Evening star., 1917-11-02
M|N|MUMIL[NESS
REVEALS TRAINING
Lack of Pneumonia Among
Americans in Trenches
Proves Their Condition.
HARDENED TO elements
By JUNIUS b. WOOD.


Cablegram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyfights 1S17s
IN THE AMERICAN TRENCHES IN
FRANCE. November 2.-'The trenches
may be fne in summer, but in winter
It takes a week before We get used to
living and sleeping in them. for our
clothes are never dry" said q husky
soldier to mo today. Water was drip
ping from his helmet and he was plas-
tered with mud to the knees. His sum-
mary Of trench life was no exaggera-
tion. In sheltered homes where Don't
forget your rubbers. now" and BE sure
and keep your throat mufned up" are
part Of the motherly morning warning.
such Q reckless defiance Of the elements
would be considered as courting certain
death.
That there are no hospital cases Of
illness from pneumonia or pieurisy Is
thoroughness of the training the men
have been put through under Gen. Per-
shing. Not only are the minds trained
to the arts Of warfare. but the bodies
the war and the wounds OF battle. AL
this has been done since the men came
here. few months ago. as raw re-
cruits.
Inc SOlQlGf uAu SpOASu 10 btOOpc0
and entered the low door Of a dugout.
which was crowded with other COM
rades who had just come OF duty. The
dugouts are not palatial, being but a
keen eyes are ever looking across the
shadowy "No Mans Land" and where
the men are unsheltered against the
driving rain. snow and cold.
Might Induce Firing.
The dugouts are warmer than the
trenches. but not warm in the general
important to carry ammunition and
food to the front than wood and too
much smoke might induce the enemy
to shell them.
The oficers' dusouts are less crowded.
but otherwise they are much the same
as those Of the men. One officer hos
pitably invited me to come In and
make myself at home. found a foot
turns In sleeping in the upper tier of
hunks.
IT was the first American to come in
contact with the enemy" said young
patrol into mo Mans Land" the night
before the men took over the trenches
to get acquainted with the work. The
patrol was In two lines and they put
my safety. All at once a. dozen shots
were Aired and I heard bullets whix-
zfng I saw q man running toward me
and drew on. him. but discovered that
ming on the other side. took a shot
at the shadow forms disappearing in
the other direction and then also
ran.
collided With Fence.
Il colIided with a barbed wire fence
blacked an eye and cut an ear. We
ntn q ~
Ing. and not fighting, patrol. No
atterpt was made to take prisoners."
q Then lanky sergeant major. wear
ing an expert rifeman's medal. told 4
vivid story Of how he had silenced
German machine gun placed in the
shelter Of an abandoned farmhouse. 1t
was within range of the trenches and
amay every time .oa steel
Germans kept 1t up day and night and
the Americans were unable to stop
them. Though the firing was inaccu-
rate. the spattering Of bullets was an
Il got into the trench nearest the
farmhouse before daylight and waited"
said the sergeant major. "Just at day
light by using field glasses ! could see
. German carrying ammunition coming
out Of the bushes toward the house.
There was another sergeant with me
and an argument started as to which
was to have the nrst shot We agreed
to IRE together and counted slowly.
"one. two, three" SO as to give time,
II We missed the first shots, to fire again
before the German got back to the
bushes. The man was about 1.5OO Yards
away. We both fred together.
Staggered, Ran and Fell.
'Ths man staggered. turned and ran
about twenty feet and fell. The body
lay there through the day, Il was not
considered advisable to 60 and get it
at night. as We believed the Germans
were waiting to trap us. The next
morning the body was gone. wish
they would lot me 60 out between the
trenches at night ana dig . rife Dit.
] would soon put the machine gun out
Of business for all time." he added,
Trench iifs. despite its risks ana
hafdships. 10 not without amusing In
eidents. One patrol with great care
brought In Q soHgy boot he had dis
covered near the German barbed wire
ENHANCEMENT. which he believed
might have Identification marks which
would show who the Germans in the
opposing trenches were.
It turned out to be the boot of a
French poilu. Another soldier with
undampened ardor entered tho oficers'
quarters and demanded permission to
start an attack single handed. He was
transferred to q front.line SPOT where