Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-07
AME R|CANS WERE
ON FRONT, BUT
/ DIDN'T KNOW It
War Photographer Tells of the
I Queer Experiences He Had
J While Engaged in Snap
shooting the Fighting,
BY lincoln Eyre.
Copyright, 1918 by The Press Pub
fishing Co.

WIN IHe american army at NeF-
dun, Oct. 6.-This is story of a
camera man who gets his battle pic
lures back to the folks at home. He
is Lieut.. Ralph Estep, of New York,
former war correspondent who is
now engaged in snapshooting the
fighting between the Argonne and
the Mouse as photographer for Great
General Headquarters.
- Estep and l hiked out to Hill 304
together in the gray hours before the
drive began, and together We watched
the waves of the assault go over the
ridge above Malancourt. Then he
started forward to catch up with the
infantry, and l went back to get my
dispatches on the cable.
Got "Real Front Stuff"
Last night he turned UP in town
far behind the front, which is the
correspondents headquarters. He was
dirty and tired and unshaven, but
his eyes we're alight with the camera
. fiend's enthusiasm as he told me he
had taken five dozen prints of real
front stuff" which, reaching America
a fortnight hence, may help out the
Liberty Loan.
After leaving me Estep galloped
to the valley under Hill 304, whence
our doughboys had begun their drive.
There were only support bat
talions there" he said, so / beat it
to Cuisy the next village north On
the way 1 met up with signal corps
sergeant stringing phone wire. Up
to that time / might as we'll have
been promenading in the Bronx. as
far as the enemy fire was concerned
But the sergeant and | were just ask
ing each other what had become of
the war when a machine gun began
potting at us from neck of the woods
off to the west.
I'VE didn't stop to argue-just tum-
bled into the nearest shell hole and
stayed there. After while the fire
died off. Then it would begin again.
That went on for three hours at the
end of which we made a run for it to
a bunch of trees south of Cuisy.
Kept on Strinsing His Wire.
I'VE got there safely but they were
still peppering us, so we crawled the
sergeant still stringing the wire I
got a bully picture of the soles of
his boots as he wriggled along through
the bushes. Finally we got to a ra-
vine and were able to walk upright
into Cuisy
There wasn't a thing in Cuisv ex-
cept a few artillery observers hunt
ing place to sleep. ] was look
ing for a particular infantry regi-
ment. It's headquarters was in Cuisy.
but the Colonel had got tired of wait
ing for reports about his men, and.
not getting them, had gone on ahead.
The Wire Sergeant was supposed to
get phone to the Colonel and started
north again.
1--WE reached Septarges without
much trouble, and helped to dig out
some Boches who were hiding in the
dugouts there. Still not shell came
near us meandered along looking
for the front line until / was up on
top of Hill 295, half a mile or so
north of Septarges. An artillery re-
connoitering patrol was roaring
around US there, trying to locate the
infantry ahead. All of a sudden shells
started falling fifty yards off.
1T took us only few seconds to
realize that the Boche Seventy-sevens
were snipinT at us. We retreated in
good order down the hill and ran up
against a company of doughboys in
the foxholes along the road to Sep
targes.
On Front and Didn't Know 1t.
Where's the front?' they asked
us. just then the Major came up,
and before we could answer he re-
marked calmly: He'll! you are the
'front.'
The doughboys seemed quite sur
prised. They had lost their bearings
IN the mist and had no idea they were
the advance guard.
Il gotta lot of good pictures around
there. BE sure and duck when a
shell drops near us, because want
TO get both you and the shell in the
same exposure" l told the boys.
Wen duck all right" they as
sured me.
BY and by got so hungry I hiked
back to Septarges to see if | could
stir up some chow. The artillery Of
ficer and 1 found some German can
ned beef and a pail of potatoes al
ready peeled, and, believe me, it was
some feast. We even cooked our
selves some German coffee, which
was not as bad as it has been paint
ed.
After dinner l thought | would
have look at Montfaucon, which we
mad heard had been taken. That was
about 4 O'Clock in the afternoon, 1
had not gone 800 yards down the
road from Septarges when l walked
INTO the most annoying machine gun
fusilade | had ever heard. 1t seemed
TO come from all directions at once.
Most of 1t l guess was from nest
the Boches had tucked away in the
woods on Hill 315, q mile east of
Montfaucon. l squatted down in
the lee of a ruined house for SO long
! got sleepy. Still they kept plug
ging away at us. Finally ! gave 1t
up, found me Boche' blanket and
climbed down into the nearest dugout
to pound my ear.
During the night the Germans
shelied the village, counter attacked
just north of it, and dropped several
bombs-and | slept through the whole
show. / hadn't had wink for two
nights before, and was all in.
around noon Friday the Boche
artillery got unpleasantly lively. ]
went back to Cuisy for food-there
was not a morsel left in Septarges b,
that time-and cigarettes. Shells
came down in haphazard fashion al
over the place, but our batteries had
been hauled up and were giving the
Boche fine old strafing.
"Cuisy was empty of grub, but the
Y. NJ. c. A. was selling smokes, sc
every one who had the price was in
luck. Those who did not went with.
out. Anybody who had been willing
to give away cigarettes instead OF
selling them could have had the nom.
ination for governor in Cuisy thai
afternoon"
Estan ctorted roo ryard x,,;th l,;s