Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-31

| distance over more muddy hills. The
I correspondent found the infantry in
side the trenches. There also were
many wires which ran into switch
boards, and American and French
operators were sitting side by side
directing operations.
A Guide Necessary
A guide is necessary to reach the
first line, especially when some of
the trenches resemble irrigation
bitches. The trenches the Ameri-
cans are occupying are in screened
position. On the way shovels and
tools were piled high below hill
on which there was great bell for
giving the alarm in case of gas
attack. There under cover were the
company cooks busy warming up
food that had been brought up in
wagons. The ground was covered
with n lattice work of small twigs,
so it was fairly dry.
Following the guide, the way
winds in and out from left to right
for many yards between interviewer
branches that have been placed on
the sides of the trenches. Every
now and then section opens up to
a machine gun emplacement
The American privates in the
front splashed through without hesi-
tating, sometimes getting a footing
on stepping stones in the muddy
water and sometimes not. The
trench turns sharply to the right
and a voice warns: Keep your
head down." and the rest of the way
the walking is difficult. Hating
near a machine gun the German
positions directly opposite on a hill
could be seen across the barbed wire
of mo Mans Land" Lights ap-
peared in a little town to the left.
Shell For Shell
There is a sort of gentleman's
agreement in this sector that towns
over the line are not. to be shelled.
If one side violates the agreement
the other side promptly fires shell
for shell into hostile town.
The correspondent visiting the
American batteries found the mud
caked gunners in cleverly concealed
pits on the sides of hills surrounded
everywhere by freshly dug mine
craters, showing where the German
retaliatory fire had dropped projec-
tiles. 1t was against this fire that
the guhs, including the one which
fired the first shot, kept plugging
away good part of the afternoon.
The correspondent asked a pass
ing patrol how he liked it. He re-
piled in a soft southern accent:
Fine. put it is wet as hell. isn't
it? Virginia would certainly look
good"
Another hearing the conversation.
chimed in: MY little old flat in the
Bronx would be plenty good enough
on an evening like this"
Another patrorwas leaning against
the muddy side of the trench. his
hand over the muzzle of his rifle,
whistling softly a tune from a
Broadway musical comedy.
General Sibert, who has just COM
pleted a tour of the trenches, was
Americans in the trenches was. He
replied: Morale? How could the
morale of Americans be anything
but good?
All the officers never failed to
remark on the enthusiasm of the
troops and their anXiousness to get
at the enemy, but they are techni-
cally under instruction, so they are
restrained. All the men are eager
to get on patrol duty which affords
a welcome change.
The American engineers attached
to the sector have been very busy.
In the wet weather their duty is to
repair trenches which have fallen in
and to tackle similar Jobs. Aside
from one husky sergeant remarking
that he would like to have some
thing more to eat, the only COM
plant heard was one uttered by a
youthful engineer. He was all alone
in q great mud waste and was try
ing to locate his billet. He had diff
1tN~ IN hi
count of the slippery mud and after
taking a tumble turned and said:
sherman certainly knew what he
was talking about. I'll bet it was
muddy like this when he made his
famous remark"