Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-08


OF names. leaping from the ground. had
a meaning all their own. They were
the spectacular outward and visible
evidences of more than a million
pounds OF high explosives which had
oeen buried deep in mines below the
enemys positions for months.
AL the world appeared lurid and hor-
rlpIe under the sinisters glow. The
ear.h snook as If torn by great seis-
my disturbance. 1t was not a single
shock; The force of the explosion
actually ct the earth rocking to and
fro and under the Influence of the
giant guns which Immediately began
70 roar from far and near, the trem-
ping continued indefinitely. 1t was
just ten minutes past 8 o'clock as
THIS maj. terrific bombardment began.
Great Gunnery Activity.
1t had seemed that the battle of the
oomhe attained the ultimate in the
close assembly Of war weapons. but
this sudden outpouring on Messines
ridge was beyond all calculation The
lighter Held guns far forward set up a
perfect curtain fire, under which the
assuming troops trudged confidently
the -throated heavies began to
pour out torrents of high explosive
shells on the German trenches and
communications, while still other guns
enough 70 win any ordinary battle
cohHhed themselves solely to the task
OIL oeluglng German guns and gun
ners in baths of gas fired in shells Of
every conceivable caliber.
The erect of this counter battery
Mofh was not appreciated until later
back word that their progress had not
been halnpered by the enemy artillery
and that their casualties amounted to
virtually nothing
Great black observation balloons had
stolen skyWard during the din of the
newly begun battle. In the wood back
OF the windmill spring birds, awakened
by the deadening clamor, had begun to
sing Joyously. Like so many children
who have come into the consciousness
of being in the midst of the war these
birds regarded the appalling noise of
the battle as normal condition of life.
Germans Ask Help.
The smoke Of the giant mines ex-
ploded along the battle front meantime
rose IN great curling plumes toward the
SKY ana was punctured by red signals
for help from the stricken Germans in
the front and support lines Never was
the air filled with more frantic notices
or DANGER The entire horizon glowed
with red balls Of fire sent up by the
nervous Germans.
More and moro British airplanes be-
gan to make their appearance. One flew
over the lines. the flashes of the guns
being reflected brilliantly on its highly
glazed wings.
Under this appalling fre trudged for
ward on the ten-mile front Gen. Plum
er's army. At many places the men
found German troops utterly dazed by
the mine explosion and the ordeal of
the artillery fire. Many of these troops
had but recently came from Russia.
where they had spent eighteen months
and knew nothing of what actual war
fare was like on the western front
They had bU1ted at the first mine ex-
plosion and had only been gathered to-
gether in groups by their non-commls-
stoned officers when the British ap-
peared out of the smoke and shells and
made them prisoner. Their surprise at
what modern battle Is like was no
greater, some of the prisoners said to
the correspondent, than the fact that
they were not killed Immediately by
their captors. They said they had been
given to understand by their officers
that the British always killed their
prisoners. 1t was really pitiful in some
instances to see the manner in which
tors.
Were Utterly Bewildered-
AS a matter Of fact the British SOL
der, when the fighting is done, are in
clined almost too strongly to treat the
German prisoners as pals. Some OF the
prisoners taken today had only gone
into the German lines last night and
had made their way forward under a
CALLING fire and had lost heavily. But
the troops already in the line were
calling for relief in such a manner that
their appeals could not be denied. In
view of Tthe fact that the attack had
been expected the German commanders
were endeavoring to get heir best units
actually into the fighting front but had