Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1919-04-25
Artist WAS GASSfD
BUT RETURNS HAPPY
"iVes Interesting Account of His Al
ventures While Fighting for
Uncle Sam in France

week, after serving 10 months in
France. He went overseas with tba
fourth division, which was largely
MADE up of men from Pennsylvania
After reaching Camp Lewis he VOC
transferred to Camp Greene, n. G..
and assigned to duty with Comnanv
A OF the 90 infantry. He sailed from
Hoboken, N. j., on a British trans
port May 8, 1918, with a CONVOY of
Ia transports Outside the English
channel they were met by IA Eng
llsh destroyers and taken to Liver
pool, where they landed on Nav H.
FROM there they were rushed to
france by way of Dover. They
landed at Calais on May 8 and were
sent to rest camp. During the first
TWO nights in this camp they were
bombarded by German air squadrons.
The men were sleeping in tents and
were ordered not to leave them dur
ing the bombardments. Artist saws
that he and everybody else was bad
~ scared and that it was the most
trying experience he had during the
war. From this camp they moved to
DeeVeres, a small town about eight
miles behind the front lines. No
lights were allowed after dark and
for weeks the boys were not allowed
to even strike a match outside of
their quarters. For three weeks they
were quartered in a cement mill and
slept on concrete floor. They
were under British officers and
were trained with the British sol
diers, drilling 10 hours day. Their
rations consisted of hard tack
corned willie and marmalade, with
couple of slices of bread twice a
week. Tea was their strongest
stimulant.
About the 18th of June General
Pershing inspected the billets and a
few days later the 58th and 59th
regiments were taken on a six-days
practice march with full equipment.
After the march they exchanged the
English rifles with which they had
been drilling, for American Spring
fields They also began to receive
American rations, with bread and
coffee, which was great improve
ment over the British rations
The Fourth OF July was spent near
Paris and celebrated in the good old
fashioned way with baseball games,
athletic sports and band concerts.
The French people joined heartily in
! the celebration and rooted bard at
the ball games, although they could
not understand the plays. The 59th
regiment defeated the 5Sth in the
ball game and the boxing contest,
but lost in the mule race and the
tug-ofwar,
Their next move was to near a
mountain town in a heavily timbered
district. where they could hear the
roar of the big guns and see the
aeroplanes. One night they were
BON barded with gas shells by Ger
man aeroplanes and had to keep on
gas masks for over an hour. On the
10th of July the regiment was ord
cred to go forward and marched all
night through heavy storm. Just
before daybreak they reached the
second line trenches and learned that
at last they were to be given chance
TO fight. The men were enthusiastic
and expressed their joy by shouting
and throwing their hats in the air
They were close in front of Ger
man observation post and soon were
subjected to the ordeal of a heavy
barrage which lasted an hour and a
half. In the afternoon they were
ordered forward to the first line and
passed through a village just aband-
oned by the Germans. The houses
were wrecked and furniture, cloth
ing and pictures we're heaped in the
streets in indescribable confusion
The advance was protected by a
heavy artillery fire and four French
tanks went forward with the troops
| A number of the men were killed and
L. IL n
wounded. The third man Dehlnd
Artist went down with n piece oil
schrapnel in his side. Another man
was wounded in the head and foot
but began cusslng the Germans and
started back alone for the first aid
station. Artists sergeant was kllled
instantly by the explosion of a SHELL
That night word was passed
around that at 4;90 a. m the regl-
ment was to go over the top. They
were lying behind a road across
which was a wheat field. About 4'zo
in the morning Artist walked across
h