Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-01
GERMAN DUGOUTS
ARE WELL BUILT
Front in Western Theater Is Like
One Long, Struggling
Village.
LIGHTED BY ELECTRICITY
Mirrors, Bedsteads and Arm
LIGHTED BY ELECTRICITY
Mirrors, Bedsteads and Arm
chairs in Quarters of
Officers.

PARIS. September 3O.-%Soldiers back
from the battle of the Somme tell won
drous stories OF the German dugouts
mazes OF underground dwellings and
passages, with large chambers for the
men. and fincly-aDpointed rooms for
the officers. One correspondent says:
Inc German front in the west is
iike one huge struggling village built
or wood and strung out along n road
900 miles long. OF course. the houses
are all underground Still they are
houses OF ono or two floors, built to
certain official designs. Tho main en-
trance from the trench level is, some
times at any rate. through a steel door
or a pattern apparently standardized.
inside fight Of from twenty to
thirty-siN stairs leads down at an easy
angle. The treads of the stairs and
the descending roof OF the staircase
are formed Of mining frames Of stout
timber. with double top stills. the walls
OF thick planks. notched at the top
and bottom to At the frames, and
strene thened with iron tic-rods run
ming from top 10 bottom OF he stairs,
and with thick wooden struts at right
angles TO those.
AT the foot of the stairs Il tunnelcd
corridor runs straight forward, for
anything up to fifty yards, and from
this are open rooms and minor pas
sages on each side. El many dugouts
Il second staircase. or two staircases.
lead 10 Il lower iloon which may be
thirty or forty feet below the trench
level All these s,aircases, passages
and rooms are. In the best specimens
completely lined with wood and as
fully strengthened with II as the en-
trance staircase.
I'm one typical dugout, used az 4
dressing station. there beds for
thirty-two patients and n fair-sizcd
room. Another. near Mamctz, was de-
signed to house Il whole company Of
900 men. with kitchens. provisions and
munition storcrooms
ONE ROOM LINED
WITH WALL. PAPER
Many OF the captured dugouts were
lighted by electricity. In the officers
quarters there have been found full
length mirrors. comfortable bedsteads.
cushioned 2rmchairs and some pictures.
One room is lined with glazed wall
paper. and the present English oc-
cupant is convinced by circumstan.ial
evidence that his predecessor lived
there with his wife and child
I'm the old German front trench
south OF La Boisello an intrance like
that OF duGout leads 10 flight OF
twenty-four stairs all well finished.
At their foot n landing three feet
square opens on It's further side upon
"A nearly vertical shaft. Descending
this by ladder Of thirty-two rungs,
You find second landing like the first.
opening on continuation of the shaft.
Down this ladder Of sixty rungs bring,
you TO tho starting point OF an almost
straight level tunnel three feet wide
md about i've feet high, cut for fifty
six PAGES through pure hard chalk
NO doubt the size and tho overhead
strength OF German duEouts keen
down casualties under bombardmcnt.
and sometimes enable the Germans 10
bring up unsupported forces TO harass
our troops in the rear with machine
gun and rifle fire when charge has
carried our men past an unclearcd dug
out OF the kind. On the other hand.
If our advance is made good. every
German left In such Il dngout will lie
either dead or a prisoner
NO doubt. again. the German dug
outs give more protection from very
bad weather than ours. But they also
remove men more from the open air,
and there is nothing to show that the
half-huricd German army gains moro
by relative immunity from rheumatism
and bronchitis than 1t loses in the way
OF general health and vitality"