The sun., 1916-08-17
SOMMB TRENCHES
TORN AS BY QUAKE
wSun" Correspondent Finds
Broken, Battered, Pulver-
lied Works.
SEES DEVASTATED CITIES
French Organization Amazing
1000 Miles r. X. Track,
MunitiOn "StOres."
sp,cioi Cable DespdseA to Tnr srS.

Special Cable DespdtcA TO THf SrS.
PARIS, Aug. 1S.-In q visit this week
70 the Somme front Of the French army
tho correspondent Of THE Sun went
over some OF the ground formerly held
BY the Germans which the French have
Srested from them In the present ofYen.
gve.
After seeing what had been the
French first line trenches before the
attack Of early July. still intact. the
correspondents and the French officer
IN charge Of the party came upon VIVA.
had been the firs. line OF the German
trenches. all battered now into merely
broken. furrowed. tossed up ground.
The correspondent marvclled not
merely at the power Of the artillery that
Is capable Of producing such an earth
ouakellke effect but at the kill which
could thus from a distance pulverize
one line without affecting the other,
which Wal 40 near to humiliation.
The village Of Domplerre has been de-
scribed already by cable. but nothing
short OF seeing The bare. furrowed
ground can enable any one to realise
that q whole village Of 5sS inhabitants.
with . church n school. could have
disappeared 30 absolutely into nothing
ness.
Town shelleA "a Powder.
Il Is feeble to say that not one stone
10 left pom another. Literally not one
stone 10 left at all. for every n has
been smashed and ground to a powder
by the French shells. There Is no trace
left Of the village Of Dompierre.
Like many smiling little French viii
iages Dompierre had its Mall-rows OF
trees growing In an oblong. with the
boughs interlacing at the top to form a
sort OF arbor. The trees resisted the
hurricane OF she'll better than the build
ings. for at least rows OF s;umps a foot
high or so remain to show wher the
Nall once was.
In one corner Of the Mall was once
the village cart maker. as one can see
BY = few scraps Of iron n n broker
tire or two that remain. OF his shop or
his house there is not the slightest vcs-
tige.
OF the neighb ,ring village Of Recau.n.
court some few stones remained TO SUP
port the Officers statement that We had
reached the site OF a village. otherwise
all was desolation. \ small shrine with
a figure OF the Christ about q foot long
had escaped destruction. as figures OF
the Christ 70 often do In this undreamed
OF war.
On Site Of Becquincourt.
A. we stood here where once was
Hscquincourt the heavy artillery was
hiring constantly along the whole front,
which curved around us four miles away
to our left and " to our right. Be-
cause the wind bore the sound away
from US II was not particularly terrible,
though very impressive. \ pail Of dens
smoke hung over the line OF battle and
instantly geysers =: white or black
smoke spouted high into III. air as
German shells struck.
One symptom Of activity that could b.
diagnosed by the veriest layman wer.
the sausage shaped observation balloon.
which seemed poised over the line OF tn,
French front. We eaw six close to
eether. then seven. From one point ",
counted twenty-three. yet the most DOW
erful glasses fallc.: to detect a slnRl,
one behind the German line. conclusiy,
evidence OF the efficiency of the Frencl
aviation work., which has deprived tn,
erman Of this valuable means OF di
recting their artillery FIRE.
Change After Kitchener Death
when the correspondent said to al
American woman that he was going (.
VISIT the Somme front. she said at onc.
an. you are going to see what tn,
English are doing"
As this woman IL unusually inteilisen
ana we'll informed, and had arrived from
we United States only a few days be
fore. the remark seemed to confirm tn
impression prevalent here that tn
Somme offensive Is regarded In Americ,
~ essentially a British operation witt
a certain amount OF French support.
TIE existence OF such an impression
- quite comprehensive, for there ma
oeen a change in the English polic
toward the newspapers that has resu!.c
IN much more beins printed abou, tn
Work OF the British troops than befor
no death OF La:l Kitchener. 4 nai
dozen OF tie hest writer's among tn
l.hgIsh pondents ave been a
Owed to reside permanently at Am!en!
within easy reach Of the British front.
These correspondents have every n
cii'y 10 send daily columns describin
the doings OF the British troops. CT
l'rened with a wealth OF anecdote an
Picturesque details OF the fighting base
on personal experiences OF the corr
srondents themselves on the front G
oa'a.ned from the wounded officers an
men who arrive al .Aniens daily 10 TAX
train for England.
give World q View.
The French, who all through the wa
have neglected the important matter
letting the world know what they hay
a oompl!shed. have so far ~establ!she
10 similar machinery. Leaving eve
;Arir own people with a limited know