Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1919-01-17
MADE FINE TUNNEL
How Prisoners Used War Bread
Doled Gut 10 Them.
Avenue by Which Captive Allies Had
Hoped to Escape Was Really
Perfect Piece Of Work-Even
Germans Admired 1t.


There is certainly more tragedy
fhan comedy in the cruel disappoint-
ment Of unhappy prisoners ihwaifed
In promising and almost successful
efIorf TO escape. nevertheless. The gal
liant gayeiy that has marked so many
Of the allied fighting men does not fail
them wholly even in such circum-
stances. Lance Corporal Charles W.
Baker, who recently reeonnfed his
Magazine wastes no pathos on him
self or on his fellow sufferers when
they failed To get safe away through
their Ingenious tunnel, and can even
See funny side to the affair.
Some of the other prisoners had be-
gun the tunnel and had worked upon
II daily for month before they let
him Into the secret. which finally be-
eame known to several hundred of the
cnptiycs.
II opened from the last hut at the
end Of the back row and was headed
for the only clunp Of bushes anywhere
near the camp. The soil was so sandy
that II WAS impossible to make tun-
mel IN the ordinary way; long time
passed before the boys hit on a plan.
After our own packages had begun to
come and We had white bread to eat.
says the corporal. some genius had
happy thought of using the war bread
for bricks. The war bread is as tough
and as hard as rubber and of about
the size and shape of small stone
block that you use for paving streets.
We kept the bread buried until night.
Then we piled II mp in a kind of crate
and when the septries were out OF
sight we rushed II over to the tunnel. 1t
wss the most beautiful tunnel you ever
ssw. The sides were built up like
Lrick walls. and the roof was a perfect
arch. The sand that we took ont was
the same color rs the sand of the
camp. and - the ground was almost
always wet you couldn't tell the dlf-
ference. We would take II ont In small
tinfuls and scatter II all ever the place,
and with several Thousand men walk
Ing round there was no way Of detect.
Ing IL.
OF course In was slow work making
the tunnel. for we had to accumulate
war bread. and 80 to amuse ourselves
We Med II all up. We stuck pictures
from newspapers on the wall. and we
even ran q wire down from the cook
house and lighted IL all % with cleo
tricify We took same Of the lamps,
and when the guard wanted to know
where they were NE said they had got
broken.
A hundred and twenty yards had
becn built out OF the hundred and
fifty that the tunnel had to go when a
miserable F'rsnehmsn. 10 curry favor
with his captors. betrayed the secret.
The other French prisoners concerned
We're Wild with rage aud shame: and
When the whole camp was lined up for
investigation and punishment the
French non-cominissioned officers
stepped forsnrd and begged for the
honor OF the Frsnfh army Ia be al
lowed 70 take not only their own SHIRE
or punishment but that of all the 9TH
ere.
But of conrse, says Corporal Baker
III" British wouldn't have that and the
en-comlnissioned British officers gave
themselves mp II was regular bow
Ing nnd scraplng. "Yon-frstmy- dear
Alphonse" sort Of prufcefling. a few
OF the men were given. hye months IN
solitary, but most of them got or pref
r. easy because the German officers
werr - much amused. They thought
they had taken away every conceivable
thing that could be used for fnnnei
building but they never thought OF the
war bread, German officers came FROM
miles round To SEP The tunnel. They
wouldn't LEI us destroy II but kept II
Ms n curiosity. Even the general OF
n division near by came in 10 see It.
lie said IL was the finest piece of sap
ping he had ever seen. --Yonth's Com
ranion.