The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-10-03
WONDERFUL
|SFORTRESS
At VERDUN
CORRESPONDENT TELLS GRAPH.
&c STORY OF THE PLACE THAT
HAS BEEN STUMBLING BLOCK
OF GERMAN CROWN PRINCE.

= here, in the forest OF Argonne, ther
is a remarkable military tunnel, 4
D feet underground, running right up t
! within 300 yards of the German
] trenches. 1t is one OF the most hard
4 pressed points around Verdun, bu
through this tunnel reinforcement.
b. move forward without danger, reliey
ing every two hours the men on III,
firing line.
There was a very American atmos
phere about this tunnel when the As
sOciated Press correspondent visited
it for the curious fact developed that
the two officers in command were
American residents, one stock-raiser
in Alberta, Canada, and the other a
bank official of the Franco-American
Bank at Los Angeles, California Both
were born in France and when the
war broke out, left their American
business to come home and fight. And
now they are in full charge of this un-
derground highway, leading up to one
of the most desperate positions along
the front. They are 50 American that
| they speak English instead of French,
and the commandant's headquarters
little nest in the clay-has big
picture OF Uncle Sam hanging on the
wall.
Creeping through this tunnel toward
the front line, the members of the
visiting party knocked their steel
casques on the roof, and plunged
through water, ankle-deep. Paul Cray-
ath, the New York lawyer. a man of
large build, feet inches tall, was
bent double in the struggle through
the tunnel Along the way they passed
an electric plant, throbbing with ener-
gy, and pumping the fresh air which
keeps the tunnel habitable Further
on, in large clay hole, a kitchen was
in full operation, with soldiers eating
bowls of noodles
Let me introduce you to our chef
said the commandant, as a 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 French trenches, the Ger.
man trenches were plainly visible on
the crest only 800 yards away, Tie
intervening space was swept clear as
though by a cyclone. Instead of the
beautiful green of the forest, that was
left at the other end of the tunnel,
here the whole outlook was gray and
desolate; the ground jagged and torn
as by eccentric ploughs; not YES
tige Of grass or verdure, and the few
gaunt trunks of trees stripped of their
last leaf and looking like so many
This has been rather quiet day
only two mine explosions said the
men injured. one
In the shoulder the other in the leg.
That is little. for often We have 40
10 GO men killed or injured in these
mine explosions, which go on contin-
lally as the Germans try to mine nm
Ter our trenches and We try 10 mine
lnder theirs"
Even beyond the front line French
renches. the French soldiers had
pushed their observation posts into the
'ireswept dividing line. 300 yards
vide Some Of these daring men could
le seen almost up TO the crest where
he German line ran. They were
'rouched behind heaps of bouldcrs. ]
lilies ready.
Those men are only ten yards from
he Germans" said the commandant
As he spoke, Mr. Cravath Of New
FORK said:
81 see German. there he is on the
rest, you can sec his uniform with
he round cap"
And he sees you, too" said the
You have been under
ire" he added as he led Mr.. Cravath
md the others to a more secure po-
.ition
ITS good that German didn't fire"
Cravath. 1T might have Z
,oen an international incident Think
# it-killing an American visitor to
he French trenches"
Coming back from the front line
renohes. ore had view Of the many q
easeless activities in carrying on this
,reat battle At one point soldiers in
hirt sleeves were digging graves in ,
m improvised cemetery along the for t
st path. The cemetery was very large
nd had been given a name: "Maison a
,,rr,efforw ~ E.oroat Horno I,,-o,x- Z