Show USED FOR WALL PAPER i IN FORT Germans Killed in mont Explosion Piled From Floor to Ceiling By HENRY WOOD United Press Staff Correspondent WITH WIT THE FRENCH ARMIES AT VERDUN Nov 30 30 By By mail That Tha about 1500 German soldiers and officers were killed in a terrific explosion that occurred in the Fort of on May 17 was today established by the I competent authorities of the tho French armies aries At the time the explosion took place the Fort of was being kept under a night and day bombardment bombardment bombardment bombard bombard- ment by the French of such an unrelenting unrelenting unrelenting lenting and unremitting nature that it was practically Impossible for a man manto manto manto to leave the fort without being killed This bombardment was kept up unceasingly unceasingly unceasingly un un- for weeks and it was consequently consequently consequently conse conse- impossible for the few men left alive within the fort as well as for forthe forthe forthe the new troops who came to take the place of the 1500 killed to carry the bodies out of the fort and bury them another expedient had to be found The 1500 cadavers were therefore carried into one of the su subterranean galleries of the fort where they piled up one above the other along th the Walls Walls' from the floor to the ceiling and al allowed allowed allowed al- al lowed to remain there until Intermittent intermittent intermittent Intermit intermit- tent interruptions In the bombardment during the succeeding weeks all allowed wed them to be taken out a few at a time and buried burled Explosion Mystery While the French have been in possession possession possession pos pos- session of many of the details of this terrific terrific explosion almost from the day it occurred It Is only since the recon- recon quest of the fort on October 25 that th they y have been able to verify all of the details In such a a. manner as to leave not the slight slightest st doubt as to the number number number num num- ber killed The minimum figures that have been definitely established are 1500 dead while other figures figur s and other evidence increase this even to 2000 Up to the present time there is only one important detail lacking and that thatis is the original cause of the explosion Whatever that may have been however however however how how- ever it is known that it was communicated communicated communicated to the huge magazines of explosives explosives explosives and munitions which the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans had concentrated in the fort with the most appalling effects Shock Kills Many The reinforced concrete walls of the fort some of them several yards thick and with practically n air vents for escape retained all of the concussion of the explosion to such an extent that hundreds of he garrison were killed by bythe bythe bythe the mere shock alone Those who survived quickly died of the fumes and gases let loose by the explosion 1 and which of course had no outlet from Hom the long narrow walled in galleries S f Following the occupation of the fort by the Germans they were constructing a a. tunnel up to the fort from their lines in the rear this tunnel passing entirely under the fort and then on down towards Verdun It served to enable the Germans to bring up troops from the rear pass them under the fort and on down to the front line trenches towards Verdun Verdun Verdun Ver Ver- dun without subjecting them to the un- un intermittent shell fire of the French which would have allowed very few ever to reach the front alive It was into this gallery and tunnel that the 1500 cadavers were carried and stored away for w weeks eles until the tle opportunity could be found to get them out of the ford under cover and bury them German prisoners taken even as late as the of the fort on on October October October Octo Octo- ber 25 still recount to the French officers officers officers of of- their horrors when on being sent up to the front line trenches at Verdun Verdun Ver Ver- dun they passed through this long tunnel tunnel tunnel tun tun- nel and gallery under Fort mount where each side from the floor to the ceiling was walled up with human human hu hu- hu man cadavers like so man many sandbags The explosion with its frightful tollof toll tollof tollof of human life appears to have had a avery avery avery very marked effect on the Germans and to have altered considerably their methods of handling the garrison within with with- in the fort Printed orders have been found showing showing showing show show- ing that the Germans immediately re reduced reduced reduced re- re the size of their garrison in the fort so as to prevent any such possible toll of life in the future Instructions were also given out that in case of explosions within the fort the entire garrison was to get out as quickly as possible I On October 24 the day preceding the French infantry attack the French artillery ar tillery succeeded in placing a millimeter high explosive shell squarely in the fort This produced an enormous explosion explosion explosion sion with a great outburst of flames from three sides of the fort A goodly portion of the garrison appears to have obeyed instructions and to have gotten out immediately so that when the French infantry finally burst into the forst there was considerably less of hand to hand fighting than would otherwise have been the case |