The Dolores star., 1917-06-22
VAST ACTIVITIES IN CAMPS OF
BRITISH BEHIND FIGHTING LINE
Ihousands Upon Thousands Of Motor Loes in Constant
Streams Supply Fighters at Front With Munitions British
Flying Corps Enjoy Most Thrilling Experiences
Of Any Soldiers in France

his returning. But to these dauntiess
young fellows-most Of them are quite
young-aviation with all Its deadly
risks Is the grandest sport ever con-
celved by man.
They go out to seek battle, In de-
FAINT challenge to all the most per-
fected BOche resources Of defense and
attack, and they undoubtedly meet the
most wonderful and thrilling individ-
ual experiences Of any men engaged
In this war. No sooner do they get
within range of the German lines
than shrapnel begins to burst all
around them.
In the distance the shrapnel bursts
seem to be in bunch SO close to the
plane that you hold your breath with
anxiety. expecting to see 1t dashed to
the earth. But these young sports
men are skilled as well as dauntless
Ihey maneuver with amazing cool
ness amid the missiles hurled at them,
and as the British now have O machine
that gives no points to the best the
Boche can put in the air either in
swiftness or hardness, they extricate
tain death time after time.
Presently British shrapnel puts
were to be seen bursting slightly to
our left, and away up at a tremen-
dous height. SO that 1t looked like q
white pigeon. a Boche plane was dis
covered In the blue between the fly
ing clouds. 1t looked to be flying at
twice the altitude the British aviators
reached when taking their hazardous
course over the German lines.
AS the shrapnel was scattered on
all sides of 1t and two British planes
were rapidly making their way up
ward to engage 1t. the Boche plane
dashed into a cloud and was lost for
minute. Then 1t emerged again.
coming right over our heads. and as
the shrapnel puffs continued to pur-
sue 1t we found 1t prudent, though we
had our steel helmets on. to place our
selves conveniently to a former Hun
dugout In case the splinters came our
way.
German Filler Eiees.
The situation had now evidently be-
come too hot for the taste Of the
German fier. especially as three Brit
ish planes were approaching. 80 he
turned about and plunged behind a
great cloud and made his way home
at least we did not catch sight Of him
any more.
This was the only Boche plane that
came within reach or ventured over
the British line during the couple of
hours we were on the battlefield, while
In the same time British planes were
sailing over the German positions In
the teeth Of death every few minutes.
On this battlefield we visited the
only disabled tank that was to be
found, though the Germans seem to
have claimed several. The cause Of
its disablement was plain. 1t was not
direct German gun-flre, but such q
rare complication Of deep craters and
ruptured trenches that its travelling
bands could find no sufficient hold, so
that 1t was forced to a standstill.
The track Of its caterpillar feet
was visible for hundreds Of yards
back. and the obstacles it overcame
seemed hardly less formidable than
those that proved its undoing. 1t
looked as II twenty-foot-down Ger
man dugout. already penetrated by
British shell fire, had caved In under
its weight.
Every tank has his day, and this
one evidently ended up in the thickest
Of the fight, judging by the frightfully
contorted condition of the ground all
around it. Full justice has been done
by the cinema to these grotesque i'm