Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1916-03-14
A TRENCH IN THE WAR ZONE
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION GIVEN BY ENeL ISL NEWSPAPER CORRE SP0NDENT
OF MOLE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ARE ESSEHCE OF WHOLE BUsI-
NESS, AND EVERY MAN BEARS ONE FORWARD.

out them The earlier stages III The max
Ing OF IN advance trench could no more
be- accomplished han could the compile
ton. The company captain confcrS with
a Subaltcrn; crouching III the open, he
gives whispered counsel. Start here
with the trcI.h and make for the outline
of that tree: Ill get Kennedy ~ work
toward you with his platoon. You can
touch in with each other
Right" says the subaltern rs his
company glidcs out of carShOt. Now
then. first man, hand me your Sandhag-
The subaltcrn selects his spot and places
the Sandhag on it. Hand your bags
along the line-DaSs bach the order,
And 80 the Sandbags travel along the
human chain. which stretches back to
the firing line and beyond il 10 4 clay
pii. where a pack of pcrSpiring Tom
mics are gr0ycling III the earth atd III
ling the little squat squares Of stitched
canvas AZ if their lives depended on
their energy. But neither the sweating.
fellows who fill them nor the Subal
torn woh LAYS them amid the tipping
bullets have time To ponder The unique.
romance residing in these little gray
samdbagS. fashioned pcrchancc by some
woman'S hands III the tranquil freight
Of Il quiet hearth. Some dar-if The
war spares him some poet viii sing
the dcathlcsS lyric Of sandbaeS AMI other
mundane things Of trench life. hut the
time IL not vet.
Moving toawrd his left The >ubnltcm
plots Gus the future trench with it+
travcrScs and cover. lie needs the eve
Of i cat for the job. because Where the
ground II unsuitable the trench must
avoid il and Swcrvc back or forward.
Half an hours work and his colleague
hcavcS ia sight. I'll toush ia with Won
now says the subaltcru: they place The
last few sandblgs and the hong line. laid
u%ncrringly in The darkness. meets i'm th"
center. The advance trench IL mapped
out.
II II with the first clink ~ pick and
shovel that the real danger begins. rs
soon rs the BochcS realize that nHt mi
front something i doing. they ct nus.
and ten rounds rapid become too fro
qucnt for health. Digging ~fcrrrish lie
ging il the order Of the night. Your
arms arc aching. your head II splitting
YOU want IT, lie down and RES forever.
but. urged ~ the knowledge that they
must occupy the trench IN three days, the
men settle down a. il with bracrd sin
ews 4 flare goes up into the night
making ! lurid green sar IA the >kl
and falling ~ yards away. Picks and
shovclS arc dropped like hot metal and
Platoon Fifteen lies huaging the vet
earth. barely daring 70 twitch an cyclid.
As soon ny the flare burns ont they are
at II again like clustering bees with
stand to," an hour before dawn comes
the order to retire. The men file hack.
thanking their stars that they have even
! 4 trench "a come to-sftcr al there ~
10 place like home. Picks and ShovclS
are stored. The officer creeps out ana
recalls the patrol
Dawn comes and with II rcpoSe u
RESPITE. till night relentlcs>ly drag> them
forth again a. face The machine guns
that have beer laid during the day on
the fresh sandbags. Casualties These
are but little incidents III the great ad
venture. Two nights pass and often 2
quick cry has told someone's mate nat
he j. passing from them, Casualties
! The subaltcrn puts 4 black stroke
against each man in hi platoon roll.
but would fain hold back hiS hand from
adding up the number.
A. dawn breaks ~ the third day the
sui.altern inSpectS his work. The al
vance trench i finished: there are =
firing step. l~oopholcs. cover and 2 com
munication trench has been cHt ont. But
viii Ii do? VIII the brigadier he sat
i~fis.Ap ~ the forcn.r,n The hriEaslicr
himself comes round. An excellent