New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-14
Gale Adds to Suffering
in Fighting Around Dixmude

(By Wireless via Louisburg y 81
London. Nov. 13.-ln connection With
the reports that the Allies again have
retaken Dixmude. which the Germans
stormed on November 10. the following
description of the conditions Of the
lighting in the neighborhood of the
town from a correspondent OF The
Daily Chronicle" in Northern France is
OF particular interest:
at was one Of those unpleasant sur.
prises which we have had before and
Shall have again when Dixmude was
retaken by the Germans. As town
it's possession is not of priceless value
10 the enemy. They have retaken
pitiful ruin. many streets of skeleton
houses filed with burnt out ashes,
town hall with a gaping hole IN ITS
roof. an archwsy which thrusts ltsen
up from the wreck of pillars like a
gaunt rib and litter of broken glass,
bricks and bodies OF men.
"The character Of the lighting IN
Flanders does not permit a detailed
description. There is nothing TO pict-
ure in the way of heroic charges by
cavalry, dashing bayonet attacks or
rand counter movements by infantry
in mass. Such things, which the public
imagination Graves, are not happening
lust now. What is happening IS q
bowling gale, shrieking across the
dunes, swirling up the sands into blind
ING clouds and tearing across the nat
marshlands.
Men Lashed by Wind.
an the trenches along the User men
crouch down close to the moist mud, TO
shelter themselves from the wind,
which is harder to dodge than shrapnel
shells. II lashes them with herce
cruelty. In spite of all the woollen
comforters and knitted vests made by
women's hands at home, the wind finds
its way through TO the bones and mar
row of the soldiers, so that they are
numbed. At night il is an agony Of
cold, preventig sleep, even if men could
sleep while shells are searching for
them with their cry of death.
"Gunners have dug pits for them
selve and, when they cease firing for
a time, crawl 20 shelter, smoking
through little diets in the damp
blankets, in whc they have wrapped
their heads and shoulders. They tie
bundles OF straw around their legs to
keep out the cold, pack old newspapers
inside their coats as breast plates and
swear to keep themselves warm, al
least in Imagination.
"The wind gave new horror TO this
war. there was something ueNlllsu ~
its bowling, in its long, angry roar as
IL came with enormous force across the
flats and then hurled itself against tbs
walls of village or the roof of an ole
barn, as though nature herself had
been seized with fury Of destruction.
at was very hot, as well as very
cold, at Oudecapelle and Nieucapelle
and along the line TO Styvekenskerke
and Lombardtzyde-the enemy's bat
teries were hard at work again. over
there the darkness was stabbed by red
flashes and the sky was zig-zagged with
forked lightning made by machinery.
At intervals the whole horizon was IL
Illuminated by waves of vivid spiendor,
which shone for moments upon the
blanched faces of men who waited for
death.
Through the darkness along the
road infantry tramped toward the lines
Of trenches to relieve other regiments
which had endured a spell in them.
They bent their heads low, thrusting
forward into the heart of a gale which
tore at the blue coats of these French
men and plucked at thei- red tro-sers
4 slashed into their faces with cru i
whip. Their side arms jingled against
the teeth of the wind which tried to
snatch at their bayonets and drag the
rifles out of their grip. They never
raised their heads TO glance at The Red
Cross carts coming back"