Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-03-06
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TAKING VISITORS
TO SEE THE war
"Front Line Trenches" Far
Away From Danger.
FRENCH OFFICER is GUIDE

| Conducts Neutrals to the "Near War
Zone-They Soemnly Put on Ga
Masks and Steel Helmets and Thin
They're on the Firing Line-Ever,
Airplane Considered a Taube.
How parties Of distinguished neu
trails" usually Americans. are "takel
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 as men, insist on bein.
taken to the 'front.'" said the Office
who was explaining that it was hi.
official duty to guide" these parties
There are men and women who come
over here and explain that they hay.
been sewing shirts for soldiers or col
Letting pennies for poilus for Ions
time and feel that in order to continue
carrying OH their work properly they
should see war waged at first hand, 81
that they could describe it at home
you know.
"Well, we have several different
places where we take those parties
One is 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 up in the Vosges
we have spot where the fighting line
today is several miles in front of
where 1t once was.
"As Safe as Chicago
'There are always plenty of troops
behind the lines all along the front,
so that the old trenches never have the
appearance Of being deserted. And
they look a little battered, too. as we
do not bother to repair them and
strengthen them continually as we DO
the actual fighting positions.
I'VE take our sightseers out to a
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 it disarranges
their hair, and we have to promise to
warn them when a gas attack is sig
nailed.
Eve also hand them all steel helmets
to put on in case shells break near us.
"Then we walk them "a good disl
lance until they are pretty tired, eX-
planning that it would be likely to
draw the encmy's fire if the automo-
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 off.
Once in awhile we hand them binocu-
lars and ask them if they don't see the
gray clad boches away over there, and
they usually answer that they do. If
an aeroplane flies overhead they usual
ly spot it at once as Fokker-taubes
they call them still, although all Of
that old model have been sent to the
Russian fr0nt-and when they decide
that it's an enemy machine it would
be liscourteous for me to deny it.
let them all hide in dugout or trench
cave until the machine passes.
Sometimes l find few poilus and
get some practice grenades for them to
throw out front. and when they so off
like firccrackers it produces some ef-
feet on tho tourists, who want to know
right away if they are under fire"
The officer was asked if he did not
enjoy acting Us guide to tourists since
there was no real danger in it.
no" he replied; there's no real dan
ger in it, but it annoys one extremely
to have to wear heavy steel helmet
for hours when there is absolutely no
sense in doing it and to have to breathe
through summy. acid smelling gas
mask when the only gas anywhere
near is the acctylene used for the au-
lights"