The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-28
American Who Was Gassed De-
scribes TerrOrs of Attack.
He Got a Breath of Fumes Try
ing To Rescue Companion.
'BARRAGE FOLLOWS GAS BOMBS
Two of GIL Soldiers in Hospital
Not Expected To Recover.
sour Boys Behaved Fine; Not
a Sign of Flinching."
BY FRED S. FERGUSON.


With the American Army in France,
Feb. 81 CDeIayed) The first detailed
story of the German gas attack which
killed five American soldiers and sent
sixty-one to the hospital was told to
the United Press today by Private E.
Il. Hado, who was slightly gassed
while trying to save a companion.
..The stuff has funny effect, even
if it doesn't get you, so if 1 ramble
You'll set me right. won't you?" he
began.
Had Our Exact Range.
81 feel terribly dopey and want to
sleep all the time, but, anyhow, here
is what happened:
.aThe boche showed us all day he
had our range down fine. He dropped
shells first in the front, then in the
rear trenches. We felt that possibly
something was coming off.
TT was raining and the trenches
were mighty wet. Then it stopped
and the moon came. out In the early
part of the night it was quiet. Be-
tween 1 and 2 O'Clock, listening post
heard suspicious activity in the Ger
man trenches and passed along the
alarm. Everybody at the post sig
nailed for a barrage, but the wires
were cut.
Aimed at Commanders Dugout.
.Then there was a terrific blast and
a flash across No Mans Land I was
in the post commanders dugout. A
shell landed within ten feet and ex-
ploded, splintering the door.
"Gas and high explosives poured
into the trenches. The cry of gas"
arose as everybody grabbed their
masks.
'one man in our dugout couldn't
h IL ~ II hi
sTame now. He fell to the floor in a
sort of a fit.
y got my mask on quickly. Then
I wrestled with him trying to put his
mask on. In the tussle my mask
slipped and 1 got little.
Dashed Out of Dugout.
THE other man was clean crazy
with pain. I was unable to hold him
and he da shed out of the dugout The
down the trench
Hado stopped, coughed violently
ano passed his hand before his face
Then ne asked:
Whore was when left OFF,
You were telling about the man
running down the trench
'Oh, yes, but that's all 1 know
ABOUT him. Before we had chance
to do anything the boche cut loose
with another batch of gas. 1t got
some VINO escaped the first
Barrage Lasted Two Hours.
"Thsn came the German barrage
1t was plain he'll. 1t lasted nearly two
hours. They poured everything on
US, from the front to the rear
Everybody stuck in the dugouts
Later, came out of the dugout and
1 guess 1 took off my mask too quick.
The gas had not cleared and-here
1 am.
Our loys behaved fine, tho. There
wasn't sign of fiinching. The next
time it will be our turn to get the
boche."
Tin Helmet Saved Him.
1T was tough that our artillery did
not get our signal for a barrage." the
private continued. 1T might at lea
have headed off the second gas attack.
Our wires being cut, however. pre-
vented this There was no time to
send up a rocket until the hell of the
attack. When the barrage did come
1t was pippin, but it was too late.
There was neither noise nor con-
fusion in the trenches. despite the fact
that such stuff was new to everybody
there. The only noise was a wild
d.,