Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-18

quite as comfortable as home, but not so
uncomfortable at that. We are entitled,
suppose, to a rest billet here for a
bit, but II l had my way I'd rather go
back at once, enjoyed living in the
pantheon, for when | was a kiddie cave
dwelling was my dream"
The pantheon TO which our soldier re-
ferred is gigantic cave under the
plateau Of Chemin -des Danes. which in
itself il about twelve kilometers wide
by thirty long The cave has a dozen
entrances They slope down from the
ruin Of the surface Rt angles of twenty
degrees or are entered by steep steps
TO the number Of seventy-six in the one
instance that I mounted them. Within
there is a veritable maze. Passage after
passage runs in every direction, many to
blind alleys. The ceiling heights are
four feet In many instances, so that
one has to walk bent double. In others
they are six or seven feet high, and
never less than six wide. Here and
there the passages intersect in punches
Of three to six and now and then
great room appears in which tiers of
hunks three and four deep are ranged
against the walls
In this cave home. which was built
by the earth-burrowing boche. there is
room for $500 men without crowding.
Through its maze found almost a full
battalion Of Yankees and as many Of
the poilus of France They had light
from acetylene torches or candles. with
here and there electric lights. All had
been in the lire and were awaiting the
call to return.
There under the earth. from distances
Of twenty to sixty feet, it was quiet as
tomb save for the voices Of the men,
No shell explosion could I've heard from
the living quarters. since they are deep
est by far. We spent more than three
hours in the Pantheon largely because
our guide lost his way and tried to
camouhaRe But we said nothing as he
led us here and there and retraced steps
to a final entrance. because one would
have to have a genuine acquaintance
with this boche construction to know
all its mysteries and our guide had. as
his fellows. been on the job but fort
night or so.
Veriest Desolation
Finally we found the seventy-six-step
exit and mounted 10 welcome daylight
and keener air. In the open I found the
very center. as was told. Of the Che
min -des- Danes and as I tried to orient
myself, 7 remembering visioning about
the very spot | then stood on through
a fiedslass from behind the French
lines ere the highway of NapoleOns day
was wrested from the boche. The snow
was falling in singing flakes and a wild
March wind was blowing. Aside from
the few of us in khaki there was not a
living soul to be seen. All about was
the veriest desolation--a jambe and
tumble Of broken and decrept trenches
long abandoned. mass of wire and
wood and debris. with an occasional
rustng or weatherbeaten piece Of bOche
or French equipment.
All about too, were graves. graves
marked hastily or unmarked At all
Perhaps 5000 dead men at modest esti-
mate lay within the range of my vision.
and with the snow and the wind and
the mist that was not far.
out beyond it. quite out of sight
through the weather lay the line. the
front line. guarded and held by poilu
and American. while beyond still, driven
from his stronghold through the valor
and sacrifice of the soldiers of France.
lay the boche line, Between. a, new
No Mans Land OF relatively recent maxi
ing. We were well within range Of small
gun, but the mist and the visibility
prevented the salyo that would have
greeted our little party had the day been
clear. for the boche on this sector let's
fly at any party OF two or more. -
Suddenly off to. the rear Of our lines
we heard the boom of a 1856 followed
at short interval by another and another.
The regular fire, periodical, to keep the
hand in and let the barbarian know we
were on THE job, After a minute the
answer came from the German. SO as
a shell broke out of the mist a couple
of hundred yards from us we made our
way, guided by a narrow-guage rail-
road. to the ruined village behind. and
thence to our cars for the return to
Soissons.