Gunnison news-champion., 1917-12-07

ri,sn an old barn to ourselves. ana vs
laid ou, our blankets and maoe our
rod. for 1, was 1890 O'Clock The AZ
tack was Increasing In fury. AL Hihus
O, she'll. landing around US, aho the
Germans were using their same oio
tactics OF hurting great masses o'
troops against our position
our machine guns gave the asua
good account OF themselves ana the
German dead were piled up over our
wire entanglements In great heaps-
TIE Germans would fan back reform
and come on again In their usual close
formation. So II went all night, and
when the morning came the oeau
ground" between the two lines OF
trenches was a grewsome looking place
During the day the Germans Dom
bar,tet our first and second line trench
e. with high explosives and schraphei
all day. and at night they resumed
their infantry attack on our position
Day after day and night after night
the barrIe continued until We aH ien
dead aud numb all over
Sometimes the Germans would pen
citrate our lines for few yards, ana
then We would Immediately counter
t-efore they had Il chance TO strengthen
their position. We lost an awlul Iot OF
men. but even though don't know the
exact figures l know ! am safe In say
ing that the German losses were more
than double what ours were
We dispatch riders were certainly
kept busy during this time Our work
was TO be standing by every minute OF
the day and night. and the moment We
were wanted TO sling the dispatch case
over our shoulder and get away for the
headquarters TO the rear.
The riding at night was terrible. The
Germans were shelling all the roads In
the vicinity, and We had to go dashins
along through the inky blackness at
breakneck pace 1t was impossible to
see more than q yard or two ahead
and so IL was case Of ride like the
dickens and trust TO luck. The road
was covered with shell holes. and the
first intima ton We would get OF the
fact was when we would feel the mo-
torbike drop beneath US and feel our
selves shooting through the air ike
amateur skyrockets.
We would pick ourselves up, drag
the motorbike out OF the hole and, II II
would still run. jump on 1t and get
away again. We certainly got some
terrible spills, and there were q good
many who got broken bones and few
kA h.I hot nd u hrnkan
lmagination cannot conceive OF our
utter misery. Everywhere ! looked at
all hours of the day and night 1t was
Just nightmare Most OF the time We
were kept too busy to sleep. and We
would be SO tired We could hardly
move The constant din of the guns Of
all sizes and of the exploding shells was
enough to drive nearly all Of Us insane
Perhaps this little incident will show
what condition our nerves were In. A
young fellow named Lewis and l had
chummed together for the time being
and we rode the same route during the
entire battle. One night he came down
to headquarters just ahead Of me. and.
! assure you. we came through some
mighty hot territory. ] was In awful
condition myself. but I think be was
even worse
handed my case In, and while ! was
waiting for orders I went out to the
petrol stores to nll up the tank on my
bike. Lewis was talking to the officer
in charge Of the riders and was stand
ing with his back to the door. Another
fellow came in carrying two empty
petrol tins. and-unintentionally Of
course-he dropped them just behind
Lewis. They made quite q racket, and.
coming % suddenly. Lewis jumped
over q table and tainted dead away.
We were all In abont the same condi-
tion. and II didn't take much to get .
rise out OF US. Poor Lewis was killed
the next night By falling into . shell
hole