Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-01-10

wits, and then stops. Everything
tremhles and shakes The dry earth
on the Sides OF the bombproof peels
off and falls.
WE SIT waiting for the
shell that VIII bury as. one after am
other falls close by, but the one we
wait for does not come. The enemy's
battery has fired five shots and now
stops
Bombardmcnt Renewed
AN hour later the bombardment
started again. We sat there like
paralyzed on the table a cigar
burned a hole into a glove. Nobody
had sense or ambition enough to pre-
vent 1t.
when the bombardment was over,
everybody felt a peculiar sort of fa-
tigue. All conversation ceased. one
Of my men left his scat and YEARLY
threw himself upon the straw bed.
Before he went to sleep, he tuHed
over and whispered;
eau met
The worst of II was that we were
not permitted TO return the fire. No
doubt the division staff had its good
reasons for that Things would be
different had we been able to return
shot for shot. We would have been
of the best spirits in that case. But
to sit there, like dumb brutes, and
wait for orders under such a fire was
a bad experience.
The day passed in this manner.
The enemy's fire ceased at seven in
the evening, and after a meal of ba-
con, bread and coffee made of cereals
we felt better, A partridge pie which
cheer us up.
Next morning at five the order:
Ready for firer came by Telephone.
Man the guris-adistance 2.l00 yards
shell fire, said the voice at the
other end of the wire Though it was
still dark, we heard from the distance
the thrashing Of infantry fire.
Fighting Fast and Furious.
"Our shells shrek and whistle across
the plain shot wen placed-battery
salvos-every ten seconds one-dis-
lance now 2,20O yards, telephoned
the observation officer.
The Gun commences. 1t is hard
work. Precipitation rolls off us like
the rain, which has Just commenced
to fall
But the enemys motor battery
also starts up again. The first shell
hits near our position The second
one hits the bombproof-we had been
located. a vertahle sea Of explosions
surrounds us--lightning detonations
crashes, shieks, smoke and powder
stencil give our environment the APP
pearance of the crater of volcano.
We are covered with mud which the
enemy's shells throw up and which
descends on us like hail
2175,' | shouted ut the gunner.
But he did not move.
Fischer! was my next shout. At
that moment the body Of the gunner
slipped between the seat and the
mechanism noticed that
a fragment Of shell had entered his
forehead
GunnCr's Body Removed.
Gently We placed the body to one
side and another gunner took the
seat. We continued our fire--ealmly
--steadily--in our minds saw the de.
wrought by our shells in the
lines of the enemys infantry.
so 1t continued for some time.
from the observation station the com
mand Cease fire for while.
lin the afternoon another shell
hit our position, and another man had
to be laid aside. lie was a loyable,
old fellow, Later we buried the two.
Rain fell through the night and
next day. BY noon our bombproof
was filled with water We waded
around ia that up to our waists. La
ter in the day the bombproof caved in
and we saved nothing but the tele-
phone instruments, cur carbnes and
coats. We then spend some time in
the cellar of nearby farmhouse and
tomorrow we go back for rest. our
place will be taken by reserve regi- !
ment with wonderfully clean uniforms
and brand -new brown boots our
have all the colors Of the
on mud-yellow back |