The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-02-04
GAINES BACK;
MODEST STORY
OF Scenes ON
BATTLE FRONT
Member Of Heavy Artillery
Which Fired Barrages TO
Protect Light infantry !,
MARKSMANSEIIP OF
YANKEES AMAZING
Cites Incidents Of Gruesome-
ness in Action; Soldiers
White Haired Over Night

'f.a&Ss
After having been in the service cf
Uncle Sam since October. 1877, Clark
Gaines of the 57th heavy artillery
has arrived back In Bemtdji from the
battle front Of France, after parti-
cipating in the real fighting as q
member of gun crew operating q
French rs.
Leaning easily back In his chair,
Gaines modestly narrated some o. MIS-
experiences under questioning, and
he paid strong tribute to the marks
manship OF the American guniiers,
stating that German soldiers who de-
serted in droves to the American
lines marvelled as they watched the
big guns hit their mark . for miles
distant and at unseen targets, the
gunners having gauged the distance
accurately as directed by the observer
in balloons. h "
Gruesome Incidents.
Gruesome incidents Of the terrible
scenes were plentiful, one where ne,
together with others OF his regiment
during an advance. encountered a
Hun machine gunner just behind the
crown Of low hill. Into the ranks
of the Americans the Hun poured a
deadly lire of bullets and killed 263
Yankees before he was "got." AS
the advance con- ntinued, Gaines
passed the body Of the enemy, gunner
and he said 1t seemed as IL every
American had stuck his bayonet into
the corpse. He also told of seeing
the body OF a Hun fastened to the
trunk Of an oak tree with anAmeri-
can bayonet through him, where the
soldier had pinned him and then un-
fastened his rifle and left his victim
crucif1ed.
One Terrible Night.
"Ours were the big guns that fired
the barrages and protected the light
artillery and infantry" he explained,
"and were hauled by powerful
attack from the German gunners and
continually fired shells into US. The
most thrilling time we had was one
night when one could read a news
paper by the awful mare of the bat
teries. The enemy was advancing
and our boys were coming In. They
had almost reached our gun line
when they turned and the slaughter
was fearful, the Americans literally
cutting the enemy to pieces. All the
while were shooting big shells and 1t
was terrible night. Next morning
many soldiers had white hair and
eyebrows and lashes were white. i
never expected to get through that
night.
I'm firing, about every fifth shell
was white one. That lis, 1t could
be seen when 1t left the gun and
made white trail so Its range
could be guaged. We had some new
gas shells when the armistice was
signed and were ready to clean up
the enemy"
Gaines says the best bed he had
on the battle front was when he slept
in a German dugout capable of hold
Ing 1000 men and about 20 feet
deep. He said the sides were all
slate like slate roof, electric lights,
ventillating fans and fixed up with
all comforts.
Sample Of Workmanship.
Another interesting incident was
when the artillery was In action, the
Huns were crossing big bridge In a
city eighteen miles away, carrying
supplies and affording means for
fresh troops to cross. General PERISH
ing learned of 1t and ordered the
bridge demolished. A French OFFICER
was in charge Of the battery work
and he stated that the bridge had
required years to build and didn't
want to destroy 1t, to which PERISH
ing is said to have replied in sub
stance "We can destroy 1t sooner
than that" and the order was given
to. get the bridge. The range was
given and in about eight minutes
the bridge was wreck.
'1In shooting, say twenty miles, we
could take any building in city or
town and after we were given the
range by the observer could pick out
the building and il the first shell
didn't get it the second always did
and then we had it."
Shell Kills Ten.
Gaines also told Of narrow es-
cape he had when the big guns were
resting. He noticed several dough-
boys at work nearby and started to
go over to where they were. AS he
neared the bunch a shell dropped
into them and ten were killed A
shell also dropped back OF his gun
truck and tore big hole In 1t.