Evening journal., 1914-10-10
BY KARL H. YON WIEGAND.

BY KARL H. Won WIEGAND,
United Press Staff Correspondent.
ON THE FIRING LINE, NEAR
WIRBALLEN, RUSSIAN POLAND,
Oct. S.-(Via The Hague and Lon
don)-At sundown tonight. after four
days of constant fighting, the German
army holds it's strategic and strongly
entrenched position of Wirballen.
As ] write this in the glare of a
screened auto headlight several hum
dred yards back from the German
trenches, l can catch the occasional
high notes of a soldier chorus. For
four days the singers have lain
cramped in these muddy bitches, un-
able to move or stretch except un-
der cover of darkness. And still
they sing. They believe they are on
the eve of a great victory.
reached the battlefield Of Wir-
ballen shortly before daylight, armed
with a pass issued by the general
staff and accompanied by three Off
GERS, assigned to "chaperon" me
and furnish technical information.
We had travelled three days by au-
tomobile and were within three miles
of the right wing OF the German
position when our machine broke
down and we went ahead on foot.
Today, / saw a wave. OF Russian
flesh and blood dash against a wall
of German steel. The wall stood
The wave broke-was shattered and
hurled back. Rivulets of blood
trickied back slowly in its wake.
Broken, bloody bodies wreckage OF
the wave strewed the breakers. To-
night | know why correspondents are
not wanted on any of the battle lines.
Descriptions and details of battles
fought in the year Of cur Lord 1914
don't make nice reading.
We struck the firing line at point
near the extreme right OF the Ger
man position shortly before daylight
and breakfasted with the officers
commanding a field battery.
Before the first crimsoning OF the
east every man was astir. Fresh sup
niles of ammunition brought up dur
ing the night were being slowed away
in the caissons and cases. Empty
shells we're being thrown back out
of the way. An artilleryman with
shovel went about throwing loose soil
over dark slippery spots about one
of the guns. l saw shovels similarly
engaged several times during the day.
AS daylight came, / saw that the
guns we're on the reverse side OF a
hill. with their muzzles apparently
pointing directly up the ascending
slope
Shells shoot Over His Head.
While / was still marveling at the
number OF details requiring attention
in this highly specialized business of
mankilling, | was yanked out of my
reverie by weird tooth-edging, spine-
chilling, whistling screech overhead.
The fact that the shell was from 500
10 a thousand feet above me and prob
ably another couple of thousand feet
beyond, before my ear registered its
fight did not prevent my ducking my
head and giving my officer chaperOns
the chance to laugh that had resolv-
ed not to give them. A good many
shells had passed over my head, be-
fore ! could lose an almost irresist-
ible desire to hug the ground.
For half an hour the German bat
terry paid no attention to the shells
passing overhead and out of range
Finally a soldier with telephone in
stalled on an empty ammunition box
began talking and copying notes
which the commander of the battery
scanned hastily. A word of command
a lieutenant galloped along the line
giving varying ranges to the different
battery commanders.
The crews leaped to their positions
and the battery went into action. The
iring continued for perhaps fifteen
minutes. when there was a halt, more
.elephoning, a pcg set of ranges fol
some of the guIus and the resumption
of firing.
Germans Hold strategic Position.
The position of the heavy German
battery was we'll chosen. The mash
was ideal and in the four days fight
Ing, the Russians had not succeeded
n locating its position. 1t was only ;
chance shell or shrapnel that brok'
within the danger zone. But aside
from watching the German guns il