The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1916-11-02
YERDuN AS SEEN
BY A TELESCOPE.
Bursting Shells Make Whole
Valley Like Volcano.
FIRE OF FRENCH IS DEADLY
Perfect System Of Opposing Forces
Makes II Possible to Pour 1000
Shells q Minute Upon Any Target.
Range Finding an interesting Prob
lem. Mathematics Being Used.

Range Finding an interesting Prob
lem. Mathematics Being Used.
There are few portions OF any front
that have ever seen where one could
gain more than an idea OF single de
tail of the operations NerduD Is an
exception. writes Stanley Washburn In
carefully sheltered from view OF the
enemy was II dugout. and through the
loophole OF this pecred the long range
eye OF one of the highest powered tele
scopes that II has ever been my privi
lege to look through | could not have
imagined that from a single spot one
could see so many of the now famous
points which have become synonymous
with the defense of Verdun.
Down In the valley Of the Meuae lay
the town itself. whence. every few
minutes. came the distant reverberu
ton Of bursting she'll When one IL
In the Town itself one secs little On
less shell fails very near. one never
sees II M all. But from our observation
point one can see volcanoes OF dust and
black smoke shoot up here and there
about the town. followed little later
by the bolaied sound of the report
drifting up from the valley yerdun
itself Is apparently hidden from the
direct vision of the enemy. but ranges
long ago corrected by aeroplanes have
been established these many months
1t Is questionable however how |
much check the eunners have on the
target at present. since II has become
unhealthy for the German aeroplanes
to show themselves in this vicinity
I'm the daytime
The country Is rolling In all direc
lions and for the most part barren OF
forest or shelter except the very aues
tionable protection that small villages
afford, Through our glasses we can
see the shells bursting In aud about
the village of Fleury. behind which
we are told the French mustered for
counteratfack against the Germnns on
Feb. 20 and nipned their advance b,
Way OF Dnuanmonr In the bud lust al
The moment when the Tcutons be
lieved their way 10 yerdun open before
them. The village is already desolate
from the German shell fire 4 little to |
The north lies Vaux. and we can lust
see the ruins OF the town. SO power
ful is the telescope thai the piles OF :
brick and the remaining walls stand :
put In clear cut detail.
The plain before us and every por r
Hon Of the valley that lies beneath us
$ stripped Of any sign of living thing :
But for the continuous bursting OF
'hells In MI directions one might imag I,
ne that the whole landscape had been r
ons since abandoned by human hnbi- i
amt A little to the west of vaux i
lands the sullen ridge of Douaumont !,
ort whose name has become famous h
throughout the world as the scene of n
ONE OF the tiercest Fighting which this .
var has produced. :,
Sirdseye View OF Mort Iomme. in
Down the western slope one can see fc
10 lines of the German trench. though al
Ie French line is hidden from our 81
lew by the crest OF ridge that inter
enes To the north lies the valley or in
he slow flowing Mcuse A biz TO the Ia
est Is the Mort Homme. that bloody II
ope which cost the lives Of thou m
Inds. co
Turn In any direction and one al nj
avs secs IN the air half a dozen shells st
irsting. Now 1t Is big shrapnel be
'er Fleury. with Its clouds OF puffy.
'tton-like smoke drifting off on the
ecze. while a second later. with
ash Ike the explosion or volcano th
shell aimed al Nerdun tears up half tn
acre on the slope north OF the
wn The Germans are sending IN :
RE numbers OF their 3SO's today. and ria
cir explosions on the slopes and th,
ests OF the hills resemble the sudden wi
upton OF a volcano while for many wi
nntes afterward the craters steam TO
d smoke like internal fires Pr
Under cur eyes. though we see them
t. are neatly tucked away know
I how many of the lurking 75's and g
eyer guns The country Is an ideal an
g for them to work IN Every con fin
cuous object now IN German hands g
$ long since heen definitely located III
i the range worked ont 10 nicety lea
-eaVin- onr ohSerrarion roint. we she
nor back 10 the outskirts of fhe has
: n. where the general shows as one
his anti-aircTaft STATIONS Here are
up number ~ 75's on special 4
unfings In thc center ~ he sta mi
4. suspended on a smaf platform Is AM
'rass bell The moment an enemy sir
Z aine Is sighfed the bell is sounded. TO
!. no matter from whirh direction u wa
= be coming every gun is on rhe abb
set and the three corrections neccs
: for the frst shot have been made
hin fifteen seconds The mathe T
les are extremely interesting A yea
: intellectual young ran with q pre-
( of logarithms a pad and pencil rna
errooi 70 explain 10 me how rhe len
mig was done While he was draw
neat triangles ard polygonS and
stakinelg propping perpendiculars
and there the enemy dropped Ev,
2 shells not roo far away and | fat
ot at tfIis time recall single one the
e equations. dus