Gunnison news-champion., 1917-12-07

0vt All the Time ! Had Mine . Never
Saw Another Sign Of Gas
me suddenly that ii was the gas. The
officer who had lett a few minutes be
fore poked him head down and shouted,
Run like h: its the gas"
By this time ! could hardly see and
! was doing some tall old scrambling
to get out OF that place ! would hold
my breath Us long as / could. and then
I'd take another breath through my
khaki handkerchief When | got out.
side | found that everything was GOV
cred with a greenish yellow haze. and
] couldn't see three feet in front OF me
ran In the direction OF the place
had left my car. and l struck II the
first shot Perhaps | wasn't thankful
| had left the engine running! jump
ed In and started down that road for
all ! was worth. and before | had gone
100 yards I was OF the road and stuck
In q plowed feid. was clear OF the
gas. though. and that WAS all ! cared
about.
waited there for two hours before
any one appeared. and when a fatigue
party finally came along the road had
them help me get the car out. They
got eight horses. and we hitched them
on to the back. raced my machine.
and the horses pulled. and after half
an hours work the car was back on
the road again.
No sooner had they gone than my
officer showed up safe and sound and
We started back for camp
II was n terrible experience. and We
were absolutely helpless. Is We had
not been furnished with the respirators
and gas helmets at that time. We &c
cured these things soon after. but all
the time had mine | never saw an
other sign Of gas.
found out afterward that those two
officers who had been in the dugout
were both killed by the gas.
The officer who was with me at the
time OF the gas attack was one Of the
most remarkable men I ever met For
several years before the war he had
been In the British secret service in
Germany. so he spoke German almost
as well as he did English
One day we stopped at 4 hospital in
Bailleul. and one Of the orderlies told
us that there were some German
wounded there. The officer asked me
H would like to go In and see them.
l said would like 1t very much, 20 We
went In. There was one poor devil all
BY himself among some English pa.
tients The officer went over and sat
on the edge Of his bed and began to
talk to him.
II you could have seen that poor fei.
lows face when be heard himself I'd.
dressed in his own language! His
whole countenance lighted up. and be
began to talk. Pretty soon the tears
began to run down his cheeks. and !
felt awfully sorry for the poor chap.
who was away from all his own pso-
pie. severely wounded.
He said that he bad Just been mar
ried before the beginning Of the war.
and he and his wife had saved all they
could. and two days before be was
called up they had bought q COW. He
was as worried a. be could be for fear
something had happened to the cow
The bomoardment OF Ypres began the
night OF the April day We experienced
the gas. and with the bombardment BE-
gan the infantry attack ! was up at Q
little place called RbeninEhlest. and i
could hear the rides and machine gins
st II for all they were worth. ! was
thanking my lucky starr that was on
my car instead Of q motorcycle ma
rhine gun. when an orderly rode up and
told me that was to report at head.
quarters at 0nce.
All the way back to camp ! had the
feeling that something was going to
happen, and when I arrived there ]
was told to report myself to the sisnal
company for duty With my motorcycle
Then ! knew that was to carry dis
patches through the coming battle.
wish to make particular note Of the
fact that at the beginning Of this bat
tie, which lasted three weeks. We dis
patch riders Numbered thirty one In all
for our corps Half an hour later We
were fully equipped and on our way b
the advanced report center. which
would be the scene Of cur actavit3ea
until the oght WAS over.
We were about 60 yards % H. ssar
q ~ 0rsf hne oe trenches ed were