The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-04-26
Supreme Attempt Of German War Machine to
Slash Through to Calais After the
Winter Spent in the Trenches
USE GUNS WHICH SHOOT GAS FUMES
Under Great Cloud of Smoke From the Artil-
lery, Desperate Struggle is Waging Be-
tween Germany and the Allies.

Lover straits, 600 miles In length
spring has come And every one IS
agreed that this spring will see the
bloodiest fighting since God made man.
Perhaps you would like to see some
of this fighting line before the fray
begins. II you would, then come along,
for General Joffre for the first time
has given his consent to a foreign
to "see everything he
wishes at the foremost front. A can
tain OF the general staff will be your
guide.
AS you buzz along in the high pow
cred motor through the warm day,
the dandelions are thick. Gently slop-
ing hill-sides are revealed coyerc
with anemones. forget-me-nots, lilies OF
the valley and wild yiolets. Early
peach trees are blooming and jonqull
hedges are framing facNer beds with
Trich gold.
Then you shudder Suddenly y,i
remember what this sunshine and
beautiful picture means. The awak-
ening of the war god; the renewal OF
furious CORY battles of smashing,
slashing offensive: the building OF
heaps and pyramids OF broken bodies.
"A tender little violet. blooming under
its leaf means pile of dead men; a
fragrant narcissus blooming in pea s.
ants yard stands for the lives Of the
young men Of the entire neighborhood !;
that anemone you see smiling at yon
from the PASTURE there, represents a
huge crater dug by giant shell an1
in it the torn pieces of human flesh
mixed with the torn shreds of horse
flesh.
You shudder and you choke and you
have to be called twice before yoi
realize that your auto has stopped and
you are to walk out along ridge for
quarter of a mile to see. from the
ruins of stone mill, the surrounding
country occupied on the east by the
Germans, on the west by the allies.
See that patch Of woods there to
the northeast?" the staff officers
asks. You do. "Well $4,000 men have
fallen there since October and the
lines still are the same. It's Notre
Dame de Lorette and the village ls
nalf in the Germans hands and halt
in the hands of the French" Through
glasses you can follow the trenches for
several miles. Yet you do not see
sign of life except a man ploughing.
1t is all bit disappointing.
Yet you have the word of your guide
for it, that two great armies are right
there, fronting each other. just be-
tore your eyes There is a lull now,
but when the weather warns, the
sprine and summer will interrupt it
with jolt which will smear the land
scape with blood. ,.. t.
But come along. You are to 90
from brigade headquarters to the fore
most trenches tonight, within few
feet Of the Germans. Before starting,
YOU dine. The colonel, an acting brig.
adler general. is your host. His stan
sit on the right and left Of you about
the table. Some are on cartridge
cases. as chairs are few. The room is
lighted partly by oil lamps and partly
Iby candles. You remark that the
dinner ia good and are told it was
cooked by a soldier who before tho
war was one of Paris leading plumb
ers. While you eat, the belches OF
heavy artillery is heard over the
ridge. Onicers come and go, but vol
are allowed to finish your dinner.
liquors, cigars and all
Leaving the pitch dark flower gard
en- that fronts the farm house. you
stumble to the left down badly cut
IN highway skirting the hill. There
isn't a light anywhere; none is shown
by specifc orders for Zeppelins. tauoes
|or ayiatiks may be prowling overhead
with bombs poised.
You pass dark forms going In the
iopnosfte Observation-Disclosures with mes
sages for headquarters. Now you turn
to the right and start up a narrow
street.. You are in the village. You
don't take three step before sentry
calls out, sharp, not loud, "halt!'
Your officer advances, gives the
vord of the night, the sentry presents