Semi-weekly herald., 1915-05-24

second lines and a veritable hadel
would be inaugurated.
As 1 have said, this is war Of the
trenches. Fortifcations are back num-
bers.
My inability to understand the
French language prevented me from
talking with the men as we passed
through. could only salute to indi-
cate that we were friends. Every SOL
dier returned smile. felt sorry
for them. They were enduring hard
ships and privations for the land they
loved.
Trenches Not Covered.
Some of the men in the limestone
trenches as we passed through were
resting, smoking, reading, answering
letters or fixing up things about
their caves" These were the men
not specially on duty. Other men were
at the lookouts or peep-holes. They
were watchful of the Germans. Only
the best men are put at these obser-
vation points. One soldier had lit
tie fire in his basement room, al
lowing the smoke to come out into
the main hallway of the trenches. In
one -the-way place saw smoke
going out OF diminutive piece of
metal pipe. The main trenches are
not covered-they are open to the
sky.
Mr.. Williams, of the New York
Times, was thoughtful enough to car
ry box of cigars, but these were
soon exhausted along the line of our
long trench march.
Scores Faking Correspondents.
A number of the men in the first
line act as sharpshooters, looking for
stray German heads which might be
in sight. / do not know what kind
of trenches the Germans have. But
/ imagine that the story told in re-
gard to the work Of two American
correspondents, who were recently
guests within the German lines, who
have stated on their own honor that
they took muskets from the hands of
German soldiers, and after killing a
man apiece in the French trenches,
returned to their bottled beer" with
in the German trenches-could not
possibly be true. There is no such
carelessness within the trenches of
any army. The best defense the cor
respondents can make is that the acts
which they have related would have
been impossible. Sharpshooters are
watching for heads in both lines, and
If they could not see them, how could
two correspondents, who had been
drinking beer see them? Newspa-
per correspondents are not permitted
to go into the trenches for the pur-
pose of killing anyone. Furthermore
If heads could be found so readily
above the lines of the trenches. and
death of such heads were certain, this
would be indeed short war. But
nothing more shameful than the .on.
fessions of these newspaper men has
been made in generation.
| Scientifically Planned.
l imagine that the trenches that we
visited were planned by scientifically
educated artillery officers. They had
in view the protection of the soldiers
going to and from the trenches when
the changes are made of those on
duty. 1t must have taken good sur.
veyor to determine the shape of a
trench to get out of range of the
enemy's trenches which are in sew.
eral directions. The surveyor must
know that there are exposed points
TO guard. In the general march
through the trenches there was an
occasional spot where it is necessary
to step high to get over an obstacle
which could not be removed. This
constitutes one of the danger points
There are so many of these small de-
tails to be looked after by the men
IN the trenches that ] presume the
matter becomes one of enjoyment. Ev-
erytime German gunner is defeated
IN shot general smile goes around
gecause the German had not hit his
mark But the trenches generally are
so manipulated by weaving in and
out that danger points are as few as
possible.
| The man in the trench lives in the
public eye and is nerved by sense
of duty.
i Use Of Telephone.
i After our long marches through the
trenches it semed to be time for us
to get out. A handsome artillery ma
lor dawned on us from somewhere,
land / prasuma ha WAS -.ltal H.. 49,