Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-02-24
Mon Wei Clothed.

engineer and turns the bitches into
canals.
Men Wen Clothed.
The men are well armed against
cold with sheop-skin coats, mufflcrs,
sweaters boots and are quite comfort
able in the Vosees where the water,
runs off readily. In the plains of the
Woevre, though. where an entire brig
ade worked four days to execute a
plan of drainage admirably conceived
and theoretically perfect that was
found insufficient during the first
storm, there is no protection possible
against mud and water.
The bottoms of trenches are Gov
cred with fagots but in vain; they
disappear in the mud after storm.
A week of rain causes as much dam
cording to an officer who has seen
nuearly every sector of the front this
winter
In certain parts of the Woevre,
Artois and Flanders the ground all
around The lines, telabOred by shells
of all calbres, covered with eXcava-
tions that rain has transformed into
miniature lakes, resembles marsh OF
interminable length and a mile or so
wide; the communicating trenches
themselves. sometimes several miles
hong, are like cess-pools. The men
obliged to tramp through them to get
to the front line are tired out when
rnliaf A0tuf hnnnf
was a whole night making the four
miles from their quarters To the
trenches; during the passage num-
Der of them left their shoes in the.
heavy, sticky mud. Men often prefer
to risk the enemy's shells and make
their way to their post on the sur
face, but even this route Is scarcely
better in many places on account of
the pitfalls dug by artillery fire. 1t
Is over such ground that the soldiers
must plod With backs bent under loads
of materials required to maintain the
nviolabilty of the first line, no other
means Of transportation is possible.
Primitive Foot Warmers.
They reach their posts as rule
ready To drop from exhaustion an
officer tells the Associated Press, but
the smok ing rata at the trench slang
has named the rations, and hot cup
of coffee, restore them quickly; indif-
ferent to swollen and blistered feet
they set To work under the heavy
rains. throwing up earth that has
caved in from the narapets, repairing
the fagot supports, raising the para
pets, with never finch and never a
sign that their courage may have suf-
fered from those trying tramps
through the mud.
There Arc parts of the front where
II is possible for the men to carry by
the frigid trench primitive foot
warmer in the shape of stone heated
by a brasier at the quarters in the
rear; the heat endures long enough to
afford real comfort, but, of course,
the trench must be dry. For other
comforts the men must wait for their
turn To go to the rear.
A head ventures above parape'
and is greeted with vollcy of bull
lets: the adversary replies and the
fire intensifies from both sides. All
the men at work drop their picks ana
shovels for the rifle and the fusillade
becomes general. The bomb singers
Join in and generally the six-inch guns
follow, covering the lines with frag.
ments of steel killing some men,
wounding others, rupturing the barb
ed wire entanglements and damaging
the trenches. That Is the average in
ventory of the winter campaign on
the French front that the official
communioue dryly characterizes as
calm" II is going on every day all
along the front with constant wastage
of men in killed and wounded.
shells DO Much Damage.
our shells so no straighter, but
without question they do more dam
age than those of the Germans" said
an artillery officer to the Associated
Press 1--WE see 1t every days In
block houses torn to pieces and in
ammunition stores blown up; we
can't see all the execution our fire
does to the trenches, but we can
xx.t,o 10.