Evening star., 1915-01-01
ARRAS HAS BECOME
ARTILLERY TARGET
Both French and German Gum
ners Pour Shells Into
French City.
ENEMIES TRENCHES
CLOSE IN THE SUBURBS
Sappers Drive Mines to Blow Up
Foes bitches and Their
Defenders.
By Tad.

AhhAS, NOFtnefn france, sunday,
December 27, via Paris December 2s-
A gun sounded far down the French
line. Instantly uncountable numbers
of detonations, great and small, near
and remote. shattered the quiet of the
empty ruined city. The heavy French
field artillery, the four and five inch
guns. were opening fire from the works
for miles in either direc..on outside
the town upon tho German lines.
The German machine guns kept a
steady spray Of bullets passing a few
inches above the German bitches, So
as to catch any attempt at assault. A
moment later the projectiles Of the
German guns began to hiss overhead
and burst with a crashing noise. Fifty
shells fell within half an hour on this
city. half of which already was in
ruins.
Few Brave the Streets.
Only a few Of the citizens who had
brave the dangers of a constant bonn
bardment stood at the entrances to cell
lers and dugouts to watch the effect Of
the bursting missiles. Not more than
a dozen men walked the streets. keep
ing close as possible to the walls.
AS the crashing projectiles burst all
clinging to the house fronts: whenever
this was feasible. then dashing across
the streets and open spaces, which gen.
orally were barricaded or strewn with
barbed wire entanglements. and
through which narrow, winding gang
ways permitted passage.
The difference in the sound of the
various pro5ectiles Is easily distin-
guishable. The French three-inch
shell leaves the muzzle with a slight
bursts with a terrific sharp crack,
spreading shrapnel all around a hun
dred or more yards. The German mis-
sile gives duller sound during its
aerial passage, and bursts with BOOM
ing noise.
Boys Scorn Danger.
The German trenches may be plainly
discerned at the ends of the boulevards
leading into the suburbs at a distance
of 300 yards, and wherever a group of
men appears at the French end the
German machine guns open fire. The
thoroughfares, therefore, always are
traversed at a run, while pedestrians
always are ready to throw themselves
fat on the ground when a she'll falls
..
Strangely enough, number of boys.
whose families are among those re-
naming in the town. play unconcerned-
ly in the side streets, and often hesi-
tate to obey the orders Of officers who
bid them not to expose themselves.
Some of the suburbs. particularly
Blangy and St. Catherine, are contin-
uousiy under fire. while the railway
station and the hospital virtually have
been demolished. In every house, even
yhor hv oil
windows have been broken by the vi
brations
Trenches Close Together.
The advanced French and German
trenches are within fifteen or twenty
yards of each other in the suburbs
The correspondents approached under
partial cover to within fifteen yards
of the French lines, but no further, as
there was risk OF being caught by tho
German fire. The trenches are SO close
that mining and countermining are al
driyen dye " Twelve @ or fteen feet beIoW fhe the
surface. close to the hostile trench.
and charged with explosives. The fuse
Is then set by the last sapper. who
scurries back to safety. A moment
later portion of the German trench is
blown up.
While the French were digging a
gallery yesterday they came within a
foot or SO Of German sappers driving
hear the Germans talking. Hastily
placing their cartridge Of high ex-
plosive in position. the French miners
lighted the fuse and got away. the
charge exploding the German mine
mine work @ ssss causes com Constant disquiet. M as as
a soldier never knows when his trench
may go up into the air.