New-York tribune., 1917-09-05
The Great r-1131St Day
Britons Cheer Air Champions
Dueling Two Miles in the Sky
Land Guns Futile for Hostile Aviator Has Forty Seconds
to Dodge-Rival Machines heir Only Peril ana
Battle Aloft Appears Bantam Fight

man and he turned and made for his
own lines. The Englishman pursued
him for time and then gave up the
chase. The consensus of opinion was
that the Briton had won the decision
on points.
Next we turned our attention to the
big gun firing. We could see the fash
OF the guns on both sides and hear the
whistle Of the shells, with the ocea-
sional whine of shrapnel. After the
fash one might mark the result II he
had q sharp eye There was no trouble
in following tie progress of one par
ticular British she'll, for an instant
after the fash high column OF smoke
arose above a town which the Germans
held We could hear the guns of both
armies. and OF the two sounds that Of
the shells coming toward us was much
the more pleasant.
Our own hill was pocked with she'll
holes and the tower near which we
stood was nibbled nigh 10 bits, and !
had a stimulating, wakeful sort OF a
feeling that almost any minute some
thing might drop on or near US.
About three-quarters or perhaps a
mile away there ran a road, and every
ten minutes or so the Germans pumped
a shell on that road or thereabouts.
Our guiding officer looked at it thought
fully. ..
That's the road we've got TO take II
we go 70 the ridge" he said.
"0f course, you cant see anything
up there" he added.
Again he paused. "This is much
better place" he remarked, "and we
haven't got much time A she'll land
ed almost directly in the middle OF the
not too highly eXtolled road.
Didn't Care 10 Venture
"Do you want TO go" asked the Of
fcer, cheerily.
ASK him." | answered hosrsely,
pointing TO my companion, who was
my senior. The other correspondent
shifted from one foot to another and
didn't complete the evolution very
smooth, for just then shell went
sailing across our we'll beloved road
with a me piercing whistle.
81 don't think I'll 60" said my COM
panion. "You know I've seen so much
Of that stuff it's no novelty for me. But
vi wait here for you if Broun wants
to 60"
He did not wait for me. We descend
! ed the hill together as closely as Mr..
and Mrs. John 10 Anderson.
lord Northcliffe," said my COM
panion, "once told me, Remember, the
! thing for you TO do is always bring
Yourself and the story back"
Wonderful man, Lord Northcliffe!
! am not at all sure that our guiding
officer was not having a bit OF fun
with us. Certainly he lost no chance
TO drive home the dramatic. We went
| 10 Vimy Ridge in the afternoon, which
was once the centre of so much fierce
fighting, and climbed over trench after
| trench. Across this ground first the
French and then the English had
| fought The Germans. There were hun
| dreds of cartridges, fired and untred,
| gun stocks, twisted bayonets and any
| number of live and forbidding hand
grenades Of the German "hairbrush
/ variety.
/ The ridge itself was just another OF
/ those treeless welts across punished
earth.
Where He'll Had Ragged
OF enormous strategic and military
| Importance, its worth TO the sghtseer
/ was slight, unless he could bring 70
| mind the hells which had ragged there,
! the sweep of the charging men and the
I triumph Of the Canadians. The guns
| mad gone on further Battered old
! Vjmv had traded its grass and its trees
| for memories. Not even the popples
/ had come 70 it vet.
1--WE must get along now, said the
/ officer.
aim going to take you by another
! road" he added.