Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-08-16
SYSTEM OF DUGOUTs
USED WITH EFFECT
BY FRENCH TROOPS


now sleep underground in compare
tive comfort, even in the front lines
when the Germans are hurting tens
of thousands of shells on the ground
above them, thanks to the work of
the companies of excavators formed
since the beginning of the war. The
men chosen to construct these shell
tiers, which have preserved so many
thousand lives, are soldiers whose
age varies between forty-five and fifty
and who would have been unfit to take
part in the active operations of mod
ern battles, where quickness of move
ment and litheness of limb are abso-
lutte necessities. No matter what the
nature of the soil, whether hard rock,
these veterans have overcome all diff
culties and have succeeded i'll con
tiers all along the line of the front
from the North Sea to the Swiss from
tier until at the present moment any
fighting unit arriving at any part of
the line finds a habitable dug-out
awaiting it.
The correspondent of the Associat-
ed Press has seen and been inside
dozens of these subterranean cities
for such they may be termed--at
many places, and, even where all the
natural conditions are difficult, has
found the shelters commodious; we'll
drained and well-yentilated. In some
cases battalion finds accommodation
in a single shelter, and each man
lodged in it is provided with simple
bed consisting of wire-nettng foun-
daton supported by wooden uprghts.
On this the soldier lays his regulation
bundle of straw and covering himself
with his army blanket and greatcoat,
can sleep with freedom from anxiety
as to any bombardment in progress
outside. The shelters are provided
generally with electric light or acety-
lene lamps sanitary conveniences, and
in some cases, with complete shower
baths.
First aid posts and dressing sta
lions with all modern surgical appli-
ances are also to hand, so that the
surgeon attached to the unit may at
tend Immediately to any wounded men
brought in from the nearby battle
field.
So we'll are the shelters protected
from the view of the enemy that, al
though in many instances the under
ground lodging covers an area of g.
900 square yards, not once in the
course of the past year has one Of
them been destroyed by the enemy's
fire. They have many exits, the plan
being to provide one for each section
or quarter company so that in case
one exit should be hit and blocked,
the men inside may escape through
another opening.
At the beginning OF the war the
soldiers actually in the fighting line
made their own shelters, which were
Just holes dug in the ground and COW
cred with trunks and earth and
affording very little protection be-
sides taking up much of the time OF
the soldiers and costing very much
labor and money for transporting the
necessary timber
1t was then decided to utilize the
older classes of the reserve Of the
territorial army who had been called
To the colors, and who despite their
previous military training, had been
found unable to bear the strain of cam
paigning. Several companies of them
we're formed and they were first given
the task of constructing shelters in
Somme district and around Verdun
Their officers were chosen from the
engineer corps and from men who IN
civil life were engaged in similar un
dertakings. such as builders and min
ers. Most of the men were peasants
usAd to digging in the fields, and their
work was very satisfactory, but this
kind of excavating work was different
ana they suffered considerably from
tie unusual motion of having to throw
the earth upward, or wheeling it IN
barrows up steep inclines.
One of the officers ocercame this try
ing dl1it atty by inventing an appara-
tus for carrying loosened earth or
rock to the surface by use Of electric
power BY this arrangement two men
can io the work of ten. When the
earth has reached the surface it falls
into barrows and is wheeled away
along the level and distributed about
in such a manner as not to attract the