Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-01-17
ON The FRONT
AND IN GERMANY
Private Cecil C.. Coon Writes Of Am
unition Train Work On the Front
First Americans in Germay-
German Officers and Luxemburg
Girls.
Nov. 2eth, 1913.
Lingen Luxemburg

lHS 0oA1CcIAlliS dUOuG our Journey.
We left New Port News, Aug. 18th,
at eight O'Clock in the morning.
There were seven transports, one bat
cleshlp, three sub chasers and three
alrop4anes; the planes stayed with us
Two Gays and then turned back, one
of the transports had engine trouble
and Curned TO port after three days
out. We had fine eats There were
45OO troops on our ship, The Alions,
a German freighter. We travelled
twelve days and landed in Bresr,
France. We went to a rest camp or
rather work camp-as we worked
all night: two nights carting freight
out of the boats and loading it on
trucks, after that we went on train,
forty men or eight horse capacity,
and lived on corned beef, bread,
beans and tomatoes for SIX days AMI
anded at Somily, there we got trucks
twenty-five IN our company, two ton
Pierce Arrow trucks, and we sure had
our trouble with them. We started
out as an ammunition train and the
first night started out with six
trucks driving without lights; we
hauled troops that night, the next
night we took lin shells each one
weighed 400 lbs. and we went two
nights with them in succession up to
the cannons. The second night they
started to fire at 1890 o'clock. I
was standing about 25 feet back of
one of the big guns and it fairly
knocked me down, the conclusion was
so great it put out our tail lights,
The Germans only sent few shells
oack that night they advanced about
ten mics that night and from then
IN we were hauling 155 or rather six
inch shells and PISS or three inch
shells. Night after night we hauled
up to the artillery and one night we
heard an aeroplane coming c,oser and
closer and finally it shut off its en-
gine and we soon knew it was a
German plane" when it cut loose
with machine gun along the line of
trucks but nobody got hit. One
bullet went thru the top of McDon-
ads truck but he had come to a stop
and was out of the truck or he sure
would have got his, along toward the
last we were hauling, ammunition day
and night anyway to get it up as
they were going ahead so fast.
The first time we were under shell
fire was on hill 304 near dead mans
mill, when Jerry cut loose on us with
" high explosive they would gt
whiz bang, we saw when they struck
behind US few hundred feet and We
sure spread our distance and run the
gauntlet down the hill and on up an
ether. At this place we were within
three quarters of mile of the Ger
man trenches as they were just or
The next hill We unloaded anC
turned around and were given orders
TO return to the park the best way
we could and we sure did get out d
ferries range at the top of the hill
we could see his observation balool
and the truck it was anchored to.
The worst place l saw here was a
Mount Button; we were hauling rs i,
shels and the M P. held US on tht
road about four hours and it was day
| light. We started on behind the cit!
or remains of the city and out OF
what was the mo mans land" tn,
day before and there l saw the frs
of the awful war; American and Ger
man dead strewed the field and w
went up as far as we could until tn
trees across the road stopped US, bu
we could see the Americans entrench
ed on the op of he hill that we wer
at the bottom of. We unoaded an
one truck got stuck and we worke'
quite while getting it out and W
were only a few hundred feet from
the place where the Germans droppe
a shell where we had been.
We made good hauling food fo
the cannons so we were transferre
70 the third army corps as suppl
train and started to haul pontoo
bridges, and we hauled for ten day
without much sleep and eat when W
got chance, and not when hungry
but we al lived thru that.
week | went with eight truck
machine gunners from a small tow
as mechanic and hauled $50 Germal
! n Luxemburgh to Frier German
We went thru our lines and thru tn
German lines on into Germany, W
were good three days and halt
We were treated fine in German
there were several people there VIII
had been in America before the wal
am sending you picture of tn
hotel and dining room where guest
at big dinner. This is what the
served US: First two glasses of Ger
man beer then fine noodle soup,
.arge steak, creamed potatoes, brow
GRAVY. saur kraut, cold slaw, but n
bread. They even posted a guar
around our trucks so they would nc
be molested while We were gone. W
also run out of gasoline over ther
and they gave US four cans or abou
so gallons of benzol as they call
and l sure had fine time gettin
. back where we could get good ga
When we stopped for the night W
drained our radiators and slept in
barn. The next morning our ga
ines were frozen and 1 worked ii
noon getting them thawed out. W
stopped at Betzlof for supper whic
cost US $18. for IA men and we did1
get much either. We staid in tn
city of Luxemburgh next night an
CONTINUED on page eight
. BIRTHDAY DINNER
The eighty-fifth birthday of Mr.
Julia Lillich was very pleasant
celebrated Sunday, January 5, 191
at the home Of Mr.. Jacob Ladermal
A bountiful dinner was served {
which the following persons pa
, took: Mr.. and Mrs. Jacob Markle
and family, Mrs. Clara Lillich, SO
! Carl and daughter Grace, Mrs. Wn
! Do~::ct, Mr. and Mrs. Vern Demalin
and baby, Julia Alice, Mrs. E, Peter
After dinner picture of the fou
Lillich generations was taken. Mr.
/: Julia Lillich being the ,great-granc
! mother, Mrs Jacob Markley tt
: grandmother, Mrs. Vern Demalir
the mother of baby, Julia Alice.
A very pleasant time was enjoye
by all.