Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-12-08

LIEUTENANT HULL TELLS OF AIR RAID
AND ACTIVITIES ON THE FRENCH FRONT

! there is a cemetery that contains 5000
French soldiers who were lost IN "
single attack
i The country Is absolutely tuli Oh
trenches and barbed wire entansie-
ments, in every direction all thru
Edistance OF fifteen miles hack from the
front. They are not used, but We're
| built In the first year of the war Ane
! country is all underlaid with rock her,
| and you have only to so down re"
feet before you have to dig rock. Inc
| bomb proof sand dug outs are down an
the way from twelvefto forty feet ana
\ are dug like mine. We went into a
/ place the other day wrich had been
/ used as general headquarters at one
| time, where the rooms were all under
| forty to forty five feet OF solid rock
There was nearly as much floor space
as either OF YOU have IN your iiaS"is.
Anti. Aircraft Batteries Comfortable.
The anti aircraft batteries are a
little mora apt to stay In one place ior
a greater length OF time than the 9TH
erS, SO il gives them An opportunity
10 make things more comfortable than
IL they were on the move Al! the Tune
This battery we are staying at has
four hogs ten chickens, about htV
Belgian hareS and a coaious quantity
% cats and dogs They have three
good iron workers in the crew, ana
they have fixed up a great lot or stun
including shower Sach with an arTase
r,ient for pressure and temperature
The water IS pumpNd into oarrei on
q tree by Windmill attachment Iheh'
as i; goes into :ts shower, ii comes
down and goes thru a ire place and
is heated. They have also rigged up
a windmill for saving wood and are
now working or a pump which they
are making principally out Of old shell
cases
We leave here Friday and report
at our next station Monday, where W.
put in at leasts two weeks writing up
cur work. After that l don't know
what will happen, but have hunch
that this sightseeing tour that we
have been enjoying for six weeks now
will come TO an abrupt end.
The hospitality the French officers
afford US is indeed enjoyable. Those
with whom We have staid have all
slight speaking knowledge Of English,
bu. are apparently anxious to convsrs
in English and learn more OF 1t so
they talk very little French. We haVS
been fsasted and feted till this seems
like a big party.
Occupy Former German Quarters.
I'VE are staying at larg" farm
house, and Fave very comfortable
quarters The Germans occupied this
country thru here in 1914 for month
and were then driven back. The hous.i
here was occupied by bunch Of gem
eral officers during that time When
they left they took all the good fur
niture. including two pianos. but left a
major buried in the front yard The
yard is full of trenches and barbed
wire entanglements and the walls are
full OF loop holes for rifle fire. We
visited the town close by, which has
not been very badly shot up. but about
every building has had shell thru IT.
The back end OF the stores are all
built up with sand bags. that is. those
that face French territory.
TO tell you the truth I had no idea
what was in store for Us here and
had considered the possibilities Of re-
turning far below par. Since getting
over here and getting In this branch
OF the service, If I can hold down my
job, / feel reasonably certain OF re-
turning some time tho I won't attempt
to estimate any date at which that will
take Mace"