The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-11-18
Five Members of Party
Prominent Citizens Had
Very Close Call.
GERMAN SHELLS
BURST QUITE CLOSE
Sounded Like the Roar of
an Airplane," Said One
, of Them.

BrrciSh Front In Belgium. Friday,
Nov. 16.-By The Associated Press.
Five members of the party of
American Congressman and private
citizens who spent yesterday and
part of today visiting the Belgian
war zone had narrow escape from
death or injury this morning when
they We're caught in a sudden burst
of German machine gun fire while
ineefting the front line trenches
near Dixmude.
Thc sCongressmen in danger were /:
Congressman c. c.. Dill of Spokane,
Wa4h.; Congressman Charles B. Tim
fberlake of Colorado; Congressman
John F. Miller of Seattle, Wash;
Congressman Albert johnson of
Washington, and former Representa-
tive Stout of Montana. Nobody was
hit, but 1t was one of those peculiar
freaks of fortune which soldiers call
luck, because the shots came in a
shower so close to them it seemed
almost certain someone must be
Iwounded, although they were exposed
Fonly for brief time.
The other seven members of the
party were in another section of the
trench and were not disturbed by the
. fire. Later, however, when all the
Americans were together the Ger
mans dropped a big shell some ten
yards away, seriously endangering
everyone. One member, in describ-
sing the incident to the correspondent
lr4 aoid ho
heard the shell coming. att sounded
like the roar of an airplane," he
said.
Again fortune favored them and no
None was injured.
The visitors spent the night near
the front and rose early this morning
for a trip to the trenches in the vi
cinity of Dixmude. The Belgian and
German lines run within thirty yards
of each other at one point, and it was
there that the five men came into
danger. At that distance it is quite
easy to see anyone in the trench who
raises his head above the top. Only
the usual firing was under way when
the party reached this place.
The Americans were having an ex-
cellent view of the line when several
of them got into an exposed position
and were seen by the Germans. Sud-
denly the enemy machine guns near
by began a vicious chatter and bull
let's came whizzing across the narrow
strip of No Mans Land at the rate
of several hundred minute. Before
the visitors realized the situation.
bullets were whizzing all about them
like storm of hail, and dirt was be-
ing thrown into their faces as some
of the steel pellets struck the top of
the trench. They all bent down for
cover, but all might easily have been
caught, since it does not take more
than a small fraction of a minute for
a machine gun to account for a num-
ber of men, if the shooting is accur-
ate.
The Americans departed this aft
ernoon for England. On arriving at
the port whence they sailed they said
their trip to the Belgian front had
been most satisfactory. They were
especially pleased at the invitation of
King Aboert to take tea with him.
The King made them feel welcome
and chatted freely with them for some,
time.
The members Of the party who
were endangered by the she'll.
in addition to the five who were nm
der machine gun fire are CONGRESS-.
men Parker Of New Jersey, Tavlor
of Colorado, Goodwin of Arkansas
Stephens of Nebraska and Hicks Of
New York, and former Representa-
tive Hammond OF Nebraska.