Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, August 20, 1918, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

m m * ' - m. YORKVILLE ENQUIRER. ia j hist's govs. Pnbiiihen. j & (Jfamiijj Jldrspaprr: Jfor the promotion of the JoUlirat, ^o^ial, Jjriinltnrcl and <f omnwrtial Interests of tin feojtt, | COPT, ?? ncm. ESTABLISHED 1855 ~ YORK, 8. O. TUESDAY. AUGUST 20. 1918. INTO. 67 - 1 - ?" Ji-? I.-WI?>1 cnilTUCDkl nCUATDATC PUiCC WITH AMERICAN FIGHTERS Vivid Description of Scenes on !be Battlefield. SOLDIERS WHO ONLY GO FORWARD | Terribly Hot Work on Firing Lines? Enemy Puts Up Strong Resistance, But Nothing Stands Before Terrible Determination. Tin* artijlery lighting on the Amerl an sector where the Germans are bein^ driven by our bojs back upon the Atsiu* river is of the most intense nature. Kdwiri I.. James, whose cable dispatches to the New York Times are so vividly descriptive as to take the reiylcr into the midst ol battle, writn... n. I.iv i..ir,ci savs: 'I*h?- |?r?M?-ut artillery engagement Is tIn largest In which tin- American* have taken part. We have l?eo? unusually successful ill getting our guns up and in place, and they are raking iieiny urea.* clean hack to the Ai.sne ranging on road* and lines of coiiuiiuideation. Judging from the vvoik some gunners did between the tuirc'i and the V'esle the enemy I* havimc an unhappy time of it. 'ermnji artillery work hampered our bridge maker* yesterday, hut M lie vert la-h** they made progress. The nature ot the lighting hy the foe I* ehovvn hy tie- fact that our men in i-'ismcs . today are iniieh pestered hy < lei man snipers, who remained hidden in garrets. and are picking off our int a here and there. These warriors ret no quarter where American* locate them. A* thi* I* written the town has not yet heen entirely cleared. The retreat in which they left such large quantities of munition* behind gave the Cermaus a chance they did not overlook to play one of their favorite kinds of warfare on the Americans. .Ml through the villages and farmhouses In- left Infernal machines. fine of his especially devilish nrriihgeinents was placing an amount of W high explosive iii a conspicuous s|sd. connected with an ordinary telephone wire, reaching ahead Into his line. When he believed Americans were mar the train, he would set off the explosive hy electricity. Numerous infernal machines were I armDRnl in iluKoutN so that any onel stepping inside set tha-in off. Yester?!: > ii pill- of ammunition exploded' tun days after tin- enemy had left the Spot. It is lielieved it was set off by a time homli arrangement. Sueh man traps were found In many places yesterday and warnings against them were issued to all our troops. The Americans yesterday made prompt use of some of the captured lioche material, liecause of our rapid advance we had need of extra engl?*" neers to work on the badly shelled roads. A whole regiment of pioneers was equipped out of a stock of tools left behind by the Germans. Incidentally in the German materials left I .uuo.ftoo good 77 shells have been pointed. I.udendorff. in a statement yesterday. said that If they wen- German villages which were being left behind it would be dolorous but fortunately the villages left were not German. According to the view in this army a civilized person would have said that any villages behind a German retreat were dolorous villages. What the German invaders did not do to the French villages south of the Vesle the American and French shells completed. It seemed almost a sacrifice to level so many pretty little places, but Focb knew it was a greater sacrilege to allow the enemy to stay in them and lay plans to attack I'aris. The whole countryside is iMwkntarked with shell boles by tens of thousands, many formerly fair fields having so many shell holes that one can *" * ? unnlhor Illfrany Slop m>m mil ,? Some of these Melds arc bloody Melds. <)iu> I saw yesterday I can _ ncvi r forget. To cast, to west, ami north of the nmd lay a wheat Mold from which the enemy had harvested the grain In-fore the battle came. To the south of tin- road a hundred yards away lay a stretch of woods. North of the wheat Meld was a large wood. In a small Meld south of the road lay a row of bodies of Americans where (lemma machine guns on the south side of tile road had opened on them. What could cause a greater thrill than to walk forward to the road and see the bodies of the (lernmn machine gunners in their nest ?hsul from bayonet wounds? Dn the north side of the road were ducouts with American spades lying about which told that our nn-n had made them, and then fifty yards away and stretching hack lay dead Hermans. That scene along the road told an eloquent story. The Americans had charged toward tin- road, only to tie met by Herman machine gun Mre. Hushing on and suffering losses, they had bayoneted some of the gunners and put othera to Might. They had then taken |>osttlons on the north side of the road and met a counterattack. killing the Hermans 1 saw lying beyond. The whole story of the battle lay thorp plainly. Far north of the road out of the wheat Meld could be seen orderlyrows of shell holes, where our accurate artillery had laid down a creeping barrage. Ix-hind which the troops hiul moved to the foes' positions at the edge of the wood. Here nnd there lay the body of a boy In brown who had paid the in eat price. On the edge of the wood I walked and there was a picture that will . ever linger. In a pli perhaps fifty feet Ions, twenty feet wide, and fifteen feet deep the Germans had established a strong position with emplacements In the sides for machine guns?maybe twenty of them. There in the bottom of the pit In utmost confusion lay fifteen or so dead Germans and perhaps ten Americans. In front of the pit lay nine dead of our men. The Americans had charged those machine guns even into the pit. where they fought hand to hand with the (runners. It seemed that while fighting there In the cockpit a phell had fallen among them. All along the edge of the wood smaller machine gun nests had been broken up. A more cheerful story was told by the scene inside the wood where 1 saw fifty or sixty Germans in a hundred square yards who had been killed by high explosive shells where our guns had raked them in their flight. There were practically no American bodies in the wood, but there must have been several hundred dead Germans. As we came out of the wood a burying detail was hard at work. Americans were buried first. In a long grave were being placed perhaps fifty bodies of men from the United States who had charged machine gun nests along the edge of the wood, one of the ugliest fighting positions this war has presented. That was the last stand the Germans made against the Americans before they retired across the Vesle river. in u skirmish north of Klsmes yesterdaj the Americans took seven prisoners from the 4th Prussian Guard division, which had been put bock into the line after being taken out, following its defeat by the Americana at Sorgy. The American officers were surprised to find that of these seven men who had just been placed In the 5th Grenadier regiment as replacements six were l'olea and the other an Alsatian. It was a surprise that such material should be used to fill up one of the kaiser's crack regiments. When asked about it, the men replied that the enemy had no Prussians to till up the Prussian regiment cut up in the recent fighting. Those seven, when asked what they thought of the war replied, "We have had enough." Talking to an officer who thought that this replacement situation was very significant, I asked him if the r>0o.ooo soldiers of the new class which the Germans would have this fall might not make a difference in the situation. He replied: "Germany hus 500,000 new Germans. The Allies have 5,000.000 new Americans." My a side road yesterday about a thousand Americans were resting during a hike. They had not been In France as long its some other units. Down the road came an American guard with six prisoners. When the new Americans saw who they were they sprang up as one man and gazed iit them. Then one of them, a lad from North Carolina, spoke: "So them's Roches! My God, lead us to 'em!" That is the spirit of all the Americans who have hud no share thus far in the victorious fighting. The men are eager for their chance, and are sure that they can do Just a little better than their comrades who have been lucky enough to get Into the lighting. 1'erhaps many of them will soon get their chance for if the policy .of Foch continues to be what it has been since the enemy quit Chateau Thierry, constant pressure will tie kept up on his rear for days to come. The more the Allies press the harder It will be for the enemy to establish a strong line of resistance, for despite Hlndenburg and Ludendorff and "Hard Luck Willie." as the boys call the crown prince, a retreating army, It is held, cannot be stopped in its tracks by waving the German flag in its face. CENTER OF MANY LEGENDS Dome of the Rock In the Holy Land, Has Long Been Held Sacred. The Mussulman's grief at the fall of Jerusalem is largely centered in the fate of the Dome of the Rock. For centuries devout Mohammedans have Journeyed to this spot, w ich they count only second to the holy places of Mecca in religious signlflc. nee. Directly under the rounded dome topped with the Turkish crescent is the sacred rock about wnicn a m>?i ?. ? ! traditionB?Jewish, Christian and Mo[ hammed-ill?have b;en collected. From I this rock Mohammed ascended into hcovcn on his steed El Hontk, the lightniny. Here also, tradition is worth anything, rested Xoah's ark, and Jacob saw the angelic vision- This spot is IS miles nearer heaven than any other on tho earth, und the Turks accept the old Jewish theory that this is the center of the earth. Here on the Judgment day tho angel Gabr.ol stands when he sounds his trumpet. There Is littlo room for argument over these statements. You accept or reject them as you will. But long and heated have been the learned dissertations to decide whether this identical spot, ulready overcrowded with associations, is the site of Solomon's temple or the tomb of Christ. Science now leans towards the former conclusion and grants that very likely the rock marks the place where stood the altar of the famous Jewish temple. Even for a confirmed skeptic the place must hold some interest, for the structure protecting the rock is a worthy rival of the Taj Mahal in beauty of deaign. The building is octagonal like a mosque and popularly called the Mosque of Omar, to the distress of the well informed, who pointed out that it is only a shrine and that the true Mosque of Omar Is a small vaultlike building In no way connected with the sacred rock. Mohammedan worship is as yet undisturbed by the viceroy of the Christians, the chief difference being that the Mohammedan is now the tenant and the unbeliever the landlord. Oormnn trooos are already in Pctro crtui In strong force, says a London "dispatch. Germany, fully aware that the Bolshevist "jig Is up," Is ready and willing to act as the undertaker of the "Keds," who handed Russia over to her. With the power of the Lenlne-Trotzky government declining daily and thus being of no further use to Berlin, the kaiser has set afoot a scheme for the re-establishment of the monarchy in Russia. That monarchy the kaiser proposes to use just as he used Lenlne and Trotsky. He will use It to oppose Russian democracy. and oppose the Allies who are coming through Siberia. President Wilson spent Thursday at Magnolia, Maas., with his close friend. CoL E. M. House. Washington believes that something big is impending, but just what It is canSlot be surmised. NEGROES UNDER FIRE Black Troops Staid Grand Without Flifichlng. WHOLE kEGlMEWT CITED FOB BRiVEBY Description of the Splendid Manner in Which they Handled Machine Guns and Artillery?Not Frightened at Anything the Enemy Can Do. With the American Armies in France, June 25.? (Correspondence of J the Associated Frees.)?One regiment of negroes in the American army, (Number deleted by censor) has had a its liaplism of tire on the lighting q fields of France and acquitted itself G so well that the French commander g 01 the sector has cited the whole regt- a ment as worthy of receiving the war c cross. This regiment's repulse of tiie ?| enemy attack on the early morning of j June 12 (possibly at ilelleuu Wood f UI* lJOUresuiu*?j ? us untrue icicuvu w t hi the olticial communique. a A later and olheial report of the h engagement brings out interesting details and gives credit to the ottlcers v and men for tine lighting qualities di?- f played in their initlul experience un- r der shell and machine gun tire. The t French commander of that sector has given the regiment the highest possible commendation lor the results ac- ^ complishsd and the splendid fighting spirit shown hy the American negroes. For several days preceding the at- ^ tack there were evidences thut the enemy was preparing to strike a blow. f Two days before one of the main points held by the regiment had been . subjected to u strong bombardment of ^ nearly 100 shells, gas and shrapnel. s l'rior to the heavy enemy artillery barntge occurring on the morning of ^ the 12th, our advance groups heard ( movements apparently of narrowgauge track trulns In the wood hack ^ of the enemy lines, indicating they ( were getting ready for an attack. ( Every preparation had been made t for meeting the move if it came. He my. There were Instances of Individual bravery during the action. Private Howard Oalllard with a small rapidAre piece was unable from his position to get a good Are to bear upon the advancing enemy groups, so he coolly and with entire disregard of danger, mounted the parapet, and while enemy bullets were flying around him, fired his rapid Are piece from the hip, first at one group and then at the other. Privates Smithfleld Jones and George Woods are especially mentioned for their coolness in the face of violent shelling when they dismounted the machine guns and then reassembled them and continued fighting until the close of the action. Lieut R. C. Gr&me was in command of the group which received the brunt of the enemy flre which, besides the barrage, added a heavy Are of large mlnenwerflara. There was no flinching; the group always worked under perfect control, keeping all combat posts Hides the uHual combat groups at the main points of the line, a'special machine gun section occupied a special- ^ ly chosen position on a small salient ( projecting into the enemy line. It w;ts accompanied by a combat group detailed from reserve company to j carry rifles and hand grenades. It was J. 15 on the morning of the 12th that the order to "stand to" was t, given and all combat groups and the t| machine gun section took their fighting itosition. The enemy artillery now opened a violent bombardment, engaging in a "box barrage" five of our main groups and the special machine gun position. The lines of this 1 box barrage arte well defined on the ^ ground, showing its outer circuit with a considerable scattering of hits E inside. The shells were mostly 77s, * with some USs, gas, shrapnel and 1 high explosives. One of our points r received particular attention, prob- 1 ably by mlnenwerfer, the craters of H which were two yards in depth and ' five yards in diameter. The artillery bombardment was extremely violent at the start and tapered off gradually 0 until it stopped after 30 minutes. Meantime under cover of the artll- 1 lery, the enemy inflantry began Its 1 operations, adopting the inflltering C process by which detached groups are ' thrust forward at a number of points '' instead of moving in mass forma- * tion. One group came on prith two n light machine guns, firing a rather ^ intense fire into one of our positions. a Another group was estimated to be 1 about 25 or 30. "At another point on k our front a stationery enemy i>atrol v took position, firing with two small h machine guns. Now and then squads 1 would dart forward from their gun v positions. Eight Germans got up to v the wire In front of one of our po- 1 sit ions, and four others approached at " another point. Besides these assault v groups which reached our line, there r were undoubtedly additional enemy lurtra an nnmiuuuig vwiumun ..ur. porting columnM which were unable 11 to enter the field. The special machine gun group un- _ der command of Lieut. L.. K. Shaw, 1 was in one of the most exposed centers of the fighting, being under terrific artillery fire and the fire of two ' Herman machine guns, Loeut Shaw handled this very difficult situation with cool bravery. The enemy bar- 1 rage was so close that it was !mi>os- e sible to stnnd up and Lieut. Shaw r controlled his guns by rolling from 1 one to the other. His two guns fired five thousand rounds. 1 Under this violent onslaught the men stuck to their posts, carried out every order without hesitation, often under galling fire, and showed a high degree of skill with their weapons " and coolness and courage. Each ma- { chine gun Jammed three times, was ' portly disassembled and cleaned under ' fire, continuing in action throughout > the engagement ' One team fired fourteen clips when s the gun Jammed. Reporting this to ' Lieut. Shaw they were ordered to i clear the Jam. While under intense < Are of artillery and machine guns c they coolly dismounted the gun. remounted it and continued firing until i ordered to cease. The fire of this f machine gun section was doubtless a unexpected by the enemy, and this ( fact coupled with the effective fire 1 laid down was chiefly instrumental In 1 cniiainir the withdrawal of the ene nanned theugh three men were mocked down by the explosion of ihells. Others commended for courige In the face of fire are Corporal "rank Harden, Private H. D. Brown, "orporal Bean, Sergeant G. A. Moron and Private Sanders. From the elaborate artillery pre>aration, the size of the box barrage, ind the extensive front occupied, the :oup de main attempted by the eneny was cleary Intended to be on a ather extensive scale. Whatever may.have been the obect of the attack it was successfully rustrated. No enemy party succeedd in getting within assaulting disance of any part of the line except it one point and here they were luickly pressed back and then driven ?flf. The shell torn condition of the ground tells of the fierceness of the iction. That the enemy suffered .>nui<li.rrililv in casualties is not loubted. as some of their groups lushed close into the machine gun Ire, but as their men fell they were arried off. The casualties on our ;ldc were small and none of them erious. The chief importance of the antlon ias in bringing this American unit or the first time under tire and denonstrating the steadiness and flghtng ability of the men. PRESIDENT TAKES A HAND -las No Fear that the Peoole of South Carolina Will Elect dleaie. It has been understood for some ime that President Wilson would 'ery probably indicate his preference or the defeat of Mr. Lilease. The exlecti-d development has materialized n a letter to Thomas H. Daniel, Vashlngton correspondent of the Spartanburg Herald, which letter was lulillshed In that paper of last Krilay. The correspondence is as folows: Washington, D. O., Aug. 15.?The resident, just before leaving Washngton late lost night for a visit to 'oionel House in Massachusetts, sent he following letter to the Herald corespondent: The President's Letter. "My Dear Mr. Daniel: Replying to our letter of August 12th, let me say hat 1 have perfect confidence that the icople of South Carolina will judge lghtly in the senatorial contest and have not the least fear that they will lelieve that Mr. Blease is or can be a riend to .the administration. The reord of his opinions Is already written ind it is a little late to expunge it. "Sincerely yours. "Woodrow Wilson." Was Reply to Daniol. 1J?|? r,.nlv lilt; piCSlUCUb 0 icvivi nno m< >vkv o one from the Herald's corresponlent, dated last Monday, as follows: "My Dear Mr. President: I have loted much satisfaction In letting the teople know your desire that a cer Oo little band. of wilful BWftii wtm e-elected to the Benate and house of epresentatlves because of their obtructionist tactics on matters of vital mportance in the conduct of the war. Bieaae's Record. "While I feel confident of the defeat f Cole L. Blease for the senate to ucceed the late Senator Tillman, 1 eel that an expression from you for he benefit of the people of South 'arollna would help to make his deeat overwhelming. " You are doubtpss aware of the savage attacks made ?y Blease upon you and upon the administration, several months after tmerica entered the war In which, .mong other things, he declared that he blood of every American soldier Jlled on foreign soil would be an unwarranted sacrifice of American manlood chargeable to you. He Is now oiling his followers that he is In faor of a third term for you, that he will loyally support you If he Is electd and is making other similar statements that are at absolute variance with his whole career and his whole ecord in and out of office. Even as ate as June of this year In a public peeeh he dared the Federal government to take the bridle off during the months of July and August and alow a free discussion of the war and is causes. "1 should be wry glad if you could ind It consistent and convenient to avor me with an expression for pubieatlon as to tho desirabilities of the lefeat of Blease. His opponent, Mr. )ial. Is a loyal and patriotic citizen if mv home citv of Laurens and will nake a worthy successor of Senator Tillman in the senate. "With the highest respect and eseem. I am, "Very truly yours, "Thomas H. Daniel." How American* Took Good Measure -"We regret being unable on this oc asion to follow the counsels of our nasters, the French, but the American lag has l>cen forced to retire. This is inendurable and none of our solders would understand their not being Lsked to do whatever Is necessary to eestabllsh a situation which is humllating to us and unacceptable to our :ountry's honor. We are golnR to ounter-attack." This vas a message sent by the American commander of American orces south of the Marne on Monday ifternoon of last week, after the Germans had lorced the Americans tack towards Conde-En-Brie. The "rench commander informed the Imerican general that the early Oernan success could not have any great effect on the battle; but that it was unlerstood perfectly that after hard ighting the Americans had slowly reired and that it was not expected that hey immediately launch a counter-atack. He added that a counter-attack Muld be portponed without risk and t might be better to give American roops an hour's rest Immediately after the American reneral aent the above message which s quoted by the correspondent of the ifatln. the Americana launched tbelr :ounter-attaok and loot ground W^S toon recovered with an addittodti lalf mile taken from the Germans for rood measure. Lieut David Put nan of the LaFaystte eecradrllle, a descendant of "Old Put" of Revolutionary fame, has >een decorated with the French miliary medal. In acknowledgment of its having brought down nine Gernan airplanes. " ... -."w-v ...' fL':: : fUB SAPPERS AND MINERS l?b FIgbtiig Goes Or Under foe Gnui ttfoY SOLBIEKS MEET DEATH THERE Ajpierican Engineer Telle of Some 'Thrilling Experiences in Tunneling Under Flanders Mud and French Chalk. Our work in the Flanders trenches was almost entirely confined to minta*. As soon as the Germans had been j halted In their drive in August, 1914, had entrenched themselves and ^ ?tierever the trenches of the Allies apere within 100 yards of their own they had proceeded to start mining :ifc"ross No Man's Land. Early in 1915 ( t^cy exploded a large number of milnes underneath the Allied trenches. Ttie French and llritish immediately I, organized tunneling or mining comptnies and proceeded to countermine. i ^During 1915 they were mostly en- ] g^ged on the defensive in these ope- | rations below ground, but towards ( the end of 1916 and in 1916 and 1917 ] tlje Allies succeeded in reversing tile I, state of affairs and were quite active with offensive mining. When I reached the trenches early . ii* the first week of January, 1916, the British company I was with hod succeeded in sinking a number of shafts (not, however, without hav- < ing several of them destroyed by the i enemy during their construction) and had driven a number of galleries well 1 o^er towurds the Hun lines. Our < ?ches here opposite Formelles nv- < ed from 80 to 150 yards aimrt. On I unt of shallow water level we averaged a depth of about 25 feet Is-- I low the surface, and only by constant J pumping with hand pumps were we 1 able to keep up the progress in our 1 gall erles. The soil was generally a blue I plastic elay. At intervals we would 1 strike running sands and when this ' hap|iened we usually found it wise to ' abandon the drive and start new ' workings. ' At the outset many of our tunnels ' also were destroyed by enemy "blows" but we succeeded in putting in quite an elaborate system in the course of , time. The sector we were operating ( on had a frontage of approximately j half a mile and on this front we had ( some sixteen shnfts. From the shafts , we drove a complete system of defen- , slve galleries. . Work in Silence. i There is a very marked difference i lietwecn mining in clay and chalk, i iamt on in me v imj iiiukc tui-u. v.. had considerable mining in chalk. In clay it was possible for the Germans and ourselves to tunnel to within a fair feet of each other before we could ^^anyjioumd^f mining; and elab?(9P silence. In chalk It is possible to hear from much longer distances, especially where the chalk contained any amount of flint. To insure silent working in the clay we would use grafting tools Instead of shovels. No nails were used In the timbering, all sets being waged with sand bags. Blankets were hung In the end of galleries to deaden the noise. As we approached nearer to the enemy, the men working In advanced tunnels would have to use canvas shoes or work in their socks. As the lives of everyone in the galleries depended on silence the work was conducted almost noiselessly. When we reached within striking distance of the enemy we would build a charge chamber and load It with guncotton, connecting up with detonators and a double set of leads to the charge, and at the right moment fire these charges ' from the trench ahovo by means of blasting machines. From this clay soil and at a depth of from 20 to 75 feet, we would blow craters sixty to seventy feet wide with a small charge of liOO or 700 pounds of guncotton. As a matter of fact when we met the Hun below ground In So Man's IjuhI "wo would endeavor to fire "camouflets," that is. a charge calculated to destroy enemy galleries but not to break the surface of the ground. We would usually carry on our work until we heard the Hermans talking. When you can hear the enemy talking in clay you can bet they are pretty close. On some occasions we have in this way fired our mines when within three or four feet of enemy mines. Deep Under Earth. Trench mining in clay Is much more dangerous than in chalk on account of the difficulty of hearing operations until you are almost on top of them. In the chalk country further south, in the Vlmy Ridge trenches and the Somme area, tye were mining at much greater depths. Some of our mines were 150 feet deep, and after the battle of the Somme we found the Hermans at Frlcourt had a mine system 200 feet deep. For these chalk mines we used a different and much stronger high explosive than guncotton. With the British we used Individual mine charges as large as 100,000 pounds. These would blow coneshaped craters several hundred feet In diameter and well over 100 feet deep. Some Idea of the terrific force of , mlnoo />?? K/i nhtuinPil wIlPII VOU compare the bursting charge of the Mills bomb, which contains four ounces of ammonia with the single , mine charge of 100.000 pounds or 400,000 times that amount. You cannot see a hand bomb like the Mills burst without having some respect for its destructive qualities?particularly if you are close up. Nearly all of our work on these Flanders mines was done by hand. At times our galleries and tunnels would be half full of water and It required constant pumping, day and night, to carry on with the operations. All the dirt was handled hi sand bags and brought out from the inaln galleries on rubber tlrid mine oars and hoisted to the surface by windlasses. Lossss Not Heavy. We were very fortunate tn our work below ground. In not losing more men than we did, but It required constant and careful listening to avoid casualties. We could distinguish In time the nature of the sounds of the t,yJ * y/T \ T...... enemy miners when charging their j mtnes. as distinct from every dayl work, and mighty useful it was that I we could do so. Sometimes they would keep us guessing, and would hold their mines just as we did ours, for several days, or even a week or two before firing them. Although it was our business as engineers to carry on the work we were responsible for, we would occasionally find time to "strafe the Hun." We were using on top at the time, the Vickers machine gun. the Lewis automatic rifle and grenades and several kinds and heights of trench mortars and a number of liand t>ombs. The Mills hand l?mb had not been I Issued at that time, but we threw a rtumlier of other varieties, from the aid handle bombs with cloth streamers attached to guide their flight to the cricket ball liomb with a quick match which is lit from a brassard an your arm. Bomb throwing in 1916 was not the comparatively safe 1 lnuiscment that It is now. < Our first trench mortars were made I >f pieces of cast Iron pipe. The trench mortar fellows would always use a I ong lanyard and carefully take cover themselves before they tired the < mortars; in fact, so often did the < mortar gun itself burst, that the lnrartable question when any trench mortar landed In the trench was ' 'Whose is it, ours or theirs?" > "Breaking Through." In March, 1916, we had tired a amouflet when within a few feet of ui enemy party underground. ( After the poisonous gas had been pumped out. we started work again ' pn the face. The next day we broke hrough into their old gallery and , found w? had thoroughly wrecked it. \fter leaving this tunnel alone for a fvw days, work was resumed at right ingles to the German gallery tin J carried on for a distance of 5u feet when ve turned off to the left. Some two hours ufter 1 had been relieved by Lieutenant G. and had rc.0rued to the rest billet at Sailly, 1 1 received an S. O. S. call from the ' Tenches, "broken Into enemy gallery." J I promptly rode up on my motorcycle ind reported to the mine shaft. Enters Hun Galleries. It appears that directly we broke ( through Lieutenant G. hod gone to j he magazine and connected ' up a portable charge of 30 pounds of gunrotton and attached a short piece of lifety fuse to the detonator and I charge. The gallery, by the way, was ibout four and one-half feet by two uul one-half feet in size. Carefully i miking: his way to the face where ( we had broken through and without | jslng his electric torch, he enlarged * the hole, carefully pushed the box i containing the guncotton through Into < the Hun gallery, lit the fuse and I cleared out. The German gallery was lit by electricity and he had heard < three Oenraut- minora at work when tie lit the fuse; < When I arrived at the mine dugout I tie had finished this work. My section i commander, Captain B? had also < peached the scene and asked me to I ?o below with on Irish papper in a | I'roto oxygen breathing apparatus and I ice what damogf had been done. Sap- . per Doherty and I soon got into the lpparatus and proceeded below. As I we approached the enemy I picked up < Ihe end of the air hose and carried I t on through with me. We found the t "ematns of three or more Boches who I tiad been "sent west" by the explosion I )f the portable charge. We left the i iir hose in their gallery and came i jack again and climbed out on top. I Raiding Below Ground. ' We then proceeded to pump fresh iir Into the gallery from the hand pum|>s on the surface. 1 reported that iherc was no reason why we could lot get into the Hun galleries. Capain B. then ordered us to moke up three raiding parties, with a view to 1 exploring their system. The three J parties were each composed of an i?Wr nn N. C. o. and two sappers. The N. C. O.'s each carried a portable charge of a box containing 30 pounds )f guncotton with them; the sappers 1 i few liombs each, and the officers electric torches and revolvers. It had l>een arranged that Captain B. should station himself at the junction of our tunnel with that of the Germans, and if anythlnp went wrong he would blow his whistle hard, and on the signal we were instructed to return to our shaft as quickly an we could. I happened to be the junior officer, so had to wdit to take my party in last. We did not have much luck with this stunt. The first two parties got In and went up to the gallery some distance. The Boche opened up (Ire at once with automatics and bombs. Our follows returned shot for shot. Then tho whistle blew, and discretion being the better part of valor the first two parties merely stopped long enough to fire their portable charges and then came out as fast as they could and back to the surface, Doherty and I at once again put an the lToto apparatus and proceeded below for a second investigation. This time we carried the air hose in further and got some distance up the pnomy gallery. I also carried a canary In a small cage In order to test the air. The canary did not last very long and soon toppled off his perch. We could not find any live Huns In their gallery?much to (he disgust of friend Doherty. They may have been crawling around in the dark somewhere, but gave no sign of life. Doherty was a typical game little Irishman and was as mad as a hatter because wo could not find a Hun. I remember his attempts to register anger, enveloped as he was In the heavy Proto apparatus, were very amusing. I'd like to have a regiment of Dohortvu. <5n our return to the surface we posted a guard of six men near the enemy gallery In order to prevent their coming Into our underground system, while we got ready for further action. Aa we were afraid that the Hun would try to smoke our fellows out with smoke 'or gas bombs. Lteutenat O. and I went below again. We were each armed with revolvers and electric torches. We very cautiously walked or crawled up the Boche gallery. Hear Enemy Whispers. Another officer and a sapper came iy * \ a:A . ' V , .i-IiiSfi . up tne g&iiery seme uibuuuc uciuuu us earning' 60 pounds of guncotton. Lieutenant G. and I after reconnotter- I ing some distance ahead came back to these fellows and took the charges j from them. We then crawled up to a point about t 150 feet up the Boche tunnel. We had c met no Germans so far on this trip, n but at this point could hear the steal- y thy walking and whispering of some j Germans who were evidently Just 0 around the gallery to the right about c 15 or 20 feet ahead of ua As we had v only a short piece of time fuse on the ( guncotton charges I suggested to Lieutenant G. the advisability of tiring them at this spot. He seemed to be v anxious to reach the German shaft t| ahead, but there was no chance of do- n tag this, so we laid our guncotton on ini* HtHJI" Ul illt* Rnnn jt, vuuovuvi u numhcr of Gorman sandbags filled j, with clay, and tamped the charge as p best we could. While he lit the fuse 1 a covered the gallery with my gun. After the fuse was lit we turned our tl torches on and hustled out as quick as J( we could, expecting a few bullets or w bombs to speed us on our way. For- t| Innately for us we got back far a enough to lie safe before the explosion uccurtjpd. Steal German Mine. Sl This last charge was effective In n closing tho gallery for a time. In short order we laid a charge of several hundred pounds of guncotton. While luylng the charge, however, the a, enemy ha ntunuged to clear enough i?f din away so that they could tliv j( through it. We were in luck, however, for neither the charge Itself nor any i)t our febows were hit by their bullets, y We blew this charge successfully. t? Some 12 hours later the Germans also (, tired a big charge which blew a crater 0( near the spot ,1 I was down below three times that day with Doherty, almost directly uf- If Ler we had tired our small charges and (.| It is a significant fact that we met no Germans. It was quite evident thut It took some time to summon up enough courage to investigate, lncidentally 1 think this typical of the T ii? n?/hf nil riirhf In trunks, and he outlined the call# for the next year or more as follows: August, 250,000; September, 200.000; October, 155,000; November, 150,000; December, 150,000; January, 100,000; hVbruary, 200,000, and 300,000 monthly thereafter until the end of next year. These calls would aggregate 4,208,000 against the estimate of 2,300,000 to bo had from the new registration, but no explanation was made of this and other discrepancies in the draft figures. General Crowder has said that the present reservoir In class 1 will be exhausted by next October 1. but Secretary Baker made It plain that the reservoir of men now in camp in this country is sufficient to keep up the present troop movement oversens. Advices from Berlin are to the effect that Germany has become very pessimistic at the way affairs are trending In Russia. Theodore Wolff, in the Tagebl&tt, warns against blind optimism, and points out that the power of the Crecho-Slovaks was underestimated. Wolff declares that things can no longer be pointed rosecolored, especially since the events on the west front; that even those parties who welcomed war with America consider the time has come when the German people should demand an explanation. These people, Wolff explains, underestimated America's strength, and now try to prove that America would have declared war In ? ? *!! ? In Aivlor O hafllvp themselves from the responsibility. IV nun. i 1117 ovviii %vr n0..? .... ...... ? ^ mass but not 'ndividually. Hand-to hand, either above or below ground, the French, British and certainly our own lads have the sand and ginger to ^ ilways put it over on them. H( ENLARGED ARMY PLAN ft Eighty Divisions to Be in Franco by June 30, 1919. Four million American soldiers can ^ defeat the German army, Is the belief of .General March, chief of stafT, and Ci present plans of the war department ^ call for moro than that number un- T ier arms next summer with some 3,200,000 of them, 80 divisions, in France Oy June 30. These and other important facts d concerning the nation's efforts in the war as-given ts tha_aeiuUe.. ^r'lUaty committee by General March, Secrelory Baker and Provost Marshal General Crowder, have been revealed by Chairman Chamberlain in presenting to the senate the administration man- ^ power bill extending the draft ages to ^ Include all men between the ages of t| 18 and 45 years. President Wilson is determined to tiring the war to a concluslorf by concent rating all forces on the western r< front, lncluling Italy, Secretary Baker told the committee, and General (, March supplemented this by stating b' that it was the purpose to end the jreat world struggle quickly and decisively. For the nation not to put ^ forth its maximum effort at once, the ( chief of staff declared, would be but . "playing Germany's game." Thirty-one American divisions, or j lpproxiinately 1.300,000 men now are in France, with as many more in (j camps in this country as a reservoir, h Secretary Baker says that the uc- ^ derated programme of troop movements overseas, which has enabbnl c General l'erehing to organize his first ^ Held army of some 1,250,000 men will ^ be continued because of the generous action of the British government in supplying ships. To carry out the present programme p of 80 divisions overseas by June 30, nearly 2,000,000 men must be sent to ^ Franco in the next eleven months. Mr. () Bilker would not be drawn Into any discussion of the country's ability to transport men, but it is known that r many more than that number could be { landed in the war zone at the present n rate of shipments. Youths to Be Sent Early. General March told the commltOee, ^ according to the report to the senate, t that he was in favor of young men r for the army, and that the youths of B 18, registered under the new draft law would be in France by June 30. ^ He estimated that some 2.300,000 men || qualified for full military service a would be secured from the new regis dubious About Lsttsrs of tho Prssidont as to Local Politics. lew York World. Birmingham, ALa.. Aug. 14.?Addlional returns from yesterday's Demoratlc primary have not reduced the najority by which Representative luddleston of the Ninth district ap.arently has been nominated. In spite f President Wilson's recent letter delaring the congressman was in every .ay an opponent of the adminlstraion. Senator Uankheod appears to have aen renominated by a sutmtantiul ote. but returns today from all over he state still were so meager that tony of the races were in doubt. Washington. Aug. 14.?Many leadig Democrats are chafing over the resident's letters concerning state nd local politics. The Republicans naturally are *?it r. because anything a Democratic resident does politically must l>e rong, according to their notion, and fie Democrats tire objecting Invuuse presiuem uti miKgrMiun niiKs um It the votes that are opposed to inyrference from Washington. In the >11 th iMrttciilarly "states' rights" ever hna ceased to bo an Issue, lvist spring, when the president rote a letter to Joseph Davles, the indidatc for the senate against Sentor Lenroot, applying the "acid test" ) candidates for congress Democratic aders thought his action politically a wise. At that time, the president said the iclx-more resolution, warning Auteriliis to stay olT of sliips on which ley were entitled to ride l>> the laws f nations; the embargo issue and ie armed neutrality measure, furislied the llrst opportunity to "apply te acid test in our country to dislose true loyalty and genuine Atncranlsm." Other Letter* to South. Itecently, he has written letters oposing ltepresentative Slayden of exas, ltepresentative II udd lest on of laJmnia, Senator Vardaman of MisIssippi. and Senator Hurdwick of eorgio. There Is no love In the house for Ir. Huddlestou, and not much in the i?nate for either Mr. Vurdninun or Ir. Hardwick. There Is a feeling In the house that Ir. Huddleston Is a Socialist and a -ouhlemaker, hut it was said today tat the president's letter, saying that e was "in every way an opponent of ie administration," hud undoubtedly atised resentment In Mr. Muddleston's (strict and gained votes for him. his is the opinion or Aiunaina pouclans here. A secret ballot In the senate would evenl a heavy vote against Mr. Varaman or Mr. Hardwlck. but the letsrs of the jpjealdent, opposing them, m Xtf"not make a good Impression on heir associates. It Is feared by senate leaders that lie president's action will not have tie desired effect, for It looks as If leasrs. Vardaman and Hardwlck rould win, in spite of the attitude of tie White House. Foar Bad Impression. Many southern congressmen believe mt if Vardaman and Hardwlck are nominated, an erroneous impression 111 l>e created in this country and ennany. They fear that there will e a disposition to claim that the resident's war policy is not popular. As a matter of fact, the president's par policy has little to do with it. The Iron# sentiment against outside In rference with state matters may lfluence voters to support the eanidates the president is opposing. In private Democratic congressmen eclare that the president should play ands off in such matters at this I me. It was predicted today that when ongrcss reconvenes, and Messrs. ardaman and Hardwlck return, the art played by the president will berime a subject for debate in the sente. With a few exceptions memliers of ongrcss, Democrats and Republicans, elleve that it would have been better or the president to have left the Alaruna, Mississippi and tJcorgia oonests to the people of those states. The unanimity of this expression is rjunlled only by the Inrariableness of he added phrase. "But don't rpiote ie." War Make* Pigoona Poor.?The > i goons or hi. faurs are noi aa ui ?m hey use to be. War rations and air aids have affected them materially aya a London dispatch. Visitors to London's famous catheral are not as numerous as they were 11 pre-war days, and even those perons who do feed the pigeons nowaa.vs don't care to pay twenty-five ents a pint for peanuts Just to see the itg birds peck. It is a violation of the iCfenso-of-the-realm act to feed bread o birds, so pigeons have to content hemselves principally with the scanty savings from the cab horses' dinner .aga The pigeons of the St. Paul's and of J1 London, too, dread th* buzz of airilane propellers overhead, and even luring the daytime, when an observing Allied aviator appears in the sky, tnd this is almost dally, the pigeons itter about and fret considerably unit he Is out of sight -And at night when the Boches have ome, dropping bombs and things, pigens are out in a Jlffy from their roost n the belfry where is hung Great Paul if seventeen tons, 8h Paul's largest lell, never returning until daylight. They spend the remainder of the night in adjoining buildings or wherever her happen to alight when the air aid la at tta height "One could feed thoee pigeon* all he peanut* and wheat ther could eat" aid a policeman wfaoee station la near It Paul's Cathedral, recently, but heyMl never take on any flash so lone is there are aviators about Bombs ind the ham of the airplanes worry hem nearly out of their feathers." Vice Admiral Behncke has been kppolnted head of the German navy, ucceedlng Admiral von Capelle, wbo n turn succeeded von Tirplt*. The >reeent shakeap follows the recent ipologlee of Admiral von Holtsendorff or the failure of the German subma tnee to sink American transports.