The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-16
CORONA BOY. TELLS OF A WILD NIGHT

Ambulance Driver Solomon Garden of Corona has written the following story of his experience with Boche shells to ais mother, Mrs. Rebecca Garden:
 June 26, 191s
 My Dearest Little Mother: It has been about two weeks now since we have been up at the front. and am beginning 10 get little restless for action. I am even surprised at myself that should want to go back so soon, considering what went through when we were up before When wrote you before. we had just come down and was terribly tired, be ing a week since had slept peacefully. For the first four nights of that week I could only snatch intervals of sleep when things. quieted down little But that week was the most thrilling and the most intensely interesting period of my life.
 I'm going to tell you about it, perhaps I shouldn't. but then know you shan't be- frightened and you shan't be worried. don't think you are ever really worried about me. for your letters are always so lull OA AOtC duu COAlAOcACCp cAlOs CS sides, the whole thing was SO unusual that it probably won't happen again-tha. Is, to me- To you. pernaps, it will. be very horrib:c, but to me it was only a thrilling experience. So here's the story;
 Ten of us. with eight cars, went up ,a our base posts for our regular four days shift. I was always gIad to get up to post. for we all knew that sooner or later something was 'coming or along our part of the line, and I didn't want to miss anything. Our orders in case the Boche began anything was for one man to go to each of our advanced posts and work from there. And we knew that the three meh assigned to. the advanced posts would be lucky to get back safe. But we have 8 system of not worrying about things until it's necessary.
 '-Well, our first two days went of very calmly, quiet as could be. Ordinarily the batteries all around us were ham, mering away. most of the day and night. But things were so unusually quiet on the second night that went to bed quite early, expecting good nights sleep. had been asleep about two hours when was suddenly awakened by the most ter rife bombardment I have ever hearu The Boche shells were crashing ane banging ali around us. They were put ting a barrage fire right through the VII lage in which we were stationed Tne minute it started knew what was hap pening, and every man m the sami realized that the Boche were attacking In a moment I was out Of my blankets and Into my shoes. grasped my gas mask and helmet and made dive for the cellar. either preceded or followed by the others. We had been in the. leave" onl, two or three minutes when we heard the shriu whistle and puttering sound of the gas shells breaking just at the ceilal entrance. followed by deluge of gal into the cave No sooner had the first one broken than we recognized them as sas. and we were into our masks in shorl order. got two slight sniffs of the stun beforc I got my mask adjusted, but | was not enough to affect me at alls
 V must admit that 1t wasn't exactl, comfortable. being. cooped up in that eel lar with the gas pouring In. and htgf explosive shells bursting all about. An; even gas masks are not the most pleas ant things in the world. Next time yol see a training camp man who has hat rns mask training ask him what 1 means 70 te in a mask for eight consecu tive hours.
 saThe cella- in which we were was jus l an ordinary cellar, to. an ordinar! French house. We had not been thcr' Hong before we recognized that direc l hit on it would blow it to bits. 30 w l idecided to make run for real dug-ou about 100 yards up the street. % out vi went, And we didn't waste much time ] either The Whiz1 -ban9s were every where. Wl,18tltnE and bux1tinG, but We at