The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-11-09
Lieut.. Norton Gives
Graphic Description
of Sizzling France

o,c az tho most graphic descrip-
,,,rs az the roaring fields OF France
!. even IN letter TO II. n Stew
=, secretary OF the trade bureau
= ,he chamber % Commerce. from
III friend. Lieut. Thomas NJ. Nor
=. nattery Il. so5th Field Artillery.
MS letter follows;
October IL. 1918.
Mar Don; Your letter along with
90 from Mignom, two from
.,a,h.r and one from rop just
,.seAed me this evening and. be-
s,ye me. nothing could have been
more welcome just at this time.
I will try and answer them all
,anlxht but have only stub OF
rencil and very small candle.
A the present moment | am sit
,,arlin German dugout up at
me front. Have been up at the
sreut for five weeks now and arm
stili alive. thanks to God
I vas sent up here from tho
fauuur school along with num-
her OF others ON very short notice.
None Of us were sent 20 the same
tattrry. 80 don't know how they
have all made out. Nearly all OF
The batteries In this regiment were
.hort 81 officers. Including Battery
4 the one was assigned to. NO
| have had nearly every job.
The DAY tho big push started. l
xas right M at the front--by that
mean as far front as you could
ret and then some. My job was
20 10 up 20 the Infantry trenches
along with six men and report the
progress % the troops IN our Soc
he 10 the guns when they started
az with all the guns il sure sound
"a as " they were pulling the bot
tim out Of tho world. You could
imagine there was n bridge Of NOV
inx steel ever your head--just one
sontinnai boom Of the hig guns and
the hum Of the German machine
guns
Believe me. those machine guns
are the dirty weapons. Sound like
. swarm Of needles going over your
head You. OF course. have read IN
the rapsrs the progress we have
made. 50 won't waste any time
telling you about that.
A Tickiish Task
had only been with the battery
shout three days when the other
two officers had left for the after
noon tthrre OF us. and there should
h fiyel. when orders came down TO
hy down n harrage Immediately.
That sure had me going for few
minuteS To figure out the data
and get the right range for four
runs and do " In 10 minutes. In
creasing the range every two min
ufes so the infantry boys can come
along behind T. no cinch. one
slip and you have killed a bunch
Of your own men. Thank fortune.
mine went over O. X. All this time.
remember. the Hun IL shooting n,
you. Guess II will take me year
TO steady my nerves II come out
Of this alive.
Just II this minute. HIS shells
are dropping on the road just be-
low US and little to the right We
are half way up a rather steep
hHI. bet the trouble Is. II slopes
toward the Dutch But ut that.
he would have 20 get a direct hit
TO get one Of US But not 80 last
night
Stuck In Shell Hole
Two days ago, was sent to take
charge Of the horses a short ways
behind the lines (cailed the eche-
lonl. Had no sooner arrived than
an order came In to move them
w ahead Didn't have enough
horses 20 move the whole OUTFIT.
70 started with what ! had. Before
! got very far. the Infantry, for
nne reason. dropped back a short
Ways and. 10 help things along. I
vas blocked on tho road tmotor
truck stuck In n shell holc). II
vas Just getting dark and n mes
snEsr came back. saying they were
shelling the road up ahead 10 hard
couldn't get thru. Couldn't do
anything but pull off as far as
could 10 the aide Of the road into n
mail woods. Had about 100 horses
and 50 men with me. Put horses on
picket line In the woods and
around the carriages Had my or
Dirty put my blankets under one
u The carriages and had just turn
ed In when a young officer rode
". who has charge % the arnmu-
riticn for three or four batteries.
lust a young fellow He was all
aione and caught bewecn two fires
nc same as ! was.
Been Thru Hell
Did ] tell you the Hun had also
dg2ped a barrage behind US 80
se couldn't go back He said he
thought he would stop with me for
Tie night IL would let him. He
had been thru hell and was simply
cared 10 death. Just couldn't keep
ais teeth from chattering. Said he
mas cold. Have you ever felt that
way? ] have. many times in the
past five weeks. Along about IL
o'clock that night a shell landed
very close. Some OF the pieces hit
tns wagon was under and ! heard
he picket guard calling for help.
thought he was having trouble
SIR|IP 0E FIGS"