New-York tribune., 1918-07-25

only empty shells, having been looted
Systematically by the advancing Ger.
mans and torn by both Allied and en-
cmy explosives.
The Tribune correspondent, passing
over this country o-day, found Franco
American soldiers beginning their first
attempts to put it in order. The burial
OF horses and men is proceeding here
and there, but the task is colossal. AL
ready white crosses are being erected
over the graves of those who fell, to
take their places beside the graves of
some OF Joffre's immortals of 1914, for
.he war has now passed over this
ground for the second time in four
years.
In many places l saw the extreme
southern limit of the German line
where the Franco stopped
them: Bodies lay around in shallow
trenches they had dug. These trenches
were blasted from the ground occa.
slonally by Allied shells.
once, nearer the river, severa
american graves, over which meta
helmets were hanging atop the crosses
toId little story of their own. A
small party of them were surrounded
and refused to surrender. Turning
their faces southwark, they fought
their way out. The few survivors ar.
irving reported the incident to the
French colonel. The swaying battle
had drifted the main force of Ameri.
cans where the survivors were unable
to find them
1t was apparent to-day that the Ger.
mans brought more guns and trans
port material across the Marnc than
was at flrst believed. Horses were slain
by the hundreds and conveyances re
main either destroyed or intact, in
Guiding one brand new autom obile with
pneumatic rubber tires.
Many guns were destroyed bv the
Germans themselves before the retreat
but Allied "clean-up" forces so ia,
nave picked up more than 1000 Ger
man rifles and found great stores OF
unexploded shells and other munitions
NaItrldge boxes, knapsacks, gas masks
and other paraphernalia make great
piles when gathered. Unexploded hand
grenades on the ground make the
cleanup work not without an element
of danger
A Pittsburgh doughboy found in the
village of Saint Agnan. which is the
extreme limit of the enemy advance
south of Dormans. told this story sim.
ply to-day:
1--WE came to France in May. We
marched thirty miles from the train
ing camp y, without stop, AS reinforce
ments We found our line on top of
that hill over there above the village
and the German line on top of the hill
on the other side. Nobody held the
village because the shellfirc was toe
hot. but there was German machine
gunner in the church tower who made
things nasty until we got him. You
bet. we got him"
The doughboy. whose part had been
getting the machine gunner, said the
shellfire was literally hell and that
who tried to advance on Friday, but
were thrown back. seemed to disap-
near. leaving only few machine guns
Then the Franco Americans together
began to advance toward the Marine
but the bulk of the enemy recrossed
bridges and established themselves on
the north bank.
The Germans left small detachments
on the south bank armed with machine
guns, even after $4,000 survivors who
had originally crossed had recrossed
and fourteen bridges spanning the
stream had been blown up. Of these the
French and American troops took 1000
prisoners and killed the others, and by
Saturday noon the only Germans re-
manning on the south bank of the
Marne were the dead and those who
had been taken prisoners.
Saturday night the American forces
crossed the Marine in boats near
Charteves and Jaulgonne. while the
French troops crossed on two bridges
further east To-day as I looked over
the river from the crest of hill which
a few days ago was Il terrible battle
ground I saw no bridges and was in
formed there were none. The German
artillery which was left in force on
the north bank as the main forces of
the enemy retreated from the northward
had destroyed these bridges on which
the intrepid Allies had crossed, but the
latest reports are they are holding
story is printed in America more
bridges will be stretched forth from
the south bank
saw great pontoons going forward
late to-day on wagons and by morning
they will have helped the Allied troops
to seriously bite into the rear guard
of the enemy, who are screening their
retreat from the salient.
AS we looked from the hill into the
valley it was evident why the Germans
had massed great numbers of cannon.
Tac-tactac went the machine guns,
constantly firing at no one knew what.
East and west as the river swung lazily
through the hills, heavy columns Of
black smoke rose hazily into the still
atmosphere.
This was why the enemy was tenn
porarily fortifying the north bank. He
had brought enormous quantities of
materials, tools and munitions to the
north bank before the troops bridged
the Marine and made the wooded hills
bristle with machine guns. Supplies
destined to keep troops who crossed
the river craincx So1,tL u,