d other adjacent points in
Holland. These tugs had no great accommodations for passengers and
comparatively few people escaped by this means. No trains were scheduled
to run and in despair the crowds started to cross the bridge and make
for the road to the Dutch frontier. Altogether from 150,000 to 200,000
of the population of the city escaped by one means or another.

During a continuous bombardment of twelve hours the cathedral stood
unharmed. The southern part of Antwerp was a desolate waste of ruins. In
some streets all the homes were ablaze, the flames leaping hither and
thither with the wind. The great oil tanks burning fiercely on the
opposite bank of the River Scheldt were fired upon by some well-directed
shots to check the blaze, a huge black volume of thick smoke now rising
from the flames. To add to the difficulties and confusion the water
supply had been cut off during the early stages of the bombardment
through the destruction of the city's waterworks which were located in
one of the suburbs to the south, and the consequences threatened to
become alarming. Everywhere fires were burning.

This was the tragic scene when the German army entered the conquered
city of Antwerp on October 10, 1914. It is probable that a large part of
the city would have been burned, if the Germans had not entered in time
to check the conflagration. Without loss of time, forces were put to
work fighting the fires and clearing the streets, propping up unsafe
buildings and making order out of chaos, generally with good results. As
soon as the bombardment had ceased proclamations were pasted on walls
and houses throughout the city urging everyone to surrender any arms in
their possession and begging for a calm demeanor when the German troops
pass through the streets.

About noon on October 10, 1914, a patrol of cyclist-mounted police
escorted the burgomaster to the gate of the city to receive the German
forces. When they entered order was restored without delay. Soldiers
were immediately detached from their special command and formed into
gangs under competent foremen and all put to work at once each according
to his trade, fitness or adaptability. The forts that had been
dismantled were hastily patched up and new guns mounted for emergency
use.

On October 11, 1914, Field Marshal von der Goltz, the Governor General
of Belgium, came from Brussels and made a tour of inspection of the
double girdle of forts. Upon examination it was