Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-02-02
Americans Occupy Trenches
Close to Line of Ger
man Forces.
SECTION LOCATED
ON MARSHY LAND
Men Compelled to Remaiq Almost
Constantly at Pumps, but Positions
Are UnfavorabIe for Trench Rate
,Samnies Now Experience All Thrills
and Dangers Of Trench Warfare
Heavy Foss Now Hamper Operations.
lBy the Associated Press.l

With the American Army in France,
Feb. 1.-American troops in trenches
on the French front line at one place
are only sixty feet from the German
line. At another point the lines are
separated by one mile, but here the
intervening space is tnarshy.
The American trenches generally are
in marshy ground. The trenches were
shallow when the Americans moved in
but since then they have been deep
ened and improved In every dugout
the soldiers work almost constantly on
the pumps keeping out the water which
seeps in. The trenches, however, are
unfavorable for trench rats.
Our batteries manage to keep dry
positions most OF the time. The enemy
artillery is on higher ground than that
Of the Americans. In some places the
artillery is active. The German OBJ
servation post has been shelled re-
peatedly and doubtless has been hi:
often. On clear nights this hill stands
out prominently and offers good
target
Trench Water Knee Deep.
On The firing platforms the men
stand near their rifles. Others splash
thru tho trench, sometimes slipping
from the duck boards into water above
their knees. If the position is near the
enemy lines hardly q word is spoken
and when word is necessary 1t is
spoken in a whisper.
Far away to one side Of the positions
q white stream shoots up into tho sky
and breaks into white balls that throw
a, light as If from a powerful electric
light.
All the while there is the intermittent
roar Of guns and the whistle as Of ex-
press trains as projectiles of all calibar
go over the trenches.
Every now and then thc sound, OF a
shell explosion is audible but most Of
are too far away from the trenches
for the men to hear the projectiles ex-
plode
Enemy Rockets Keenly Observed.
Every man in the line at all times
has his eyes open for two Kinds OF
colored rockets. One is green and the
other is red. The first one means
asphyxiating gas and the other calls for
an artillery barrage. The green light
means. speed, and the gas masks are
adjusted after an alarm is given.
During the night there comes inter-
mittently from all sides the crack OF q
rifle fired by snipcr.
During> the past few days there has
been no aerial activity BECAUSE OF the
fog, but during the clear days preced-
ing the bad weather the men in the
line witnessed many exciting air
battles. Usually the enemy foes In
groups Of three but they separate when
shrapnel fire begins to break among
them.
Sec German Aviators Fall.
On at least one occasion the men
had seen p machine come down. IT fell
within the German lines but by the
way 1t fell there was no mistaking
what happened to its occupants.
Today the whole American position
is bathed In white. Fog ras frozen to
trees. bushes. poles and the ground.
All tine men apparently are well sat-
isf,ed with the food Two meals a day
always are served ana sometimes there
are three. For breakfast the principal
dish is large bowl Of oatmeal. Hot
reef is served at tlinret and bacon, 0,
pork, or corned beef hash is served n,
supper. There Is alwa~s plenty Of good
American white bread.
Within a certain radius OF the front
line every member of the american
force is now required to wear his gas
mask at an alert position and move,
be without his shrapnei helmet.