Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-06-06
ROAR OF CANNON
FOR NINE MONTHS
Hundredth Bombardment of Pont-a.
Mousson About to Commence, but
People Are Unconcerned
IGNORE SHOT AND SHELL

I NAOTToHpOnQfnNt VI Allt ENccbNAhANA lNSSHN
! PONT-A-MOUssON, May A-Pont-a-
/ Mousson is approaching its hundredth
! bombardment 1t has heard cannon con-
| tinuously for nine months, been shelled
internationally during the whole OF that
| period. and daily part Of II; II shows
/ some ugly scars here and there, but life
/ goes on as usual. Those merchants not
| serving customers are summing them
/ selves in their doorways. Boys playing
marbles on the Place Duroc stop only to
| salute gravely a detachment OF infantry
marching through to take its position in
| the Bots lie Pretre. A group of women
| on the cathedral steps. surrounded by
| their children, are knitting and chatting
calmly.
Meanwhile the cannon roars to the east
| toward Nomeny, to the southeast toward
| Chateau Salins. to the north toward
Metz, to the northwest in the Boise lie
Pretre. and to the west toward St. Mihiel.
| In one day eighty shells fell in the
| town adding one more to the fresh
| graves in the cemetery and increasing the
devastation. The villagers have dis
| tinguished a new note in the formidable
concert playing all about them 1t is the
/ NOlCt VI Nilt bA6 itAANh suns NAAeNN hoNN
commenced pounding the southern forts
OF the fortified camp of Metz. They snow
where they are. but no one mentions the
/ name of the spot. for every inhsbitant Of
Pont-a- Mousson has acquired military
! discretion.
Each In Hts Turn.
Each one in his turn" said nom
| commissioned officer. dining off half
demolished table in a characteristic old
! provincial auberge. across the bridge In
I the suburb Of St Michel. Now they are
] going to get theirs-and how they are
] going to get 1t. thought"
Tit for tat" ne added to the landlady
coming in from the kitchen to serve him.
| Through the door she opened the kitchen
! was seen to be open TO the sky. 1T
! doesn't matter a bit when the weather's
! good" said the landlady. I'm fact, that
old range seems TO work better than ever
/ in the open air, but when It rains 1t
kicks like sixty"
! The kitchen in question had been Wis
| tied by twelve-inch shell, and all that
was left Of it was the range and chimney.
The partitions separating the, dining room
and the bar were riddled by fragments.
7 AiiS bdi ANeNll AtlN AAuu Us baoh bAOhCb
! and the tables and chairs were In various
stages of demolition.
What a fright you must have had
/ said the sergeant.
! Yes" replied the simple old woman.
II was afraid the range was busted"
Spirit of Frontier.
I Such is the spirit of these frontier
folks who have been bombarded for nine
months and have witnessed some of the
momentous developments of the gigantic
duel between the principal opposing for
tresses of Metz and Verdun Metz de-
livered the first blow; Verdun is now
countering.
The German armies invading France
were unable to use their forces to the
best advantage over so short a front as
the boundary between France and Ger
many That is one OF the reasons given
by military experts for the violation of
the neutrality of Belgium by Germany
This strategical movement enabled them
to pivot on Metz and wheel around
through Belgium into France over a
vast front.
The German left resting on Metz was
at once engaged with the French center
resting on Verdun. The crown princes
army, coming into France by way of
Longwy. attacked Verdun on two sides.
I 1t succeeded in demonshing Trcyon, an
interval fort between Verdun and Toul,
but the only fort around Verdun they
were able to attack was Douaumont.
and the French claim not a shell struck
home.
! This bombardment was effected from
Z sort nf traI -
which neither side has occupied-conslst-
ing of two small plateaus called Les
Jumelles de ornes. The Germans con-
structed railroad behind these plateaus.
brought up guns by train, fired a few
shots. then drew the guns away with
out waiting for Verdun to reply The
battle of the Marine put an end to this
desultory attack and since then the
pressure on Verdun has gradually turned
upon Metz.
Wait for Heavy Mortars. Z
Students Of the military opera lions de-
clare that the French have been within
long range OF the Sonny and Wagner
forts for several weeks and could have
attacked them with heavy artillery AT
the time they began bombarding the
railroad line at Arnaville. The entire dis
lance between Verdun and Metz is onlv
thirty-seven miles. II is supposed that
they were waiting for the new heavy
English mortars. from which great
things are expected.
The fortress of Metz, like that of YER
dun Is surrounded by heights affording
admirable protection and commanding
long distances of approaching ground.
In the time OF the French possession Of
Alsace-Lorralne It was supposed To be
the strongest fortified place on the
frontier. The Germans began 10
strengthen it Immediately after 1871. The
work was finished in 1890 Another
Transformation, during which a number
or new forts were built, began IN 1900
and was not yet completed at the out
break Of the war
The place is now defended by twenty.
five modern forts with many Intervening
redoubts and secret field works. The
southernmost forts are the Sonny and
Haesler. which adjoin each other on the
right bank OF the Moselle and the left
bank of the Settle, and Wagner on the
right bank of the seille. It is supposed
TO be the forts OF Sonny and Haesler
that are now being attacked. The for
ner is one Of the most recently con-
structed forts Of the fortress; Il Is only
three and three -otla rfara Y,tta. -