Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-16

powder has made the localization and
Identification of targets a matter of
supreme difficulty.
Men Sheltered by Dugouts.
On the firing line the men sleep and
obtain shelter in dugouts they have
followed or cut under the sides OF the
trenches. These refugees are raised
slightly above the bottom OF the trench,
so as to remain dry in wet weather
The floor of the trench also is sloped
for purposes of drainage. Some OF the
trenches are provided with overhead
cover, which gives protection from the
weather as we'll as from shrapnel, balls
and splinters of shells. Considerable
ingenuity has been exercised by the
men in naming these shelters. Among
Cecil" the fritz Hotel the Billet
|Deux Hotel' and the Rue Dormir."
On the road barricades also are to be
found boards bearing this notice: This
way to the Prussians."
Obstacles of every kind abound. and
at night each side can hear the enemy
driving pickets for entanglements, dig
ging trous de loup or working forward
by sapping. In some places obstacles
have been constructed by both sides SO
close together that some wag suggested
that each side provide working parties
to perform this fatiguing duty alter
nately, insomuch as the work of the
enemy is now almost indistinguishabl BILE
from ours and serves the same purpose
Quarries and caves to which alluslon
already has been made provide ample
accommodations for whole battalions,
and most comfortable are the shelters
which have been constructed in them.
The northern slopes of the AiSne val
ley fortunately are very steep, and this
to a great extent protects us from the
enemy's shells, many of which pass
harmlessly over their heads to burst in
the meadows along the river bank.
Communication Trenches.
At all points subject to shell fire ac-
cess to the firing line from behind is
provided by communication trenches.
These are now so good that it is posi-
Bile to cross in safety fire-swept zone
to the advance trenches from billets in
villages, bivouacks in quarries or other
places where the headquarters of units
happen to be.
1t already has been mentioned that
according to information obtained from
the enemy fifteen Germans were killed
by a bomb dropped upon the ammuni-
ton wagon of cavalry column. 1t
was thought at the time that this might
have been the work of one of our air
men, who reported that he had dropped
hand grenade on this convoy and had
then got btrdS-eye view of the finest
display of fireworks he had ever seen.
From corroborative evidence it now
appears that this was the case; that
the grenade thrown by him probably
was the cause of the destruction of a
small convoy carrying a field gun and
howitzer ammunition which now has
been found total wreck. Along the
road lie fourteen motor lorries, their
iron skeletons twisted and broken.
Everything infiammable has been burn
ed as have the stripped trees-some
with split trunks-on either side of the
road. or the drivers nothing remains
except tattered boots and charred
within radius of fifty yards of the
wagons is Uttered with pieces of iron.
split brass cartridge cases, which have
exploded and some fixed gun ammuni-
ton with live Shells
Results Depicted.
If it were possible to reconstruct this
| incident-lf it was, in fact, brought
| about as supposed-the grenade from
the aeroplane must have detonated on
| the leading loTry on one side of the
road, and caused the cartridges carried
| by it to explode. Three vehicles imme-
diately in the rear must then have been
| set on fire with a similar result. Be
| hind these are groups of four and two
vehicles SO damned together as to
| suggest that they must have collided
| in desperate attempts to stop
| On the other side of the road, almost
level with the leading wagons. are
four more vehicles which probably
were fired by the explosion of the first.
If this appalling destruction was
| due to one hand grenade, it is an
| illustration of the potentialities of a
| small amount of high explosive deto-
mated in the right spot, while the ma
ture of the place where the disaster
occurred-a narrow forest road be-
tween high trees-is a testimony to the
| skill of the airmen.
| 1t is added that some French news
| papers claim this damage to the enemy
was caused by the action of detach-
/! ment of their dragons.