Arizona republican., 1917-10-09
SHOVEL EXPERTS
 ARE MEN IT THE
 FIRST ARIZONA
Bob" Holiday, Formerly of The Republican Staff, Tells How the Boys Were Introduced to That Im- plement
By Robert Paul Holliday)

on the MeXlcdnS across the Doiuei' Ihc First Arizona has buckled down 10 work and completed it's first series of real trenches.
 Under the supervision of Lieutenant Colonel H. H. Donkersley. in command of the regiment, and the direction 0f Major E. P Grindstead who has just returned from the Fort Sill school of musketry, the boys of the First Arizona have proven. that they are quick 10 learn, hard to beat at the digging III game and not too good to don hiue overalls when the eXingencies Of the case demand it. For the past few days the whole regiment has been building the most complete set Of actual service trenches ever seen in Arizona.
 At the start of the digging everything | was against the boys of the tlrst II ! there ever was SOreiy tried odtllt or ! soldiers, they were in Naco. Men whose hands had been accustomed to no hir- der work than polishing their nails or ] punching a typewriter. were introduced l 10 q shovel The tools and the men be 1 came fast friends ;)emocracy ruled i the whole affair, and after bllsters had | exploded and back muscles had un- I kinked, shovels, picks and men cooper | ated to obtain results not dreamed ol by anyone. The ground is unusually | hard in this section Of the state Soit muscles failed to sink the picks very far into the ground, but the hard rock 1 miners from up north, the men rom i Kingman, Oatman and Miami showed at their best. They became the lead- 1 CTS in the assault on the fiInt bosom of Mother Earth It took them but | few hours to show their less fortunate ; brothers how to wield a pick in the most appropriate fashion.
 Are to Save Lives
 The fact that digging in is going to save many a mans life when the big 1 hush comes in France has been lm- i pressed upon the mems minds. They proved they were anxious to learn, ana such a pace was set that the trenches were finished before the allotted tune
 There are very few people in AriZ ona who have seen trench1> sucn as used Tn Europe. The number of such people can probably be limited to those who have returned from France, and the | members of the First ArlZona. 1he plans for the intrenchments when they have built were drawn up by the war college of the United tSates army based on lessons learned from the mistakes made in France. Every detail to pro tect the men defending the lines and at the same time make them impregnable has been incorporated. The longest straight stretch of trench is to the rear, the communicating line to where the reserves rest in deep bomb proof shel l- ters. It would be possible at the pres ent time to throw q large portion of the regiment into the intrenchments ana have them live there with very little discomfort. In fact this very thing IS 10 be done in a short tune when the organization will be divided, part at tacking and part defending, at which ! time an actual taste of trench life IS tJ be given Arizona's s volunteers.
 Stories have often reached Naco of the allied soldiers becoming so mixed up in their wanderings through then trenches as to be completely lost. These stories are believed now. A modern trench wanders where it wills, yet al the same time there is regularity about the whole scheme which prevents enfilade fire and localiZes the effect: of high explosive shells.
 No Details Lacking
 Every detail undergone in actua trench war has been included in the trench system at Naco. Listennt posts, flare posts, communicating trenches. first aid dressing stations Quilt by the hospital men themselves) machine gun pits, ,barbed wire entan elements, tripping wires, firing trench es. second line trenches, reserve trench es. and last but not least that greates of all mysteries to both friend and foe camouflage has been invoked to mak the whole scheme of defenses prac tically invisible from distance of few yards in front.
 Major Grinstead who directed tn digging of the trenches, is Of the opin ion that the whole affair is far ahea of any ever built by national guar organization. He has seen many lk them. built by similar organizations but none which have ever equalle them The men have taken grea pride in them, and even after the dig ging hours are over. small groups c men may be seen going through, owe and under. discussing the whole affai ana trying to figure out some schem whereby they may improve their pres ent efforts. This concludes the firs course in trench digging for the Firs Arizona, and the officers are indee gratified at the results. The trencbe are unique in that they are the firs ever built in the state and that the are the result of efforts of men Wh have never attempted to create any thing out of the ground.
 The next step will be to use tf trenches. It IS planned to have COT siderable night work before the reg ment leaves for it's division camp California Flare pits have been du which connect with the listening DO. well in advance of the firing trenche These flare pits are an ingenious cor traption so constructed that by pul.ir q wire, light is thrown in the air, ] lu,,, nL ha snrronnlino cnnntl and disclosing the movements of Il enemy. Tripping wires have been la along the whole front just behind u barbed wire entanglements, practical invisible, but obstructive even in u day time. It is impossible to walk { crawl 10 feet in any direction with o' encountering one of these wires, a tached to an alarm bell. The barbt wire entanglements are the result
 considerable labor and many tol clothes and numberless scratch' hands.
 Get Orders to Move
 If the time ever comes, and evel man in the regiment is hoping ar praying that it will come, when tl Arizona volunteers are thrown up
 the front to dig in, they are going
 profit immensely by the lessons learn at Naco. At the same time this
 only one of the many lessons beil given to the men. It is keeping the o ficers up nights studying constantly
 keep ahead of the men. Each shipme
 of text books received at the Post E change, is distributed among the m