The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1914-12-11
GUN FIRE IS AWFUL
British Officer Describes DeadIl.
ness Of Artillery.
Fells Of Narrowing Experience Facing
German Lines 10 Rescue Wounded
captaln-Has Sword hit
Shot Away.

hohuoh' Tue aWiulnoaG OF modern
artillery fire Ia described In a thrilling
story .old by a British officer Just re-
turning from Flanders. lie says;
Il took eight men to End out what
happened to Captain u. and a platoon
who were sem to support the firing
line. Three hundred yards out | saw
the line of our infantry lying fat on
the ground and made toward them.
Il shall never forget traverslng
those three hundred yards. The Ger.
man guns, which were only 500 yards
away, fred with extreme accuracy.
II seemed impossible that my little
party could escape. Three we're hit
almost Immediately. but we others
kept on and reached the liae.
TO my horror / found all dead or
wounded except three men, who we're
keeping perfectly stlll. I found a
subaltern On his knee with one hand
resting on the ground Just in the at.
ttude OF a unn who is waiting for
the signal for the start OF a race.
He was stone dead. A shrapnel bullet
had pierced his head. I again crept
forward another hundred yards, where
I found our firing line under Captain
II. They were lying. every man killed
or wounded within about four hundred
yards of the German guns, which we
could not ever see.
In the center a bunch OF Is men
lay in a heap, having massed as they
advanced for mutual protection. |
never have seer such wounds at this
short range.
Il found Captain b. still alive with
his thigh shattered and another wound
in his neck.
"As long as we lay quiet the Ger
man guns did not FIRE, but directly
any one moved we got another shell
right on top OF us.
Il saw that unless Captain b. re-
ceived speedy attention he would die.
| took two rifles and made a stretch
or out OF a great coat. We carried
Captain b. almost TO the edge OF a
wood before the Germans noticed us.
Then they opened fire, but we reached
cover.
II got some more volunteers from
my platoon and four stretchers. and
these brave fellows crawled up "a
the firing line and carried the others
out under heavy FIRE. Several OF the
wounded were again hit on the way
Il was on the extreme right OF the
line TO cut a pack from a man who
was badly wounded. ! heard n shell
coming and instincttyely put up IN!
arm to guard my face and tried e
throw myself on the ground. But 4
was too late. ! felt a terrific blow
Just as II some one had hit me Will
n giant red hot poker. / vas spuI
around and seemed TO go on spinning
and then fell to the ground.
Il thought | had been killed, rs
felt a violent blow In the abdomen
/ then discovered my right arm va.
broken and useless. Il was bleeding
freely. / looked at my stomach
where I felt the greatest pain, bu
90 my great relief saw no blood. The
found the bullet had cut the rim.
on my belt and carried away the hill
OF my sword.
Il lay on the ground n few mir
utes; then the Germans commence
20 shell us again. Finally we reaohe
the field hospital. where we wer'
given morphine. then put in a trai
with hundreds OF other wounded
This is all | know OF war. and hav
iot the least idea whether we won O
we're beaten on the day | was hit"