Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-18
j. s. MEN ESCAPE
AN ELECTRIC TRAP
Germans Turn on Heavy Current
After Patrols Pass Through
First Wire Entanglements.
ny Associated Press to Every Evening

By Associated Press 70 Every Evening
WITH THT AMERICAN Amy ~ FBAvCE,
FED Is
An American patrol having passed the
tir5t line of German entanglements and
approached the second line suddenly were
cut of Saturday night by o current of
electricity along the first wire line
Instead If attempting an immediate
return to their trenches. which would
have meant certain death from electric
shock or machine gun fire. the Americans
clung close to tho earth. and later, whom
the electricity was cut Of, returned
IN safety 10 their positions
II was q thrilling experience for tbc
patrol A certain number of men set
out from tho American position N ho
hopo Of cnCountcring the enemy ~ q
point m the German trenches They
had succeeded in getting through the
first line and had crawlcd on until the
second line was reached When they
were just about 10 start under tho -oc-
ond line there was 4 blush glow and
turning around thcy saw long, livid
sparks playing through the barbcd wire
Of tho first linc The enemy had turned
on powerful electric current
The patrolIers quickly hattened ont
on the ground thinking that they had
been discovered and expecting 10 hcar
momentarily machine guns bullets 70
singing overhead Nothing ~ the kind
happened, however Apparently tho Ger
mans merely turned on the current by
chance, hoping that if any American
were within the cntangaments they
would be killed on the wire or while
trying To get out
WORE TRICKS or. THE RoE
The Germans, apparently having dis-
covered the meaning of some Of tho
American rocket signals caused the
Americans for considerable distance
along the front to prepare Saturday night
for gas attack AZ first the Germans
sent into the air rocket of 5 certain
color which il the American signal FOR
gas attacks but the hoax vas discovered
soon after the troops adjusted their gas
masks.
The Germans next sent up rocket
calling for barragc by the Americans.
but the American officers on observa-
ton duty in an advance post, seeing
whence the rocket came, got "a message
to the artillery in time 80 prevent ID
from laying down the needless shell fire,
The command TO fire was ready 10 be
give When the information reached
the gunners that the enemy was respon-
sIblc for the barrage signal Extremely
quick work was necessary 70 stop The
order % fire, for the American artillery
has reached a hign degree of speed ID
gong into action
he Germans are coming to realize
this, and they are not 20 free with thelg
shells as IN the early DAYS of the Amerl-
can occupation Of the line In the ian
guage of the front, every tIne that Fritz
sends over one she'll now he gets an
armful' IN return.
ARTILLEY MAKES DIRECT HITS.
The America artillery has made more
direct hits on important enemy works
Observers for some time had noted a
large number OF the enemy working at
a particular place on large underground
structure. Early yesterday morning the
American gunners got the range, and a
stream OF shells drove in on the position,
hurting heavy tunbcrs and other material
high IN the air.
ago new snlping posts, where the snipers
were using periscopeS, also were wiped
out by American artillery trc.