Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-11-04
HAS BATTLE MOVIE"
American Aviator Obtains a Rare
Motion Picture.
BY Daring Exploit, Philip RAIDER Gets
Film Record Of Part Of the Oes-
perate Conflict on the Marine
River.

aviator, who is here by speclal per
mission of the French government,
was one of the few noncomoatan1
eye witnesses of a part of the battle
of the Marne. His story follows:
Accompanied by three French Of
fcers of the aviators. l left Paris on the
morning of September for the IRONY
with a moving picture camera. we
took a train determined to go as Tar az
possible. Before proceeding many
miles we heard ~cannonad1ng far
away. The train arrived at Lagny'
From Lagny to Meaux is seventeen
! kilometers Coz miles,. we tnouen'
we would be forced to walk, but we
discovered an empty sand barge ana
two horses at the bank OF the Marine.
The officers promptly communicated
the outfit, rousing the bargemen, "no
were sleeping on the deck OF thel1
craft.
"We started with a single morse
straining against the sluggish current
and about six p. m. arrived at MeaaS'
The town had been sacked and was
In ruins.
Il slept that night on a lounge IN
the mayors Office. The next morning
we continued to ascend the river Oh
| the barge. The sriver beyond Cham
brty runs parallel to the road on the
left, which is on high ground. and was
cut off 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. It is
doubtful If they say us and they might
have passed, but when they were al
most on a level with us crack, crack
crack, came from the hedge. when
seemed to be fairly alive with French
lnfantrymen, who had been lying IN
ambush. If the French had remained
In shelter they might have annlhll'
lated the Germans, but instead they
were constantly rushing forth. Shots
rang out on both sides, the uhlans re-
plying with an accurate fire before
they were repulsed. They left only
three men on the field, as against
four for the men in ambush.
1.-THE French again disappeared !
the hedges and We glided on toward
Germigny. At Leveque we noticed
that we were directly behind the
French lines, which were several hun-
dred yards away At the village the
officers left the boat, but ! 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 told
the French that they were not per
mitted to go farther.
Accordingly + ordered the barge
man to continue up the stream. He
stared at me stupidity a minute and
then urged on the horse. BY this
time it was middle afternoon. we
crept on until we got to the turn iof
the river, where a sentinel was stand
ing on the bank, but he ignored US.
IA single freight car on a track across
| the river gave a disconsolate air 10
the scene. Half q mile farther on we
reached q deserted house. Here left
the barge and stood on the bank TIL
| saw the boat slowly disappear down
the stream. Then / climbed the bank,
carrying my m~oving-picture camera.
entered the house and assembled to
the second floor, where l had q vie"
If the battlefield from the northwest
window. There was a large hollow,
at the bottom of which ran a tiny
stream. For half a mile on the LETT
on the hills we're the French trenches
running diagonally forward and hall
q mile on the right was a single Ger
| man trench running at right angles to
| the line Of fire.
81 had hardly arrived and adjusted
my apparatus when a terrible artll-
lery fire burst from both sides, splln-
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 nch
but the Germans were continually
standing up. Looking through my
glasses I could occasionally see n
run . few yards, suddenly throw up
his arms and fall. The accuracy OF
the French guns was something un-
canny. With the coming of darkness
the firing diminished, but all night the
position Of the lines was betrayed by
spurts of flame.
Toward sunrise 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 q
quarter Of a mile away. Accordingly
descended into the basement and
buried the camera under rubbish, so
that it would not be injured even In
case the house was bombarded. l
crept out on the side next to the river,
which was invisible from the battle
side, and made my way back to the
French lines"
Moves German Frontier, on Paper.
London.-Advices have cache here
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