Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1915-07-09
Lrench you Dec 10 yonr front.

and made our way back into the wood
| My army officer companion asked me
how much / knew about woodcraft.
siderable extent to natural history
| pursuits which had carried me into
| the wilderness on many occasions,
said that ! thought l knew a little
something of the forest and of signs
and seasons" Then the officer asked
me to let him know if / discovered
anything that looked unusual as we
walked through the lights and shades
of the birch forest
/ put all my senses to work and
| tried to detect some symptom that
everything was not just as 1t should
be in an ordinary wood. l sensed
nothing out of the ordinary. and was
just about to say so when my knee
struck something hard and looked
down. was staring straight into the
muzzle of huge naval gun emplaced
at an angle of about thirty degrees.
A WeiI-coneeaIed Gun.
This gun was in an underground
two feet back of the muzzle the gun
was shrouded with a green growth
which completely concealed it. The
house had roof, but green things
were growing upon it and there was
absolutely nothing to tell that under
the cover was a gun pit We entered
the house by means of some concealed
steps and there we found a detach-
ment of men ready to make the gun
speak when a returning air scout
should give the gunners directions a.
to just where to let shell drop.
1t was while was in this gun pit
that rapid firing was heard at the ex-
treme edge of the wood. The can
nonading was from a French battery
engaged in driving off German aero
plane which unquestionably was seek
ing to locate this big gun which had
caused trouble in the Ger man lines,
but whose position the enemy had
been unable exactly to determine
The next day from a rosik rising al
most sheer to height of Yearly seven
hundred feet looked through the
clear air toward Metz, the capital OF
German Lorraine, which with its cir.
cling fortresses is the prize most Gov
eted by the French. The artillery OF
the republic emplaced On ridge to
the right and little in advance OF
this position has succeeded in reach.
ing with its shells one of the most
formidable forts standing guard over
Metz When the French break down.
If they can break down, the defenses
of Metz, an army will spring from the
ground and advance toward the Ger
man goal of its ambition Metz, how
ever, while really only few miles
away, is long ways off, because be-
tween the outermost French lines and
the city of desire lies a German army.
and right here on this line within
the next few days or weeks, or per-
haps even months, there is sure to
come fighting of quality so fierce as
to put all other fighting along this
500-mile line into the class with things
tame.
Views the Battlefield.
From where stood there is a birds
eye view of great battlefield. We
made an early start in order to be
able to climb this needle-like rock be-
fore the sun was high. This hill is
called Mousson, and on it's crown
there is chapel built in the eleventh
century and which affords a fair and
commanding mark for the enemy's ar
tillery. The Germans for some rear
son or other have left this pinnacle
alone for the main part. On occasions
they send shells over 1t, and today
was one of the occasions. A she'll
passed over my head while / was
climbing the rock. heard its whiz-
zing distinctly, ard instinctively l
crouched, much to the amusement of
the French army officer who stood at
my side. THE thing you hear" he
said, never hita you. It's half a
mile past you before you hear the
sound"
In climbing the hill of Mousson
there are many places where one Is
out from under cover. Walking up the
hin was difficult, but running was more
than difficult. and yet had to run be-
tween the covered points. On this
hill we were within range. not only OF
shell fire but of small rife fire, and
the journey up and down had its un-
| pleasant moments.
Wher halfway down this Rock OF
Mousson the cannonading grew louder.
The truth was that new battery had
opened, one much nearer to us than
the guns which had been laundering
before. We looked down from the hill.
side to the village OF Pont-a-Mousson
which lay nesting at our feet. Into
the village the shells were pounding,
All that we could see was clouds OF
| dust and smoke mingled as we knew
| NTH mortar StOna fragments and