Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-09-07
French SLEEP
PEACEFULLY AS
SHELLS BURST
Underground 0ormltories Prove
Immune to Devastation
of Teuton Guns

UnQHnCe. dozens OIL DIVISIONS Oh
the French army sleep underground in
comparative comfort, even in the
front lines when the Germans are
hurting tens OF thousands Of shells
on the ground above them, thaEkS to
tho work OF the companies OF eXca-
vatoFs formed since the beginning o.
the, war. The men chosen TO con.
struct these shelters. whiHi. have pre-
served so many thousands of lives,
are soldiers whose age varies between
a. and 90 and who would have been
unfit to take part in the active oper-
atoms OF modern battles. where quick
ness OF movement and litheucsS or
limb are absolute necessities. No
matter what the nature Of the soil,
whether hard rock. quicksand. chalk
OF marshy lands, these veterans have
overcome all the difficulties and have
succeeded in constructing formidable
bomb-proof shelters all along the line
Of the front from the North Sea. To
the Swiss frontier until at the pres
ent moment any fighing unit arriving
at almost any part of the line finds
a habitable dug-out awaiting It.
The correspondent Of the Associated
Press has seen and been inside dozens
of these subterranean cities-tor such
they may be termed-at many pieces,
and, even where all the natural condi
lions are difficult, has found the shell
tiers commodious, we'll drained and
we'll ventilated. In some cases bat
talon finds accommodations in sin,
oil eI, oonh 1,NrCon in II
II provided with a simple ped con
sisting Of a wire netting foundation
supported by wooden upright3. On
this the soldier lays his regulation
bundle of straw and covering him
self with his army blanket and great
coat, can sleep with freedom from
anxiety as to any hombardment in
progress outside. The shelters are
provided generally with electric light
Or acetylene lamps, sanitary conven'
fences and, in some cases, with com
pIete shower baths.
First aid posts and dressing sta
ton. with all modern surgical APP
LLrncc are also at hand, so that the
surgeon attached to the unit may at.
en- Immediately to any wounded men
blCueAt in from the nearby battle
fled
So we'll are the shelters protectea
from the view of the enemy that, al
though in many instances the under
ground lodging covers an area # s.
$50 square yards, not once in the
course of the past year has one oil
them been destroyed by the enemys
fire. They nave exits. the plan being
to provide one for each section or
quarter company, so that in case one
exit should be hit and blocked, the
men inside may escape through an
other opening.
At the beginning Of the war the snl-
diers actually in the fighting line
made their own shelters, which were
Just holes dug in the ground anG COW
cred with tree trunks and earth ana
affording very little protection, be-
sides taking up much OF the time OF
the soldiers and costing very much
labor and money for transporting the
necessary timber.
It was then decided to utilize the
older classes of the reserve OF the
territorial army who had been called
to the colors and who despite their
previous military training, had oeea
found unable to bear the strain OF
campaigning. Several companies OF
them were formed and they were
first given the task of constructing
shelters In the Somme district and
around Verdun. Their officers were
chosen from the engineer corps aud
from men who in civil life we're en-
gagged in similar undertakings, sucn
as builders and miners. Most OF the
men were peasants used to digging
in the fields and their work was very
satisfactory, but this kind Of excavat'
ing work was different and they SUI
fered considerably from the unusual
motion of having to throw the dirt
upward, or wheeling it in barrows up
steep inclines.
One of the officers overcame this
trying difficulty by inventing an ap.
paratus for carrying loosened earth
and rock to the surface by use Of cleo.
trio power. BY this arrangement two
men can do the work formerly done
by 10. When the earth has reached
the surface it falls into barrows and
is wheeled away along the level and
distributed about in such a manner
as not to attract the attention Of the
enemy's airmen always flying about
the lines to observe what is going
on IN the opposing position.
The veterans 50 employed have sus-
tanned losses when working in ex-
posed positions, but no danger APP
pears to daunt them and they con-
tinue their job as though they were
working in the fields at home. They
have adapted themselves to the use
of the most modern tools, and al
though the great majority of them
had no previous experience of cleo.
trio drills and borers they now use
them as we'll as practised r5.ners.