The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-10-09

SCEHE Of BATTLE
LIKE COUNTRY
Striking Descriptive Story
Tells How One Town
Was Raced by Shells.
REMARKABLE pen picture of

N the Aisne firing line and the
IA destruction wrought In the
greatest battle of the worlds
history is given In dispatch to the
New York Times:
Going over the battlefield of the
Marine we found the battle had fol-
lowed much the same tactics as cy-
clone, In that In some places nothing
not even the haystacks, had been dis
turbed, while in others everything, the
villages, roads and fields had been ut
terly devastated by shells.
As we drove carelesSly over the
brow of hill. where the road dipped
down valley into the town. we were
in direct line with the German fire. as
great holes in the ground and fallen
trees testified. On the way in we no
ticed church steeple shot completely
off, SO after finding an inn, where the
proprietor came from the cellar and
offered to guard our car and prepare
luncheon, we decided first to examine
the church The innkeeper explained
that we had come during tIll in the
bombardment, but the silent. deserted
place lulled all sense of danger. The
yerger showed us over the church, and
we were walking through the ruined
nave when suddenly we heard sound
like the shrll whistllng Of the wind.
ut begins again" our conductor said
simply. As the speech ended we heard
loud boom and the sound Of falling
masonry as shell struck the far end
of the building. We hurried to the
hotel, the shells screaming overhead
We saw the buildings tumbling into
ruins, glass falling in fine powder and
remnants of furniture hanging gro
tesauely from scraps of masonry.
Sensation Under Fire.
All my life had wondered what
would be the sensation If l ever were
under fire-would be afraid? To my
intense relief suddenly became fatal
istic. | was under fire with ven
geance, but instead Of being afraid |
kept saying to myself, Being afraid
won't help matters; besides, nothing
will happen if we just keep close to
the walls and away from the pliddle
street"
On the way we met two men in Eng
Iish uniform, who later denounced us
as spies. We hailed them, and they
replied that they had been cut of from
their regiment and were now fighting
with the French. Just as luncheon
was announced eight soldiers filed into
the hotel, arrested us and marched us
before the commandant, who saw that
our papers were all right, but suggest
ed that on account of the dangerous
position we leave as soon as possible.
During the episode of arrest there
was another lull in the bombardment
which began again as we were seated
at luncheon. All through the meal the
shells whistled and screamed over
head, and the dishes ratified constantly
on the table.
When the meal was over the proprle
for called us to witness what had nap
pened to the far wing of the hotel II
was completely demolished. Alert
had lust been sounded, and the soldiers
were running through the streets WEI
ran out in time to see building railing
half a block away. completely ming
the street by which we had entered the
+ouy, IN bnur aDrlipr
Airship In a Hail of Shells,
In few minutes we heard the sharp
crackle of infantry fire about half a
mile away. and we had sudden de-
sire to get away before the automobile
retreat was cut off. Just then we
heard the sound of an aero engine
overhead 1t was flying so low that
through a glass we could easily see the
whirring propeller. The machine was
mounted with a rapid fire gun which
was trying to locate the German gun
ners. who Immediately abandoned the
destruction Of the town In an attempt
to bring 1t down. For ten minutes
we saw shells bursting all about It
At times 1t was lost In smoke. but
when the smoke cleared there was
the monopane still blazing away al
ways mounting to higher level. and
finally disappearing toward the French
lines.
We passed the night NJ village
where considerable execution had been
done by German shells We saw one
curious effect of them In historic
building near the city hall there was
n shell imbedded In the wall, with a
plate affixed beneath it. showing II
struck there in the year 1914. Just
next to 1t was an unexploded shell OF
a hundred years after sticking in the
wall.