The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-16
American Sector Is Opposite
Fortress, Mount Sec.
Great Fortified Hill Looms Like
Hump on Horizon.
GAS ATTACK PROVES A JOKE
Huns Drop Gas Shells From
Airplanes and by Artillery.
But Gas Masks Made NOxiOuS
Fumes Inoffensive.
BY ]. w. PEGLER.


With the American Armies in
france, Feb. Is. (delayed.)-The
American sector is opposite Mount
Sec. a great hill looming like hump
on the horizon, visible from the city
of Toul, it is permissible to announce
today
Mount Sec is dotted with enemy
machine gun nests and observation
posts The Sammies are already call
ing it Gibraltar" but Pittsburg lad
quoted Bob Fitzsimmons's famous say
ing. The bigger they are the harder
they fall
The hill is a short distance within
the enemy's lires and affords observa-
ton of our territory like a perpetual
sausage balloon. The American artil-
lery periodically touches up the ma
chine gun nests on it.
Mount Sec is about three miles
northeast of Xivray, the town where
American Soldiers were recently cap
tured i'll a German raid. 1t is about
ten miles east of st. Mihiel and twenty
miles north of Toul.
Leave Politics to Washington.
1t is known in trench land, of
course, that President Wilson has re-
jected the Austro German peace feel
ers But men and officers alike are
disposed to leave discussion of intcrna-
tional affairs to those back home
their present and immediate task is
to back up the presidents words with
rifle and bayonet.
I'VE are working hard but we're not
boasting," declared noted major
general in discussing the situation
today.
We are not without appreciation of
what has been done by others and
what remains for US to do.
What the American armies have
done IN the past means nothing-it's
what this army does that counts now"
Today was bright clear and cold. A
freezing wind served to partially dry
up the mud l. the trenches and af-
forded a WELCOME relief from the wet
and sogginess the men have been ex-
perienci:4g.
The sector was the quietest it had
been in forty-eight hours, as regards
artillerying. Airplanes flashed con-
stantly thru the sunlight. A sausage
bai1oonehung Iazily in the rear of ne
mediate objective of the American
hate" loomed huge across the German
lines.
Send Over Gas Attack.
The boches attempted to take ad-
vantage of the breeze blowing toward
the american trenches to give the
SammleS taste of gas. After hours
of alertness, American sentries heard
suspicious humming from the enemv
trenches, accompanied by suspicious
smell. This led to a report that Fritz
was loosing a gas cloud
one man, believed to have been
gassed, was sent to the hospital but
his condition is not serious.
In addition to the gas cloud. the
Germans fired gas shells, which Ioosed
banana-like odor. These did no
harm.
Every Sammy on the road, whether
marching toward the trenches, driving
, ration wagon or goading machine
gun mules, wore gas mask in alert
position, ready to snap the elastics
over his head the instant an alarm
was sounded
Gas Masks Even in Hospitals.
Far back of the lines, where rolling
detonations and rafting window
panes were the only warlike sounds
the wounded in the hospitals were
ready to don masks which were hang
ing within arms reach suspended
from nails at the head of each cot
Perhaps the bocheS gas won't
amount to much in the face of all the
anti-gaa equipment now supplied the
Sammies, but the boys aren't taking
any chances.