Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-10-31
SHELLS
WHIZZ RAPIDLY.

...e 4- - --H
AMERICAN SHELLS 4
WHIZZ RAPIDLY.
Closer to the enemy in the first line
trenches is the infantry with the shells
of both American and German guns
whizzing over their heads. The men
are rubber booted and ponchoed. Rain,
mixed with o pelts their helmets.
No clothing, however, is able to with
stand the wind driven drops of rain
and snow but gunners and infantry
men, although they were wet, are sat
isfied feeling that the honor Of having
been the first AMERICANS in action is
more than sufficient recompense for
their discomfort.
The correspondent reached the
American position after a long motor
ride through shell battered towns.
Leaving the motor in one of the
towns, he walked the rest Of the way.
Motor cars attract the y Of the Ger
mans and they are likely to drop a
half dozen shells in the direction that
any machine is zen
AMERICAN BATTERY
is WE'LL HIDDEN. =
The first American battery was al
most walked upon before it was dis
covered. 1t was so we'll hidden under
the trees and with foliage about it on
a low hung wire netting. Under the
net water dripped steadily. Some Of
the gunners were digging another pit
alongside their hidden CUR.
Through the foliage in every direc-
ton the ground was undulating. At
that moment there was a flash of
flame through the mist. It was the
crack of a rs gun. and following it
closely came the noise Of the shell
fainter and fainter as the projectile
vent on its way to the German posi-
ton over the crest of a hill further
away. The mud digging artillerists
continued their work, without even
looking up.
GEORGIA LIEUTENANT
DIRECTS SHOT.
A lieutenant from Georgia emerged.
He was the officer who directed the
first shot. He lead the way down the
slippery, muddy hill to a dugout COW
cred with sandbags and logs. There
was met a lieutenant from Indiana of
the same battery who directed the
nrst IL shots of the war against Ger
many from an observation point.
On the other side of the hill was
found the first gun fired. The muddy
gunners were hard at work cleaning
their gun.
This was the first gun fired in the
war; said the jaunty lieutenant, 1.-The
sergeant inside the pit there, fired it,"
Looking into the pit, the lieuten-
ant said, Sergeant, where are you
from" ~
A husky voice replied: I'm from
South Bend, Indiana"
Are you Irish?" asked the lieuten-
ant
mo, %siree," the sergeant laughingly
ORDERS TO .GUNNERS
TO START FIRING.
Then orders came from this gun
and others of the battery placed in
nearby hills in sight and sound of
eacn other to commence firing. The
gun on the farthest hill went off with
d roar and a faint stream of smoke
was blown backward from the pit,
inside the pit where the correspondent
stood a voice shouted out the range
figures and the lieutenant repeated
them. A voice inside the pit a mo-
ment later yelled that the gunner
was cad to fire. The lieutenant gave
the command to the gunners, watch
your bubble"
Inc lieutenant who was standing
on a pile of mud cautioned those abou
MIN to place their fingers in their ears.
ms was done, and the lieutenant
shouted the wore fire"
the U barked quickly, the noise
being followed by a metallic clank and
the shell case was elected and the gun
made ready for the next load. The
lieutenant told the correspondent the
story OF the first shot of the war, punc-
tuating the narrative throughout with
the orders ready to fire." and "hre."
which each time was followed bv the
report of the gun and the whizz of the
shell.
HAUL BIG GUNS
UP BY HAND.
I'VE came up the night before"
said the lieutenant, land got into Do
sltion in a driving rain.
mo horses had arrived. I was anx-
ious to get off the first gun, so were
my men. I asked them if they were
willing to haul the gun by hand I'd
this place so we could get the first
crack at n Germans. They agreed
unanimously, so we set out across the
fields until we got over there at the
base OF that hill you can just see in the
haze.
I'VE hadsa hard time getting the
gun, which we have not named, owe
those shell craters. But we labored
for many hours and finally reached