Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-20
CANADIANS MAKING GOOD
AS SOLDIERS AT FRONT
No Trouble About Discipline, and Eli
tire Contingent us Clipper as
Winning Baseball Team.
GERMAN TRENCHES ARE NEAR
No Light Allowed to Shine Anywhere,
as Enemy'S SharpSliOoters Arc OH
ut-Charactcristic American
ingenuity and Initiative Shown.

Ingenuity ana initiative Shown.
Frederick Palmer. at the front in
France for the Associated Press, sends
the following dispatch:
B RlTISH HEADQUARTERS IN
FRANCE, March Is (via London March
H. Sol l.. M.).-"iangway: Look out
for that bunch of wagons"
~ voice with an American accent
called. and one knew he was near the
part of the line held by tho Canadians.
II was pitch dark, and at the hour
"heh the supplies 20 up To the
| trenches. There was not Il light on
any Nchicio or in any hahitation. hut.
aftcr stumbling along, the corrcspon-
dent passed through an opening into
tho darkened hall of IA farmers house,
and entered the brilliantly illuminated
room with thicllly curtaincd windows
OF the brigade headquarters. An Of
| hcer was talking over the telephone
lie had just had word that a man had
| bcch shot in the back by a concealed
| shipcr IN the rear OF ;hc trenches
! me commander and his officers gath
| erHd around the correspondent from the
| United states. whose request TO 20 into
| me trenches had been gladly granted
| Ihe correspondent soon was on his way
down dark road, with a sergeant
from Ottawa as his guide to the bat
! TALON headquarters
USED TO SHELLS NOW,
AND DO NOT GET NERVOUS
Passing through tho ruins OF II viii
| iage. the sergeant remarked: The
| Germans arc not satisfied yet. They
! chuck Il few shells into tho wrcckuge
every day. The shells made us nervous
at first. but we arc used to them now.
all right"
| in peasant cottage. battcncd as
tight as photographers darkroom IAN
enemy fires at n liEhD. the corrcspon-
! dent found the battalion commanders
who was from Quebec. lie sleeps i'm
the cellar and the other officers Of the
battalion staff in dugouts. The Of
hccrs remarked that Il shell had
! knocked off a piece of the roof the
! other dag. but that the missile did not
do amy harm. The colonel was going
down into the trenches himself for
the night and took the correspondent
! with him.
Look out for that narrow foot
bridge; and here YOU arc likely to slip
off into the ditch" warned the colonel
as he advised the correspondent to keen
close behind him in the inky night
Right along here is favorite place
Tor the Germans to loosen up with a
| machine gun, for they have a clear
HELD for fire." the colonel added when
an open space was reached There is
nothing to do butte lie fiat and wait
until they are dohe shooting
a German searShlght's rays swung
toward the colonef and the correspon-
dent. and then rested on the clear spot
stand still said the officer THAT'S
the rule until ii sweeps OFF. Thus they
are not able to spot U.S.
OCCASIONAL. SHOTS
HEARD BEHIND TRENCHES
| Occasional shots were heard behind
the trenches. That's snipcr I'm our
rear" the colonel said "Occasionollv
one gets through. We don't know
how. lie is always in khaki We are
out after this fellow, and we will get
him before morning"
The colonel and tho correspondent
| Kept passing lone soldiers passinr
lood 10 the trenches, or returning from
the trenches empty handed. The col
| oncl spoke to them as boys" n greet
IN" winch one never hears from an
! English officer
| H.
dch command was given to some one
showing an electric flash to turn IL off
as the patrols are coming in" Scv.
| cral mer who had been out. crawlinp
| up I'm Indian fashion to see if the Cor
mans were up to anything new. came
nustlih% over the top of the trench.
! som" bullets swep: overhead The
fcrmInS had noted the movement and
| fired, nut hit nobody
we got within seven feet of the
! punch in that ola house and heard tbcm
Nhisprring. said one member Of the
pntr"i. Whcn the strapping tall Ca
had!ans took the position over from
/ IN English regiment, they found the
crest TOO low for their height and bad
10 raise il several inches. They have
! shown characteristic American ingeu-
ulty ana Initiative in arranging the
trenches 10 suit themselves, and be-
hides nave made them wholly dry and
| comfortable
This beats Salisbury Plains" they
Kept saying, referring to their expe-
rlehce in waiting I'm England
Ali We needed was TO be in." said
/ thc colonel I'VE came from home TO
hsht ana we arc fighting. There is
no more trouble about discipline Every
man is keyed UP and right on the lob :"
ENTIRE CONTINGENT LIKE
WINNING BASEBALL. TEAM
The cntir" contingent of Canadians
va" as clipper as q winning baseball
! icarl.
we won't care TO go to the fireworks
! any more when we return home" said
| man from Ontario. I'VE get enough of
| German farcs.' the man added, as the
| fiarcs kept rising at intervals illumi-
mating the 300 yards OF space between
/ Tie trenches They are worried lest
| we are going to spring an attack on
f! them. We shall pretty soon, too,
| nope" the soldier said
! Occasionally, as the correspondent
WalNed along. he could hear distinctly
the sounds of snoring. In their she'll
! proofs. the 7ncn. wrapped In blankets in
! frorticr fashion. and despite the Ger
F.. man narcs and firing which 20 on all
| night. We're sleeping until their turn
came 10 go on watch.
They say we arc making good, and
! believe we are the colonel declared