Douglas Island news., 1918-10-04
SIGNAL SERVICE
 MEN IN ACTION
Little Heard of Branch of the Army Is Also on the Job All the
 Time in France

Tho following article talson from thc stars and Stripes, the soldiers paper published in France, tells @ story of tho Signal Corps boys of the u 8. Army and will Doe Of interest as very little has been printed about thIs very useful branch Of Che sery- ice:
 Amy story Of tho fighting south o' Che Maruo. or anywhere elre, for that matter. that does not mention Che signal Corps part in it would bc about as complete a8 thc story or Jonah with tho whale left out.
 one Of thc Grst Hun sholls fired tn the opening burragc of thc dfth great oacnslve-a barrage that French ot- ficers declare was comparable to that which ushorod in Che battle of Yer landed in wood. upset tree. and dropped it neatly across Q tent occupied by a Signal Corps liou- tenant
 The Signal Corps did not need to loo prodded into action, however The Signal Corps was already in action. lt had been tolerably oaGy, in the preceding days. to keep communica- ton mtact-if doing skilled work of che most delicate kind under fire can ever be called easy.
 Wires Torn Into shreds
 But tho barrage started things. The wires were torn into ehreds, and it was up to Che Signal Corps men 10 put the shrcds together again. Not once. but time and again, while they were splicing two tattcrcd ends a shell on either side of them would rip Che wire In two new places. They worked fast, but the shells came faster
 One wire was cut In lGS places in a kilomctcr Of length. In another piece of wire of half a kilomcter the longest whole fragment that remain cd measured exactly eight fcct'
 One sergeant was in frout-lino durout when the shells began Co ar rive. A message was coming over. He started to take it A shell landed Just outside thc dugout. so Che scr ecant left Che dugout and calmly started Co cut In on Che torn strands. when another shell killed him.
 Wireless Also Suffers
 Wireless suffered as much as wires. The slender antcnnac on slim bam- boo poles. both front and rear. were rippcd out of the ground time and again. saplugs were hastily erect cd in their place and thc apparatus once again got i'm working order. but not for long Tho shells kept coming faster than thc caplings could be put up.
 The men who did Che work. and suffered as heavily as any combat unit engaged doing it were an pick cd specialists, men who had proved they could do anything under the sun iu Che trouble line before they left che States; and who were now proving that they could keep it up under conditions not exactly liko those under which American trouble men had ever worked before.
 They an volunteered for che work and every man of them knew what it meant. They worked in pairs and somtimcs one. sometimes both, were struck at their task. The order in which they wore to SO out was on a roster. and Che only difficulty was to prevent them from squeezing in ahead of their turns.
 Thanked by Germans
 Four Signal Corps men, a sergeant and a corporal among them, and 10 mfantrymcn we're in front-line trench whom the Germans came romping in on both sides The l9 Yanks were apparently caught Ranked on both sides, with no means Of escape Co Che rear
 Tho only clear spot was forward. out toward thc river, from which tho enemy was advancing so the 19 went forward. They reached the shelter of railway embonkmcnt and the Germans, l5O strong, occu- pied thc trench
 The 19 were isolated, but they didn't intend Go stay that way. They just left the ombankment, charged their own occupied trench, and bargcd Che 15O. A few seconds later they were leading the whole Sit and poodle on to the rear.