The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-03-09

have been for the last three years.
We finally arrived at a beautiful old
French chateau which was the field
headquarters. 1t has stood there for
several centuries and was surrounded
by a moat. The orderlies on guard
let drawbridge down for us to cross
and we entered the building which
contained all sorts of war materials
including steel helmets, maps and
many other things including trophies
from the fighting.
I'VE were given candles and sent
upstairs into old stone-walled bed
rooms. w6slept in blankets and with
out any fire. The only heat was from
the candles. The British officers have
been living there for months without
any heat. The next morning we got
up feeling stiff and cold.
I'VE started out early in military
motor cars which took us along at the
rate Of 35 to 40 miles an hour. We
passed men coming and going in great
long lines to the battle front There
were more trucks by the thousands and
thousands of horses. / thought there
must be some great military move
ment on in the vicinity and we finally
asked the commander. He said there
would be three lines going and coming
II there was anything unusual going
on.
Wore Gas Masks.
"In the first town we came to on the
battle front we were told to put on the
gas masks they had given us. An
officer said the town had been gassed
two hours before we arrived and an
other attack might occur. We were
also warned to keep away from the
Shattered walls Of buildings as the To-
cation was being shelled and the walls
might crumble any minute. We started
to 20 out the Menin road. The officer
told us we would take a chance though
we had been advised it would be dam
gerous. We finally were compelled to
turn back and take another course.
I'VE saw the place where once had
lain the beautiful hills of France.
these were all gone. In their places
were barbed wire entanglements and
great shell craters. The only trace
there was of the existence of many
small places was once in a while &
few bricks or n piece of curbstone.
'ui Suiuc Noufsl say, iiIi'
was a town. ! think those four words
will always ring in my ears. They
best describe the conditions that exist.
I'VE saw a place where doctor in
charge of field hospital had to level
down shell craters in order to establish
a place to take care of the wounded
brought in from dressing stations. This
doctor superintendent the work of con-
struction and the making of the roads
about it. In the barracks | saw boys 10
and 90 years old with arms and legs
off. saw one bay, a Canadian, with
a leg shattered from the hip down. ]
asked him how he got it and he told
me he had been up in an airplanc. Tho
weather was foggy. he said, and he
sailed down to within $500 feet of the
earth to make observations. The Ger
mans attacked him with shrapnel and
one shot shattered his leg, but he
turned his machine and flew back two
miles and landed near hospital.
we rode along a camoufiaged high
way with chicken wire with rags at
tached to it, to make it look like n
hedge to the Germans whose lines
We're only a shoIt distance away.
Dug Through Human Flesh.
Il asked an officer how the British
were able to plant the nine mines
which they exploded in one day to
blow away a hill occupied by the Ger
mans. He told me that they had to
dig through 40 feet of putrid human
flesh during the mining operations and
the sappers were compelled to wear
gas masks as they dug.
Next we went to Rheims. AS we
entered the city we saw little children
at play running for cover. looking up
at the sky with expressions of terror
on their faces. There was a German
plane high in the air above as. The
children acted like little chickens when
hawk Is soaring overhead These
children knew what might happen and
We're getting to safety as fast as POS.
sble.
I'VE went to house for lunch. The
town was being sheled as it is shellcc
every day by the Germans Every
time a shell would strike the dishe,
on the table would rattle.
Sees Rheims Cathedral.
Il never had seen the cathedral w,
went to visit it, Even after the born