South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-11-15
YANK OFFICERS
HAVE LUXURIES
UNDERGROUND
Have All the Accommodations
and AppurtenanCeS in Dug
out That are Possessed
in Finest City Homes.
WITH THE AMERICAN TROOPS

-
IN FRANCE, Oct. 14.-(Corre-
spOndence) An amazing under
ground shelter or dugOut equipped
with many luxuries is the home of
the staff OF one American army
corps which took a prominent part
in the St Mihiel fight. 1t is little
less than an underground city club,
with offices, sleeping quarters,
baths, restaurants. kitchens. electric
lights, telephone and bell boys in
the persons of Orderlies and mes
sengers and many other appurten-
ances Of hotel life.
Its occupation has permitted the /
staff of this corps to operate in close |
touch with the fighting troops much |
more closely behind the lines than |
such a corps ordinarily ventures.
From the outside the place was so !
inconspicuous, standing about two |
hundred yards from the road, that |
ninety mine out of hundred motor |
lists would have driven by without |
seeing IL at all. The one hundredth |
would have seen merely a slight ele- |
walton in the muddy plain with two !
or three dark holes in the ground |
that might have been old shell era
ters or anything else.
Entrance CamOufiagcd.
In reality the mud and grass COW |
ering was nothing hut conceal |
ment of a thirty foot ceiling" of
reinforced concrete. the black holes
we'll camoufaged entrances leading
down a slOping runway to the bril-
| lance of the electrically lighted in
terror So stoutly was the whole
constructed that an enemy shell of /
big calbre would scarcely do more
than chip off a piece of the toy and
no aviatOr's bomb could ever, even
| hitting directly, do much damage.
Inside, parallel with the road and
/ traVersing the length of the dugout.
was a wide corridOr-the main
street" OF the institution, in which
the commanding general rubbed
I shoulders with the orderlies and
messengers as they went from Office
TO Office Off this main street led
minor streets running TO the rear
/ and being used. for economy of
space, as sleeping rooms for the en-
listed men at night. Artificial ven
tilation provided for the constant
publication of the whole dugout, and
the smell throughout was clean and
sweet
OF the small streets, and off
the big one too, were the offices.
constructed likewise for economy of
space. Each was about ten feet
wide and quite deep with a narrow
table running the length of the
room at which sat the officers and
their assistants. working. working,
all the time answering the telephone
every moment or so. giving instruc-
tions and receiving reports.
Sound Proof Walls.
Instead OF having the operations
department in one building. the in
telligence in another and others
scattered in as many more, all were
here together in offices with walls
as nearly as sound-prOof as posi-
BILE. under a ceiling just high enough
10 enable a tall man to walk or
stand without STOPPING. so close to-
| gether that a moment could put one
In touch with the other If necessary
yet vastly far apart as far as any
mutual or One-sided disturbance was
concerned.
At the end of the big corridor was
the kitchen, compact TO the point of
being a kitchenette. When the
cooks finished each meal the side
streets could suddenly be trans
formed into little cosy dining rooms,
each with it's long wooden table
and narrow wooden benches. In
less time than it takes TO tell the
generals mess was ready the SUI
perior officers mess and all the
others
No sound could penetrate the
great concrete roof. and the great
bonbardment that opened the st.
Nihiel show could not be heard.
outside the building the cannon were
going great guns" and the whole
night was numbering with the
noise