On the land side of it the ground was marshy, but it was
_terra firma_. On the other side there are two thousand yards of
grey-brown water about three or four feet deep. The inundation was
produced by reversing the process of reclamation. The gates of the Yser
used to be shut against high tides, to prevent the sea-water coming up,
and opened at low tides to let down the land water. Now they are opened
at high tides, so that the tide can rush in and maintain the inundation,
and at low tides they are closed, so that the fresh water of the Yser
can overflow its banks. On the top of the railway bank is a fine series
of sandbag parapets and parados. R., however, pointed out that the
parados is so good as to be really another parapet. Therefore, if the
enemy took those Belgian trenches they would, without any alteration of
the premises, be able to open business on the south side. In the south
face of the railway embankment a number of excellent dug-outs have been
excavated, and strengthened with stone, brickwork, and concrete by the
ingenious Belgian engineers. Those works showed what the world has
always seen in the architecture of the Low Countries, namely, what
wonderful constructors are the Flemings.
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