Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-05


STARTED upon foot. five corre-
0ondents. an American Press on
French liasion officer attached to
service. and an officer aid attached
2 me stan OF an American general,
XYIr = road that is often shelled by the
Our objective was tournee
X| the secteur and trenches in vi
Ity where the boche barraged and
'<{4ed one OF the listening posts and
<XIr< Through our wire to the first line
~ the early morning of January 30.
d The first stop upon our journey was
.Xlt be the crumbled stone and ruined
4(4fis Of that which had been a pros
<X4pus town of several thousand in
1lkants only a little time back. as time
~: town that mad been lost and
a 1)u retaken by the French, held by
<H(1m since and which, in consequence,
B o4the heavy artillery had entirely de-
Yty4iished as they have many another in
4 {uofthern France.
x We had left our cars at another and
+ Ian ruined village n few k,lometers be-
q hi4d. because upon this road the sound
B Of y motor could he heard by the enemy,
x WHO at will could rake in whitening
0r&. The hour was in the evening,
\ the moon very full. shining ball OF
X yellow light Though thick white fog.
\ One could see very distinctly for per-
hap8 twenty feet Beyond there was
e1ly q white veil. The ground was wet
rotgy and muddy in January thaw
ana the Temperature that Of late April.
WRECK RISES FROM MIST
We walked in a group, but silently.
speaking In whispers, when at all. After
IN hour we came suddenly upon the
Z arst stage OF our journey, wrecked
khost of village appearing as IT
4 fnAgically out of the fog. Within ita
y borders, past Jagged walls and a par
tfsl church steeple disappearing in the
mist, we came TO the side entrance Of
something that had been house. enter
ine door into an improvised room
three walls OF heavy. rough board. the
fourth a remnant of the house itself
N which a great mantelplece of italian
Il marble occupied the center Within u
IA ire of green wood was brarcly burn
f1k. The ceiling was improvised ana
low. A rough table with couple or
4 benches occupied the center Of the room,
x which was perhaps fifteen feet square.
overhead, from a bit Of wire hung q
kHrosere lamp, and in one corner
Aoldier's canvas cot and couple OF army
4 blankets rested. In another corner
dark massage led to qua-terJ in the rear
The table was covered with maps secret
n and otherwise.
The whole was rough and ready, but
tftflftarian notwithstanding. the tempo
rary home of n soldier VINO had o'uer
business than comfort. TIE teemlnglS nv
v ting quarters OF maA VINO nau .,'.ao
war his lifework for more thah tnre'
xenrs for the American officer whom
NM q few DAYS before ! had left NJ
<-rossroads as he sat upon ms hoIse
( Watching his men going up 10 go III"
z Fxr cur host was the philippine Con-
y ekbulary-English army-American army
Z N Xcran with heart OF oak ana nerve Oh
rAel I have mentioned in the preceui"s
stry.
81 &c1ood evening gentlemen, he said as
(. ~ ehook hands all around an' si s.au
10 see you again. knew you W. 20,
coming. And if YOU ",sh' III max w
X -, we will go -" and he leaned
svrr a man as H. outlined with pencil
4, I waIk of more than ten kilometers
HALTED BY SENTRY
q We went out into the open again
sfartipg In single file, the Officer IN the
lead. AS we turned wrecked CORNER
voice rang out. Halt n 'ommahu-
Ing officer replied our ma(lr-cscolt' l.
\ ~ with him we all STOOD SIN oelo,'
fhe bayoneted rifle of boy in brown
the voice In "A moment we were again
"a our way, and in few more had en-
tared a communicating trench from
hicf, we were almost Immediately 'om-
,,elled 10 retrace our steps because 4
itttie before "A boche shell had made
M ssare impossible. "Well go around
h,r 7" said Major - This
sector is in pretty bad shape rs the
trenches are very old. lot or WORK u
coming to II before we get II as we want
Z IL We have rdcn working on new
trenches over there. They come up w'h
the dark and go back TO the village be-
.s-vnnd with the dly, after camouiiaging
their work SO boche Flames caun1: detect
ID nor boche observers see from: the
y heiehts OF -. The boche Is strongly
: oo<ronched before us, his position III
y 6nitely better than ours. Let's stop and
~ these boys at work"
"DIG, BROTHERS. DIG"
A. he spoke. we came upon bunch
! ~ Sammees doing the dig, brothers,
h. They had made considerable head
W1y upon job that had been theirs for
5 heyeral nights and as far as they went
z tho new trenches we're as deep. wide
ana saw-toothed as any | have seen.
Xffer a word with the lieutenant com
AZ 1anding, and another with one or two
fHiB men we continued, presently enter
~ (&k old trenches again. Old indeed, and
\ #@1H truly bad shape, the sides here End
'<si fhore hastily repaired where a shell had
|k (3nolished them the floors mass OF
"A Nund and water through which we
n marched and waded, now to ankle, now
z {f0 very top of hip rubber boots. Here
Z land there swift yellow stream ran to
\ 1fhe side of blackboard flooring when the
Z Halter was visible at all. 1t ran with
{the trench in zgzag bewilderfng fashion
tmore SO than any others that have come
!. 3under my observation In this war, be
4 jcause the barbarian dominates from the
J&olEhts of -.
81 Presently we came to a machine CUR
~ rk manned by boys In brown. The
n 4jor stopped and spoke to them mo
y t.mt after he had been challenged
(. I<@Ihat's right, boys" he said. never lie
IS 3nr one approach you until you know
~ and what they are. Don't oyerlool
~ ever beyond that ridge we can
~ the fog, the boche lies. Goo'
WRENCH SOLDIERS GRAVE
kept on. splashing through mudd,
81. suddenly at a sharp right-angle'
game at the very inside edge o
1if demolished trench upon tin
lying loosely in the earth at a
Of forty-fiye degrees, with attache
. faded dirty tricolor cockads
q f>nch soldiers grave dug upon ope
N n. hut brought nearer the trenc
<jn subsequert trench excavation
&6on hit by a boche shell fragment
cped and saluted, standing In tn
4 ~ mud and moonlight As
&m detected the odor OF decay