The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-02-05
WIPINC OUT ALL /.
TRACES OF WAR
Thrifty French Already Cleaning
Up Battle Ground to
Plant Grain.
TASK MOST DIFFICULT ONE
Removing Of Barbed Wire EntangIe-
ments Is No Easy Matter-Nar-
row Gauge Railways Being
Torn Up and Trenches
Filled In.

filleu III.
Paris.-Eradicato of all traces OF
the 81 months war has already begun I
everywhere along the old stationary ,
front which marked the line OF the OPP !
posing armies since the inception of |
war of position.
Barbed wire entanglements are be-
ing torn up. trenches are being filled
in, camoufage is being taken down,
narrowgauge railways removed. and
shell dumps and other dcpots for mat
terial being transported away.
This is the first time that any field
Notifications have been permitted TO
be touched by the civilian population.
Even after the Germans had been
driven from the Chateau Thierry re-
zion south of the Marine TO north of
the Vesle, the military authorities re-
fused TO permit barbed wire to be
taken up or earthworks filled in.
In most cases this work is being
done by civilians, but everywhere with
the release of the older classes of
French soldiers and the numerous re-
formes-wounded discharged from the
army--there are enough men familiar
with field works to supervise the re-
moval of them.
Difficult Work.
! II Is no easy matter for the novice
/ to pull up barbcd wire. and in places,
1 particularly in the Juvigny region
north of the Aisne, where the Thirty
second division fought with General
Mangin'S superb Tenth army and won
! for themselves the sobriquet of "rhe
Tigers" the entanglements cover hun
dreds of acres; the belts being hun
drcds of yards in depth. This wire
dates back from September, 1914. and
is rusty and dangerous TO handle,
owing to the presence OF tetanus mi
crobes. The newer giant German
wire" the strands of which are n
quarter of an inch thick and which
bristle with barbs, is equally hard to
remove.
The old wide trenches which were
In vogue earlier In the war before the
= development of the minenwerfer as an
accurate piece of ordnance, are hard
to fill In, as their parapets have been
washed away by rains and blasted "a
hits Of shelfire. They are like great
. bitches, furrowing the earth In every
direction. The newer. narrower
| trenches. shored with timber and pro
vided with blackboard floors are easier
TO fill in. The thrifty French first pull
D out the snoring and let the rain act
e on the trenches for a couple OF weeks
+ IN which time they invariably fall In
+ then they shovel over the top, smooth
ing it of.
No attempts are made 10 I'll in thu
dugouts. the entrances merely bcinj
6 boarded up and covered over. II
many of these German dugouts there
are internal machines and man trap
likely to explode when the first per
son enters. Loose boards on the stair
or bits Of string stretched across TIL
entrance set off explosives. In man.
other dugouts there are corpseS o
friends or foes, killed underground b,
|. bombs hurled down the exits.
All roads in the zone where the on
posing armies have swaycd back AM
forth are lined with fox holes, AS tn
American doughbOys call the Tin
shelter caves they are taught to iii
with bayonets and mess Kits an
which provide such wonderful shelte
against shrapnel. Everywhere in tn
belt of terrain marking the extrem
limits of the passage of the hghtln
troops there are endless rows Of thcS
! fox holes dug into the bitches besid
the roads. They tell the silent tale
OF bodies of troops OIL the march spie
out by enemy alrplancS or captive ba
/. looms and caught unDe concentrate
fire by many batteriCs. Then the me
are ordered to take cover, aud sine
there Is none to take they must in
proNlSc tnelr own shelter.
Dig In Quickly.
It Is remarkable sight to see ho'
fast soldier can dig cave that wi
shelter his body with no implement
but n bayonet and mess kit. The
loosen the earth with the bayonet an
scoop 1t out with the big. long-handle
tin cup, sometimes working with tn
skillet in the other hand.
only light, Decauville railways ar
being taken up, all standard gaup
lines which have been laid since til
war remaining in position until sue
time as the administration determin,
what shall be done with them.
Few pieces Of artillery remain
their emplacements, nearly all of thoS
which were overlooked IN capture du
Ing attacks having been dragged q,
of their pits and placed in the publ
square Of the nearest French town
village. But there are still hundred
OF thousands Of live shells, han
grenades and millions of rounds Il,
small arms ammunition lying abol
everywhere. The earth Is ptted wit
holes made by "duds" which may g,
plode the first time the farmers plo
I'll. 4.