Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-06
SAMMEES BORE IN
AND LIVE CAVE LIFE
Deep Underground Billets in
Chemin- -des-Dames Shelter
Men
RAID HEROES CIT + d
No Mans Land in That Sector Now
Is Under Domination of
Americans
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
A l. L

WITH THE AMERICAN Nl;Ml IN
FRANCE, March g.
Sammccs In the Chcmin- -dcs-Damcs
section Of the battlefront are becoming
cave men, their billets being deep un-
dcrground uuarrics and natural rccessos
beneath tn" surface. They occupy po-
sitions held by the Germans less than
a year ago Most Of the Americans.
however. arc living up tho trenches and
accompanying dugouts The front line
trenches hero have hccu cleaned,
strengthened aud improved and arc well
protected with barhcd wire cntanGlc-
monte
The underground biilcta. some Of
them old limestone quarries and others
partly natural in formation and I'm.
proved through blasting operations by
the Germans, who occupied them for
nearly three years, arc Nariously named.
one of them f. called the pantheon"
u accommodates thousand mon.
French and American soldiers live to-
gcthcr there in perfect harmony.
- FEET UNDER GROUND
Tho living quarters Of the Americans
IN this cave are scvcnty-two feet under
ground. The cave consists of long gall
lcrics with cement ceilings Fresh air
IL supplied by large airpuiupS, The cave
is in part electrically lighted. The
mon usually remain in this cavern from
four 20 six days each. Tho men arc not
permitted to roam about at VIII for fear
OF their being lost or 20 go outside cS-
copt when on duty lest they bo detected
by enemy airmen
: The troops here elccp on low. double.
ticre1 wooden hunks covered win
straw. THE company officers arc pro.
vidcd with small rooms with wooden
partitions. \ small railway fUr carrying
supplice runs through tho Carc. sigu
over one entrance reads Fast Gosto,
/ tunnel"
~ auutnor poiut there ar" mcn who
/ have just completed their round OF
+ trcuCh duty rh' general in command
/ said they had begged 10 lc allo" 70
to stay ia the line u icw more days
"Why. they took US out before ",
even had a decent scrap said a ma
chine gunner.
hs eoou as tho Gcrmaus learned th,
Americans were ip the trcnchc- oppost,
them thcr put up . sign reading;
/ welcome, Yankee" but tho infantry
mcu rddled IT with bullets until 1
looked like n sieve. M the soldiers cX
pressed pleasure at being in the trenches
A.. rather than in a training camp.
L. $. ANNEXES 80 MANS LAND
The general took the correspondent
to his headquarters aud pointed out tn
location of his troops Oh a large map
How much No Mau's Land is there he
q tween the trenches at this polnt?' ashc,
enc OF the visitors, pointing to th
map. "Thcrc Is no No Mans Ian,
there; it is all Americas land reptile,
the general French captain late
substantatcd the generals statcmout b,
saying tho Americans had assumed con
troll of 80 Mans Land .oon after cu
.Crlug tho trenches in TIA """tor.
Although many daring docda haN
been performed 10y the Amerlcaur in tha
sector, ono of the most interesting I
'hat Of a Gernau-born sergeant, who
with u small detail took - German priH
oncr ~ Il patrol light. but lost his way
with tn" rc; ult the party wound up 4
'hc German harhcd wire, whore the,
could plainly hear the Germans talkiui
~ their dugouta The sergeant pointed
= pistol At the prisoncr'a head and whi2
pcrcd in German:
Maybe they VIII get W before ",
can get back, but if they try it 7 vii
klll lou iirs, Now don't YOU utter
sound aud lead uS back to our line
The GerWau prisoner obcycd and h
was turned over to tn" intolliCCuC
office who gained much valuable in
formation FROM him.