Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-10-27 | Page 1 | Zeebrugge Now Place of Ruins

ZEEBRUGGE NOW PUtGE OF illS Huns Complete Destruction Before Forced March From City. WASHINGTON, Oct. 26. Zeebrugge is the picture of desolation, according to dispatches received today at 'the Belgian legation. The Semaphore and the buildings build-ings of the f'ompagnie Maritime and the Solvay Chemical works, are a heap of ruins. On the Mole itself all the buildings build-ings have been destroyed and the system of railway tracks and overhead cranes is out of commission. A fter the passage between the Mole and the shore had been partially closed by a British submarine during the raid of April 23 the Germans set up two heavy guns, commanding the approaches to -'the harbor. A great deal of sand has drifted Into the harbor between the passage back of the Mole and the entrance to the Bruges canal, where the j wreck of the British cement laden vessel, sunk in April.' still Is lying. The only signs of life, the dispatches say, are the loud reports, followed by huge jets of water, and dense clouds of black smoke, coming from the explosions of the mines laid by the Germans which British sailors are blowing up. The whole Belgian coast in the vicinity of Zeebrugge had been transformed into a series of fortifications bristling with guns, wire defenses and storage depots connected by a railway. The celebrated sea-shore promenade is broken up by trenches and protected shelters of machine ma-chine guns and small cannon. The roads are In fairly good condition but all bridges and locks were destroyed by the Germans In their precipitate retreat re-treat before the irresistible dash of the Belgian t roops.