The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-04-18
T. c. UPTON SAW PARIS
SHELLED BY BIG GUN

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from eye-Witnesses and had the names
and addresses of his informants if
any chose to verify his statements.
he says that the current reports are
not exaggerated in the least, in fact,
that words cannot picture acts more
horrible than those perpetrated by the
Huns.
He says that when an air raid takes
place the pepulace become panic
stricken but that the damage from
military viewpoint is negligible.
He visited one camp where 10000
american aviators were quartered.
| There were eight fields in the camp
and the planes used are all of the
| French make. He brot back parts
| from wrecked plane and has very
, interesting assortment of plane parts
| to exhibit to his friends. The engines
| in the French planes are what are
known as the LIE Rhone rotary motors
and are of from 80 to 120 h. p. Mr..
Upton saw four Boche planes brot
| down in recent raid on Paris. They
were immense machines and each was
equipped with two six-cylinder mo-
! tors and carried four passengers.
/, These machines were placed on exhi-
bition at the Invalides Of Paris where
a park containing 1S acres is covered
with war machines, representing the
various makes from the time Of the
| Invention of the first cannon in the
18th century. The German planes do
! not contain rotary motors. They are
csudely constructed and he noticed
/ that one of these had its spread"
made from ordinary two by fours.
These machines had a spread of
! SO 1-2 feet while the spread" of the
French is around 60 feet, He saw no
Zeppelins in operation but at the In
!, valides there are several on eXhlbl-
tion. He says the effect produced by
aibomb is terrible. He was an eye
witness to the destruction of several
Buildings. One Of these, the John
Bull building in London, was bombed
i late at night. This building is owned
BY one of the leading London news
papers and when the alarm was given
! hundreds had rushed into the base
n1ent of the building to escape the
sbrain of shrapned and bombs. A bomb
FIJI upon the back Of the building,
killing 100 and iniuring 1863. He says
it is stated on reliable authority that
] more fatalities result from the shrap-
mel which is sent up in barrage and
falls upon the people than results dl-
rectlv from the bombs of the enemy
planes.
While interviewing Mr.. Upton our
representative lighted his cigar with
a cigar lighter made from French
she'll case which bore the imprint OF
the French munition manufacturer.
/, This led to remark from Mr.. Upton
to the effect that matches were prac,
tically unobtainable in France and
that these lighters are in common use.
He said that matches, butter and su-
gar were the only necessities that
were really ysscarce in France. Tobac-
cos. he said, are limited in supply but
there seemed to be sufficient to meet
the requirements. There is no lack OF
meats or bread. The bread is war
bread. Of course, excepting some
white bread which was served during
a visit to the American camps ne en-
loved no white bread during his stay
abroad.
In speaking of the morale of the
French people Mr.. Upton said "The
French people of every rank are de-
termined to fight to the finish what
ever the cost, and the British are as
equally determined" The soldiers
are being protected from evil infiu-
ences in so far as it is possible. In
no single instance did he see case OF
drunkenness. While war is degrading
as business and inculcates the more
evil tendencies of man, yet, generally
speaking, the soldiers are being kept
from the baser influences to marked
degree.
Mr.. Upton says that the French
. were not at all surprised that the re-
treat was necessary along the line at
tackled by the Huns. This, he said,
was part Of the program arranged
by the Allies in case that they could
! get the Germans to attack first.
! Mr.. Upton says that in talking with
; the French people one might get the
impression that they are tired of the
war, but that if you put the question
up to them point blank, they all de-
clare emphatically that they would
not think of accepting such terms as
the Germans might give at this time,
preferring to fight to the last man.
Wen still fight 1t the Huns should
happen to drive us as far as SPAIN"
was e. remark Mr.. Upton frequently
heard.
During his stay in France Mr.. Up
( ton had occasion to cross France
eight times and consequently his trav-
els brot him into contact with the peo-
pie in every quarter. He demonstrat-
ed tractors to representatives Of the
Roumanian government and to the Of
ficials Of the governments Of Italy,
France and England. The agricul-
tural affairs Of the republic are now
under military control.
Mr.. Uptoh says that southeastern
France contains the most picturesque
and beautiful scenery he ever beheld,
especially in the vicinity Of Grenoble,
which lies in B beautiful valley sur.
rounded BY the snow capped peaks o9
tho A1Ma M aava fhnrA n \ marked