The Kentucky register. (Richmond, Ky.) 190?-1917, 1916-10-27
BUILD A SUBWAY
TO VERDUN FRONT
Tunnel, IS Feet Underground,
Leads to Within 300 Yards
nf Germans.
AMERICANS MAKE THE TRIP
New York Lawyer Narrowly Escapes
Shots as He Views Trenches
Tunnel Cook Was Formerly
Chef to an Ambassador.

Ferdun.-lust west OF here, In the
forest OF ArgOnne, there is a remark.
able military tunnel, 80 feet under.
ground running right up TO within
SOo yards Of the German trenches
II is one OF the most hard-pressed
points around Verdun, but through this
tunnel re-enforcements move forward
without danger, relieving every two
hours the men on the firing line.
There was very American atmos.
phere about this tunnel when the writ.
or visited II, for the curious fact de.
Veloped that the two officers In com
mand were American residents. one n
stock raiser In Alberta. Canada, and
the other bank official Of the Franco.
American bank at Los Angeles. Cal.
Both were born In France. and when
the war broke out left their American
businesses 10 come home aud fight. And
now they are In full charge OF this un-
foreground highway. leading up to one
d the most desperate positions along
. the front They are so American that
they speak English lnstead OF French
and the commandments headquarters
q little nest In the clay-hns big
picture Of Uncle Sam hanging ON the
wall
Creeping through this tunnel to-
ward the front line, the members of
the visiting party knocked their steel
casques on the roof, and plunged
through water ankle deep Paul ID. |
Cravath, the New York lawyer. n man
of large build, 9 feet q Inches tall |
WAS bent double in the struggle through |
the tunnel Along the way they passed /
an electric plant. throbblng with en-.
ergy ana pumping the fresh air which
Keeps the tunnel habltablc. Further
ON, In a large clay hole, kitchen
was In full operation. with soldiers eat.
Ing bowls Of noodles.
Chef to an Ambassador.
Let me Introduce you to our chef"
said the cOmmandnnt. as young sol.
dier cook came forward. "He is now
the cook for this tunnel-and he ought
TO be a good cook, for before the war
he was chef to the French ambassador
at Rome"
Emerging from the tunnel into the
front line, the German trenches were
plainly visible ON the crest only 800
yards away. The Intervening space
was swept clear as though by IA cy-
clone. Instead Of the beautiful green
or the forest that was left at the other
end OF the tunnel, here the whole out
look was gray ana desolate: the
ground Jagged and torn as by eccentric
plows. not vestige Of grass or I,
Verdure, and the few gaunt trunks Of -,
trees stripped of their last leaf and
looking like so many scarecrows.
This has been n rather quiet day
only two mine explosions" said the a
two men Injured, one in \
the shoulder, the other In the leg. That Il
Is little, for often we have forty TO b
sixty men killed or injured in these y
mine explosions, which 20 on continu- 4
ally as the Germans try to mine under
our ecenches and we try to mine UNI Il
Ter theirs" Il
Even beyond the front line French "
renches the French soldiers had n
pushed their observation posts into the b
ire-swept dividing line, 800 yards wide.
some of these daring men could be ri
zen almost up to the crest, where the OF
herman line ran. They were crouchcd Il
'ehind heaps of powders, rifles ready. v,
Those men are only ten yards from CT
he Germans" said the commandment. "
As he spoke, Mr.. Cravath of New ii
'ork. said: 81 see a German; there Ia
e is on the crest; yOu can see his uni
orm with the round cap" III
And he sees you too" said the COM Fl
iandant "You have been under fire." ar
e added us he led Mr. Crnvath' and the W,
Tiers to more secure position. py
Americans Are Lucky. in
It's good that German didn't fire." in
Crayath. ut might have az
cen an international incident Think fin
it-kllling an American visitor to ty
lie French trenches" wi
Coming back from the front-lne pu