The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-10-11

IBy Karl H. Won wiegand. United
Press staff Correspondent
On THE FIRING LINE, NEAR
WIRBALLEN, Russian Poland. Oct. 8.
-(via the Hague and LondOn-At
shutdown tonight after four days OF
constant fighting, the German army
holds its strategic and strongly en-
trenched position east of Wirballen.
AS write this In the glare OF =
screened auto head light. several hun
dred yards back from the German
trenches, can catch the occasional
high notes Of soldier chorus. For
four days the singers have in
cramped in those muddy bitches, una
Bile to move or stretch except under
cover OF darkness. And still they
sing. They believe they are on the
eve OF a great victory. reached the
battle field OF Wirballen shortly be-
fore daylight, armed with paper Is
sued by the general staff and accom-
panied by three officers, assigned to
"chaperon" me and furnish technical
information. We had travelled three
days by auto and were within three
miles of the right wing OF the Ger
man position when our machine broke
down and we went ahead on foot.
Today saw a wave OF Russian flesh
and blood dash against wall Of Ger
man steel The wall stood. The wave
broke-was shattered and hurled back.
Rivulets OF blood trickled back slowly
in its wake Broken bloody bodies.
wreckage OF the wave, strewed the
breakers. Tonight know why cores
pondents are not wanted on any OF
the battle lines. Descriptions and de-
tails of the battles fought in the year
of our Lord, 1914, don't make nice
reading.
We struck the firing line at point
near the extreme right OF the German
position shortly before day light and
breakfasted with the officers COM
manding field battery
Before the first crtmsoning Of the
east, every man was astir. Fresh
supplies of ammunition brought up
during the night were being slowed
away in the caissons and sacks.
Empty shells were being thrown back
out of the way. An artilleryman with
a shovel went about throwing loose
soil over dark slippery spots about one
of the guns. / saw shovels similarly
engaged several times during the day.
AS day light came, saw that the guns
were On the reverse side of a hill with
their muzzles apparently pointing d.
rectlv up the ascending slope.
A Shell Overhead.
While I still marveIed at the num-
Der of details requiring attention in
this highly specialized business OF
man killing, I was yanked out OF my
reyerie by a wierd tooth splitting en-
CINE whistling scresch overhead. The
fact the shell was from 500 to 1000
feet above me and probably another
couple of thousand beyond before
nv ear registered its flight, did not
prevent me ducking my head and CIV
ing my officer chaperons the chance
to laugh that l had resolved not to
give them A good many shells had
passed over my head before. had
an almost irresistible desire to hug
the ground. For half an hour the Ger
man battery paid no attention to the
shells passing over head and out OF
range Finally soldier with a tele-
phone installed on an emrty ammuni-
ton boz began talking and copying
notes which the commander Of the
battery scanned easily. A word OF
command and a lieutenant galloped
along the line giving varying ranges
to the different batteries commanders.
The crews leaped to their positions
and the battery went into action. The
firing continued for perhaps fifteen
minutes when there was halt, more
tclephoning, new set OF ranges Tor
some of the guns and a resumption OF
firing.
The position of the heavy German
battery was well chosen. The mask
was ideal and in the four days fight
ing the Russians had not succeeded IN
locating its position. 1t was only 4
chance shell or shrapnel' that broke
within the danger zone. But as de
from watching the German guns IN
action. there was nothing to see at
this point-not even the detectives OF
the fire, so with my officer escort, we
moved I'D to the crest OF the hill, fol-
lowing the line of the field telephone
; to the point from which half dozen
{ officers were watching the effect and
directing the German fire. Now both
/ the German and Russian shells were
gcreeching and screaming overhead
in a most uncomfortable and danger
ous fashion.
In the morning sunlight from the
summit of the hill, got my first vie"