The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-04-19


crews were eXterminated in the same
way, and their pontoons drifted out
into the Tigris to float past the Brit
ish camp in the daylight with the
freight of dead. The pontoon parties
We're volunteers, so chosen that all
battalions of the brigade would share
the honors of the night The loss Of
all the available pontoons finally
stopped the efforts 10 cross the river
On the second night the attempt was
resumed with equal gallantry But this
time the attack was preceded by a bonn
bardment Registering by artillery had
been impossible on the first day in the
speed Of the pursuit II was the ar
tillery barrage that finally secured the
troops their footing-not the shells
themselves but the dust storm raised
by them. The dust, fine particles Of
dried Tigris mud was so thick that
it formed a curtain behind which ten
boats were able to cross.
Afterwards, in the clear moonlight
when the guns were waiting for am
munition and the dust curtain had lift
ed the conditions of the preceding
night were reestablished Succeeding
crossing parties were eXterminated,
and pontoons drifted away, but a foot
ing had been secured The crew Of one
pontoon which lost its way in the
dust cloud, failed to make the bank in
time. Directly the air cleared a ma
chine gun was opened on them, and
the rowers were shot down and the
pontoon drifted back to the shore. A
sergeant called for volunteers to get
the wounded out of the boat, and "A
party of twelve men went over the
river bank Every man of them, as
well as the crew of the boat, was
killed.
Found Natural Refuge.
Sixty men had gained a foothOld on
the other bank of the Diala. They got
together and started bombing along
the bank. They were soon heavily
pressed by the Turks on both flanks,
and found themselves between two
clumps of woods. Here they discover.
ed a providential natural position. A
break in the river levee had been re-
paired by a new levee built in a half
moon on the landward side. This
formed a perfect lunette. The sixty
soldiers, surrounded on all sides but
the water, held it through the night,
all the next day, and the next night
against repeated and determined at
tacks.
The attacks were delivered in the
dark and at dawn. The Turks only
attacked once in the daylight, as the
British machine guns on the other
bank swept the ground in front of the
position. Twenty yards west Of the
lunette there was thin grove of null
berries and palms. The pontoon posi-
tion was most vulnerable on this side
and 1t was here that the Turkish at
tacks were most frequent. British ar
tillery fire, intermittent day and night,
on the wood afforded some protec-
ton The whole affair was visible to
the British troops on the south side,
who encouraged their comrades by
shouting. Attempts were made to get
cable across by means of rocket,
in order to pass the little band of sixty
more ammunition, but the attempts
were unsuccessful.
Twice during the nights of March
9 and 10 the Turks were on top Of
the parapet, but were driven back. One
more determipI rush would have car
ried the lunette, but the little garrison,
now reduced to forty. kept their heads
and maintained control of their fire.
A corporal was seen searching for
loose rounds and emptying the bando.
liers of the dead In the end they
were reduced almost to their last clip
of cartridges. and they had only one
bomb left, but there were more than
a hundred Turkish dead outside the
redOubt
On the morning of the 10th, British
troops upstream had begun to turn
the Turkish flank, and a general re-
tirement began BY $3.50 a. m. in the
morning the whole brigade had cross.
ed and the fate of Bagdad was sealed.