The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-10-16
Dropped From an Aero.
plane. Causes Heavy
Destruction Among
Soldiers in Field
SMALL. CONVOY
is SHATTERED
Only the Boots of the Drivers of Four
teen Motor Cars Are Found When
Search Is Made for Remains of the
Inflated Party

London, Oct. 16, II A. M.--Therc
has been given out in London a de-
scriptive account of some recent de-
velopments in France sent by an eye
witness attached to the British General
headquarters. The account is dated Oc-
tober 13 in France and is in part as
follows:
son the firing line the men sleep
and obtain shelter in dugouts they
have followed or cut under the discs of
the trenches. These refugees are raised
slightly above the bottom of the trench
es so as to remain dry in wet weather.
The floor of the trench also is eloped
for purposes of drainage. Some of the
trenches are provided with overhead
cover which gives protection from the
weather as well as from shrapnel balls
and splinters of shells. Considerable
ingenuity has been exercised by the
men in naming these shelters. Among
the favorite designations are the Hotel
Cecil, the Ritz Hotel the "Billet
Doux Hotel and the Rue Dormori'
Wit Among the Troops
"In the barracks are also to be
found boards bearing this notice: This
way to the Prussians.'
obstacles of every kind abound,
and at night each side can hear the
enemy driving pickets for entangle-
ments, digging trous-de-loup, or work
ing forward by sapping. In some
place obstacles have been constructed
by both sides so close together that
some way suggested that each side
prove working parties to perform this
fatiguing duty alternately, insomuch as
the work of the enemy is now almost
indistinguishable from ours and serves
the same purposes.
"Quarries and caves to which al
lusion already has been made, provide
ample accommodation for whole bat
talions, and most comfortable shelters
which have been constructed in them
Northern slopes of Aisne valley fortu
nately are very steep and this to a
great extent protects us from the enc
my's shells, many of which pass harm
less over our heads to burst in the
meadows along the river bank.
Access to the Firing Line
"At all points subject to she'll FIRE,
access to the firing line from behind
is provided by communication trenches.
These are now so good that it is pos
sible to cross in safety a fire swept
zone to the advance trenches from bill
lets in villages, bivouacs in quarries
or other places where the headquarters
of units happens to be.
cit already has been mentioned
that according to information obtained
from the enemy fifteen Germans were
killed by a bomb dropped upon the
ammunition wagon of cavalry column.
1t was thought at the time that this
might have been the work of one of
our airmen. who reported that he had
dropped hand grenade on this convoy
and had then got bird 's-eye view of
the finest display of fireworks he had
ever seen.
Deadly Work of Grenade
From corroborative evidence it now
appears that this was the case; that a
grenade thrown by him probably was
the cause of the destruction of small
convoy carrying field gun and howitzer
ammunition which now has been found
a total wreck. Along the road lie four
teen motor lorries, their iron skeletons
twisted and broken. Everything in
fiammable has been burned as have the
stripped trees some with split trunks,
on either side of the side, Of the
drivers nothing remains except tat
tered boots and charred scraps of
clothing, while the ground within
radius of fifty yards of the wagons is
Uttered with pieces of iron, split brass
shells, which have exploded
and some fixed gun ammunition with
live shells.
Thrown From Aeroplane
eff it were possible to reconstruct
this incident, if it was in fact brought
about as supposed, the grenade from
the aeropfane must have detonated on
the leading lorry, on one side of the
road and caused the cartridges carried
by it to explode. Three vehicles i'm.
mediately in the rear must then have
been set on fire with a similar result
Behing these are groups of four and
two vehicles so jammed together as to
suggest that they must have collided
in desperate attempts to stop. On the
other side of the road, almost level
with its threading wagon, are four more
vehicles which probably were fred by
the explosion Of the first.
eff this appalling destruction was
due to one hand grenade it is an H.
lustration of the potentialities of a |
small amount of high explosives det-
onated in the right spot, while the ma,
ture of the place where the disaster oc-
Cured, a narrow forest road between
high trees, is a testimony to the skill
of the airman. 1t is only fair to add
that some French newspapers claim this
damage to the enemy was caused by
The action of detachment of their
iragoons.