Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-10-10
As Advancing Lines Thin Out
One Cannot Understand
1t Is Death
DEAD NOT PILED UP
JUST ACRES OF THEM.
Among These Were Squirn-
ing, Wnthing Forms Of
the Wounded
lRx Kari II. Won wisrand.l

The Firing Line Near Wirbalcn, via
The Hague ana London, Oct. 9.-At
sunset tonight after four days Of con-
stant fighting, the German army holds
its strategic, strongly entrenched posi-.
tion east Of Wirbalen.
As / write this in the glare Of
screened automobile head light, several
yards from the German trenches, can
catch the occasional high notes of a
soldiers chorus. For four days the
singers have lain in crampcd attitudes,
unable to move or stretch themselves
except under cover Of darkness. And
still they sing.
] believe they are on tn eve Of
great victory.
! rached the battlefield Of Wirballen
before daylight, armed with n paper
issued by the general staff and accom-.
panied by three Officers who we're MS.
signed to "chaperon' me and furnish
me with technical information
We travelled three days by automo.
bile and then our machine broke down
within three miles o. the right wing
Of the German position We continued
ON foot
Rivulets Of Blood.
Today | saw wave Of Russian flesh
and blood dash against a wall Of Ger.
man steel. The wall stood. Riyulnts
Of blood trcliled slowly back from II.
Tonight know why correspondents
are not wanted on the battle lines.
Descriptions aud details Of battles
fought In the year Of our Lord 1914 do
not make nice reading.
We struck the firing line Mt point
near the cXtromc right Of the German
position shortly before daylight and
broakfasted with the officers command.
ing a field battery Supplies Of am.
munition brought up during the night
were being slowed In the caissons. An
artillcyman with n shovel went about
throwing loose soil over certain dark,
slippery spots by one Of the guns. /
saw shoves similarly employed several
times during the day
Wanted TO Duck
Daylight revealed guns on the reverse
side Of the HILL their muglles appar.
entity pointing directly up the ascend.
ing slope,
suddenly there was q weird, tooth.
edging spino.chilling whistlng scrcech
overhead, The shell passed 500 Ia
| 1000 feet above Ms and did not end
It's flight less than 5000 feet beyond
whore we stood but this did no. pre-
vent me from ducking, which gave my
"ofliccrchaperons' n chance to laugh
Many shells pissed before | lost my
almost irresitablc desire 10 hug The
ground.
Finally soldier with telephone In
stalled on an empty ammunition boz
began talking and copying notes which
the commander Of the battery scanned
hastily
AZ the word Of command n lieutenant
pnllopcd along the line, giving the vary
Ing ranges 10 the different battery CON
manders. The gun crows lcapcd TO thcil
positions and our battery went into
action, II fired for Fifteen minutes
Then there was halt and more tele
phoning ending with orders for new
eet OF ranges for some Of the guns aud
q resumption Of firing.
Great Line OF Men
In four days Of fighting the Ruasiani
tailed 20 locate this masked battery
Only chance shell aud shrapnel burst
within the zone Of danger
From this battery my officcr.chap
erons' still accompanying me, fol
lowed the field telephone TO poIn
where half dozen officers were watch
ing the effect Of the German fire aut
directing Il.
From the summit Of hill ! got m,
first view Of fighting that will y,
down IN history rs "rhc BNttlo Of wir
ballen.
The line sircached away to the lef
as Far a. field glasses would carry, II