Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-11-24

pital on the quay was filled with
wounded men. We had twenty-four
hours in what they called "rest
camp" We slept on cobblestones In
shacks which we're so utterly comfort
less that it would be an insult to a
Kentucky thoroughbred to call them
stables. Then we We're on the way to
the Belgian town of Poperinghe. which
is $50 miles from Havre and was at
that time the rail head of the Ypres
salient. We made the trip In box cars
which We're marked in French Eight
horses or forty men," and we had to
draw straws to decide who should lie
down.
In the Front Trenches.
We got into Poperlnghe at a. m,
and the scouts had led us into the
front trenches at 2 the next morning.
Our position was to the left Of st. Eloi
and was known as "the island" be-
cause it had no support on either flank.
On the left were the User canal and
the bluff which forms It's bank. On
the right were 300 yards Of battered
down trenches, which had been rebuilt
twice and blown in again each time
by the German guns. For some rea-
son, which I never quite understood,
the Germans were able to drop what
seemed a tolerably large proportion Of
the output Of the Krupp works on this
particular spot whenever they wanted
to. Our high command had concluded
that it was untenable. and so we, on
one side Of 1t and the British, on the
other, had to just keep 1t secuted and
protect our separate TANKS. Another
name they had for that position was
the "bird cage" That was because
the first fellows who moved into 1t
made themselves nice and comfy and
put up wire nettings to prevent any
one from tossing bombs in on them.
Thus, when thu Germans stirred up
the spot with an accurate shower of
"whiz bangs" and "coal boxes" the
same being thirteen Founders and six
inch shells, that wire netting presented
u spectacle Of utter inadequacy which
hasn't been equaled In this war.
They called the position which we
were assigned to defend "the grave
yard Of Canada" That was because
Of the fearful losses OF the Canadians
here in the second battle Of Ypres,
from April q to June I. 1918. when
the first gas attack IN the worlds his
tory was launched by the Germans.
and, although the French on the left
and the British on the right fell back,
the Canadians stayed where they were
put.
Right here I can mention something
which will give you an idea why de-
During the first gas attack the Cana
dams, choking to death and falling
over each other in fight against n
new and unheard Of terror in warfare,
found way-the Lord only knows
who first discovered it and how he
gas cloud and come out alive. 1t isn't
pretty to think Of, and it's like many
other things in this war which you
can't even tell Of in print, because the
simple description would violate the
nice ethics about reading matter for
the public eye which have grown up in
long years of peace and traditional de-
cency. But this thing which you can't
describe meant just the difference be-
tween life and death to many Of the
Canadians that first day Of the gas.
Official orders now tell every soldier
what he is to do with his handker-
chief or a piece Of his shirt II he is
caught In gas attack without his
mask.
The nearest can come in print to
telling you what the soldier Is ordered
to do in this emergency Is to remind
you that ammonia fumes oppose chic
rine gas as a neutralizing agent and