Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-05-03

.,,s i,.., Trench Digging.
on the ground to the point where we
were to commence work. This in or
der that we would not get lost in the
darkness. The proposed trench was
also laid out with tape.
The covering party went out first.
After short wait, two scouts came
back with information that the work
ing party was to follow and carry on"
with their work.
In extended order, two yards apart,
we noiselessly crept across No Mans
Land. 1t was nervous work; every
minute we expected a machine gun to
open fire on us. Stray bullets "cracked"
around US, or ricOchet sang over
head.
Arriving at the tapped diagram Of
the trench, rifles slung around our
shoulders, we lost no time in getting
to work. We dug as quietly as pos
sible but every now and then the noise
Of q pick or shovel striking a stone
would send the cold shivers down our
backs. Under our breaths we heartily
cursed the offending Tommy. ...
At intervals star shell would go up
from the German lines and we would
remain motionless until the glare OF its
white light died out.
When the trench had reached
depth Of two feet we felt safer, be-
cause it would afford us cover in case
we were discovered and fired on.
The digging had been in progress
about two hours, when suddenly hell
seemed to break loose in the form OF
machine-gun and rifle fire.
We dropped down on our bellies in
the shallow trench, bullets knocking
up the ground and swapping in the air.
Then shrapnel butted in. The music
was hot and Tommy danced.
The covering party was having a
rough time Of it; they had no cover;
just had to take their medicine.
Word was passed down the line to
beat it for our trenches. We needed no
urging; grabbing our tools and stoop-
ing low, we legged it across No Mans
Land. The covering party got away
to poor start but beat us in. They
must have had wings because we low
cred the record.
Painting and out of breath, we tum-
bled into our front-line trench. I tore
my hands getting through our wire,
but at the time, didn't notice it; my
journey was too urgent.
When the roll was called we found
that we had gotten it in the nose for
63 casualties.
Our artillery put barrage on Fritz
front-line and communication trenches
and their machine-gun and rifle fire
suddenly ceased.
Upon the cessation of this fire,
stretcher bearers went out to look for
killed and wounded. Next day we
learned that p of our men had been
killed and 81 wounded. Five men were
missing; lost in the darkness, they
must have wandered over into the Ger
man lines, where they were either
killed or captured.
Speaking of stretcher bearers and
wounded, it is very hard for the aver
age civilian to comprehend the enor-
nous cost of taking care Of wounded
and the war in general. He or she gets
so accustomed to seeing billions of dol
lars in print that the significance Of
the amount is passed over without
thought.
From an official statement published
in one of the London papers, it Is
stated that it costs between six and
seven thousand pounds $4,000 to $685.
OOO to kill or wound a soldier. This
result was attained by taking the cost
Of the war to date and dividing 1t by
the killed and wounded.
It may sound heartless and inhuman,
but it is fact, nevertheless, that from
a military standpoint it is better for
man to be killed than wounded.
If man is killed he is buried, and
the responsibility of the government
ceases, excepting for the fact that his
people receive a pension. But If man
is wounded it takes three men from
the firing line. the wounded man and