Albuquerque morning journal., 1915-03-20
Frederick Palmer Sends Inter
eSting Story From British
Lines in Northern France,
Where Fire Is Hottest,
NIGHTS ARE N0lSELESS
AND WITHOUT LIGHT
Germans Keep Up Machine
Gun Action at Practically
All HOurSi Shippers in Rear
Cause Trouble,

Frederick Palmer, who is at the
front In France for the Associated
Press, sends the following dispatch:
British Headquarters in France,
March Is (via London, March 10, SOL
p. M "Gangway! Look out for that
bunch Of wagons" a voice with an
American accent called, and one knew
he was near the part of the line held
by the Canadians 1t was pitch dark
and at the hour when the supplies go
up the trenches. There was not a
light on any vehicle or in any habita-
tiOn, but, after stumbling along, the
correspondent passed through an open
door and the darkened hall of farm
er's house and entered the brilliantly
Illuminated room, with thickly cur
tanned windows, the brigade head
quarters. An officer was talking over
the telephone. He had just had word
that man had been shot in the back
by a concealed snper in the rear OF
the trenches.
Get Used TO Shells.
The commander and his officers
gathered around the correspondent
from the United States, whose request
to go into the trenches had been
soon was on his way down a dark
road with a sergeant from ottawa as
his guide to the battalion headquar-
ters.
Passing through the ruins, Of a vii
lagc the sergeant remarked:
THE Germans are not satisfied yet.
They chuck few shells into the
Wreckage every day. The shells made
us kind Of nervous at first but We are
used to them now. all right.
In a peasant cottage, battened as
tight as a photographers dark room
an enemy fires at a light--the cor
respondent found the battalion COM
mander who was from Quebec. He
sleeps in the cellar, and other off,
GERS of the battalion staff in dugouts.
The officers remarked that shell
had knocked Off piece of the ROOF
the other day but that the missile dlG
no harm except to make some dust.
The colonel was going down into the
trenches himself for the night and
took the correspondent with him.
Avoiding Machine Gun Fire.
Look out fOl that narrow foot
bridge; and here YOU are likely TO
slip off into the ditch, warned the
colonel as he advised the correspon-
dent to keep close behind him in the
inky night.
Right along here is a favorite
place for a German to loosen up win
a machine gun, for they have a clear
field for fire" the colonel added when
an open space was reached. InerG
is nothing to do but to lie Hat ana
wait until they are done shooting"
A German searchlights rays swung
toward the colonel and the c0rfespoh-
dent and then rested on the clear
spot
stand still" said the officer
That's the rule until it sweeps OIL
Thus they are not able to spot us
Snlper Gets in Rear.
Occasional shots were heard behlnu
the trenches. That's a sniper IN our
rear" the colonel said. Occasionally
one gets through. We don't know now
He is always in khaki We are out al
ter this fellow and We will get nun
before morning"
The colonel and the correspondent
Kept passing lone soldiers carrying
food and ammunition to the trenches
or returning from the trenches emp
ty-handed The colonel spoke 10
them as boys a greeting when one
never hears from an English oiilcer
AS the trenches were entered
sudden command was given 10 some
one showing an electric flash to turn
i off as the patrols are coming IN
several men who had been out,
crawling up In Indian fashion to see IL
lhe Germans were up to anything
new came hustling over the top OF
me trench Some bullets swept over
mead. The Germans had noted the
movement and fired, but hit NOBODY
Canadians RcsOurceful.
We got within seven feet OF the
punch in that old house and hearu
mem Whispering said one member
of the patrol.
When the strapping. tall Canadians
TOOK the position over from an Eng
,iSh regiment they found the crest TOO
low for their height and had to raise
several inches. They have shown
characteristic American ingenuity ana
,nilatlNe in arranging the tfenches
70 sut themselves, and besides nave
Bile.
This beats Salisbury plains, they
Aept saying. referring to their eXpef-
senee in drilling and waiting in Eng
anu All we needed was to be in,