The New York herald., 1921-05-01

strangely enough escaped bombardment dur
ing the fatefu fortnight, make one forget
for while the devasta ton that is to be
found on all sides.
Montfaucon, Epinonville and Charpentry
have their union school," long. rambling,
unpainted hut where M. Walter who taught
youngsters at Montfaucon since the
war OF 1870, daily directs the education of
two dozens boys and girls. But classes are
unfeasible when American visitors are in the
region and here, in Chateau Thierry,
there Is no shortage of guides for those wish
Ing to see relics Of the American advance
Vauquois Hill Still Attests
Power of Modern Explosives
Vauquois Hill, with its crest carved away
by mining and countermining operations
which preceded the American advance, still
presents an amazing proof of the power of
modern explosives while the shel-churned
fields on both sides of the road leading to
Varennes tell palmer than words what the
troops of the Thirty-fifth Division in their
attack and capture of Varennes, as well as
McRaes Seventy-eighth Division, in reserve
there later for the forcing of the eastern end
OF the Kriemhilde Stellung, had to endure.
There is nothing left of Vauquois village ex
cept signboard "Vauquois" bearing an
American divisional mark obscured by eigh-
teen months of neglect. and few weed COW
cred mounds which once were the homes of
fairly prosperous farmers or timbermen.
Considerable progress has been made in
the clearing of Varennes. The German
camp at the western end of the town has
been entirely dsmantled and the reinforced
houses which sheltered the 35th Division
when worn after their onslaught, they con-
soidated their position for few hours, are
gradually being razed. Here, as elsewhere
the hut system is being adopted, and IT is
estimated that within three months
Varennes will have a population of 5000
All the Varennes- Vauquois crossroad. OPP
posite the unrecognizable remains of the old
village church. and also opposite the divi-
sional monument of the 2sth Division, two
cafes have been opened one OF which
still reserves as its cave" the dugout in
which regimental officers of the 2sth
and 35th divisions gathered after the Ger
mans had retreated toward Kriemhild and
were wasting their ammunition against the
Varennes bluffs In vain attempt to pre-
vent the arrival OF relnforcements and ar
tillery
South OF verdun. in the st. Mihiel salient
where Gen. Pershng directed the Allies sue
cesses only a few of the American object
ives show any signs of reconstruction. Les
Eparges. battered by the allied as we'll as
German heavy artillery, will never he re-
paired; there is no suitable site for pros
perCus village In all that honeycombed area
from which the Fifth United States Corps
drove the Austro- Hungarian and prcpared
the way for the taking of FrCsuas-en-
Woevre.
Who in the Fourth Division, the stalwart
regulars under Major General Hines of West
Virginia, does not remember the readess
statue of Gen. Marguerite I'm the weedy
Town Hall place? The statue is still there
cleaned and polished after its war trials but
no one has ever been able to decide whether
IL was the German or the allied artillery
which decapitated the general. The streets
Of Fresnes have all been cleared and few
OF the houses, especially on the road leading
to st. Hilaire, are being repaired for occu-
patton, but the chateau opposite the headless
statue is still in ruins although surrounded
by numerous huts Reminiscent OF the elan
with which the American troops went for
ward on the road to Metz is a crudely writ
ten sentence on the walls Of the chateau
cellar-"Vlctory. Fourth Divisionl" followed
by the uncompleted line Corp. M A.
Was !" Fresnes promises to become
one Of the most important Of the Verdun
area settlements. Its population now mum
bers nearly 600 Fresnes church is being