Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-11-26
REPORTERS ON FIRING
LINE TELL OF CLOSE
FIGHTING IN TRENCHES

| Paris. Nov. 26.-Sixteenth French
newspaper men have entered the
| trenches and underground forts at the
front, visiting among other places the
! spot where to the Cry of Nive la
| France fifteen hattalions Of French
twice charged the Germans and
wrested from them the village OF
Quesnoy at a loss of 1000 of their own
men and 5000 of the invaders. Their
trip was taken by official permission,
/ the general in command OF the battle
! line between the Disc and the Somme
assigning a stan officer to show them
| the military operations.
| From one OF them there comes to the
Havas agency q vivid picture of mod
ern war in winter.
Aside from describing the cavernuus
depths in which the soldiers dwell
while fighting continuous battle
across a glistenins field OF snow, the
account gives details of the tighting
and deals with the human side of the
strife, showing how, after tryins to
kill each other, both Germans and
French are supplied with food from the
same source. AN ancient windmill neu-
traiizeG without the form of an armis-
tee
Germans Able to Hear Them.
When we approached the firing
zone, says the dispatch, we de-
scended into the main trenches. with
which is connected system of cuts.
The trench is six fee, wide and three
and oue-kalf to four feet deep. We
followed II as i; wound up a slope for
TWO and one-half miles. while the noise
of the musketry came nearer and
nearer We were exchanging our new
ana thrilling Impressions when our
guide told us that we must be silent.
The enemy can hear U.s. he said.
We had arrived on the first firing
line. We were Immediately made
aware Of this fact by what we sneiled
and heard at the same time The
which we had left behind as we adj
the nearer and quicker staccato re-
ports OF machine guns and rifles.
a, distance OF 100 yards was a
gray winding ridge of earth. the adj
vance line OF the enemys trenches.
How Men Kill Each Other.
Here, face TO face and within range
OF each others forces. men were shoot
ing each other down point blank, while
from every ridge and every mound
covered with four inches of snow, IN
seen batteries completed the turmoil.
Here and there head rises eau
tiously above white crested trench.
There are six quick shots and then the
head disappears, as tho swallowed by
a sea of snow.
This is all the spectators see of the
hundreds of thousands Of men in the
burrows.
The vast chambers rooted over with
the branches OF trees and with stout
wooden pillars in front supporting
sacks OF earth protect the men inside
alike from shells and tenpests. These
are underground forts for modern war
fare. with sanitary bitches. kitchens,
mess and hunks for the rifemen
awaiting their turn on the firing line.
Foes Even Exchange Papers.
In front rises an ancient windmill
neutralized without the form of an
armisrice. whence provisions are
brought to the trenches of both COM
batants. Farther on the trenches are
SO near each other that the Germans
and French exchange newspapers.
Complicated barbed-w defenses
protect the trenches from surprise. At
a converSing point on one spot stands
a building. at the walls of which tn
enemies arrived at the same time and
German riaeman, breaking hole
thru a wall, thrust a bayonet under
the nose OF a French sentinel.
This is the spot where brigadier
general saved the day for the French
and gained the stripes Of a general
commanding an army.
Describes Battle Of Quesnoy.
Farther down the line appear the
crumpling ruins of Arras. where no
Industry remains standing.
AT nightfall the humble village of
Quesnoy is nothing but heap of
stones and smoking ruins, in the
midst of which are seen the narrow
trenches from which the Germans re-
sisted the onslaughts and which now
contain the heroic dead.
Twenty FIVE batteries PLAYED on
these trenches. while fifteen battalions
by echelons charged with bayonets to
mighty chorus of 'Vive la France!'
a formidable fusillade and machine
gun fire stopped the onrush, but half
the ground had been gained. The next
day the French batteries reopened and
the infantry line charged again, this
time carving the trenches and chas-
ing the Germans from the position"