The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-10-24
FRITZ" PLAYING
A LOSING GAME
War Over Before Christ
mas Is Prediction of Bis
marck Man in Trenches

Bismarck, N. D., Oct. 24.-"The
Russian problem is doubtless going
to delay the end. but Fritz Is play
ing losing game, and many of the
men who are in the trenches are bet
ting that the war will be over before
Christmas. writes F. r. Norcross, a
recent member of City EngineeS
Atkinson's staff. from the French
trenches in a letter to P. w. Thomas,
assistant state engineer.
Norcross Joined the engineering
contingent about six months ago,
when he left Bismarck for the French
front. There he has seen some very
active service. The submarines,
he states. ARE not proving the sue
cess promised the German people.
They laugh at the idea that u. S.
troops can cross the ocean, so be-
lieve when our army opens up on the
front 1t will take the heart out Of
Fritz and start the beginning of the
end. Norcross tells of the splendid
reception given the American troops
in England. From England we came
to France, where we stayed in a
rest camp a few days, them moved
right down into the war zone, to
camp of our own about five miles
from the front line trenches. There
were several Of the big guns close to
US, and the air was thick with ! til
German and English aeroplanes.
There were anti-aircraft guns all
around lis. and they were busy most
Of the time. When GritZ's aircraft
were being bombarded over our
heads the shrapnel used to fly about
use frequently and it made a nasty
None of us was hit, although some Of
times when an attack was on UP
front the noise from the batteries
was like a tremendous drum roll for
hours at a time. At night the air
was full of fireworks. and until I got
used to the noise it was hard to
sleep. | saw one night a scrap be-
tween two aeroplanes-it was good.
First the flashes from the machine
guns then ten or fifteen seconds lat
er the pit pit-pit of the report. II
is sure an exciting life. You have
no conception Of the magnitude Of
this wharf.-the systems and machines
for destroying man and material.
The war zone of France is battle
SCARED beyond recognition. On my
way. down here l came through a
region of one of the greatest battles
or the war and it was an eye-opener
to the effect Of the war. / am not
exaggerating one bit when l say that
not one square foot of ground has
escaped a shell hit, and the earth's
surface Is just like q piece Of tripe
with pits ranging from one or two
feet to SIS or rs feet. Nothing is left
of villages but small piles of brick
and stone and what was once woods
is now nothing but a few she'll
splintered trunks eight or ten feet
high.
There are thousands of tons of
unexploded shells, I-beams and steel
rails, picks. shovels, strap and rein
forcing iron and machinery lying
about everywhere. There are humid
reds. of miles of narrow gauge rail-
ways devoted almost entirely to salV-
age work. We are running one of
these lines now, as we'll as one supply
and ammunition line to the front. 1t
is marvellous how the Germans forti-
fed themselves and dug themselves
in. There are tunnels of reinforced
concrete miles long, fifty feet below
the ground, with officers quarters
opening on them. complete electric
light and ventilating systems, ETC."
A majority of Norcross' common
laborers are Hindus, whom he dis
misses with the statement that it
takes about five Of them to do one
mans work.