Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-05-12
ACCOUNT OF RATTLE OF GASES.
Not Always Effective, and Sometimes
Hinder the Users.

Hinder the Users.
London, May 5.-The British Off
cial eyewitness in a long account
of the engagement of the last few
days in the Ypres region, records
that the Germans have continued the
use of asphyXiating gases, but with
! less success than on the first occa-
sion.
The narrative says the French
have made continual advances east
of the Ypres Canal, south Of Pilkem,
! the result Of which was to remove
the wedge occupied by the Germans
in the French line between the canal
and the Ypres-Langemarck road.
During these advances many German
prisoners were taken.
While the French continued their
advance in this section it is asserted
that the Germans attacked the Brit
ish south of Neuve Chapelle and at
| Hill No. 60, in both cases using
gases.
In the latter attacks, however.
owing to a change in the wind, the
fumes were blown back towards the
! Germans, who are believed to have
suffered. Similar tactics are said to
! have been adopted by the Germans
! in their attack north Of Ypres last
| Sunday.
Precursor of Attack
about o'clock in the evening""
! the eyewitness says, "a dense cloud
| OF SuffOcating vapors was launched
from their trenches along the whole
! front held by the French right and
by our left from the Ypres-Lange-
marck road TO Il considerable dist
ance east Of st. Julien. The fumes
did not carry much beyond our front
trenches, but these were to a great
extent rendered untenable and a re-
treat was ordered.
mo sooner had this started than
the enemy opened violent bonn
bardment with asphyxiating shells
and shrapnel on our trenches and on
our infantry as they were withdraw
ing.
"Curious situations then arose be-
tween us and the enemy, the ,,o.con
belt, the upper stratum shredded
into thin wreaths Of vapor as it v as
shaken by the wind and the lower
| and Iancnr ri CT n in ;,,t> Ill
qualities Of the ground and rolling
slowly down the trenches. Shells
would rend it for a moment, but it
only settled down again as tickly as
| before.
Works Against Germans.
Nevertheless the German in
fantry faced it and they faced hail
of shrapnel as we'll. In some cases
where the gas had not reached our
lines our troops held firm and shot
through the cloud at the advancing
Germans.
ION the extreme left our supports
waited until the wall OF vapor reach
ed our trenches, when they charged
through it and met the advancing
Germans with the bayonet as they
swarmed over the parapets.
South Of st. Julien the denseness
or the vapor compelled us to evacu-
ate trenches, but reinforcements ar
rived who charged the enemy before
they could establish themselves in
position. In every case the assaults
failed completely. Large numbers
were mown down by our artillery.
Many who reached the gas cloud
could not make their way through it,
and in all probability a great num-
Der Of the wounded pershed from
the fumes.
'lt was not long before all our
trenches were reoccupied, and the
whole line re-establishcd in it's orig
inal position. The attack on the
French net with the same result.
Saw ii the Day.
"A great deal has been said of tn
troops on the left which saved the
situation on April 1928, but the ser
vices rendered by the British in
fantry farther east were no less re-
markable. The arena to the north
and east Of Ionncbekc, representing
a narrow horn of the salient, formed
a kind Of bastion. Throughout the
hEhting this garrison held firm un-
der raking artillery fire from all