The Alaska daily empire., 1916-09-18
TRENCHES ON SOMME FRONT
 ARE FIXED UP
Captured Dug-outs Are Found to Be Like Ho- tel Rooms in a
 Large City

LONDON, Sept. 2.-(special Cor respondence.) .)-Here are 9 few ol the vivid stories told by the men now home who have taken part in the big advance:
 "The first dugout went into when we captured the German tren- ches was fitted with electric bells with wires communicating with the trench above said one wounded man. "lt was forty feet below the ground and was fitted up like a bed room ot a good hotel. There were good spring beds, fitted with splendid blankets, three legged drawing-room tables and nicely upholstered che'rs
 "The most fearful sight I witnessed was in a wood we captured. You couldn't walk for German dead. They were heaped, one on top of the other and we had to pick our way across hearing always the moans of the wounded and the dying.
 "One of the best stories of the Somme battle is the story of the ad. vance the South Staffs made on all fours-"the eat charge" we called 1t. The officer came to us and said: Men. we've got to take the tren- ches opposite. and there ssome dis tance to go. but We can do it if we keep our heads, creep along softly, and make no noise.
 Advance Under Moon.
 We got the order to advance about ten o'clock. q was a good night for the business; there was a moon out, but it was low and dim. med by heavy clouds Nip out lads" said the officer. and we crept along on all fours, not daring so much as Go breathe. Our chief diff culty was to avoid falling into shell holes and stumbling over dead bo dies and wounded. but nothing went amiss with the eat brigade until we got within thirty or fcrty yards oi the trench
 Then they spotted US and let fly for all they were worth with machine guns. There was nothing up but to spring up and make run for it. By heavens. you never saw such a leap in your life as the way the boys jumped into those trcnshes In seconds. not minutes. it was all over. The eat brigade had attained it's objective.
 "A fine-looking German lay dead in dug-out. He was an artist, and his paintings hung on the wall of the dug-out. Pictures of scenery and of beautiful women wondered what he thought of the war He was the only German felt sorry for, and very peaceful he looked with his pictures around him.
 Another German we found dead had just been winding up his watch when he was killed. He still clutch ei it in his hands. It was cheap sort Of thing. silver. worth perhaps three half-crowns. He valued 1t. for he had got his name inscribed in. side, and he had an outer case lined with velvet for it. Perhaps his sweetheart gave it to him. for there was a photograph of homely-look- ing girl among his papers
 Zeppelin Mysteries.
 The season of "fightfulness" has set in again, but the people of these isles are not alarmed In the House of Commons. when questioned, Maj or Bird said that Surprising things were in store for Germany which it would be unwisc to announce be- fore hand" So we must wait and see.
 The same evening. in the lobby of the Commons, the most wonderful stories were afloat. One heard, for example. that there is some wonder ful invention by which Zeppelins can be steered from the ground in their own despite. Hence they were led to countries vast and deserts idle. and got no chance of dropping their bombs on inhabited places But why not steer them seaward again, and make them quite impotent? That was the natural criticism of this new Arabian Nights miracle.
 More feasible was the story that by some electrical device the com pass by which the eZppelin is stter- ed is put out of action.
 Perhaps the explanation of the blank attack is a wholesome fear of our new anti-aircraft guns. When ever they were met by fire, the Zeppelins prudently diverted their course.
 TWO NEW CITIZENS.