The Captains of the Belgian State Railway steamers, Princess Henriette and Leopold II, arrived at Antwerp at 9 o’clock on Friday morning. The flight from the city was at its highest. Rowing boats, tugs, lighters, and steamers were mixed up in great confusion, all crammed with people, and floating in the river were numerous heavy logs on which whole families were carried by the current. Others were sitting on buoys in the water. Shells at the rate of 100 a minute were falling in the river and the city was burning in many parts. For three hours the two ships cruised about rescuing people from the logs and buoys and taking parties off the small boats.

Many of the women and children were hysterical, and great difficulty was experienced in getting them on board. At the end of three hours there were nearly two thousand people in each steamer. At Flushing the Dutch men of war were asked to give sustenance, and all night long sailors bought buckets of water and fifteen tons of biscuits, which were eaten ravenously