The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-04-08

I%nere our troops are fighting the Ger
/ mans one is always allowed TO say
North Of Tozl."
Toul before tho war had q popuA11on
/! of about 900. 1t hes sonhre and colo
in the valley Of the Noselle at the 1901
Of a range Of imposing hills: more ac-
curately stated. il smusEles between the
/ Noselle river and a sleepy old canal.
which in times Of peace connected Ger
/ many and France. being the artificial
J waterway from tho Rhine to tho Aarne
river. or the town I might further say
: that In 1870 IT fell to tne Germans AFTER
! being invested for thtrty-eight daya As
| q fortress Of the first class 1t is pres
! ent war aching thorn in the German
| side.
Sn1ne Hcts1-H0w Nau1na-
! We correspondents know Toul md-
mately, for every day enroute to the
from. from press headquarters rerv
| miles to the rear. we must circle us
+ moat, its two Light and graceful towers
OF tho Cathedral Of st. Etenne, and its
grim stone gates. 1t Is also the place
where a brtgadier Of ponus asks for
glimpse Of the red permit carried By our
chauffeur and takes down toe number OF
our motor car. Occasionally we enter
the old town for luncheon at the Hotel
! Coincide. which. Il I mistake not was
! once called the Hotel de Metz
Twenty miles east of Toul up the val
! key Of tho Meurtha Ia the once gag city
of Nancy. Right now Nancy Is the es-
pectal pick Of the Germans for night at
tacks BY bombs from aero7hnes. OF its
| $50 600 inhabitants scarce half remain,
and ! have recently seen roadfuls Of
! long lines Of pttiab1s looking retuS gees
! getting away from tho victousness Of an
enemy that SpecdaltIes b the wenton
/ murder Of old age woman and tho ten
der occupants OF cradleA
Somewhere to the northwest Of Nancy
and directly TO the north OF Toul is INC
/ first American sector in Franco where
! our troops walked alone IN the burning
sands Of war. am sanctioned to say
| that the area Is generally low ground
spotted with little hamletS and towns,
mostly shell torn and without tnhablt-
ants, and criSs crossed By succeeding
lines Of trenches, strong points and bat
terry positions, al part Of the defense OF
both Toul and Nancy. The unfortunate
! feature of the district Is that the Ger
mans hold the hrst bit Of really high
ground as Gao advances up the valley Of
the Mosele through what vIas once
called the Forest Of the Rhine This ell
ovation is known as Mount Sec or Dry
Mountain. and FROM It's howuins crest
! the Germans on most any day can dis
/ Germ the twin towers Of Toul
| Although the principal roads In tho
valley have been we'll camounaEed with
fnlse trees aothins that goes on or NIL
! itary activity during tho daylight hours
! is hidden entirely from the enemy: The
I, main highway runs directly north. 30
/ that the approach to OUT positions Is an
open book to q man with q strong glass
standing on Mount Sec Hence all SUP
plies 90 forward IN the night under n
nasty sacl ftxe at the principal cross
roads.
! HxRe Difficult Tash.
Obviously I cannot write specifically
Iof the towns we occupy. which ono is
artillery headquarters and while one
general headquarters. nor where the rest
camps arc located That Is good por-
ton Of the sector Is wooded with tiny
ALMOST picturesque lakes. tells nothing
TO the enemy. He also knows that our
forward lines parallel a low ridge alon &
which are several towns. and from some
where behind which arc concealed not
work of Amerfcan-nanned batteries On
g clear day one con actually see the dis
taut towers Of tho Gothic cathedral in
C;crrnan-held Metz the capital Of Ger
man Lorraine. 1t Is the job of the Amer
lean unit to hold this difficult area and
let no Germans pass through the ma
tural gateway into France made by the
|surrounding hills
! With the permission of tho chief OF
tho press division, the general In COM
n1and and others I spent a night at
one Of these villages in She Moseile val
Icy. Now can resume the narrative:
Come along with me-" said the major.
He had lived seven years In Philadelphia
where no had doctor-brother. and he
sort Of took mo under his wing. AS We
STROBE along the white path OF the road
in tho glare Of The moon, he talked OF
Paramount Park Mayor Smith and
Chestnut street Overhead there was
clearly discernibls the whir Of motors Of
aeroplanes. enemy or ours we could not
tell, Occasionally ahead beyond the
ridge was visible the spit of rockets from
the infantry trenches; tho bright white
ones being flares for lighting UP the area
between the contending armies. and the
red lights being signal calls for barragc
fro
IT'S a great Eamo If we don't weak
en-" he said. using the American phrase
equivoient Of the British Don't be
He took of his gas mask and shifted
several times Told me to take off mine.
Ne optnioued that It was more scare
than gas. Explained his sanEfroid with
the comment that before he Joined the
heavy field artillery he had been with
the coast artillery and was used to big
noises.
In about milo VIC reached Il new
road which the engineers were building.
1t had not been topped off. So we took
To the fields rather than stumble over
tho rough stone. After Il time we struck
n very small trench with wires in it that
looked like rows Of black thread. This
miniature open cut held telephone and
. telegraph wires, Il legacy from the
French. We followed the trench FOR
at least another mile. when there APP
pcared Il faint light ahead !" tn" right.
&C battery" explained The artillery
,officcr. "Now We will sec what's been
/ going on"
4 solitary sentinel challenged Us. lie
was complimeuted by til" major fur his
ialertnoss. TIL" soldier l"d the way t.
. Yonc OF u scrirS ut duSUutS. the quarters
Of the T.! G.. II rrd-haIrrd %ounGStrr from
Maryland. who had talked about his
mother and maxim good all The time