The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-07-27

queny, and set out along the main high,
way for that place after having secured
a bite to eat.
Germans Get Range
BY the time | actually reached the
highway the Germans had found II, and
long range shells from heavy artillery
| located In the neighborhod OF Echarson.
| Condele2.N Nouzlers. and Vouchers, were
! pounding the road at "a lively rate. so
| turned back TO take the less exposed
/ but longer route on the lower side OF
the palteau,
Reaching this road | discovered the
trucks Of my own Ammunition Train.
which had not seen for four days. go.
new location, so | Immediately attached
myself for transportation.
The kitchen and ration trucks had
been left near the site of Dump Bow.
ley, which was to he headquarters for
the Train for some time, and the trucks
were carrying to the front principally
rifle and machine gun ammunition ana
hand grenades
Lieutenant Doyle was in command
that day and nervier lrishman never
lived. Before the war he had been an
attorney. practicing in Chicago; his
first name is Ignatius, but his brother
officers called him Larry for short and
the men would have used the same
name. did not military courtesy demand
that we address him as Lieutenant"
Boche Aviator Takes Shot
Shortly before we reached the loca-
tion for the new dump we realized that
we We're descending a slope on the
northern side of the plateau, and Won
dered why the Germans didn't begin
some sort of demonstration for we
could see their observation balloons only
Il short distance ahead.
In few minutes a Boche aviator ap
peared overhead. and since we We're on
the open road in mid.afternoon and the
trees lining the road were very thin,
we We're Il tempting target for him.
Down pointed his nose, and his ma
chine gun bullets swept the length OF
the train, but we beat him to It and
the minute he dipped. the greater part
OF the men parted company with the
trucks, some with their rifles and some
without even getting their helmets.
Anti-aircraft guns persuaded him to re
frain from another smack" at us and
we went on our way rejoicing that
no one was hurt.
No Barrier Other Than Air
Some where en- route we passed the
infantry and rolled through the village
Of Coulommeset-M -Marqueny to a point
about one kilometre Cfive.eights of
mile) beyond, where we established the
new depot with nothing between us
and the Germans but thin air. That is,
it was thin when we got there, but
noticeable thickening took place before
the first truck was unoaded and we re-
ceived, by the air route, n nice (0 as
sortment of German ammunition and
gas.
However, il was not delivered in such
shape that we could use it. so we avoid
ed it as much as possible. A French
supply wagon passing us went up in
bits, and couple of French soldiers
collided with Il "75' not a hundred feet
from where our forward truck was un-
loading.
Thus impressed with the necessity for
quick work in unloading, men who or
dinariy did much grunting and groan-
ing under the weight of one case Of
ammunition, juggled the boxes that day
with an ease and rapidity that was sur
prising. As each truck was unloaded
the driver was instructed to get back
to camp, and it was a waste of words
to tell him to go as quickly as possible.
AS each truck made the long climb. in
plain sight of the German observers, up
the long hill to the top of the plateau,
occasionally we would see the driver
and his assistant crouch low in their
seat and we knew that shells which
had whined on over our heads We're
breaking near them. We could see the
burst of smoke or the upheaval Sf dirt
from the road and it is truly remark
able that not a truck suffered direct
hit. The last few trucks out were heav-
ily burdened with the men who had re-
manned to do the unloading, and by
the time they were ready to go the
Germans had lifted their fire from the
location of the dump, and were making
desperate effort to prevent thosn
trucks from getting away. Evidently
they thought they had stopped the train
and forced it to turn and go back. moi
realizing that we had accomplished our
mission, i. e., unloaded our trucks at
the point designated, for it was not un
til several days later that the dump
was shelled again.
Lieutenant Doyle left on the last
truck, instructing us that a lieuten
ant from the Marines would be in
charge, and that we would be assisted
by detail of men from our own di-
vision. Some few of these men had |
come up with the train, and n car
brought our officer just as we were
getting our final instructions.
Frog" Steals RatiOns
Then it was discovered that the lad !
who had been detailed to look after the !
rations had left them behind. and Ser |
geant sutton informed us that his pack |
and equipment. as well as my own, had |
been stolen the day before by a frog"
Our rifles, cartridge belts and a blank