Evening star., 1917-11-04
BY JUNIUs b. WOOD.

Cablegram to The Sunday Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. 1917.
IN THE AMERICAN TRENCHES ON
THE FRENCH FRONT. November (de-
layed) How the honor of firing the first
American shell into the German lines was
won Is a story Of American pluck and
determination to overcome all obstacles
heard a vivid description yesterday.
while standing on a military slope beside
the same gun. which was then hurting
more shells at the German trenches. of
the hours of ack-breaking. discouraging
toll necessary to win the honor which the
entire Army coveted. Not lucky chance
gave the distinction to sergeant whose
name will be famous in history as soon
as the censor permits it to be mentioned.
but a night of hard work by the entire
crew Of the gun.
The story Of that night was one Of the
thrilling features OF the visit OF seven
accredited correspondents TO the front
line trenches occupied by the Americans
The writer's were accompanied by the
officer commanding the press DIVISION
The correspondents were the only CIVIL
ians to pick their way through these
trenches and the only ones to see the ia
nous gun. the roar of which was heard
across the German border. They also
saw the last shell crater made that day
by the German artillery Good luck pick
ed its final resting place. Had the eleva-
ton been a fraction OF an inch higher 1t
would have blown into fragments two
mess kitchens ready to serve steamfnS
Sunday dinner, not to mention the COOKS
and artillerymen waiting to eat. AS it
was it covered everything within radius
Of fifty yards with flying mud. A shovel
gang was busy rebuilding the abri or
shelter when we arrived an hour later.
Guide Was French Captain.
Our guide through the uncharted
hills and morasses back Of the bat
teries and trenches was a French cap
tain who explained things to US In
mixture Of English and French. The
gun which played such an important
part in the drama was the first object
aimed for. Rain had been falling for
a week and in the valleys were rivers
and lakes like those produced by
spring freshets at home. The hillside
paths worn by the feet of hundreds OF
soldiers who had come and gone for
months past were slippery strips OF
mud. The craters made by the German
shells were like cisterns full of water
and they were everywhere.
Every hillside had concealed bat
terry and occasionally gun would
send a shell hurtling toward the en-
envy. Here and there were the gaping
holes of abandoned gun pits. AT one
place under a covering made of chick
en- wire and as large as a circus tent
and camoufiaged with thousands of
tufts of grass knotted at every joint
and so low that we had to bend double
to creep beneath 1t we found one of the
lieutenants commanding a battery di-
recting a crew digging new gun pits.
Slipping and sliding down hill. the
French captain took US to the officers
dugout, the only dry spot we saw on
the entire front. There the other lieu
tenant was located. Then we went up
another path. which was rapidly be-
coming a creek. and came to the pit
where this gun stood alone. 1t was so
cleverly concealed with a covering of
verdure that we did not discover 1t un-
til we almost slid into the pit.
Getting Gun Was Hard Work.
"It was great getting the gun up
here" said the lieutenant, reverting to
the nights performance. but 1t was
IL