Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-08-20


also to keep them from placing bat
teries at a notably valuable strategic
point.
Thousands of shells have fallen In
to this Moselle river village and al
most every day they continue to rain
down. There is curious thing to be
noticed in Pont-a-Mousson. Only one
part of the village is destroyed. for
nearly all the shells have fallen within
a limited area. A good many civilians,
old men, women and children have
been killed In the streets Of the VII
lage, but the loss Of life has been due
largely to the neglect Of some Of the
villagers to take refuge at the first
warning in their bomb-proof cellars
Why the Germans have concentrated
fire on one section Of Pont-a-Mousson
it is hard to determine. but the fact
that the major part Of the village has
escaped destruction leads one to CON-
ment on the escape of many another
target at which shell fire has been
directed.
Two Astounding faCtS.
Two Of the most astounding facts
which came to my notice on the bat
tie lines of France are these: That II
is almost impossible for the artillery
men of any country to bring down an
aeroplane, and in that it is almost
equally impossible for an aviator to
drop bomb successfully on the tar
get which he has selected for de-
struction.
Why is 1t that the batteries can't hit
their flying mark, and why is it that
the man on the flying mark cant hit
the batteries or anything else that he
aims at? These questions must be
left probably for answer to the scien-
fists, whether they be in the army or
in civil life.
Now it must not be understood that
the batteries never hit anything, or
that the aviators never hit anything.
Sometimes they accomplish their OBJ
jects of death or destruction or both,
but much more frequently they fail.
Readers Of the papers learn only Of
the successful attacks.
Much Wasted Effort.
Before this 1 have told about seeing
q French battery doing its level best
to bring down a German taube which
was bent on flying over the city Of
Nancy for the purpose of dropping
bombs on the houses and the people.
The German machine made Its way
through q perfect storm Of shrapnel
and did it unscathed. It finally was
driven back, but it was uninjured.
Shells broke all about and scattered
the shrapnel bullets like hail. But
the operator went serenely on his way
with the machine until the fusillade
became too hot even for him, and he
was forced to turn back toward the
German line where he landed safely.
Stories like this could be multiplied
indefinitely.
On another occasion at the actual
front German aeroplane came over
the French line not far from the
Bois-le-Pretre or in English, the Wood
of the Priest, one of the most hotly-
contested fields along the entire west
ern battle front. The German intru-
der was fred at by every gun, large
and small, which the French could
bring to bear. Seemingly the day OF
miracles is not over, for this aero
plane escaped without harm. Like the
other it was compelled to turn about
and to make its way back into the
German lines, but the French counted
1t a very small victory simply to force
the retreat of the air foeman.
*r%tt Fooled by Biplane.
In Paris one day biplane appeared
over the city. Every German air WIS.,
itor for months had come In the form
Of monoplane and so when the b.
plane appeared the French in one avi'
alton camp thought that the visitor
was machine from camp of their
countrymen, for the French largely
use biplanes. The machine displayed
the French colors and this fact helped
1t unimpeded on its way.
The visitor sailed around over the
Garden Of the Tuileries. the Place do
la Concorde and the Quai d, Orsay for
nearly nm hour. Later ! was particu'
larly interested In the movements of
this biplane because my wife all un.
conscious Of danger. had been; sitting