Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-01-05
when they have been that long at it.
Smelling the Trenches.

''~
"The shells are often placed with
surprising accuracy and regularity
One will burst at the end of the trench
and another about 20 yards away, I'M.
til the whole. line has been swept-on
they come, and you sit breathlessly
for the, one to land at the point where
you are situated.
"The whole ground shakes when
the hellish things explode, but unless
one drops exactly on the trench which
which is necessarily made very mar.
row, not much harm is done. hi fact,
one can be in far Wors places than
the trenches, as what I am going to
relate will show.
"The other night two days before
We came out Of the trenches, three
others and l were told off by the c.
C. for duty at brigade headquarters Ca
barn about half a mile in the rear OF
our trenches). %ss .@@.s.
1--WE made our way there with the
relief company, from which we sepa-
rated when we reached the barn on
the road. We went inside and found
a bed Of straw, but we had not been
there five minutes when we heard a
CHASTITY whiz, and a roar and crash
enough to deafen us. A 90-pounder
had crashed through the barn and
knocked out five of another regiment
in the next room. -.
t Shrapnei Burst Nearby
Things were becoming hot, to say
the least. After having removed the
wounded, We went out to. the road to
try to find shelter in a ditch. Just
as we were trying to find a suitable
place we heard another whiz and all
dropped face downward (the safest
position when shells are bursting). 1t
was a shrapnel, which burst almost
over us and, with our eyes closed, we
could notice the flash and %explosian.
"Only 4 Of US four were hit aad
that was only a small wound in Bal
ley's heel, although the bits of iron
We're flying everywhere. The shells
were then directed further and fur
Their down the road and it was obvi-
GUS that they were trying to wipe out
the company, which only a short time
before had passed down the road.
I'VE were too excited to get anly
sleep when we found shelter and by
daylight we had very thick heads.
in the morning the shells again be-
gan to fly overhead, the object being
to wreck the village about / 900 yards
behind us. One went short and ex-
ploded in the barnyard. In the after
ncol they again started plugging at
the village and set several houses on
fire.
Spy in the Clock.
1T was about 8 o'clock this same
afternoon that it was noticed that the
church clock was acting suspiciously
at one time it was 3:I5 and then, a
minute later, had changed 20 or Is
minutes. "
. ut was thought someone was in
side signaling the range to the en-.
emy's artillery. Our battery vas
communicated with and an officer and
gunner entered the church and found
a spy in the act Of adjusting the clock
He did not do it again, for a bullet
dispatched him.
AT nightfall our work commenced
as we who were at headquarters had
to advance to the trenches at night
to remove the dead and wounded
This is a risky JOB, as there are SO
many German Shippers behind our lines
who do a great deal of damage.
"Thev are picked shots, who are
left behind when the enemy fall back
A sniper c~onceals himself in a hay:
stack or loft and pots at anyone pass.
ing to and from the line. 1t is almost
impossible to locate them and Otter
they are disguised as one of our own
soldiers.
1--WE were sniped at pretty often
but it was a misty night and difficult
TO locate us. We reached the trench
es with only five men being wounded
Shortly after we got there The en-