Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-03-04
Americans Experience
Life in CaueS IN Chef11i11
" DeS DANES Front Lines

Soldiers Live In Caves Sew
\: eral Days At A Time.
Thousand , = French And Amer'ii-' i
cans In. One Billet.
With the American Army in
France. Sunday, March 3-(By the
Associated Press)-Some Of the
American troops in the Chemin-Des
Danes sector are having an experi-
ence of camp life behind the front
trenches, their billets being deep un-
der ground .quarries and natural re-
cesses beneath the surface. The cor
respondent on, visit. to this sector,
found them thus, quartered, occupy
ing positions held by the Germans less
than a year ago: Most. of the Ameri-
cans. however are living in the
trenches and accompanying dugouts.
The front line trenches here have
been cleaned, strengthened and i'm
proved and are we'll protected with
'barbed wire entanglements. f
The underground billets. some! of
them old limestone quarries and 9TH
ers partly natural in formation and
improved through blasting operations
by the Germans who occupied them
named One OF them is called the
Pantheon. 1t accommodates "a
Thousand. men, The. correspondent
found French and American soldiers
living together there in perfect
harmony. -s-.s' f,Sss- r. ~ ~ gfr
Deep in Ground. -
y, The living quarters of the Ancri7
ca MS. ine this cate are 20 feet under
ground. The, cave consists of long
galleries with cement ceilings. Fresh
s air is supplied by large air pumps.
: elsewhere ;acetyetines lamps and III
lanterns. are employed, The men
usually remain in this cavern from
four ito six days .eaeh.,za COMPANY ne.
ing assigned i. .;ceftain sp1r ton. 81 the
ex6avatibn.s The. merf. are not pefz
mitted to. roam about at will for fear
Of their: being lost, or to- go outside
by enemy airmen. ss
The troops here. sleep on low. dou :
Bile TERED wooden hunks covered with
straw The company officers are pro-
,vided with small rooms with wooden
partitions A small railway for carry
ing supplies runs through the cave.
"A sign over one entrance reads:
.'E asst Boston Tunnel and one OF
the men standing near remarked:
THAT reminds me of home. ..,4
Wanted to Stay.
At another point, the correspondent
saw some men who had just compiet-
ed their round of trench duty. The
general in command said they had
begged to be allowed OF stay in the
line few more days. why, they
took us Sout before we even had q
decentsscrap, ,"-said "a machine gunner
As soon as the Germans learned the
Americans were in the trenches op-
posite them they put up sign read
ing: .'Welcome Yankees" but the
infantrymen riddled It with bullets
until it looks like sieve.
All the soldiers with whom the Wis.
itor talked expressed pleasure at be.
ing in the trenches rather than in a
training camp.
see, soldier replied to a question al
to, how. the men were fed. In the
shack a meal of fresh beef. potatoes
onions. canned corn. white bread
coffee and canned peaches was found
irifpteparation.
, All American Land.
+. The general took the party Of cor.
RESPONDENTS to HIS headquarters ane
pointed oft the location Of his troops
on q large map. How mucn y. ~
trenches at this point" asked one o.
the visitors. pointing to the maps
There is no No Mans Land there
1T isj all Americas land" replied tn
general: "a French captain later sub
.stantiated the generals statement b!
saying the Americans had assumed
entering the trenrhes in that sector ;t q !,
patrol fghtins -therels stated that tn.
handful s.K ,Arneritaps attacked will
ao much force and viEor that th'
Germans threw, up their, hands ant
shouted .'Kamerad" in the belief tina
there were many more In the attack
M MAithoush numerous daring. cour
areous& deeds have been performed 9:
ti7e Americans in that sector. one 3
fi1c most Interesting is that Of a Ger
man born sergeant who, with q SINAI
detail. took a. German prisoner "a 4
patrol fight but lost his way tn
result that the party wound qp 9
could plainly hear the Germans taik
nointsd i revolver at the prisoner
heaA and whispered in German:
....May be they will get US before Az
can get back. but IL they try II, W
XIII YOU iirst. Now don't you utter
sound, and led us back to our line:
The German .prtsoner silently ie'
the Americans back to- their ?Wi
trenches, tho sergeant following clos
behind him with drawn revolver. Tn
prisoner was turned over to, the. II
tellisence ofncer of the . e Unit M NJ
gained much valuable iniori1la !, 1IaaV
from him. fi3s'Fs fs So Z ID It'll 4 IS s.t