The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-08-26

cathedra1s and churches have only
the fur walls standing, and these,
too. with enormous holes in them.
One of the churches has lost three
of its four steeples, and the remaining
one is leaning and will fall in
slight wind The smells are awful.
There is hardly a house which has
not been hit by a shell and the thou
sands of shells the Germans must
nave used the place shows that
they are not, at present anyhow,
short of ammunition. The fine old
rampartS are all that nave withstood
the gunners. The line of the canal
would be a topping lire to hold.
My tent is comfortable with table
and chair, and even a carpet There
is a bed of logs and plankS on which
is excellent mattress (Where it
came from L know not and ask no
inconvenient questions); a jug and
basin also has put in an appearance.
The tent has been dat bed over with
conspicuous for acroplares to spot
Il have come back from a fifteen
mile walk, and an exciting one, as the
Huns have been particularly agrees
sive. AS 1 was walking along one of
the lines outside Ypres. the Huns put
a fat crump across my bows 1t
burst in the air, and they We're OBJ
viously ranging on something. There
dred yards to my right, beautifully
hidden among a thick hedge. l waited
a minute to see what the Germans
would do. In a few seconds there
was a whistle and another crump
burst in front of the battery. The
next burst 20 yards in front of the
guns; the next, unpleasantly near me.
They had got the range and put fiji
teen shells bang into the hedge
amongst the guns, which, incidental
ly, went on shooting. / moved to a
more healthy place. Then the Huns
began putting their heavy shrapnel
behind the guns, their idea being to
catch anyone who might be running
back or bringing up stretchers-
81 don't see, even when we win,
how Germany can make good quar-
ter of damage she has done. They
have gone on Smelling a tower in
The main roads in the
town are clear, but that is all, and
the rats are crawling everywhere.
tAll day we were just hanging on
by one line, but we were in touch with
our briSadeS and were actually
to the troops in the first line
Of German trenches. The front lines
then got rather churned up. AT my
office alone we dealt with $50 mes !
sa ges without any delay. During the
morning we had "A lot of German
prisoners brought in. Ore or two of
them were fine looking fellows They /
were all confident of their ultimate
Taey said they were not go
thought it had been rather a failure
and had often affected their own !
people, but as we found a gas tube
ON one of them, I didn't quite believe !
it. They said it was for fear of be- i
ing harshly treated-there being a
distinct Discrimination to take prison /
ers these days.
The Huns have been Smelling our
"a mparts. A curious thing happened. |
1t was a lovely clear day, when sud-
denly it began to pour rain, as we |
thought. What really happened was |
that a large shell burst IN the moat |
and threw up a jet of water which /
lasting nearly a minute. They (
dropped a crump or two on top of |
the rampartS where some Gordons |
were tucked away in a deep trench. /
i,an up to see if they were all right |
found a bedraggled Highlander |
drenched to the skin and standing on !
top of a parapet using the most awful |
language at the prospect of having to |
spend a cold night in his wet clothes. |
He probably would much rather have |
been hit
The Germans have brought up one |
shell, which, fortu- /
1ately, does not always burst. We |
nave been taking the magnetic |
bearing with the comps IS of one just /
outside. After striking the ground it /
cut through the earth % feet under
ground, the turf still remaining in po-
sition. 1t then came up to the sur
ace, base uppermost, without burst
ng. Now, we just have a message to
'ay that a Zeppelin is floating about.
They have been active today and
given us plenty to think about I
lad an exciting morning trench
The trenches are wet. /