“At 9:30 o’clock the bombardment of the city suddenly ceased, and we understood that the Burgomaster had by this time reached the German headquarters.  Still we waited, painfully anxious to learn what would be the ultimate fate of Antwerp.  Belgian soldiers hurried by and at 10:  proclamations were posted on the walls of the Town Hall urging all in the city to surrender any arms in their possession and begging all to remain calm in the event of the Germans’ occupation.  A list was also posted of several prominent citizens who were appointed to look after the interests of those Belgians who remained.

“The ‘impregnable’ city of Antwerp had fallen, but without dishonor to its gallant defenders.”

GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNOR OF ANTWERP APPOINTED—­GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORTS

On October 10 Baron von der Schutz was appointed military governor of Antwerp.  It was expected that the city would become the base for Zeppelin attacks upon England and also for a German naval campaign in which mines and submarines would play an important part.  This was intimated in dispatches from Berlin following the German occupation of the city.

The German General Staff, in announcing the capture, added that they could not estimate the number of prisoners taken.  “We took enormous quantities of supplies of all kinds,” said the official statement.

CHAPTER XX

THE WOUNDED AND PRISONERS

Typical Precautions Used by the German Army—­The Soldiers’ First-Aid Outfit—­System in Hospital Arrangements—­How Prisoners of War Are Treated—­Are Humane and Fair to All Concerned.

Modern armies take the best possible care of their wounded and none has brought this department of warfare to greater perfection than the Germany army.  One detail of this work shows the German army at its best.

Every soldier has sewn under a corner of his coat a strip of rubber cloth.  Under this strip is a piece of antiseptic gauze, a strip of bandage and plaster and cloth for the outer bandage.  This cloth bears in simple pictures directions for dressing every sort of wound.

When a soldier is wounded either he or some comrade rips open this package and applies at once the life saving dressing, which will last at any rate until the soldier is brought to a station, where the first scientific attention is given.

Through this simple and inexpensive device thousands upon thousands of German soldiers, who have been slightly wounded in battle, have returned to their comrades within a few days completely well and have taken their places in the ranks once more.  Without this care a large percentage of the wounds would become inflamed, as has been the case with hundreds of wounded French prisoners captured by the Germans.

The ordinary procedure of caring for the wounded in the German army is for the sanitary corps, which is well provided with stretchers and bandages, to gather up the wounded on or near the firing lines and bring them to a gathering point a little way behind the lines.