The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1919-02-07
FORMER RAILROAD MAN
BACK FROM FRANCE
Was in Crew That Silenced Big Gun
Praises all Relief Organiza-
tions Except Y. NJ. c. A.

contains the following concerning
Harry Farleigh, well known in this
city, especially to railroad men, having
worked out of this division for several
years:
Helped to hurl at Huns 14-inch
shells weighing 1880 pounds, which re-
quired 500 pounds of powder to fire.
Saw his comrades wounded and
killed by his side in pit and was
obliged to seek cover in dugout to
escape the enemy airplane machine
gun fire.
Moved to new quarters and forced
the enemy to retreat.
Above were a few of the expert
ences of Private Harry H. Fairleigh,
son of Mr.. and Mrs. w. G. Fairleigh,
N. 2617 Pittsburg street, who returned
home from France last week. With
the exception of trouble with his ears
due to the pounding of the guns for
four months, which caused him to be
little deaf, young Fairleigh appears
in excellent health.
He was one of 500 men selected as
sharpshooters and expert machine gun
operators which comprised the United
States naval battery unit. This bat
terry had five of the big guns. They
fired 1872 rounds of 14-inch shells at
the enemy from a distance of seven
kilometers. They could fire 25 kilo-
meters back of the German lines.
His brother, Milton, S. Fairleigh,
was on the steamer Naraganset which
went on the rocks near South
ampton the other day, but according
to reports everybody was saved. Mil
ton Fairleigh was formerly on the U.
s. S. Charles, which was rammed in
the British channel, and was after
wards transferred to the Narraganset,
on which he was an engineman.
Praise for the treatment given the
American boys by the French people,
the Salvation Army, the Red Cross,
the Knights of Columbus, and criti-
cism of the Y. M. C. A. was expressed
by Fairleigh, who was formerly a
Great Northern engineer, receiving
5000 a month, but who enlisted to
serve his country at $50 month.
'T enlisted at the navy recruiting
office in Spokane, Dec. 4, 1917" said
Mr.. Fairleigh, "was sent to Mare Is
land in January and was in training
there, then was sent to Hampton
Roads, Va, and was sent on train
ing cruise to Cuba. While on that trip
I applied for appointment to the naval
battery and three days later received
appointment to try for it, and was Sc
lected.
"There were only 500 men in the en-
tire unit and all had to be mechanics,
expert machine gunners and sharp
shooters.
AIN July we were sent to Bordeaux.
From there to the temporary base at
st. Nazaire. We operated on the rail-
road from st. Quentin to Lunaville,
having guns mounted on railroad
trucks. At many points ahead of us
the railroad track would be blown up.
We would have to dig pits for the guns
and it required about 4S hours to set
up the guns to get into action.
Sometimes we would be under
heavy fire while getting the pit ready.
The first night we were near Scissors
the enemy got our range and opened
on us so that we had to get into dug
outs, then moved three-fourths ofea
mile further and got into action.
eve had the only heavy American
made artillery there, as the others
were French guns operated by Amer
leans. Our guns were the heaviest on
the front outside of the Big Bertha
and one of our guns got her range and
made the enemy move her back. 1t
was our first target and it was for
that purpose that we were sent TO the
| front.
"The French were afraid to let us
go over their railroad bridges, but the
fear of the Big Bertha altho it did
little real damage, caused them to take
any kind of chances. Our guns
weighed SO tons each.
Everywhere we went the FRENCH
people gave us credit for making the
Germans retire with their big guns
and they would decorate our guns with
flowers and say THE war is over"
as soon as they would learn that we
were on the front.
"At one time German aviator got
over US, got pictures and our exact
location, hurried back to his lines, had
the picture developed, and in As min
utes they had our range so accurate
that a large shell burst within six
feet of our gun. Had it come six feet
closer it would have put our whole