Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1918-06-13
THE ED TRjhNGlE IS
KEEPING ITS PROM .ES
Y. M. c. A Secretaries Follow The
Soldiers Out Into No
Mans Land
No Job Too Sa,sI. For The g gsest
OF Men

I American Y. NJ. c. A. is keen
ing its promises. American secretaries
are LOW, AMI have been for many
weeks, at work in the forward area
along the battle front in France To
n indeterminate plumber OF Red Tri-
Gagle men over tnCre' gas and GEeA
fire and mud and oCtual battle are
grim reality-a part Of II" day
work
A personal letter Of absorbing inter
est was lately received from Mr. Ralph
HARRISON, presidenr of the Pittsburgh
Y. M. C. A and a well known business
man of that city, who has been in
France on a special Y. M. c. A. Mis-
sion.
The Letter
Casualties had occurred among our
soldiers just before we arrived at our
village" the letter reads, and we were
ordered TO get under cover of our dc
suite. After a supper of chocolate, war
| bread, and canned beef, the six OF us sec
retaries were ordered to the cellar OF
| the ", together with fifty soldiers who
happened to be in the old shell-torn
! building, as the boche were beginning
| dies, a big basketful Of canteen sup
plies, to last us in case We should have
| to be dug out later, overcoats and blan-
kets. We fitted our gas masks on to
| be sure they were working well, and
| then settled down-or tried to-in the
dungeon. We expected tC have to stay
| all night, but in an hour sentry cal
| ed All out and up we gladly went.
| Mt IN
stairs in one of the reasonably who's
rooms, with piano and songs and sto-
ries and the ever-present and wonder
| full canteen, at which | took my turn
| Needless to say. ! slept none rha
night, with all the bang and noise out
side but nobody does, I'm told, the
| first night. The night before J got
about two hours of ioziug with stift
neck, sitting up in d crowded night
train, but, strange 10 say, | never rel'
| the lack Of it for a minute.
1--WE were up the next morning at
une bonnie heure, and after breakfast
at the officers mess Clarke and |
started off for the trenches, each OF
us ladened with about fifty pounds OF
canteen supplies besides our helmet
gas masks, carried It all times at
'alerte,' etc.
For two hours we pursued = or
tuous way among the various lines Of
trenches and connecting trenches,
stopping frequently to dispense our
popular wares among the hoys, some
| reDairing the trenches, some building
new ones, some on sentry duty some
sleeping in the dugouts, some man
itng guns and watching for German
heads.
"As we entered the front-line
| trenches. we suddenly ran into Secre-
tary Baker and accompanying officers.
I stepped aside as we'll as l could, sa-
uted and said, Good morning, Mr.
Secretary AS they passed l heard
one of the officers say to the Secre.
tary You see, Mr.. Secretary, the
men are right up in the front-lne
trenches with the boys.
Time was flying, and we knew
there were still more soldiers further
on who would be glad to see US. soon
we entered No Mans Land by means
~ a trench, a land which we had
seen from the rear lines in the DIS
!ance an hour earlier, all uprooted AMI
.orn and desolate, and after some min
utes we crawled, hot and wlnded, INTO
a shell hole-the furthermost listening
most in our lines - and round SIX SUI
diers on guard, all very much a'ert
They gave us a warm welcome, ano
ve conducted our communications IL
low whispers, for there were tlres
| German snipers in three dl1erenC vi
rections only seventy-hVe rect away
Needless to say, our gunnySacks
were empty when we came out. we
hurried back to the sign or the heC
Triangle in the village, drank a CUT
of hot chocolate, and started In agar
in another direction.
1--WE watched the explosions gettlne
closer and closer, each one preceded
bv the weirdest kind of wall ahc
whine through the air, and then dur
ing let.ur we rushed across the opeG
and into the dugouts in an embank
ment. where our second pack OF sup
plies disappeared.
"T>wo Of the secretaiie les had beer
qassed the day before We arrived a
This Mace. and one slightly wounded
hv shrapnel, while others we're break
ing under the physic-l strain and need
ad relief. I'm sure we will heal
Fatalities soon, but since my experi
ence in the trenches ] don't ask TN
question any more .- is il WORT
while7' Never was such an emporium
ity given to man to serve his feilo"
men as this. ,
"psss the word on, and pass
| quickly, that Ave hundred OF the mos ,'
oanabis. earnest, and big-souled Chr's
tIsr men err needed here today IN 40
s,t,an :. the ,.eekiy stream that !
esminu. We are cabling New 1od,
Srsnusntiy but they don't come. II
critical and we must not fail. bug "
vt,I unless more and better men eotA
: tmmeasaseay. A I sec II, there 70 =
.IY n. G. A. rob ever hers toe smA'
49, xnaM In AAnxSGR