The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1918-10-18
CHAPTER w.

The scene of the slaughter could
now be surveyed ut leisure. Dead and
wounded were strewn all around, and
over them clouds of smoke and flames
made the air thick. But we were al
ready too hardened to feel much pity.
Humanity was thrown to the winds
and the cries and begging Of the
wounded left everybody cold.
Some Catholic sisters lay dead In
front of their convent. The only build
ing that was spared In Donchery was
the armory of the Twenty-thrd French
Dragons.
There was not much time In which
20 do anything, for at seven o'clock
the French began to hurl shells into
the village. We fortified ourselves be-
hind thick garden wall directly I'm
front of the Mouse. The river bank
at this point was fiat. button the obpo-
site side It was steep. Here the French
infantry had dug itself In and estab-
HShed three lines, one above the other
The artillery firing was too far. We
did not come within its range. so that
we were able to observe the effect Of
the Smelling Of our own artillery on the
enemy infantry positions before us.
The 21-centimeter shells raced by
above our heads and burst with fear
full noise in the enemy's trenches.
The French could not resist this hail
Of shot very long. They soon aban-
doned MI the heights on the river
bank. They abandoned Soudan with
nttta Gsyh nd Ioft Int Lob,
had not been the case with Donchery.
Hardly a house had suffered.
When the bugles sounded in DON
cherry, IL was discovered that our COM
pnny had lost So men I'm battle. po-
sitlon was taken behind the dragon
armory and our company, which now
was reduced to 90 men, was ordered
to attempt the building Of n pontoon
bridge over the Meuse. After we had
been re-enforced by so men, we
marched I'm small detachments In or
der not to draw the enemy's attention
TO us. After an hours march we
stopped I'm small forest about 200
meters from the Meuse to rest until
darkness set In. At twilight division
bridge train was driven up close to
our hiding place. This was soon fol-
lowed by n corps bridge train ms n re-
serve After all preparations were
made and the main advance work,
such as setting up the bridge stays and
landing platforms, were ready, the
single pontooD wagons drove up. They
were speedily but silently unloaded.
We completed four pontoons. that Is,
20 meters Of bridge, without the enemy
discovering anything.
Then suddenly the searchllght OF
The enemy was set In action and
scanned the river. We dropped to the
ground ut once. The enemy must have
seen us. for the searchlights played
here and there and kept our bridge
position under continuous glare. We
were discovered hardly before we
knew what had happened, and rain
of fire fell In the water In front OF
US. We continued to lie fiat on the
ground rs four more shots struck the
water, this time little nearer to the
bridge and one shot hit the bank. AT
once a third rain Of shot followed and
two struck the bridge. Two men fell
in the water and two lay dead on the
bridge. Those In the water swain
ashore and escaped none the worse for
their experience except for bath.
In spite Of the continued volume OF
artillery fire. we brought the two dead
men to land. The bridge was now
greatly damaged and there was no
choice except to replace the damaged
pontoons by new ones. We began this
difficult task as soon as the artillery
Gre let up. Hardly had we begun II
again when q salvo struck and greatly
damaged the bridge. Fortunately we
had no losses. We were now ordered
to retire, and after n half hour begin
anew. The enemy's searchlights were
now dark. We brought about ten pom
toons up without interference and then
we were suddenly bombarded again.
We had attracted the attention of the
enemy's patrol.
Several batteries now opened IRE on
us mt one time and after ten minutes
yhe entire work was only a pile OF
/ wreckage. Two more men were killed.
The order now came to retire. Elsht