Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-07
WANT TO VISIT
ARMY CORPS?
Jump Aboard and Away You
Go to See How War Is
Directed

Headquarters, Tenth Army Corps, at
the Front, France, May ...-(Corres-
pondence of The Associated Press)-
General Antoine, Commander of the
Tenth Army Corps, was bending over a
military map at his headquarters
when M. Painleve, a member of the
French cabinet, was announced. Gen
eral de eastman, commanding the
western front, had invited the Minis
ter to visit the several corps headquart-
ers near Verdun, and had authorized
the representative of The Associated
Press to accompany the Minister. Two
of General de Castlnau's personal
staff, Major Camut and Lieutenant
Laguionie, acted as escorts to the party
and in the circuit of several hundred
kilometers three army corps head
quarters were visited - the Tenth
Army Corps under General Antoine,
the Fifth Army Corps under General
Helloun, and the Third Army Corps
under General Humbert.
1t was the first day of this trip of
inspection, made under most favor
able auspices. designed to show the
cabinet officer the exact condition of
affairs on the fighting line-the often
sive and defensive organization, the
morale of the men, the condition of
supplies and equipment the trench
warfare and the actual fighting on the
front. M. Painleve. besides being a
member of the Cabinet, had taken a
leading. part in the debates of the
Chamber of Deputies on questions re-
lating to the military campaign, and
this was to let him see at first hand
just how that campaign was being
conducted.
Pushing Supplies to Verdun
The Commander of the Fifth Army
Corps and the Cabinet officers ex-
changed cordial greetings. General
Antoine is a man of commanding
presence, tall and athletic, little be-
yond middle age, with bronzed face
and iron gray hair and moustache.
He was in light-blue service uniform,
with high boots and spurs, the three
stars on the sleeve indicating his high
rank. Here in his headquarters the
surroundings were plain to the point
of baroness. The room was small and
the floor bare. A rough pine table
was in the middle, with a detailed
map stretched out, over which Gen
eral Antoine had been studying. 9th
er maps and photographs of sectors,
trenches, and various divisions of the
works, were on the WALL and these,
with a few pine chairs, made up the
furnishings of the Corps Headquart-
ers which is pushing forward the sup
plleS 10 NeTuuH ana IH6 llSnIlnB
NJ. Painleve was much interested in
the large charts showing in detail
the layout of the fighting and reserve
forces, and General Antoine, standing
before the chart. pointed out the main
points--Verdun off to the right, then
the Army Corps massed to the west,
and then General Antoine's Corps do
ing the work of preparation and for
warding, as we'll as guarding a con-
eli h 10 nf "a
THE photographs show the bet
ter, said the General, leading the
way to a large room adjoining.
Pictures From Clouds
A score cf officers were at work
here, sorting photographs, developing
them, and fitting them together into
huge panoramic views showing every
road and trench and tree. These pho
tographs were taken from the clouds,
by aviators, and now and then the
airmen came in with the negatives
just taken of their section. The
whole war-zone was laid out in small
squares, the aviators minutely photo
graphing each square, and then the
squares were fitted together like a
jig-saw puzzle, making a complete
picture of the whole zone. When the
edge of a square was too close to a
German battery for the aviator to
reach in safety, the photograph was
taken by camera, lashed to a high
pole, and held above a trench.
These last, trench pictures, present
ed a grewsome scene of the havoc and
desolation whre the batteries were do
ing the worst work--the ground swept
of trees and foliage, Uttered with
debris, and few twisted trunks ex-
tending their distorted arms.
Intense Activity
General Antoine now turned outside
and with a group of staff officers led
the way through the mazes of the vast
camp. Such a scene of varied and in
tense activity! 1t fairly throbbed as
the visitors passed along. Wagons,
wagons, wagons, stretching away in
unending procession for miles ahead
and behind A great cloud of dust
hung over this cavalcade, and the
green fields were covered as with frost
| from the fall of dust. The four-horse
teams strained along, keeping the
ranks close together. Every conceiv-
able sort of war stores was in this
moving train-boxes and barrels and
bales of food for men and animals;
huge wine casks set on end, two to a
wagon; ordnance carts piled high
with boxes of shells; lorries with
ugly-looking quick-fre guns. and vans
loaded with coils of barbed wire and
and with sharp pointed stakes used in
| the trenches and chevaux-de-frise.
And this goes on night and day."
said Major Camut. Yes, 1t is busiest
at night near the 'front.' for tha NOV