American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-10-05

tween the trenches, so that the start
OF the attack will be seen.
/ never shall forge my first trip up
to one OF the postes at the very front.
Three cars were wanted and Milt and
Mike, Hawley, Earl Swain, Milt's part
ner, and / thought this would be a
good chance to see the front and learn
the road. Earl went up in an officers
car to learn the road and tell it TO us.
When he came back he said:
You won't believe a word | say, bu
there are shell-holes all over the road
and they are going off within twenty
yards of the car and all over the
place"
Well, we didn't believe him and we
told the stretcher-bearers to get in
and we started up with Earl in the
lead. OF all the drives | was ever on
this had them all beat We had been
used to hearing guns from two miles
back, but here we were going for
nearly q mile over the road to the
pOste with those Internal things throw
ing up the sod and flashing up in
front ceaselessly and on all sides of
US.
This was a day trip and of course
we could see. When we passed
through a wood which held the
French guns they made the most
racket | ever hope to hear. 1t busts
your ears, caves your head in, and
knocks you out Of the seat every time
one Of the Internal things speaks. It's
absolutely indescribable, just the loud
est, fercest, blankest crash, as though
hell had broken loose right in your
face.
You look straight down the road so
as not to see the other incoming
shells explode and throw up the flame
and dirt, and you trust to luck and
hold yourself tense so the engine wont
die on you, for to get out and crank
here would be death-from fright if
not by iron.
Not a soul was in sight, yet the
ground was heaving all around and our
cars were vibrating ninety miles an
hour, as were our knees, and sweat
stood out all over us. AS soon as we
got stopped in front of the dugout the
stretcher-bearers jumped out of the
back of the cars and beat it for the
door. We did the same and left the
engines going.
lore, ia twenty minutes, POO men are
killed dead as dOor-nails and another
1000 out of the war with anything
from a torn open chest or abdomen to
a hand mangled or a piece of iron in
'h3 head which will kill when it is
taken out at the hospital. 1t is ter
rible, and then, after it is finished.
he lines are exactly as they were be-
fore.
We were looking down at all these
French guns and the German shells
just lighting any place anC
particularly on the road we had JUS
come over, and, worst of all, had tC
go back over; and we were trying tC
be as calm as possible-if you car
imagine that when you have a chill, g
sweat, a headache, and a sore stom.
ach all at the same time.
But they pulled themselves together
and rolled cigarets as n~onchalantly as
possible, for the Frenchmen, Injured
} to the horrors of sight and sound
we're looking them over appraisingly
we tried TO appear as though We
were hard enough to sleep in sucf
a place without batting an eye" wrote
young Gross, who thus describes the
return trip:
They loaded the cars up in a hurry
aud we tore off down the slope alonl
the bottom of the valley, through the
woods which hid the French guns, anC
out on the open road again. l was
driving and watching the holes. anC
Nike and | both had our steel helmets
on the side of our heads like some tin
horn sport-on the side toward the
trenches. We were in third and l wa!
stepping on il for all she was worth
, Past the line of French guns l gave
her fourth and slept on it for every
ounce 1t had. These cars make sixty
, in fourth when empty and we let hel
have it for a good mile behind the
French guns. We spend very little
!, time in that area once We are started
: as you may guess.
On this first trip. after l had gon,
into high, l had the feeling that W,
must have presented a funny sigh