Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-11-11
IN A RAIN OF FIRE.
Australian Tells Of Landing on
GalIipoIi Peninsula.
Turkish Soldiers Tested the Metal Of
Colonial Troops Who Sought to
Press Forward to the Sui
tan's Capital.

"A sea, smooth as a mirror, covered
with a light mist" so relates an Aus
t%ralian, land beyond great hills and
faint outlines of battleships and trans
ports, overhead a hydroplane lurking
about the Turkish position, such was
the spectacle presented to us on April
25, when we approached the Gallipoli
peninsula. Our run was straight for
ward to the shore toward the foot of
Gaba Tepe hill, but the destroyer, it
must be understood, raj unable to
bring us close to the beach. There
we lay in an open boat, looking at
each other in a puzzled way, while
bullets came whizzing past right and
left and over us. At last the barges
were advanced as much as possible.
We quickly jumped into the water, al
most to our armpits, and arrived, half
swimming, half wading, at the shore.
In former times l have often been in
quisitive to know how it felt to be in
a desperate position. Now l have
found that out. l felt as If someone
had delivered a terrible blow at my
chest with the fiat part of a spade.
1--WE passed the first-aid stations,
which already were overburdened with
stretchers bearing wounded. Then
came a toilsome, firing climb over
great sand dunes to the firing line.
Shippers lay concealed everywhere in
ambush and bullets struck all around
in the rocks and bushes. In this way,
surrounded by a thousand dangers,
we reached the line of fire, where
was detached from my company for
duty to ascertain the shooting ranges
for an Australian regiment. Through
the excellent telescope of my range
finder | could observe the Turkish re
treat and had even a tiny picture of a
bayonet charge Of our own men. Still
came the wounded in seemingly un.
ending streams; then Jul tre- III
awoke to life. One of the sharpshoot'
ers seemed to have a grudge against
the rangefinder, as two bullets struck
the immediate breastworks; the mar
next to me suddenly reared up high
ind fell to my feet. AT an end he
cried, and then added, family hesitat
ing, money in belt-wife and chill
dren-' The Turks had evidently got
Jul range, then the situation became
more and NOR uncomfortable, anG
those of us who were left had to shift
our positions several hundred yards tt
the rear, until it was finally possible
to silence this dangerous marksman
"On the following afternoon I di
rected again my glass on this tragic
group and saw that the sailor now la,
on his back, his face pointing TOWARD
heaven. Without a doubt YESTERDAY
he was alive and may have been ever
now after So hours still living. An(
now it shot more violently through m.
being. In the midst of the group
observed a movement and saw plainly
a nan extricating himself and SLOWLY
hobbling along the bank. With foul
other l set out to rescue the unfor
tunate, who in the meantime had col
lapsed. We found yet four others liv
ing and heard from them that las
night there had still been eight o
them.
ITO u right ratified a hostile ma
chine gun like a motor cycle and came
gradually nearer. A navalplane from
its mothership, Arck Royal, anchored
in the nearby bay, lowered over oul
heads encircled by white shrapne
cloudlets, coming from the Turks
Soon thereafter the flyer turned abou
and flew back to make a report. TIL,
effect of this was not long in waiting
it came in shape of a ships shell
uyhiob uri+h oar.hnpumhino cnroonh faT