown."