“Except for the lurid glare of burning buildings, which lit up the streets, the city was in absolute darkness, and near the quay I lost my way trying to get to the Hotel Wagner.  For the second time that day I narrowly escaped death by shell.  One burst with terrific force about twenty-five yards from me.  I heard its warning whirr and rushed into a neighboring porch.  Whether it was from the concussion of the shell or in my anxiety to escape I caromed against the door and tumbled down, and as I lay on the ground a house on the opposite side crashed in ruins.  I remained still for several minutes, feeling quite sick and unable to get up.  Then I pulled myself together and ran at full speed until I came to a street which I recognized.

TAKE REFUGE IN CELLARS

“How many of the inhabitants of Antwerp remained in the city that night it is impossible to say, but they were all in the cellars of their houses or shops.  The Burgomaster, M. De Vos, had in one of his several proclamations made many suggestions for safety during the bombardment, for the benefit of those who took refuge in cellars.  Among the most useful of them, perhaps, was that which recommended means of escape to an adjoining cellar.  The power of modern artillery is so tremendous that a cellar might very well become a tomb if a shell fell on the building overhead.

“Sleep was impossible that night, in the noise caused by the explosion of shells in twenty different quarters of the town.  About 6 o’clock I was told that it was time we got out, as the Germans were entering the city.  We hurried from the hotel and found the streets completely deserted.  I walked down to the quay-side, and there I came across many wounded soldiers, who had been unable to get away in the hospital boat.

“On the quay piles of equipment had been abandoned.  A broken-down motor-car, kit-bags, helmets, rifles and knapsacks were littered in heaps.  Ammunition had been dumped there and rendered useless.  The Belgians had evidently attempted to set fire to the whole lot.  The pile of stuff was still smoldering.  I waited there for half an hour, and during that time hundreds of Belgian soldiers passed in the retreat.  Just about this time a pontoon bridge which had been the means of the Belgian retreat was blown up to prevent pursuit by the Germans.

“At 8 o’clock a shell struck the Town Hall, and about 8:15 another shell shattered the upper story and broke every window in the place.

BURGOMASTER PARLEYS WITH GERMANS

“That was the German way of telling the Burgomaster to hurry up.  A quarter of an hour later M. De Vos went out in his motor-car toward the German line to discuss the conditions on which the city should be surrendered.