The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-10-22
CAMOUFLACE USED
IN AMERICAN LINES
Nothing Is Real Along The
Battle Front; All Is Decep.
tion.


FRANCE, Sept. 20 Correspondence
Of Tho Associated Prcss)r.- Nothing is
real IN tho great American camou.
Hagc station here. All is deception
Huge willow trees like those In
Flanders with trunks two feet in di.
amctcr and a mass OF sprouting
branches at the top arc steel tubes
designed to hide an observer Even
on close inspection they looked like
real trees to Tho Associated Press
correspondent who visited the station
and with the commandant, explored
their mysterious underground recess.
cS
They were of plaster cloth wound
about the central steel tube and with
pieces Of real bark fitted around the
trunk. A small gauzc orilicc, painted
to match the bark. was not noticed
until pointed out by the officer This
was Tor the observer standing with.
in the steel core of the tree.
Ten feet away the turf opened. dis.
closing passage with stops leading
to tunnel and thence to the base
of the tree. With light ve gropcd
through the tunnel and up into the
tree. 1t was a tight 1T IN this tree
trunk, but from the gauzc orificc one
had ii. sweep OF the whole nearby
country.
A huge boulder. such as one secs
along country roads was noticed
among the trees. The big stone. five
feet high and seven across, looked
very real, and yet this, too was cam
OuIlagc-a makc.bclicvc boulder in
which an observer and machine gun
could lurk.
Examining the stone, 1t felt rather
like a big cardboard box, and gave
slightly to the pressure of the hand.
The frame vas wood the covering
burlap, painted gray-brown, with
patches of moss. And buried amid
the moss the canvas flap raised to
let through the nozzle of the machine
gun
''You have your own telegraph sys.
tenn was remarked on observing the
line of telegraph poles stretching
across the plain.
The Gommandant smiled. "Thos,
are poriscopc telegraph poles" he OK.
planned.
The poles were vcritablc telegraph
poles, with wires strunk from the
tops, just as they are seen along the
country roads. But each pole was
hollow, To permit IA pcriscopc to DO
raised to II high observing point,
while II covered pit at the base of the
pole accommodated the observer tax.
ing the readings of the periscopc.
Beside the pcriscOpe poles. there
were pcriscOpc trees. with hollow
stnmps from which the Observers in.
strumcnt was manipulated and tha
readings made In pits below the
roots.
! A camOunage stone wall was anoth
/ cr curious device standing among the
camouilagc trees and poles. This wall
looking like the ruin OF an Old mill
was of light plaster construction
painted and wcuthcrworn to rcscm
bic Il real mill.
"A wrecked house often serves us
as very good camoullagc.' said the
commander. I'VE had one with the
windows all gone so the enemy could
look straight through To the walls In
side. by painting false canvas walls
Just back of the windows, the enemy
! thought he vas looking at the real
walls opposite. But back Of the can
vas our observers and snipGrs we're al
work and the device was worry effect
i've"
A pile OF gravel stood near the wal
Or what appeared to be Il pile OF
gravel. for this. too, was camoullagc
Tho pebbles were hcapod around q
hollow frame with its gauzo opening