Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1915-08-27

sembling largo
forces of troops within Its limits. and
also to keep them from placing bat
teries at a notably valuable strategic
point.
Thousands Of shells have fallen in
to this Moselle river village and al
most every day they continue to rain
down. There is a curious thing to be
noticed in Pont-a-Mousson. Only one
part of the village Is destroyed, for
nearly all the shells have fallen within
@ limited area. A good many civilians,
old men, women and children have
been killed In the streets Of the VII
iage, but the loss of life has been due
largely to the neglect Of some OF the
villagers to take refuge at the first
warning in their bomb-proof cellars.
Why the Germans have concentrated
fire on one section Of Pont-a-Mousson
1t Is hard to determine. but the fact
that the major part Of the village has
escaped destruction leads n to COM
ment on the escape OF many another
target at which shell fire has been
directed.
Two Astounding Facts.
Two Of the most astounding facts
which came to my notice on the bat.
tie lines of France are these: That II
IS allhUst impossible for the artillery
men OF any country to bring down an
aeroplane. and In that 1t is almost
equally impossible for an aviator to
drop a bomb successfully on the tar
get which he has selected for de
struction.
Why Is 1t that the batteries can't hit
their flying mark, and why Is 1t that
the man on the flying mark can't hi
the batteries or anything else that he
aims at? These questions must bt
left probably for answer to the scien
lists. whether they be In the army o.
In civil life.
Now 1t must not be understood tina
the batteries never hit anything, o.
that the ~aviators never hit anything
Sometimes they accomplish their oh
jects of death or destruction or both
but much more frequently they fail
Readers Of the papers learn only o
the successful attacks.
Much Wasted Effort.
Before this l have told about seeinI
o French battery doing Its level bes
to bring down a German tauhe whicl
was bent on flying over the city o
Nancy for the purpose of droppinI
bombs on the houses and the people
The German machine made its wa
through q perfect storm Of shrapne
and did 1t unscathed. 1t finally wa
driven back, but 1t was uninjure(
Shells broke all about and scattere
the shrapnel bullets like hail. Blu
the operator went serenely on his wa
with the machine until the fusillad
became too hot even for him, and b
was forced to turn back toward tn
German line where he landed safel.
Stories like this could be multiple
indefinitely.
On another occasion at the actu,
front a German %aeroplane came ovt
the French line not far from ii
Bois-le-Pretre or in English, the Woo
of the Priest, one Of the most hotl
contested fields along the entire ives
ern battle front. The German intr
der was fred at by every gun. lars
and small, which the French cou'
bring to bear. Seemingly the day
miracles Is not over. for this aer
plane escaped without harm. Like Il
other It was compelled to turn abo'
and to make Its way back into Il
German lines, but the French countt
1t a very small victory simply to for
the retreat of the air foeman.
Fooled by Biplane.
In Paris one day a biplane appear'
over the city. Every German air VI
itor for months hAd come in the for
of a %monoplane and so when the
plane appeared the French in n a
alton camp thought that the visit
was a machine from a camp of the
countrymen. for the French large
use biplanes. The machine display
the French colors and this fact help
It unimpeded on its way.
The visitor sailed around over {
Garden of the Tuileries, abe Place
la Concorde and the Quai d Orsay |
nearly an hour. Later l was partit
larly interested In the movements
. this biplane because my wife all ,
. conscious Of danger. had been sitti