The Parisian. (Paris, Tenn.) 1907-1962, 1914-10-23
HAS BATTLE MOVIE
American Aviator Obtains a Rars
Motion Picture.
By Daring Exploit, Philip RAIDER Goa
Film Record Of Part Of the Doe
perate Conflict on the Marine
River.

aviator, who 10 mere by speclaA peS
mission of the French government
vas one OF the few noncombatan'
eye witnesses of part Of the BATHS
Of the Marine. His story follows:
Accompanied by three French %
Acers of the aviators, / left Paris on tns
morning Of September s for the from
with a moving-picture camera. W.
took train determined to go as far a
possible. Before proceeding many
miles we heard cannonading IN
away. The train arrived ut Lagny
From Lagny to Meaux Is seventeen
kilometers (10.2 miles). We thougn'
we would be forced to walk, but We
discovered an empty sand barge and
two horses at the bank of the Marine
The officers promptly Communicated
the outfit rousing the bargemen, wh0
were sleeping ON the deck Of theif
craft.
I'VE started with a single horss
straining against the sluggish current
and about six D. M arrived at Meaax
The town had been sacked and was
n ruins.
II slept that night on a lounge In
che mayors office. The next morning
we continued to ascend the river on
abe barge. The river beyond Cham
krey runs parallel to the road on the
left, which is on high ground, and was
cut of from our sight by a low hedge
Suddenly we heard the clatter OF
Horses hoofs and 200 yards ahead and
perhaps 500 yards distant from US we
saw the helmets of a dozen uhlans
rising above the hedge. The cavalry
men were approaching rapidly. 1t II
doubtful II they saw US and they might
have passed, but when they were al
most on a level with VS. crack, crack,
crack, came from the hedge, which
seemed to be fairly alive with French
infantrymen, who had been lying IN
ambush. If the French had remained
In shelter they might have annihil'
lated the Germans, but instead they
we're constantly rushing forth. Shots
rang out on both sides, the uhlans re
plying with an accurate fire before
they we're repulsed.. They left only
three men on the field. as against
four for the men In ambush.
"The French again disappeared In
the hedges and we gnded on toward
Germigny. At Leveque we noticed
that we were directly behind the
French lines, which we're several hun
dred yards away. At the village the
officers left the boat, but l saw that
ahead the river bent sharply to the
left and encircled the right end OF
the French lines and continued in the
direction of the German lines, whence
an occasional distant explosion tole
the French that they were not peg
mitted to go farther.
Accordingly ordered the barge
man to continue up the stream. He
stared at me stupidity minute and
then urged on the horse. BY this
time 1t was middle afternoon. We
erept on until we got to the turn of
the river, where sentinel was stand
ing on the bank, but he ignored US.
A single freight car on track across
the river gave a disconsolate air to
the scene. Half a mile farther on we
reached a deserted house. Here left
the barge and stood on the bank till
I saw the boat slowly disappear down
The stream. Then | climbed the bank,
carrying my moving-picture camera.
entered the house and assembled to
the second floor, where had view
Of the battlefield from the northwest
window. There was a large hollow,
at the bottom Of which ran tiny
stream. For half a mile on the left
on the hills were the French trenches
running diagonally forward and half
q mile on the right was a single Ger
man trench running at right angles to
the line of fire.
Il had hardly arrived and adjusted
nay apparatus when a terrible artil-
lery fire burst from both sides, splin-
tering the window glass In the house
by the percussion, which was deafen-
ing. The German gunners apparently
were less skillful than the French.
The French soldiers were more wary
and lay close down In the trenches,
but the Germans were continually
standing up. Looking through my
glasses | could occasionally see one
run q few yards, suddenly throw up
his arms and fan. The accuracy of
the French guns was something un-
oanny. With the coming Of darkness
the firing diminished, but all night the
position of the lines was betrayed by
spurts of flame.
Toward sunrise I saw that the
firing was gradually getting closer to
my house and l judged that it was get
ting too hot. Besides, the French had
pushed forward their trenches during
the night until they were hardly
quarter Of mile away. Accordingly
descended into the basement and
buried the camera under rubbish, so
Shat it would not be injured even in
sase the house was bombarded. /
srept out on the side next to the river,
which was invisible from the battle
fide, and madeS my way, back to the
French linas"