The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1917-11-08
SHELLS turn
NIGHT TO DAY
CHAMBERLAIN RoYivvRlTEs OF Ex-
PERlENcES IN TRENCHES AND
WITH AMBULANCE CORPS

Sioux Falls, S. d.. Nov. 6.-"Be-
licve me. the noise of those shells
passing overhead was rather disturb
ing. They sound for all the world like
a locomotive letting off steam"
Thus writes Glare .Whitbeck a Cham
bcrlain boy, who is serving with an
corps oni the western front
in Europe, and who a short time Defore
writing the letter had been under fire
for the first time.
Several German Shells" he con-
.iinues, "burst within 800 yards of us.
1t was not at all pleasant, assure you.
When we got to the front you could
see the German and French star shells
lighting the no mans land in flashes
of light which last for a minute or so.
IL was weird The noise of the shells
overhead was continuous, and the
thunder of the French guns near us
cutie safely. The gunflre died out
toward morning and we caught few
fltful moments of sleep.
Things Quiet That Day
Things were what they call quiet
hour; so. armed with gas masks, steel
helmets and cameras, We walked about
looking over the crestSof q hill above
a burying ground. We Viewed the
boche trenches. Not a living soul
could be seen. Only the roar of the
hidden, guns could be heard, and the
eve could make out lnes Of brown
earth running in an endless chain he
fore us. We were given two wounded
men to carry out. so we went down to
the hospital leaving word for the relief
We have a .bombardment o. sbociie air
planes every dav. 1t grows old, for one
IFS rarely hit. The French airmen have
a great deal more nerve than the Ger
mans. tThey fin sometImes within
machine gun range of the boche
trenches"
Lieut.. Brethorst In France
Lieut.. Stephen Brethorst. Lennox
educator, who enlisted in the officers
training camp at Fort Smelling some
months ago, and who was given COM
mission as lieutenant and sent to
France, is member of the expedition
|ary force. In a letter Just received
from him he describes incidents on the
way over, and states that they now are
stationed at a point in France some
Pershing's army.
I'VE (15O offlcers)," he writes, .are
in fairly large city, where American
troops have never been seen before
We are many, many miles away from
any of the other American troops. Hun
dreds of people throughout the streets
and showers OF flowers greet us ali
along our march. The French people
are quite demonstrative, and they arc
certainly glad that the American nation
has decided to join them in their ter
rible struggle. We are nicely located
now in rooms fitted up for us by the
French, and our work will begin TO-
morrow. We will be instructed by
French and Canadian ofllcers.'
Lennox Boy Writes
Jacob A. Wiebel, a Lennox boy
writes from camp on the Atlantic, tc
which the South Dakota soldiers re-
Gently were transferred from The soutl
Atlantic coast, where they now are be-
ing trained as artillery. He writes ir
part as follows:
grounds where the Rainbow division
was located before they went acros.
the Atlantic. You ought to see tn,
airplanes flying around here. This
afternoon they We're almost as thcl
as birds. They looked like buncl
of hawks swooping through the air
and they pull off all kinds of stunt:
such as loop the loop and somer
sault.' At one time in The afternoon
counted as many as ten in the air a
the same time"