Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-10-29

wrecked and blackened and there isn't
a ves,ige of greenery left, bar the
beastly green fungus-like patches
where the H. e. shells have burst
Even the rain water and mud goes
bright green from this cause. Talk
about the blasted heath of Macbeth
1t isn't in it with the ruin and desola'
ton OF this part OF the world.
r. Il don't know II I've managed to
convey to you any idea OF the part I've
been existing in lately. but it's been
like horrible nightmare to me-and
I've seen a few horrors this last year.
sheiied All Day Long.
All day long we have been shelled
up there, and they've also had several
trench mortars at work throwing 80
pound bombs by compressed air. This
particular brute Is called minenwerf-
or, and you can see the bomb coming.
1t goes up miles In the air, turns
somersault and then begins to drop.
One gets an idea after time as to
where 1t will fall, and then there's
rush for cover. The beastly thing
lies on the ground for about two sec
onds before bursting, and altogether
it's a thoroughly nerye-racking brute.
The infantry loathe them and keep
perpetual lookout for the "soissidge.
as they call It. It's also called the
aerial torpedo. The effect is terrific,
and l believe 1t does more harm than
most shells. Glad to say we have got
onto several OF these things recently
Every hour or 30 all the German
guns would open a prearranged bonn
bardment OF this position, and then
we get 1t with a vengeance. You can't
imagine how rotten 1t is. You crouch
down in the very bottom OF the trench,
and It seems as II it's impossible to
come through It alive. The air is full
of colossal and deafening rushing
sound, the whole earth trembles, para
pets and sandbags fall in, and showers
Of splinters and smashed-up things fly
shrieking all over the shop. Every in.
slant the explosions seem to come
nearer to you, and finally when you
have made up your mind that it's all
up with you, the row dies away. and
you go back to the ordinary intermit-
tent Smelling and bombarding which,
then, seems almost peaceful.
4. Dead Are Everywhere. ~
"Ot course we had plenty Of casual
ties and the gunners didn't escape.
The last day was up there our wire
got blown to bits somewhere out IN
the open behind the trenches for about
the hundredth time, SO ! went out
with one of my telephonists to try
to repair It. We were in the midst
OF registering our targets for the at
tack, and we had to go over some aw
full places-dead Deutschers every
where. T. Suddenly as we crept along
a hedge there was terrific bang. a
cloud of smoke. and my man, about
fifty yards ahead Of me, disappeared
entirely. OF course, ] fattened out
at once. thought the poor chap had
been completely blown to bits, as the
shell had burst right at his feet. How.
ever, I heard a yell after a few Sec
onds and made rush for the spot.
taking what cover ! could. because 1t
looked as II we'd been seen and the
Deutschers had fred one Of their for
ward guns at us. found the poor
beggar still alive and conscious, but
horribly cut. i made him as comfor-
table as l could; told him to lie still.
because he. could be seen and would
very likely be shot at again, and then
bunked of to try to find stretcher
party. 4, ~. ...5.s III, :, 8 \. q.
I'VE were some way from our
trenches and In q part that's strictly
avoided on account of the attention
paid to It by the Deutschers-l sup.
pose because there are some Of their
old trenches there that we took with
the bayonet. Luckily hadn't gone far
before met a sergeant and two men.
So l collared him and. sending OF one
man for the stretcher bearers. the
rest OF us went back and got myTchap'
out OF 1t. We tied him up - best We
could. and then had to carry him pig
a.back toSthe IRE trenches, where the
stretcher bearers dressed his wounds