Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-28
GREATER EFFICIENCY MARKS
SECOND WINTER IN TRENCHES.
Campaign Along Franco-Belgian Front Diff
fers Little From Last Year-Water
More Bothersome to Comforts.

through the mud to stretch more
barbed wire where the lines have been
broken. to drive new stakes where they
have been wrenched out by shells. Two
of the daily cares are the destruction
and maintenance Of those lines. To
drive those pickets into the ground it
is necessary to pound them; each
stroke of the sledge hammer resounds
and draws shot from the opposing
trench, twenty to 100 yards away: the
shot afterwards becomes a fusillade
and often brings the first ana some
times the second line into night at
tack.
! Our soldiers have developed the in
stincts OF q trapper." said an officer.
From living so long in close contact
with the enemy, they are able, by i'm
perceptible signs, to detect the stroke
in preparation by the adversary. or
weakness that it is necessary to put to
profit without delay.
Daily School Of Bravery.
1.-The trench is a daily school of
bravery and heroic patience" added the
officer, with no recess, but little
vacation every four days. See all that
goes on. but don't be seem that is the
watchword all along the line: it is I'M
| questionably the same on the other
side Of the wire entanglements, for
every rise of ground that gives a van
tage point of observation is bitterly
contested"
! The slightest elevation occupied on
one side obliSes the adversary to bur-
row deeper into the earth. At some
points the adversaries have renowned
heights that have cost too much. and
have dug in on the slopes: they push
out little listening or observation posts
armed with machine guns. for the pos
session or destruction of which all inn
aginable expedients are employed. At
certain points the listening post is
within two yards OF the enemy'S trench.
and III some cases the two adVerSaries
occupy the same trench. separated only
by barricade of sacks of earth. The
tension there is at the maximum in the
incessant guard against a surprise. 1t
is in such spots so many soldiers sue
cumb or are blinded for life by the
hand grenade. which, in hands become
expert by Il years training. have be
come a more terrible engine of war
than ever before.
THE struggle never ceases. though
it may not every day give copy for the
communiquc," said an officer. 1T takes
on all hitherto known and some hith-
erto unknown methods. Each detacil-
meut kes war in the way in which
the lay OF the ground and the position
of the troops impose it. Where barbed
wire can't be used spiked defenses.
called 'chcvauX de -frisc.' with sharp
pointed stakes of steel sticking up to
the height of a man. are rolled over the
parapet of the trench. Where the lines
are so close artillery cannot be used
against the adversary. the trench NOR
tar. called the 'crapouillot.' comes into
play. Where the contact is such that
even the mortar cannot be utilized. we
fall back on the hand grenate, or the
aerial torpedo. 1t is the torpedo that,
according to the evidence of prisoners,
causes most terror as well rs most
havoc in the German trenches. 1t may
be used at close range. and its eX-
plosive force is extraordinary