The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-25
NANCY LIFE EASIER
THAN THAT IN PARIS
But FIGHTING THAT HAS SUR
ROUNDED TOWN HAS BEEN
STUBBORN.
FORESTS ARE SCARED
SHELLS FALL INTO TOWN DAILY,
But PEOPLE ARE AS USED TO
COMMANDMENT AS TO
RAINFALL
RAINFALL
BY FREDERICK PALMER.

| by FREDERICK PALMER.
| Nancy, Jan. 24.-Throughout the
war the veil OF secrecy has been thick
/ est over the Lorraine frontier. If
correspondent was to he shown any
thing he was always sent elsewhere.
Among the spurs of the Vosges around
Nancy there has occurred fighting
which has been unsurpassed in stub
bornness or picturesqueness.
: Here command OF the heights meant
that the valley was a death trap. Here
the woods and forest screen artillery
from aerial reconnaissance, and con-
ditions of the Wilderness battle in the
Civil War are often reproduced.
q In Nancy. that thrifty, tidy old
capital of the French Lorraine, life
seems more normal than in Paris. 1t
is as brilliantly lighted as in the days
of peace until 10 In the evening,
when all lights are put out.
From high points in the suburbs of
Nancy the gun fire from some direc-
tion or another which means that some
French battery has seen some Ger
mans within range. working on a new
trench or else that the Frenchmen
are touching up some German bat
terry
I our first one OF three tours Of the
northward., was in the directio NOT
Pont-A -Mousson and La Pretre for
est, which are on the French front
I of the German wedge in the French
! lines between the fortresses Of Tous
and Ferdun.
/ shells Fall Almost Daily.
tbs du1i day in Pont A Nj usson
when no shells fall in the town. The
people take cover with the first and
go on with their business when the
shower is over. In La Pretre. as in
the other forests of the Vosges. the
winter life of the troops is similar
to that of a healthy winter camp in
the Adirondacks, a great contrast to
Ithe muddy and flooded trenches of
the lowlands in Belgium and North
ern France.
y The forests are SCARED in places
as IL for iumb boring operations Where
the fields are in the way OF the fir
ling they have been cleared, but usu-
ally only scattered cuttings here have
been made so as to leave branches
of other trees as a screen with wood
at hand for cooking, for building
shelters for the horses, for timbering
trenches and for shell-proofs for the
men.
The French army In the Vosges is
having a healthy woodland outing
There rabbits and other game, in
GLIDING wild boars are to be shot as
we'll as Germans, only prone nading
in the woods in range of the German
artillery Is not as popular as it might
be. A shell striking the limb of "a
, tree makes splinters with penetration
enough to cause nasty wounds.
soldiers ,Stuffed With Food.
The French soldier. are literally
stuffed with food. Many of them
, live better than they do at home.
In the forest regions where the
lines are close together. trenches are
. taken and retaken at critical points
and after each struggle the Red Cross
, cars waiting on the siding go south
, with more passengers.
In the open country, where there
/ are no trees to screen the guns. dis
t guises OF the most ingenious sort
, have been made of wood and paint
, We literally walked into one bat
, terry, indeed, might have walked over
it, as the only sign of it's existence
was the cellar-like opening for the
y descent under the ttmbered roof
r covered with dirt, such as might be
used TO keep vegeta bles in winter.
over this slight snowfall merged
q these positions into white landsca pc
so far as concerned the vision OF the
, German aviators who went up every
day, no matter what the weather
might be.
In these shelters the gunrers were
living in cellar built below the guns.
Its first floor was heaped with straw.
: Don't tell the Kaiser where we
are" said one gunner. I'VE are sure
; he doesn't know
While in the fiat country of Belgium
and Northeastern France you never
know with your own eyes the mean
Ing Of positions. From any height in
the Vosges the lines become as clear
as those of Gettysburg from the top
of Mount Round Top.
From st Genevieve Hill. looking
north, it is clear why the Germans
cannot drive their wedge at st. Mihiel
\ any further in, and also one can see
] clearly the difficulty which the French
have In forcing the Germans out. Look =
ling east towards Metz, the tree crests
[,i of Grand Coronet form frontier
a against the reid blue sky. The fields
| in the inme date foreground. up to
the French positions in the nearest
woods, are bare. Except for stray mes
sengers, all communications and all
q supplies are under cover OF darkness.
a Thanks to the watchfulness of the
. sharpshooters and the artillery, the
= soldiers In tho frontal trenches are lit
v orally prisoners during the day.
@ AS far one could see over that
q white world OF mountains and woods.
= both the French and German positions
= could be plotted. II was clear why
each dead zone between them existed
Y and why each side held where 1t was
= In this winter stalemate. Men can no
more lie out nights on the cold slopes
: of the Vosges in any extensive forward
e movement than they could in the, Ten