Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-10-24

by the French before the drve-that
is. on the southern slope of the ridge,
there We're similar caverns. grottoes
and warrens. These were manned and
kept filled with French troops.
Monday night the caves on both
sides of the ridge-German and French
were gorged with reserves, awaiting
the result of the battle on the plateau.
The entire ridge literally was alive
like aagigantic ant hill. The massed
forces below waited on both sides for
the decision of battle on the earth
above, the manifestations Of which
literally trembled the whole ground.
TERRIFIC FIRING.
The French artillery concentration
was of unheard of intensity Batter
les secretly installed weeks ago.
opened with an appalling suddenness,
veritable volcano of steel. For eight
days preceding the actual attack itself
great guns had pounded minute by
minute, day and night, at the German
positions.
For six da.'s the whirlwind Of French
barrage of both artillery and machine
guns "staked Off the attacking front
and isolated the Germans from NUM-
tons, food, communications or rein
forcements. The enemy had to stick
tight to his underground fortress.
LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE.
Then came a simultaneous rain of
projectiles Of the great French 400.
43S and 800 milimeter guns, smashing
the entrances to tunnels and caverns,
caving in those near to the surface
and actually shaking the ground like
an earthquake.
/ personally witnessed these giant
guns lobbing shells weighing a ton
each over the Aisne crest. The mis-
siles were visible to the naked eve
from their departure from the cannon
mouth, through their magnificent arc
over the crest and the beginning of
their downward plunge to the German
lines.
AlRMEN DIRECTED FIRE.
Countless French airplanes, wire
lessly regulated every shot so accur-
ately that one battery fired five shots
from distance of six miles, all five of
which struck successfully in the same
hole, penetrating a subterranean fort
ress
Although the crown prince had the
Fifth division OF the Prussian guard
among the five divisions, (75,O00 mem
facing the French, he rushed up two
other guard divisions and likewise a
Bavarian division, thus concentrating
in the zone of attack the very flower of
the German army.
He entrusted the defense of Fort
Malmaison to the second division O.
the Prussian guard.
GERMAN RESERVES MASSED.
In pursuance of their past tactics
the Germans massed reserves in the
caverns, intending when the French
infantry dashed over the plateau to
rush these out of their safe subter-
ranean warrens for counter attack
But when the French attack did
come. the poilus out Hindenburged
Hindenburg.
Behind the very first wave OF the
French attackers. came specially train
ed battalions of poilus. who seized the
entrance to caverns and blocked them
effectually with machine guns, gre
nades and powerful explosives. They
literally walled up beneath the ground.
in the vast and intricate underground
galleries, the huge reserves which tho
Germans had massed there. This fact
alone accounts for the enormous and al
most unprecedented number OF Ger
man prisoners taken-a number out of
proportion under previous army tao
tics. to the width of the front over
which the French made their gains.
FALL OF FORT MALMAisON.
The capture of Fort Malmaison was
perhaps the most brilliant of the man
cuvers of the assault. For weeks pre-
eeding the attack. four regiments