New Britain herald., 1917-10-31
SHRIEkING SHELL
 SENT BY SERGEANT
South Bend, Indiana, Come to the
 Fore in Front Line
AMERICANS ARE UNDER FIRE

the First to Fire Shot Heard Round
 the World-Vivid Description.
 With the American Army in France, Monday. Oct. 2s.-The first Americans to establish contact with the Ger mans today are bathing in the mud of eastern France. They constantly are under fire and have their guns on the enemy.
 American shells have been hurled into German territory and they have exploded near the enemy line.
 On a hill to the right of the ex- plosions cataracts of mud are to be seen. To one side an American off, cer is looking out on the scene through his field glasses. He is try ing to see what damage has been done by the artillery to the enemy and his barbed wire entanglements. Closer to the enemy in the first line trenches is the infantry, with the shells of both American and German guns whizzing over their heads. The men are rub ber-booted and ponchoed. Rain, mixed with snow, belts their helmets.
 
 withstand the wind driven drops of rain and snow, but gunners and in fantry men although they are wet, are satisfied, feeling the honor of having been the first Americans in action is more than sufficient compensation for their discomfort.
 The correspondent reached the American position after a long motor vii Ia vcr1, o1 ho{ Leaving the motor in one of the towns he walked the rest of the way. Motor cars attract the eye of the Germans and they are likely to drop & half dozen shells in the direction that any machine is seen.
 The first American battery was all most walked upon before it was .dis- covered. It was so we'll hidden under the trees and with foliage spread about it on a law-hung wire netting. Under the net water dripped steadily. Some of the gunners were digging an- other pit in the mud alongside their hidden gun.
 Through the foliage in every direc- ton the ground was undulating At that moment there was a flash of flame through the mist. It was the crack of a .75 gun and following it closely came the noise of the shell rushing through the air, becoming fainter and fainter as the projectile sped on it's way to the German posi- tion over the crest of 8 hill further away. The mud-digging artillerymen continued their work without even looking up.
 A lieutenant from Georgia emerged He was the officer who directed the cn Io 1oI hn ho slippery, muddy hill to a dugout cov- cred over with dead leaves and logs. There was met a lieutenant from In- diana of the same battery who di- reoted the first eighteen shots of the war against Germany from an observ- ation point.
 On the other side of the hill was found the first gun fired. The muddy gunners were hard at work cleaning their gun.
 ''This was the first gun fired in the war;" said the jaunty lieutenant. "The sergeant inside the pit there fired it,
 Looking into the pit the lieutenant said:
 'Sergeant, where are you from? ?'
 A husky voice replied:
 I'm from South Bend, Indiana"
 Are you Irish?" asked the lieu tenant.
 No, sir" the sergeant laughingly replied.
 At this time orders came for this gun and others of the battery placed in nearby hills in sight and sound of each other to commence firing. The first gun on the farthest hill went off with a roar, and faint stream of smoke was blown backward from the ,>i% Tv,c nj bio1o respondent stood a voice shouted out the range figures and the lieutenant repeated them. A voice inside the pit a moment later yelled that the gunner was ready to fire. The lieu tenant gave the command to the gun ners:
 Watch your bubble.'' The lieutenant who was standing on a pile of mud which had been re- moved from the pit cautioned these about him to place their fingers in their ears. This was done and the lieutenant shouted "f1re.' The gun parked quickly the noise l being followed by a metallic clang as 1 the shell was elected and the gun made ready for the next load. The l lieutenant told the correspondent the story of the first shot of the war, how they had come up the night before in a driving rain, and lacking horses had hauled their gun into position by , hand, so that they could get the first shot at the Germans; and of how af- 1 ter many hours labor in getting the i gun placed they sent over at 6:15 ] o'clock in the morning a high eXplo- l Sive shell.
 From the artillery lines to the in- 1 fantry trenches was a considerable l distance over more muddy hills The correspondent found the infantry in l side the trenches There also were { many wires which ran into switch | boards and American and French | operators were sitting side by side di-