Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-11-18
PREET l. S. CONGRESSMAN
N|TH MACHINE GUN FIRE
Germans Send Hail Of. Bullets at
trenches From Which Visitors
View No Mans Land.
ESCAPES ARE MIRACULOUS
hugo Hun Shell Explodes Close to
Party MS 1t Leaves tho Front Line.
Representatives Start Homeward
After Having Tea With King.
IBy Associated Press

tBy Associated Prcss1
BRITISH FRONT IN BELGIUM. Fri
lay. November 1G.-Five members Of
nd private citizens. who spent ycstcr-
Fay and part of to-day visiting the Bel
fian war zone. had n narrow escape
from death or injury this morning.
ivhen they were caught in a sudden
lurst OF German m~achinc-gun fire
IlThllc inspecting the front-liue trenches
Hear Dixmude.
The Americans In danger were Con-
Eressman C.. &. Dill. of Spokane. Wash:
congressman Charles L. Timbcrlakc. Of
colorado; Congressman John T.. Miller.
if Seattle. Wash; Congressman Albert
johnson. of Washington. and former
Representative Stout. OF Montana. No
|body was hit, but 1t was one OF those
peculiar freaks OF fortune which SOL
|Iifcrs call luck, because the shots came
n a shower. so close TO them that 1t
|Ec wounded, although they were OK
POSED only for Il brief time.
The other seven members Of the party
|lwerc in another section of the trench.
jand were not disturbed by tho fire.
}Latcr. however. when all the Amcri-
t:ans were together. the Germans
tiroppcd a big she'll soino ten yards
away. seriously cndangcring every one.
APPROACH OF SHELL
SOUNDS LIKE AIRPLANE
| One member. in describing the in
Icident to the correspondent. later said
Inc and his companions heard the shell
looming. 1T like the roar Of
ian a%irplanc.' he said.
Again fortune favored them. and no
lone was injured.
The visitors spent the night near
1.-THE front. and rose early this morning
for a trip to the trenches in the vicinity
OF DiSmudc. The Belgian and German
lines run within thirty yards OF each
other at one point. and II was there
that the five men came into danger.
At that distance IL rs easy to see any
one in the opposite trench who raises
his head above the top. Only tho usual
firing was under way when the party
reached this place.
Tho Americans were having an ex-
cellent view Of the lines. when sew
eral OF them cot into an exposed posi-
tion. and were seen by the Germans.
Suddenly the enemy machine guns
nearby began a vicious chatter. and
bullets came whizzing across the mar
row strip Of mo mans land" at the
rate OF several hundred a minute.
STEEL PELLETS CAST DIRT
INTO EYES OF CONGRESSMAN
Before the visitors realized the Sit
uation. bille,s were whining all about
them like a storm OF hail. and dirt
was being thrown into their faces as
some OF the steel pellets struck the
top OF the trench. They all bent down
for cover. but all might easily have
been caught, since il does not take
more than a small fraction of n minute
for a machine gun to account for a
number OF men II the shooting is ac-
curatc.
The Americans departed this after
noon for England. On arriving at The
port whence they sailed, they said their
trip TO the Belgian front had been most
satisfactory. They were especially
pleased at the invitation OF King AL
bert TO take tea with him. Tho King
chatted freely with them for some time.
The American minister. Brand Whit
lock, also was present at the Invitation
OF the King.
Other members of the party who
were endangered by the shell, in addi-
ton to the five who were under ma
chine-gun fire. were congressman
Parker. of New Jersey: Taylor, Of
Colorado; Goodwin. OF Arkansas;
Stephens. of Nebraska, and Hicks. Of
New York. and former Representative
Hammond. OF Nebraska.