The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-02-25

ORDEREDFROM
PH0N[CAVE
HORRORS or SOLDIER LIFE
IN TRENCHES ARE TOLD
TN LETTER

Il
SO stationed are subjected to gunfire
which never before has reached such
an average of accuracy, and at times
must protect themselves against the
attacks of the enemy's aviators.
/ In letter just published here this
is we'll illustrated After dwelling
on the comforts Of the bomb PROOF
| cave in which the men OF the battery
4 dwell rim which they have even tab
I les chairs, ibckefs and a stovealthe
writer continues as follows, the shift
ing lenses being this: M 81
IN n tremendous black column 81
earth rises from the ground as the
shells strike near us The clock in
our cave strikes as if scared out Of
4 its wits. andsthen stops. Everything
trembles and shakes. The dry earth
on the sides Of the bonlbproof peels
off and fails. a
s'We SIT quletry-waiting for the
shell that will bury us. One after
another falls close by, but the one
we wait for does not come. The en-
emy's battery has fired ffye shots
and now stops.
IAN hour later the bombardment
started again. We sat there para
lyzed. On the table cigar burned
a hole into glove. Nobody had
sense or ambition enough to prevent
lit
When the bon'bardment was over
Everybody felt a peculiar sort Of fa-t
tigue. All conversation ceased. One
of the men left his seat and YEARLY
threw himself upon the straw bed
Before he went to sleep, he turned
over and whispered:
"fCall mel
1.-The worst OF ii was that we were
not permitted TO return the fire. No
doubt the division staff had its good
reason for that. Things would be
different had we been able to return
shot for shot We would have been
Of the best spirits in that case. But
to sit there like dumb brutes, and
wait for orders under such fire
was bad experience.
Get Orders Over Phone
t'The day passed in this manner.
The enemy's fire ceased at seven in
the evening, and after meal of
bacon and brean and coffee made Of |
cereals we felt better. A partridge |
pie, which my mother had sent me,
helped to cheer us up.
Next morning at 5 the order:
Ready for fire. came by telephone. |
Man the distance 2,10o yards
shell fire, said the voice at the
other end Of the wire. Though 1t
was still dark, we heard from the
distance the threshing Of infantry
fire.
'Our shells shrek and whistle ac-
ross the plain. Shot well placed
battery salvos--every ten seconds
one-distance now 1900 yards, tel
ephoned the observation. Officer.
1.-The fun commences. 1t is hard
work. Perspiration rolls off us like
the rain, which has just commenced
to fall
But the enemy's motor battery
also starts again The first shell
hits near our position. The second
one hit the bombproof- had been
located. "A veritable sea of explos-
ions surrounded us--lightnang deton-
atoms. crashes, shrieks, smoke and
powder stencil give our environment
the appearance of the crater of a /;
Volcano. We are covered with mud
which the enemy's shells throw up
and which descends on us like hail.
Gunner Killed by Shell.
Two thousand. one hundred sew
snty-flve,' shouted at the gunner {
But he did not move I
iF1scher. was my next shout AT y
hat moment the body of the gun
Ter slipped between the seat and the {
lighting mechanism-d noticed that I
fragment Of she'll had entered his e
orehead.
Gently We placed the body to one c
ide and another gunner took the y
eat. We continued our fire-calm- v
sfeadily-in our minds saw the &
wrought by our shells in
he lines of the enemy's infantry v
$50 It continued for some time. h
hen came from the observation sta II
ion the command: Cease fire for v
while, ii
-dn the afternoon another she'll hit Z
ur position, and another man had G
. be laid aside. He was a lovable,
ID fellow. Later wes8uried the two
Rain fell throughout the night and !,
exf day. Bv noon our bombpr0oY =,