The Arizona copper camp., 1918-09-14

started to swim ashore, but when they
had gone only little way they found
they could wade in. When the water
was only up to their wsfsts they came
upon barbed wire entanglements and
not man got ashore that way but
was scratched and ctavged and man
gled horribly. Some of them that
saw afterwards were just shredded
along the sides of their bodies like
coconuts. A great many of them,
though, were killed by shrapnel while
they were in the water.
On board the Cassard our guns had
been busy all the time, and it was not
long before we put one enemy bat
terry out of commission. We had suf-
fered a bit, too, but not enough to
worry us. There were about 5000 men
on the Champagne, think, and at
least third were killed or drowned
and the casualties must have been
almost two-thirds. The ship was just
a mass of wreckage.
They called for landing party from
the Cassard, and officers asked for
volunteers for trench duty. was not
very keen about going, because had
been in trenches at Dixmude, and I
knew how pleasant they were-not,
but volunteered, and so did Murray.
We went ashore in our boats under g.
heavy fire. There were IL men killed
in the ifeboat in which I was. I es-
capped without scratch.
We were mustered up on shore and
volunteers were called for, for sentry
duty. Murray volunteered. If he had
only gone on with the rest of us he
might have come through. After a
short wait we were given the order to
advance. The firing became heavier
about this time, so we went at the
double. We had not got very far be-
fore we had a fine little surprise party
handed us.
The front line was running over
what appeared to be good, solid
ground, when they broke through and
fell into trenches 80 to 40 feet deep.
These trenches had been dug, covered
over with A-inch boards and then
with dirt, and'were regular man-traps.
Sharp stakes were sticking out of the
parapet and parados, and at the bot
tom were more stakes and rocks and
barDed wire.
We were advancing with bayonets
fixed and arms at the carry, so when
the first line fen, and some of the
second, the boys Of the third line came
running up, and in the scramble that
followed many of the chaps in the
first few lines were bayoneted by their
comrades. I was in the third line, but
| was lucky enough to pull up in time
and did not fall in. You could not look
down into that trench after you had
seen it once, it was too sickening.
Our casualties were sent back to the
ship. One boat was sunk by a shell
and all the men lost.
We remained where we were,
scratching out shallow trenches for
ourselves, finding what natural cover
there was and otherwise getting ready
for the night, which was near. 1t
began to rain and we could hardly
keep any fires going, because we had
to shelter them from the shore side, so
the enemy could not spot us, and the
wind was from the sea. It was certain
ly miserable that night.
Every once in a while we would
stand by to repel an attack, whether it
was a real one or not, and we were
under fire all the time. 1t seemed as
lf mogning would never come. The
sand was full of fleas-great big boys
and they were as bad as any
cooties / had ever had at Dixmude.
The morning came at last, and I
was detailed with a fatigue party
to the beach where we had landed
stores. When we got down to the
docks I missed Murray and asked
where he was. They said he had been
missing from his post not more than
an hour from the time we left.
I left my fatigue party, without
orders, and joined in the hunt for
Murray. There were men searching
all along the docks and on the shore
to each side. Finally 1 saw a bunch
of men collect around storehouse
ut the farther end of the docks on the
shore side. 1 ran up to them.
There was poor old Murray. They
were just taking him down. He had
been crucified against the wall of the