South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-04
Russian Fortresses VIII Hold
Out, Declares Eye Witness Of
German Assaults IN the East

break out in the darkness at once. a
sudden light hides the surrounding
country for a second when another
flare catches your eye at the very
frame Of the picture. 1t is the silver
light Of a bursting rocket that fails in
a thousand stars Illuminating the
fields of snow that sparkle beneath
it,
Bursting Shrapnel.
Another Ess.-- appears in the misty
sky a splash of gold; this is bursting
shrapnel. Almost in the same spot
three more of these bombs of gold and
red light explode, then the long arm
OF a searchlight shoots across the
heavens bringing houses. fences and
road into cIear outline. IrresOlutely
II wanders over the plain as if seek
ing something it cannot find. At last
II drops its shining beam into q ravine
AM holds it there
Then tiny flashes that from a dis
tance look like suddenly struck
matches break out of the darkness;
sparks run in a straight line that in
dicates the position of trenches; an
other line of sparks comes into being
at what looks like a. span beyond;
this must be a battalion advancing on
the enemy
Suddenly a ribbon of flames cuts
across the shadow and the sharp
echoes of a machine gun bite into the
night air.
One Detail at Time.
The picture is on such a large scale
that the eye can hold details only one
at a time With the fighting at its
highest tide the different flashes fade
into each other as far as the eye can
reach. The same is true of the sounds.
The Russian guns and the German
shells explode with reports that blend.
1t is impossible to distinguish the
different rattle of infantry fire, but it
can be marked moving forward or
backward. What make out IS that
the Russian lines are now in a perfect
blaze of sparks. The racket of rifles
is SO loud that its note takes higher
and strident KEY that for the moment
browns the barking of the guns.
Then as if blown by a sudden breeze
the flashes from the rifles die out, but
not for long. In a minute where the
rifles had blaZed there is a hail of eX-
ploding shells. 1 trace as well as L
can their coming and decide they are
from the Russian batteries. This tells
its own tale. ] learned later the Ger
mans took one of the Russian trench
es, holding it for some hours.
For hours there was little change in
the scene The cold worked through
my sheepskin coat until my feet and
suggested moving back to the hos
pital station at BlOnie L followed
willingly.
I'VE shall nave plenty Of wounded
tomorrow" was his only comment in
the hospital.
Plenty OF Wounded.
His words are being already Veri-
fed soldier with two gashes made
by shrapnel in his thigh and arm, lay
on a stretcher while the nurses ad-
justed bandages. other soldiers with
slight wounds in hand or foot follow
ed the carts that carried the desper
ately hurt from the stations from
behind the trenches. They were taken
there by company stretcher bearers
who worked under fire.
The wounded have enormous appe-
tites Some of them after severe in
juries have been dressed will sit and
eat steadily for an hour then they
sleep. AS they have lived weeks of
a life of constant wakefulness. ready
for every alarm, when the chance
comes for them to drop into Oblivion
il is not uncommon for the wounded
10 sleep "a hours on end.
Most of the wounded are incOherert
and could give no details Of the fight
ing The man in the trenches sees
little cf how the action is going.