6o8 TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



customed peaceful course. Suddenly, beginning with mid- September, 

 we come upon constant reference to the difficulties caused by heavy 

 rains. Autumnal rains, usually especially marked in October, are char- 

 acteristic of the northern coasts of Europe. They come in connection 

 with storms that drift in from the Atlantic Ocean, and pass eastward, 

 across the Channel and the North Sea. It was to be expected that there 

 would be many difficulties on account of the wet weather during the 

 latter part of September and in October. The despatches from the 

 front clearly show that the expected happened. Heavy rains during the 

 long battle of the Aisne caused the rivers to swell; filled the trenches, 

 and often drove the troops out to fight with their bayonets, thus chang- 

 ing the plan of operations. The difficulty, even the impossibility in 

 some cases, of moving the heavy guns through the deep mud, was a 

 serious handicap to both armies. During the general retreat of the Ger- 

 mans from their advanced position in France many guns and much am- 

 munition had to be abandoned. On September 19 a despatch to a Lon- 

 don paper said that the heavy rains had flooded such large areas that it 

 was unlikely that the Germans could move their heavy siege guns 

 towards Antwerp, but that these " would probably end in destruction in 

 the mud." Subsequent events, however, proved this prediction a mis- 

 taken one. Nevertheless, the bad weather for a time threatened disaster 

 to the Germans in that it delayed the arrival of reinforcements, and of 

 provisions, and helped to demoralize the tired troops. The Allies, also, 

 were prevented from advancing rapidly for similar reasons, and an extra 

 time allowance was necessary in order that the various divisions could 

 reach the ground assigned to them. The flooded rivers made the work 

 of the " heroic engineers a veritable task of Hercules." 



During the later fighting along the Franco-Belgian line, and near 

 the Channel coast, the heavy rains continued to cause incessant trouble. 

 " Torrential rains," producing " seas of mud " ; " quagmires " ; " mo- 

 rasses"; "bogs" — these are the expressions used to describe the condi- 

 tion of the region. Both sides were severely handicapped by the 

 difficulty of moving the heavy artillery and motor trucks, but the 

 Germans seem, on the whole, to have suffered most, with their heavy 

 guns and motor trains. When the roads became impassable, the 

 guns and trucks were driven through the fields, and in many cases 

 became hopelessly stalled. The misty, rainy weather, making observa- 

 tion at a distance almost impossible, led to less artillery action. 

 Autumnal fogs several times afforded a protecting cover which made 

 a sudden assault on the enemy's trenches possible. At times, when the 

 weather was especially stormy, the fighting ceased entirely. We read 

 that " General Eain " helped the Allies. The discomfort of all the 

 troops was very greatly increased because of the growing cold as au- 

 tumn came on, the cool, damp nights and early mornings proving espe- 



