Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-03-07
TAKING VISITORS
TO SEE THE WAR
Front Line Trenches Fat
Away From Danger.
FRENCH OFFICER IS GUIDE

Conducts Nsutrais to the ~Nssr War"
zons-Thsy seismriy Put On Csc
Masks and Steel Hsimsts and Think
They're on the Firing Lins-Evsry
AirpIans Considered . Taube.
How parties Of distinguished neu-
trails" usually Americans. are taken
to the front was told recently In .
Paris cafe which the war CORE
spondents" frequent
You've no idea how many people.
women as well a. men. insist on being
taken to the 'front.'" said the od3cer
who vas explaining that II was his
Official duty to guide" these parties.
There are men and women who come
over here and explain that they have
been sewing shirts for soldiers or col
lecting pennies for poiius for 4 long
time and feel that in order to continue
carrying on their work properly they
should see war waged at first hand. %
that they could describe It at home.
you know.
We'll. We have several different
places where we take those parties.
One Ii on the old battlefield Of the
Champagne offensive OF the fall OF
1915, and more recently we have used
our old first line positions In the
Somme sector. Then mp In the vosges
we have a spot where the fighting line
today Is several miles In front Of
where 1t once was.
As ssfs - Chicago"
There are always plenty Of troops
behind the lines all along the front
30 that the old trenches never have the
appearance OF being deserted. And
they look a little battered. too, a. we
do not bother to repair them aud
strengthen them continually as we do
the actual fighting positions.
We take our sightseers out to .
rail head behind the lines and whirl
them furiously for thirty or forty miles
In army motorcars and then stop
somewhere. In spot about as safe as
Chicago. There we hand out gas
masks to the ladies and gentlemen. al
though the former usually refuse to
put them on because II disarranges
their hair. and we have to promise TO
warn them when a gas attack 10 sig
nailed.
I'VE also hand them all steel helmets
to put on in case shells break near us
Then we walk them a good dis
.ance until they are pretty tired, ex.
planning that 1t would be likely to
draw the enemy's FIRE II the sutono-
bile advanced any nearer to the front
In Real Trench.
Finally we lead them into trench.
making them keep down below the par
apet all the time SO that German snip
ers won't see them and pick them on
Once In awhile we hand them binocu.
lars and ask them II they don't see the
gray clad boches away over there. and
they usually answer that they do. II
an aeroplane flies overhead they usual
~ spot 1t at once ~ Fokker--taules
they call them still, although Nil Of
that old model have been sent to the
Russian front-and when they decide
that it's m enemy machine II would
be discourteous for me to deny II l
let them all hide in Q dugout or trench
cave until the machine passes.
Sometimes l find q few poilus and
get some practice grenades for them to
throw out front, and when they 90 Oh
like nrecrackers 1t produces some ef-
feet on the tourists, who want to know
right away II they are under IRE"
The officer was asked II be did not
enjoy acting as guide TO tourists since
there was no real danger In It
NO" he replied; there's no real dan
ger In II. but 1t annoys one extremely
to have to wear heavy steel helmet
for hours when there IL absolutely no
sense In doing it and to have to breathe
through a gummy. acid smelling gas
mask when the only gas anywhere
near is the acetylene used for the au-
f.sf Tx