The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-04-27

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.
PARIS, April 27.-The first Of the
wounded from the battle of the User
canal arrived here today. They deny
emphaticaIiy that the German gas
caused death to anyone. It rendered
the troops In the front limo Of trenches
unconscious, these soldiers say, and
the charging Germans bayonetted
them where they lay.
PROGRESS IS MADE.
PARIS, April 27-in today's re-
ports on operations, the war Office
says that the lines have been eonsoil-
dated north Of Ypres and that prog
ress 10 being made. = Is declared
that HartmanswelIerkopf, captured
by the Germans on Sunday, was re-
captured by the French Monday even
ling and that some prisoners were
taken.
Slmms' Story.
LThis is the second of a series Of
articles from the French battle front
by William Philip Simms, United
Press staff correspondent, who was
taken along the front line by direc-
tion Of tho French general staff. All
have been passed by the French
censor.l
tBy William Philip Simms, United
Press Staff Correspondent
copyright 1915 by the United Press.l
copyrighted in Great Britain.l
WITH THE FRENCH ARMY, April
11.-(By mail to New York, April 27.)
Up over the hill we stumble through
the darkness. Ahead is our guide.
the captain of the general staff. Sud
denly there ahead outlined against
brilliant light far on the outer side
you distinguish the outline of a troop
er coming toward you. What seems a
COW is in q patch to the right. There
Is another house and some outbuild-
ings. Then the light dies out. 1t was
a fusee, an Illuminating bomb, shot
into the air by one side or the other
to light up the landscape and prevent
surprises.
AS you reach the top Of the hill the
roar Of the cannon is much louder.
The view. too, is magnificent. Every
f.,w minutes q great ball Of fire sud
denly appears suspended high over
the trenches near you or far down
the line. You see the whole country
in its weird light. The world takes
on very unreal appearance and you
pinch yourself to see whether you are
awake or dreaming.
Now you hear the pop of the rifles,
not a confused cracking without
cease or intermission, but pop-pop,
pop, pop-pop-pop: with definite inter-
walls. Shsrpshooters all along the line
ara shooting at anything they see
!novfng-or think they see. Then you
hear the rattle of machine gun. It
lasts for less than ten seconds. The
gun server has turned the crank but
round Or two, perhaps at shadow
which moved when that French fusee
began to fall over there in his direc-
ton. The German fusee Is shot into
the air by special gun like a revol-
yer with large barrel. The French
goes up with sky rocket and burns
with beautiful opalescent blush
light. The German light is more yel-
low.
At the foot Of the hill you find
yourself in a sunken road And you
are Immediately glad that it is sunk
en-. Suddenly there is a fusee light,
you see everybody duck their heads
as simultaneously as you have duck
ed yours. II was all over before you
realized what it was ell about. For
an instant you thought that it was an
angry humble bee jabbing at your ear.
Sheepishly you realize that It was a
bullet. You are getting close.
One more turn to the right AMI you
find yourself in a shallow trench about
waist deep. Your foot slip. q the
bottom Of red mud and YOU save
yourself a nasty fall by throwing
your hand and arm against the wall OF
earth. Your hand sinks into the satu-
rated clay and gravel and you think
of your sips gloves. Ruined perhaps.
CONTINUED on page 2)