Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1914)
TTIE MORNING OREGOXIAJf, THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 17, 1914. ; RETREAT IS MARKED BY HARD FIGHTING German Artillery With Deadly Accuracy Destroys Roads Army Has Passed Over. WASTE OF WAR IS PITIFUL Richard Harding Davis Describes Second Day of Battle at Sois eona, Resulting in lleoccu pation. by l'-rcncb.. Continud "Prom First Page.) see. Red Cross flags hanging from bushes showed where there had been dressing; stations. Under these were blood-stained bandages and clothing and bodies piled In heaps as high as a man's chest. After death the body is mercifully robbed of Its human aspect. You are spared thought that what Is lying In the trenches among the shattered trees and In the wheat fields staring up at the sky once was a man. It appears to be only a bundle of clothes, a scare crow that has tumbled among the grain It once protected. But it gives a ter rible meaning to the word "missing." When you read from the reports of the war office that 5000 are missing you like to think of them safely cared for In a hospital or dragging out the period of war as prisoners. Real Missing Are Unidentified Dead. The real missing are those I saw to day, the unidentified dead. Some peasant will bury them tonight or to morrow, but he will not understand the purpose of the medal each wears around the neck. With him will be burled his name and the number of his regiment. No one will know where he fell or where he lies. Some one will always hope that he will re turn, for among the dead his name did not appear. He was reported only as missing. The utter wastefulness of war was seldom more clearly shown. Swollen carcasses of horses lined the road, sickening the air. A few of these had been killed by shell fire. Others, worn out and emaciated and bearing the brand of the German army, had been mercifully destroyed, but the greatest number of them were the farm horses of peasants still wearing their head stalls or the harness of the plow. That they might not aid the enemy as remounts, the Germans, in their, re treat, ' had shot them. Waste of War Illustrated. I saw four and five together In the yards of stables, a bullethole of an automatic in the head of each. Others lay beside the market cart, others by the canal, where they had sought water. Less pitiful, but still evidencing the wastefulness of war, were the motor trucks and automobiles that, in the flight, had been abandoned. They had broken down, or the petrol of which the German army is said to be greatly in need had been exhausted, and sooner than that they should fall into the hands of the enemy, the Germans had smashed the motors, or beneath them had lighted fires. Others they had shoved over embankments. In the forest of VUlers-Cottereta I counted in one place 15 five-ton motor trucks com pletely destroyed. A heap of empty gasoline barrels told the story. For 20 miles these automobiles were scat tered ajong the road. There were so many one stopped counting them. Added to their loss were two shat tered German airships. One I saw 26 kilometers outside of Meaux and one at Bouneville. As they fell they had buried their motors deep in the soft earth and their wings were twisted wrecks of silk and steel. Fields Replowed by Shells. All the fields through which the army passed had become waste land. Shells had replowed them. Horses and men had slept In them. The haystacks, gathered by the sweat of the brow and patiently set In trim rows, were tram pled in the mud and scattered to the winds. All the smaller villages through which I passed were empty of people and since the day before, when the Germans occupied them, none of the Inhabitants had returned. These vil lages were Just as the Germans had left them. The streets were piled with grain, on which the soldiers had slept and eaten. On the sidewalks in front of the better class of houses tables around which the officers had eaten still remained, the bottles half empty, the food half eaten. In a chateau be yond Neufichelles the doors and win dows were open and lace curtains were blowing in the breeze. From the gar den you could see paintings on the walls, books on the tables. Outside on the lawn, surrounded by old and charm ing gardens, apparently the General and his. staff had prepared to dine. The table was set for a dozen, and on it were candles in sliver sticks, many bottles of red and white wine, cham pagne, liquors and coffee cups of the finest china. Banquet Abandoned Suddenly. From their banquet some alarm had summoned the officers. The place was as they had left it, the coffee untast ed, the candles burned to the candle sticks and red stains on the cloth where brandy had been spilled. In the bright sunlight and surrounded by flowers, the deserted table and the pilent, stately chateau seemed like the sleeping palace of the fairy, tales. Though the humor of the troops re treating is an ugly one, I saw no out rages such as I saw in Belgium except in the villages of Neufichelles and Varreddes. There was no sign of loot ing or wanton destructic -. In those two villages the interior of every house and shop was completely wrecked. In the other villages the destruction was ""such as is permitted by the usages of war, such as the blowing up of bridges, the burning of the railroad stations and the cutting of telegraph lines. Not until Bouneville, 30 kilometers beyond Meaux, did I catch up with the allies. There I met some English Tom mies who were trying to find their col umn. They had no knowledge of the French language or where they were or where their regiment was, but were quite confident of finding it and were t as cheerful as at maneuvers. African Troops Hurried Forward. Outside of Chaudun Algerians In light blue zouave uniforms and native Turcos from. Morocco in khaki with khaki turbans shivered in the Autumn sunshine and were wrapped in bur nooses of black and white. They were making a turning movement to attack the German right and were being hur ried forward. They had just driven the German rearguard out of Chaudun and said the fighting was still going on at Soissons. The only sign I saw of it were two Turcos who had followed the Germans too far. They lay sprawling 'tr the road and had so lately fallen that their rifles still lay under them. Three miles farther I came on the advance line of the French army and for the remainder of the day watched a most remarkable artillery duel which ended with Uoissons in the hands of the allies. Soissons, since the Romans held it under Caesar, has been contin uously besieged. Until today the Ger mans had held it. for two weeks. In 1870 they bombarded it for four days and there is, or was, in Soissons, in the Place de la Republique, a monu ment to the citizens of Soissons whom after the siege the Germans shot. Black Hen Heroes of Day. The town lies in the valley of the River Aisne, which is formed by two long ridges running south and north. Last night the Germans occupied the hills to the south, but when attacked offered only slight resistance and with drew to the hills opposite. In Soissons they left a rearguard to protect their supplies and this rearguard was de stroying all bridges leading into the town. At the time I arrived a force of Tur cos had been ordered forward to clean Soissons of the- Germans and the French artillery was endeavoring to disclose their positions on the hills. The loss of the bridges did not em barrass the black men. In rowboats they crossed to Soissons and were warmly greeted. This morning Soissons was drawing no color line. The Turcos were followed by engi neers, who endeavored to repair one bridge, and in consequence were heav ily shelled with shrapnel, while with the intent to destroy the road and re tard the French advance, the hills where the French had halted were be ing pounded by German siege guns. Artillery Duel Goes On. This was at a point four kilometers from Chaudun, between the village of Breuit and Courtelles. From this height you could see almost to Com piegne and 30 miles in front in the direction of Saint Quentln. It was a panorama of wooden hills, gray vil lages in yellow fields of grain, miles of poplars marking the roads, and be low us the flashing waters of the Aisne and the canal, with, at our feet, the steeples of the Cathedral of Soissons and the gate to the old abbey of Thom as a'Becket. Across these steeples the shells sang out on both sides of the Aisne Valley. The wind was blowing 40 knots, which prevented the use of the French aeroplanes, but it cleared the air and helped, by brilliant sun shine, to follow the smoke of the battle for 15 miles. The wind was blowing toward our right, where the English were, and though we could see the flash of their guns and the rings of smoke as their shrapnel burst, the report of the guns did -not reach us. It gave the curious impression of a bombardment conducted in utter silence. From our left the wind carried the sounds clearly. The jar and roar of the cannon was insistent ana rn both sides of the valley the hilltops were wrapped with white clouds. Back of the In the wheat fields shells were setting fire to the giant hay stacks and piles of grain, which in the clear sunshine burned a blatant red. At times shells would strike in the villages of Breuit and Vauxbain and houses would burst into flames, the gale fanning the fire to great height and hiding the villages. Big Siege Guns Fall. Three hundred yards ahead of us shells of German siege guns were try ing to destroy the road which the pop lars clearly betrayed, but their prac tice was at fault and the shells fell only on either side. When they struck they burst with a roar, casting up black fumes and digging graves 20 yards in circumference. But the French soldiers disregarded them entirely. In the trenches which the Germans had made and abandoned they hid from the wind and slept peacefully. Others slept in the lee of the haystacks, their red breeches and blue coats making won derful splashes of color against the yellow grain. For' seven days they have been fighting without pause and battles bore them. Late in the afternoon all along the 15 miles of battle firing ceased. The Germans were falling back on Laon and once more Soissons, freed of them as 1500 years ago she had freed herself of the Romans, held out her. arms to the allies. GALICIANS AID RUSSIANS AUSTRIAN DEFEAT LAID TO IX FOR MATION GIVEX INVADERS. New York Man. Views Battle Along Frontier and Says Duel Monarchy Folk In Terror. LONDON, Sept. 16. Samuel Rezner, of New York, arrived in London today from Hallcz, a town of Austria-Hungary, near the Russian border, after having seen much of the fighting near the border between, the Austrlans and Russians. Rezner says the Galicians are so friendly to the Russians and unfriend ly to the Austrians that they gave the Russians full information concerning the Austrian troops and their move ments. Finally the Austrian Generals removed the Slav troops from Galicia, replacing them with soldiers who are bitter enemies of the Russians. "The fighting became so bad that my brother and I decided to take a team and drive away from the line," said Rezner. "We saw fighting at Halicz, Nisznow and several other towns. The Austrians were unsuccessful, because the Russians seemed to have complete inrormation about their movements. Cossacks preceded the Russian army, scouting in small detachments. Their information was so complete that they seemed to be able to evade the Aus trians. He added that there was great terror throughout Western Austria-Hungary because of the Russian advance. In Vienna the food supply is somewhat limited, as the dealers permit a single person to have only a small quantity of flour at one time. This applies also to other staples. The prices of food In Vienna are high. PAPERS PASS WAR ZONE Copies of The Oregonian Reaci Switzerland After 17 Days. From advices received in a letter yesterday by Charles J. Schnabel it appears that bundle of copies of The Oregonian mailed here August 1 was permitted to pass through the war zone in Europe, reaching there after being on the way 17 days. I A client of Mr. Schnabel. writing Within 1Q days shoe prices on good shoes will advance 35c to $1 per pair, so say America's leading manufacturers. Supply your needs now follow the footprints of all the people to the Goodyear Shoe Company It Is Your Duty to Attend This Great Sale . . hmSkp-' Jj 1 CD The Entire Stock of the Goodyear Shoe Co. Portland's Big Wholesale-Retail Shoe House This Great Firm Is Positively Quitting the Retail Business for Good IVlen's Women's and Children's Shoes at Tremendous Savings to You This is Portland's greatest value-giving shoe sale, and if you value money and care to save, you must come to this . store now at once. ' The name of the Goodyear Shoe Co. in Portland is almost z. household word. Our Shoes are acknowledged . to be the best, and it means' much to you when you can buy them at cost prices. We have given you the tip in the head- -line. Shoe prices are going up. Big Eastern manufacturers are refusing , all future orders awaiting a settle ment of price adjustment. All leather shoes, the kind that has made the reputation of this . store, will probably advance $1.00 per pair with the manufacturer, but so long as our stock lasts out closing-out prices will remain the same. siiiiiiiiiiiiiihiiiiiiiIIIik B iiiiiiiiiiiiiinnniiiir- IMPORTANT I 1 WE ARE NOT GOING OUT OF H THE REPAIRING, CUSTOM SHOES OR MANUFAC- H TURING BUSINESS W. THESE DEPARTMENTS ' CONTINUE Bring Your Repair Work Here Now The Largest Shop and the Lowest . Prices in City. JII!IIIIllllllIIIIIII!ll,,,II!,,,!,,,,,,,IIIIII!lllll!IIIIIIHin It takes good shoes to withstand the wet, s'tormy days ahead, and it is the duty, of every man, woman and child to supply their needs at this great sale now. Isn't it right and sensible that you should save the difference between the cost and regular selling prices of these shoes? It means a tremendous saving to you, and you should supply the needs of the family now. Do some deep thinking. Get out that pocketbook at once and bring the en- tire family to the Goodyear Shoe Co. Friday, Saturday and Monday, the first three days of this great sale, we sold one-twentieth of our entire stock. It cannot last long. Come at once. Buy now. Save. 135 This Store Is Headquarters for Boys' School Shoes You Will Save 25c to $1.00 on Every Pair Purchased Here 146 Fourth St. Bet. Alder and Morrison Sts. Selling Out Everything Without Reserve, in the Greatest Money-Saving Sale of Years Buy Now and Save. IS lMahaMaM ttj him from Zurich, Switzerland, August 28, states: "I thank you very much for send ing The Oregonian. I was very much surprised that the leading article of The Oregonian of July 31 brought the news about Japan assisting England This was - unknown to the public In general of this country until August 15. "The war is awful here in Europe. I shall omit giving you details of it, as I am sure you get better reports from your press than we do here. The military officers are very strict con cerning the reports for the public." Lincoln Leader Installs Linotype. TOLEDO, Or., Sept. 16. (Special.) Last week the Lincoln County Leader, which is owned by Collins & Hayden, received a new linotype machine from San Francisco by steamer Bandon. It has been installed and is working successfully. Monmouth Prune Crop Light. MONMOUTH, Or.. Sept. 16. (Spe cial.) The prunes in this vicinity are being brought to the dryer rather slowly because the crops are small. When constipated or troubled with headache, backache, nervousness, lan guor or the blues, take a dose of Cham berlain's Tablets. They are just what you need, and they will do you good. Mr. Nigglt, who lives south of town, brought in some that averaged eight to the pound, and says he has more. Women Oppose 8-Hour Law. HOOD RIVER. Or.. Sept. 16. (Spe cial.) The members of the Woman's Political Research Club in various parts of the Hood River Valley, who recently have 'made a study of the eight-hour law, have condemned the measure. The defeat of the initiative measure by a heavy vote here is pre dicted. The Upper Valley citizens are also opposed to the bill, according to the members of a good roads delega tion in the city last night. Te gods, a centipede! ""I want a war rant for the men who stole my pants 610 pairs, was the startling announce ment of a man who strolled into a New Tork court. HARVEST FESTIVALS ml OREGON Of CTRK EAIIWW IN WILLAMETTE VALLEY CITIES SPECIAL ROUND TRIP FARES on the fast, frequent trains ' of the OREGON ELECTRIC RY. FOR THE BENTON COUNTY FAIR, Corvallis ...Sept. 17-19 PUMPKIN SHOW, Junction City. . . .v Sept. 17-19 WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIR, Forest Grove. .Sept. 23-25 LANE COUNTY. FAIR, Eugene ..Sept. 22-25 OREGON STATE FAIR, Salem.. Sept. 24-Oct. 3 Sale dates for these events," fares, limits and other details may be obtained of local agents of Oregon Electric Railway at all points. - PORTLAND TICKET OFFICES: 5th and Stark. North Bank Station. Jefferson-St. Denot. 10th and Stark.. 10th and Hoyt. 10th and Morrison. Front and Jefferson. rJOUNT THE DAYS To September 30 the last day of sale for EXCURSION TICKETS TO THE EAST Let use arrange your trip. "We will re serve Standard or Tourist sleeping ear berths on either of TWO DAILY 72-HOUR TRAINS S S ONE-WAY WESTBOUND THROUGH f COLONIST FARES ' mrrnAnn From the East,Sept.24-Oct. 8 4i TICKETS: 255 Morrison St., Portland Phones: Main 244, A 1244 A. D. Charlton, A. G. P. A. NORTHERN' PACIFIC RAILWAY