The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-17
COMFORTABLE DUGOUTs
FOR SLEEPING QUARTERS
Soldiers Cut Under Sides of Trenches
on Firing Line to Provide
Shelters.
ACCOUNT OF EYE WITNESS
Obstacles OF Every Kind Abound,
and at Night Each Side Can Hear
Enemy Driving Pickets for En-
tanglements.

LONDON. October 16.-This descrip-
tive account of tho operations in
France. sent by an eyewitness attached
to the British general headquarters un-
der date of October 13, was given out
here to-day: -.
ON the firing line the men sleep and
obtain shelter In dugouts they have
followed or cut under the sides of the
trenches. These are raised slightly
above the bottom of the trench, so as
to remain. dry in wet weather. The
floor of the trench also Is sloped for
purposes of drainage. Some of the
trenches are provided with overhead
cover. which gives protection from the
weather as we'll as from shrapnel balls
and spltnters OF shells.
Considerable ingenuity has been ex-
ercised by the men in naming these
shelters. Among the favorite desiEna-
tons are the Hotel Cecil the Ritz
Hotel the Billet DouX Hotel and the
Rue Dormir.'
ON the road barricades also are to
be round boards bearing this notice:
This way to the Prussians.'
obstacles Of every kind abound, and
at night each side can hear the enemy
driving pfckets for entanglements, dig
ging. trous-de -loup, or working for
ward by sapping. In some places obsta-
eles have been constructed by both
sides, 80 close together that some wag
suggested that each side provide work
Ing parties to perform this fatiguing
duty. alternately. insomuch as the
work OF the enemy Is now almost indis-
tinguishable from ours, and serves the
same purpose.
AMPLE ACCOMMODATIONS
FOR WHOLE BATTALION
"Quarries and caves, to which al
fusion already has been made. provide
ample accommodations for whole bat
taiions. and most comfortable are the
shelters which have been constructed
In them. The northern slopes OF the
Aisne Valley fortunately are very
steep, and this to a great extent pro-
tects us from the enemy.s shells.
AT all points subject to shell fire,
access to the firing line from behind is
provided by communication trenches.
These are now SO good that it is pos
sibie to cross in safety a fre-swept
zone.
"It already has been mentioned that
fifteen Germans were killed by n bomb
dropped upon the ammunition wagon
of cavalry column. 1t was thought
at the time this might have been the
work of one of our airnen, who reported
that he had. dropped n hand grenade
on this convoy and had then got n
bird's-eye view Of the finest display of
fireworks he had ever seen.
From corroborative evidence 1t now
appears that this was the case: that
the grenade thrown by him probably
was the cause of the destruction OF n
small convoy carrying field gun and
howitzer ammunition, which row has
been found total wreck. Along the
road lie fourteen motor lorries, their
iron skeletons twisted and broken.
Everything infammable has been
burned. as have the stripped trees.
some with split trunks-on either side
of the road. or the drivers nothing re-
mains except tattered boots and charred
scrapes of clothing. The grenade must
have detonated on the leading Iorry.
on one side of tho road. and caused the
cartridges carried by it to explode.
Other vehicles Immediately in the rear
must then have been set on fire with
a similar result"