Newark post., 1921-01-19
Little Sammy's Corner
The Gas Attack(?)

humorous incident that happened
while our outfit was receiving it's
initial experience in ONE of the So
called Rest sectors" up in the
Vosage Mountains, in the spring
of 1918. At least they were
Rest sectors untIi the "Yanks"
arrived. There had hardly been a
shot fired i'm that sector (St. Die) |
since Jerry's last drive i'm 1916.
In fact both Frog and Fritz would
use the same creek that ran be-
tween the lines to oathe and wash
their clothes. 1t was a kind of
an unlWritten armlstice between
them. This, however, was all
changed when doughboy sniper
picked a couple of Jerrys off.
Fritz retaliated by sending lots of
gas over, especially at night,
until the boys nerves were ON
edge. 1t certainly was NOT with
any pleasant feeling that any of
us went to sleep for at any minute
the gas alarm would send it's
blaring signal over the hills and
valley for miles around. We had
just received our gas masks a.
trenches and like all green troops
week or so before entering the
who had undergone those delight
full CD (for the Gas N. c. o. gas
mask drills we had heard so much
about the deadliness of Fritz's pet
medicine that the boys were a bit
'teery" of it.
But to resume my story. We had
our field Kitchen built into the
rock wall at the foot of a deep
gully, to which place each squad
leader would detail a man to go
for the squads "chIow." This he
carried in a couple of pals. 1t
had become the habit of the
"chow carriers" to eat their mess
first, usually in front of the
kitchen, before carrying the
others their shart. On afternoon
right after a heavy rain, the fell
lows as usual were sitting around
the kitchen on boulders and fallen
trees, eating and making sarcastic
remarks regarding the quality OF
the "slum' and hardtack when
big Bill" Downey, our genial ano
5 regular "K. P" came out of the
hot and stuffy kitchen to catch g
breath of fresh air. | was sitting
directly in front of the low, cor
S rugated, iron entrance that actet
j as door to our culinary depart
e ment and was the first to get ;
Y look at the puzzled expression
:, that stole over his face, as HI
= took a couple of shifts of tn
J. ozone. He suddenly went pale a
n a sheet and turning let out on'
:. frightened below, "Gas!" ant
e started for a gas mask hanging Oh
5. the wall.
l. That one cry started something
IS The air was full of mess kits
slum knives, forks, spoons, he]
l. NETS. hardtack and cups of no
II coffee, as the boys gave every
.r thing a toss to get at their mask:
n kid Goodman Zone of the cooks
le went fo rthe same gas mask "Bi
le Bilr' wanted for his personal us'
re They nearly tore that mask apal
Is and made the air blue with tn
S, language they used as they stru{
s, pled for possession of the thin
of that meant life and death
Sc times. Pots, cans, and even tn
is stove was overturned as the
ne fought. | turned from the scra
ed for a moment and saw two Frencl
to men without any masks, laughM
es heartily. | rather suspected thins
r. were not as they should be.
n took off my mask and went up
them and asked for an explain
i'm tion. sure got it. Here it
rs The Americans on dumping the
MS garbage would first did a hole al
NJ bury it, but the Frog cooks Wou
IL lust throw the garbage in a NE;
se and put chloride of lime on it. III
N, rain had wet this stuff, and SIN
od our kitchen was lower DOWN Il
ch gully, the gas resulting from tt
ms mixture of rain and chloride
ire lime, being heavier than a
ar- drifted down the gully about t
mes m time big Bill" came out of t
i4,, stuffy kitchen into the fresh a
,or m He naturally, after his first sni
thought of Jerry's chlorine gas
IT we had been the subjects of /
,ar last gas attack. ENplanatlo