Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-05-31


They had to set the stretcher up
edge-ways and let US walk along the
top edge of it. His forehead was
covered with blood and his eyes were
open. I had always thought that
would feel a bit sick and faint, but
it didn't affect me that way at all;
nor has it since. The only way l
can account for it is that we have
been thinking about and preparing
for that sort of thing so long, that
we take it as matter of course. l
do know that I used to recoil from
the callous suggestion of a bayonet
attack, but now l rather relish the
idea of sticking about six inches of
cold steel into nice fat ''boche"
Well, started out to write about
first impressions and instead Of that
| have used most of my space in
generalizing. So l shall try to get
back to first impressions again. Let
US start with the back areas, Your
first impression is of one continuous
string of trucks. It seems that all
of the trucks that the home factor
ies-such as the White, Packard, Lo-
comobile-ever turned out were on
that one road. But it is that way
everywhere back Of the lines, going
on ceaselessly day and night.
You go a little farther up howard
the line, and if it is clear day, you
soon hear the buzz of an aeroplane
and then the big guns begin to "pop"
away at it, and you can see the lit
tie puffs of white and black smoke
from the shrapnel bursts. An aero
plane is very hard to hit and the ar
| tillery seldom tries to make a di-
rect hit, but instead puts ''barrage"
in front of the flier, so that he can
not cross above the lines and make
observations. I was over to large
aviation camp the other afternoon
where the scouting machines are kept
that go out every day over the Ger
man lines. The machines were out
doing few stunts, which rivaled
anything a "circus" flyer ever did
dipping and turning, looping the
loop, and chasing and lodging one
another. One young chap made a
long dip, lost control of his machine,
regained it just before he reached the
ground, but too late to avert a
smash-up. He struck near me, and
was the first one to him. The ma
chine was a complete wreck and the
flyer was pretty badly cut up, but
not seriously injured l talked to a
young French officer who spoke very
good English. He said he had been
up all of the night before, lost 1900
francs in poker game; was or
dered out at daybreak to patrol the
lines; had just got back; and now, as
he put it, was going into town to get
a drink and spend the evening.
The worst strain upon troops is
being subjected to shell fire, BECAUSE
they have to lie low and take it with
out fighting back. One soon learns
to differentiate between the different
kinds of shells, and the one you learn
: first to distinguish is the one that is
headed your way. I can't describe
the sound, but l know it all right
they proceed to hit the dirt without
delay when they hear it. Another
kind of shell which is easy to dis
tinguish is a gas shell. 1t makes {
"wobbling" sound in going through
the air, something like freight en-
gine. It's burst, too, is different.
high explosive detonates with a lout
bang, but gas shell has a distinc
"plop," like the bursting of rottel
egg.
I might mention that I was in tn,
same sector as Captain Roosevelt
when he was wounded. l know O.
no particular reason why 1 shoult
mention it, though. There were
good many others who didn't get of
as easily as he did-only they didn'
happen to be ex-Presidents' sons.
Well, perhaps 1 can continue thes
prosaic "reminiscences some time il
the future.
So-long.