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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1918)
THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA. THRILLING STORY OF HAIGRETREAT Illinois Officer Relates Experience of Hun Attack on the British. TEN DIVISIONS AGAINST ONE Despite Overwhelming Number of En- my, Hla Losses Were Great Miraculous Escape From Bap tism of Shell Fire. First Lleutennnt Roswell T. Pettlt, M. O.-R. C, of Ottawa, 111., In a letter to his father, Dr. J. W. Pettlt of the Ottawa tuberculosis colony, and pub lished In the Chicago Tribune, relates the thrilling story of the great battle in Plcardy. The American officer was In the thickest of the fighting for nine days, during tne retreat of the British Fifth array from before St. Quentln. Lieutenant Pottlt's account of the imt tle thrills with the stress of the con flict, as it was written immediately after he .had passed through the tre mendous experiences and before his Impressions had been in any way dulled by time. His letter follows: Lieutenant Pettlt'e Letter. .March SO. Dear Father: Now that the show Is over for life for the time being, and I have time to breathe nnd sleep and eat and write, I'll try nnd tell you about the battle. Before you receive this you will have had the whole story from the papers, but I know you will be Interested In knowing what I did in the affair. , Of course, the things I saw were but an Infinitesimal part of a gigantic whole and it would be Impossible for me to give1 a correct description of the battle. And as I -write this, I do it . with no knowledge whatever of what has been going on even a few miles from me. ' i have not seen a paper in eight days ; I have received no mail, and the only Information we have received has been by word of mouth, and most of what we hear must be wild rumors. For ex ample: The French have advanced 20 miles at Verdun, the Ameri cans have, taken Ostend, and are on their way to Zeebrugge, and a great naval battle has been fought In the North sen. All I know is that on this part of the front the Germans attacked us in over whelming numbers, In places ten divi sions to our one; that they suffered terrible losses, but finally broke through our lines of defense, one after another, nnd fighting for the most pnrt, a rear guard action, we have retired about 15 miles in a straight line. For a week before the battle started we hail been expecting it; we were ready to move on 30 minutes' no tice. I had been out with combatant as well as medical officers on tours of reconnaissance, definite methods of evncuatlon of the wounded had been worked out, and our plnns of counter attack been made. After four or five flays of waiting, the storm finally broke The Boche opened up on us at 5 n. m March 21, with the heaviest barrage I have ever heard, "Stand to," was sounded, we turned out dressed, and had all our equipment packed in .10 minutes. Then we sat down nnd waited for orders to move. The bar rage kept up continuously, sometimes heavier and then of less Intensity, BometImes.lt seemed to be to the north of us and then suddenly it switched to the south. Our balloons were up as soon as It was light and the airplanes were buz zing over our heads. The ground mist gradually cleared and the Germans put a hall of shrapnel on our camp and we nil took cover, but three men were hit. Why It Is n fellow always feels safer with a roof over his head, even If he knows bullets and shrapnel and pieces of shell will go through boards and corrugated Iron Just like aper. Ordered to Move. Our orders to move finally enme and we marched off to the brigade assem bly point several miles away. This as sembly point was In n little bunch of trees about the size of "Allen park and ' behind nnd separated from a larger wood In front. In the larger wood there was a battery of henvy artillery and shells were dropping In there two or three to a minute, and It wns heavy stuff, too. Sometimes they overshot tho big wood and shells wert landing In the open around the little wood where my brigade had Its assembly point. As we approached our little copse we could make nil this out from some dis tance away nnd It wasn't a pleasant scnsntlpn to feel that we were inarch ing straight into It. All the battalions arrived and In thnt little copse there must have been at, least two thousand men. What a chance If the Germans only knew 1 But the shells continued to drop In front of us and on either side, buthone landed among us, and after waiting there for three hours, expecing to be blown to bits any second, ve finally moved for ward. Just as we left the copse, from behind us, up over a ridge, caine a stream of galloping horses. "It's the cavalry," someone shouted, but soon I made out Umbers nnd field guns. They galloped past us, going like inntl, took up a position tq our right, swung Into position, unllmbered, nnd In two minutes were blazing awayi It wns a thrilling sight. Torn by Shells, In going forwurd we went nround the end of the larger wood In front of us, over ground that was torn to bits by the heavy shell lire thnt had Just preceded, over another edge, across a valley, and under tho crest of n hill. And here we found the "tnnks going over the top of tho hill to take up their position. At this point we were still about n mile from the front line. At this place I opened up an aid post tinder the crest of tho hill to tnke care of what wounded came In while we were getting Into position. Shrapnel was bursting In tho nlr. shells were whizzing overhead, nnd our guns behind me were belching forth the fire. The nolse'wns deafening. A railroad ran through tho valley and an engine pulling n couple of lint cars was going by. A couplo of sol diers were sitting on tho rear truck swinging their feet. A shell burst on the track and only missed the last car about fifteen yards. Neither man wns hit and the train went blithely on. By this time It was getting nlong toward evening, the sun was sinking in tho west, nnd finally went down a great ball of fire. At the time, I re member, I noticed its color. It was blood red and had n sinister look. Was it my imagination, or might it have been n 'premonition? At uny rate, 1 shall never forgot tho color of tho sun ns It set that night ut the end of the first day of probubly one of the great est battles In history. It certainly didn't look good tq me. The drumming of tho guns contin ued, twilight gradually deepened Into night, the signalers stopped their wig wagging and took up their flash sig nals, a fog dropped down on us nnd put the lights out of business, and when we left to go forward under the cover of darkness they were busy put ting out their telephone lines signal ers and runners don't have an easy time. Shell Dump Goes Up. Behind us a shell landed In an am munition dump nnd It went up with n roar ; then the rifle ammunition started going off like a great bunch c fire crackers, and great tongues of flame lit up the sky. It Is reported that the Germans had broken through our line and we were to counter-attack In the morning. We got Into positions without n single casualty. I opened an aid post In an old dugout and settled down to sleep until morning. You may think It fun ny that one could sleep under such conditions, but I had been up since 5:30, had tramped about six or seven miles, had had a rather .trying day and was dog tired. Just like some of the warm days we get the last of March at home., In going forward it was necessary for us to march seventy-five yards In front of three batteries' of field guns. There are six guns to u battery. They shoot an eighteen-pound shell nnd while we were there each gun wns shooting twice to the minute. You can Imagine the racket when I tell you thnt the discharge of one gun can be heard about four miles. In addi tion the Boche was trying to knpek out this battery nnd ho was dropping his six Inch shells a little too close for comfort. Nearly In a Trap. Then I made a lovely mistake. 1 wns to establish an aid post nenr bat talion headquarters nnd went blithely on when I met a company commander and asked him where to go. "Back thero ubout a quarter of a mile," he replied. "This is the front center company. If you keep on In the direction you are going you nre going up over thnt ridge and Fritz will be waiting for you with a machine gun." So my sergeant and orderly and myself didn't Avnste any time in clear ing. On the way back I found a gallon can full of water, got Into n corrugated Iron shelter and had a wash and a shave. It certainly felt good. I don't beleve I had washed for thirty-six hours. It was warm and bright. I could look out of my shelter nnd see our support lines digging themselves in several l)undred yards nwoy. The cannon fire censed, the machine guns settled down to nn occasional fitful burst nnd It wns midday of a beautiful spring day. A couple of pnrtrldge flow oven me. What did they know or enro about all this noise nnd racket and men getting up In line nnd killing each other? Along nbout three o'clock things be pan to liven up again. In the mean time hendqunrters had been establish ed In a sunken road with banks about fifteen feet high on either side (Inter this cut wns half filled with dead). My n.Id post was In n dugout near by nnd gradually things got hotter and hotter.' Our men had dug themselves In una were popping nwny with their rifles. Tho field bntterles behind us, were putting up a barrage, airplanes wcro circling overhead, both ours and tho Germans'. The Germans put up n counter-barrage, the machine guns were going like mad. I wns standing with tho colonel on a little rise of ground nbove the sunken rond when tho Germnns broke through nbout a mile to the north of us. They could be plainly seen pouring over the ridge In close formation. Tanks Get Into Action. - Then the tanks came up, and you should have seen them run I Just like rabbits 1 Tho tanks retired; the Bodies reformed nnd enme nt It again. They tell me that at certain places our men withstood fifteen sue cesslvo attacks and that the Germans went down In thousands. One Welsh man told me thnt his gun accounted for 75 In tlie minutes during one wave. Machine-gun bullets were nipping around me, the shell fire was getting hotter, nnd even though It was won derful sight to watch I decided "dis cretion wns the better part of valor," or something like thnt, nnd got down In my dugout. I went'bnck to the advanced dress ing stutlon through the hottest, shell lire I ever experienced. More than once I went down on my face when a shell hurst and the pieces went whiz zing over my head, I spent the night In a mined village where tho advanced dressing stntlon was located, nnd nil night they shelled It to blazes. ' It was remnrkablo how few casualties wo had. About eleven o'clock tho morning of the third day n shell Wow In the side of our post, but luckily no one was hurt. Wo stuck to it until nbout four In the afternoon, when we saw our men retiring over n ridge in front of u, keeping up n continuous mnchlno gun and rlllo fire, and we bent It back to another village and opened anoth er post. The Begrimed Lord. About ten o'clock on tho morning of the fourth dny tyml Thyme, my col onel when I was with the battalion, stumbled Into the shack where I was sitting, lie looked like a ghost. Ho had lost his hat, his face was covered with a four days' beard, tho sweat hild traced tracks In tho dust from jits forehend to his chin. Ills sleeve was torn nnd bloody and he hnd a gash In his nrm where he had been struck by a piece of flying shell, cuse. "My God, doc, are 'you here?" ho said. "You got out Just In time. The battalion Is nil gone. Tho sunken rond la filled with dead mostly Huns, damn 'em. The line broke on tho right; we were surrounded, nnd nt tho last we were fighting back and hack. Only thirty of us got away." So we knew, the Boche haa broken through to our right and our left, gnd it was a question of how long it would be before we, too, were surrounded, hut we wanted to stick It out as long ns we could. But not more than nn hour Inter a medical officer rushed In from one of the battalions and between gasps for breath told us the Germans were on the edge of the village, had shot him through the sleeve with a machine gun bullet (luckily that was all), and for us to bent It. Let 'me tell you we did. I threw my knapsnck nnd made the first hun dred yards in nothing flat and then settled down to a walk because I was so out of breath I couldn't run any more. The Incessant scream and crash nnd bang of tho shells kept up nnd the rnt-tat-tat of the machine guns never ceased. The village immediately be hind us was .a seething mnss of brick dust, smoke, flame, and bursting shells. We were told on our wny back that a stand was to be made behind this vlllnge, so we' circled nround It nnd took up a position nbout a half mile behind It at a cross roads. Unfortunately for us, n six Inch bat tery came Into nctlon about fifty yards from us and, nslde from the harassing effect of the terrific noise, batteries nre nlwnys unpleasant neighbors, as they Invite shell fire. We stopped here until about 10 o'clock nt night, when we were ordered to retire. There wns no wny of getting out the wounded thnt we hnd collected, so the stretcher bearers carried them on their stretchers for sjx or seven miles, In fnct, we nil helped, and when we nrrlved at our destination nt 4 o'clock In the morning of the fifth dny wo were all In. I could hardly move, but after two big bowls of hot tea and some hard tack I turned In on the floor nnd slept like a log for four hours, when wo moved to another place nnd opened a dressing Btntlon. Hun Plane Crashes. On the wny n Gerninn nlrplano enrao down anil crashed near tho road, but neither the pilot nor observer were hurt. They were n couple of rather nent looking lads about 10 years old. And so It went for three days more, open n 'dressing stntlon, retire (some times on the run), long marches, very little to eat except what we foraged from abandoned camps nnd dumps, dog tired, sleeping when nnd where we could, nnd flnnlly the division wns re lieved. We now saw our first civilians, nnd last night I slept In a bed. It wasn't much of a bed, nnd the mattress was full of humps, but to get my boots off my sore and aching feet, to stretch out, and know I wouldn't be routed out In fifteen minutes well, you couldn't have bought that bed from me for $100. Did you ever read Robert W. Serv ice's description of the retreat from Mons? Well, that's the way I felt: Tramp, trnmp. tlie (trim road the road from Mons to Wipers; I've 'ammered out this ditty with me bruised and bleeding1 reef, Tramp, tramp, the dim road We didn't 'avo no pipers- All bellies that were 'oiler was the drums we 'ad to beat, The ninth dny, sitting around the fire In our mess nfter the best dinner we hnd hnd In days, the commanding officer handed mo some papers nnd said, "Here Is something that will In terest you, Pettlt. I want to sny we shall bo sorry to lose you," And tills Is what It was: "Lieut Roswell T. Pettlt, M. R, 0., Is relieved from duty with tho British urmy and will proceed to the A. E. F where ho will report for duty." I lenve for Paris In the morning, This has been n long tale, but the half of It hasn't been told. I hope I haven' strung It out too much. I have Just been informed that nil my kit had to be' burned to prevent It falling Into the hnnds of the enemy, I shall probably want you to send mo some things from home, but will see what I can get here first. Your non, ROSWELL. wm m SY MARY" GCAILN&EQMKR A FAIRYLAND BALL. Tho plno trees wero singing songs to tho fairies, and tho fairies one by one wcro going to sleep. The big moon came out, smiled ns ho saw the flres sleeping and whispered to the plno trees: "Is Fairyland going to bo very quiet tonight?" "No," the pine trees whispered, Just so they could be henrd nnd so as hot to nwnken tho fairies, "there Is gOliig to bo a ball." "Are tho sleeping fairies going to nwnken?" naked the moon. "No, my denr moon," snld tho plno trees, "these fairies are tho dnytlnie fairies the ones whoso dresses nre like tho sun, only more dazzling so that people can't see them. They will sleep so soundly though that they will not awaken nnd, too, the ball Is being given In yonder glnde." "Are there other fairies coming to the bull?" asked tho moon. "The night fairies nre coming nnd hush hero come the fairies of twi light, headed by Fairy Twllicht Boll " 'said the pine tieos. Along through tho woods enme count less little fairies dressed In wonderful dresses of dnrk blue and purple. They wore silver crowns and they carried wnnds of sliver with stiver stnrs which dropped on tho mossy ground. "Hello, nine trees," called Fairy Twlllght-cll. "I see the day fairies have gone to slumbcrlnud." Now the fairies of the twilight como out Just nfter Mr. Sun has gone to bed and nt the hour of dny which peo ple cull twilight. Fairy Twilight-Bell was named because tho twilight fairies voted for her ns their queen. Her voice always sbunded like n beauti ful silver bell and so they named her Twlllght-Bell. Tho moon was so glad ho had de cided to get up early. "I Just love n party," ho said, grinning. "Thero Is nothing I like so much". And I hope you'll choose hlde-nnd-go-scek as ono of your games before you begin tho dnnclng." "Wo will, Mr. Moon," the twilight fairies shouted, and from nwny in the woods nn echo sounded : "We will, Mr. Moon." But it wns really not an echo nt all. Tho sound came from the voices of the night fair ies whd were Just hurrying along to the ball. They wore gowns of very dark purple with wonderful star shaped sashes and crowns and wands. They enme along singing: "We're here, ire'ro here, "Let's be of good cheer, "And danco and play "All tho nlcht away. "Mr. Moon will beam, and the Pins Trees win sine, "Let tho Joy-bells of Fairyland, HaP' pyland, ring!" The pine trees Joined In the singing and Mr. Moon beamed. For they did as he had hoped nnd played hldo-and go-seek with him behind the plno trees. "It's a Ball; a Real Ball." Ho wns so delighted and appreclntcd what tho fairies did to amuse him so Very much thnt ho sent them a Joyous surprise 1 He told tho moonbeams to play with tho fairies, and then he nsked the shadows from Shndowland to attend the hall, which they did. The shadows danced with the fair ies and the moonbenms, uud all through the night the pine trees sang and made wondrous, soft music. And Mr. Moon chuckled to himself nnd said: "Certainly fairyland Is not quiet tonight. Tho plno trees wero right. It's u ball, a real ball, nnd what Is more, It's a real f fairyland ball the 1ost kind In the world." And ns Mr. Moon smiled und grin nod und talked all the time of how happy he was, the shadows, moon beams and fairies kept on danc ing. Itseeinod ns If they would novcr grow tireu, nut nt last tne nignt seem ed to become less dark, and the early gray dawn began to appear. "Hurry, hurry," said the fairies, Vwo must leave for we nre the night fairies, and the dawn fnlrles will soon be hero. Tills. Is their time nnd we have had ours," So the night fairies left and the dawn fairies came, but as Mr. Moon went to bed for the daytime he snld "It was the best boll of tho yeurl Proper. Harold came homo one night with his clothos full of holes. "What In the name of goodness hag happened to you?" exclulmed his mothor. "Oh I we'vo been playing shop evei since school was over." , "Shop?" echoed the mother. "Yes; we opened ; grocery, and ev erybody was something," Harold ez plained. I was the cheese I" TSieloiisewIf e aid the War (Special Information Service, United States Departmonj. ot Agrlculturo.) A FIRELESS COOKER FOR THE WARM DAYS , i ' 1 Material Needed for Making a Flreless Cooker. FIRELESS COOKER IS EASILY MADE Used With Kerosene Stove as Starter Kitchen Is Made More Habitable. TIME AND FUEL ARE SAVED Device Is Warm Weather Comfort In Any Household Food May Be Left Cooking Without Any Worry as to the Results. The firelesa cooker Is n wnrm weath er comfort In most nny kitchen. Used In conjunction with n kcroseno stovo, It means not only economy In fuel but It makes the kitchen a moro habit able place when tho wnrm days come. Firelesa cookers nre now being .made nnd used In hundreds of homes la town and country. What Is moro plcns- Ing to tho housekeeper than to put her dinner in tho llroloss cooker before sho goes to town or market nnd to Und It rcudy for serving when sho returns? Advantages of Cooker. Tho flrcless cooker offers several advantages. Tho first Is economy of time, us tho housekeeper may lenvo the food cooking without worrying nbout the result while Bho Is engaged In other household duties or while she Is nwny from homo. Some foods are Improved by long cooking nt relatively low temperature. Tho texturo nnd flavor of tougher cuts of meats, old, tough fowl nnd hnm nro Improved by slow cooking. Cereals nnd dried le gumes und dried fruits nro moro pala table nnd whplesonio when cooked for n long time.' Soups nnd stows nro delicious when cooked In tho cooker. Baking, 'however, cannot bo dono vory conveniently and sntlsfnctorlly In tho ordinary homemade flroless cooker. Economy of Fuel. In some sections of tho country economy of fuel must bo nn Important consideration. Tho food for tho cooker mny be stnrted on n wood or conl range when the morning meal is being prepared. Tho foodito bo cooked Js first heated to boiling point on tho stovo In tho cooking vessel nnd then this veosel, covered with o tight lid, Is quickly pluced In tho cooker where tho cooking continues. Tho cooker Is so constructed that tho heat does not escape. For long cooking It Is neces sary to place in the cooker under tho cooking vessel n hot radlntor A soap stone Is tho best rndlntor nnd can bo purchased nt most hardwnro stores nt no cents. A stovo lid, n brlcfc, or disk made of concrete, heated and placed In tho cookor, may servo ns tho rndlntor. When Cooking by Flreless. Don't let the food or disk cool be fore ybii put them in tho flreless. Tho food will not cook unless thero Is enough heat shut up with It. Reheat the food that requires long cooking, If It cools before it Is finished. Ro heat tho food before serving, If neces sary. A small quantity of food cools quickly, so either uso the disks or put The Completed n stnnll vessel containing tho food In tho regulnr cooking vessel nnd sur round It with hot water. Sonpstono disks will lncrcnso tho usefulness of your cooker. They enn bo heated hotter than tho boiling point of water nnd when shut up In tho fire less furnish hent which cooks tho food. If you mndo your firelesa according to directions, you can safely uso tho disks. Hent .them vory hot, but do not let them get rod hot, for fenr of cracking. With ono below and ono on top of tho cooking vessel you will bo able to roast ment or even to bako bread or pud dings. Without tho disks your flrcless Is useful only for certain kinds of food ccrenls, beans, pot roasts, stews, etc. Make Flreless Cooker. A tightly built box, an old trunk, a gnlvnnlzcd-lron nsh can, a candy bucket, n tin lard can, n lard tub, nnd a butter flrkjn aro somo of the con tnlncrs thnt hnvo boon used successful ly In tho construction of flreless cook ers. Tho inside contnlnor or nest which holds tho vessel of hot food muy bo n bucket of ngnto, galvanlzed-lron or tin. This nest must be deep enough to hold tho rndlntor nnd tho vessel of food but not largo enough to lenvo much spnee, ns tho air space will cool the food. Tho Insldri container must have n tlght-llttlng cover, and straight sides nro desirable. Tho packing or Insulation must bo somo material which Is a poor Con ductor of hent. The following ma terials mny bo used nnd they should bo dry : Lint cotton, cotton-seed hulls, wool, shredded, nowspnpor, Spanish moss, ground cork, huy, Btraw, and excelsior. Sheet asbestos one eighth Inch thick nnd heavy cardboard hnvo proved to bo the best lining for tho outer con tainer und tho wrapping for tho nest. Heavy wrapping paper or severnl sheets of nowspnper may bo used for lining tho outer contnlnor, but the nest should bp wrapped with, asbestos or heavy enrdbonrd to prevent tho hot stono scorching or burning tho packing. It Is well to lutyo tho outsldo con tainer largo enough to permit four Inches of pncklng below nnd around tho sides of tho nest. If a cooker Is being mndo with two nests, six Inches of pncklng should bo "allowed between tho nests. Puck Into the bottom of tho lined outer container four Inches of tho packing. Place tho nest or inside contnlnor wrupped with nsbestos or heavy enrdboard nnd hold steady whllo the packing is put around tightly nnd firmly until it reaches the top of tho nest. Mnko a collar, ns shown in Illustra tion, of cardboard, sheet asbestos, or wood to cover tho exposed surfuco of tho insulating material. This collar shopld fit tlghU Mnko a cushion which when filled with tho packing will bo at least four Inches thick and will fill completely tho space between tho top of tho nest nnd tho lid of the outsldo container. It should fit against tho top tightly enough to cause pressure when tho lid In closed, ? !Tho outsldo of tho flrcless cooker can bo inudo more attractive by stain ing or painting it Tho lid may bo held In plnco by screcn-doof hooks nnd eyes. Tho cooker rimy bo placed on casters so that It can bo easily moved. Flreless Cooker.
