Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-22
CheeriIy Patient in Determina-
ton to Fight Till the
War Is Over.
NO SIGNS OF PREPARATION
FOR OFFENSIVE MOVEMENT
Trenches. Constructed Above Ground
in the Forest. Mitigate Discom-
forts of Winter Campaign.
BY HERBERT COREY.
Copyright. 1851

Copyright. 1851
IN THE FOREST OF PARROY, August
2..-Winter quarters have been prepared
for the army of the Lorraine There is no
longer any talk of finishing up this job
by Christmas. The French soldier has
settled down with that CHEEKY patience
which is one of his noble characteristics
to keep on fighting until the war is over
and he has won the war
Not a bad cabin said a soldier at
Headquarters here today. We had been
observing the sturdy little house in which
the commanding officer lives.
Did you build it," I asked. He nod
ded
II learned how in Tennessee. said he
The Forest of Parroy is one of the de-
lenses of Nancy and the department OF
the Meurthe-e -Moselle. On the map 1t
shows only as shaded area. In peace
times it is one OF the carefully forested
tracts in which this part of France
abounds. One or two good roads run
through il. Between these ROADS me
ground Is swampy under foot at the
first hint of wet weather. The larger
trees have been culled out and sold
What remains is what an American
lumberman would call second growth.
Between the slender trunks bushes
grow thickly.
ct was too wet for the Germans here
last winter" said the staff officer. We
surprised them by taking the forest, and
we have held it ever since"
No newspaper men had visited the
Forest of Parroy until our party arrived.
We were not particularly enthusiastic
about forests. One forest. we held. was
singularly like any other forest. They
were all composed Of trees, which pre-
vented one seeing anything. What We de-
sired were thrills What We got were
winter quarters. 1t was a prosaic but an
illuminating compromise.
why are the trenches built on top or
the ground? We asked.
Because we'd drown in an ordinary
french here in the winter time
Protected by the Trees.
No doubt this ingenious French plan
for mitigating some of the discomforts
of trench life in winter would not be pos
sible In the open. Here the trees afford
protection from shells. So the soldiers
have constructed defenses of woven withes,
packed with earth. These wattle-and-
daub walls are from three to six feet
thick and six or seven feet high At in
fervais there are nitrailleuse cabins and
i'ocfed-in bombproofs. 1t may he granted
that they would not stand for ten minutes
against artillery. But before shells can
reach them acres of woodland must be
cut down
You will notice said my Tennessee
;'renchman. that our cabins are drained"
Cabins must afford protection from shells
and rife balls more than from the wealth
er in war time. So that these structures
are immensely thick as to the wall and
ma ssive as to the roof An inner wall of
logs is surrounded by a layer of earth
held in place by a second wall of logs.
Sometimes there is third wall. Often
the outer wall is of this woven-withe work
In which the Frenchman is a pioneer. 1t
again confines q thickness of dirt. Such
cabin would not merely be a protection
against an ordinary field piece. but would
be delightfully."- comfortable in winter
less the water seeped up from below.
As guard against this the cabins are
surrounded by tiny meats. perhaps two
feet deep and a foot wide, which drain
into holloWs through which the water
ways pass off. Sometimes a drainable
hummocf is found in which bombproof
habitation may be built. Where possible
the I.orraines have added a further refine
ment in wire entanglements to their de-
feDses. The wires are placed in bitches
below the surface of the ground. In this
fashion they are protected from shell
fire. My Tennessee Frenchman jovial-
ly referred to them as "hytraps."
Imagine the anger of the Germans
when they think the wires have all been
swept away and they come upon these
hidden pits full of tangled wires. Do You
know of what they make me Think"
didn't. OF course
That sunken road at Waterloo, he
said, with certain gravity.
A Scene of Peace in War.
At the outskirts of the forest, where
lieldpieces might play from the enemy's
batteries a few hundred yards away,
these above ground defensive works
are not possible, of course. Here the
trenches run along the very fringe of
the forest. We crowded into one of
them. 10 gaze out through the loop
uoleS at q scene that spoke of peace
IN every acre. At the foot of the slope
was double line of trees, where an old
road runs. On the other side of the
valley two little villages might be
seen On both slopes were entangle-
ments of wire.
That is the village said our officer.
1t is held by the Germans"
Through the glasses one could see
that it had been knocked to pieces by
shell rire. Once or twice Germans
ruined house and popped hurriedly into
shelter. At that distance they make one
tank of small woods animals in fear
of the fox. The smile was not an alto
gether inaccurate one. Somewhere in
the wood behind US a battery of sew
enty-fves spoke. Four shots followed
each other closely that they were
hardly distinguishable. A second
elapsed. on that peaceful other slope
green and pleasant in the afternoon
sun. a cloud of dust arose. The four
shells exploded almost together There
was just that interval between the
sounds there had been between the
reports of the guns.
They probably saw some men going
hnrne from Sail