Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-11-05
SIGNAL CORPS
SEE ACTION ON
WESTERN FRONT
Omaha Soldier Tells of Thrill
ing Experiences in Dugout
Keeping Up Telegraph
Communications.

-hhiOiS iiiS lSt VI tiC SAidAdlis
to enlist and go "over there" was
John E. lngoldsby, telepragh oper-
tor who worked in Union Pacific
headquarters, and who since being
IN France has been in the signal
corps. Writing home from Some
where in France" and under date of
October 8, he says:
When we left the Chateau Thierry
front they sent us down to the St.
Miheil sector. The Germans re-
treated so fast there that my COM
pany saw no action at all, so they
moved us up to another front. OF
course, can't tell you where we are,
but can most solemnly assure you
that we are seeing the hardest serv-
ice and fighting we have thus far
experienced. We have been in the
midst of continuous bombardment
tor so long that we are so frazzled
that 4 man who whistles becomes
very unpopular. The whistle sounds
too much like she'll approaching.
| am stationed in a semi-dugout,
which is fair protection against
fragments OF she'll, but which will
make first class grave if Heinie
ever lands direct hit on US. We
have a telegraph office here and
hunks for the operators to sleep
in. They are pretty crude hunks,
but we keep dry and warm, which
is something we haven't been &C
customed to for some time. As you
probably know. there are less than
100 days when it doesn't rain in
France. We have some rain every
day or night, which makes it inter-
esting for the soldat when he has
to sleep out.
Shell in Doorway.
We had both doors of our Office
open yesterday morning when a
shell landed right at the front door
and another at the back door. One
Of the men had his head out of the
rear entrance when the shell ex-
ploded there and he Immediately
came in clawing dirt out of one ear
and almost strangled. Incidentally,
he had slight wound in the
shoulder, but he didn't know it until
later. The smoke from the shells
filled the room and we Immediately
grasped wildly for our gas-masks.
I've smelled the smoke from a good
many shells but the odor from that
one was new to me. 1t smelled ex-
actly like arsenic-such as you in
hale crossing the bridge when the
smelter is going full blast and the
wind is blowing from the north
and it hurt Our lungs, and made us
weep bitterly. We promptly hiked
back to the first aid station, where
the medico tested us and pro-
nounced us mot gassed." We were
very much relieved for we had all
swallowed enough of the smoke to
kill us if it had been gas. (There is
a deadly gas with an arsenic base,
and you die in great agony four
or five hours after you inhale it,
The lady or gentleman who
wrote the Irish song which pro-
claimed that Ireland was "the most
distressful country" didn't know
what he was talking about. This is
the most distressful, desolate will
derness the world has ever seen.
The other fronts we have been on
were a couple of paradises. We
haven't seen a house in month.
There are fragments of houses, but
there wouldn't even be fragments if
the houses hadn't invariably been
constructed of stone. The fields
are so pitted with shelf holes that
they resemble gigantic honey combs.
1t is difficult to even walk over
them and I have been vainly trying
70 figure how the farmers will ever
BE able to pillow them again.
Germans Fight Hard.
The Germans have been putting
up a remarkably stiff fight along this
front, but we have at last got them
retreating, although they are taking
their time about it. Perhaps they
have heard that Austria has asked
for an armistice and are getting out
from under. We just got that news
yesterday, but we are paying little
attention to it.
| have had just seven small drinks
of water in the last Is days. The
shell holes are about the only places
on this front where water can be OBJ
tanned and the doctors won't let us
use it because it may have been
gassed. Our water carts have to 60
long distances for pure water and
we get it in the form of coffee. l
generally drink two quart cups with
each meal, so | don't feel the need
of aqua pura. Almost every we'll or
spring we run across in the battle
area hasa printed sign reading This
water must not be used unless it is
chlorinated," or DO not use this
water until 1t has been treated or
bailed for 20 minutes" or some such
words. One we'll we came across on
another front had these simple
words: This water is not fit to
drink" Some wag had printed TN
derneath it with pencil: mo water