The defending troops withdrawing through the city from the firing line destroyed everything that might possibly be of use to the enemy.  The suburbs of Antwerp seemed to be ablaze in every direction; the village of Waerloos had been burning for some days; Contich, Duffel, and Lierre also, and Have, Linth, and Vieux Dieu had been destroyed by shell fire.  Mortsel was practically obliterated by the Belgians clearing the range for the guns of the inner forts.  In the preparation for defense the Belgians destroyed upward of ten thousand buildings within a radius of twenty miles.

The exodus of the civil population began in earnest on October 8, 1914.  Some of the streets in the heart of the city were choked with people, while other streets in the same vicinity were dead and deserted.  The withdrawal of the troops was well screened from the German guns, but their retreat to the west had been cut off to a great extent, and Holland was now the only refuge for many.  The Germans did not use their heaviest guns and high-explosive shells in bombarding the city.

During this terrible time, in utter darkness and confusion, crowds amounting to many thousands—­men, and women with babies, and children of all ages—­streamed through the streets that led to the quays or to the turnpike to Holland.  All sorts of vehicles, from dogcarts to motor trucks, the former drawn by dogs, men, and horses, carried the belongings of the fugitives that could not be carried away in person.

The bombardment continued with varying severity throughout October 8, 1914.  As the Germans drew nearer to the city all the inner forts on the south and east sides of the circle took part in replying to the cannonade.  Some of these forts—­notably two, three, four, and five—­were badly battered.  By afternoon the city seemed deserted—­nothing but debris of fallen buildings and wreckage met the eyes, and a small remnant of the population was still struggling for escape.

Along all the wayside immense crowds of men, women, and children gathered.  The railway stations were choked with struggling humanity.  Their condition was pitiable.  These scenes continued all day and throughout the entire night.

On the morning of October 9, 1914, the struggle to get away continued.  Long lines formed on the quay where it had been reported that two boats would leave for Ostend by eleven o’clock, and all those that could pay struggled to get their passage booked.  There were between 35,000 and 40,000 people on the quays, every one buoyed up by the hope that safety was in sight at last.  But the boats failed to sail and a murmur of disappointment rose from this vast multitude of unfortunates.

However, there were other means of escape available, such as tugboats, plying between Flushing, Rotterdam, and 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.