The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-23
MIMIC BATTLE AT OG[ETHORPE GIVES BOYS SOME ACTION Thousand Yards of Trenches Seven Feet Deep Dug
 in Three Days BACKS SORE, BUT
 HEARTS WILLING Candidate Officers Are Getting Such Intensive Training That Camp ! May Be Shortened About
 Three Weeks
By RICHARD F. LUssIER

22.-(Special. .)-'Neath a Georgia moon that drowned unpropitlously at the "star' shells and flickering flares, bat talions of candidate officers were at grips in 1000 yards of a modern trench system constructed under the supervision of Captain Lorois and Lieutenant Yer net of the French army. The roar of musketry fire is incessant and European trench warfare is simulated to a highly realistic degree-with the soothing ex- ception that only blank cartridges are used.
 After digging the trenches for three days under the brilliant rays of Old Sol on Snodgrass hill, the order to oc- cupy them in battle formation was is- sued on Thursday morning. A new phase of the intensive training the candidate officers are getting was on the menu 4sfor the day. and 1t provoked excited comment.
 The companies began moving in the trenches early Thursday morning. We of the Fourth battalion, were ordered to occupy firing line on the edge of wood directly in front of a very active sector. This entailed long circum- venting march through woods, hills and dales with a full kit. We arrived on the firing line at about Il o'clock, hot sweayt and tired. Through the under brush with field glasses could be noted bobbing heads of the enemy as they walked. through their communication trenches. 3
 MUSKETRY BREAKS LOOSE
 We deployed. Some of us went to the reserve while others occupied the front line with orders to shoot at anything they saw moving in the trenches. In few minutes 1t appeared the whole woods were one sheet of flame as the fire of the musketry became general The trenches replied with gusto and the racket was deafening.
 The problem was for the trench de- lenders to attack our lines. This they failed to do as any activity on their part provoked salvos of musketry. Dur ing the darkness. however, the tale was different and many an exciting brush was recorded. The flares and ''star" shells made the dangerous spots as light as day and in silhouette could be noted the candidate officers everlastingly at tffe task of repulsing the encroachments of the enemy.
 This trench mimic battle Is being fought on the same field that 54 years ago the battle of Chickamanga was fought and won, incidentally, on the same day. as the legends on the monu- ments indicate. The log cabin, the last headquarters of General Thomas, before k tnI %fo~ overlooking the trenches and the entire field is hallowed with historical lore that is at least inspiring to the sons and grandsons of the heroes oi bygone days who are now trampling the same ground in mimic warfare, over which their fore fathers bled and died threescore years ago.
 Throughout this hard week of train ing the candidate officers have stood the work quite well. No unusual grumbling was noted and the three days of trench digging and it's incl dental sore backs and blstered hands was all taken as part of the game the whole country Is now playing. which is that of serving Old Glory to the best of one's ability. TRENCHES VERY ELABORATE
 
 It has dugouts. machine gun emplace- < ments. communication trenches, fire N trenches, support trenches, grenade pits and all of the various novelties Inspired by the European war The necessary labor to construct this thou- sand yards of trench system was com pleted in three days. The average depth of the trenches is seven feet and they are about three feet in width. It was some excavation job.
 Following the second day of dig ging many of the boys were of the opinion that if they were not eligible for commissions in the national army they at least could qualify as ditch diggers. To many of the candidate of- ficers 1t was the first real touch of manual labor in their bright young lives. It was a bracer to some and source of despair to others.
 other than the trench warfare and digging this week. the principal topic of interest to the candidate officers has been the manner in which stu-' dents originally discharged for phys ical disabilities were ordered back to camp and then discharged again. One of the victims of this unfortunate SC : ries of misunderstandings was Arthur Phillips, former advertising manager of Burgers Mir. Phillips was dis charged about two weeks ago for be- Ing underweight. Last week he was Vrdered to report back to camp and two days following his return he was again discharged Others suffered a like fate.
 MAY SHORTEN COURSE
 Another bit of interesting dope" which came through an Associated Press dispatch. Is that the training period will be shortened by at least three weeks. It Is planned. according to this unofficial source. that the camp will close by November 2.
 According to students who were through the first training camp at Fort McPherson, the work is progressing much faster here at Oglethorpe. These boys positively assert that in the past four weeks they have done more real hard work than in the entire three months spent at Fort McPherson. This is tribute to the initiative of Maj. T.. M. Anderson. the senior instructor who states he will make soldiers out of us if 1t is In Us to be soldiers
 We are all willing.
 r@E
 Russia may carry out comnlete re- organization on huge scale of its in- land waterways, if plans made pre- vious to the recent political upheAva1 i, are realized. The project includes i'm l. N N.provemsnt of existing waterways and Z fAports. utilization of waterfalls for pro- ducing electric power, improvement of naNlRation. etc. The work, 1t is esti- mated will he finished in 1880. and .<@t tnAnQ AnA n0A 41 sFE sts s4. Ess .sff s5t