Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-12-01


pass all the men, food and ammuni-
ton that feed the battle in the hills.
This httle' creek is the river of death
for thousands. A regiment of fresh
soldiers, spick and span, Is Just
marching across. At the same time,
across the other bridge, wounded
and sick men are being brought from
the battlefield. A few days ago these
marched through the streets of the
city singing their war enthusiasm.
Their journey to this bridge on the
edge of the battlefield has been long
and slow. But It's almost ended. A
short march will bring them where
death is flying all about. They don't
sing now. Their faces are grave
A group of other soldiers are cheer
ing near by. Their captain has just
made a little speech telling them
they are to go into battle soon and
that he expects them to do their best.
A Gray Army Moves.
On a hillside a mile away are thou
sands of men in gray. They form a
gray carpet over the great slope.
can see white horse among them as
look through my glasses. The
carpet moves and forms itself into
patterns of straight lines on a green
background. These thousands of men
are TO be taken to the front after
dark tonight. They are waiting, and
to keep them from growing nervous,
their officers put them through drills
now and then. 1t is 1880 now, but
in this northern land at this time of
the year 1t will be pitch dark at 4.45
this afternoon so they have not many
hours to swarm idly on the safe hill
side
11:45-we desert the wagon to go
the rest of the way on foot. ! see
my first shrapnel burst. 1t makes a
tiny, lazily- floating cloud of white
smoke over the hills. Through my
glasses l see an Austrian aeroplane
near the white cloud. Another cloud
and another and another break into
view. The Russians are trying for
the aeroplane. The aviator knows 1t,
too. There's no use of his trying to
climb above the danger for the shrap-
mel has an upward range of over two
miles. The machine turns tail and
starts back toward the Austrian
lines. Puff puff! puff More white
clouds break around 1t. These are
deadly cubic miles of air up there,
and If the aviator happens into one
of them there will be a burst of
GU WOo4 dho lhLlCA vi CclAAN GO
and his work will be done. But it's
all in the days work for the man
in the sky. He has been sent up to
draw q Russian fire so the where
abouts of a certain Russian battery
may be disclosed. He has succeeded,
too, for soon you hear the Austrian
shrapnel screeching through the air
toward the spots in the heavens
where the white smoke floats. The
Austrians are feeling over the forests,
hill and valleys for the Russian bat
teries. They want the Russians to
shoot and the aeroplanes has turned
the trick. Amid all these exciting
scenes we see hungry soldiers with
their backs bent earthward digging
with sticks in a field for potatoes.
than the shrapnel.
Expensive Shooting.
12:00-We pass piles of ammunition
beside the road. There are white pin
boxes the size of a travelling mans
grip. Each of them contains a she'll
about four inches in diameter, weigh
ing about thirty-five pounds, and
costing $3.50. Every shot of this vast
tattoo we are hearing means one of
these shells gone to pot. Then there
are other boxes painted black, the
same size They contain four two
inch shells. costing about $40 each.
We're not hearing these this morning,
for Russian and Austrian artillery
lines are about five miles apart and
smaller shells do little damage at that
distance.
12:20-Adams, who has spent nearly
all his life in Austria, though he was
born in Boston, and who has been in
the Austrian army explains what Is
going on. 1t Is true the lines are five
miles apart, but ahead of the artillery,
with their own shells coming up from
behind and over their heads, are regi-
ments of Austrian infantry hiding in
trenches or forests, waiting
for the order to advance.
1:15-We leave the road and take to
a grove. In a clearing we see a big
house. officers come and go. In re-
Spouse to our questions as to the
way in the garden. We follow 1t. In
every battle l ever read or heard
about there was an apple orchard,
and this was no exception. At the
edge of the orchard we came upon a
vast piece of ploughed farmland,
sloping away from us, and quarter
of mile before us in the field we
six copper-coiored howitzers
with their noses tilted high. We
struggled along over the ploughing
and reached the battery.
The eommandant looks at the presa
brassards we wear. Maybe We'll be
ordered to fire soon" he says. He
leads us to a hole in the ground,
Looking through the entrance, We see
that the cave is straw lined. Inside
ia n r-fTa1 fn1nrhnna haQd.
piece. He is talking into the phone
He yells series of numbers to the
who stands beside us.
A hundred feet ahead of us are stu
ated the six howitzers. We're stand
ing beside the battery fire control
which Is the handle of the DEATH
dealing gun. The commandment yeils
the numbers to the men at the gun.
With big poles the men move the
cannon on its wheels into a new direc-
ton. Then other men, with instru-
ments for measuring elevation, tilt
the howitzer to the proper angle
all the men rush away from
the hole In which the gun stands. One
man picks up a rope from the ground;
it's the trigger rope. He stands
twenty feet behind the piece and
waits. Every man stands with his
hands over his ears.
"Fire!" orders the commandant.
Above the tremendous explosion there
is a screech that pierces your ear
drums. This fades away into a tre-
mendous swish which echoes and re-
peats itself more and more family for
about twenty seconds. The sound
comes from mile in the air. The
sky seems alive with the echoes of
the first shrek. We don't see what
Somewhere In the hills,
Ave of six miles away, the shell struck