Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-11-01
SHOWERS SURE
HE GOT One
Returned Hero of Chateau-Thie.
ry Positive He Sent Hun on
His Way-Gas Worse Than
Bullets and Shrapnel.

Wiley Showers, the Cove Crecl, how
who was mentioned in this paper sew
erai weeks ago as having been wound
cd in action in France, has been snnt
home by the military authorities. He
reached his home at Cove Creek last
week. lie was in Tazewell last Sat
urday and called at this Office and
gave a grahpic account of his part i'm
the great battles that have been rag
ing on the western front, in which
the American army has taken Il lead
ing part. Showers went to camp last
November, going first to Camp Lee,
ana later to Camp Green, where he
was attached to the Third Division
and sent to France. He fought at
Verdun, on the Marine, and received
his wounds-three fingers shot from
his left hand, and n bullet hole thru
ms leg, at the famous battle of Cha
teau-Thiery, where the Americans
turned the Huns back and saved Pa
ris. Showers was in the trenches for
sometime, and received his wounds
as he went over the top to repel an
advance of the Germans. His com
pany were fighting the Huns at close
range, when machine gun Jon his
left opened up and killed and wound
cd large number of his company.
His buddy" young Neal, of Cove
Greek, was killed in this battle. Stow
ers' Captain was also badly gassed
ana put out of the fighting in this
battle
Showers gave vivid account of
the gas attacks, which they dreaded
more than any other thing. He said
you could easily distinguish the ex-
plosion OF gas bomb from any 9TH
er knd' the noise resembling very
much much the bursting of a paper bag.
when this noise was heard you had
about six seconds to get your rns
mask ON. Three days i'm the front
line without relief, ration supply nil
gone, water low, except what was
carried in canteen, German shrapnel
blowing up the "chuck" wagons and
killing the horses and drivers, and
preventing relief reaching them, was
one experience he had which he will
long remember. He was asked about
the water supply in the trenches. He
said that all they have is what can
be carried i'll the canteens, and they
have to use the most of that to
shave with, in order that the gas
mask will fit close TO the skin. lie
knew of instances, he said, where
men attempted to use gas masks
without having their faces cleanly
shaver, and as result gas was get
between the mask and the skin and
the wearer would become deathiy
sick, and would vomit the mask full.
but could not remove it for to do SO
would be sudden death. He said that
to go thru an attack of mustard gas
was fearful-it would burn any part
OF the skin exposed, and would fire.
quently go through the fabric of the
clothes and burn worse than fire.
Showers said that he killed only
one German outright that he is pos
tive of. His company was advanc-
ing and the Huns were doing the
same. They met in No Mans Land,
and came to blows with bayonets and
fists. Showers bayoneted one Hun,
who was sent to the ground kicking.
Showers wears gold bar on each
alm-onc for service and the other
for wounds received. He is on fur
Tough for thirty days, and will re-
turn to Railway, N. j., about the 30th
of this month and receive his final
discharge from the service.