The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-06-14

horrible to see him die. but we vert
powerless to help him. In the corner
Of a traverse. a little. muddy cur dog
one Of the company's pets. was lyinf
dead. with his paws over his nosg.
It's the animals that suffer the most
1.-THE horses, mules, cattle. dogs. cats
and rats-they having no helmets tC
save them Tommy does not sympa.
thize with rats in gas attack.
At times gas has been known to
travel. with dire results, fifteen miles
behind the lines.
A gas. or smoke helmet, as II n
called, at the best is a vlle-smelline
thing, and II is net long before one gets
a violent headache from wearing II.
Our eighteen-pounders were burst
ing in No Mans Land. in an effort. by
the artillery. to dispense the gas
clouds.
The fire step was lined with crouch.
Ing Llen. bayonets fixed, and bombs
near at hand to repel the expected at.
tack.
Our artillery had put barrage of
curtain fire on the German lines, to try
and break up theirHattaek and keep
back re-enforcements.
trained my. machine gun on their
trench and its bullets were raking the
parapet.
Then over they came. bayonets glis-
tenIng. In their resplrators. which
have large snout in front. they look
ed like some horrible nightmare
AL along our,trepeh. rifles and ma
chine guns spoke. our shraPnel bwas
bursting over their heads. They went
down in heaps, but new ones took the
places Of the fallen. Nothing could
stop that mad rush. The Germans
reached. our barbed wire, which had
previously been demolished BY their
shells, then It was bomb against bomb.
and the devil for al.
Suddenly my head seemed 10 burst
from Q lond -crack' n my ear. Than
my head began to swim, throat got
dry, and q heavy pressure on'ths lungs
warned me that. ny helmet was leak
ing. Turning-by gun over to No. 2, 1
changed helmets.
The trench started to WIND like a
snake, and sandbags appeared to be
floating in the air. The noise was hor-
rible; sank onto the fire step. needles
seemed 10, BE- prieking my flesh. then
blackness.
/ was awakened By one Of my mates
REMOVING my smoke helmet Flow de
licious that cool, fresh air felt In my
lungs.
A strong wind had arisen and dis
pefsed the gas
They told me that / had been -out''
for three hours; they thought was
dead.
The attack had been repuIsed after
hard fight. Twice the Germans had
gained foothoId in our trench. but
had been driven out by counter-at-
tacks. The trench was filed with their
dead and ours. Through periscope
l counted eighteen dead Germans in
our wire; they were CHASTITY sight In
their notwithstanding respirators-
examined my first smoke helmet.
A bullet had gone through IT on the
left side. just grazing my ear. The
gas had penetrated through the hole
made In the cloth.
Out Of our crew Of six we lost two
killed and two wounded.
That night we buried all Of the dead.
excepting those in No Mans Land. In
death there is not much distinction |;
friend and foe are treated alike.
After the wind had dispersed the
gas the r. A NJ G. got busy with.their
chemical sprayers, spraying out the
dugouts and low parts Of the trenches
to dissipate any fumes of the German
gas which may have been lurking In
same.
Two days after the gas attack / was
sent to division headquarters. In an
swer to an order requesting that cap
tains Of units should detail man
whom they thought capable OF passing
an examination for the divisional In
felligence department
> Before leaving for this assignment
I went along the fronf-ilne trench say
ing good-by TO my mates and lording Il
over them. telling them that HAD