The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-08-31
SOLDIERS SLEEP
DESPITE SHELLS
BURSTING ABOVE
French Underground Quar-
ters Immune From
Danger
DUG-OUTS EVEN HAVE
NICE SHOWER-BATHS
Construction Accomplished
By Using Men Unfit For
Campaigning

FRENCH FRONT, Aug. 30-Dozen
OF. divisions of the French army nov
sleep underground in comparative com
fort, even In the front lines when the
Germans are hurting tens of thousand,
of shells on the ground above them
thanks to the work OF the companies
OF eXcavators formed since the begin
construct these shelters, which hav,
preserved 30 many thousands of lives
are soldiers whose age varies between
i45 and so and who would have been
tions of modern battles, where quick
ness OF movement and litheness of
limb are absolute necessities No
matter what the nature of the soil,
whether hard rock, quicksand, chalk
or marshy land, these veterans have
overcome all the difficulties and have
succeeded In constructing formidable
bombproof shelters all along the line
OF the front from the North Sea to the
Swiss frontier until at the present
moment any fighting unit arriving at
almost any part of the line finds
habitable dng-out awaiting It,
The correspondent of The Associat-
ed Press has seen and been inside
dozens of these subterranean cities
for such they may be termed-at many
places, and, even where all the natur.
n
the shelters commodious, welldrained
and well-ventilated. In some cases
battalion finds accommodation in Il
single shelter, and each man lodged In
1t is provided with simple bed con,
sisting of wire-netting foundation
supported by wooden uprights On
this the soldier lays his regulation
bundle of straw and, covering himself
with his army blanket and greatcoat,
can sleep with freedom from anxiety
as to any bombardment in progress
outside, The shelters are provided
generally with electric light or acety-
lene lamps, sanitary cOnveniences and,
In some cases with complete shower
baths.
First aid posts and dressing stations
with all modern surgical appliances
are also to hand, 80 that the surgeon
attached to the unit may attend i'm.
mediately to any wounded men brought
In from the nearby battlefield.
SO well are the shelters protected
IA. a.
though In many instances the under.
ground lodging covers an area of 5000
square yards, not once In the course
OF the past year has one of them been
destroyed by the enemy's fire. They
have many exits. the plan being tG
provide one for each section or quar-
ter company, 80 that In case one exit
should be hit and blocked, the men in
side may escape through another open
Ing.
Al the beginning OF the war the sol
diers actually in the lighting line made
their own shelters, which were just
holes dug In the ground and covered
with tree trunks and earth and afford
Ing very little protection, besides TAX.
ing up much of the time of the soldiers
and costing very much labor and mon
ey for transporting the necessary tim.
ber
II was then decided to utilize the
older classes of the reserve of the ter.
ritorial army who had been called Ia
the colors and who. despite their pre-
vlous military training, had been found
unable To bear the strain Of campaign
ing. Several companies of them were
formed and they We're first given the
task OF constructing shelters In the
Somme district aud around Verdun.
Their officers were chosen from the
engineer corps and from men who in
civil life were engaged In similar un.
dertakings, such as builders and min
ers. Most OF the men were peasants
used 10 digging In the fields and their
work was very satisfactory but this
kind of excayating work was different
and they suffered considerably from
the unusual motion of throwing the
earth upward, or wheeling It in bar.
rows mp steep inclines
One OF the soldiers overcame this
trying difficulty by inVenting an ap-
paratus for carrying loosened earth or
rock to the surface by use of electric