The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1919-01-30
DAVID RINGLE WRITES
0FHIS ExPERIENCESN
and AROUND WAR ZONE

bomb from one of our destroyers. An.
other German U-boat was crippled by
one of our naval craft the following
morning and surrendered.
little town called Pierrefait before
we were finally ordered to the Toul
front. ! was stationed at the Toul
arsenal for several days and at Dom
martin on the Moselle, where / was
engaged on a high tension electric
line for a week. / was on detached
duty at little smashed-up town
called Noviant aus Pres, north of Toul
and within about three and half Kill
and a half miles. A kilometer is
three-ffths of a mile. We were within
easy range of the German field pieces,
~ decemeters, which have bore of
little more than three inches in
diameter. These IT'S and the French
75s played a big part in the war.
was at this town running little sta
tionary gasoline electric plant (war
plant) and furnishing light to the sol
quarters. / was there about six weeks
and was then ordered back TO Toul for
a rest, but in three or four days was
sent to a pumping plant located in
deep dugout right behind the firing
line. This little pumping equipment
pumped water for the troops for
drinking purposes, etc. ] could step
out of the dugout. which was situated
in little wood, and look into the Ger
man trenches only about half a mile
away. ] operated the pump only at
night. l remained there with a COM
panion for five weeks and, while
did not go over the top, ! saw some
real shelling.
This was between Fielry and
Limey. two little piles of debris and
gravel, tx were once prosperous lit
tie towns The two grand old bells
of Fliery cathedral were under heap
OF ruins back of the massive remains
of the rear buttresses of the church
was in Fiery and through the front
line trenches on my birthday anniver-
sary and l will never forget it. We
were shelled by the enemy's whiz
bangs while in Fiery. l shot few
rounds OF cartridges at the rim Of the
German trenches to say that i had
fired shot at them anyway. A fel.
low has to keep his head down, while
doing this, or it may be his turn to
push up daisies in the spring.
"A couple of days before the ST
Mihiel drive was relieved and taken
back to pumping post for the heavy
artillery. This place was called Main
incourt. l was there several weeks
when our company assembled and
moved to the Verdun sector where
was again put on detached service.
was in the electric light plant that
provided light for Gen. Pershing's
headquarters at Sueby, back of Yer
dun. j was only there a little more
than week when our company was
again given orders to assemble and
camp on the Dutchmen's trail We
are at present at Cochem on the No
selle river, expecting to move TO the
Rhine any day. We are within 40
kilometers of Coblenz and the his
toric Rhine.
II have saved little of my pay, and
along with the money ] brought over
with me. will soon have enough to
buy suit Of clothes. ! expect to
have enough by the time ! am dis.
charged to purchase ticket home.
have two months pay coming and ex-
pect to get il when ! can make connec-
ton with my company again. sol
dier's life is great life. He can go
around in his old clothes with only
knife, few buttons and, perhaps, a
few revolver cartridges in his pockets
to rattle and have a good time. All
he needs is few marks or francs to
buy cigarets and chocolates from the
" or the commissary, when he is
lucky enough to find one"