Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-11-05

gressOrs their losses must have been
forty and fifty thousand and may have
been more.
THE English loss in one night at.
tack l witnessed was one dead and five
wounded. The five were wounded by
rife fire and one man killed was al
most blown to pieces by the explosion
Of a shell, what the English soldiers
call coal box on account of the
black smoke it sends up.
Scene Laid Near Scissors.
THE trench I was in is about four
miles north of the Aisne, east of Sois-
sons. 1t had been gained a month pre-
viously at a great cost and was being
held only by splendid and continuous
acts of courage.
1.-THE Germans were intrenched less
than a hundred yards away and had
plenty of cover behind them, while the
English had only saved themselves
from humiliation by digging them
selves in. They were holding a steep
upward slope with their rife trenches
near the top of the steepest part The
Germans sloped more gradually, but
gave the Germans the advantage of
impetus in charging the trenches.
Finally Gets Into Trenches.
ct was only by a series of accidental
circumstances that l was able to get
so close. For two weeks l had been
trying to get into the firing line with
out getting closer than within four or
FIVE miles of it.
During this period l had frequently
been under cannon fire and watched
both French and English gunners at
work, but had not been able to slip
up close enough to see the men in the
trenches. This time l tried part of
the line not previously attempted. The
nearer I got to the actual battle the
less difficulty I seemed to encounter.
Finally, turning off a narrow lane, I
was allowed to cut across an open field
to what looked in the distance like a
rabbit warren. 1t proved to be one of
the dugout shelters with which the
English soldiers have protected them
selves.
There was something almost quaint
about the spectacle as l approached. It
was late afternoon and quite still.
Even the cannonading had ceased. I
walked across the field without even
drawing a rifle shot. If I had known l
y-oc within two bundr rod ,vorde of III =
German outposts l would not have ven
tured there, of course, but the Ger
mans evidently did not shoot at me be-
cause l was in civilians clothes.
Village Below All Quiet
Just below me was a little hamlet
beside the line of the water course and
there were even children playing in
the street. On that account I did not
suppose l was anywhere near the line.
l noticed there was hardly a roof in
tact in the village and that two build
ings, one a stable, had been blown
to pieces. But l had seen so many
towns in that condition it did not
mean anything particular to me.
When l had crossed the field SOL
diers lying there in the little dugouts
in uneven rows greeted me without
any show of interest until l spoke to
them. Then some seemed mildly sur
prised that / spoke English 1t was
not until afterward that l knew that
these men had been so worn out by
being constantly under fire that their
nerves no longer responded.
In one of the trenches I found lying
a lieutenant, smoking a cigarette and
reading an illustrated London week
ly. He invited me in and asked me
what I was doing there. I regret to
say I had to tell him a lie, because l
knew how stringent the rules were
against correspondents. I fancy he
knew I was lying, but let it go at that
He Ducks" shrapnel.
In a few minutes a shrapneI shell
whistIed over my head. It sounded so
close I unconsciously ducked my head.
but the lieutenant did not, and few
men I could see from where I was sit
ting did not either. Some of them
were asleep and did not even stir.
7 came to see the night attack be-
cause I talked to the lieutenant until it
was dark and then it was too late to
travel l was too likely to be shot by
arteries, leaving not more than two
Or three ounces in the system